Bad Boys, JEDI Style
by Kelaria
Summary: A comedy of errors: in which our heroes are recruited to film a reality holo-drama...
1. Obi-Wan & Anakin are assigned to JEDI

**Bad Boys, JEDI Style**_**  
><strong>_

_**A long time ago, in  
>a galaxy far, far away...<strong>_

_It is a time of peace in the  
>galaxy. In fact, things are so<br>peaceful that the Jedi have little to  
>do these days, aside from handling<br>occasional Senate matters and training  
>new younglings in the ways of the Force.<em>

_This newfound peace is largely due to the tre-  
>mendous popularity of the reality holo-broadcast,<br>JEDI, which over the past decade has elevated the  
>Jedi to a nearly god-like status. Criminals quake in fear<br>of the legendary warriors, while parents flock to the Jedi  
>Temple, begging that their children be taken as younglings.<em>

_The Jedi themselves find the logistics of the reality show rather  
>annoying, but they tolerate the cameras for the sake of good pub-<br>lic relations. However, during this heinously boring time of peace, the  
>producers of JEDI have resorted to staging much of the action in order<br>to give their avid viewers the entertaining drama they have grown to love..._

**Chapter 1**

"We made it," Captain Typho said, pulling off his helmet. "I guess I was wrong. There was no danger at all."

Padmé nodded, trying not to laugh. The trusty one-eyed captain was having way too much fun with this assignment; he had clearly missed his calling in life. He should have been an actor.

"Cut!" the director yelled. "That was perfect," he said. "Great job! Now, you guys on the ship, I need you to walk halfway down the ramp, and then fall down, like you've been hit by an explosion." Padmé giggled as Cordé and the rest of her crew followed his instructions; then he yelled "Cut!" again, and it was her turn.

When the make-up artist was finished with Cordé, Padmé ran to her, doing her best to look grief-stricken. "Milady," Cordé gasped. "I'm so sorry... I've failed you, Senator."

"No," Padmé said, kneeling beside her. _Damn. Everyone else is coming up with these great lines and all I can think to say is 'No'?_ She wished her dialogue could have been scripted ahead of time; but part of the reason viewers loved _JEDI_ so much was because they knew it was all ad-libbed by real people. Still, she was beginning to regret her decision to volunteer for this episode.

Luckily Captain Typho was there to save her. "Milady, you're still in danger here," he said urgently, as Artoo rolled toward them, determined to be in this scene. Padmé nodded, getting to her feet and looking down at Cordé, wondering what the heck to say next.

"I shouldn't have come back," she managed to blurt out. _That wasn't so bad; I think I'm getting the hang of this!_

"This vote is very important," Captain Typho ad-libbed. "You did your duty; Cordé did hers. Now come."

_I should say something,_ Padmé realized. _I shouldn't just stand here! But I can't think of anything! Help!_

Once again Captain Typho came to her rescue. "Senator Amidala, please," he said, leading her away._ Great,_ Padmé thought ruefully. _That was impressive; I just stood there like an idiot._

But the director seemed pleased. "Cut!" he yelled again. "That's a wrap. Thank you folks, you did a terrific job. Once we add in the special effects that's going to look great. Thanks again!"

Padmé smiled gratefully, letting out a sigh of relief. _I survived that scene; hopefully I'll do better in the next one._

Thankfully the directors of _JEDI_ were fun to work with; they weren't too picky about acting, and as long as you didn't completely bomb, they generally made do with whatever footage they were able to capture. Most of it was real-life footage of Jedi Knights on the job; but occasionally they would stage a more dramatic scene such as today's attack on the landing platform.

"Good job, Milady," Captain Typho said cheerfully, as they walked toward the Senate hall.

"Thanks," Padmé said. "I was so nervous, I didn't know what to say!"

"Oh, just be yourself," Captain Typho told her, grinning. "Don't worry, you'll do fine."

* * *

><p>"One last order of business we have today," Yoda informed the Jedi Council, after all the other matters had been discussed. "Two volunteers we need, for this week's episode of <em>JEDI<em>."

Qui-Gon Jinn looked around the Council chamber at the apprehensive faces of his colleagues, immensely pleased with himself. He had been written off the show ten years ago in a brilliantly staged battle against the fictitious villain Darth Maul; they had all drawn straws for the part, and he had been the lucky winner. Never again would he have to put up with cameras in his face for days on end while trying to do his job.

Just then, two cloaked figures strode quickly into the Council chamber, somewhat breathless. "Sorry we're late," Obi-Wan apologized, as his padawan bowed his head politely. "You called for us?"

"Yes," Master Windu said, his displeasure obvious. "We had an assignment for you, but in your absence we found a replacement," he informed Obi-Wan, with a stern look.

"I'm sorry, Master Windu," Obi-Wan began. "We - "

"Master Windu, I can explain," Anakin interrupted. "You see - "

"Enough!" Yoda said, holding a hand up. "Save your explanations. A new assignment, we have found for you." The other members of the Jedi Council breathed a sigh of relief; Obi-Wan and Anakin looked at each other nervously. "This week's episode of _JEDI_, you will film," Yoda informed them.

They knew better than to argue, but they were clearly unhappy with this new assignment. "Yes, Master Yoda," Obi-Wan said humbly. "We will report to the show's producers right away." Bowing respectfully, they left the Council chamber.

"Not again," Anakin lamented, after they were out of earshot.

"It will be all right, Anakin," Obi-Wan said. "Just try to forget that the cameras are there." But he could strongly sense Anakin's feeling of impending doom.

As a youngling, Anakin had been a natural in front of the cameras, playing the part of a slave boy on Tatooine who would become a Jedi padawan. The episode had been immensely popular, and had in fact spawned a mad rush of new younglings clamoring to join the Order over the past decade.

But the last time he and Obi-Wan had been on _JEDI_, Anakin had been fifteen years old, at that awkward age where boys didn't know how to act in real life, much less in front of a camera; it had been all Obi-Wan could do to salvage the situation, responding to Anakin's stuttering, inane comments in a way that would not make them both look like complete idiots.

"All right, Master," Anakin agreed reluctantly. "But I have a bad feeling about this."

_So do I,_ Obi-Wan thought, though he dared not admit it out loud. Hanging their heads dejectedly, the pair resigned themselves to their new assignment and headed downstairs to meet with the director.


	2. Everybody is nervous about filming

**Chapter 2**

"What should I say?" Padmé asked, as they walked toward the Chancellor's office to film the next scene.

"How about, 'Do you have any idea who's behind this attack?'" the director suggested. "Don't worry, Senator Amidala; you're doing great," he said, smiling. "I really appreciate your help with this episode."

Padmé nodded, taking a deep breath and memorizing her line. _Do you have any idea who's behind this attack... Do you have any idea who's behind this attack... Do you have any idea who's behind this attack..._

"We will discuss this matter later," Chancellor Palpatine was saying as they entered his chamber. _Do you have any idea who's behind this attack,_ Padmé reminded herself, focusing.

"Senator Amidala," Yoda said graciously, coming forward to greet her. "Your tragedy on the landing platform... Terrible," he said, shaking his head sadly. "Seeing you alive brings warm feelings to my heart," he added sweetly.

"Do you have any idea who's behind this attack?" Padmé asked the Chancellor, over Yoda's head. Her line came out perfect! Then she realized... _Oh no - Master Yoda! I'm sorry, Master Yoda, I totally ignored you!_ Padmé was mortified as Yoda hobbled away, looking slightly miffed.

No one seemed to have an answer to her question; then thankfully Master Windu stepped forward to rescue the scene. "Our intelligence points to disgruntled spice miners on the moons of Naboo," he said, his voice full of wisdom.

Padmé looked at him, trying to think of something - anything - to say to that. But finally she just burst out laughing, shaking her head. "I'm sorry," she giggled. "The moons of Naboo are mostly giant blobs of water," she explained. "I was trying to picture people mining for spices in little boats, with pick-axes," she laughed. Then she composed herself. "I'm sorry. Sorry about that," she apologized to the director.

"That's all right," the director said. "We'll go ahead and use it; nobody will know the difference anyway," he assured Mace. "But you're right, we've done the disgruntled spice miner thing twice this season already. We need a new villain," he mused.

Windu laughed. "I'm sorry, it was all I could think of," he apologized good-naturedly, shaking his head. "When in doubt, blame it on those disgruntled spice miners," he joked; it had become a cliche in crime dramas.

Padmé tried to think who might be a good villain. The last time she'd been on the show was ten years ago, and they'd used droids from her Uncle Dooku's factory to create an evil droid army for the Jedi to fight. Uncle Dooku had even played a small role, but he had been cut from the final broadcast.

"I have an idea," Padmé said. "What about bringing back the droid army? I'm sure my Uncle Dooku would agree to it; he loves the show."

"Excellent," the director agreed. "Perfect! Would you mind giving him a call to see if he's available?"

"Sure," Padmé nodded, as the Chancellor offered his holo-transmitter. "Hi Uncle Dooku," she said, as her uncle's holographic figure appeared.

"Padmé," he exclaimed, delighted. "How are you?"

"I'm fine," she said. "Uncle Dooku, I have a question for you..." She explained the situation to him, and as she had expected, he agreed to let the producers of _JEDI_ use the droids from his factory again for their show.

"Do you think I could be on the show this time?" he asked hopefully.

"Of course," the director assured him. "Absolutely; we'll come up with something for you to do... Actually," he said, "We need a villain... Would you mind playing the bad guy in this one?"

"I would be delighted," Uncle Dooku said, beaming. He was a great fan of theater, and had studied acting in his youth; the prospect of appearing in the most popular reality show in the galaxy was beyond his wildest dreams.

The director thanked him, and they discussed plans for shooting a scene with the droids; then he hung up and they returned to filming. "All right," he said. "Where were we...? Master Windu just suggested the spice miners, and now, Senator Amidala, why don't you let the Jedi in on your theory about Dooku and the droid army... and, Action!"

_Ahh! I'm not ready!_ "I think Uncle Dooku is behind it," Padmé blurted out.

"Cut," the director said. "You can't actually call him 'Uncle Dooku,'" he reminded her gently. "Anyway we need a better title for this guy, something more sinister... How about _Count Dooku?_" he suggested. Padmé nodded, giggling at the thought of her uncle being a Count. "Action," the director said again.

"I think that Count Dooku is behind it," Padmé stated flatly. Then everyone looked at her curiously, as if expecting her to elaborate. _What... I'm supposed to have a reason? Because he's got a factory full of droids, and he wants to be on the show, that's why._

Thankfully, she was once again rescued, this time by Ki-Adi-Mundi. "He is a political idealist, not a murderer," the Cerean countered. _Ooh, good one. If my brain were that tall maybe I could think faster too... All right, what to say to that..._

"You know, Milady," Master Windu improvised, when she failed to respond to Ki-Adi. "Count Dooku was once a Jedi. He couldn't assassinate anyone," he assured her. "It's not in his nature."

Padmé knew she should respond; but she was still getting used to the idea of her Uncle Dooku being an evil Count, and now all of a sudden he was a political idealist ex-Jedi evil Count... This was quickly becoming confusing.

"For certain Senator: in grave danger you are!" Master Yoda interjected randomly, showing his sharp teeth as he pointed a threatening finger at her. _I'm sorry Master Yoda! Oh no, he's really mad at me now... Honestly, I didn't mean to ignore you before!_

Padmé looked at the director uncertainly; this scene was going nowhere, and the dialogue so far made no sense... But thankfully Chancellor Palpatine stepped in to save the day. "Master Jedi," the Chancellor proposed, "May I suggest the Senator be placed under the protection of your graces?" _Yes. Finally. That makes sense._

"You really think that's a wise decision under these stressful times?" Senator Organa asked politely. _In,_ Padmé wanted to correct him. _'In' these stressful times. Or perhaps 'during'. Not 'under'. But who am I to criticize,_ she sighed. The scene had finally been getting somewhere, and then Bail had to go and complicate things again. He was by far her best friend in the entire Senate, but still she wanted to kick him. Thankfully everyone ignored him anyway.

Then suddenly an idea came to her. _Yes! Finally! This is brilliant!_ "Chancellor, if I may comment, I do not believe - "

"This situation is very serious?" Chancellor Palpatine interrupted. "No, but I do, Senator," he said gravely. _Grrr... That's not what I was saying! Of course I think it's serious; Cordé's dead out there! I finally think of something intelligent to say and I get interrupted,_ Padmé sulked, as the Chancellor continued with his monologue. "But, perhaps someone you're familiar with?" he suggested. "An old friend, like... Master Kenobi."

"That's possible," Master Windu agreed, when Padmé failed to answer. "He's just returned from a border dispute on Ansion." But Padmé continued to pout; she was still cross with Palpatine for interrupting her.

"Do it for me, Milady, please," Chancellor Palpatine begged, a bit overdramatically. "The thought of losing you is unbearable." The Chancellor was a regular on _JEDI_, and enjoyed his role tremendously.

Padmé realized she should say yes, instead of just standing there frowning; but the window of believability had passed, and if she broke out of her stupor now it would look awkward. So she just stood there looking angry. _This makes no sense,_ she realized. _I should theoretically be happy about this. Oh well. I'm hungry, it's time for lunch. Let's get this over with._

"I'll have Obi-Wan report to you immediately, Milady," Master Windu said, after a moment of awkward silence.

Padmé smiled gratefully. "Thank you, Master Windu," she said, relieved beyond words that this scene was finally over.

"Cut," the director said. "Excellent work, people! That was perfect! All right, I'll meet up with you this afternoon for the apartment scene. Thanks so much for your help."

* * *

><p><em>Later that afternoon...<em>

"You seem a little on edge," Obi-Wan observed, as he and Anakin stood in the lift on their way up to Senator Amidala's apartment to film their first scene of _JEDI_.

"Not at all," Anakin lied stiffly.

Obi-Wan tried not to smile. There was a cameraman in the lift with them; he wasn't actually filming right now, but Anakin seemed to think so, which Obi-Wan found amusing. "I haven't felt you this tense since - since we fell into that nest of Gundarks."

But Anakin just smiled. "You fell into that nightmare, Master," he reminded him. "And I rescued you, remember?"

"Oh," Obi-Wan said. In truth he didn't remember much about that situation, as he'd barely been conscious at the time; but he _did_ remember Anakin had been quite upset about the whole thing. "Yes," he agreed, laughing nervously; then he peered at the cameraman. "That's not on, right?"

"No," the cameraman shrugged. "I'm just testing the light, that's all."

"Oh. Good," Obi-Wan sighed, relieved; at least _that_ awkward exchange hadn't been caught on video. But he was still concerned about Anakin. "You're sweating," he chided him. "Relax. Take a deep breath." He had expected Anakin to be nervous in front of the camera, but it wasn't even rolling yet; what was he so anxious about?

Anakin sighed. "I haven't seen her in ten years, Master."

_Ah,_ Obi-Wan realized. _So that's it._ Anakin had been raised in the Temple along with the other younglings almost since birth, and had never really been around women before meeting Queen Amidala while filming for _JEDI_. It had been obvious to everyone involved that Anakin had been smitten with a hopeless case of puppy love; he had called her an angel, and even made her a necklace to remember him by. Qui-Gon had spoken to him sternly about it afterwards, and no doubt Anakin was embarrassed by the prospect of seeing her again.

Obi-Wan gave his padawan a sympathetic smile, wishing he could think of something encouraging to say to him; but some things were best left unspoken, and so he left Anakin to his thoughts. He was nineteen now, and no longer a child. Obi-Wan smiled optimistically as the lift stopped at Senator Amidala's apartment, confident that his padawan would handle this situation with far more maturity and discretion than he had exercised the last time around.


	3. Let's have a rogue Jedi on the show

**Chapter 3**

"Senator Padmé! Mesa palos here," Jar Jar said excitedly. "Looky looky Senator! Desa Jedi arriving!"

Padmé walked across the room to greet the Jedi, as the Gungan continued on with annoying enthusiasm. "Mesa love the Jedi! Wheee! Jedi!" he exclaimed, jumping up and down and babbling incoherently.

"Cut," the director interrupted. "Thank you, Senator Binks," he said respectfully. "That was excellent. Perfect! Now let's move on to Master Kenobi's entrance," he suggested, as Padmé gazed at him in heartfelt gratitude. "And... Action," he said, nodding to Obi-Wan.

"It's a great pleasure to see you again, Milady," Obi-Wan said, bowing politely.

Padmé smiled to see him. His hair was long, and he had grown a beard; he barely resembled the padawan she remembered from ten years ago. "It's been far too long, Master Kenobi." She turned to his padawan; he looked more like Obi-Wan as she remembered him, though he was taller. Then recognition suddenly hit. "Ani?" she asked in disbelief. "My goodness, you've grown!" _He was such a little shrimpy thing! How did he get so huge?_

Anakin smiled shyly. "So have you," he said. Then a look of panic crossed his face as he realized that wasn't quite right. "Grown more beautiful, I mean," he corrected himself quickly. "Well, for a Senator..." _Poor thing,_ Padmé realized. _He's even more nervous than I am._

"Ani, you'll always be that little boy I knew on Tatooine," she said, smiling. Then, realizing that she had basically just insulted a Jedi on the_ JEDI_ show, she quickly turned and walked away from the camera, trying to sneak out of the scene.

Unfortunately Obi-Wan followed behind her. "Our presence here will be invisible, Milady, I can assure you," he said, chasing after her. Padmé stopped, confused. _Not too invisible, I hope... That's the whole point of this show, right?_

Then good old Captain Typho stepped up and delivered another one of his perfect lines. "I'm Captain Typho of Her Majesty's security service," he said to Obi-Wan, stating the obvious. "Queen Jamillia has been informed of your assignment. I am grateful you are here, Master Kenobi. The situation is more dangerous than the Senator will admit."

_Right,_ Padmé remembered; they had decided to pass off her earlier sulking fit as an attitude of stubborn independence. "I don't need more security, I need answers," she told the Jedi, playing her role. "I want to know who's trying to kill me."

Unfortunately Obi-Wan hadn't received the memo. "We're here to protect you, Senator. Not to start an investigation," he reminded her politely.

But thankfully Anakin came to her rescue. "We'll find out who's trying to kill you, Padmé," he said sweetly. "I promise you." _Aw. Thank you, Ani._ He looked pathetically nervous, all wrapped up inside his black cloak, fidgeting with his hands hidden beneath the folds. But it had been so brave of him to take her side...

"We will not exceed our mandate, my young padawan learner," Obi-Wan chided him, a bit too dramatically.

"I meant it in the interest of protecting her, Master, of course," Anakin conceded; but he gave his Master a meaningful look, and suddenly Obi-Wan nodded, finally understanding.

"Yes, of course you are right," Obi-Wan agreed quickly. "Excellent suggestion, my clever padawan. Senator Amidala, we will do everything we can both to protect you _and_ to find out who is behind this attack," he assured her.

"Cut," the director said. "No, that was good," he told the Jedi, seeing their apologetic looks. "Actually, I really liked what was happening there; it adds some tension to have a 'Good Jedi / Bad Jedi' thing going on," he explained, as Anakin and Obi-Wan laughed at the idea. He looked at Anakin critically. "Yes, I think you will do," he mused.

"Do for what?" Obi-Wan asked cautiously, protective of his padawan.

"We've been thinking it's time for another rogue Jedi on the show," the director said. "It's a delicate balance; viewers want heroics, but at the same time they grow bored of the Jedi always being perfect, always acting predictably."

"Ah," Obi-Wan nodded. "Well if it's unpredictable and imperfect that you want, then absolutely, Anakin is your man," he teased good-naturedly, as Anakin glared at him. "I could not recommend him more highly for the part."

"Great," the director said. "Anakin, would you be willing to do that? We would need you to play the part of the disobedient padawan: talk back to your Master, disregard the Jedi Code, we might eventually have you turn to the Dark Side... You'd be written off the show," he apologized.

Anakin had been looking uncertain about this idea, but suddenly he perked up. "I'll do it," he agreed, nodding. "How soon do you think I'll be written off?" he asked innocently. _You sneaky little thing,_ Padmé laughed, guessing what he was up to.

"We'll see how it goes," the director said. "I'm afraid these things are hard to predict, but I'm sure we'll need you for at least the next few days," he consoled him.

"Oh," Anakin nodded, disappointed. Then he sighed, shrugging. "All right, I'll do it."

"Excellent," the director said. "Now, let's start again with Master Kenobi chastising the wayward padawan... Action!"

Obi-Wan blinked, startled, but quickly recovered. "We will not go through this exercise again," he scolded Anakin. "And you will pay attention to my lead."

"Why?" Anakin asked angrily, out of nowhere. Padmé tried not to laugh; it was not very subtle.

"What?" Obi-Wan asked, clearly caught off guard. _'Why?'_ was the type of childish retort one would expect from an immature, spoiled four-year-old, not a Jedi padawan.

"Why else do you think we were assigned to her, if not to find the killer?" Anakin elaborated, getting into the part. "Protection is a job for local security, not Jedi," he said haughtily. "It's overkill, Master; investigation is implied in our mandate." _Wow, he is really good at this... _Padmé was impressed.

"We will do exactly as the Council has instructed," Obi-Wan warned him. "And you will learn your place, young one."

"I - " Anakin blinked, then burst out laughing. "Sorry," he said, shaking his head. "That was just too funny... 'You will learn your place, young one!'" he imitated dramatically, mocking Obi-Wan. "What am I, five years old here?"

"Well, the way you're acting, yes!" Obi-Wan laughed, shaking his head. "Oh dear, I think we are in for a long week," he sighed. "Sorry," he apologized to the director.

"That's all right," the director said. "I think we've got some good footage there. Now let's pick up with Senator Amidala; basically you need to thank them for their help, and say goodnight... Action!"

"Um," Padmé stammered, trying to think quickly. "Perhaps with your presence the mystery surrounding this threat will be revealed," she said. _Hey, I am getting better at this!_ "Now if you will excuse me, I will retire."

"Cut," the director said. "Wonderful job. Senator Amidala, that was brilliant. Now, if I could have the three of you later this evening for one more scene, that will be it for today," he promised.

"Of course," Obi-Wan agreed politely, as he and Anakin stood up to leave. "We are looking forward to it."

Padmé said goodnight to them, smiling affectionately. She had worked with Jedi Knights in the past as part of her job, but most of them were hopelessly stiff and formal; these two truly seemed different from the rest. And with Anakin playing the wayward padawan, and her Uncle Dooku as their arch nemesis... This episode of _JEDI_ would not be boring.


	4. No, let's say he's drunk instead

**Chapter 4**

_Later that evening..._

"Captain Typho has more than enough men downstairs," Obi-Wan announced, as he entered Senator Amidala's apartment where Anakin had been standing watch alone. "No assassin would try that way. Any activity up here?"

"Nope," Anakin said, shrugging. "Anyway who cares; this assignment sucks. Let's get drunk."

"Anakin," Obi-Wan reproached his padawan, his manner stern yet caring. "I've been meaning to speak to you about your drinking problem. It is not the Jedi way," he reminded him gently.

"Fine," Anakin sulked. "I'll get wasted instead. And then - "

"Cut," the director laughed, shaking his head. "What's this?" he asked, confused.

"We were discussing it over dinner," Obi-Wan explained. "We thought that if drugs were responsible for Anakin's downfall, perhaps it might send a positive message to the young viewers of the show," he suggested.

"Interesting idea," the director said. "Yes, we might use that. But we would have to lead up to it gradually, to keep the tension going: why is Anakin acting so strangely? And then, near the end of the show, we finally learn of his addiction, but tragically it's too late to save him... Yes, I like it!" he said enthusiastically. "But for now, try to be more subtle about it; don't make it too obvious. Let's take it again from Anakin's line, but focus on the situation at hand; we need to get through this scene. Action!"

_Try to look drugged... But not too drugged..._ Anakin took a deep breath, focusing himself. "Quiet as a tomb," he replied. "I don't like just waiting here for something to happen to her." He tried his best to look dark and pouty and just the slightest bit psychotic.

"What's going on?" Obi-Wan asked.

Anakin looked at the video monitor, but it was blank. _Great, they're having technical problems. Okay, think fast..._ "Eh, she covered the cameras," Anakin shrugged. "I don't think she liked me watching her." _Yeah, that was good!_

"What's she thinking?" Obi-Wan asked, distraught.

_I have no idea... Maybe that her bodyguard is a complete lunatic? Stop asking me questions Obi-Wan!_

"Cut," the director said. "Looks like they're having technical problems in Senator Amidala's bedroom," he said to the cameraman. "Can you go check that out?" The cameraman nodded, and the director turned back to Anakin and Obi-Wan. "That was great," he assured them. "But I think we need to talk a bit about Anakin's motivation..."

_Oh no! He's onto me!_ "I'm sorry, sir," Anakin apologized humbly. "I'm trying..." _Trying to get written off the show as quickly as possible, so I'll never have to do this again for the rest of my life. And I can laugh at everybody else like Qui-Gon does._

"No, not _your_ motivation," the director reassured him, laughing. "Your character's motivation." _Oh. Oops._ "The drug angle is good, but it's only a symptom of your underlying problems... Have you ever been on the show before? Perhaps we can tie in something from a past episode," he suggested.

_No. Oh no. Don't do this to me..._ Anakin gave Obi-Wan a desperate, pleading look, gesturing hopefully with his fingers; he was only allowed to use Jedi mind tricks with his Master's permission. But Obi-Wan shook his head, and Anakin sighed, nodding obediently. "Yes, I have been on twice before," he informed the director politely. "Once when I was nine, and again when I was fifteen."

"Remind me what happened in those episodes... This is only my second year working for the show," the director apologized.

"Well the last time, I - actually I didn't really do much; the focus was more on Master Obi-Wan," Anakin said humbly. "And rightfully so; his abilities are far beyond my own," he conceded graciously, in a vain attempt to escape notice.

"I see," the director said. "And the previous episode?"

Anakin knew he was doomed. "Pod race. Tatooine," he said miserably.

"Pod race - " the director broke off, staring at him. "You're Anakin _Skywalker?_"

Anakin hung his head, nodding. "Yes, sir," he admitted.

"Wow," the director said quietly, a bit star-struck. "I'm sorry, I didn't recognize you. It's an honor, truly," he told Anakin, shaking his hand. Then he sighed thoughtfully. "Well now I'm not so sure about this rogue Jedi angle," he mused. "Although... No, perhaps it's even better this way. More tragic. Yes," he decided, nodding. "We will keep going this way, if it's all right with you."

"Of course," Anakin agreed politely. _As long as you write me off the show for good this time, I'm happy._

The cameraman came back into the room, shaking his head. "Sorry, we can't get the feed working," he apologized.

"All right," the director said. "We'll go with what we had before; Senator Amidala has covered the cameras on purpose. Let's say she's programmed her droid to warn you if there is an intruder," he suggested to Anakin. "And... Action!"

_I hate how he says that out of nowhere!_ "She programmed Artoo to warn us if there is an intruder," Anakin assured Obi-Wan.

"You're using her as bait?" Obi-Wan asked, horrified.

_Oh, right. I'm evil._ "It was her idea," he pouted. "Don't worry, no harm will come to her. I can sense everything going on in that room," he insisted arrogantly. "Trust me."

"It's too risky," Obi-Wan argued. "Besides, your senses aren't that attuned, my young apprentice," he chided Anakin.

"And yours are?" Anakin asked rudely.

"Possibly," Obi-Wan said defensively. "At least I'm not half drunk on the job," he pointed out.

"Cut," the director said. "That's good, but we're not going to bring in the addiction issue until the end, if at all," he reminded him.

"Oh, right," Obi-Wan apologized. "Sorry, I forgot."

"That's all right. Let's take it from there... Action!"

"You look tired," Obi-Wan said.

_Wow. That was completely random._ "I don't sleep well any more," Anakin admitted. _Oh, right. The drug problem._

"Because of your mother?" Obi-Wan asked gently.

_What? Where are you going with this, Obi-Wan?_ Anakin was confused by the question, but he nodded, playing along. "I don't know why I keep dreaming about her," he said ruefully. _Really, truly, I don't. What the heck?_

"Dreams pass in time," Obi-Wan reassured him, in his best fatherly voice.

_Uh... You're not giving me much to work with here, Obi-Wan. But two can play that game..._ "I'd much rather dream about Padmé," he said defensively. _Take that. If I have to be a psycho at least I can fixate on Padmé instead of my MOTHER!_ "Just being around her again is... intoxicating." _And there's a reference to my drinking problem... I am brilliant!_

"Be mindful of your thoughts, Anakin, they betray you." _Ha! If you only knew..._ "You've made a commitment to the Jedi Order; a commitment not easily broken. And don't forget, she's a politician and they're not to be trusted," Obi-Wan warned him.

"She's not like the others in the Senate, Master." Then realization sunk in, and Anakin's heart began to race. _Did I just say on camera that I like to dream about Padmé? Oh, this is not good... Please, let's change the subject..._

Thankfully Obi-Wan seemed to sense his unease, and steered the conversation in a different direction. "Palpatine is a politician," he was saying now. "I have observed that he is very clever in following the passions and prejudices of the Senators."

"I think he's a good man," Anakin countered, for the sake of arguing. "My - " he broke off, startled. _Whoa! What's that?_

"I sense it too," Obi-Wan agreed. Not bothering to apologize to the director, they both took off running.

"Code Blue!" the director yelled urgently, and instantly a swarm of hovering camera droids followed the Jedi out of the apartment. This was how the action sequences for _JEDI_ were filmed; the Jedi wore homing devices at all times on the set, and if an actual crisis situation arose, the footage was shot primarily by the hover droids.

Something was happening in the apartment down the hall from Padmé's. Anakin kicked the door in and ran inside, lightsaber blazing; but the room was dark, and the apartment was empty. A camera droid flew past his head, entering the room just ahead of Obi-Wan; then they both saw what they had sensed a few moments earlier.

"Chaos droid," Anakin said, nodding to the window. Chaos droids were pesky little things, usually built by teenagers; their programming was completely random, and they would fly all over the city wreaking havoc wherever they happened to land. This one was currently drilling a hole through the window from the outside of the building. Anakin stood in the center of the room with his lightsaber humming; as soon as the droid came inside he would quickly put an end to it.

But suddenly the droid stopped drilling and began to turn around. _Damn,_ Anakin cursed silently. _If that thing gets loose who knows what it will do. All right, think fast..._ But Obi-Wan was already crashing through the window, leaping after it. _Holy crap, he's crazy!_

Anakin grinned at the sight of his master flying across Coruscant while hanging from a tiny chaos droid. _Now that's something you don't see every day._ Then he sprinted out to the nearest docking bay in search of a speeder to give chase, with a swarm of camera droids flocking behind him.

The _JEDI_ crew stood in Padmé's apartment, watching the feed from the hover droids as Anakin and Obi-Wan raced through the city. "This is great," the director said, excited. "We've got to figure out a way to tie this into the plot against Senator Amidala."

Just then Jar Jar ran into the room, frantic. "Mesa hear a big noise! Whatsa happening?" he asked, panicked.

"It's all right, Senator Binks," the director assured him. "It's just a chaos droid; the Jedi are taking care of it now."

"Oh, mesa so relieved," Jar Jar said. Then suddenly he began dancing around, shrieking. "Ooooh! Tickle tickle! Heeheehee!" Reaching a hand down the back of his pajamas, he pulled out a giant centipede, then another. "Heeheehee," he laughed, embarrassed. "Mesa pets: Squishy and Squashy!"

The director tried not to laugh at the sight of the Gungan dancing around with his pets. But then an idea came to him. "Senator Binks," he asked politely. "Would you mind if we borrowed Squishy and Squashy for a moment?"

Jar Jar was thrilled with the idea, and could barely contain his excitement as they filmed a scene with Padmé to tie in with the real-life chaos droid footage. "Mesa so proud, mesa busting with happiness!" he exclaimed when they were finished, collecting his pets and hugging them ecstatically. "Yousa gonna be famous!"


	5. Oh and by the way they're all family

**Chapter 5**

Zam Wesell stood on the ledge of a skyscraper, getting a good close look at the flashing billboards. _So pretty,_ she thought, staring at them in a trance. _Pretty pretty colors..._

She turned around and looked out across Coruscant from the ledge. _So many lights._ There were speeders flying around everywhere; it was dizzying, and Zam stumbled slightly. _Whoa,_ she realized, regaining her balance. _I've had way too many death sticks._

Zam tried to remember how she'd gotten here. That was her dad's speeder parked next to the ledge; she was vaguely aware of the fact that she wasn't allowed to drive it by herself, because she only had her learner's permit. _Oh no. Dad's going to kill me. I'd better get back home before he finds out._

But then she remembered why she took it in the first place. She was running away from home. She couldn't take the pressure any more; her dad expected too much of her. Since her mom died last year it was just the two of them now, and Dad was always so busy with work... He didn't have time for her. She was a burden to him, a disappointment and a failure. He'd be better off without her. Besides, she'd just flunked her history exam in school today, and when her dad found out about it he would kill her anyway...

Tears blurred her vision as she looked down, down over the ledge, to the ground level of Coruscant five hundred storeys below. _I should do it,_ she realized sadly. _There is nothing left for me. I would be doing the galaxy a huge favor._

But then something caught her eye: a Jedi was approaching, on a tiny speeder. Actually, he seemed to be hanging _underneath_ a tiny speeder... Zam shook her head, blinking in confusion. Something wasn't normal about that. But one thing was certain: obviously her dad had sent him. He was after _her_. And if he caught her, she'd be grounded for life this time.

Luckily, her dad always kept a rifle in his speeder, in case of emergency. Thinking quickly - or perhaps not at all - Zam grabbed his rifle, aimed carefully, and shot at the Jedi, stumbling drunkenly from the recoil of the rifle. She missed him, but she hit the tiny speeder, and now he was falling, falling...

_Oh crap! No no no..._ Horror gripped her as she realized what she had done. _Tell me I didn't just shoot a Jedi... This isn't happening... I'm just tripping out here... That didn't really happen..._ But somehow, deep down, she knew that this was real. _No no no no no..._ Jumping into her dad's speeder, she blasted off straight downwards, chasing after the falling Jedi in a desperate attempt to save him.

* * *

><p>Obi-Wan free-fell through Coruscant, scanning the busy traffic for a suitable speeder to land on. He'd done it many times before; Qui-Gon had taught him the trick when he was a young padawan, and Obi-Wan in turn had taught Anakin, though the practice was generally frowned upon by the other Jedi, as it was considered undignified. But at the moment it couldn't be helped, and Obi-Wan was grateful that he had learned from such an unorthodox Master.<p>

The chaos droid had suddenly and mysteriously exploded in mid-air; Obi-Wan was glad to be rid of it, though he would be happier once he was safely aboard a speeder. Unfortunately there was a drunk driver swerving in and out of traffic, and every time Obi-Wan targeted a suitable vehicle to land on, it was forced off course before he reached it. _That drunk driver is a menace,_ he realized as he fell hundreds of storeys downward. _He's going to cause an accident._

Then he sensed Anakin's presence, and a moment later his padawan appeared beneath him in a sporty, multi-colored speeder with an open cockpit. He couldn't help smiling; Anakin had the funniest taste in speeders. And clothing, and everything else, for that matter. _It's just a phase,_ Obi-Wan told himself. _He will outgrow it._

But he sighed ruefully, knowing that he was only deluding himself. He had reluctantly agreed to Anakin's black Jedi outfit two years ago, certain that the boy would outgrow it as quickly as he had his previous - and equally bizarre - wardrobe choice. But as fate would have it, Anakin seemed to have finally stopped growing, and the Jedi Code was quite strict on the matter: a Jedi may only change his clothes if he outgrows them, or if they are completely mutilated in battle. Obi-Wan had desperately hoped for the former, and dreaded the latter with equal intensity; but he was beginning to resign himself to the fact that Anakin would be doomed to wear black leather for the rest of his life.

He had shared his unease with Qui-Gon, but his former Master had simply laughed; he seemed to be proud of the fact that his grand-padawan was following in his somewhat rebellious footsteps. Obi-Wan loved Qui-Gon with all his heart, and Anakin too, although sometimes he wished he had never been burdened with the secret which only Yoda and Master Windu shared...

But he set these thoughts aside as he landed on the back of the speeder and crawled into the cockpit next to Anakin. "What took you so long?" he asked, chiding him affectionately.

"Oh, you know me, Master; I couldn't find a speeder that I really liked..."

"There he is," Obi-Wan interjected, pointing to the drunk driver.

"...With an open cockpit and the right speed capabilities," Anakin continued, as they chased after the swerving speeder. It was then that Obi-Wan became aware that they were surrounded by hovering camera droids.

"If you spent as much time practicing your saber techniques as you do on your wit, you would rival Master Yoda as a swordsman," he chastised his padawan, for the benefit of the cameras.

"I thought I already did," Anakin replied haughtily, playing his part.

"Only in your mind, my very young apprentice," Obi-Wan chided him, trying not to laugh as he remembered Anakin's reaction that afternoon.

But Anakin kept a straight face this time, and Obi-Wan was proud of him. _He is learning to mask his feelings._ They followed the drunk driver straight down toward the ground level of Coruscant, and Obi-Wan became nervous as they approached the fiery pits below at an unnecessarily high rate of speed.

"Pull up, Anakin," he instructed him. "Pull up!" But Anakin just laughed maniacally, swerving to avoid a collision at the last possible moment. "You know I don't like it when you do that," Obi-Wan reminded him crossly. It was true; he had the utmost faith in Anakin's flying skills, but still he couldn't help feeling nervous when his padawan had the controls.

"I'm sorry, Master. I forgot you don't like flying," Anakin apologized.

"I don't mind flying, but what you're doing is suicide," Obi-Wan retorted, only half for the benefit of the cameras.

* * *

><p>Zam was crying uncontrollably, completely out of her mind from the death sticks and the shock of what she had done. She hadn't been able to save the falling Jedi; she had tried to catch up with him, but then he was gone... <em>Oh no,<em> she sobbed, _I've killed a Jedi._ Wailing hysterically, she swerved haphazardly through a fiery industrial area at the bottom of Coruscant.

Then she saw something ahead, tall and menacing, with an eerie purple glow... A giant purple monster, reaching out to grab her in its creepy fangs and claws... It was alive! Panicking, Zam grabbed her dad's pistol and shot at the hideous beast as she flew by.

* * *

><p>"Anakin, how many times have I told you to stay away from power couplings?" Obi-Wan asked, bracing himself for the shock as they flew straight through the purple electrical current. Miraculously, Anakin managed to keep control of the speeder. "That was good," Obi-Wan said with relief, once the danger had passed.<p>

Suddenly his transmitter crackled as the director of _JEDI_ contacted them. "Master Kenobi, what's going on?"

"The chaos droid has been destroyed," Obi-Wan informed him. "At the moment we're pursuing a drunk driver, but we shall return as soon as he's safely apprehended," he promised.

"Great, keep on him," the director said. "We're going to tie this in to the previous scene. Let's say you're chasing after a bounty hunter who just tried to kill Padmé... If you could work that into your dialogue?" he asked hopefully.

"Of course," Obi-Wan agreed. "We shall do our best."

The drunk driver entered a tunnel, but instead of following him, Anakin flew around to the other side of the building. Obi-Wan knew exactly what his padawan was doing, and he didn't entirely approve of it. Still, he didn't completely _disapprove_ either, though it was his duty to make it look like he did.

"Where are you going?" he asked, pretending not to know what Anakin was up to. "He went that way."

"Master, if we keep this chase going any longer that creep is going to end up deep fried," Anakin pointed out. "Personally, I'd very much like to find out who he is, and who he's working for. This is a shortcut. I think."

As Obi-Wan had predicted, Anakin pulled over to a stop several storeys above the tunnel where the drunk driver would be emerging at any moment. "Well you've lost him," Obi-Wan said crossly. This was not simply for the cameras; it was his duty as Anakin's Master to not allow what his padawan was about to do.

"I'm deeply sorry, Master," Anakin apologized.

_Yes, I'm sure you are... And we will discuss this later, when the cameras are off. Just don't break your neck._ "That was some shortcut, Anakin," Obi-Wan said, playing his part. "He went completely the other way. Once again you've proved - "

"If you'll excuse me," Anakin said, jumping out of the speeder and free-falling through Coruscant.

"I hate it when he does that," Obi-Wan said to the hovering camera droid in front of his face. _Oh dear, I should never have taught him that little trick. I have corrupted him,_ he realized sadly. _Anakin was such an exemplary youngling before I took him as my padawan._ But Obi-Wan couldn't help smiling as he watched Anakin navigate the busy intersections and safely reach his target. Then he sighed, shaking his head. _Master Qui-Gon would be proud._

* * *

><p><em>This is great,<em> Anakin thought, free-falling toward the speeder below. _Obi-Wan is going to kill me later, but this is just way too much fun._ He landed on the speeder, but he couldn't find a good hand-hold, and he flopped around awkwardly. _Obi-Wan makes this look so easy,_ he thought, as he dangled stupidly from the front of the speeder, trying desperately to climb back onto it. _Okay, this is embarrassing. Please don't let this part be on the show._

Finally he clambered onto the top of the speeder, and pulled out his lightsaber to cut through the window. Clearly this driver was drunk beyond all hope, and was not pulling over, even with a Jedi hanging from her vehicle. But unfortunately Anakin's hands were still a bit numb from being nearly electrocuted a few minutes earlier, and he clumsily dropped his lightsaber. _Now Obi-Wan is really going to kill me.. If this girl doesn't first,_ he realized suddenly, as she pointed her blaster at him.

Reaching down through the shattered windshield, he tried to wrestle the blaster out of her hand; but in the process they both shot out the dashboard of the speeder, and now they were hurtling downward toward the lowest level of Coruscant. _Not good..._ At the last second, Anakin let go of the speeder and rolled onto the street. _Oww..._ He stood up, wincing as he held a hand on his aching ribs. _A Jedi does not cry on a galactic holo-broadcast,_ he told himself, catching his breath and trying to ignore the pain that was searing through his rib cage.

The speeder had crashed up ahead, and was on fire. Anakin was torn between feelings of regret that the driver had been killed, and relief that now the embarrassing footage of him flip-flopping all over the speeder could not be used in the final broadcast, since it was illegal to use footage if someone was actually killed in the process. But then the driver emerged, apparently unscathed, and began running through the streets. Anakin shook his head, chasing after her.

* * *

><p>Obi-Wan turned onto the street where the speeder had disappeared, and was alarmed to see that it had crashed, and was now on fire.<em> Anakin!<em> He set his speeder down just past the crash site, then ran back anxiously to make sure Anakin was all right. His feelings told him there was no cause for alarm, but still...

"Anakin!" he exclaimed, relieved to see him running into a cantina.

"She went into the club, Master," Anakin said breathlessly. There was a look of apology on his face, but they would discuss this in private later; for now, they had to make it look good for the cameras.

"Patience," he chided his padawan. "Use the Force. Think." It was a completely random thing to say, and Obi-Wan knew he was wasting valuable time, but hopefully Anakin would play along and they could handle this situation as discreetly as possible.

"Sorry, Master," Anakin apologized. He wasn't acting.

"He went in there to hide, not to run," Obi-Wan said. He was beginning to sense something... Fear. And it wasn't coming from Anakin. Whoever they were chasing was now hiding inside the club, and very afraid.

"Yes, Master," Anakin said humbly.

"Next time, try not to lose it," Obi-Wan reproached him, handing back his lightsaber.

"Yes, Master."

"This weapon is your life," Obi-Wan reminded Anakin. This was not a joking matter; his padawan went through at least a dozen lightsabers a year.

"I try, Master," Anakin apologized again.

_Yes, I know you do, Anakin. It's my job to be harsh with you._ "Why do I get the feeling you're going to be the death of me?" Obi-Wan asked good-naturedly, as they entered the club.

"Don't say that, Master," Anakin said sadly. "You're the closest thing I have to a father."

_No, I'm not. Trust me on that one._ "Then why don't you listen to me?" Obi-Wan chided him.

"I am trying," Anakin said again dejectedly.

They scanned the premises, looking for the drunk driver. "Can you see him?" Obi-Wan asked.

"I think he is a she," Anakin said quietly. "And I think _she's_ a changeling."

Obi-Wan nodded. He was beginning to understand the fear that he had sensed before. "In that case be extra careful," he warned Anakin. "Go and find her," he instructed his padawan, though he already knew exactly where she was.

"Where are you going, Master?" Anakin asked, surprised.

"For a drink," Obi-Wan said mysteriously. He sat at the bar and ordered a drink, hoping that she would come to him.

"You want to buy some death sticks?" the customer next to him asked hopefully.

"You don't want to sell me death sticks," Obi-Wan assured him, with a subtle wave of his hand.

"I don't want to sell you death sticks," the alien agreed.

"You want to go home and rethink your life."

"I want to go home and rethink my life," the drug dealer decided, standing up and heading for the exit.

_So do I,_ Obi-Wan sighed, as he sat at the bar, sipping his drink. Then he smiled wistfully. _No,_ he realized. _I wouldn't have it any other way, now that I know._ The Jedi Council had just granted him the title of Master two months ago, and Obi-Wan was both grateful for the honor and deeply shocked by the newfound knowledge the position afforded him.

Like most Jedi Knights, Obi-Wan had been raised in the Temple from a very young age, never knowing who his parents were. That knowledge was afforded only to those who achieved the rank of Master; and so two months ago, with great trepidation, he had looked into his personal file to learn of his origins. It was reasoned that a Jedi who had achieved the level of Master possessed the wisdom and maturity to handle such knowledge without forming unhealthy attachments.

But Obi-Wan had nearly gone into shock when he read his file. He had been deeply saddened to learn that his mother had died nineteen years earlier; but when he saw his father's name, he had started shaking uncontrollably.

Obi-Wan had gone straight to his former Master's private quarters, still trembling from the shock. That's when Qui-Gon had gently explained that he had fallen in love and gotten married when he was just a padawan, only nineteen years old. They had kept the marriage - and their newborn child - a secret for over a year, but when Qui-Gon was offered Knighthood, he had confessed the truth to Yoda, expecting to be expelled from the Jedi Order.

But Yoda had granted him Knighthood nonetheless, though his wife and child were to be kept a secret among only the highest of the Council members. Qui-Gon was a student of the Living Force, and Yoda recognized his unique value to the Order; but it was because of his marriage that he had been denied a seat on the Council for so many years, even after he became a Master.

Despite his misgivings, Yoda had accepted their son as a youngling when he was just five months old; he was given his mother's last name - Kenobi - and it was agreed that Qui-Gon would not be involved with his training. But twelve years later, when Obi-Wan had still not been chosen as a padawan and was in imminent danger of being sent to the Agricultural Corps, Yoda had reluctantly agreed to allow Qui-Gon to train the boy.

Obi-Wan's mother had died two years later, and Qui-Gon had been grateful to have Obi-Wan by his side as he secretly mourned the loss of his beloved wife.

"How did she die?" Obi-Wan had asked his former Master, curious to finally learn the truth.

"She died in childbirth," Qui-Gon had informed him sadly.

"She was - she was pregnant again?" Obi-Wan asked, eyes wide as he realized the implications.

But Qui-Gon had laughed gently. "Yes," he said. "I'm a Jedi, not a saint," he apologized. "But I have always followed the Living Force, and it has guided my life in a different direction than I would have expected," he confessed. "Yes, there was another child."

"What became of it?" Obi-Wan had asked. "Did it survive?"

"Yes," Qui-Gon nodded. "He survived, and was immediately taken into the Temple, passed off as an orphan. When he became old enough to begin his training, I begged Yoda to let me take him as my padawan as well; but this time he refused," Qui-Gon said sadly. Then he gave Obi-Wan an appreciative look. "And so I went to the one person whom I trusted more than any other, and begged him to take my younger son as his padawan."

Obi-Wan had stared at Qui-Gon, his mind reeling. _She died in childbirth nineteen years ago..._ "No," Obi-Wan had whispered, trembling in shock.

"Yes, Obi-Wan," Qui-Gon had said gently, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Anakin is your brother."

As Obi-Wan sat at the bar now, staring at his drink, he remembered the feelings that had coursed through him, which had not lessened over these past two months. First, complete shock, and a certain horror in realizing that his entire world had been turned upside down; but then, quickly, he had found himself smiling, his eyes filling with tears of pride and joy as he realized his padawan, whom he had loved more strongly than any Master ever should, was actually his brother. _I knew it,_ he realized wistfully. _I've known it all along. Or I have felt it, at any rate._

Qui-Gon had reminded him gently that Anakin could not know, until he himself became a Master, which might not happen for a decade or more. Obi-Wan had agreed, respecting as always the will of the Council; but it had been very difficult for him these past two months, knowing that Anakin was his brother, but not allowing his personal feelings to affect their Master/Padawan relationship. It was one of the most difficult tests he had faced as a Jedi, and sometimes he wished that the Council had not made him a Master, at least until Anakin was out from under his wing.

But the Council had voted for his promotion, and so Obi-Wan had been granted the title of Master, though he had been ashamed to learn that Qui-Gon, Yoda, and Windu had all voted against him. Now, however, he understood their reasons, and wished that they had been in the majority.

_No, I don't really,_ he sighed, staring at his empty shot glass. He was honored and grateful to be a Jedi Master at such a young age, and at the same time deeply relieved to know that the love he had always felt for Anakin was not as unnatural as he had previously worried. Obi-Wan shook his head, laughing quietly at the absurdity of it all.

Then he felt an unhappy, fearful presence approaching, and turned to face the young changeling. "Zam," he said gently, saddened by her appearance. He had known Senator Wesell's daughter since she was just a child, and she had always been such a sweet girl; but since her mother's death a year ago she had fallen in with the wrong crowd, and her father had been worried to death about her.

The young changeling did not look well. She was making herself appear far older than her sixteen years, and her bloodshot, dilated eyes were full of pain and sadness... Along with shocked surprise now, as she recognized Obi-Wan. "Master Kenobi?" she asked fearfully, dazed and confused. "That was you?" She pointed vaguely upwards toward the towering skyscrapers of Coruscant.

"Yes," Obi-Wan said gently. "Zam, what's going on?" he asked, concerned for the girl.

"I don't know," she cried. "I'm - I'm running away."

"Come, sit down," Obi-Wan said, offering her the seat next to him. "Your father has been very worried about you, Zam."

"I know," she said, hanging her head. "I'm such a disappointment to him. That's why I'm running away."

"That's not true, Zam," Obi-Wan reassured her. "He's very proud of you. I know it's been hard for both of you, with your mother gone," he added gently. Anakin was cautiously approaching them now, looking very confused. "Zam, this is my padawan, Anakin; Anakin, this is Zam Wesell... Senator Wesell's daughter, from Zolan."

"Oh," Anakin nodded. "Hi. Nice to meet you." Obi-Wan tried not to laugh at his confused expression.

"Hi," Zam said, with a shy, apologetic smile. "I'm sorry, for - before," she cringed.

"That's all right," Anakin said, though he was clearly mystified by this turn of events. "I'm sorry about your speeder," he apologized awkwardly.

"Oh no," Zam cried, remembering. "My dad's going to kill me." She looked at Obi-Wan helplessly, then broke into tears.

"No, he won't," Obi-Wan assured her. "He didn't raise you for sixteen years just to kill you now," he pointed out, as Zam managed a little laugh. "It's going to be all right, Zam," he said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "We're going to take you home now, and talk to your dad, and everything will be all right; I promise. But you must behave yourself in the future," he reproached her gently. "This business with the speeder, and the death sticks, will not do at all, young one; and next time you will not be so lucky," he warned her.

Zam nodded. "I know. I'm sorry, Master Kenobi. Really. I won't do it again. I just - " she shook her head miserably, crying. "I flunked my History exam today, and my dad is going to be so mad... He wants me to go into politics too but - I can't! I'm not any good at it, and I hate it," she cried.

"Have you talked to him about it?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Yes," she sighed, "I've tried, but..." She shook her head. "I told him I want to be an actress, because I'm good at it, and I can look like anything I want, but... He says I have to go to college and study something _real_," she said, shrugging.

"Well perhaps you can do both," Obi-Wan suggested. "In fact," he said, as the realization came to him, "we could use your help with a little acting job right now, if you wouldn't mind...?"

"What?" Zam asked cautiously, realizing for the first time that they were surrounded by a swarm of hovering camera droids. "Oh no," she said, mortified. "You guys are on _JEDI_ right now? No, no, no... My dad will kill me!" she cried, terrified.

"Well," Obi-Wan said with an apologetic smile at the camera, "Lucky for you, they can't use footage of minors without parental consent, and I highly doubt that your father will want _this_ little episode broadcast all over the galaxy," he pointed out, as Zam cringed, smiling gratefully. "But one thing you can do for us, if you wouldn't mind, is to play the part of a bounty hunter..."

Obi-Wan explained the role to her, and she nodded agreeably, a spark returning to her eyes that had been missing since her mother died. They filmed a short scene outside on the sidewalk; then Zam spoke to the director over Obi-Wan's transmitter, agreeing with great enthusiasm to return the next day for some follow-up scenes. "And if your father agrees to it," the director told her, "I could definitely use someone like you on a more permanent basis for the show."

Zam smiled ecstatically, her features returning to their sixteen-year-old form. "I would love to," she said happily; then she sighed, hanging her head. "If I'm not grounded forever," she added morosely.

"Well, let's take you home," Obi-Wan said, as they walked back toward the speeder. "I'll talk to your father, and we'll see if we can work something out. But you must re-take your History exam," he scolded her. "And no more of this nonsense! If you are to be on _JEDI_ again it will be as an actress, not as a criminal; is that understood, young one?"

Zam nodded. "I'm sorry, Master Kenobi," she apologized. "It won't happen again, I promise... And, thank you," she added, with a shy glance at Anakin as well.

"You're welcome," Obi-Wan said. "Just see that it _doesn't_ happen again, or I shall be very cross," he warned her sternly, though he couldn't hide his smile of gentle affection. "Now, let's get you home."


	6. Ahh! Don't make me work with Padmé!

**Chapter 6**

"I do not like this idea of hiding," Padmé said crossly, glaring at Anakin. _I know it's not your fault, Ani,_ she wanted to add. _But seriously, this new plot twist is ridiculous._

"Don't worry," Anakin assured her. "Now that the Council has ordered an investigation, it won't take Master Obi-Wan long to find this bounty hunter."

_Bounty hunter? What bounty hunter?_ Padmé wondered. She didn't even begin to understand the convoluted plot of this week's episode, but she had volunteered to do this show, and she would fulfill her obligation. Like most public figures who appeared on _JEDI_, she had asked the producers to make a donation to her favorite children's charity in lieu of her payment for the episode, and she would not let the children down.

"I - " she stammered, then shook her head. "I'm sorry," she apologized to the director. "What was the name of that military act?"

"The Military Creation Act," the director reminded her. "It's all right," he reassured her. "Let's just take it from there... Action!"

"I haven't worked for a year to defeat the Military Creation Act to not be here when its fate is decided!" Padmé said, trying to look annoyed. _Oh, right. Uncle Dooku's droid army._

"Sometimes we have to let go of our pride and do what is requested of us," Anakin said.

Padmé nodded, trying not to smile. _Isn't that the truth,_ she agreed ruefully. She could tell Anakin was even less enthusiastic about this latest turn of events than she was, but he was stoically playing his part. "Anakin... You've grown up," she said, impressed.

"Master Obi-Wan manages not to see it," Anakin pouted, playing the part of the wayward padawan. He turned to the window, his expression thoughtful... Then slightly confused... "Um... Should those camera droids be out there?" he asked the director, as two hovering droids peered in at them curiously from outside the window.

"Oh! There they are," the director said. "We lost a couple last night, in all the chaos... Can you go get those?" he asked one of his assistants. "And see if they caught anything interesting. Thanks... All right, from Anakin's line again... Action!"

Anakin quickly pouted again. "Don't get me wrong," he said, using the Force to play with a metallic ball. "Obi-Wan is a great mentor, as wise as Master Yoda and as powerful as Master Windu. I am truly thankful to be his apprentice. In some ways - a lot of ways - I'm really ahead of him," he added childishly, looking younger than his nineteen years. "I'm ready for the trials! But he feels that I'm too unpredictable," he lamented. "He won't let me move on."

"That must be frustrating," Padmé said sympathetically, trying not to laugh at Anakin's childish pouting. _He's overdoing it on purpose,_ she realized with amusement. _He is trying to get written off the show, after all..._

"It's worse!" Anakin sulked. "He's overly critical! He never listens! He just doesn't understand. It's not fair!"

"All mentors have a way of seeing more of our faults than we would like," Padmé told him gently. "It's the only way we grow."

"I know." Anakin shrugged, sitting down. Then he sighed. "Padmé," he said softly. "I love you. I always have, ever since I was a little boy. You're so pretty, and nice, and you're a Senator, and everything... Marry me, Padmé," he begged, getting down on one knee. "I'll do anything if you'll just marry me! I'll leave the Order! I'll - "

"Cut," the director said. "Anakin, that was great. That was fantastic," he assured him, as Anakin cringed in embarrassment. "But it's too soon. We need to shoot at least a few more scenes with the two of you, before you can declare your undying love for her... But you've got the right idea, just take it slow, all right? Excellent job so far," he congratulated him.

Anakin nodded seriously. "All right," he agreed. "Sorry about that, I guess it was too soon," he admitted, with a shy, apologetic glance at Padmé. _Poor kid,_ she thought. _He really has no idea. But then, how could he, the way he was raised..._

"That's all right," the director said. "Let's take it from Padmé's line... Action!"

"Anakin," Padmé said gently. "Don't try to grow up too fast."

"But I am grown up," Anakin replied, looking down at her. "You said it yourself."

_Damn. I did say that... Okay, why is he giving me that creepy look? Oh, right, the drug problem..._ "Please don't look at me like that," she said sternly. _You are one weird kid, Ani. But you are adorable._

"Why not?" Anakin asked, continuing to stare at her as if stoned out of his mind.

"It makes me feel uncomfortable," Padmé said. _Plus I'm about to start laughing any second here..._ Unable to control herself any longer, Padmé turned and walked away from the camera, stifling a giggle.

"Sorry, Milady," Anakin apologized. To his credit he tried a different look; now he was attempting an evil vampire smile. _Oh dear, Ani. You really need fangs to pull that off... But you're trying, sweety. That's what matters._

* * *

><p>"How did it go?" Obi-Wan asked Anakin, as they sat aboard a commuter transport while the director prepared to film a scene with Padmé, Dormé, and Captain Typho.<p>

"Ohhh," Anakin sighed wearily, slumping forward and holding his head in his hands. "This is killing me," he admitted. Then he sat up straighter, wincing slightly.

"Anakin, are you sure you're all right?" Obi-Wan asked, concerned. He had lectured him briefly about last night's free-fall stunt, warning him that it was unnecessarily dangerous and he could have been seriously injured; Anakin claimed to have been unhurt in the crash, but Obi-Wan suspected it was worse than he was letting on.

"I'm fine, Master," Anakin insisted. "But I should never have agreed to do this rogue Jedi part. I can't keep it straight in my head," he sighed. "Now, on top of being the disobedient padawan, I'm supposed to be in love with Padmé, and the producers are thinking of bringing back my 'mother' now, thanks to your brilliant comment last night," he said, with an accusing look at Obi-Wan. Then he laughed. "Plus, after this last scene I did with Padmé, the director finally told me, 'Oh, by the way, we've decided not to use the drug addiction angle after all'... So now I look half-smashed in all the scenes I've done so far, for no reason... This is a nightmare, Master," he sighed.

"Plus, I can't make any sense of what's going on!" he continued. "I had to get up at five in the morning to hack at two rubber worms with my lightsaber in Padmé's bedroom... I have no idea what that was about," he laughed, shaking his head. "But the scene with the Chancellor was great... They turned the lights down, and he said all his usual lines - 'You are the most gifted Jedi I have ever met' - you know, all the things he tells every Jedi every week on the show - but this time he made it sound so creepy, because I'm evil... It was great." Anakin grinned. "So where are we going now?" he asked Obi-Wan, looking around curiously.

Obi-Wan smiled at Anakin's innocent cluelessness. "Well, if you'd read the memo," he chided his padawan good-naturedly, "you would know that _we_ aren't going anywhere. You and Senator Amidala are to take a third-class transport to Naboo, where you will continue with your play-acting; meanwhile I have been given an actual job to do," he said importantly.

Anakin looked at him, startled. "What? You're not coming?" he asked, his blue eyes registering surprise and disappointment. "What are you doing?"

"The Council wants me to track down the source of this poison dart," Obi-Wan said, pulling it out of his pocket. "I've been carrying it around for two weeks now, but no one seems to recognize it, and it's not in our database; Master Windu is not pleased with our lack of progress in that matter," he sighed. They had recovered the dart from the body of a murder victim on the streets of Coruscant two weeks earlier, and still were no closer to finding the killer. "And now, since I used it in the scene with Zam last night, I shall be conducting my investigation in the company of five or six hovering camera droids," he added.

"I wish we could trade jobs," Anakin lamented, with an apprehensive glance at Padmé. "Seriously, Master, I'm not good at this; everything I try to say to her comes out sounding ridiculous... I feel like an idiot. Padmé likes you better anyway," he said, shrugging miserably.

"That's not true, Anakin," Obi-Wan countered. _And you're taking this assignment far too seriously._ "You're doing fine," he reassured him. Then he grinned cheerfully. "I would be more than happy to trade places with you, and frolic with Padmé amidst the wildflowers, but I'm afraid I'm getting far too old for that sort of thing; no one would believe it."

Anakin laughed. "You're not old, Master," he reproached him; but then he looked slightly worried. "Frolicking amidst the wildflowers?"

"As I said before, my young padawan, you might want to read the memo... Which reminds me," Obi-Wan said, pulling a white bundle out of his pack. "I have something for you." He unfolded an old, shabby white poncho, handing it to Anakin. "It says in the _memo_," he chided him again, "that you're supposed to be dressed as a refugee; hopefully this will do."

Anakin grinned in surprise. "Are you sure? It's all right to wear it?" Anakin was well aware of the Jedi Code, which clearly stated that a Jedi may change his clothes only if he outgrows them, or they are mutilated in battle.

"Yes," Obi-Wan assured him. "But only for the cameras."

Anakin grinned, pulling on the white poncho, then rolling up his own black cloak and stuffing it in his pack. "This thing is huge," he laughed, reaching his arms out; his fingertips barely made it to the edge of the fabric.

"Well, better you than me," Obi-Wan said, hiking the material up over Anakin's shoulders so his hands could be free. Now that Obi-Wan knew the truth, it was glaringly obvious that Anakin was Qui-Gon's son; but sometimes Obi-Wan found it hard to believe that he was related to either of them. Obi-Wan had inherited his mother's smaller build, along with a hint of her green eyes and red-gold hair... "There, that's better," he lied encouragingly.

"All right, is everyone ready?" the director asked, and Obi-Wan and Anakin nodded, getting up to join them. "And... Action!"

"Anakin," Obi-Wan said sternly. "Don't do anything without first consulting either myself or the Council."

"Yes, Master," Anakin replied obediently. They said their goodbyes, and Obi-Wan watched worriedly as Anakin and Padmé walked away, followed by Artoo and a swarm of camera droids.

"I hope he doesn't try anything foolish," Obi-Wan murmured. He wasn't acting; he wished suddenly that at least the _JEDI_ director had gone with them, instead of continuing on to Geonosis to prepare for the show's final scenes with Dooku and the droid army.

"I'd be more concerned about _her_ doing something, than him," Captain Typho replied. He didn't seem to be acting either.

_Oh dear,_ Obi-Wan thought, as Anakin and Padmé vanished into the crowd. _I have a bad feeling about this._

* * *

><p>Anakin felt a strange fluttering sensation in his chest as they walked toward the boarding platform. He wished he'd had a chance to say goodbye to Obi-Wan for real, without the cameras. It was only for two days, but he'd never gone anywhere on his own before, without his Master; at least, not to another planet. But he had to admit it was exciting...<p>

"Suddenly, I'm afraid," Padmé confessed.

Anakin grinned. "This is my first assignment on my own; I am too," he agreed, though his fear was quickly giving way to a newfound sensation of freedom and independence. "Don't worry," he reassured her. "We've got Artoo with us."


	7. Anakin and Padmé learn how to act

**Chapter 7**

_A few minutes later..._

"This is really your first assignment on your own?" Padmé asked, as they ate lunch together aboard the passenger ship to Naboo. It seemed so hard to believe; she herself had been Queen of Naboo at age fourteen, and Anakin was now nineteen and still just a child, at least by Jedi standards.

"Yes," Anakin admitted. "Well, I've done little things, especially on Coruscant, but I've never actually gone anywhere on my own," he said, smiling shyly. "I'm surprised Master Obi-Wan agreed to it."

"It must be difficult having sworn your life to the Jedi," Padmé said sympathetically. She had found that acting was easier if she didn't _try_ to act; right now she was simply making conversation. "Not being able to visit the places you like, or do the things you like..."

"Or be with the people that I love," Anakin added, playing his role.

"Hey, that was good!" Padmé said enthusiastically, as Anakin grinned, shrugging. Without the director, they were doing their best to make up the dialogue as they went along; it would all have to be spliced together afterwards in little bits and pieces, but they were starting to get better at this. "Are you allowed to love?" she asked him. "I thought that was forbidden for a Jedi."

"Attachment is forbidden," Anakin told her shyly, thinking it over. "Possession is forbidden," he added. "Compassion," he mused, "Which I would define as unconditional love, is central to a Jedi's life," he reasoned, smiling adorably. "So you might say we're encouraged to love," he finished, with a slightly naughty, seductive look. Then he broke out laughing, shaking his head. "I'm sorry, that was probably really bad," he apologized.

"No, it was perfect!" Padmé giggled, genuinely impressed. "All right," she said, composing herself and thinking how to respond. "You've changed so much," she said, looking at him in wonder.

"You haven't changed a bit," Anakin said. "You're exactly the way I remember you in my dreams. I've dreamed about you every night since - " he broke off, startled, as blaster fire suddenly coursed through the cafeteria, followed by frightened screams.

"Get down!" he said urgently, as Padmé quickly crouched under the table. She looked at Anakin; he was crouched beside her, scanning the cafeteria anxiously and assessing the situation. _Please don't leave me, Ani. I'm scared._ Her heart was beating wildly; she wished Captain Typho were here. "Stay here," Anakin whispered. Then, seeing her frightened expression, he gave her a quick, reassuring look. "Don't worry, there are only two of them," he whispered. "It'll be all right, I promise." Padmé nodded, trying to be brave, as Anakin crawled off between the tables toward the source of the blaster shots.

"If I could have your attention, please," came a sarcastic voice, low and threatening. "I'm afraid there's been a change in our flight plans today," the hijacker informed them. "We will not be going to Naboo; instead, we are continuing on to Kessel, where you will all be employed - without pay of course - by my little spice mining operation. And before any of you scum get any bright ideas, I must warn you that the pilot has been killed, so unless you happen to know how to fly a five-thousand-ton passenger starship," he added with a wicked grin, "I would not recommend - "

He was cut off mid-sentence by the ominous hum of a lightsaber. Then Padmé saw a blur of black and white as Anakin tumbled through the air toward the other gunman, cutting him down before he could even shoot off another round from his blaster. With an anxious, apologetic look toward Padmé, Anakin exited the cafeteria, running toward the ship's control room to deal with the other hijackers.

A few, tense moments later, she heard his voice over the loudspeaker. "Can I have your attention please," he said. "This is Captain Skywalker, and I'll be your pilot for the remainder of today's flight. Sorry about the mess in the cafeteria, but if you could please remain calm, we will be arriving on Naboo shortly. Thank you and enjoy your flight," he finished, as the passengers cheered loudly.

Padmé smiled, deeply relieved and amazed that Anakin had handled the situation so quickly. "Sorry, one more announcement," Anakin's voice cut through again over the loudspeaker. "I have a message for passengers R2D2 and... PA-1," he said hesitantly. "Please report to the cockpit immediately; you have been transferred to first class."


	8. Obi-Wan discovers Kamino

**Chapter 8**

"There it is, Arfour," Obi-Wan said. "Right where it should be. Our missing planet, Kamino... Those files were altered." _And now I'm talking to an astrodroid,_ he realized. _I must be losing my mind._

_It's these blasted camera droids,_ he decided. Qui-Gon was right: they were enough to drive anyone mad. Thus far the footage of Obi-Wan's investigation had been less than glorious; only by sheer luck had he been given a lead by his old friend Dex, and in the end a five-year-old youngling had discovered the truth behind the mystery where he himself had failed. It was somewhat embarrassing.

But most likely none of that would be included in the final broadcast of _JEDI_. The director seemed far more interested in Anakin and Padmé's staged romance than in anything real that was going on, and as Obi-Wan approached the watery planet, he reassured himself that his own investigation, including this visit to Kamino, would probably be cut from the show entirely.

He hoped that Anakin was doing well. Obi-Wan had experienced a sudden and intense feeling of anxiety after saying goodbye to him earlier that morning; but he realized now that it was just a symptom of his own insecurity rather than a true premonition of danger. _I must let him go,_ Obi-Wan reminded himself again sadly. _Anakin can take care of himself._

It would not be long now before Anakin was ready to face the trials, and become a Jedi Knight. Obi-Wan looked forward to that day with great anticipation, pride, and a certain sense of relief; but at the same time he dreaded it, as this would be the end of their relationship as Master and padawan. Anakin would probably choose to go off on his own, and Obi-Wan might not see him again for months on end. The thought of it broke his heart, but he would do what was right for his padawan, and not selfishly hold him back. Still, he desperately hoped that Anakin would want to remain friends, as he and Qui-Gon always had...

Obi-Wan forcibly pushed aside his fears as he flew over the stormy oceans of Kamino in search of civilization. He was a Master now; the Council had put their trust in him, and he would not let them down. When the time came, he would relinquish his attachment to his padawan, as well as his beloved brother, though it would be one of the hardest trials he had ever faced in his entire life.

Seeing a faint array of lights in the distance, Obi-Wan focused once again on the task at hand. Not only was he trying to determine the origin of the poison dart he had found two weeks earlier, but now it was his task to discover why all references to Kamino had been erased from the Jedi archives. He was now approaching a small group of circular buildings, all alone in the middle of the ocean; this remote outpost did not look promising, but as he touched down on the landing platform and approached the entrance, he hoped that perhaps someone might at least be able to give him directions to the planet's capital.

But nothing could prepare him for what came next. "Master Jedi; the Prime Minister is expecting you," a graceful, tall white alien greeted him as he entered the facility.

"I'm expected?" Obi-Wan asked, completely caught off guard.

"Of course!" the alien said. "He is anxious to meet you. After all these years, we were beginning to think you weren't coming. Now please, this way!" Masking his profound confusion, Obi-Wan followed the alien through the hallway. "May I present Lama Su, Prime Minister of Kamino," the alien said politely. And this is Master Jedi...?"

"Obi-Wan Kenobi," he said politely, introducing himself. _What is going on here?_

"I trust you are going to enjoy your stay," Lama Su said graciously. "Please," he added, offering a chair. _Wonderful,_ Obi-Wan thought to himself. _A giant floating spoon to sit in. How very kind._ "And now to business," Lama Su continued. "You will be delighted to hear we are on schedule. Two hundred thousand units are ready, with another million well on the way."

"That's... good news," Obi-Wan improvised. _Hmm... These floating spoons are actually quite comfy... Sounds like we've ordered quite a few; perhaps we'll each get one for our private quarters? Qui-Gon and Anakin will love these!_

"Please tell your Master Sifo-Dyas that his order will be met on time," the Prime Minister continued.

"I'm sorry?" Obi-Wan apologized, startled. "Master - ?"

"Jedi Master Sifo-Dyas is still a leading member of the Jedi Council, is he not?" Lama Su asked.

"Master Sifo-Dyas was killed almost ten years ago," he informed the Prime Minister regretfully.

"Oh, I'm so sorry to hear that. But I'm sure he would have been proud of the army we've built for him."

Obi-Wan tried to mask his surprise. "The army?"

"Yes, a clone army," Lama Su explained. "And, I must say, one of the finest we've ever created."

_Oh dear; this is not good._ "Tell me, Prime Minister," Obi-Wan asked cautiously, "when my Master first contacted you about the army, did he say who it was for?"

"Of course he did. This army is for the Republic," Lama Su informed him. "But you must be anxious to inspect the units for yourself."

"That's - why I'm here." Obi-Wan smiled, playing along, as he followed the Prime Minister down the hallway.

"You'll find they are totally obedient, taking any order without question. We modified their genetic structure to make them less independent than the original host," Lama Su explained.

"Who was the original host?" Obi-Wan asked, looking at the room full of embryos with curiosity and deep apprehension.

"Why, Master Sifo-Dyas himself," Lama Su answered, gesturing toward a room full of clones. "We used his basic genetic structure, but as you can see, we have produced a variety of different sizes and colors; they are magnificent, are they not?"

Obi-Wan gazed in utter confusion at the sight before him. The room was filled with row upon row of clones, all standing at attention, with their weapons at the ready. They all looked very much like Master Sifo-Dyas, though as Lama Su said, they did vary slightly in size and color...

"If you would excuse me," Obi-Wan said politely, "I must inform the Council of this immediately."

"Of course," Lama Su said graciously. "Is the army not to your liking?" he asked worriedly.

"No, it is a fine army," Obi-Wan assured him. "You have done an excellent job. I shall return in a moment." Shaking his head in disbelief, he walked back out to the landing platform and sent a transmission to Yoda and Master Windu.

"I have successfully made contact with the Prime Minister of Kamino," Obi-Wan informed them. "They say Master Sifo-Dyas placed the order for a clone army at the request of the Senate almost ten years ago. I was under the impression he was killed before that. Did the Council ever authorize the creation of a clone army?"

Yoda and Windu shared an apprehensive look. "No," Master Windu said. "Whoever placed that order did not have the authorization of the Jedi Council. Obi-Wan," Windu continued regretfully, "we put the word out that Master Sifo-Dyas was killed; but the truth is, he went insane. Unfortunately he escaped from the asylum shortly after being committed, and we haven't heard from him since," he explained, shaking his head. "Who was the original host?" he asked apprehensively.

"Master Sifo-Dyas himself," Obi-Wan replied, deeply disturbed by the news. "They have made two hundred thousand clones already; what should I do with them?" he asked. "Shall I have them shut down production?"

"Yes," Yoda agreed. "As for the existing clones: to the forest moon of Endor, you will take them," he instructed him. "An Ewok refugee colony, you will find there; welcome, the clones of Master Sifo-Dyas will be."

"Yes, Master Yoda; I will take care of this matter immediately," Obi-Wan assured him, bowing respectfully as he turned off the transmission. Then, sighing, he contacted the director of _JEDI_ on Geonosis.

"Master Kenobi," the director's holo image greeted him, smiling in surprise. "How are things going?"

"I'm afraid I have bad news," Obi-Wan admitted. "There is a confidential matter I must attend to, which cannot be included on the show. I shall meet you on Geonosis as planned," he apologized.

"Master Kenobi," the director replied, concerned. "We need to use at least some of what you've shot today; is there any way we can salvage it?"

Obi-Wan tried to think quickly. "Perhaps if you can help me," he conceded. "I will need a large freighter ship, and it will take at least a day to complete my task, but afterwards I will be free to film some additional footage. Maybe if you send an actor to play the part of the bounty hunter we've been looking for?" he suggested.

The transmission went silent for a moment; then Captain Typho came on. "Master Kenobi," he said. "My cousin Jango is here with us on Geonosis now; he has been begging for a part on the show. He has a freighter ship, and he's also a licensed bounty hunter; he says he can meet you there in a few hours."

"Excellent," Obi-Wan said. "Thank you, Captain Typho. I shall await his arrival."

* * *

><p><em>A few hours later...<em>

"Master Kenobi," Lama Su informed him. "Jango Fett has arrived."

Obi-Wan blinked, startled; he must have fallen asleep. _These chairs really are quite comfortable,_ he realized. _I must get one for myself before I leave._ "Thank you, Prime Minister," he said politely, getting up out of his giant floating spoon, then walking out to the landing platform to meet Captain Typho's cousin. _I hope he has a large freighter._

He need not have worried. The ship on the platform was enormous; it could easily carry all the clones in one trip. "Jango," Obi-Wan said, greeting him. "It's a pleasure to meet you; thank you so much for coming."

"I'm happy to help, Master Kenobi," Jango replied. "This is my son, Boba," he added, as a ten-year-old boy emerged from the oval-shaped cockpit.

"Pleased to meet you, sir," Boba said politely.

"I'm pleased to meet you as well, Boba," Obi-Wan said, smiling warmly. "Well, we had best get started," he decided, getting down to business. "I'll bring the clones out."

As Lama Su had promised, the Sifo-Dyas clones were very obedient; they marched out of the facility and onto the freighter ship on their little furry legs, carrying their wooden spears.

"Oh, they're cute!" Boba said, smiling in delight. "What are they?"

"Those are Ewoks, son," Jango explained.

"Can I have one, Dad?" the boy begged.

"No, son," his father said sternly. "Remember what happened to your last pet?"

"Oh," Boba shrugged, hanging his head dejectedly.

Suddenly, one of the Ewoks broke free from the ranks, threatening them with its spear. "Grrrr... Yub Yub!" it said fiercely.

Obi-Wan stared, blinking in shock. "Master Sifo-Dyas?" he asked, concerned. "Master Sifo-Dyas, is that you?"

The Ewok cocked its head. "Yub Yub?" it asked uncertainly.

"Master Sifo-Dyas, it's me, Obi-Wan Kenobi," Obi-Wan said hopefully. "Do you remember me?"

Master Sifo-Dyas scratched his head thoughtfully. "Mmmm... Yub Yub," he replied, nodding; but his big black eyes, once so full of wisdom, were now vacant and devoid of all intelligence. _Oh dear,_ Obi-Wan thought sadly. _It's true; he really has gone insane._

"Come, Master Sifo-Dyas," Obi-Wan said gently, holding out a hand. "We are taking you to a better place. It's a beautiful forest moon, just like your own home; you and your friends will be happy there," he promised.

Master Sifo-Dyas nodded, reaching up a paw and taking Obi-Wan's hand; then he waddled up the ramp on his short furry legs and joined the others aboard the freighter. "Yub Yub!" he announced to the clones, banging his spear against the floor. "Nuki-nuki-nuki-nuki Yub Yub!" he yelled, raising his arms triumphantly in the air as the rest of the Ewoks cheered ecstatically.

* * *

><p><em>Many, many hours later...<em>

Obi-Wan reclined luxuriously in his giant floating spoon, leaning back and swinging one leg absently as he watched Lama Su, Jango, and Boba film some additional footage in the clone labs. The Ewoks had been safely transported to Endor, and Obi-Wan was enjoying a moment of blissful relaxation. He had absolutely no idea how this scene was going to work out, but Jango seemed to have it all under control; like his cousin Typho, he was a resourceful, dependable sort of fellow, and Obi-Wan was glad that for once, someone else was taking charge of this ridiculous mess.

But finally it was time to film the fight scene. "Are you ready, Master Kenobi?" Jango asked.

"Yes," Obi-Wan said, hopping out of his spoon and stretching a bit. "All right, let's do this." They went out to the landing platform where Jango's freighter was parked.

"Hang on," Jango said. "I'll be right back." Hopping aboard, he started it up and flew over to the next landing platform. Then the oval-shaped cockpit detached from the rest of the freighter, and Jango zipped back over, landing with the flat side down. "_Slave I,_" Jango announced proudly as he emerged, patting the sleek hull. "Isn't she a beauty?"

"Yes," Obi-Wan agreed, amazed. "So it's true, you're really a bounty hunter?"

"That's right," Jango said. "Mostly small jobs, in between freighter runs, but every little bit counts, you know?" he said cheerfully. "Should I get my armor on?"

"Absolutely," Obi-Wan said, impressed by Jango's professionalism.

"Can I sit in the cockpit, Dad?" Boba asked hopefully.

"Sure, son," Jango said, pulling on his armor as he emerged from the ship. "All right," he said, walking over to Obi-Wan. "I've got a rocket booster, grappling hooks, two blasters, a few grenades," he listed off casually, showing Obi-Wan his self-contained arsenal. "You just let me know what you need me to do here."

"All right," Obi-Wan said, "Let's start with the blaster... I'll come out of the building, and you can start shooting at me."

Jango nodded agreeably. "You want me to put it on stun, or do you want the real deal?" he asked.

"Ahh... Stun would be nice, thank you," Obi-Wan replied, smiling politely.

"No problem," Jango assured him. "All right... Action!" he yelled. Jango had already stepped up to the role of director; he was a natural at it.

Obi-Wan ran to the entrance, then turned around, activating his lightsaber just in time to ward of a round of blaster fire. _This is fun,_ he admitted, though he adopted a fierce expression for the camera. _I like this fellow._ Suddenly Jango blasted upwards with his rocket, still shooting.

Obi-Wan tumbled and got back to his feet, lightsaber blazing. Then he looked upward uncertainly. _Oh dear,_ he worried. _Where did he go?_ He hoped Jango hadn't been hurt...

Suddenly the ground under his feet exploded and he was thrown backwards. He barely got to his feet again before another explosion hit._This guy is crazy!_ he realized, trying not to laugh as he rolled around the platform, pretending to be hit. Jango was an expert shot; he missed Obi-Wan by mere inches every time.

Then Jango was flying down on top of him. _I hope he can take this,_ Obi-Wan thought anxiously, jumping up and kicking him in the chest. Jango skidded across the platform. "Are you all right?" Obi-Wan asked, running over to him.

"Yeah. Fine," Jango grunted, getting up. "Do that again!" Obi-Wan ran to him, kicking in mid-air; but this time Jango grabbed his legs and flipped him onto the ground. They went at each other for a bit; then Jango took off with his rocket again, shooting a grappling hook at Obi-Wan. _What in the blazes is he doing?_ Obi-Wan laughed, grabbing the end and hoping that Jango had a plan.

But alas, it appeared that he did not; he was careening toward the edge of the platform, dragging Obi-Wan behind him. Quickly, Obi-Wan wrapped the cord around a post, and Jango crashed against the edge of the platform, his rocket continuing over the edge.

"Are you all right?" Obi-Wan yelled, running toward him.

"Ugh. Yeah. Thanks," Jango said, getting up. Then he peered down over the edge, looking for his rocket. "There it is," he said, pointing. "Here, hold this, he said, throwing the grappling hook back at Obi-Wan. "Give me a kick," he said, bracing himself as Obi-Wan kicked him off the edge of the platform. As an afterthought, he shot at Obi-Wan on the way down.

_He is completely nuts!_ Obi-Wan laughed, shaking his head. Then his grin instantly faded. "Oh, not good," he said, realizing that he'd forgotten to anchor the grappling hook.

"What are you doing?" Jango asked, as they both slid down the edge.

"I don't know!" Obi-Wan yelled.

"Hang on," Jango said, pressing a button on his armor and digging into the metal surface with his jagged claws as they continued to slide down.

"Whoa!" Obi-Wan yelled, sliding off the edge. Miraculously, Jango managed to grab hold, and Obi-Wan came to a sudden stop, dangling over the water.

"You all right?" Jango asked.

"Yes," Obi-Wan grunted. "Have you got a plan?"

"Nope," Jango said. "Damn, the retractor mechanism's jammed... I have to cut the line, okay?"

Obi-Wan looked at the ocean below him, laughing at the absurdity of it. "Of course," he agreed, as Jango cut him loose. Obi-Wan grabbed the line, hooking it around a post as he fell.

"You okay?" Jango called down to him.

"Fine!" Obi-Wan yelled, dangling a hundred feet below him.

"I can't see you!" Jango yelled, peering over the edge.

"It's all right, I'll meet you back up there!" Obi-Wan called up to him. Then he somersaulted onto the lower platform and ran inside the building, using the Force to open the door.

"Master Kenobi," Lama Su exclaimed, smiling to see him in the hallway. "How is the fight scene going?"

"Very well, thank you," Obi-Wan replied cheerfully, smiling and nodding his head politely as he ran past. Then he exited back onto the landing platform; but to his surprise Jango was already taking off in _Slave I_.

_What in the blazes is he doing now?_ Obi-Wan wondered, throwing a homing device at the ship so the camera droids could follow it. But Jango was simply retrieving his lost rocket booster and grappling hook from below; he landed again a moment later.

"You think we got enough footage?" Jango asked, appearing in the doorway of _Slave I_.

"Yes, that was perfect," Obi-Wan agreed. "I guess we're done here; I'll meet you back on Geonosis," he said. "Thanks so much for your help, Jango."

"No worries, it was fun," Jango said, grinning. "How about a bit of laser fire on the way?" he suggested.

"Excellent," Obi-Wan nodded. "Just give me a moment; I need to say goodbye to Lama Su."

"All right," Jango agreed. "Oh, by the way: I can't do anything but full-blast, but don't worry, I won't hit you."

"Thank you," Obi-Wan said, nodding goodbye. "I appreciate it."

True to his word, Jango barely missed Obi-Wan's Jedi Starfighter all the way into Geonosis. _Too bad Anakin isn't here,_ Obi-Wan thought, navigating through an asteroid field while simultaneously evading Jango's sonic charges, blaster fire, and finally a torpedo. _He would have loved this._

In the end Obi-Wan was forced to eject some excess baggage in order to deflect the torpedo; but as he glanced anxiously back at the cargo area, he smiled, sighing in relief: his new floating spoon chair was still back there, safe and sound.


	9. I love you, you're not like sand

**Chapter 9**

"And when I got to them, we went into aggressive negotiations," Anakin explained. "Thank you," he added politely, as the servant brought their dessert. After a busy morning at the palace with the Queen, who had insisted upon thanking Anakin personally - and with much ceremony - for his heroism aboard the passenger ship, they had arrived at the lake retreat later than expected, and decided to film the lunch scene first.

"Aggressive negotiations; what's that?" Padmé asked, curious.

"Uh, well... Negotiations with a lightsaber," Anakin explained. _Doesn't everyone know that?_

"Oh," Padmé laughed. _No... I guess she didn't..._

Anakin looked down shyly; he knew it was his turn to say something, but he was overwhelmed by the magical beauty of this place, not to mention Padmé herself. He also knew he was supposed to flirt with her during lunch; it said so in the memo, but so far he hadn't dared to say anything, not wanting to ruin the perfectly nice conversation they'd been having so far. But dessert had been served, and Anakin knew he was running out of time. _I'm not good with words,_ he sighed ruefully. Then an idea came to him.

Using the Force, he brought Padmé's fruit over to his plate, and proceeded to slice it for her. "If Master Obi-Wan caught me doing this, he would be very grumpy," he told her. It was true; table manners were important for a Jedi, and playing with one's food was frowned upon by most members of the Order, including Obi-Wan. _Especially_ Obi-Wan, Anakin sighed.

He sent the piece of fruit back to Padmé, and she caught it on her fork; then they both giggled. "How do you do that?" Padmé asked.

"I don't know," Anakin said. "You just - it's hard to explain," he apologized. "One, with the fruit, become, you must," he explained tentatively; then he shook his head. "I'm sorry, Master Yoda teaches us this stuff as younglings; the only way I can do it is to think about it backwards... If that makes any sense?"

Padmé laughed. "No," she said. "You really think like that?"

Anakin grinned, shrugging. "Okay, that's going to get cut," he said nervously, glancing at the camera droids. "Master Yoda is very sensitive, they can't use that in the show," he whispered. _I should never have said that. Playing with the Force is bad enough, but mocking Master Yoda... I could get in real trouble..._ "Do you think we got enough dialogue in there?" he asked Padmé uncertainly.

She nodded, munching on her fruit. "I think so," she agreed. "Okay, let's see, what's next..." She pulled out her copy of the memo; Anakin had forgotten his back on Coruscant. "Oooh," she giggled. "First kiss... Then, frolic amidst the wildflowers..." She shook her head, laughing. "Sounds like we've got a full day ahead of us," she said, with an amused twinkle in her eye.

_I am doomed,_ Anakin thought, horrified. But he managed a brave smile as they proceeded out to the terrace.

"We used to come here for school retreat," Padmé was saying. "We would swim to that island every day. I love the water... We used lie out on the sand and let the sun dry us, and try to guess the names of the birds singing."

Anakin had only been half-listening; the lake scene before him was so beautiful. But he realized it was his turn to say something. _Sand. She said something about sand... I think?_ "I don't like sand," he replied. "It's coarse, and rough, and irritating, and it gets everywhere," he complained, remembering his visit to Tatooine ten years ago, the first time he had been on _JEDI_. _Seriously, Padmé, how can you like sand? _Anakin had never been to a beach before; he didn't understand the allure.

"Not like you," he continued, gazing at her shyly. "You're everything soft, and smooth..." _Hey, that wasn't half bad... That was pretty clever, actually!_

Padmé looked at him for a moment, as if trying to think of something to say; then suddenly she burst out laughing. "I'm sorry," she apologized, giggling. "I'm supposed to want to kiss you now because you just told me I'm the opposite of SAND?"

Anakin was hurt; he thought it had been one of his better lines. Anyway, _she_ was the one who brought up this whole sand discussion in the first place. "I'm sorry, Milady," he said uncomfortably. "Tell me what to say, and I'll say it." _This sucks. I hate this. I tried to compliment her and she's just laughing at me._ Normally Anakin had a great sense of humor; Obi-Wan was always laughing at the stupid things he said, and Anakin never minded... So why did it hurt so much when Padmé laughed?

"I'm sorry," Padmé said sincerely, seeing Anakin's pained expression. "Ani, I'm sorry. That was a good line, I just - I wasn't expecting it... No one has ever compared me to sand before," she apologized again. Anakin managed a shy grin; it was impossible to stay mad at her, and he realized his line probably wasn't all that brilliant anyway. "It was sweet," she assured him. "All right, I guess we should do our kissing scene," she suggested, composing herself.

Anakin nodded; but suddenly he felt a sensation of terror in his stomach. _I can't do this. She'll laugh at me again._ This whole assignment was turning into a nightmare; if it had been anyone else, it wouldn't have mattered so much. _Why did it have to be Padmé?_ he lamented. Qui-Gon had reprimanded him sternly for his childish crush on the former Queen of Naboo ten years ago, and Anakin had learned to control his feelings when he was awake, but still he had never been able to stop the dreams...

"Ani, are you all right?" Padmé asked, concerned.

"Yes," Anakin assured her. "I just..." He shrugged, sighing. "I don't know how," he admitted reluctantly. "I've never done this before." _You must think I'm a complete idiot. But this stuff isn't covered in Jedi training._ He'd seen people kissing before, and one time the woman who played his mother on Tatooine had kissed him on the cheek, but it was nasty; there must be something more to it that he didn't understand, and he didn't want to mess up and get laughed at again. People seemed to like kissing, and he vaguely knew there was some kind of trick you do with your tongue; he was terrified of doing something wrong.

"It's all right," Padmé said gently. "It's not that hard," she reassured him. "If you can float fruit across a table, you can do this. You just... It's hard to explain," she apologized, shaking her head; then her eyes twinkled mischievously. "One, with the lips, become, you must," she giggled, and they both started laughing. "Sorry," Padmé added, trying to compose herself once again. "All right, let's give this a try." Anakin nodded, taking a deep breath.

Their first attempt was pathetic; they both broke away laughing, before their lips even touched. The second try was a little better; their lips touched for a moment, but then Anakin felt a sudden twinge of shock, a strange sense of closeness, and warmth, and yearning... He broke away, laughing nervously to mask his surprise and confusion. _This is so very wrong,_ he realized, suddenly feeling shaky and tingly all over. It didn't feel good; it felt painful, and terrible... And he wanted to do it again.

He looked into Padmé's eyes, his entire body coursing with a deep yearning that could never be fulfilled. _This is the only chance I will ever have,_ he realized. _To feel what it's like to be a normal person; to be in love, to kiss someone..._ Leaning closer, he closed his eyes, trying to forget for just one moment that he was a Jedi, and that they were only doing this for the camera. As their lips met for the final time, the terrible aching gave way to an indescribable sweetness, a sense of fulfillment, of physical closeness, of love...

But this time Padmé broke away, and it was over. "No," Padmé said uncomfortably. "I shouldn't have done that."

Anakin didn't know if she was acting, or if that was real; but the blissful, aching sweetness was gone, and the deep, shuddering pain was back. "I'm sorry," he gasped, turning away and blinking in a desperate attempt not to cry.

"Anakin, are you all right?" Padmé asked, peering at him worriedly.

Anakin nodded; but he was not all right. He was still trembling all over, and he felt like he would not be all right for a very long time. But he managed a brave smile. "Sorry," he laughed nervously, his voice shaking slightly. "I'm not good at this." He shook his head apologetically, with a shy smile at Padmé, as he tried to steady his shallow breathing.

"No, that was fine," Padmé reassured him, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. There was concern in her eyes, and Anakin wondered if she could guess his thoughts. This was not like the last time, when he had been nine years old; the terrible, forbidden feelings that coursed through his entire body right now were a thousand times worse.

But Padmé simply smiled. "Come on," she encouraged him, taking his hand playfully and leading him down the stone steps from the terrace. "Let's go frolic amidst the wildflowers." With a grateful, relieved grin, Anakin nodded, his anxiety giving way to laughter as he followed her out to the meadow. _Frolicking. I can handle frolicking. Just don't make me kiss her, ever again._


	10. Frolicking in the meadow

**Chapter 10**

Anakin and Padmé were frolicking amidst the wildflowers. Actually, Padmé was frolicking, and Anakin, in an attempt to do something a little more manly, was standing on the back of a Shaak, trying to keep his balance as the beast attempted to throw him off. In the end the Shaak won, and Anakin was thrown to the ground, then was trampled beneath the Shaak's hooves.

_Shaak: one, Jedi: zero..._ Anakin winced painfully, getting up off the ground. But his already-injured ribs were now searing with pain, and he dropped down again, breathing carefully. He realized now that he'd probably cracked a rib falling from Zam's speeder the other night; most of the time it didn't bother him, but if he moved in just the wrong way, the pain was sudden and intense.

"Anakin," Padmé was calling. "Anakin, are you all right?"

Anakin felt embarrassed, still lying there face-down on the ground. _Maybe this is it,_ he considered briefly. _Maybe we can pretend I'm dead, and I'll be written off the show. Trampled to death by a Shaak..._ But the thought of it was too funny, and by the time Padmé reached him, he was laughing hysterically.

Then they were rolling through the wildflowers together, and he was on his back, looking up at Padmé's beautiful, smiling face, her dark hair shimmering against the clear blue sky above... This wasn't Senator Amidala; this was just Padmé, happy and carefree, as she should have been, had her life circumstances not required her to grow up too soon.

She lay atop him now, still giggling, and Anakin felt her graceful, delicate body resting tenderly against his; and then the terrible longing was back: the deep, painful, aching emptiness that could not be filled...

"What is it, Ani?" Padmé asked, suddenly concerned. "You're hurt!"

"No," Anakin lied, "I just - I can't do this, Padmé," he cried, wincing in pain as he sat up again. "Ohh..." He clutched at his side, steadying his breathing. "I'm sorry," he said, getting up and walking back toward the retreat. "I can't," he choked miserably.

"Ani, are you all right? What's wrong?" Padmé asked worriedly, following him.

"I'm fine," Anakin insisted, frustrated, trying to get away from her. "I just..." He shook his head angrily, as tears stung his eyes. "I can't do this!" Yanking the _JEDI_ homing device off his belt, he impulsively threw it into the lake. The camera droids obediently followed it, gathering around the spot where it had gone in and filming the rippling, glittering surface of the water. "Ohhhhh," Anakin groaned loudly, stumbling through the meadow and clutching his ribs; it felt like he'd torn something now. But even worse was the shuddering, pulsating, suffocating weakness that coursed through his whole body...

"Anakin!" Padmé called after him, alarmed; but he ignored her pleas, running blindly back toward the retreat to pack his things. _I'm leaving. I don't know where I'm going, but I can't stay here._ Somewhere in the back of his mind he realized it had probably been really stupid to throw the homing device into the lake, but he didn't care; he couldn't take it any more.

Entering the lake retreat, he stormed up to the guest room to collect his belongings. The old white poncho, his own black cloak, the medal the Queen had given him that morning for rescuing the passengers on the ship, the memo... _There's that damned thing... Not that I need it now,_ he realized angrily, crumpling it up and tossing it aside.

_And I don't deserve this,_ he thought bitterly, pulling out the Queen's medal and looking at it regretfully. He had been so excited to receive it, and couldn't wait to show Obi-Wan; he'd wanted to make his Master proud, but now... Anakin sat on the bed, slumping forward and hanging his head dejectedly. _I can't leave,_ he realized. _I have nowhere to go. No ship, no money... Obi-Wan will kill me, if the stupid idiot_ JEDI_ director doesn't first..._

"Anakin." He heard Padmé's voice in the doorway, but he didn't look up. He couldn't.

"Go away," he said miserably, tears stinging his eyes. She was the last person he wanted to talk to right now; just her presence brought back all the horrible feelings, the shaky weakness, the shame...

"Ani," she said softly, coming to his side and putting a hand on his shoulder. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," he choked, shrugging away from her touch. He could barely breathe; her presence was suffocating, dizzying, tantalizing, painfully delicious... "Leave me alone," he whispered, shuddering.

"All right," she said gently. There was pity in her voice, but also a hint of the Senator's icy diplomacy. "I'll be downstairs when you're ready." Anakin nodded, not looking up; then he heard her soft footsteps as she left the room, closing the door behind her. _Now she thinks I'm an idiot._ Tears sprang to his eyes and he sobbed quietly, still shaking from the terrible weakness that racked his body.

_This is the Dark Side,_ he realized, frightened. _This is lust._ Anakin had been warned of these feelings, but he never knew they could be so strong. He'd never felt anything like this before, and he couldn't make it stop. He felt ashamed, and wrong, and dirty... Shuddering weakly, he stumbled toward the bathroom and turned on the shower.

First he tried icy cold, hoping that it would dull his senses and numb the pain; but it only left him shivering and gasping for breath, so then he tried scalding hot, to burn away the evil feelings. A few minutes later, Anakin wasn't entirely certain if it had burned away his transgressions, or just the top layer of skin from his shoulders, but he felt a bit better.

Toweling himself dry, he glanced at his raw, red shoulders and chest, his bruised ribs, bluish-purple and fading to yellow on the edges, accompanied now by a stampede of fresh black hoofprints on his back... _I am a wreck,_ he sighed ruefully, getting dressed again. But as long as the _other_ feelings were gone... Anakin took a deep breath, steadying himself; then with a reluctant sigh, he went downstairs to join Padmé for dinner.

Thankfully, she didn't question him, and he didn't want to talk about it either, so they ate dinner together in silence. The cameras were all out on the lake anyway; there wasn't much point in making conversation now. Anakin wasn't hungry, so he picked at his food, forcing down a few bites. Their lunch had been delicious, and this looked equally fancy, but it tasted like sawdust... "I'm going to get the cameras," Anakin announced abruptly, getting up from the table.

"No," Padmé said, her voice gentle yet authoritative. "It's all right. We'll get them back later. Come on," she said, abandoning her dinner as well and leading the way into the living room, where a fire flickered and crackled in the hearth. Her voice had that Senator tone again; Anakin knew better than to argue with her, so he followed glumly.

If he had actually bothered to read his memo instead of crumpling it up and tossing it aside, he would have realized that Artoo had been equipped with a tiny camera for additional coverage, and that they were now scheduled to have a romantic fireside conversation. But as it was, he thought Padmé had called him into the other room to discuss his childish behavior, and was now giving him the silent treatment until he explained himself. _I thought Obi-Wan was the only one who knew that trick._

"From the moment I met you, all those years ago, not a day has gone by when I haven't thought of you," he began. _Why am I telling her this? Who cares, I'm sick of holding it all inside._ "And now that I'm with you again, I'm in agony. The closer I get to you, the worse it gets. The thought of not being with you... I can't breathe. I'm haunted by the kiss that you should never have given me. My heart is beating, hoping that that kiss will not become a scar." _This is the part where Obi-Wan would tell me to quit being so melodramatic. But he's not here now, is he._ "You are in my very soul, tormenting me. What can I do?" Anakin asked, frustrated. "I will do anything that you ask."

Padmé looked at him regretfully, but didn't say anything. "If you are suffering as much as I am, please, tell me," Anakin said angrily. He wasn't sure if he was angry at her, or himself, or the situation in general, but he was really getting sick of it. _This isn't my fault. I never asked for this to happen._

"I can't," Padmé said. "We can't. It's just not possible."

"Anything is possible, Padmé; listen to me," he begged. _I love you. I've always loved you. I just want to be with you. I didn't ask to be a Jedi, or to have so many midichlorians in my blood... It isn't fair. My life was decided for me before I was even born._

"No, you listen," Padmé said, interrupting his thoughts. "We live in a real world. Come back to it. You're studying to become a Jedi; I'm a Senator. If you follow your thoughts through to conclusion, they will take us to a place we cannot go, regardless of the way we feel about each other."

"Then you do feel something?" Anakin asked hopefully. He still wasn't certain; Padmé was a born politician, so crafty with words, and she would never give him a straight answer to anything.

"I will not let you give up your future for me," Padmé replied, once again evading the question.

"You're asking me to be rational. That is something I know I cannot do," Anakin cried. "Believe me, I wish I could just - _wish_ my feelings away... But I can't," he said, frustrated.

"I will not give in to this," Padmé insisted stubbornly.

Anakin turned to leave, knowing it was no use to argue with her. But he couldn't just let it end like this, without at least asking. "Well you know... It wouldn't have to be that way," he suggested quietly. "We could keep it a secret."

"We'd be living a lie," Padmé chided him softly, without hesitation. "One we couldn't keep up even if we wanted to. I couldn't do that. Could you, Anakin? Could you live like that?"

Anakin knew it was hopeless, and now he regretted having said anything to her; it was embarrassing. "No," he admitted reluctantly. "You're right. It would destroy us." _I hate that I feel this way. But you could at least make it a little easier._ With a resentful glare at Padmé, he left the living room and went upstairs to bed.

But he couldn't fall asleep that night. It wasn't only that he was tormented by his thoughts, or the shameful, embarrassing incidents of the previous day; the bed itself was so soft, so comfortable, so huge, with feather pillows, linen sheets, and a down comforter... It felt so warm and relaxing, so blissfully soothing against his aching, bruised body... And so very, very wrong.

He wished he were back on Coruscant, in his own simple little bed, with Obi-Wan right next door, and everything as it should be. He wished this day had never happened, and that it truly _had_ been just a nightmare, and not reality. But what scared him most was that he didn't really wish for any of those things. Deep down, he admitted that he loved being here at the beautiful lake retreat, spending the whole day with Padmé, eating fancy things and sleeping in a nice, soft, comfy bed.

Even worse was the pain of knowing that it could never be. Padmé had spoken gently, but the meaning of her words had been clear. _Even if we wanted to,_ she had said. Anakin had not wanted to face the painful, embarrassing truth, but he realized now that he was right back to where he had been ten years ago, with a stupid, childish crush on a woman he could never have, who didn't feel the same way about him...

_I have to get out of here,_ he realized, fighting tears of frustration as he got out of bed and quickly pulled his clothes on. _I have to get away from this place, and Padmé, before I do something even more stupid... Like make her a necklace or something,_ he sighed ruefully, remembering how it had ended the last time.

Going to the window, he climbed out onto the balcony, then dropped silently down to the terrace below. There was a little gondola moored at the bottom of the steps, and Anakin stepped into it, paddling quietly through the canals to the nearby docking bay. Then, climbing aboard Senator Amidala's sleek Nubian vessel, he took off across the lake and into the night sky, not looking back until he had reached the stars beyond, leaving Naboo far behind him.

He didn't really have a plan. He vaguely knew that Obi-Wan was either on Kamino or Geonosis now, but naturally he didn't have his memo with him, so he wasn't sure which. And he couldn't face his Master right now anyway; Obi-Wan would never understand. Anakin was upset, and frightened, and lost, and he didn't know what to do; so, taking a deep breath and regretfully admitting to his failure, he did what he had been taught to do in situations like this.

It was still night time on Coruscant when he landed in the docking bay of the Jedi Temple and made his way up to the top of the fourth tower. He had been here many times before; Anakin was no stranger to the Confessional chamber, where younglings and padawans could go to speak with a Council member if there was a matter that they did not dare discuss with their own Master.

Reaching the entrance to the Confessional chamber, he took a deep breath, composing himself. As he knocked hesitantly on the door, he silently mouthed the sacred prayer that all Jedi younglings used in this very hallway. _Anybody but Windu,_ he prayed fervently. _Please, let it be anybody but Windu._

The door opened, and Anakin's breath momentarily caught in his throat; but thankfully it was not Master Windu. Anakin let out a nervous sigh of relief as Qui-Gon Jinn welcomed him inside.

"Anakin," Qui-Gon exclaimed, his expression surprised and concerned. "I thought you were on Naboo."

"I was," Anakin apologized lamely, coming inside the little room and sitting down. "I left. I couldn't do it. I'm sorry, Master."

"Does Obi-Wan know you're here?" Qui-Gon asked gently. Anakin shook his head miserably. "Anakin, what has happened? I heard about the hijacking attempt... Is everything all right? Is Senator Amidala safe?"

"Yes," Anakin nodded. "But... I took her ship," he confessed pathetically. "Master Qui-Gon, I - I don't know what to do."

"Calm down, Anakin. It's all right," Qui-Gon said gently, sitting next to him. "Tell me what happened."

Anakin shook his head, crying. "I can't." _I shouldn't have come here... He'll never understand..._

"You can, Anakin," Qui-Gon assured him. "What is upsetting you so badly?"

_I have to tell him. I don't know what else to do._ "I - I kissed her," he choked miserably.

"You kissed Senator Amidala?" Qui-Gon asked, concerned.

Anakin nodded, still crying. "I know it was wrong, but I was supposed to do it for the stupid _JEDI_ show, so I did, and now - " he clutched at his chest. "It's killing me. I can't make it stop. It hurts so bad."

"Anakin," Qui-Gon said softly, putting a hand on his shoulder.

Anakin squeezed his eyes shut. "I can't make it stop," he cried again.

"I know," Qui-Gon agreed simply.

_What?_ Anakin blinked; he had expected a lecture...

But Qui-Gon just smiled sadly, shaking his head. "Take a deep breath. Nice and slow," he said. Anakin was feeling more centered now, more calm; he was grateful that Qui-Gon had confessional duty tonight, and not one of the stricter Masters.

"Anakin," Qui-Gon said gently. "I want to tell you a story." Anakin nodded, grateful for the distraction. "When I was your age... Exactly your age, come to think of it," Qui-Gon said, smiling fondly. "I met a girl with red-gold hair, and the greenest eyes you could imagine," he said wistfully. "I fell hopelessly in love with her," he admitted.

"You did?" Anakin asked, staring at him in wide-eyed disbelief.

"Yes." Qui-Gon laughed softly, an amused twinkle in his eyes. "I felt as you do now; nothing could stop the terrible aching, the longing, the heartache..." He sighed, shaking his head. "And so I ran away from her, just as you did - clear to the other side of the galaxy, but it didn't help. I couldn't sleep, couldn't think, couldn't eat," he confessed.

"What happened?" Anakin asked, curious.

Qui-Gon looked down. "She died," he said quietly. "But the point is, you are not the first padawan to come into this confessional with that exact same story," he said, smiling affectionately. "It happens more often than you would think. Every Jedi must come to terms with it at some point... Although I seem to remember us having this discussion before," he chided him gently.

"Yes, Master," Anakin admitted. "I'm sorry, Master. I know it is wrong, and I will try harder," he promised. "But I am grateful, and relieved, to know that I'm not the only one," he added, with an apologetic glance at Qui-Gon.

Qui-Gon nodded. "It will be all right, Anakin." Then he gave him a curious look. "Have you ever felt this way about other girls?"

"No, Master," Anakin assured him, embarrassed. "Only Padmé."

Qui-Gon nodded thoughtfully. "The ways of the Force are often mysterious," he mused; then he sighed. "So what are you going to do now?"

Anakin shook his head, laughing quietly. _I flew all the way here from Naboo and he's asking ME what I'm going to do._ Master Qui-Gon was by far the most lenient of all the Council members, but he was also the least useful person to go to for advice; he always managed to turn it around and make Anakin solve his own problems in the end, leaving him wondering why he'd come to the Confessional chamber at all. But he always felt better after talking to Qui-Gon, and usually the solution ended up being deceptively simple anyway.

"I will go back to Naboo," Anakin sighed. "Bring back Padmé's ship... Get the homing device out of the lake..." Qui-Gon gave him a curious look, and Anakin laughed, shaking his head. "You don't want to know," he said, grinning. "I will do my duty," he resolved. "I will read the memo, and do whatever it says I'm supposed to do, and I will get through this." He gave Qui-Gon a conspiratorial grin. "And then in a few days it will all be over, and I'll be written off the show for good," he finished cheerfully.

"There you go." Qui-Gon laughed, giving him an encouraging pat on the shoulder. "See, it's never as bad as you think, Anakin. You have a good head on your shoulders; you should learn to trust in your own judgment. Obi-Wan says you will be ready to face the trials in another year or so; he is very proud of you," Qui-Gon said, smiling affectionately. "And so am I," he added. "You will make a fine Jedi Knight one day, Anakin."

"Thank you, Master Qui-Gon." Anakin bowed his head shyly. _He probably says that to everyone. But still, I like it... None of the other Masters ever tell me that stuff._ Anakin knew that Qui-Gon had wanted to take him as his padawan ten years ago, but that the Council had not allowed it, and so Obi-Wan had taken him instead; Anakin had never understood what Qui-Gon saw in him, but the wise old Master had always made him feel like he was somehow special.

"You're welcome, Anakin," Qui-Gon said warmly, seeing him to the door. "May the Force be with you," he said. "And tell Obi-Wan hello for me when you see him," he added cheerfully.

"I will, Master," Anakin promised with a grateful smile, as he took his leave. "May the Force be with you as well." Then, returning to the docking bay, he took off in Padmé's ship, setting the coordinates for Naboo. He should arrive just before dawn, and with any luck no one would know that he'd ever left. Anakin felt much better after his talk with Qui-Gon, and as the Nubian vessel made the jump to hyperspace, he leaned back against the pilot's seat, closing his eyes and finally getting some much-needed sleep.


	11. Hey, let's go rescue my mom!

**Chapter 11**

"Master Kenobi," the _JEDI_ director said warmly, inviting him into his office. "Welcome to Geonosis. I've seen some of the footage you shot on Kamino; that fight scene with Jango was amazing! Excellent work," he congratulated him.

"Thank you, Owen," Obi-Wan said, nodding politely as he entered the director's office. Geonosis was the entertainment capital of the entire galaxy, and Lars Studios was the base of operations for _JEDI,_ as well as a dozen other popular holo-broadcast programs; Obi-Wan's final scenes for this episode were to be filmed here on the studio's lavish cinematic sets. "Have you heard from Anakin? How is he doing?"

"Fantastic," the director said, grinning. "He and Senator Amidala are doing a terrific job. I saw some footage from yesterday; it's absolutely beautiful there." Then he shook his head, sighing regretfully. "Too bad we can't use the footage from the hijacking. Anakin was amazing, but we can't show people actually being killed," he explained.

"What?" Obi-Wan asked, suddenly concerned. "What hijacking?"

"You didn't hear?" Owen asked, surprised. "Yes, Anakin's been awarded a medal by the Queen of Naboo. There was a hijacking attempt aboard their passenger ship, but he took care of the situation; he was terrific! Here, I'll show you the footage," he said casually, bringing it up on his editing console.

Obi-Wan watched in amazement as Anakin single-handedly took down two hijackers in the ship's cafeteria, then ran up to the cockpit, cutting down five others on the way before quickly regaining control of the ship. He laughed at Anakin's announcement to the passengers; his little brother could be such a goofball sometimes, but Obi-Wan smiled with proud affection to see how well he had handled himself in this dangerous situation. He would be ready to face the trials soon, Obi-Wan realized with a mixture of pride and regret.

"I haven't checked in with them since yesterday," the director said. "Here, let's bring up their cameras right now and see what they're up to," he suggested, pushing some buttons on his console. Then he frowned. "That's odd," he mused, half to himself.

Obi-Wan looked at the monitors; all the cameras seemed to be filming the surface of a lake, from several different angles. It was a beautiful scene, with rolling hills and meadows in the background, and the water was rippling and glowing in the first rays of dawn; but Anakin and Senator Amidala were nowhere to be seen.

"Oh no," the director said anxiously. "No no no..." Pushing some buttons, he rewound the footage several minutes, then hours backward, but the cameras remained fixed on the surface of the lake. "No," he whispered again, horrified.

Obi-Wan felt his knees weaken, and suddenly he was sitting down on the edge of the desk, trembling with shock. "What's going on?" he asked, his voice sounding feeble and distant; but already he knew the answer. The cameras were programmed to point at the _JEDI _homing device on Anakin's belt at all times, and if they had been filming the surface of the lake for the past several hours, that could only mean that Anakin was down there... _Drowned..._ Obi-Wan choked in horror, tears of grief filling his eyes. _This can't be happening... He was such a strong swimmer..._

The director was already at the holo-transmitter, frantically trying to contact them. "Senator Amidala," he said urgently. "Senator Amidala, do you copy? This is Owen Lars..." But there was no reply on the other end, and Obi-Wan wept bitterly, hanging his head.

Then a green image flickered on the transmitter, and Senator Amidala was there, in what appeared to be a bathrobe and nightgown. "Hello?" she asked worriedly, pushing a stray tendril of hair from her face and blinking the sleep from her eyes. It was early morning on Naboo; they had woken her, but Obi-Wan was relieved to see that at least she was all right.

"Senator Amidala," Owen said urgently, "I'm sorry to wake you, but we've just checked the live camera feed; they're all out on the lake... What's happening? Where is Anakin?"

"Oh," Senator Amidala nodded, sighing. "Yes, I'm sorry about that... I'm afraid the filming didn't go so well yesterday," she apologized. "Don't worry, we'll get the cameras back," she assured him.

Obi-Wan stared at her in horrified disbelief. Anakin had drowned in the lake, and Senator Amidala was only concerned about getting the cameras back? She hadn't even bothered to contact anyone... Obi-Wan was outraged by her lack of caring. "Senator Amidala," he said icily, steadying his voice. "What happened to - to Anakin?" He couldn't stop himself from choking at the end.

"I don't know, Master Kenobi," she apologized. "He was upset about something; that's why he threw the homing device into the lake. I don't think this romance scenario is going to - "

"Hold on," Obi-Wan said, as a relieved smile slowly crossed his face. "He threw it into the lake?" He laughed quietly, realizing what had happened. Anakin wasn't dead; he'd just had one of his famous temper tantrums.

"Yes," Senator Amidala said. "We'll get it back though," she promised. "Anakin was going to get it last night but I told him to wait; we got some more footage using Artoo's camera, but - I don't think this is going to work," she confessed.

"Why not?" the director asked. "Senator Amidala, what's going on?"

Senator Amidala hesitated, as if unsure of what to say. "Owen, I'm sorry," she said. "I should never have agreed to this idea. I am not only a Senator, but also a former Queen of Naboo, and I am expected to maintain a certain degree of decorum in my personal life. It's not my own reputation I'm so concerned about, but it would reflect poorly on the people that I represent," she apologized. "I'm sorry, but I cannot agree to this romantic subplot, especially one that involves corrupting a Jedi padawan."

Owen sighed heavily, leaning back in his chair; but he nodded, accepting her decision. "All right," he agreed. "I understand. Let me think about it, and see what I can come up with, and I'll get back to you in a couple of hours."

"Thank you, Owen," Senator Amidala replied. "I apologize for the inconvenience, and I appreciate your cooperation in this matter. I shall await your instructions."

Owen Lars switched off the transmission, shaking his head and sighing with frustration. Obi-Wan wondered if the director had also noticed Senator Amidala's abrupt change of manner and sudden formality near the end of the transmission. Something was going on there... He would have to ask Anakin about it later on, but the important thing was that his padawan was all right.

"I'm sorry, Master Kenobi," Owen said, standing up. "I'm going to have to deal with this personally; I'll have my assistant contact you when they're ready to begin filming your scenes," he apologized.

"Certainly," Obi-Wan agreed, bowing politely as he took his leave. "I shall leave you to your work." The studio had put him up in a fancy hotel room for the duration of his stay here on Geonosis; Obi-Wan was feeling a bit stiff and sore after his fight with Jango, and so, grateful for a moment of respite, he returned to his room for a relaxing and well-deserved bubble bath.

* * *

><p>Padmé sat on the terrace, looking out across the lake as she sipped her tea. She was already up and dressed, along with the rest of the household, but Anakin was still in bed; she had knocked on his door earlier, inviting him down for breakfast, but he hadn't answered.<p>

_He must be very tired,_ she realized. But there was more to it than that, she admitted regretfully. Anakin's performance last night in the living room had been far too convincing; the intensity of it had frightened Padmé. She hadn't wanted to face the truth, but she could deny it no longer: Anakin was struggling with very real feelings, and it would be wrong, and cruel, to keep up this play-acting.

She had made up a convenient excuse for the _JEDI_ director, and she hoped that Master Kenobi had believed it as well; she didn't want to see Anakin get into any kind of trouble with his Master, but she was very concerned for him. _It must be so hard,_ she thought sadly. To be born into a life with such strict rules and high expectations, never allowed to experience the simple joys and freedoms that most people take for granted. No wonder most Jedi were so stiff and formal; it was the only way they could survive.

Anakin still had a spark of passion in him; he was quick to laugh, sensitive and caring to a fault, and he had a certain naughty schoolboy quality which Padmé found adorable, although she wasn't always certain if that was real, or if he was only acting his part. It broke her heart to think of Anakin turning into an emotionless, dispassionate, unfeeling creature, or to imagine his deep blue eyes without their happy, mischievous twinkle; but that spark of passion would have to be extinguished if he was to become a Jedi Knight.

_I will not corrupt him,_ Padmé resolved. She had meant what she said last night: if Anakin was truly struggling against his emotions, she would not make it harder for him. She had already put an end to their on-screen romance, and henceforth she would set an example for him by being politely distant, and treating him as she would any other Jedi padawan.

Hearing footsteps approaching, she was surprised to see Anakin coming up the steps of the terrace, surrounded by a swarm of hover droids. "Oh," she said, realizing he hadn't been asleep after all. "There you are." _When did he go out? I didn't see him leave._ "Good morning," she said awkwardly, trying to maintain a formal distance.

Anakin looked slightly sheepish and uncomfortable, standing there with his hair dripping wet. He wore only his black cloak and boots over his bare, damp skin, with the rest of his clothes bundled under one arm. "Good morning," he said, somewhat apologetic. "I, um..." He pointed vaguely toward the lake, as if that explained his sudden and inexplicable appearance. "I went... swimming," he said lamely, glancing anxiously at the cameras.

Padmé tried not to laugh. _You are adorable, Ani._ But she kept her expression distant. "It's all right," she said, sipping her tea. "You can turn those off; there's been a change of plans." Anakin gave her a slightly apprehensive look, but switched off the homing device as the cameras gently floated to the ground. "I spoke with the director this morning," Padmé told him. "We've decided not to use the romance subplot after all. He will be contacting us with further instructions."

Anakin nodded, looking at the ground. "I'm sorry," he apologized. He looked so guilty and remorseful; Padmé felt bad for him, but she did not flinch.

"That's all right," she said. "But we will probably not be staying here much longer. You should pack your things. There is breakfast in the kitchen if you are hungry," she added gently. _Poor thing has barely eaten since he got here,_ she realized.

Anakin nodded, still looking apologetic. "Yes, Milady," he said awkwardly. "Thank you." Casting his eyes downward, he went back inside the retreat to pack his things.

Padmé closed her eyes, hanging her head regretfully. _That was all too easy._ Yesterday they had laughed, and kissed, and frolicked in the meadow, and Anakin had been so full of life; but it had to end, and Padmé knew that she might never see his happy, carefree smile again._ He called me Milady,_ she realized sadly. She had briefly fallen under the spell of this magical place as well, and for one blissful moment she had forgotten that she had other responsibilities; but it had only been a dream.

_I'm not Padmé anymore,_ she reminded herself. _I'm Senator Amidala, formerly Queen of Naboo._ And the dream was over.

* * *

><p>Owen Lars sat at his desk with his head in his hands, trying to figure out how to salvage this week's <em>JEDI<em> broadcast. _Master Kenobi had the right idea all along,_ he sighed. _We should have just gone with the drug addiction angle; it would have been a lot simpler._ But Owen had wanted to tie in elements from Anakin's previous appearance on the show, and his ambition had been his downfall.

He still thought the romance with Padmé could have been tragically brilliant; but that couldn't be helped now. The show's survival depended upon maintaining good relations with both the Jedi Order and the Senate, and their policy was to keep public figures happy no matter what. That meant praising them enthusiastically even when their acting was appalling, or cheerfully throwing out two days' worth of filming at the whim of a Senator who suddenly changed her mind.

But the deadline was approaching, and Owen needed to come up with another plan. He had spent the better part of an hour trying to think of something, _anything,_ besides bringing back Anakin's "mother"; he dreaded that angle for a number of reasons, but sadly, no other ideas had come to him. Admitting defeat, he turned to his holo-transmitter and contacted the head of the studio.

"Cliegg Lars," the holographic figure answered curtly. The president of Lars Studios was a busy man, and not one to bother with wordy formalities.

"Hi Dad," Owen said. "I'm sorry to bother you, but I'm working on this week's _JEDI_ broadcast, and I just found out I have to cut half of what we've already filmed," he explained. "But we've got Anakin Skywalker on this week, and - well it's complicated, but I was wondering if Mom might be available to film a couple scenes with him on Tatooine?"

"Anakin Skywalker! No kidding," Cliegg exclaimed enthusiastically, and Owen knew he was doomed. His father had been one of the original creators of _JEDI,_ and had directed the legendary pod racing episode on Tatooine ten years earlier; Owen's mother, Shmi, had played Anakin's mother in that episode. "Absolutely; I'm sure she'd love to do it," Cliegg assured him. "When do you need us?"

"Well, today, if possible," Owen said, cringing at the word _us._ "I can stop by and pick her up in an hour or so; it's just a couple quick scenes, we should be back by tomorrow morning," he promised.

"Great," Cliegg said. "I just have to rearrange my schedule a bit; meet me here after you pick up your mother, and we'll take my ship," he instructed his son.

_Yes, I am doomed,_ Owen realized. "Thanks, Dad," he said, smiling bravely. "I'll see you soon."

He contacted Senator Amidala, asking her to film a couple of scenes with Anakin to tie in with the 'dying mother' scenario before meeting them on Tatooine; then with a heavy sigh, he took one last, longing glance at the memo he had just typed up. He had spent the past two days working on it, and had come up with a nice, neat, simple outline for the final scenes of this episode; but now, shaking his head, he tossed it into the garbage.

The rest of this week's episode of _JEDI_ would be directed by the legendary Cliegg Lars.

And it was guaranteed to be a circus.


	12. Oops, too late, she died anyway

**Chapter 12**

_I hate sand,_ Anakin sulked as he trudged through the dusty streets of Mos Espa, forcing Padmé to hurry in order to keep up with his long strides. _She's doing this to punish me,_ he realized. After his talk with Qui-Gon, Anakin had been prepared to go back to Naboo and make things right again; but Padmé had gone and told the director about the incident on the lake, and they had conspired together to torment and humiliate Anakin with this new plot twist.

_She knows I hate sand,_ he thought bitterly, remembering how she had laughed at him yesterday when he'd tried to compliment her. _I'm just a big stupid joke to her. Why did I even bother trying?_ After all the pain and embarrassment he had endured for the past two days, Padmé had suddenly decided that the forbidden romance subplot would be 'bad for her image', so now it had all been for nothing.

Anakin still wasn't sure if she knew where he'd been last night, or that he'd borrowed her ship; she hadn't brought it up, and he wasn't about to ask her. All he knew was that after returning from Coruscant and dutifully retrieving the cameras from the lake that morning, he had arrived back at the retreat to find Padmé treating him with icy formality, and their plans had suddenly been changed.

_Not that I don't deserve it,_ he admitted grudgingly. He had behaved like a child yesterday, throwing the homing device into the lake and letting his emotions get the best of him. And as for their conversation last night in the living room... Anakin shuddered, trying not to think about it. He wasn't certain exactly how much Padmé had told Obi-Wan about what was going on, but apparently she had spoken to him as well; Anakin was filled with a deep sense of shame, and dreaded facing his Master again.

So now, his punishment was to return here to Tatooine - to this giant, stupid ball of sand, where this whole mess had started. _Ani, you'll always be that little boy I knew on Tatooine..._ Hadn't those been her first words to him back on Coruscant two days ago? And now, because he had proved himself incapable of even _acting_ the part of her forbidden lover, they had decided to treat him like the immature child that he was, and have him turn to the Dark Side because he was unable to relinquish his pathetic attachment to his mother.

Turning onto the street where Watto's shop had been, Anakin saw the _JEDI_ director talking to the Toydarian now, along with Shmi, who played his mother, and her husband, Cliegg, who had directed Anakin's first episode ten years ago. _Wonderful. The whole family's here._ Bracing himself for what was sure to be another painful and humiliating day of filming, he slowed to a more dignified pace so that Padmé could keep up, and did his best to mask his emotions.

"Anakin, Senator Amidala; it's good to see you," Owen said, greeting them. "Thank you for meeting us here. You remember my mom, Shmi, and of course my dad, Cliegg," he added warmly, introducing his parents. "And this is my girlfriend, Beru." Padmé greeted them with her usual perfect manners, and Anakin gave them a polite, formal Jedi bow, hoping they would treat him as such; but he knew that it was futile.

"Anakin Skywalker," Cliegg Lars said heartily, shaking his hand. "Owen was right; I never would have recognized you," he exclaimed; Anakin masked his embarrassment as Shmi marveled at how much he'd grown. _Why does everyone say that?_ he wondered, irritated. _Did they really think I'd still be four feet tall? I don't tell them how old and wrinkly they've gotten._ But he smiled politely, masking his annoyance.

Owen and Cliegg were discussing the scene they were about to film; Anakin sensed tension between them, but he was only half paying attention to what they were saying. _It's the lack of sleep,_ he admitted reluctantly. Last night he'd only slept for a couple hours in the cockpit of Padmé's ship on the way back from Coruscant, and the night before - if it even _was_ the night before - he wasn't certain with all the planetary time changes - they'd been out well past midnight taking Zam back home and talking to her father; and then he'd been up before dawn to film the rubber worm scene in Padmé's bedroom.

_I've only had about five hours of sleep over the past three days,_ Anakin realized. He was exhausted, jetlagged, and much as he hated to admit it, he was feeling grouchy. _Obi-Wan is right,_ he confessed. _Lack of sleep does make me cranky._ He wished he had his Master's ability to go for days with hardly any sleep, and still be as energetic and cheerful as ever; Obi-Wan promised that he would need less sleep as he got older, but Anakin had his doubts. He wasn't like Obi-Wan; he was big, and gangly, and awkward, and stupid.

"All right," Owen said, coming over to talk to them. "Here's what's going on..." He explained the scenario; Anakin thought it sounded pretty ridiculous, but he nodded agreeably. Then he and Padmé went off to rent a carriage, and rode back to film the first scene.

"Chut chut, Watto," Anakin said, greeting the Toydarian. One of the reasons Anakin had been chosen to film the pod racing episode here on Tatooine ten years ago was his knowledge of the local dialect. All Jedi younglings were required to learn a foreign language, and Anakin had chosen Huttese simply because he thought it sounded funny. Normally he had trouble speaking it without laughing; but right now he wasn't in a very humorous mood, so after making some small talk with Watto he got straight to the point.

"Mi boska di Shmi Skywalker," he said. _Shmi. What the hell kind of name is that anyway,_ he wondered again. She was a nice lady, but damn... What kind of parents would name their kid 'Shmi'? _Not that I'm anyone to judge,_ he admitted ruefully. His own nickname was disturbingly effeminate, and he'd never really liked his last name either. Anakin had always wished he could have had a cool name, like Kenobi, or Jinn, or even Windu; he thought 'Skywalker' sounded idiotic. _But at least my first name isn't Shmi,_ he consoled himself.

They got through the scene in one take; Anakin hadn't been paying much attention to what was going on, but he just went along with it. Apparently his mom had been sold to the director in a somewhat odd but undeniably convenient plot twist; that must have been what Owen and Cliegg had been arguing about earlier. And now it seemed they were living out on the other side of Mos Eisley...

_Perfect,_ Anakin sighed with annoyance, realizing what that meant. _More sand._

* * *

><p><em>Kill me now,<em> Owen thought miserably, as he smiled cheerfully and yelled "Cut!" _I flew all the way out here to direct my dad's protocol droid._ "Thank you everybody, great job! All right, let's move inside the... igloo," he said, uncertain of the correct term for the little dwelling they had chosen for this scene.

Anakin and Padmé nodded, heading inside along with Cliegg; but Threepio, polite as ever, insisted on returning his pleasantries. "You are most welcome, Master Owen," his father's lifelong - and still unfinished - hobby said. "And of course, I would be delighted to enter the igloo. Although I believe the correct term is - "

_Yeah, yeah..._ Owen smiled wanly, turning off Threepio's volume switch as the droid continued to silently educate him in the subtle differences between architectural styles. C-3PO had been collecting dust in his parents' basement for the past eight years; Cliegg kept meaning to finish him, but he was constantly distracted by other things, and in the meantime he had started - and abandoned - at least a dozen other projects. Owen loved his father with all his heart, but the man simply had too much energy; his mind was in ten places at once, and he had a way of making everything far more complicated than it needed to be.

"All right," Cliegg was saying, as Owen entered the dwelling. "Anakin, you sit there, and Padmé - yes, that's perfect! Oh good, Owen, you're here," he said, pointing to his seat at the table. Owen sat down obediently, not bothering to point out that _he_ was supposed to be directing this scene. _I guess I'm acting now,_ he sighed, accepting his fate.

"Action!" his father announced, then proceeded to act his part. "It was just before dawn," Cliegg told Anakin sadly. "They came out of nowhere. A hunting party of Tusken Raiders."

Anakin nodded. "That's... terrible," he said blankly. "I'm very sad. And angry," he added emphatically, furrowing his eyebrows. "Didn't you try to save her? She was my mother and you - you let them kill her!" he yelled, getting up from the table.

"Where are you going?" Owen asked, sincerely curious.

"I'm joining the Sith," Anakin announced. "My mother's dead. There's nothing left for me now." Turning dramatically, he stormed out of the dwelling.

"Cut," Owen said, confused. "That was good, Anakin," he assured him; then he gave his dad a puzzled look. "Tusken Raiders? She's supposed to be sick," he reminded him.

"Oh, right," Cliegg nodded. "I thought it would be more dramatic this way."

"But... Why did we bring her all the way out here?" Owen asked, blinking in confusion, as Shmi gave him an appreciative smile from behind the camera.

"Oh," Cliegg mused thoughtfully. "You're right," he agreed. "That won't work. Okay, here's what we're going to do..." Owen sighed with resignation as his father proceeded to turn a simple death-bed scene into an elaborate rescue attempt ending in Shmi's tragic death. "All right, let's take it from Owen's line again; only Anakin's not joining the Sith, he's going to find his mother... Action!"

"Where are you going?" Owen asked again.

"To find my mother," Anakin replied, turning to leave.

"Cut," Cliegg said, shaking his head. "No, that was good," he told Anakin. "But am I the only one who feels like an idiot, sitting here doing nothing, when my own wife has been kidnapped?" _Yes,_ Owen wanted to say; but he held his tongue. "Ah, I've got it," Cliegg said. Owen tried not to bang his head on the table in frustration as his father pulled up his pantleg and proceeded to detach his mechanical leg, while Anakin watched in fascination and Padmé politely pretended not to notice.

"Lightsaber accident," Cliegg explained cheerfully, tossing it aside. "I got a little too close to the action, a couple years back. We'll say the sand people hacked it off, and that's why I couldn't fight them..."

"Okay, what about me?" Owen asked, blinking. "She's my mother and I didn't try to do anything?"

Cliegg looked thoughtful for a moment, then shook his head, waving dismissively. "Nah, she's not really your mother, remember?" he reminded him. _Oh. Fine. I guess I'm the uncaring stepson,_ he sighed ruefully, accepting it.

"But - what about everything we just did?" Owen asked helplessly, gesturing toward the entrance. His father had been walking around in the previous scene; it wouldn't make sense.

"We'll reshoot it," Cliegg assured him.

"Dad, I have to be back on Geonosis tomorrow morning," Owen reminded him. "We have to finish all this today. Besides, what are you going to do? Hop?" he asked, desperately trying to rein in his father's crazy ideas before things got even more out of control.

"I know, I know," Cliegg sighed, "I have to get back too," he agreed. "Don't worry, there's plenty of time. And use your head, son; we have a Jedi here," he said, grinning. "Come on, Anakin, let's see what you can do." Owen shook his head sadly, trudging back outside to re-film everything they had already done, this time with Anakin levitating his father in the dining room chair. _Oh yes,_ he sighed, acting the part of a very unenthused stepbrother. _It's so much better this way._

* * *

><p>"I brought you something," Padmé said hopefully. "Are you hungry?" <em>You've barely eaten in two days, Ani. I'm really worried about you.<em>

"The shifter broke," Anakin said quietly. "Life seems so much simpler when you're fixing things. I'm good at fixing things. Always was. But I couldn't - " he broke off angrily. "Why did she have to die? Why couldn't I save her? I know I could have!"

Padmé looked at Anakin regretfully. This was their fourth take of that same line, but under Cliegg's direction, Anakin was really pouring the emotion into his performance; it was almost frightening. "Sometimes there are things no one can fix," she said. _Like our friendship,_ she thought sadly. "You're not all-powerful, Ani." _And I'm sorry, for hurting you. I'm so sorry, Ani._

"Well I should be!" Anakin cried. "Someday I will be," he vowed angrily. "I will be the most powerful Jedi ever! I promise you. I will even learn to stop people from dying."

"Anakin," Padmé said, helpless. He looked so miserable today, both on and off camera; she felt terrible for what had happened, and wanted so badly to apologize, to tell him she cared for him too... But she knew that for his own good, she couldn't.

Anakin shook his head. "I'm sorry," he said quietly to Cliegg. "What should I say next?" Cliegg had been feeding him his dialogue all day; Anakin was tired, and distracted, and couldn't focus, but he sure was doing a good job of crying and yelling out his lines.

Cliegg gave him a suggestion, and Anakin nodded, then continued. "It's all Obi-Wan's fault," he said angrily. "He's jealous! He's holding me back!" He threw something into the other room, then hung his head, on the verge of tears.

"What's wrong, Ani?" Padmé asked worriedly. _Seriously, Ani... What is this all about? I don't understand you, sweety. But I never wanted to hurt you. I wish I could just give you a hug and make it better... But I can't. I'm so sorry, Ani._

"I don't know," Anakin shrugged, looking at Cliegg hopefully.

"You're doing great, Anakin," Cliegg reassured him. "You're upset because you just killed a whole tribe of Sand People... The women, the children, all of them. You're turning to the Dark Side... You hate them, for what they did to your mother." Anakin nodded seriously, taking a deep breath before going on. _He looks so unhappy,_ Padmé thought.

"I... I killed them," Anakin said. "I killed them all. They're dead. Every single one of them," he cried angrily. "And not just the men. But the women, and the children too. They're like animals. And I slaughtered them like animals... I hate them!" he screamed, tears in his eyes; then he sank down to the floor, hanging his head.

"To be angry is to be human," Padmé said gently, kneeling beside him. _I know you're angry with me, Ani. And I'm sorry. You are the sweetest, most adorable thing I have ever met, and I love you with all my heart, but I will not destroy your life. I hope you can understand that one day._

"I'm a Jedi," Anakin insisted miserably. "I know I'm better than this!" There were tears in his eyes; he looked so desperate, so lost.

Padmé wasn't certain what to do; their forbidden romance had been cancelled, but they were supposedly good friends, at least for the purposes of the show. It was all so confusing... But she would look cruel and heartless just sitting there doing nothing while he cried, and so she stroked his hair gently with one hand, in a pathetic attempt to appear caring yet uninvolved.

"Cut," Cliegg said. "Excellent, both of you! That was amazing! That's a wrap. We've got to move quickly; we're losing the light," he said worriedly, herding them back outside. "All right," he continued. "Oh, look at that light; that's beautiful! Okay, I need you two to say goodbye, and Anakin's going to go look for his mother." _Wait... Didn't we just have her funeral?_ Padmé wondered. She wasn't entirely sure what was going on; they seemed to be filming things out of order, but apparently Cliegg had it all worked out.

"You are going to have to stay here," Anakin told her. "These are good people, Padmé. You'll be safe."

"Anakin," Padmé said helplessly; but he turned abruptly and headed for the speeder bike.

"Cut!" Cliegg yelled, and Anakin came back. "The dialogue was good... Anakin, I know you're upset about your mother, but come on - you two are supposed to be friends! Give her a hug before you go," he encouraged him, as Anakin nodded quietly. "All right... Action!"

"Anakin," Padmé cried again, wrapping her arms around him. Then for one brief moment he was holding her, so tenderly; but it was over too soon, and then he was gone.

"I won't be long," Anakin promised, walking quickly away from her; he sounded so tired. Padmé watched through tear-blurred eyes as he mounted the speeder bike and took off across the desert. _He will never hold me like that again,_ she knew. _I never felt so alone or unloved, until he came back into my life._

She felt a hand on her shoulder, and turned to see Cliegg Lars standing beside her. "Cut," he said gently, and she laughed softly, wiping away her tears with embarrassment. "Are you all right, Milady?" he asked, concerned.

"Yes," Padmé assured him, composing herself. "I'm just tired, that's all."

Cliegg patted her on the shoulder. "You've done a great job today. We're done here," he told her gently, as they headed back toward the dwelling. "Why don't you go on ahead to Geonosis; I bet Owen and Beru would be happy to hitch a ride with you. I have a couple more scenes to film with Anakin and Shmi tonight, and then we'll meet you back there in the morning," he suggested.

Padmé nodded, grateful to be let off early. "Thank you, Cliegg," she said, smiling. "It's been a pleasure working with you again."

"And with you, Milady," Cliegg agreed with a respectful bow, his eyes twinkling playfully. Cliegg Lars was a good man; Padmé knew that Anakin would be better off in the company of the veteran director tonight, and that right now the best thing she could do for him was to leave him alone. Time and distance would heal his wounds, she realized sadly.

_And mine, too,_ Padmé desperately hoped.


	13. Now let's fight droids in a factory!

**Chapter 13**

_"AAAAaaaaahhhhh!"_

Obi-Wan rolled out of bed, grabbing his lightsaber. He was in his hotel room on Geonosis; it was just before dawn, and he was certain he'd heard a muffled scream coming from one of the other rooms.

_"Get off me, get off me, get off me,"_ the voice wailed pathetically. _"I hate - AAAAAaaaahhhhhhh!"_

Not stopping to think, Obi-Wan raced out to the hallway, lightsaber blazing. The screams were coming from the next room; it sounded as though someone was being raped in there. Obi-Wan quickly used the Force to open the door, then ran inside, desperately hoping he wasn't too late. He sensed pain, and anguish, and -

"Anakin?" he asked, blinking in utter confusion as he retracted his lightsaber. His padawan stood there in just his undershorts, his clothes flung all over the floor. He was holding one boot upside down, and sand was streaming out of it, collecting in a little pile on the carpet. He looked absolutely miserable.

"I'm - I'm sorry, Master," Anakin apologized, casting his eyes downward. Obi-Wan was alarmed to see the large, fading bluish-yellow bruise on his side; it looked as though his ribs might very well be broken.

"Anakin, are you all right?" Obi-Wan asked, deeply concerned.

"Yes, Master," Anakin replied, still looking at the floor. "I'm sorry, I just... the sand," he explained pathetically, shaking his head. "I'm sorry," he apologized again, wrapping his black cloak around himself miserably as more sand trickled out of the folds.

"It still bothers you?" Obi-Wan asked gently, putting a hand on his brother's shoulder and sitting next to him on the bed.

Anakin nodded reluctantly. It had been six years since the incident on Gandrun II, but still he felt extremely uncomfortable around sand. They had been caught in a flash sandstorm, and Obi-Wan had held his breath, conserving his energy until it passed; but Anakin had tried to fight his way out. Obi-Wan had finally pulled him out of the drift unconscious, with sand in his eyes, nose, mouth, even his lungs. His eyes had stung and watered for days, and it took two months for the cough to finally go away, but unfortunately the emotional scars had never completely healed.

"I'm sorry, Anakin," Obi-Wan said gently. "When I heard they were sending you to Tatooine..." He sighed, shaking his head. "Anakin, you must overcome your fear," he pleaded. "I had thought it was getting better?"

"It is," Anakin nodded. "I'm not afraid of it, Master; I just hate it," he explained morosely. He sounded very tired.

_Well I suppose that's progress,_ Obi-Wan sighed. "Did you just get back?"

Anakin nodded wearily. "I'm sorry, Master," he said quietly, with sincere remorse. "I know I've let you down. I'm - I'm really sorry," he apologized, with a pained glance at Obi-Wan.

"No, Anakin, you've done well," Obi-Wan reassured him. "I'm very proud of you. I heard about the hijacking, and the medal from the Queen; that's wonderful," he said, giving him an encouraging smile.

But Anakin only shrugged. "I don't deserve it," he said quietly.

"Why not?" Obi-Wan asked, puzzled and concerned.

Anakin shook his head sadly. "You heard about what happened, with - ?" he broke off, squeezing his eyes shut.

"I heard you threw the homing device into the lake," Obi-Wan chided him, with an amused smile. "And I can't say I blame you; I've wanted to do the same thing all week," he commiserated. "What was that all about?"

Anakin looked at him, surprised. "Master Qui-Gon didn't tell you?"

"Qui-Gon?" Obi-Wan asked, startled. "What? No," he said. _What in the blazes...?_ "When did you talk to Qui-Gon?"

Anakin slumped forward, holding his head in his hands. "I - I went back to Coruscant, the night before last," he confessed. "Master Qui-Gon was on confessional duty... He says hello, by the way," Anakin added, shrugging. "I took Padmé's ship - she doesn't know," he apologized, with a pleading look at Obi-Wan. "I just - I couldn't take it any more; I'm not good at this," he lamented.

"It's all right, Anakin," Obi-Wan reassured him. "Anakin, you're taking this far too seriously. You're a Jedi, not an actor," he reminded his padawan. "This will all be over in a few more days. And I'm sorry they had to throw out so much of what you filmed, but..." he sighed, frustrated. "I was not in favor of this business with Senator Amidala in the first place."

Anakin nodded. "Thank you, Master," he said humbly. "I am glad to be back," he added wearily, with an apologetic smile.

"I'm glad you're back too, Anakin," Obi-Wan agreed, patting him on the shoulder. "I have missed you," he added, smiling fondly. "Did you get any sleep at all last night?"

"No," Anakin sighed, shaking his head. "But Cliegg says we all have the day off. He's making all sorts of plans; he needs time to set things up."

"Oh dear," Obi-Wan laughed. "I don't even dare to imagine. Well, I will let you get your rest," he said, getting up. "And as for the sand, I would highly recommend a bubble bath," he added cheerfully, going to the door.

Anakin laughed. "Thank you, Master," he said again, with a shy, appreciative smile.

"You're welcome, Anakin," Obi-Wan said. "Now, get some sleep," he ordered his brother sternly. "With Cliegg in charge, things are going to get very busy, and the last thing I need is a cranky padawan on my hands," he scolded him.

"Yes, Master." Anakin grinned, and Obi-Wan gave him a cheerful smile as he shut the door behind him. _It's good to have you back, little brother,_ he sighed wistfully, going back to his room. _You did well for your first time on your own. I'm so very proud of you._

* * *

><p><em>Early the next morning...<em>

"Here, Kitty," Padmé called softly, as the Nexu padded toward her, blinking and purring affectionately. Cliegg had arranged for them to use the _Galactic Gladiators_ arena here on Geonosis, and he had encouraged Padmé to get to know her opponent as well as possible before the show. She and Kitty had bonded immediately; Padmé had been feeling lonely when she first arrived, and Kitty had seemed to sense her sadness, coming right up to her and nuzzling her softly with her big, spiky head.

"Aw, you're a good girl, Kitty," Padmé said, smiling tenderly. Kitty lay her head in Padmé's lap, smiling luxuriously as Padmé scratched her behind the ears. "I wish I could take you home with me," she sighed, stroking the feline's back. "It's so lonely here, Kitty," she admitted. "But you're my friend, aren't you? Yes you are," Padmé said indulgently, kissing her on the forehead.

The giant crab-legged Acklay in the corner had been eyeing the two of them curiously, and now began to crawl toward her tentatively; but it hesitated uncertainly when Padmé looked up. "It's all right, Spike," she laughed. "Don't be shy; come on," she encouraged him. Spike clattered toward her happily; Padmé wasn't quite sure what to do with him, but she stroked one of his claws gently, and he seemed to like it.

Then she felt something nuzzling her hair, and giggled as the enormous dinosaur licked the back of her neck with its dry, scratchy tongue. "Ahh! Fluffy, stop that," she laughed. "I just did my hair for today's show; you're going to mess it up," she scowled, giving the Reek an affectionate pat on its horned snout.

Hearing voices behind her, Padmé turned to see Anakin and Obi-Wan approaching. Fluffy lifted her head excitedly, then thundered across the pen toward Anakin, as Spike clattered happily toward Obi-Wan.

"Hello there," Obi-Wan said cheerfully, offering his opponent a nice juicy beetle.

"Come here, Fluffy!" Anakin said, holding out a handful of grass and patting the Reek's tough, leathery neck while she ate from his hand. "Good morning," he added to Padmé, with a shy smile.

"Good morning," Padmé said warmly, still petting Kitty. "I see you guys have all met." _He looks happier today,_ she noted, relieved that Anakin seemed more like himself again. _I'm glad Master Kenobi is here._

"Yes, we practiced with them a bit yesterday," Obi-Wan said, hopping out of the way as Spike made a playful stab at him. The creatures were well-trained, and knew how to fight without actually hurting their opponents, although Kitty was decidedly less aggressive than Spike and Fluffy. Her claws had been dulled, and Padmé was wearing a special white jumpsuit that would protect her from the variety of hazards that they would face today. Padmé wasn't sure how the directors were going to explain her sudden change in clothing style, but she had long since given up trying to understand what was going on with this crazy show.

Anakin was rolling on the ground now, dodging Fluffy's hooves as she stomped over him; then he grabbed her horn and flipped up onto her back, taking her for a romp around the training pen before hopping off. "Good girl, Fluffy," he said encouragingly, patting her on the shoulder. "We're going to do just fine today."

"Oh good, you're all here," Cliegg said cheerfully, appearing in the doorway with Owen. "Good morning; thanks for coming here so early," he added appreciatively, as they greeted each other. "We have a big day ahead of us... Master Kenobi, you'll be going with Owen to film a few scenes with Dooku and the Trade Federation folks - yes, they agreed to come back for this episode," Cliegg told Padmé, beaming proudly. "And you two will be coming with me," he added to Anakin and Padmé. "We've rented a metalworks factory for the morning, and we're bringing in Dooku's droids and any others we can find; Artoo, Threepio... it'll be great," he said, his eyes twinkling. "And then we'll all meet back here at the arena this afternoon," he informed them.

"I've put in a call to Master Yoda, and also the director of _Space Troopers,_" Cliegg continued. "Depending on who shows up, we could have a pretty exciting battle scene here," he said. "And then tonight we've got the lightsaber duel between Master Kenobi, Anakin, and Dooku... As I said, it's going to be a busy day, but we're just going to get through it the best we can. Do you guys feel comfortable with the animals at this point?" he asked hopefully.

They all nodded, and Padmé gave Kitty one last scratch behind the ear before saying goodbye to Owen and Master Kenobi; then she went with Anakin and Cliegg to film the droid factory scene.

First they filmed a few shots of Padmé under controlled circumstances, with Anakin using the Force to slam things around as she ran through the assembly line. "Aaahhh!" she screamed, laughing. "Ani, not so close, you're freaking me out!" But Anakin just grinned evilly, continuing to miss her by a fraction of an inch each time. _Wow... H__e can do more than just float fruit._ She hadn't realized the full extent of his powers; it was a bit frightening.

Then they let Anakin loose in the factory, turning the assembly line on at full speed and throwing everything they could at him as he rolled around, slashing at things with his lightsaber. Uncle Dooku had brought an assortment of defective droids that needed to be melted down anyway, and Anakin was having a great time wrecking everything in sight.

At one point he got his arm caught in some of the machinery, and Cliegg was going to shut it down, but Anakin insisted he was fine, and managed to get out in the end; but unfortunately his lightsaber was destroyed in the process. "Oh no," he sighed unhappily. "Obi-Wan's going to kill me... That's the second one this month," he confessed, cringing.

They had a little time left, so Cliegg filmed some scenes with Artoo and Threepio, with Anakin levitating things as needed. Then Padmé thought it would be fun to go for a ride in one of the giant cauldrons; she wasn't sure if they got much usable footage from that, because she was giggling the whole time. By the end she and Anakin were laughing so hard they couldn't film any more, so they took a break as Cliegg talked over the transmitter with various people to take care of last-minute production details.

"Why are we even doing this?" she asked Anakin, laughing. Padmé didn't understand what this scene had to do with the overall plot of the show, but it really didn't matter; it was fun anyway.

"Um..." Anakin grinned, shaking his head. "I have no idea," he admitted. It was good to see him laughing again; whatever had happened between them before seemed to be in the past, and Padmé was grateful that they felt easy around each other now.

"Good news," Cliegg said, coming over to join them. "I just talked to Jango Fett; he's on his way over to put an end to this insanity," he told them cheerfully. "And a friend of mine is filming a horror movie on the set right next to ours; he said we could have five minutes during lunchtime to make a quick pass through some of the aliens on their set... This is going to be great! You two have done a terrific job here," he added appreciatively.

Jango arrived a few minutes later, and then they filmed a few other scenes in a different studio before heading back to the _Galactic Gladiators_ arena. The great thing about filming on Geonosis was that you could find literally any kind of cinematic set you needed, since nearly every entertainment production company was based here; and Cliegg Lars seemed to have connections with all of them.

Finally they were finished with the morning's filming. Padmé and Anakin met up with Master Kenobi and Uncle Dooku back at the gladiator arena, and they all sat together in the stands, laughing and sharing stories over a picnic lunch while Owen and Cliegg prepared for the final battle scene. After the tension of the past two days, it was nice to just relax. But then Cliegg approached Padmé, his expression questioning. "Senator Amidala, could I have a word with you for a moment?"

Nodding, Padmé followed him down to the entrance to the arena. "We're almost ready to start filming," Cliegg told her. "And we just found out that Master Yoda is on his way, along with about two dozen other Jedi," he said. "Also it looks like the cast of _Space Troopers_ will be joining us later on. Owen and I have been talking about it, and between everything we've shot so far, we think we're going to have enough footage for at least two episodes," he explained; then he gave her an apologetic look.

"I'm sorry to bring this up; and I respect your decision to cut the romance scenes," he began respectfully. "But I just had to say, I saw some of the footage from Naboo yesterday, and I think it's absolutely beautiful," he told her. "Padmé, you and I both know that no one takes anything on this show seriously," Cliegg said, grinning. "Look at Chancellor Palpatine - he plays the part of Darth Sidious, and everyone knows it's just a joke," he pointed out. "As I said, I respect your decision... but I just had to ask one more time if you might allow us to use that footage," he finished gently.

Padmé sighed, considering it. The public image excuse had only been a cover; Padmé's real reason for ending their on-screen romance was because she felt it was upsetting Anakin. But the danger was past; he seemed fine now, especially with Master Kenobi here. And as for her own feelings toward Anakin, she realized that it might be easier to let go of her heartache if she could convince herself that they had both only been acting the whole time. "All right," Padmé agreed quietly.

Cliegg smiled. "Thank you, Senator Amidala," he said. "I really appreciate everything you've done this week. You've been wonderful," he told her. "We'll just need one more scene with the two of you today, just before you head out to the arena. I'll let you know when we're ready."

Padmé nodded politely, heading back to the stands. _I can do this,_ she told herself stubbornly. _It's just play-acting. That's all it ever was._ She wondered how many times she would have to tell herself that, before she would truly believe it.

* * *

><p>Anakin grinned enthusiastically, listening as Owen explained the afternoon's battle plans while they ate their lunch in the stands of the<em> Galactic Gladiators<em> arena. They would be fighting not only the gladiator creatures and Dooku's droid army, but also some native Geonosians who wanted to be in the show. By the end, they would be joined by two dozen other Jedi as well as the entire cast of _Space Troopers_. Anakin had no idea how any of that worked into the plot, but it was definitely going to be fun.

He was relieved that everything was all right again. Naboo and Tatooine had been a nightmare, but Obi-Wan was right: he had been taking all of this far too seriously. Anakin was grateful that Obi-Wan wasn't angry with him for what happened; he still felt a little guilty for not telling his Master the entire truth, but at least he had confessed everything to Qui-Gon. The important thing was that he had finally learned his lesson: he was a Jedi, and he must let go of his inappropriate feelings toward Padmé.

Now that he was back on Geonosis with Obi-Wan, it all seemed so simple. Padmé was a nice person, but she did not have romantic feelings toward Anakin - which was exactly as it should be, since he was a Jedi. He was embarrassed to have confessed his feelings to her, but grateful that Padmé hadn't told Obi-Wan about it; this had been a painful learning experience, but Anakin had survived it, and it would soon be over.

_What doesn't kill you makes you stronger,_ he reminded himself. As Qui-Gon said, this was something that every young Jedi had to come to terms with. Anakin was already feeling less ashamed about his childish crush, realizing that it was completely understandable. After all, Padmé was sweet, and beautiful, and a former Queen; who _wouldn't_ fall hopelessly in love with her?

But everything was back to normal now. Anakin realized he had been paranoid about Tatooine. Padmé hadn't brought him there to punish him; it had been the director's idea all along. He admitted he had been in a foul mood that day, what with all the sand, and the lack of sleep. But he was feeling like himself again, and thankfully Padmé seemed to have forgiven him for his odd behavior.

She was returning now after speaking with Cliegg, and Anakin smiled at her cheerfully. They'd had such a fun time filming the droid factory scene; it was great just to laugh and feel at ease with her again. Now and then Anakin would feel a twinge of longing when he looked at her, but he had come up with an effective way of dealing with that: he just pretended that Padmé was his sister. After all, Anakin didn't know who his real family was; it was entirely possible that he and Padmé were in fact related. Granted, it wasn't likely, but still it was possible... And if it helped him to control his feelings toward her, that was all that mattered.

Padmé returned his smile, but her expression was apologetic, and Anakin gave her a questioning look. "What was that about?" he asked, curious as to what she had been discussing with Cliegg.

"He said he looked at the footage from Naboo yesterday," Padmé explained, taking a seat next to him. "He really liked it; he asked if he could put it back in... I said yes," she told him sheepishly. "I hope that's all right?"

"Oh." Anakin blinked. His heart was pounding, but he tried not to show any emotion; Obi-Wan was sitting right there, and he couldn't let on that it bothered him. "Of course," he said, nodding. "That's fine. Either way. Doesn't matter to me," he assured her, with a brave smile. _I am doomed. This is humiliating. Now everyone in the galaxy will see how stupid I am._

But then he felt something else: a comforting, reassuring sense of peace and tranquility, emanating from Obi-Wan. His Master was still talking calmly with Dooku about the upcoming fight scene, but he had sensed Anakin's sudden fear, and was sending him an encouraging feeling. _I can do this,_ Anakin agreed, grateful for his Master's calming presence. _There's nothing to be afraid of._

He managed to slow his racing heartbeat and steady his breathing, and Obi-Wan gave him a subtle, approving nod. There was a sparkle of pride and encouragement in his Master's clear blue eyes, and Anakin smiled gratefully in return. Then it was time to begin the battle scene, and they all climbed down from the stands to take their places.

"Good luck," Obi-Wan called cheerfully from the other side of the arena, as Owen chained him to one of the the huge columns.

"Thank you, Master," Anakin laughed. "Good luck to you too." Then he followed Cliegg and Padmé to the entrance, taking a deep breath and preparing himself for what was to come. It took a few minutes for all the extras to file into the stands, but when everyone was ready, Cliegg gave Anakin and Padmé an encouraging nod, and the filming began.

"Don't be afraid," Anakin said quietly, as he and Padmé stood in the cart, awaiting their execution.

"I'm not afraid to die," Padmé said softly. "I've been dying a little bit each day since you came back into my life."

_It's just an act. Breathe._ "What are you talking about?" Anakin asked.

"I love you," Padmé said quietly, looking into his eyes. Anakin felt his breath catch; it felt so real. _Calm down. She's only acting. Don't be an idiot._ He was angry that the feelings were back; he hadn't expected this to happen again. He blinked, trying to control his emotions.

"You love me?" he asked. _This sucks. It's no better than it was before. I hate this._ "I thought we decided not to fall in love," he said, barely concealing his frustration. "That we would be forced to live a lie. And that it would destroy our lives."

"I think our lives are about to be destroyed anyway," Padmé said softly. "I truly... deeply... love you," she whispered. Anakin desperately fought against tears; the shuddering feeling was back. "And before we die I want you to know," Padmé finished.

Then the cart began to move, and somehow they were kissing. Anakin was overcome with a terrible aching, longing sweetness, but now they were heading out to the arena; soon thousands of eyes would be on them. _She's my sister... She's my sister... She's my sister,_ he told himself desperately, forcing away the horrible feelings.

Miraculously, it worked. At least a little; enough for him to gain control of himself. As they entered the arena, the crowd broke into wild cheering, and Anakin and Padmé looked at each other, sharing a surprised laugh. There were tears in her eyes as well, which confused Anakin momentarily; what was she upset about? But the cameras were on them, so he gave her a reassuring look, composing himself once again and managing to appear dutifully somber as they were hauled out across the arena to face their death.

_I did it,_ Anakin realized suddenly, a newfound sense of pride welling within him. _I kissed Padmé in front of thousands of people, and managed to control my feelings. It was the hardest trial I have ever faced in my entire life, but I passed. I truly am a Jedi..._

Anakin's expression was emotionless, but on the inside he was elated, and his heart pounded with excitement as the crowd cheered wildly in anticipation of the battle to come.


	14. And play Gladiator!

**Chapter 14**

Kitty lay on the ground, obediently playing dead. Her trainer had given the signal, and she knew the fight was over for her; but she couldn't resist peeking. Opening one eye, she smiled to see Spike stabbing at the red-haired man, while Fluffy dragged the other one across the arena.

They were having too much fun; Kitty couldn't resist. _I didn't hear the signal,_ she decided, getting up again. _I'm not dead yet._ Growling playfully, she jumped back up toward Padmé, who was still perched on top of the column.

_Come on, Padmé! Jump down! Let's play!_ Kitty heard her trainer's signal again, and knew she was supposed to be dead. But she couldn't just drop dead now for no reason; it wouldn't look believable. _Teehee,_ she laughed to herself mischievously. _This is fun!_

_Oh crap,_ she realized at the last second, as Fluffy thundered toward her, spinning her under her horns. _Ow! Fluffy, you're going to pay for this later..._ Sulking, Kitty lay in the sand, grudgingly pretending to be dead. _This fight is stupid,_ she decided, sniffing. _I don't want to play anymore anyway._

* * *

><p>Fluffy snorted in disgust, pawing at the sand. <em>Stay down this time, Kitty. Don't make me trample you again,<em> she grunted with annoyance. _I swear... If it wasn't for me, these two would never behave._ The trainers had their whistles and signals and tasty treats, and they did what they could to keep the others in line; but Fluffy knew that when it came down to it, _she_ was the one in charge.

It had been fun dragging Anakin around the stadium; Fluffy could have kept going for hours, but Anakin had put an end to it pretty quickly. _Don't drag me through the sand,_ he had told her. _I hate sand._ Fluffy knew he was using a Jedi mind trick, and she had tried to resist it, but she couldn't. _All right, I won't drag you through the sand,_ she agreed reluctantly. _You hate sand._

At least he was a good rider. Fluffy liked to go full speed, but there weren't many humans who could handle it. But now Anakin's girlfriend had jumped down onto her back too, and so reluctantly Fluffy slowed her pace a bit.

Hearing the death signal from Spike's trainer, she turned to make sure he was behaving himself. _Of course not,_ she sighed, as Spike ate the spear that had supposedly just killed him. Spike was a sweetheart, but he was completely out of control; he hardly ever obeyed his trainer's commands. She would have to talk to him later, not that it would do any good.

Now the red-haired man was running for his life; so once again, Fluffy saved the day, galloping toward him so he could jump onto her back too. _Great,_ she snorted. _Now I'm carrying all three of them._ This happened all the time, unfortunately. Once all of the opponents were safely on Fluffy's back, the fight was pretty much over; there wasn't much more anyone could do, and it just ended up looking completely lame and pathetic. _Here comes the booing,_ she sighed miserably, waiting for the crowds to turn on her.

_Whoa... What's this?_ Fluffy blinked in surprise as a bunch of droids rolled out into the arena. _Oh, right,_ she remembered. _We have other contenders today._ Fluffy's trainer had explained it to her earlier, but she was a little foggy as to who was on which side. A moment later they were joined by two dozen Jedi; it quickly became obvious that the Jedi were fighting the droids. _And I'm fighting the Jedi,_ she remembered... _So are the droids on my side?_ She wasn't exactly certain.

But mostly she was still worried about Spike. He was supposed to have died _before_ the others came out, but now... Fluffy was suddenly very nervous. _Die, Spike,_ she pleaded silently. _This is no joke, sweety pie. These are real Jedi, with real lightsabers... Please, for once, be a good boy and die, before you go and get yourself killed._

* * *

><p><em>Yay! Free lightsaber!<em> Anakin thought happily, catching one in mid-air from one of the other Jedi. _Let's see... Aw, crap. It's green,_ he realized glumly, looking back at Obi-Wan. _Of course, you had to get the blue one,_ he sulked.

_At least it's not purple,_ he consoled himself, shaking his head in disgust as Master Windu somersaulted across the stadium. Windu and Yoda always insisted on outdoing everyone else whenever they were on _JEDI;_ it was really quite annoying. _Of course, they really ARE better than the rest of us,_ Anakin admitted grudgingly. _If I had jumped down from the top balcony like he just did, I'd be a pathetic heap of broken bones right now._

He noticed that Windu's cloak had caught on fire. _Oh, he's pissed off now,_ Anakin thought, grinning. _Jango, buddy, you are so dead... Nobody messes with Master Windu's clothing and lives to tell about it._

Spurring Fluffy forward, he slashed enthusiastically at the laser bullets that were flying through the air from all directions. The droids' blasters had all been set to stun, mostly for the safety of Padmé and the animals; but still, it was good practice. _Whoa! What's that?_ Anakin wondered, startled; Fluffy reared in panic, roaring loudly as she threw them all to the ground.

* * *

><p><em>Yay! Free blaster!<em> Padmé thought happily, lunging to grab it off the ground before someone else got to it. _Lucky me... Look, I can shoot stuff! Watch this! Uh oh... I hope that was on stun,_ she cringed, as one of the trainers went down. _Sorry! Gah, I'm supposed to be shooting Uncle Dooku's droids, not the animal trainers..._

Now the weird pig-beast that pulled the cart was galloping out of control. Padmé felt responsible, and so without a second thought, she chased after it and jumped onto the animal's back. Only then did it occur to her that she really didn't have a plan. _Oops,_ she realized too late, as the beast thundered across the stadium. _Um... Stop? Please?_

* * *

><p><em>What the hell is she doing?<em> Anakin wondered, chasing after Padmé and jumping into the carriage behind her. _Who cares,_ he decided, slashing at laser bullets and droids and anything else within swinging distance. _This is fun!_

He looked over to see Master Windu stealing the scene again, horning in on Obi-Wan's camera closeup and choosing that exact moment to fight back-to-back with him. "Hey Fluffy!" Anakin yelled. "Purple lightsaber dude! Get him!" Anakin grinned as Fluffy thundered toward Windu, driving him out of Obi-Wan's scene. Of course the camera _would_ have to follow Windu... _Sorry, Obi-Wan. I tried._

* * *

><p><em>Take that, Purple Lightsaber Dude,<em> Fluffy grunted, chasing him down. _Anakin doesn't like you... I don't like you... AAAAaaahhhh!_ Fluffy reared back as Purple Lightsaber Dude slashed at her face. _You chopped off my horn! My beautiful horn! Okay, who am I kidding; all of my horns are fake... But still... You are going to pay for that,_ she vowed angrily.

_What? Grrrrr..._ Fluffy roared angrily as Purple Lightsaber Dude used a Jedi mind trick on her. _Yes,_ she agreed grudgingly. _I will leave you alone and attack Stupid Rocket Dude instead._ Fluffy proceeded to trample Stupid Rocket Dude under her hooves, rolling him through the sand, though as always she was careful not to hurt him. _Where is Spike?_ she wondered again, looking around. _Where the hell is Spike?_ Spike's trainer had just been shot down by Anakin's girlfriend; Fluffy was becoming very worried.

She stopped, turning to make sure Stupid Rocket Dude was all right. He was more than all right; he was standing up again. _Hey! You can't do that! I killed you!_ Roaring angrily, she charged at him again. Stupid Rocket Dude was not playing by the rules, but she would teach him a lesson... _Owwwwww!_ Fluffy crashed to the ground, hit by Stupid Rocket Dude's blaster fire. It was set to stun, but still, that really hurt...

_I'm done with this,_ she decided, playing dead. _These people aren't playing by the rules. Get 'em, Spike. Give 'em all you've got._

* * *

><p><em>Stab!<em> Spike thought happily. _Stab! Stab! Stab! Wheeeee! This is fun!_ Red-Haired Man was the best opponent Spike had ever been up against. He was so tiny and quick; it was fun to make him hop and roll around in the sand. _Stab! Stab! Stab stab stab! STAB!_ Spike knew he was supposed to be dead already, but he was having way too much fun. His trainer had been giving the death signal pretty much nonstop since this fight began; but Spike had been ignoring him as usual, and now he seemed to have given up anyway.

But now Red-Haired Man was doing a Jedi mind trick on him. _Hahaha!_ Spike laughed mischievously. _Good luck with that! I barely have a brain anyway! Ohhhh... Yes, Master... I will pretend to be very, very, very hurt... And fall down now like a good boy... Teehee your hair looks funny all messed up like that! Okay, okay, I'm dead... But can we play again later? I like you, you're fun!_

_I'm bored. I sure would like to keep playing. Or maybe see if there's a tasty treat for me in the training pen. I bet nobody would notice if I got up and went over there... Usually no one minds; as long as I eventually stop fighting and go back to my pen, they're happy._

* * *

><p><em>Finally,<em> Obi-Wan sighed, as he watched Spike crawl back into his pen. The trainers had warned him that Spike could be a bit unpredictable, which is why Obi-Wan had taken him for himself; now he was glad that he had not allowed Anakin to fight him. All the animals seemed to be down at this point, as well as one of the trainers, thanks to Padmé.

Obi-Wan knelt beside a fallen Jedi now, assessing the damage. As far as he could tell, everyone seemed to be all right, more or less. The straggling Jedi survivors were gathered in the center of the arena as planned, surrounded by Dooku's droids, and the blaster fire had miraculously stopped on cue. Obi-Wan gave a subtle nod to Cliegg, indicating that it was all right to proceed.

"Master Windu," Dooku called down from the balcony. "You have fought gallantly. Worthy of recognition in the archives of the Jedi Order. Now, it is finished. Surrender, and your lives will be spared."

"We will not be hostages to be bartered, Dooku," Windu spat fiercely.

"Then... I'm sorry, old friend," Dooku said dramatically, as the droids stepped forward, preparing to fire.

_Now,_ Obi-Wan cued Yoda telepathically. Master Yoda was a complete technophobe; he was supposed to be listening in over the transmitter, but the directors had asked Obi-Wan to send him a back-up reminder just in case.

Luckily, it worked. "Look!" Padmé said, as Yoda appeared overhead, along with the entire cast of _Space Troopers_. Padmé smiled happily; she was clearly pleased with herself for remembering her big line, and Obi-Wan gave her a cheerful, congratulatory nod.

"Around the survivors, a perimeter create," Yoda instructed the Space Troopers. He seemed rather pleased with his line as well.

Miraculously, for probably the first time in _JEDI_ history, everything had gone according to plan. After one final assault against the droid army, Obi-Wan jumped onto a _Space Troopers_ military transport along with Padmé and Anakin.

* * *

><p>"Aim right above the fuel cells," Anakin instructed the Space Troopers, as they flew across the desert. They weren't using real laser fire, so the explosions would have to be edited in later, but still, Anakin thought it would be cool. Besides, now that they were all just standing there aboard the transport, there was suddenly an awkward lack of dialogue.<p>

"Good call, my young padawan!" Obi-Wan congratulated him with dramatic over-indulgence. Anakin tried not to laugh; Obi-Wan had been calling him that all week, ever since he'd said it in their very first scene together back on Coruscant. It had become a private joke between them, and his Master had even started doing it when the cameras weren't on. Anakin didn't mind though; he thought it was funny.

"Uh, what do we do now?" Anakin asked, at a loss. They had passed by the fuel towers, and now there was nothing left to shoot at; only sand and rocks and desert for miles around.

Thankfully his Master had a good imagination. "Attack those Federation Starships, quickly!" Obi-Wan said, pointing at nothing at all. Anakin and Padmé burst out laughing, joined momentarily by Obi-Wan; this whole scene would have to be heavily edited later on. But Obi-Wan quickly regained his composure. "Look over there!" he exclaimed urgently, now pointing in a different direction.

_Look at what?_ Anakin wondered, blinking. _It's just a big rock._ But he tried to come up with something. _Think fast..._ "It's Dooku!" he improvised. _Too bad this acting gig is almost over; I'm finally getting good at it._ "Shoot him down!" he ordered the Space Troopers.

"No, we can't do that," Obi-Wan reminded him, shaking his head. "We need him for the lightsaber duel later on." _Oh. Right._ "Let's say we're out of rockets," he suggested to the Space Troopers.

"We're out of rockets, sir," the pilot informed Anakin.

"Follow him!" Anakin yelled urgently.

"We're going to need some help!" Padmé insisted worriedly. _Why?_ Anakin wondered. _Padmé, I know he's your uncle and all, but seriously, we can take him. He's like a hundred years old._

"There isn't time," Obi-Wan told her. "Anakin and I can handle this." _That's right,_ Anakin agreed smugly. _It says so in the memo._ Then he noticed a red button on the wall. _Hmm, what's this?_ he wondered, pushing it.

Suddenly the ship lurched violently, and Anakin and Obi-Wan instinctively grabbed hold. But unfortunately Padmé didn't possess their lightning-quick Jedi reflexes; she fell right off the side of the ship, along with one of the Space Troopers.

"Padmé!" Anakin screamed, terrified. _Oh no! She's in the sand!_ "Put the ship down!" he yelled, panicking.

"Anakin!" Obi-Wan reprimanded him. "Don't let your personal feelings get in the way. Follow that speeder," he instructed the pilot.

_No,_ Anakin cried, devastated. _She fell into the sand, and it's all my fault!_ "Lower the ship!" he screamed desperately.

"I can't take Dooku alone," Obi-Wan told him. "I need you. If we catch him we can end this war right now. We have a job to do."

_Obi-Wan, you can totally take Dooku. That was all just big macho talk back in the arena. So he took a couple fencing classes in school like a billion years ago - what are you afraid of? He'll be using a fake lightsaber anyway. Besides... Padmé... all alone... in the sand,_ he choked helplessly, fighting tears. "I don't care!" Anakin yelled stubbornly. "Put the ship down!"

"You will be expelled from the Jedi Order!" Obi-Wan yelled at him.

"I can't leave her!" Anakin screamed.

"Come to your senses," Obi-Wan scolded him. "What do you think Padmé would do if she were in your position?"

Anakin hung his head. It killed him to leave Padmé all alone out there in the desert, surrounded by miles and miles of sand, but in the end he realized that Obi-Wan was right. "She would do her duty," he admitted painfully. _I'm so sorry, Padmé..._

* * *

><p><em>Wheeeee!<em> Padmé giggled, rolling through the sand. _This is fun!_ She hadn't been all that thrilled about the _Space Troopers_ battle scene anyway; it was so loud and confusing and noisy and violent.

_I love sand!_ she smiled blissfully, lying in the warm Geonosian sun and making angel wings with her arms and legs. One of the Space Troopers had fallen out of the transport too; he was running over to her now.

"Are you all right?" he asked worriedly.

"Fine," she replied happily. "Come on, let's make more sand angels! And then maybe a big castle!" Then she noticed one of the hovering cameras had followed them. "Oh," she sighed grudgingly, getting up. "I guess we should do something," she conceded.

Padmé took one last, wistful look at the beautiful angels she had made, then trudged off with the Space Trooper to find a fresh patch of sand where they could continue filming. But it was impossible not to smile with all this beautiful, sparkling sand glittering around her. A moment later they were filming again, for real this time, and she rolled down the hill happily, giggling all the way.

_I love sand,_ she sighed luxuriously, soaking in the blissful warmth as she pretended to be unconscious. _Sand is so magical..._ Padmé decided that all the stress she had endured over the past week had been worth it, just for this one perfect moment of relaxation.


	15. And get chopped up by Count Dooku!

**Chapter 15**

"You're going to pay for all the Jedi you killed today, Dooku."

_This is it,_ Anakin realized with excitement. _This is the big finale, where I finally turn to the Dark Side._ He had been waiting for this moment all week, and thanks to recent developments, it was going to be even more tragic than anyone had imagined.

"We'll take him together," Obi-Wan said quietly. "You go in slowly on the left - "

"I'm taking him NOW!" Anakin yelled, charging toward Dooku.

"No, Anakin! No!" Obi-Wan tried to warn him; but it was too late. Dooku reached a hand toward him, and from behind the camera Obi-Wan used the Force to throw Anakin against the wall. The Force lightning effects would be added later on; Anakin hoped it would look good in the end. He writhed in agony, doing his best to look as though he were in terrible pain. _This has to look really bad, otherwise I'm a wimp for not getting up and helping Obi-Wan._

Dooku turned to Obi-Wan next, his expression dangerous. "As you see, my Jedi powers are far beyond yours," he warned him. "Now, back down." Anakin watched as Obi-Wan calmly deflected Dooku's imaginary Force lightning with his blue lightsaber.

"I don't think so," Obi-Wan said coldly. _Yeah! Go Obi-Wan!_ Anakin continued to gasp and writhe in pain, watching through squinted eyes as Obi-Wan and Dooku began their lightsaber duel. They were all using fake lightsabers for this scene, but Anakin had to admit that Padmé's uncle really _was_ very talented, both as an actor and a swordsman.

"Master Kenobi, you disappoint me," Dooku said dramatically. "Yoda holds you in such high esteem. Surely you can do better."

_Seriously,_ Anakin agreed, watching the duel with a pained expression. Obi-Wan could do _so_ much better than that if he wanted to; but Dooku had to win this fight, so Obi-Wan was forced to hold back and not do anything too fancy. _Poor Obi-Wan,_ Anakin thought. _This is his big heroic death scene and he doesn't even get to do anything cool._

The inspiration for this new plot twist had come at the last moment. Thankfully Padmé was all right after her fall from the _Space Troopers _transport, but hearing of the incident, Owen had come up with a brilliant idea: Anakin would turn to the Dark Side not only because he had lost his mother, but also because he had failed to save Padmé and Obi-Wan from dying.

After a week of filming, the show was finally coming together, and Anakin was in awe of Owen's last-minute idea. Padmé had been killed in the fall from the transport - Owen promised to make it look very dramatic - and now, because of his grief and anger, Anakin had foolishly rushed in against Dooku, getting himself zapped and leaving Obi-Wan to face the Sith Lord alone. Obi-Wan would be tragically killed in this fight; whereupon Anakin - overcome with guilt, and having lost everyone he loved - would slay Dooku in a fit of rage, ultimately taking his place as the next Sith Lord.

Obi-Wan and Dooku strained against each other now, their lightsabers locked together; but finally Obi-Wan's strength gave out, and Dooku sliced cruelly through his left arm, chopping it off. At least, that was how it would look once the editors did their job. Then Dooku hacked off Obi-Wan's left leg as well, or perhaps both of them; Owen hadn't entirely decided yet, but he wanted it to look completely shocking and horrifying.

With a terrible cry, Obi-Wan fell to the floor. Then Dooku raised his red lightsaber high in the air to deliver the final death blow... _That's my cue,_ Anakin remembered, staggering to his feet and stumbling toward Obi-Wan in a desperate attempt to save him.

But he was too late; Dooku's lightsaber had already driven straight through Obi-Wan's heart. "NOOOOoooooo!" Anakin screamed, advancing ruthlessly upon Dooku, slashing at him with all his grief and anger. _This is so cool,_ he thought, spinning around and meeting Dooku's blows, trying to make the fight look as dramatic as possible.

Padmé's uncle had been trained in an archaic style of swordfighting that Anakin was unfamiliar with; his stance was high, and elegant in its own way. In a real fight, Anakin would have made mincemeat out of him in a second, but right now he was having fun trying to emulate Dooku's style, holding his own lightsaber high and circling it above his head.

But finally it was time for the kill. Anakin doubled his attack, driving Dooku backward, and then, swinging his lightsaber in a deadly arc, he sliced against his opponent's neck, as Dooku crumpled to the floor. Anakin looked down at him, breathing heavily for a moment; then, with the most evil look he could conjure up, he slowly lifted his face, looking straight into Owen's camera...

"Um... Where did he go?" Anakin asked, blinking. Owen had been there just a moment ago... Hadn't he?

"He's on the transmitter," Obi-Wan said, not moving from the floor; it wouldn't look right if his mangled corpse changed positions halfway through the scene. "I think he's talking to Cliegg; it looked like it was important."

"Oh," Anakin said, disappointed, as Dooku stood up again. They had done such a good job; Anakin was sad that their fight hadn't been caught on film. _Oh well, I guess we can do it again,_ he sighed, waiting for Owen to return.

"I'm sorry about that," Owen apologized, returning a moment later. "That was my dad; we've got some interesting news," he explained, turning to Dooku. "The director of _Space Troopers_ was really impressed with your performance this afternoon. He wants to sign you on for the next season of their show, along with the droid army, if you're interested," Owen told him. "And if so, we'd love for you to stay on with_ JEDI_ too," he added. "You've done an amazing job, Dooku; we really appreciate your talent."

Dooku looked at him, completely taken aback. "Are you serious?" he asked, surprised. "I'm - I don't know what to say," he stammered. "I would be delighted," he said, beaming. "It was my boyhood dream to become an actor, but I never imagined... Yes, of course I'm interested," he nodded. "I would love to stay on for another season."

"Excellent," Owen said. "My father will be very pleased," he assured him; then he sighed. "But now we're going to have to come up with something different for this scene. We can't kill you off now," he realized. "And come to think of it, there can only be two Sith Lords," Owen mused. "So if it's you and Sidious... I guess we can't have Anakin turn to the Dark Side after all."

Anakin looked down at the floor. _Aw. I wanted to be a Sith Lord._ But Dooku was clearly a better actor, and it wasn't like Anakin could do this every week anyway... Sighing, he accepted it. _But do I at least get written off the show?_

"Also," Owen continued regretfully. "My dad didn't like the idea of Padmé and Obi-Wan dying; he thought it was too dark. So we're going to have to back up a bit... Padmé survived the fall, and Obi-Wan, you're not dead... No, stay there," he added quickly, as Obi-Wan started to get up. "We're going to use what we've done so far, only this time Anakin is going to save you from Dooku's death blow," he proposed.

They all nodded, agreeing that the scene needed to be changed. "Do I still have my arm and legs chopped off?" Obi-Wan asked politely.

Owen thought it over. "Yes," he decided. "Otherwise you would look stupid just lying there, instead of defending yourself against Dooku, or getting up to help Anakin." _That's true,_ Anakin agreed; he was glad Owen was here to think of these things. "All right, here's what we're going to do," Owen said, explaining the new plan to them; then they began filming again.

"Brave of you, boy," Dooku said, after Anakin leaped heroically across the room to save Obi-Wan. "But I thought you had learned your lesson."

"I _am_ a slow learner," Anakin replied. _Wait a second,_ he realized worriedly. _Is that really something I should be bragging about?_ He shook his head, continuing with the fight. _Owen will cut that..._

His momentary humiliation passed as Obi-Wan threw him his lightsaber. _Yeah! Now I look cool again,_ Anakin thought, swinging at Dooku with two lightsabers now. _Thanks Obi-Wan!_ Anakin had been carefully watching Dooku's fighting style, and now he experimentally swung both of his lightsabers high over his head. _This is awesome,_ he decided, grinning. _I have to learn how to do this for real... Oops,_ he cringed, as he knocked the green one out of his hand.

_Owen will cut that too,_ he reassured himself, continuing with one lightsaber. _And that,_ he hoped, as he accidentally sliced through the power cable while attempting another dramatic flourish. These lightsabers were not deadly; still, they were not designed to come in direct contact with live power sources. _Yeah, I'd better stick with what I know,_ he decided reluctantly. _Obi-Wan is right: it's not about looking flashy._ But for the purposes of this scene, he continued to emulate Dooku's style as they fought in the eerily flickering light.

* * *

><p><em>Oh dear,<em> Obi-Wan thought as he lay on the floor, watching while Anakin and Dooku performed what was essentially an ancient Naboo mating ritual. Dooku had explained it earlier; he had been trained in an archaic style of swordfighting that was more ceremonial than practical, and it was only used for theatrical purposes during holidays and festivals.

_Qui-Gon is going to have a good laugh at this._ Obi-Wan tried not to imagine how silly he was going to look in the final broadcast, with his arm and legs chopped off. But Owen was right; his injuries had to be severe, otherwise he would look ridiculous just lying there through the whole scene instead of getting up to help Anakin.

_At least I'll get written off the show now,_ Obi-Wan consoled himself, considering that he'd lost three limbs in this fight. Although at the rate things had been going lately, it wouldn't surprise him if Cliegg decided to start a whole new series: _The Adventures of Obi-Wan Kenobi, One-Armed Jedi._ Obi-Wan cringed at the thought as he watched Anakin and Dooku continue with their fertility dance.

_And now this fight is about to get even more out of control,_ he realized, as Master Yoda arrived on the set. "Cut!" Owen yelled. "Master Yoda, what a pleasant surprise! Thank you so much for coming," he said graciously, though Obi-Wan guessed that Yoda's unexpected appearance was more of a logistical headache for the director than anything else. But as always, Owen improvised to accommodate the leader of the Jedi Council, and quickly came up with a new plan that would feature Yoda as the true hero of this scene.

Anakin and Dooku resumed their fight; then, after one final swipe at Anakin, Dooku dramatically held out a hand as Yoda provided the special effects, throwing Anakin across the room. _Ow!_ Obi-Wan winced as Anakin's head landed against his shin. Anakin lay there unmoving, dutifully pretending to be unconscious. At least Obi-Wan hoped he was pretending...

"Master Yoda," Dooku said ominously.

"Count Dooku," Yoda replied disdainfully.

_"Anakin,"_ Obi-Wan whispered, making sure he was faking his concussion. Anakin snored quietly in response, still lying there with his eyes closed; but the corners of his mouth were twitching as he tried not to laugh.

"You have interfered with our affairs for the last time," Dooku told Yoda. Obi-Wan and Anakin lay on the floor, pretending to be injured while surreptitiously providing special effects for Dooku's fight against Yoda. Obi-Wan pried a huge thing off the wall; this whole set was going to be pulled down tonight anyway, and Owen had said it was all right to destroy stuff.

Not wanting to be outdone, Anakin decided to collapse the entire roof over Yoda's head. _"Good job,"_ Obi-Wan whispered sarcastically, as he and Anakin were suddenly forced to concentrate on holding the rest of the ceiling up for the remainder of the scene. Yoda managed to deflect the few pieces that had already fallen, and Obi-Wan focused worriedly on the gaping hole in the ceiling, hoping that he and Anakin could prevent the entire theater from collapsing while Yoda and Dooku continued their fight.

Dooku gestured toward another large prop; but when it failed to move, he improvised, zapping Yoda with imaginary Force lightning instead. Yoda easily deflected the attack; then they proceeded with the lightsaber portion of their fight.

"Cut," Owen said. "That was amazing! I just want to get one shot of Anakin doing a somersault. You two are dressed alike; we can pass it off as Dooku," he explained. Anakin nodded cheerfully, getting up from the floor and leaving Obi-Wan to hold the ceiling up by himself while he provided Dooku's stunt work.

"Fought well you have, my old padawan," Yoda admitted grudgingly to Dooku at the end of their duel, after Anakin had returned to his position on the floor with Obi-Wan.

"This is just the beginning," Dooku said, pointing to a large column by the wall. Yoda caused it to topple, then pretended to strain at the effort of holding it up, in order to save Obi-Wan and Anakin, who were busy concentrating on the ceiling. _Oh dear,_ Obi-Wan laughed to himself as he looked up at the huge column that was threatening to fall on top of him. _I hope they make my injuries look really bad, otherwise I'm going to look very silly just lying here without trying to defend myself._ Anakin had the right idea, he realized too late; his padawan had simply pretended to be unconscious through the entire scene.

The evil Count Dooku made his dramatic escape, and finally Yoda managed to throw the giant column off to the side, heroically saving Obi-Wan and Anakin from certain death. "Cut," Owen said. "Excellent job, everyone! Oh, great - Senator Amidala, you're here," he said, as she arrived on the set after her ordeal in the desert. "Why don't you run up to Anakin and Obi-Wan, and help them as they stagger to their feet, and that will be the end of the scene," he suggested.

"Hang on," Obi-Wan interrupted anxiously. "Master Yoda - the ceiling, if you wouldn't mind," he asked. Yoda nodded, taking over Obi-Wan and Anakin's job with no apparent effort. "Sorry," he apologized to Owen. "All right, we're ready."

"Okay... Action!" Owen yelled, as the cameras rolled again. Padmé ran to Anakin, who conveniently chose that exact moment to regain consciousness; meanwhile Obi-Wan staggered to his feet and limped away, trying to make his injuries look as serious as possible to account for his lack of involvement throughout this whole scene.

_Oh dear,_ he realized too late. _How am I doing this with no legs?_ "Cut!" Owen said, as Obi-Wan cringed apologetically. "No, that was fine," Owen said. "I was thinking the multiple amputation idea was a bit drastic anyway; we'll just say it was the one arm," he decided, nodding. "What you did was perfect," he assured him. "All right, that's a wrap!" he said cheerfully. Then he looked up at the ceiling worriedly. "Looks like this set is about to fall apart; let's move outside," he urged everyone. "Excellent work, thanks everybody!"

Obi-Wan followed Padmé, Anakin, and the rest of the film crew off the set, while Yoda held the ceiling up until everyone was safely outside. The Jedi Master joined them a moment later, as the entire theater collapsed inward on itself with a resounding crash.

_That went well... I think,_ Obi-Wan blinked uncertainly, trying to make sense of what had actually happened in that scene. In the end he had only lost one arm; but still, that was serious enough to explain why he had simply lain on the floor the whole time. At any rate, he was certain that once the film editing team did their job, everything would look good in the end.

* * *

><p><em>Later that evening, in the Lars Studios editing room...<em>

Keltoori looked up from his work as Jakaaro fluttered into the room, carrying a large package. "We've got a priority job," Jakaaro informed him. "Fight scene, amputation," he explained. Keltoori nodded; amputations required extensive editing, as the missing limb must be erased from each frame.

"All right," Keltoori agreed, opening the package and reading the instructions. It was a good thing that Geonosians were nocturnal by nature; he and Jakaaro would be up all night working on this. "Let's see... It says we need to cut off Obi-Wan's arm, and give Anakin minor injuries," he said, reading Owen's instructions.

Jakaaro nodded, as they watched the footage. "Which one is Obi-Wan?" he asked uncertainly. Humans all looked so much alike; it was impossible to tell them apart sometimes.

Luckily Keltoori remembered Obi-Wan from his heroic fight against Darth Maul on _JEDI_ ten years ago. "That's Obi-Wan," he said, pointing to the one in black; he recognized his funny short haircut with the little ponytail and braid. "And that must be Anakin," he decided, pointing to the other one. Anakin had only been a child in the famous pod racing episode, but human children aged so quickly; it made sense that he would be older now, with a beard.

Jakaaro began the painstaking job of erasing Obi-Wan's hand and black leather sleeve, one frame at a time, while Keltoori rewound the footage to see what kind of minor injuries he could give to Anakin. _There,_ he decided, seeing where the bearded, white-clad figure had been nicked by his opponent's lightsaber. _I'll give him a little scratch on his left arm and thigh. That will be perfect._


	16. Wrapping up this episode of JEDI

**Chapter 16**

It was a beautiful day on Naboo. LE-38 was hard at work sweeping the terrace of her master's lake retreat when she noticed something unusual going on next door: her neighbor, mistress Padmé, was getting married! _Oh, how romantic,_ LE-38 thought happily, stopping momentarily to watch the ceremony. Padmé looked so beautiful in her white dress, and the groom was quite handsome too. He was dressed in a black cloak, and his hair was short and curly, with a little ponytail in back and a tiny braid down the side...

_Wait a minute,_ LE-38 realized suddenly, as her digital brain processed this information. _He's a Jedi padawan. Jedi aren't allowed to marry. I must have been mistaken,_ she decided, returning to her sweeping. But Padmé _was_ wearing the traditional white dress, and there was a priest there, saying all the right words... _Oh dear,_ LE-38 thought worriedly, sweeping faster and faster as her circuits spun out of control.

_Mistress Padmé is marrying a Jedi. But Jedi aren't allowed to marry. Therefore they can't be getting married. But Padmé is wearing a wedding dress, and there is a priest there... She IS getting married. To a Jedi. But that's impossible..._ LE-38's brain began to sizzle and fry as it got caught in an endless loop of faulty logic. "Aaaaaaaahhhhh!" she screamed in panic, as her head exploded all over the terrace.

* * *

><p>Startled by the scream and the explosion, Anakin looked up from kissing Padmé just in time to see Obi-Wan leaping across the canal to the terrace next door, lightsaber blazing. "Code Blue!" Owen said urgently, as Anakin quickly jumped across after his Master, followed by two camera droids. <em>Wow,<em> Anakin thought, surprised. _I didn't expect a Code Blue on the very last day of filming._

"It's all right," Obi-Wan said, retracting his lightsaber just as Anakin arrived. "It was just a protocol droid; it looks like it malfunctioned," he called over to Owen, as Anakin looked around at the skeletal golden appendages scattered all over the floor.

"Cut," Owen said. "Well that was strange," he remarked, shaking his head. "Anyway, great job so far; a couple more shots and we'll be done here," he assured them. "All right, let's take a quick break; I need to check my messages," he apologized politely, pulling his transmitter off his belt.

Padmé was peering across from the edge of her terrace now, concerned by the explosion. "Oh no," she exclaimed sadly, seeing the graceful golden droid lying in pieces. "Ellie... My neighbor has had her since I was a little girl; he's away on vacation this week," she told them. "Anakin, can you fix her? You're good at fixing things, right?"

"Um," Anakin said uncertainly, looking around at the mess. "I can try," he offered. Then, seeing Obi-Wan's amused expression, he sighed, shaking his head. "No," he admitted, shrugging. "Actually I'm better at breaking things," he confessed. "But maybe Artoo can fix her," he suggested hopefully, as he and Obi-Wan tried to gather what was left of Ellie's disintegrated parts.

It had been fun play-acting this week; but now that it was almost over, reality was beginning to set in. _I'm not good at fixing things. I'm not a Sith Lord, or a rogue Jedi, or the Chosen One; I never had a mother, and I'm not getting married. I'm just an ordinary padawan._ But he had to admit it had been a fun experience, and he was actually glad that he hadn't been written off the show. He and Padmé were filming their secret wedding today, and Owen was already planning to bring them back for another episode, maybe next season.

Anakin felt he had learned a lot too. Not about the Force, or Jedi business - and certainly not about lightsaber fighting, he realized now, cringing in embarrassment at what Obi-Wan had told him after yesterday's fight with Dooku. But he thought he had made some very good progress in overcoming his intense dislike of sand, and in learning to control his feelings toward Padmé. He had faced some difficult challenges this week, and it had been painful and humiliating at times, but in the end he had survived the ordeal.

Today's filming had gone well so far. It helped to have Obi-Wan and Owen here, and Anakin had just kept telling himself that Padmé was his sister. A couple of times the tingly feelings had started to come back, but he had quickly come up with a new technique, and had pretended that he was kissing Obi-Wan, or Owen, or Cliegg... Chancellor Palpatine... Jabba the Hutt... That had made him laugh, but he discovered that by imagining the ugliest alien creatures he'd ever seen, he could make the feelings go away almost completely.

"Oh dear," Threepio said sadly, as Anakin and Obi-Wan jumped back over with Ellie's mangled golden parts. "Artoo, do you think you can fix her?" Artoo beeped a cheerful reply, rolling over to take a look at the damage.

A moment later Owen returned from checking his messages; Anakin thought he looked a bit frazzled. "I'm afraid I have a bit of bad news," Owen informed them. "It seems there was a mix-up in the editing lab last night," he sighed, shaking his head. "They accidentally chopped off Anakin's arm," he apologized ruefully. "It's too late to fix it, and they won't have time to edit this scene once we're done; we're going to have to film this again," he decided reluctantly.

"Anakin, we're going to put you on the other side this time," he explained, improvising a new plan. "And if you can just keep your right arm hidden..." Owen broke off, staring thoughtfully at the disintegrated protocol droid. "Wait a minute," he said, reaching down and picking up one of Ellie's graceful golden hands. "How would this look?" he suggested, handing it to Anakin.

Anakin grinned with amusement, pulling his arm inside his sleeve so that only the droid's metallic hand was visible. "Ahhh!" Padmé exclaimed, jumping away from him as he reached toward her playfully, using the Force to wiggle the skeletal golden fingers. "Ani, don't do that! That's creepy!" she giggled. "I changed my mind," she told Owen, laughing. "I'm not marrying _that!_"

"This is cool," Anakin said, experimentally flexing his new mechanical hand. "I like it." _Haha! I lost my arm in a tragic mating ritual accident,_ he realized, laughing to himself. _This show is so awesome, no wonder people like it so much._ Anakin had never been a huge fan of _JEDI,_ but if every week was like this, he could see why it was so popular; you just never knew what was going to happen.

"All right," Owen said, "Let's take it again from the beginning of the scene." Anakin and Padmé took their places once more, and as the priest said the words, Anakin gently reached toward Padmé, tenderly holding her hands in his...

"Aaaaahhhh!" Padmé laughed, trying to get away from Anakin as he chased her across the terrace with his metallic claw. "Sorry," she apologized to Owen, once they had composed themselves again. "Okay, I'm ready... Don't do that," she scolded Anakin sternly, smacking him on the shoulder.

Twenty-seven takes and a thousand giggles later, Owen finally said "Cut!" for the last time, realizing that these two were completely hopeless, but deciding that he had enough footage to piece together a reasonably somber and touching wedding scene.

* * *

><p><em>Goodbye,<em> Padmé thought wistfully, watching as Anakin took off across the lake in Owen's ship, flanked closely by Obi-Wan's Jedi Starfighter. It had been such a fun week, and even just a few minutes ago they had still been laughing together as they said their goodbyes; but now it was finally over, and as the two ships disappeared into the blue sky, Padmé was suddenly overcome by a terrible feeling of loneliness.

_What is wrong with me?_ she wondered helplessly, staring out across the lake as the tears streamed down her face. _I am a Senator. I was the Queen of Naboo. I have been through far more difficult situations. It's not like me to cry like this._ But she hung her head, realizing the truth. _I have never had so much fun in my entire life. And I had never truly been in love, until now._

She looked down at the beautiful dress she was wearing. It had been her mother's wedding dress, and her grandmother's, and her great-grandmother's before that; but Padmé wondered if she would ever wear it, for real. Her family had always good-naturedly teased her whenever she brought a boyfriend home, wondering if he might be "the one"; but Padmé had never been serious about any of them. She was far too busy with work, and marriage had simply never been a priority in her life.

But spending one week with Anakin had changed all of that. Padmé felt foolish; their romance wasn't even real, but still she had been swept away by the magic of it. She had felt happy, and loved, and safe around him, blissfully carefree for the first time since she had been a small child. They had laughed, and frolicked, and held each other close; even his kisses had felt tender and real, not awkward and forced like they had always been with her _actual_ boyfriends. Just thinking of him now gave her a terrible, aching emptiness, deep inside.

_I want that,_ she realized suddenly, as a fresh onslaught of tears blinded her eyes. _I want to feel loved, to be held so tenderly, to feel special to someone... I don't want to be alone any more. I want to get married, and have children..._ Padmé wept, frightened by the thought of such a drastic change in her life, but knowing that it was what she truly longed for.

She knew it couldn't be Anakin; he was a Jedi, and his path lay in a different direction. Besides, if he had ever felt anything toward her, those feelings had obviously passed; his kisses today had been sweet and gentle, but he had been on the verge of laughter the entire time, and once she had even glimpsed a look of disgust on his face, which he had quickly masked with a cheerful, friendly smile.

_Am I really that revolting?_ she wondered sadly. After all, she _was_ nearly twenty-five; to a teenage boy just reaching maturity, she probably seemed like an old lady. Padmé realized how wrong her feelings were; even if Anakin wasn't a Jedi, he was barely of legal age, and he'd only been a small boy when she met him. _What kind of twisted pedophile am I?_ she asked herself, disturbed by the thought.

No, it could not be Anakin, she knew; but still she would always be secretly grateful to him, for breaking down her walls and making her finally realize what she had been missing all this time. And there were others; Padmé had a few gentleman friends, both here on Naboo and on Coruscant, who were always happy to accompany her to special events and social occasions. They were all very pleasant, and handsome enough, and she enjoyed their company; perhaps if she gave it a chance, in time she could come to love one of them...

"Mistress Padmé?" Padmé turned to see her neighbor's golden protocol droid walking gracefully toward her, her damaged circuits and severed limbs successfully repaired by Artoo. "Mistress Padmé, congratulations on your wedding! I'm so sorry I missed it; I don't know what happened... You look so beautiful, dressed all in white," Ellie said affectionately.

Padmé smiled despite herself. "Thank you, Ellie," she said, grateful for the droid's company. "And I'm not really married," she explained. "It was just for a holo-broadcast; have you ever watched _JEDI?_"

"Oh, yes!" Ellie exclaimed. "It's one of my master's favorite shows; he will be so excited when he gets back from vacation!" she said. "And that dress is exquisite," she complimented Padmé again graciously. "You will make a beautiful bride one day."

"Thank you," Padmé replied softly, with a wistful smile. "I hope so," she whispered, gazing out once more across the lake.


	17. Anakin studies for the trials

**Chapter 17**

"What is the capital of Cordolan?"

"Karnosis?" Anakin guessed uncertainly.

"Kardosa," Obi-Wan corrected him. "That was close. All right; what sentient species are native to Mon Calamari?"

"Calamarians and... Squirrels?"

Obi-Wan sighed. "_Mon Calamari_," he corrected Anakin. "And they're not squirrels, they're _Quarren_," he added, shaking his head with frustration. "Anakin, you must study harder if you are to face the trials. A Jedi Knight cannot make these types of mistakes while on a diplomatic mission," he implored his padawan.

"I know, Master," Anakin apologized. "I'm sorry; I've been studying all week, but it just doesn't seem to sink in," he said miserably, laying his head on the table. "I'm not good at this, Master. I'm sorry."

"Being sorry is not going to help you face the trials," Obi-Wan pointed out. Then, seeing his padawan's utter mental exhaustion and complete misery, he took pity on him. "How is your ankle?" he asked gently.

"It's all right," Anakin replied glumly. He had sprained it four days earlier during lightsaber practice; Obi-Wan had pushed him to his utmost limits, driving him back relentlessly, and Anakin had landed badly after a hastily-executed somersault. It wasn't the injury itself that frightened Obi-Wan so much; it was the knowledge that in a real engagement this type of error could very well cost him his life.

He also had realized that Anakin was nowhere near ready to face the trials, either as a swordsman or in academics, which had always been his weakest area. As a fighter pilot, Anakin had been ready for years, and he was a natural in his use of the Force; without even trying, his abilities were already beginning to surpass Obi-Wan's in some ways. But lightsaber practice and academic study required constant focus and discipline, something that Anakin unfortunately did not seem to possess.

_I have been too lenient with him,_ Obi-Wan had realized. _He must learn discipline if he is to face the trials._ And so for the past three days, while Anakin had been recovering from his sprained ankle, they had both been camped out in the Jedi Temple library, as Obi-Wan had desperately tried to fill his brother's pretty little head with knowledge. So far it didn't seem to be working, and he realized he had only succeeded in making the boy completely miserable.

_He will never be a Master at this rate,_ Obi-Wan thought sadly. _He will never find out how much I love him; and worse, he will only come to hate me for pushing him so hard._ Obi-Wan wanted so badly for Anakin to become a Master one day, because it meant that he would be allowed access to his personal file, and could finally learn that he and Obi-Wan were brothers, and that Qui-Gon was their father.

But he was beginning to despair that that day would ever come. Anakin seemed to have no ambition whatsoever; he theoretically wanted to face the trials and become a Jedi Knight, but he had no intention of dedicating himself to further study to become a Master. Anakin was incredibly bright in his own way, but he wasn't a natural scholar, and studying was difficult for him. Judging by his alarming lack of progress this week, Obi-Wan was beginning to worry if he would even achieve the rank of Knight.

_I was twenty-five before I faced the trials,_ Obi-Wan reminded himself. _And Anakin only just turned twenty last month._ There was no standard age at which a padawan was expected to face the trials; but Obi-Wan knew from personal experience that after a certain point it became embarrassing to still wear the padawan braid, when all of one's peers had already gone on to become Jedi Knights. Obi-Wan had learned exceptional patience and gained much wisdom in his final years under Qui-Gon's training, but he realized now that his father had held him back for personal reasons, reluctant to sever their Master/Padawan bond.

Obi-Wan did not wish to inflict the same embarrassment on Anakin. He had vowed from the start to let his padawan face the trials as soon as he was ready; but ironically, Anakin seemed to be doing a first-rate job of holding _himself_ back. Sighing, Obi-Wan gazed at his little brother now, trying to imagine how he would look one day with a little grey padawan braid.

_Torturing him is not going to help matters,_ he realized. Like it or not, Obi-Wan had to admit that the past three days of relentless study had done no good whatsoever; if anything, Anakin's mental focus had actually decreased as a result. But it would be at least another week or more before he could resume his lightsaber training. Anakin's alarming lack of focus and discipline had hardly earned him a vacation; nevertheless, Obi-Wan realized that he needed one. _And so do I,_ he admitted.

"Anakin," he said, as his padawan looked up from his studying. "I spoke with Owen Lars the other day; he needs you to return to Naboo to film a few scenes with Padmé. I had been planning to wait until your ankle healed a bit more, but..." Obi-Wan sighed, shaking his head. "Anakin, the past four days have been frustrating for me as well; and in a way it's my own fault for pushing you too hard, both in lightsaber practice and with your studies," he apologized. "But you do realize that it's for your own good?" he asked desperately. "Tell me you at least understand that, Anakin. I push you because I don't want you to get yourself killed someday, for miscalculating a jump, or even worse, calling someone a _squirrel_," he implored his padawan, trying not to laugh.

Anakin managed to look dutifully remorseful. "Yes, Master," he said. "I understand. And I'm sorry, Master," he apologized again, for the hundredth time in the past four days. Then he looked at Obi-Wan with surprise, his expression guarded yet hopeful. "I'm to go to Naboo?"

"Yes," Obi-Wan sighed. "You may as well do it now, and get it over with," he decided. "But there is to be no frolicking amidst the wildflowers this time," he admonished his padawan. "You must be very careful of that ankle; I expect you to work twice as hard when you return, both on your saber techniques and with your studies," he said. "I'm quite serious, Anakin. This lack of discipline will not do," he finished, sounding more displeased than he meant to.

Anakin looked at the floor. "Yes, Master," he replied. "I'm sorry, Master. I'll work harder when I get back; I won't let you down, Master, I promise." His deep blue eyes were filled with remorse as he looked at Obi-Wan now. "I will try harder, and I will make you proud of me one day."

Obi-Wan laughed gently. "I_ am_ proud of you, Anakin," he assured him. "You do know that?" Anakin nodded in gratitude, and Obi-Wan patted him on the shoulder. "Good. Now come on, let's get something to eat."

"Thank you, Master," Anakin said with a relieved grin, getting up from his studies and accompanying Obi-Wan out of the library. His injured ankle forced him to adopt a more dignified, Jedi-like pace instead of his usual rushing strides, and Obi-Wan smiled with quiet affection. _He is not completely hopeless,_ Obi-Wan thought proudly. _We might make a decent Jedi of him yet._

* * *

><p><em>The next morning...<em>

"May the Force be with you, Anakin," Obi-Wan said warmly, seeing him off from the docking bay.

"May the Force be with you, Master," Anakin replied, with a respectful bow. After Obi-Wan's lecture yesterday, he was determined to do things properly from now on; still, he couldn't help returning his Master's cheerful smile as he climbed into the cockpit of his Jedi Starfighter, and giving him one last friendly wave goodbye before he took off for Naboo.

_He's too good to me,_ Anakin admitted, as he made the jump to hyperspace. His performance this past week had been worse than usual, but even so, Obi-Wan's reprimand had been long overdue. Other Masters maintained much stricter discipline with their padawans; Anakin was grateful for his Master's friendly nature, but admitted that he had taken advantage of it at times.

_I will do better when I get back,_ he vowed. _I'll work hard, and focus on my studies, and I will make him proud of me._ Obi-Wan's approval meant more to Anakin than anything in the galaxy, and it pained him to think that he had let his Master down. He also realized that this trip to Naboo had been Obi-Wan's tactful way to get rid of him for a few days; Anakin knew that he wasn't much fun to be around when he was overtired, or in pain, as he had been this past week.

_I've always been a burden on him,_ he confessed. _No wonder he wants me to face the trials as soon as possible._ Anakin knew that Obi-Wan had taken him as his padawan at Qui-Gon's request, when he'd only just been Knighted himself. _He sacrificed the best years of his life for me, and I've repaid him by being lazy and undisciplined._

_I won't let him down this time,_ Anakin resolved. _I'll work twice as hard to prepare for the trials, and I'll let Obi-Wan have his life back, before he's completely old and grey._ Many padawans complained that their Masters were holding them back, but Anakin admitted sadly that the opposite was true: _he_ was holding Obi-Wan back.

_He is one of the most amazing Jedi in the entire Order,_ Anakin confessed. _A Master at age thirty-five, with his first padawan nearly graduated._ Obi-Wan was wise and patient; his knowledge of the Force was profound, and despite his peaceful nature, he was also one of the best swordfighters in the entire Order. Anakin knew he could have had an admirable career of his own, had he not been burdened with a padawan all this time; but the most amazing thing about Obi-Wan was that he didn't seem to mind.

For despite his own talents and abilities, Obi-Wan seemed cheerfully content to spend his best years training Anakin, and had even begun treating him more like a friend and equal these days. Anakin had always thought of him as a father figure, but lately he was beginning to see him as a friend as well, or even a brother...

Coming up on Naboo, Anakin set aside his thoughts and focused on the task ahead of him. He was to meet Padmé at the lake retreat to film a few romantic scenes for _JEDI_; supposedly the footage that they captured over the next two days would be inserted in bits and pieces throughout the entire season, simply to remind viewers that they were still married, and might be featured again in a future episode.

Anakin hoped he wouldn't have any of his previous problems this time around. It had been eight months since they had filmed their secret wedding, and even then he had done an excellent job of controlling his feelings; hopefully it would be even easier this time. He still dreamed of Padmé now and then, but not every night like he used to; although lately the dreams had become more frequent, especially since he and Obi-Wan had received an invitation to her upcoming wedding...

Anakin sighed, shaking his head. He still couldn't quite believe it, but he had to admit that it made perfect sense. Padmé Amidala, former Queen of Naboo, was marrying Leif Organa, Prince of Alderaan. Leif was Bail's younger brother; he was handsome, well-mannered, fabulously wealthy, and seemed like a nice enough guy, the two or three times that Anakin had met him. He truly was perfect for Padmé, and Anakin had tried very hard to feel happy for her; but in all honesty thinking about it still made him feel a little sick.

Mostly he was ashamed of himself, both for his inability to be happy about Padmé's good news, and because he knew it was terribly wrong to dream about another man's wife. But he couldn't help his dreams! He didn't know how to make them stop, other than to stay awake forever; and even then they would plague him sometimes.

And so as he came out of hyperspace and made his descent into Naboo's atmosphere, he quickly practiced all of his secret methods for controlling his feelings. _She's my sister. She's Jabba the Hutt. She's the love child of a Calamarian and a Squirrel... Or was it a Quarrel?_

But as he flew across the glittering lake and saw the rolling hills and the meadow full of wildflowers, his heart suddenly ached with a terrible longing. Tears filled his eyes as he glimpsed a tiny figure standing on the terrace of the lake retreat, and Anakin knew that this time he was completely and hopelessly doomed.


	18. Hi Padmé, let's pretend to be in love

**Chapter 18**

Anakin sat inside the cockpit of his Jedi Starfighter on the docking platform behind the lake retreat, trying to compose himself before facing Padmé. _Breathe,_ he told himself. _You can do this. It's just play-acting. You did it before; you can do it again._ Taking a deep breath, he opened the hatch and started to climb out.

"Ani!" He looked up to see Padmé coming over to greet him, followed by three hovering camera droids.

_Perfect,_ Anakin thought, smiling bravely and waving to her. _We're filming already._ Distracted by Padmé's ravishing beauty and failing to realize that his ankle had gone completely stiff and numb from hours of sitting in a cramped cockpit, Anakin climbed down to meet her...

And then somehow he was lying face-down on the docking platform, inspecting the pavement at close range as pretty little stars danced before his eyes. _This is off to a brilliant start,_ he thought, blinking away his minor concussion.

"Ani!" Padmé exclaimed, running to him. "Ani, are you all right?"

"Yeah. Fine," Anakin grunted, staggering dizzily to his feet and trying to ignore the pain that shot through his swollen ankle. "I just, um..." He broke off, gesturing lamely toward the Jedi Starfighter. _Nope. There's no explaining that one._ "How are you?" he asked, smiling cheerfully as he quickly changed the subject.

"I'm fine, thank you," Padmé said, her deep brown eyes conveying a mixture of surprise and concern, along with barely-concealed amusement. Then she burst into a fit of giggles, hugging him affectionately. "I'm sorry, Ani," she apologized. "I've just never seen a Jedi fall out of his spaceship before," she explained, still giggling. "Are you sure you're all right?"

"Yeah, I - " Anakin laughed with embarrassment, shaking his head. _Please tell me we're not going to use that._ "Sorry, can we try this again?" he asked, cringing. "That didn't happen," he added, waving his fingers hypnotically at the camera.

"Oh! They're not on," Padmé reassured him. "Sorry, I should have told you," she apologized, handing Anakin a homing device, which he clipped onto his belt. "These are new cameras; they're voice activated," she explained. "Watch this: _Action_," she commanded, as little red lights started blinking on the cameras. "Now they're on... Hi Owen!" she said cheerfully, waving at the camera. "_Cut!_ And now they're off," she demonstrated, looking quite pleased with herself. "Isn't that great?"

"Yeah, that's... perfect," Anakin agreed, impressed. Then he remembered his manners. "Oh! Congratulations," he said politely, managing a proper Jedi bow, though it seemed a bit pointless after falling flat on his face a moment earlier. "Obi-Wan and I received your wedding invitation; we're both very happy for you, Padmé," he said, hoping his smile looked sincere.

"Thank you, Anakin," Padmé said, smiling appreciatively. _She feels tired,_ Anakin sensed. _And - sad,_ he realized with surprise. Anakin quickly masked his concern, listening to her words rather than probing her feelings; having the Force was an unfair advantage, and he hated when Obi-Wan did that to him. "Yes, I can't believe it's only a month away," she was saying now. "I've been so busy lately with all the wedding preparations; I'm glad to get away for a few days," she admitted.

"So am I," Anakin said. "It's been a rough week," he added, grinning. _I have never felt her so unhappy; she feels as if she's about to cry. _"So should we try to film something here?" he asked, sensing that Padmé needed a distraction.

"Yes," Padmé agreed. "Owen said to just make up whatever we want; basically he needs a bunch of little scenes with us meeting secretly, to use throughout the next season," she explained. "So maybe we can try this again - without falling down," she added, giggling.

"All right," Anakin said, laughing good-naturedly. "I'll try." They took their places, and Padmé yelled _Action_; this time, by some miracle, Anakin managed to climb down from the cockpit without landing on his face.

"Ani!" Padmé exclaimed happily, running to his arms. "You're home!"

"Padmé!" Anakin grinned, feeling stupid. "I've missed you!"

"I've missed you too, Ani!" she said, hugging him blissfully. They were both on the verge of laughter, so Anakin simply held her for a moment, stroking her dark, silky hair and kissing her tenderly on the forehead. _Jabba the Hutt,_ he reminded himself once again; but then he sensed sadness... "Cut," Padmé said, breaking away from his embrace. "I think that was enough," she decided, smiling bravely.

Anakin nodded, as they walked back toward the canal where the gondola was moored. His ankle was still stiff and refusing to cooperate, but hopefully Padmé wouldn't notice; she seemed to be struggling with her own problems right now. "I had forgotten how beautiful it was here," he said, smiling cheerfully in an attempt to distract her from her troubled thoughts.

"Yes, it is," Padmé agreed absently; then, noticing his slight limp, she looked down at his foot with concern. "Ani, are you sure you're all right?" she asked, suddenly worried.

"I'm fine," he insisted. But his ankle was throbbing again; he knew he needed to put ice on it right away, or else he'd have to spend another week in the library. "I sprained it a few days ago," he admitted reluctantly, realizing he couldn't hide it from her.

"Oh no!" Padmé said, dismayed. "What happened?"

"Um..." _I can't tell her what really happened. She already thinks I'm pathetic._ Anakin had suffered enough embarrassment for one day, and so, thinking quickly, he came up with a much more interesting story of how he had injured his ankle.

* * *

><p><em>Poor thing,<em> Padmé thought, fixing lunch while Anakin sat at the kitchen table with his foot propped up on a chair, icing his ankle. _Attacked by squirrels..._ Padmé had never been to Mon Calamari, and she wasn't sure what squirrels were, but if they were anything like Quarren, then they were indeed very dangerous. Anakin was lucky to have escaped alive.

And he was being so brave and modest about it, too. Padmé had suggested that they mention the incident during one of their scenes together, to account for his limp; but Anakin insisted he would be fine once he had iced it. Padmé gathered that he and Obi-Wan had been on some kind of top-secret mission; Anakin seemed reluctant to divulge the details of the incident, so she didn't press him about it.

"Here you go," she said, bringing over their sandwiches and iced tea. Padmé had decided not to bring her usual entourage of servants to the lake retreat this time; it was nice to get away, and she felt safe as long as Anakin was here with her.

"Thank you," Anakin said politely, as Padmé sat across from him at the table. "Wow... This is delicious," Anakin said, taking a bite of his sandwich. "What is this?"

Padmé smiled, amused. "It's a tunafish sandwich," she told him. She had forgotten how adorably appreciative Anakin was of everything here at the lake retreat; tunafish sandwiches were hardly considered gourmet cuisine, but Anakin seemed to think it was some kind of delicacy. Padmé dared not imagine how boring the food must be at the Jedi Temple.

"All right," Padmé said, pulling out her data pad. "We should make a list of scenes to film. We've already done the docking platform scene," she said, typing it in. "And we should definitely do another scene on the terrace, maybe at sunset," she suggested, adding it to the list. "Oooh! And we can swim out to the island, and lie in the sand," she added happily. "I wanted to show you last time, but we didn't get a chance," she recalled wistfully.

"Sand?" Anakin asked tentatively. "Um... I'm not really supposed to swim... With my ankle," he apologized.

"Oh," Padmé sighed, disappointed. "All right. Well, let's see, what else can we do..." They came up with several more ideas, and when Anakin was finished icing his ankle, they decided to film a quick scene with them eating lunch together. "Action," Padmé said, activating the cameras.

"Padmé, you make the best tunafish sandwiches in the entire galaxy," Anakin said, smiling happily.

"Thank you, Ani," Padmé said. "I know how much you like them," she improvised.

"Yes," Anakin agreed. "Ever since I was a little slave boy on Tatooine, they've always been my favorite."

_Ahh! What do I say now?_ Padmé tried to think of something quickly. "I sure would like a piece of fruit for dessert," she said wistfully, gesturing toward the fruit bowl on the kitchen counter.

"Sure, Padmé," Anakin said, getting up; then he saw her hand signal. "Oh, right," he nodded, sitting back down. "Here you go, honey," he said, floating a banana toward her and plopping it onto her plate.

"Thank you, sweety-pie," Padmé said.

"You're welcome... Pooky," Anakin replied, blinking.

Padmé tried not to laugh. _Owen will kill us... This is almost as bad as the time he chased me across the terrace with that creepy droid hand... Oops,_ she realized suddenly, staring at him. "Ani!" she exclaimed.

"What?" he asked, confused.

"Your hand! It grew back!" she said, delighted.

"Oh!" he realized, looking at it. "Why, yes it did," he agreed, surprised.

"It's a miracle!" Padmé exclaimed happily, as they both burst into hopeless laughter. "Cut!" Padmé giggled, nearly hyperventilating. "Oh no," she said, still laughing. "We're going to have to start all over again now."

_Five minutes later..._

"Thanks Zaro!" Padmé said again, waving cheerfully to her neighbor across the terrace, as he tossed Ellie's hand over to Anakin. "I really appreciate it! We'll get it back to you tomorrow," she promised.

"No problem," Zaro said cheerfully. "I'm happy to help; I'm a big fan of the show," he assured them, beaming with pride. Then he gave Anakin a questioning look. "Are you sure you just need the hand?" he asked. "Wasn't your arm chopped off above the elbow? Here," he said, detaching Ellie's forearm. "You'd better take this as well, just in case," he told them, tossing it over.

"Thank you," Anakin said politely, catching it. Padmé waved again with a grateful smile; then they went back inside to re-shoot their lunch scene, this time with Anakin attempting to eat his sandwich using Ellie's golden hand. It was quite amusing to watch, but he managed it in the end, using the Force to manipulate the skeletal fingers.

They spent the afternoon filming various other scenes, with Padmé changing clothes and hairstyles several times so it would look like different days. Anakin's ankle was better for the moment, and so they went for a stroll in the meadow, although he didn't attempt any frolicking or Shaak-riding this time. But sadly he still didn't feel up to swimming, and he thought that walking on the sand would aggravate his injured ankle. _Maybe next time,_ Padmé sighed wistfully, looking out at her lovely island.

The day passed quickly, filled with laughter and giggles and silly play-acting; and before they knew it, the sun was already beginning to sink low in the afternoon sky. Padmé and Anakin walked back to the lake retreat to film their romantic sunset scene on the terrace.

"How should I do my hair for the next one?" she asked Anakin. She had changed hairstyles five times already today, and was beginning to run out of ideas.

"Um..." Anakin grinned good-naturedly. "Well, you've already done "Bumble Bee," "Senate Hall," "Breakfast Pastries," and "Giant Nest of Snakes," he listed off. "Hey, how about the Jedi Temple, can you do that?" he suggested enthusiastically.

"Ani!" Padmé giggled, smacking him. "This is not a 'Giant Nest of Snakes,'" she pouted, pretending to be offended. "I worked very hard on this one."

"I know," he said, with an apologetic smile. "It's my favorite one so far," he added shyly.

Padmé looked away, fighting tears. It wasn't Anakin's irreverent teasing that upset her; it was the fact that he actually noticed how she did her hair, and even made up names for the different styles. Leif simply told her she looked exquisite, no matter what she did. _Because he is a Prince, and he has proper manners,_ she reminded herself. Leif would never tell her that her hair looked like breakfast pastries, or a giant nest of snakes. Leif would never fall out of his own spaceship...

_Why am I even thinking about this,_ she reproached herself stubbornly. Padmé had always been a logical person, thinking with her brain rather than with her emotions. And logic told her that marrying Leif Organa was the sensible thing to do, whereas entertaining fantasies about Anakin was completely futile. Leif was a good man. He cared for her, and their children would grow up in comfort and safety. Alderaan was a beautiful planet, similar to Naboo in many ways. Padmé was marrying a Prince; what could be more perfect?

They continued on in silence, and Padmé appreciated the fact that Anakin left her to her thoughts, and didn't insist on making conversation. He seemed content to just walk beside her, taking in the beauty of the lake and the rolling hills that surrounded them. _He grows more Jedi-like every day,_ she realized with a certain wistful pride. It had been eight months since their last meeting, and the difference was subtle, but he definitely seemed a little older, more dignified, less impetuous.

Returning to the lake retreat, Padmé gave him an appreciative smile. "I'll be down in a few minutes," she promised, leaving him on the terrace as she went upstairs to change her clothes again. She put on a graceful, flowing silk evening gown, then sat at the dresser to do her hair. Pulling apart her intricate array of braids - or as Anakin called it, the Giant Nest of Snakes - she regretfully decided that a Jedi Temple design wouldn't look right with her dress. Besides, sunset was quickly approaching, and Anakin was waiting out on the terrace; she didn't have time for anything too fancy. And after being braided all afternoon, her hair now fell in soft, cascading waves down her back, so in the end she decided to simply leave it down for this scene, with a jeweled clasp in the back.

Anakin smiled in shy appreciation as she joined him on the terrace. "Waterfall," he murmured softly, running his fingers through her silky cascading hair. Padmé smiled with amused affection, but tears stung her eyes for a brief moment. _Leif would never have said that._ Turning away from Anakin's gaze, Padmé composed herself, taking a deep breath and preparing for the next scene. _Don't be stupid,_ she told herself, frustrated. _You are a Senator, and a former Queen of Naboo. Don't be such a girl._

"All right," she said quietly, when she was ready. "Let's do this."


	19. Uh, we ARE pretending, right?

**Chapter 19**

_"Action."_

Anakin stepped onto the terrace from the gondola in the canal, walking softly toward Padmé. _I should never have said that about her hair, _he realized sadly. He hadn't meant to hurt her feelings; it wasn't the first time he'd made up silly names for her hairstyles, and Padmé had laughed it off as usual, but then she had fallen strangely silent, and Anakin had sensed her sadness.

He had come up with the waterfall name in an attempt to say something nice, but it had only made things worse. Padmé had managed a polite smile, but then she had turned quickly away, trying to hide her tears. Anakin felt guilty, both for having upset her, and for violating her privacy by sensing her inner feelings. Padmé had been trying so hard to hide her sadness from him today, and Anakin had respectfully pretended not to notice, but he was growing concerned; something wasn't right.

Hearing his footsteps on the terrace, Padmé turned to him now. "Anakin," she cried in happy surprise, laying her head blissfully against his chest as he wrapped his arms around her, holding her close. "You're home," she said tenderly, looking up at him in wonder. Her eyes were glistening, not with tears of happiness to see him, but with a terrible sense of pain and despair that was emanating from her entire being. Anakin fought tears himself, feeling Padmé's intense suffering, though he still didn't understand it.

"Yes," he whispered softly, kissing her on the lips. This was their sixth kiss today, and as always, he pictured Jabba the Hutt in his mind for safety; but at the moment his own forbidden desires were outweighed by his deep concern for Padmé. He wished he could do something,_ anything,_ to save her from this intense misery; but his lame attempts at distracting her and making her laugh today hadn't helped. "I wanted to surprise you," he said, looking tenderly into her eyes and stroking her hair in a desperate attempt to comfort her. _Please don't be sad, Padmé. I'm so worried about you._

"I'm glad you're here," Padmé said bravely; but now the tears threatened to well over, and Anakin knew she could not hold out much longer. "How long can you stay?" she asked him, her voice shaking a little.

"Just tonight," he whispered, kissing her again. _Hang in there, Padmé. We're almost done._ "I have to be back on Coruscant before dawn," he told her quietly. "They don't know I left. I just couldn't go another day without seeing you." Padmé was trembling now, so he pulled her close, wrapping his arms around her and laying his cheek on her head to hide her tears. _Oh great, now I'm going to cry too._ "Cut," he said, his voice rough with emotion. Owen did not need to see this awkward moment.

Padmé pulled herself away from his embrace, still trembling. "I'm sorry," she choked, giving him an apologetic smile. Then, surprised by Anakin's tears, she laughed despite herself. "You too?" she giggled tearfully.

Anakin sniffed back his tears, grinning shyly. "Yeah," he admitted, slightly embarrassed. "Ha! We are getting way too good at acting... This is ridiculous," he laughed. Padmé giggled too, and he was glad to see a sparkle of humor in her deep brown eyes.

"Let's take a break," she said, wiping away her tears and smiling appreciatively as she led the way back inside. "I'll make us some tea," she suggested, as Anakin followed her into the kitchen. "How's your ankle?" she asked, concerned for him.

"It's good," he said. "I should probably ice it again though," he admitted, going to the freezer and pulling out an ice pack while Padmé started some water boiling for tea. She seemed all right again now; at least the tears were past.

"So what is a squirrel, anyway?" Padmé asked, curious. "I've never heard of them."

"Um," Anakin said, embarrassed. "Yeah, I got it wrong," he admitted. "They weren't squirrels; I forget what they're called. Squidheads," he explained, sitting down and pulling his boot off to ice his ankle. _And I am such an asshole for lying about this._

"Oh! Those are Quarren," Padmé said, giggling. "I wonder what a squirrel is, though; we should look it up," she suggested cheerfully, typing it into to her datapad as she came over to sit next to Anakin. He peered at the screen, curious to see what a squirrel really was. Then the image came up, and he cringed in embarrassment as Padmé burst into a fit of laughter. "I'm sorry, Ani," she giggled. "I'm just trying to picture you fighting these things off with your lightsaber."

Anakin laughed, shaking his head. _Obi-Wan is right. I really need to study harder._ But he grinned good-naturedly, glad to see Padmé feeling more cheerful again. _At least my stupidity is good for something,_ he consoled himself. "So how are the wedding plans going?" he asked thoughtfully. Anakin had been avoiding the topic all day, because it still made him sick to think of Padmé getting married; but now he set his personal feelings aside, hoping that talking about it would cheer her up.

"They're going very well," Padmé replied, with an appreciative smile. "It's a lot of work though," she admitted. "Do you have any idea how complicated it is to marry an Alderaanian prince?" she asked, giggling.

"No," Anakin conceded. "I've never married one before," he added mischievously.

Padmé laughed at the thought. "Well you're lucky," she told him. "Leif is a wonderful man, and I am glad to be marrying him, but I will be relieved when the wedding is over," she sighed. "The celebrations last for an entire week; I have to learn all the traditional dances, and memorize the entire ceremony - I have to _sing_ the ritual vows in native Alderaanian, in front of thousands of people," she cringed. "And the dress I have to wear... Ani, promise me you won't come," she begged, mortified.

"Oh, this I have to see," Anakin laughed, amused. "What, no exploding protocol droids?"

"No," Padmé giggled. "You're right; I suppose it could be worse," she conceded. "At least Leif isn't going to chase me around the sanctuary with some creepy metal claw, she scolded Anakin again. "But I wish I could wear my grandmother's dress," she admitted quietly.

"They won't let you?"

"No," Padmé sighed sadly. "It's all right though. In another month this will all be over, and then things will be better," she said, smiling bravely. _So this is why she has felt so unhappy,_ Anakin realized. _She's nervous about her wedding._ Then another realization hit him, and he felt as though his heart had been ripped out. _She must really love him, to suffer through all of that just to be with him._

Distracted by his own tortured thoughts, Anakin failed to sense Padmé's misery, until a moment later he heard a pathetic gulping, choking sound. "Padmé?" he asked anxiously, seeing her face streaming with tears. "Are you - are you all right?" he asked stupidly, blinking. _What do I do? This isn't covered in Jedi training either,_ he realized helplessly. But just then the teapot started whistling.

"I have to - get - the tea," Padmé choked, sniffing.

"No, I'll get it," Anakin said quickly, getting up and turning the heat off. "What kind do you want?" he asked, trying to be helpful.

"I - I don't know," Padmé cried, running from the room sobbing.

_Well that went well,_ Anakin thought ruefully, standing there holding a flowery pink teapot with one boot on. Padmé had run up the stairs and into her bedroom; clearly this conversation was over. _What do I do now?_ he wondered, feeling completely useless.

_I guess I'll have some tea,_ he sighed, looking through the assortment of tea bags. He didn't really feel like any right now, but there was nothing else to do, and the little packages were all so interesting, with descriptions on the back explaining what they were for. _Energizing... Calming... Refreshing..._ Anakin couldn't decide which one to pick. _Do they have one for stupidity?_ he wondered, sighing.

He felt bad for Padmé, but was relieved to know she was simply anxious about her wedding; from the intensity of her misery, Anakin had worried that it was over something far more serious. The wedding _did_ sound like a nightmare, but Padmé was strong; she would survive it, and like she said, things would be better once it was over. She was obviously deeply in love; she was probably missing Leif right now.

_Maybe some tea would make her feel better,_ he decided thoughtfully. _Here... This one says it's calming and soothing. That sounds good._ He made a cup of tea for Padmé, and then, pulling his boot back on, he brought it upstairs to her bedroom.

"Padmé?" he asked tentatively, standing in the doorway. She was sitting on the edge of her bed, still crying. "I made you some tea," he told her shyly. "It says it's calming... and soothing," he explained, feeling pathetic.

Padmé sniffed back her tears, nodding. "Thank you, Ani." She managed a grateful smile as he brought it over to her.

"Here you go," he said gently. _What do I do now?_ "Are you sure you're all right?"

"Yes," Padmé assured him. "Thank you," she added appreciatively, sipping her tea. But then her chin trembled, and she was crying again, gasping for air.

"Hey," Anakin said worriedly, sitting next to her on the edge of the bed and putting an arm around her instinctively, taking her teacup from her before she spilled it on herself. Now she was sobbing uncontrollably, and Anakin gently rubbed her back, not knowing what else to do. He could feel her pain; such intense misery, loneliness, utter despair...

"It's all right," he said, stroking her soft, silky hair. "You'll see Leif again tomorrow," he reassured her. _This is what Obi-Wan does when I'm upset. He tells me that things aren't as bad as they seem._ "And the wedding... You'll get through it, Padmé," he said encouragingly. "I'm sure you'll do fine... And then it will all be over, and everything will be all right," he promised. "And you get to live happily ever after, with your prince - just like in the fairy tales," he added, though his heart ached at the thought.

But it didn't work; Padmé was crying even worse than before. _I suck at this,_ Anakin realized, frustrated. _I wish Obi-Wan were here; he would know what to say._ "I'm sorry, Padmé," he apologized, feeling helpless to console her. But then Padmé put her arms around him, clinging to him desperately and burying her face against his chest as she wept.

"Shh, it's all right," Anakin whispered again, holding her in one arm as he awkwardly leaned across her to set the teacup on the bedside table. Then he stroked her hair gently and patted her back in a lame attempt to console her. He could feel her loneliness; she was missing Leif terribly, and so Anakin held her, doing what little he could to comfort her. "It's all right," he reassured her.

Padmé shook her head, crying. "It's not all right," she choked. "Ani..." She gulped back tears, closing her eyes in an expression of pure misery. "I don't love him," she whispered shakily.

Anakin stared at her, surprised and shocked. "You - you don't love him?" he asked, blinking. This was not what he had expected.

"No," she whispered unhappily. "Don't tell anyone, Ani. Please don't tell anyone," she begged.

"I won't," Anakin promised; but now he was confused. "Why are you marrying him, if you don't love him?" he asked, trying to understand.

"I... I don't know," Padmé cried. "He's a good man. He cares for me... I think," she wept. "And maybe one day we will come to love each other," she said quietly. Then she hung her head again, beyond tears.

Anakin held her protectively in his arms, still rubbing her back; but tears of anger sprang to his eyes. _I love you, Padmé. Don't marry someone who doesn't love you._ But he couldn't say it.

Padmé sat up, still hanging her head. "I'm going to call it off," she said shakily, keeping her eyes closed. "I don't love him. It would be wrong," she admitted. "I just - I wanted someone to love me," she cried, laying her head against Anakin's shoulder. "I wanted to feel special, and loved, and safe," she choked wistfully. "The way you make me feel," she whispered softly, shuddering.

"What?" Anakin asked, stunned. "You - what?" he broke off, blinking. _What?_

"I'm sorry, Ani," Padmé whispered, shaking her head miserably. "I shouldn't have said that..." She continued to apologize, and Anakin could hear her gentle voice, but the words weren't sinking in. Tears stung his eyes, and his heart ached terribly...

"I love you, Padmé," he blurted out. He looked into her deep brown eyes, resting his forehead against hers as he stroked her dark, silky hair. "I've always loved you," he whispered, his voice trembling. "Do you know that?"

Padmé closed her eyes as a tear escaped; then she made an incoherent choking, gasping sound. But she nodded, biting her lip. "I love you too," she whispered, putting her arms around him. Anakin held her close, stroking her hair; then he kissed her tenderly on the forehead, tears springing to his eyes.

"I love you," he cried again, gazing deeply into her eyes; and then they were kissing, with a passion that could no longer be held back. _This is wrong,_ he knew; but the feelings were too strong now, and he couldn't stop them any more. Showering her with kisses, he cradled her gently in his arms as they lay down against the pillows, smiling at each other through tear-filled eyes.

"Ani," Padmé said, tracing a delicate finger gently along his jawline, then stroking his little braid. "You're so beautiful," she whispered, with an adoring gaze. Anakin smiled happily; no one had ever called him beautiful before.

"So are you," he said, kissing her again playfully, then pulling her on top of him. Her hair fell around him in soft, cascading waves; he could smell its delicate, flowery fragrance, and he closed his eyes, smiling. But then there was a terrible aching, deep inside him, and Anakin realized to his dismay that holding and kissing Padmé was not enough; he still wanted more.

Opening his eyes, he looked up into Padmé's, and was met by the same aching, painful longing. "Ani, what are we going to do?" Padmé whispered, her expression regretful and pained. "I love you, Ani, but we can't - " she broke off, shaking her head. "This is wrong," she said, extricating herself from his embrace and laying beside him again.

"I know," Anakin agreed, closing his eyes. "But I love you Padmé," he said quietly. "I always have, and I always will, even if we can't - " he broke off, choking. "I do love you though," he finished unhappily.

Padmé smiled tenderly. "I love you too, Ani," she said, snuggling against him. "It's enough," she assured him; but there was a look of pained regret in her eyes. She stroked his shoulder lovingly, then ran her hand along his chest. "Just knowing that you love me... It's enough."

Anakin nodded. _She's right. It's all right for us to love each other. We can't help how we feel; as long as we don't do anything, we're not breaking any rules._ He smiled, reaching out a hand and gently tracing the outline of her nose, then her lips, then her chin, then her neck, then her... _Am I allowed to do this?_ he wondered inanely. But then his hand came to rest just above her waistline, and he stroked the soft silk of her dress, smiling shyly.

Padmé returned his smile; but she was lost in thought. "Ani... What exactly are the rules?" she asked. "I don't want to get you in trouble... I _won't_," she said emphatically. "I just... I want to know what's allowed."

Anakin thought about it. "Compassion is allowed; that's basically what love is," he reasoned. "No possessions, no attachments... So I can't own you as a slave, or super-glue you to myself," he added playfully, as Padmé giggled. "I don't know," he sighed. "Marriage is forbidden, but aside from that, there really aren't any specific rules."

Padmé nodded. "What about children?" she asked quietly.

"Children...?" Anakin blinked. _Wow._ "There are no rules about children," he conceded, his heart racing as he realized the implications. "You want... You want children?" he asked, hardly daring to believe what she was saying.

"Yes," Padmé confessed wistfully. "I've always wanted to have children one day. But I _do_ want to be married," she insisted, as Anakin blinked in dismay, but let go of her, nodding in acceptance. "To you," Padmé assured him quickly. "Ani, I just thought of something," she said, her expression thoughtful. "Your Jedi vows are to the Republic, right?"

"Yes," Anakin agreed hesitantly.

Padmé gave him a questioning look. "What if we got married outside the Republic - somewhere on the Outer Rim?" she asked. "It wouldn't be recognized here, but at least we could say the words, and get a priest's blessing... We could do it on Tatooine; it's where we first met," she suggested. "Tatooine isn't far; if we leave now, we could be back in a few hours."

"Oh." Anakin blinked, overwhelmed by the idea. _She wants to get married? Tonight? _"Uh - sure," he stammered. "I mean - yes. I mean - " He shook his head, realizing how completely pathetic that came out. "I'm sorry," he said, holding her hands as he got down on one knee beside the bed. "Padmé," he began; after all the acting they'd done together, he felt suddenly ridiculous, and laughed quietly, seeing the twinkle of amusement in Padmé's dark eyes as she smiled at him tenderly.

Anakin looked down shyly, composing himself. _This is not a joke. She was the Queen of Naboo, and she's giving up a prince for me._ He looked up into her eyes now, hopeful and apologetic at the same time. "Padmé... Will you marry me?" he asked softly, realizing what a huge sacrifice it was for her.

Padmé smiled. "Yes," she whispered, her eyes sparkling with affection. Anakin grinned, standing up; then he pulled Padmé to her feet as well, kissing her lovingly. "All right," Padmé giggled, pushing him playfully out the door. "I'll meet you downstairs."


	20. Oh good, I didn't think so either!

**Chapter 20**

_An hour later..._

"We want to get married," Padmé announced happily, as they stepped inside a somewhat tacky little wedding chapel in Mos Espa. Like everything else on Tatooine, the place was a bit dusty and run-down, but Padmé didn't mind. She was grateful just to be able to wear her great-grandmother's lacy white wedding dress; to not have to sing and dance for seven days straight in front of thousands of people; and of course, to marry the man that she was truly, deeply, madly and hopelessly in love with.

"Congratulations," the receptionist said warmly, getting up from behind the desk to greet them. Then her eyes widened in surprise, as a look of recognition crossed her face. "Oh my goodness! You're - you're - "

"No, we're not," Anakin assured her, subtly waving his fingers. Padmé cringed; they had hoped not to be recognized from their appearance on _JEDI_ eight months earlier, but apparently the receptionist was an avid viewer.

"No, you're not," she agreed, blinking in confusion. Then she smiled again cheerfully. "So, you want to get married?" she continued, proceeding to explain their options. In the end they chose a simple wedding ceremony, with a priest's blessing and a notarized certificate to keep for themselves, but no official record of their marriage. "Have a seat," the receptionist told them, after Padmé had paid for the service. "There's another wedding going on right now, but they should be out in a few minutes."

Padmé and Anakin sat together in the little waiting room, holding hands and grinning at each other with nervous excitement. _We're really getting married,_ Padmé realized. She was wearing the necklace that Anakin had given her ten years earlier; at the time she had thought it was sweet but somewhat primitive and childish, but now it was her most treasured possession in the entire galaxy. She smiled lovingly at him now, as they kissed once again.

"Excuse me," the receptionist said hesitantly, her expression curious. "I'm sorry, I just - you two look so familiar..."

"No, we don't," Anakin reminded her again.

"No, you don't," she agreed, returning to her work behind the desk.

A few minutes later the previous wedding couple came out of the chapel, holding hands and smiling blissfully at each other, too caught up in their own happiness to notice Padmé and Anakin as they walked by. "Next," the priest said cheerfully, holding the door for Anakin and Padmé as he invited them into the chapel.

As the priest gave his opening invocation, Padmé gazed into Anakin's deep blue eyes, holding his hands and trying desperately not to cry. They had both heard the words before - at least a dozen times, thanks to their idiotic giggle-fest while filming for _JEDI_ - but this time it was for real, and Padmé found herself trembling, fighting tears rather than laughter. But Anakin squeezed her hands with gentle reassurance, and she smiled at him gratefully.

Then it was time for the wedding vows. "Do you, Anakin, take this woman to be your wife?"

"I do," Anakin said softly, his eyes glistening as he smiled tenderly at Padmé.

"Do you, Padmé, take this man to be your husband?"

"I do," Padmé cried, smiling through tear-filled eyes as she gazed lovingly at Anakin.

"I now pronounce you husband and wife," the priest said. "You may kiss the bride," he added to Anakin, grinning.

Anakin gave her a tender little kiss on the lips; then, seeing her tears, he held her close against him, stroking her back reassuringly as she cried against his shoulder, feeling safe and warm and loved for the first time in her husband's arms. "Uh, we should probably go now," Anakin said, kissing her playfully on the forehead as Padmé nodded, giggling despite her tears.

"Congratulations," the priest said, shaking their hands as they exited the chapel. "I wish you much happiness."

"Thank you," Anakin nodded sincerely, as the priest notarized their marriage certificate. Then, with a regretful sigh, he waved his fingers at him. "We were never here," he said quietly.

But the priest just winked at him, grinning. "Whatever you say, son," he agreed, patting Anakin on the shoulder. "Look, I might not know much about the Force, but I do know something about love: it's a beautiful thing, to be cherished," he told them. "And I don't care if you're a man, woman, alien, Jedi, senator, Queen... Even a priest," he admitted with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes, as Anakin and Padmé stared at him in surprise. "Hey, you don't think I landed this job at the end of nowhere by playing by the rules, do you?" he said good-naturedly. "Now get out of here. Be happy," he told them. "And try not to mind-whammy my wife on the way out!" he scolded Anakin with an amused grin, shooing them out the door.

Padmé giggled as they thanked the priest again; then she and Anakin managed to sneak past the receptionist in the waiting room. Thankfully, she was now conveniently glued to her holo-monitor, watching the latest episode of _JEDI_.

* * *

><p><em>Meanwhile, halfway across the galaxy...<em>

"Lady Amidala is going to look so beautiful in this dress; don't you think so, Kiara?"

"Yes," Kiara agreed wistfully, forcing a brave smile as she continued to sew peacock feathers and colorful sequins onto one of Padmé's seven wedding dresses. Lady Amidala _would_ look beautiful in this dress, she had to admit.

The other maidservants continued to chatter excitedly about the prince's upcoming wedding, but Kiara was only half listening. She was happy for Prince Leif, and for Lady Amidala as well, but still... _Don't be stupid,_ she told herself angrily, stubbornly blinking away tears as she sewed on another feather.

"I was watching them in dance rehearsal the other day," one of the other maidservants was saying now. "They're so perfect together! Oh, it's going to be such a beautiful - " She broke off suddenly, and Kiara looked up to see Leif Organa, Prince of Alderaan, standing in the doorway.

"Hello," the prince said cheerfully, admiring their work. "How is the dress coming along?"

"Very well, My Lord," one of the other girls assured him, smiling at the prince with shy admiration.

"Excellent," he said, smiling graciously. "You're doing exquisite work," he praised them. "Kiara, may I speak with you for a moment?" he asked politely.

"Yes, My Lord," Kiara replied obediently, getting up from her work and following the Prince out to the hallway. They had barely made it around the corner before Leif pulled her into a desperate embrace, kissing her passionately. "Leif, no," Kiara whispered tearfully; but she put her arms around him and lay her head on his shoulder, weeping silently as he held her so lovingly. "Someone will see us," she protested, pulling herself away.

"I don't care," Leif whispered miserably, taking her by the hand as they hurried farther down the hallway and hid inside an alcove, kissing again. "Kiara, I'm calling off the wedding. I can't do this. I thought I could, but... I love you, Kiara. I always have, ever since we were children. I want to marry you, Kiara; I don't want it to be a secret any more."

"Leif," Kiara cried, shaking her head. "No. We've been through this so many times. I'm not royalty; I'm only a maidservant. You would lose your title," she pleaded. _Don't do this to me again. Just marry her and be done with it._

"I don't care," Leif insisted, looking into her eyes tenderly, his own brown eyes glistening with tears. "I don't care about being a prince. I just want to be with you, Kiara. Marry me," he begged. "Marry me, today, before I lose the courage again. Please, Kiara... We can go to the priest right now, and do it in secret, and then there will be no turning back."

Kiara looked into his beautiful, deep brown eyes, and saw his sadness and suffering. She had been avoiding him as much as possible over the past few weeks, but she cried now to see how tired and unhappy he looked. "Are you sure?" she whispered, taking his hands in hers.

"Yes," he said, kissing her again. "Kiara, I thought I could do it, but I can't. Padmé is a wonderful woman, but... I love you, Kiara." He smiled tenderly, his eyes glistening with tears as he ran his fingers through her long, silky hair. "I always have, and I always will. Marry me, Kiara. Marry me, today," he begged. "And then I will have the courage to tell Padmé, and my parents."

Kiara held him tenderly, kissing him on the forehead and stroking his beautiful, shiny dark hair as he clung to her, weeping. "All right," she said, with a tender smile. "I will marry you, Leif," she promised lovingly, as he broke into a happy, tearful grin. "But we must do it right now, before I come to my senses and change my mind," she scolded him.

"Thank you," Leif said happily, his eyes welling over with tears of joy as he kissed her again. "All right; let's go," he whispered, taking her by the hand as they sneaked away from the palace to pledge their undying love for each other.


	21. Obi-Wan would die if he ever found out

**Chapter 21**

_The next day..._

"I never knew sand could feel so wonderful," Anakin sighed, closing his eyes and smiling as he lay next to Padmé on the beach. "Let's never leave this island," he said happily, gazing at Padmé with tender adoration.

Padmé giggled. "You said that about the bedroom this morning," she reminded him. After last night's marathon of lovemaking, Anakin had refused to get up this morning; in the end Padmé had been forced to shove him out of bed and onto the floor before he had reluctantly agreed that they needed to at least attempt to do a bit of filming today.

"Yes, that was good," Anakin admitted; then he broke into a happy grin. "But who needs a bed when you have all this _sand_?" he asked, picking up a handful and sifting it through his fingers as he watched it stream down in delighted fascination.

_How lucky am I?_ Padmé thought, gazing at her husband in wonder. _To have married a man who loves sand as much as I do._ She would never have guessed that about him; but after swimming out to the island this morning, Anakin had already made five sand castles and at least two dozen angels before Padmé had finally pulled him away to do a little filming.

She rolled over to kiss him now, running her fingers through his sand-filled hair as he reached up to caress her gently with one hand. His right arm was half-buried in the sand, and now Padmé could feel Ellie's golden hand and forearm playfully stroking her back. "Cut!" she giggled, crawling away from him. "Ani, don't do that! It's creepy!"

"Sorry," he said with a mischievous grin, still lying there with his arm half-buried; but Ellie's hand continued to follow Padmé, tickling her and grabbing at her playfully as she tried to get away from it.

"Eeek!" Padmé giggled, running away from the crazy droid arm that was now chasing her across the beach. "Ani, stop!" she begged, laughing. Finally the attack ceased, and Ellie's arm returned obediently to Anakin's side. "Keep that thing away from me," Padmé scolded him. "Anyway, were all done now; we've filmed everything on the list," she told him cheerfully.

"Good." Anakin sat up, pulling his arm out of the sand. "Come on, let's make another castle!" he said happily, getting up and walking toward the wet sand by the edge of the lake.

They built three more castles and made several more angels, then swam back to the lake retreat and ate tunafish sandwiches out on the terrace; but the day passed too quickly, and soon it was time for Anakin to leave.

"No," Anakin protested, clinging to Padmé tearfully as she said goodbye to him on the docking platform. "I can't leave you," he said. "I'll leave the Order," he cried, holding her close and kissing her on the forehead.

"No, you won't," Padmé reproached him, for the third time today. "Anakin, we've discussed this already. I love you, but I will not destroy your life. You've worked so hard; you're almost ready for the trials. And then, once you're a Knight, things will be better," she reminded him. "And I will be so proud of you," she added, looking into his blue eyes.

Anakin smiled gratefully, nodding. "All right," he agreed. "I'll pass the trials, Padmé. I'll work really hard," he vowed. "It won't be long now, I promise." He stroked her hair lovingly, with an apologetic grin; after swimming back from the beach he had attempted to do a Jedi Temple design by himself, but it had all fallen down and was a complete disaster at the moment.

"Goodbye, Ani," Padmé whispered, tears filling her eyes as they kissed for the last time. Anakin held her close, and for one brief moment she was safe in his arms again; but it was over too soon, and after a final, tender kiss on her forehead, he reluctantly let go.

"Goodbye, Padmé," Anakin said, with a wistful smile; then he was climbing into the cockpit of his Jedi Starfighter. Padmé smiled fondly as she recalled his dramatic arrival the day before; it was hard to believe that just yesterday he had fallen flat on his face in this very spot. So much had changed since then, and she would miss him terribly in the weeks and months to come, but Padmé would treasure the memory of these past two days for the rest of her life.

They waved to each other one last time as Anakin closed the cockpit; and then he was gone, just a tiny speck in the late afternoon sky as he took off over the lake and into the sunset. _I love you, Ani. I will miss you, sweetheart._ Smiling tenderly, Padmé returned to the lake retreat to pack her things, regretfully preparing herself for the conversation that she must have with Leif tomorrow.

* * *

><p>Anakin brushed away the last of his tears as he set the coordinates for Coruscant, making the jump into hyperspace. The past two days had been the happiest of his entire life, and he hadn't wanted to leave; but he was surprised by how completely normal it felt, now that he was on his way back. <em>Padmé is right,<em> he realized. _I just need to work harder, and pass the trials, and then once I'm a Knight, things will be better. I will finally be on my own, and we'll be able to see each other more often._

He smiled now, closing his eyes and recalling the happy times they had shared over the past two days. The silly play-acting; their spontaneous midnight wedding on Tatooine; a night of unbelievable, indescribable passion and closeness; and perhaps most unexpected of all, a sudden and dramatic end to his lifelong hatred of sand.

_With love, all things are possible,_ the priest had said in his invocation. _And he should know._ Anakin grinned, in a strange way grateful to realize that he wasn't the only one to have ever broken a vow of celibacy. The priest was married, and life went on; the universe hadn't collapsed inward on itself. _But we still have to keep it a secret,_ Anakin admitted regretfully.

In his heart, his marriage to Padmé did not feel wrong, and he could justify his somewhat loose interpretation of the Jedi Code to himself; but he knew that he could never tell Obi-Wan, or anyone else for that matter. _Not even Master Qui-Gon,_ he admitted, still grateful for the older Master's reassuring admission that he had once fallen in love as well.

But he felt painfully remorseful at the thought of lying to his Master, and as he approached Coruscant, reality began to sink in. _Obi-Wan was already disappointed with me before I left,_ he remembered. _And now..._ Anakin hung his head. _I've let him down, yet again. And worst of all, he doesn't even know. After everything he has sacrificed for me, I'm going to lie right to his face._

_I will work twice as hard,_ Anakin vowed. _I will study more than ever before, and practice my lightsaber techniques, and I will pass the trials. I will not let him down, ever again. I will make him proud of me; even though I don't deserve his approval, after what I've done._

_And then, once I have passed the trials... Obi-Wan can finally be rid of me, and have his life back._


	22. Or maybe not?

**Chapter 22**

_Four days later..._

"Where's Anakin?" Qui-Gon asked, surprised to see that Obi-Wan had come alone. He had invited both of them to his apartment to watch tonight's episode of _JEDI_, which would hopefully include a scene from Anakin's recent trip to Naboo.

"He's in the library," Obi-Wan said, as he came inside.

"The _library_?"

"Yes," Obi-Wan sighed, taking a seat on Qui-Gon's couch. "I'm afraid the little talk I had with him last week backfired. He's done nothing but study since he got back from Naboo," he admitted.

Qui-Gon laughed. "Be careful what you wish for, Obi-Wan; it might come true."

Obi-Wan nodded regretfully. "I didn't mean to be so harsh with him, but it must have hit a nerve. He's worked twice as hard at everything for the past four days, and hasn't whined or complained even once."

"No whining? Oh dear... That's terrible." Qui-Gon laughed, taking a seat next to him on the couch. "He is a stubborn one," he admitted. "But he'll come around in a few days," he assured him. "And then you'll come whining to _me_ again, about how he refuses to apply himself," he scolded his son.

Obi-Wan pouted. "I don't whine."

"Of course not," Qui-Gon agreed, his eyes twinkling. "But in any case, you should be grateful for this exemplary behavior while it lasts. It seems your little talk the other day actually got through to him. It's for the best, Obi-Wan... You _do_ want him to pass the trials, don't you?" There was a hint of reproach in his question.

"Of course I do," Obi-Wan insisted. "It's not that at all..." He sighed, hanging his head. "No, you're right," he admitted. "I want him to pass; I do, but... I'm afraid I'll lose him. I'm afraid I've already lost him," he confessed. Anakin had been acting politely distant for the past four days, ever since returning from Naboo; Obi-Wan missed his goofy, endearingly mischievous little brother.

Qui-Gon patted him gently on the shoulder. "You must let go of your attachment, Obi-Wan," he reminded him.

"I know," Obi-Wan agreed. _Attachment leads to fear..._ "But I can't believe _you're_ telling me this," he added crossly, giving his father a reproachful look.

Qui-Gon laughed good-naturedly. "Neither can I," he agreed. "I thank the Force every day that you turned out more like your mother," he added. "Master Yoda made the right decision in not letting me train Anakin; you're much more level-headed than I ever was. But I am sorry for putting you in this position," he apologized. "I never expected you to become a Master before Anakin was Knighted. I'm very proud of you, Obi-Wan."

Obi-Wan looked at the floor, self-conscious. "Thank you, Master," he said humbly. _I don't deserve your praise; I'm no more level-headed than you ever were. And what I did was far worse..._ But he quickly shielded his thoughts, as he had done for nearly twenty years now. _Has it really been so long? I am getting old..._

"Ah - it's coming on," Qui-Gon said cheerfully, turning up the volume on his holo-monitor as they heard the _JEDI_ theme song. "Who is it this week?" he asked, curious.

"Master Ki-Adi-Mundi," Obi-Wan told him. "He just got back from a trade dispute on Tarsis; this should be fun," he said, settling back on the couch to watch the show.

It _was_ entertaining, he had to admit. From what Obi-Wan had heard, the trade dispute on Tarsis had been settled quickly, and without bloodshed; but when the parties involved had realized they were being filmed for _JEDI_, both sides had agreed to stage an elaborate battle, and Obi-Wan laughed to watch Master Ki-Adi single-handedly take control of the situation and restore peace and justice to the galaxy, armed with only a lightsaber and some amusingly overdramatic dialogue.

But then came Anakin's part, and Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon nearly laughed themselves sick watching him try to eat a tunafish sandwich with his ridiculous droid hand while simultaneously carrying on a completely inane conversation with Padmé.

_"I love tunafish,"_ Anakin was saying now. _"I used to catch these things all the time when I was a kid. You know, because we didn't have a lot of money, being slaves and all,"_ he explained, shrugging. _"So I'd bring home a couple for my mom, and she would make sandwiches for our dinner... But yours are so much better,"_ he finished sweetly, with an insipid smile.

_"Really?"_ Padmé asked, touched by his story. _"I didn't know there were tunafish on Tatooine."_ Then she looked a bit confused. _"I didn't know there was WATER on Tatooine,"_ she added uncertainly.

There was a brief look of panic in Anakin's eyes, but to his credit he masked it well. _"Oh,"_ he said, shrugging casually and taking another bite of his sandwich. _"You see... Mrrf mmm bbrrrggg hmmm grrrff mmmrrr..."_

_"Ani,"_ Padmé chided him, pretending to be offended. _"Don't talk with your mouth full! It's not polite."_

"Oh dear," Obi-Wan said, as the scene ended with Anakin looking apologetic while he clumsily dropped the remainder of his sandwich out of his robotic hand. "Is that the best they could come up with?"

"Well, at least he didn't fall down and pretend to be mortally wounded, then lie on the floor idiotically for ten minutes after getting two teeny-tiny little scratches," Qui-Gon countered. "While allowing a Sith Lord to chop off his padawan's arm and escape unscathed," he added. "Really, Obi-Wan, you're in no position to criticize."

"That wasn't my fault!" Obi-Wan protested, for the tenth time. _I'm never going to live that down.._. "Anyway, which one of us killed Darth Maul, and which one of us got skewered like some inept old man?" he reminded Qui-Gon cheekily.

"Inept old man?" Qui-Gon asked, feigning outrage as he got to his feet. "Out! Get out of my apartment, you ungrateful - " They both erupted in a fit of laughter as Qui-Gon literally kicked Obi-Wan out the door.

"So, breakfast tomorrow?" Obi-Wan asked hopefully, from the hallway.

"Maybe," Qui-Gon replied grumpily. "Inept old man," he muttered, closing the door in his face. Obi-Wan grinned with amusement as he turned to leave. "Goodnight, Obi-Wan," came Qui-Gon's affectionate voice from inside the apartment.

"Goodnight, Master Qui-Gon." Obi-Wan laughed, heading back to the library to pry Anakin away from his studies. _The poor boy,_ Obi-Wan sighed, recalling the pathetic scene he had just witnessed on the _JEDI_ show. _He has absolutely no idea how to act around women,_ he realized once again.

_And that's my fault too,_ he admitted regretfully. Obi-Wan had always been careful to keep Anakin away from bars, night clubs, and any other places where he might be tempted by scantily-clad members of the opposite sex. And perhaps Anakin was a bit naive as a result, but still... _It is for his own good,_ Obi-Wan insisted stubbornly. He knew all too well the trouble a young padawan could get into in such places.

_Take care of her,_ Qui-Gon had told him that fateful night nearly twenty years ago, leaving Obi-Wan alone with the frightened teenage girl while his Master pursued her attacker through the streets of Coruscant.

Obi-Wan had done more than take care of her. He hadn't meant for it to happen; he had simply taken her back to the run-down hotel that she called home, and had sat next to her on the bed, holding her while she cried in an attempt to comfort her. But then she had started kissing him, and pulling off his clothes... Obi-Wan shook his head regretfully at the memory. He had been only sixteen at the time, and hadn't known that she was a prostitute; but he _had_ known that what he was doing was wrong, and he had done it anyway.

He wasn't sure which was worse: the fact that he had done it; the fact that he had _enjoyed_ it; or the fact that he had never told anyone. So many times he had wanted to tell his Master, or go to the Confessional chamber - _anything_ - just to get this terrible secret off his chest; but he knew that he would be expelled from the Order if anyone ever found out.

Knowing that Qui-Gon had been secretly married was a small comfort to him now; but Obi-Wan knew that it was no comparison to his own transgressions. There was honor in what Qui-Gon had done, even if it was forbidden; he had loved Obi-Wan and Anakin's mother, and had married her properly. He hadn't just... _I didn't know she was a prostitute,_ Obi-Wan reminded himself again regretfully. _I truly believed that she loved me..._ It wasn't until afterwards that she had told him it was his 'payment' for saving her from an abusive customer.

_At least I have saved Anakin from that,_ Obi-Wan consoled himself, as he approached the Jedi Temple library. _I may have been a bit overprotective with him, and perhaps he is naive about some things as a result, but at least..._ Obi-Wan sighed sadly. _It is good that he has spent some time with Senator Amidala,_ he decided. _Hopefully it has helped him to feel more at ease around women._ It would not do for a Jedi Knight to feel awkward and nervous in a diplomatic situation, as Anakin had been with Padmé when they began filming for _JEDI_ eight months earlier.

_He is growing up,_ Obi-Wan thought proudly, seeing his padawan hard at work now, still studying in the library. "How is it coming along?" he asked, joining him at the table where he was sitting.

"Pretty well, Master," Anakin nodded politely. "I think I'm nearly ready for the Geography exam."

"Excellent," Obi-Wan said, smiling. "You have been working so hard lately, Anakin; I'm very proud of you."

"Thank you, Master," Anakin replied; then he gave him a hesitant cringe. "How was the show?"

Obi-Wan laughed. "Oh, it was entertaining as usual," he said. "I enjoyed hearing about how you used to fish for tuna on Tatooine."

"Ohhhh..." Anakin buried his head in his hands. "I thought they would have deleted that part," he sighed. "Owen must really hate me," he added, giving Obi-Wan a rueful grin.

Obi-Wan smiled with relief; this was the first time in four days that Anakin had even attempted to joke around. He had been so serious, and polite, and hard-working since returning from Naboo; Obi-Wan was beginning to worry that aliens from another galaxy had abducted his brother and now possessed his body. _Qui-Gon was right,_ he realized, gratefully to see Anakin acting a bit more like his old self. _Soon he'll be vexing me to no end with his lack of discipline, and the galaxy will make sense once again._ "Come on," he said cheerfully, getting up from the table. "You've done more than enough studying for one day. How is your ankle?" he asked, as they headed back toward their quarters.

"Oh, it's fine," Anakin replied, the same as he had for the past four days. Obi-Wan had been going easy on him in lightsaber practice, focusing on slower exercises to develop balance and form, which Anakin had executed with uncharacteristic patience; but now Obi-Wan felt he was ready to resume the more active fighting techniques that he had always preferred.

"Good," Obi-Wan said, with a cheerful nod. "Tomorrow we will begin training for the trials," he informed him casually. _As much as I hate to admit it, you are nearly ready, Anakin. And I will not hold you back because of my own fear._

Anakin stared at him, stunned. "The trials, Master?"

"Yes." Obi-Wan gave his padawan an encouraging smile, though his heart felt as though it might break. "It's time."


	23. Yay I passed the trials! Bye Obi-Wan!

**Chapter 23**

_Four minutes and twenty-six seconds._ Obi-Wan paced around the hallway of the Jedi Temple, trying to relax. _Calm down. Y__ou're not helping him here._ He could hear the hum of lightsabers on the other side of the closed door, along with constant bumps and thuds and the occasional grunt as Anakin battled against Master Yoda and Windu.

_Four minutes and thirty-nine seconds._ Anakin had almost made it to the five-minute mark; just a few more seconds and the final trial would be halfway through.

_Five minutes._ Obi-Wan smiled, breathing a sigh of relief; but then he felt a painful ache in his heart, and sank down onto the nearby bench. _He's going to make it,_ he realized. _Five more minutes and he will be a Jedi Knight._

_I have lost my padawan..._ Tears sprang to his eyes, and he blinked in dismay. _What will I do when he is gone?_ Anakin had been by his side for the past eleven years; his best friend, and constant companion. Obi-Wan couldn't imagine life without him. And yet he knew that in a matter of minutes, that unimaginable fate would become a reality.

_Six minutes and thirteen seconds._ Obi-Wan sniffed back his tears, composing himself. It would not do for Anakin to emerge victorious from his final trial, only to find his Master a teary-eyed, pathetic mess. Obi-Wan managed a brave smile as he listened to the sounds coming from within the training room. The humming had intensified, and the bumps and thuds were coming faster now, along with a few muffled, urgent commands; Yoda and Windu had doubled their attack, but Anakin was holding his own.

They were using practice sabers for this fight, but they were set to the highest intensity; instead of just a slight tingling sensation, the shock from these lightsabers would cause numbness and temporary paralysis, and a blow to the heart could leave the victim stunned for hours. Anakin would either pass this trial, or end up in the hospital.

"Aaaaahhhh!" Obi-Wan grinned as he heard Windu's surprised howl; had Anakin managed to disarm him? _No,_ Obi-Wan decided, still hearing two larger, crashing lightsabers along with the constant whirr of Yoda's faster, quieter one. But Obi-Wan couldn't help smiling; Anakin was doing well against the two Jedi Masters, and from the sound of it, they weren't going easy on him either.

_Seven minutes and thirty-five seconds._ Only two and half minutes to go; but the last three minutes were always the hardest, and Obi-Wan listened anxiously as the humming, clashing sounds intensified. Then there was a sudden crashing thud, and Anakin cried out in pain; the fighting continued for a few more seconds, but then it was over.

_Seven minutes and fifty-three seconds. He didn't make it to ten minutes..._ Obi-Wan's heart sank as he realized Anakin had failed. There was an ominous silence inside the room; Obi-Wan worried that Anakin had been hurt, but now the door opened and his padawan stepped out, looking shocked and stunned.

"Anakin," Obi-Wan exclaimed, relieved to see him still standing. "It's all right," Obi-Wan assured him, sensing his obvious remorse. "It's all right, Anakin. You did well; I'm very proud of you." It would be another year before Anakin could face the trials again, but that wasn't such a bad thing, Obi-Wan realized, smiling at the thought. _Another year together..._

"Are you all right?" he asked hopefully. Anakin's eyes were somewhat dilated, and he held the hilt of his lightsaber in his left hand rather than his right, but aside from looking a bit dazed, he seemed to be unhurt.

Anakin nodded; but then he gave Obi-Wan an anxious, fearful glance.

"It's all right, Anakin," Obi-Wan reassured him, patting him on the shoulder. _This is nothing to be ashamed of. I pushed you too hard, and you weren't ready. This wasn't your fault._ But as he glanced inside the open doorway, he suddenly understood his brother's concern. "Oh dear," Obi-Wan exclaimed worriedly, rushing to Master Yoda's side and quickly checking for his pulse, as Master Windu moaned quietly on the floor nearby.

Anakin stumbled back inside the room, still dazed and shocked. "I didn't mean to," he said, blinking in confusion. "I..."

_He passed!_ Obi-Wan realized suddenly. _He did more than pass; he took down two Jedi Masters in less than eight minutes._ Obi-Wan desperately tried to suppress an incredulous, delighted smile as Yoda's eyes opened halfway. "Master Yoda," he asked, peering at him worriedly. "Are you all right?"

Yoda closed his eyes again, sighing. "Passed... the final... trial... your padawan has," he informed Obi-Wan in a rasping voice, rolling painfully onto his side in an attempt to get up, then collapsing again in utter exhaustion. "Rest I need... Rest..."

Obi-Wan gathered the Jedi Master gently in his arms and passed him to Anakin. "Here; we'd better get them to the infirmary," he decided, hefting Master Windu over his own shoulder and leading the way down the hall.

Glancing back over over his shoulder, he saw Anakin stumbling deliriously behind him, clutching Master Yoda in his left arm while his right dangled uselessly at his side. _This isn't funny,_ Obi-Wan told himself, attempting to look serious as he ignored the gaping stares of the other Jedi they passed in the hallway. But he couldn't suppress the feeling of happiness and pride that was welling inside him. _He passed,_ Obi-Wan realized, incredulous. _My little brother is a Jedi Knight.  
><em>

* * *

><p>"I passed?" Anakin asked again, blinking in disbelief and flexing his slightly numb, tingling fingers as he followed Obi-Wan back from the infirmary. <em>I'm not expelled for that?<em>

"Yes," Obi-Wan said, smiling. "You passed, Anakin. I'm so proud of you," he told him. "Though your knighting ceremony will probably be postponed until tomorrow," he admitted, glancing back toward the infirmary. "But tonight, we will celebrate," Obi-Wan decided cheerfully, patting him on the back.

An hour later they were sitting in Dex's Diner, and Anakin picked at his food, still too shocked and excited to eat. _I can't believe it_. _I passed the trials. I'm going to be knighted..._

"Anakin," Obi-Wan said gently. "I know I've said this a hundred times already; but you _do_ know I'm not trying to get rid of you?" Anakin managed a smile, but looked down uncomfortably. _Here it comes..._ "You're only twenty years old, Anakin; I've always promised myself I would let you face the trials as soon as you were ready, but... There is still much to learn, young one," Obi-Wan said, with a fond smile. "And I would be more than happy to continue working with you, if you would like."

Anakin managed to meet his gaze. "Thank you, Master," he said politely, maintaining the same careful distance that he had established over these past six months; but there was nothing more to say, and so he looked down, picking at his food. _I am such an asshole. He has sacrificed everything for me, and wants us to be friends, but I'm just going to walk away._

They finished their dinner in silence, and then Anakin followed Obi-Wan back to the Temple. "Would you mind stopping by Master Qui-Gon's apartment for a moment?" Obi-Wan asked, breaking the awkward tension. "I'm sure he would like to congratulate you."

"Of course, Master," Anakin said politely. He managed to smile, enduring fifteen minutes with both Masters, as they told him how proud they were of him; but finally he excused himself, apologizing that he was tired after the long day of trials.

Tears stung his eyes as he returned to his quarters, leaving the two of them together. _It's for the best,_ Anakin told himself. _They were always good friends before I came along; and now that I'm leaving, things will be back to normal for them._ But it broke his heart to realize that he and Obi-Wan could never have the same kind of close relationship that Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon shared.

_I ruined that the day I got married,_ he admitted unhappily, returning to his room and undressing for bed. It was still early, but he hadn't lied about being tired. _I've lied about everything else though,_ he chastised himself, flopping onto his cot and closing his eyes. _Obi-Wan would have liked for us to remain close, but I can't be his friend and lie to him._

_I should be happy,_ he reproached himself. _I passed the trials; I'm going to be a Jedi Knight. This is what I've always wanted, and why I've been working so hard these past six months. I'll be able to see Padmé again..._ Finally, the thought of Padmé brought him some comfort, and eased some of the guilt and anguish over his failed friendship with Obi-Wan.

_Things will be better now,_ he tried to convince himself. _Obi-Wan can have his life back, and I won't be in his way any more... I'll be sent out on a new assignment, and I'll get to see Padmé more often..._ Anakin drifted off to sleep, but his dreams were fitful, and plagued with guilt.

* * *

><p><em>The next day...<em>

"Rise, Anakin Skywalker, Jedi Knight," Master Windu proclaimed solemnly, as Anakin got to his feet.

Obi-Wan smiled, tears of pride springing to his eyes as he watched his padawan's knighting ceremony. Master Windu and Yoda had recovered from the previous day's trial, and were now congratulating Anakin on behalf of the Jedi Council.

"Anakin," Master Windu asked, following protocol. "Do you have any request regarding your new assignment? I know that Obi-Wan has agreed to continue working with you," he added; Obi-Wan managed a cheerful nod, though he already knew Anakin's answer.

"Yes, Master," Anakin replied uncomfortably, looking down. "I deeply appreciate Master Obi-Wan's generous offer," he said, with an apologetic glance at Obi-Wan. "But I would like to work alone," he finished quietly, bowing his head.

"Very well then," Windu agreed, as he and Master Yoda exchanged a solemn nod.

"A new assignment we have for you," Yoda informed him. "Useful, your knowledge of Huttese will be," he added, as Anakin gave them a surprised look. "To Hutt Territory, you are assigned."

"You will report to Master Chi'nala in the Lannik system," Master Windu instructed Anakin.

"Yes, Master," Anakin replied, bowing respectfully. Then, with a final apologetic glance at Obi-Wan, he turned and left the Chamber to report for his next assignment. Obi-Wan fought tears as he watched his former padawan go; but then he felt a warm presence, comforting and consoling him. Glancing over at Qui-Gon, he smiled at his father gratefully.

"Congratulations, Obi-Wan," Master Windu said, handing him Anakin's little padawan braid. "Twenty years old, and already a Knight... You've taught him well. A little too well," he added reproachfully, clutching at his chest, where Anakin had stunned him during yesterday's trial.

"Yes, I am sorry about that," Obi-Wan apologized again, with a rueful laugh. "Thank you, Master Windu," he said respectfully, taking Anakin's braid and bowing politely as he took his leave of the Council chamber.

_Congratulations, Obi-Wan... You did such a fine job with him, Obi-Wan... Twenty years old, and already a Jedi Knight..._ Obi-Wan blinked back tears as he hurried down to the docking bay, hoping to catch up with Anakin before he left for Hutt Territory. The way things had been between them lately, he wouldn't be surprised if Anakin left without even saying goodbye.

_I pushed him too hard,_ Obi-Wan admitted. _I rushed him to face the trials; in letting go of my own attachment, I ended up pushing him away._ But there was more to it than that, he knew. _He's not stupid,_ Obi-Wan told himself, frustrated. _He's a Jedi Knight. Of course he has sensed how I feel toward him. And he must think I'm some kind of sick, twisted monster,_ he realized, tears stinging his eyes. _I love him, more deeply than any Master should ever love their padawan. It frightens him, and he can't get away from me fast enough._

Anakin was already at the docking bay, climbing into his Starfighter when Obi-Wan caught up with him. "Anakin!" Obi-Wan called to him, attempting a cheerful smile as he approached.

"Master," Anakin replied; his expression was apologetic, but Obi-Wan sensed that he was glad to see him. _He looks different already,_ Obi-Wan thought; without the padawan braid, he suddenly looked much older_._

"I just wanted to say goodbye, and wish you luck on your new assignment," Obi-Wan said. "I never thought I'd say this, but suddenly I pity the Hutts," he added, with a mischievous smile.

Anakin grinned appreciatively, looking down. "Thank you, Master." He hesitated for a moment, as if trying to think of something else to say; but then he shrugged, turning back toward his Starfighter. "I should go."

Obi-Wan nodded, smiling bravely. "May the Force be with you, Anakin," he said, with a formal bow. _Take care of yourself, little brother. I shall miss you terribly._

"May the Force be with you, Master," Anakin replied, a tone of sincere regret in his voice. Bowing politely, he turned to climb into the cockpit of his Starfighter; and with a final, respectful nod to Obi-Wan, he took off from the docking bay to begin his adventurous career in Hutt Territory.

Obi-Wan watched until his Starfighter was just a speck in the sky; then he hung his head, and for the first time since the knighting ceremony, he allowed the tears to come. Reaching into his belt pouch, he pulled out Anakin's golden padawan braid. _Such a tiny thing,_ he realized suddenly, his heart aching with loss. _It's all I have left of him now._

Blinking back his tears, Obi-Wan tucked the little padawan braid carefully back into his pouch; then, reminding himself that he must relinquish his attachment, he returned to the Temple to bravely face whatever the future might bring.


	24. Qui-Gon takes on a new padawan

**Chapter 24**

"Good morning, Master Kenobi!"

"Good morning, young ones," Obi-Wan replied, bowing cheerfully to the fifteen younglings in his class. Qui-Gon had encouraged him to take this teaching position, and Obi-Wan had to admit that being around the bright, happy children had given him a sense of purpose again, and helped to fill the terrible emptiness that he had felt since Anakin had left two weeks ago.

The days went by quickly when he was teaching. The children were so full of questions, demanding his constant attention; there was no time to think about anything else until the day was over, when Obi-Wan would return to his quarters to relax and unwind. It was then that he would remember Anakin, and a twinge of loneliness would set in.

Most evenings he found himself visiting Qui-Gon's apartment, if his father wasn't busy with other things. But Obi-Wan was starting to become painfully aware of the fact that he needed to make a life for himself that didn't include clinging pathetically to his own family members. And so tonight, he joined some of the other Jedi in the common lounge as they all watched the latest episode of _JEDI_ together.

It was a fun show, as usual, and Obi-Wan smiled to see Anakin again. He was on nearly every week these days, and had become quite the celebrity; they were simply showing bits and pieces that he had filmed on his last visit to Naboo, spread out over an entire season, but Obi-Wan found it very entertaining to follow Anakin and Padmé's theatrical romance.

This week's scene was quite well done, Obi-Wan thought. Anakin and Padmé were walking through the meadow beside the lake, having a fairly intelligent conversation. They kissed each other briefly toward the end, and Obi-Wan cringed in embarrassment as the other Jedi commented good-naturedly on his former padawan's kissing techniques.

_Anakin is amazing,_ Obi-Wan admitted. He knew his younger brother had felt extremely uncomfortable around Padmé at first; but he had bravely confronted his fear, and had learned to get through the rather awkward situations that the producers of _JEDI_ had continued to thrust upon him. Despite the widespread assumption that Anakin was in fact the wayward character he portrayed on the show, he had always conducted himself with discretion and dignity, and Obi-Wan was incredibly proud of his little brother.

_This can't be easy for Padmé either,_ Obi-Wan realized. He had recently heard the news that her wedding to Leif Organa had been called off, and he knew that being a part of this ridiculous staged romance on _JEDI_ couldn't make matters any easier for her. _Perhaps the producers will come to their senses and finally drop this silly fictitious romance,_ he hoped.

Returning to his quarters after the broadcast, Obi-Wan was surprised to find a message from Qui-Gon; he had come looking for him earlier, and asked him to stop by his apartment when he got back. _I have some good news,_ the cryptic message said. Curious, Obi-Wan continued up to his apartment to find out what this was about.

"Ah! Obi-Wan," Qui-Gon said warmly, greeting him at the door. "Come in; there's someone I'd like you to meet." Obi-Wan stepped inside, then quickly masked his shock as he saw a young red-haired boy sitting on Qui-Gon's couch. "This is Cory, my new padawan," Qui-Gon announced proudly, as the boy obediently stood up and bowed to Obi-Wan. "Cory, this is Master Kenobi."

"I'm pleased to meet you, Master Kenobi," Cory said politely, with an endearing smile.

"I'm - pleased to meet you as well, Cory," Obi-Wan replied, trying desperately to remain calm and mask his horror.

Qui-Gon gave Obi-Wan a sharp look, but quickly covered his surprise, for the boy's sake. "Well, I'm glad you were able to stop by," he said to Obi-Wan. "I was just about to send Cory to bed, but I was hoping you could meet him first," he explained cheerfully. "Come on, Cory; let's get you settled in bed," Qui-Gon said affectionately, showing the boy into the adjacent room. "I'll be back in a moment," he added to Obi-Wan, with another curious look.

Obi-Wan nodded, then sat on the couch, waiting for Qui-Gon to return. _Does he know?_ he wondered anxiously. _No,_ he decided. Qui-Gon had expressed genuine surprise at Obi-Wan's reaction; clearly he had no idea what was going on. _This is a complete nightmare,_ Obi-Wan thought in utter shock, not sure whether to laugh or cry. _Of all the younglings in the entire blasted Temple, he had to pick THAT one..._

But he quickly composed himself as Qui-Gon returned a minute later. "What was that about?" Qui-Gon asked, eyeing Obi-Wan curiously as he sat next to him on the couch.

"I'm sorry," Obi-Wan apologized, with a rueful smile. "I was just... surprised. I suppose - I didn't think I'd be replaced, so quickly," he explained lamely, trying to think of a believable reason why he would object to Qui-Gon taking another padawan.

Qui-Gon nodded. "Yes, I can understand that," he agreed respectfully. "It _has_ only been eleven years since you passed the trials yourself. Forgive me for moving on so quickly; I did not mean to appear uncaring," he apologized, his blue eyes twinkling. Then he smiled, patting Obi-Wan on the shoulder. "You are missing Anakin."

Obi-Wan nodded, closing his eyes as relief flowed through him. _Yes, of course. This is about Anakin._ "Yes," he admitted, managing a sad smile. "It's hard to let go. But I'm doing well," Obi-Wan insisted, trying to change the subject. "You were right, about the teaching. It's been a good change for me; I'm enjoying it very much."

Qui-Gon smiled affectionately. "I'm glad," he said. "I'm very proud of you, Obi-Wan. And I'm sorry, about..." He glanced apologetically at the door to Cory's room. "I didn't even think; I realize it's bad timing..." Qui-Gon shook his head. "I suppose I'm missing Anakin too," he admitted. "Though it wasn't a conscious decision," he insisted. "I just ran into him in the hallway this morning, and - I got this feeling, very strongly; there's something special about that boy," he said thoughtfully.

Obi-Wan nodded, trying desperately not to laugh, or cry. _I should have known this would happen..._

"And I'm not trying to replace you, or Anakin," Qui-Gon assured him. "To be honest I hadn't intended on taking another padawan again, ever," he admitted. "But I'm not getting any younger; so if I am to do this at all, I can't wait much longer," he said good-naturedly. "Which reminds me: I've put in my resignation to the Jedi Council," he told Obi-Wan.

"You're quitting the Council?" Obi-Wan asked, incredulous.

"Yes," Qui-Gon nodded. "I've served for ten years now, and it's been a great honor, but... It's not for me, Obi-Wan," he admitted. "I'm surprised they ever took me on to begin with," he added. "I'm sure I've been a great source of annoyance to them over the years; you could _feel_ the relief when I announced I was giving up my position."

Obi-Wan laughed, shaking his head. "Besides," Qui-Gon went on, "I'm going to need more time to devote to Cory now. He's eleven years old; a boy that age needs to explore, and see the galaxy, and I can't very well do that if I'm expected to sit in on Council meetings all the time," he pointed out. "So the Council is looking to elect a new member," he informed Obi-Wan quietly. "Your name has come up; I shouldn't be surprised if they contact you tomorrow," he said, with a proud smile.

"Me? On the Council?" Obi-Wan frowned, stunned by the idea.

"Yes," Qui-Gon said, amused by his reaction. "Don't be so surprised; personal feelings aside, you would be my first choice for the position, and the other Council members feel the same way," he told him. "No one else in the entire Order is a Master at your age, with their first padawan already knighted," he pointed out. "I'm very proud of you, Obi-Wan. You are by far the best Jedi I know."

_Just smile, and nod, and thank him, like you've done all your life. He would die of shame if he knew the truth._ "Thank you, Master," Obi-Wan said; then he stood up. "I should be going; it's getting late."

"Of course," Qui-Gon agreed cheerfully, seeing him to the door. "And thank you for coming by... Would you like to have dinner tomorrow?" he asked. "I would like very much for Cory to get to know you."

_Yes, I would like that too,_ Obi-Wan thought wistfully. "Yes, of course," he said, masking his panic. "I am looking forward to it. Good night, Master." He smiled, bowing as he took his leave.

"Good night, Obi-Wan." Qui-Gon nodded affectionately, closing the door behind him.

Instantly the smile vanished from Obi-Wan's face, along with all of the color, and he felt suddenly light-headed and weak. _Not good..._ Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath, steadying himself; then, silent as a shadow, he slipped quietly away from the Jedi Temple and through the streets of Coruscant to talk to the one person in the entire galaxy who knew the truth.


	25. Obi-Wan completely freaks out over this

**Chapter 25**

Leila looked up from her holo-broadcast, startled by a quiet knock on the door. It was well after dark; Leila did not live in the best neighborhood, and a visitor this late at night could only mean trouble. Frowning, she tip-toed quietly to the door and looked out through the peephole.

Then she smiled, her eyes glistening and her heart filling with a joyful warmth as she saw the familiar brown-cloaked figure standing on her doorstep. Her heart fluttered as she unlocked the multiple deadbolts on her door and greeted her visitor.

"Obi-Wan." It had been months since she had seen him. His hair and beard had grown even more unkempt and scraggly than the last time, and he looked uncharacteristically tired; but his blue-green eyes sparkled with their usual cheerfulness as he came inside her little apartment, nodding politely.

"Hello, Leila," he said, with a fond smile. "I hope I'm not disturbing you?"

"No, of course not," Leila assured him. "The kids are in bed; please, come in," she said, inviting him into the living room. "Would you like some tea?"

"Oh. Yes, thank you," he said politely, taking a seat on the couch. _He looks tired,_ Leila thought worriedly, as she went to the kitchen to start the water boiling. _I hope he's all right..._

"It's good to see you," she said, returning to the living room and sitting in the armchair across from him. "How have you been?"

"Very well, thank you," he replied, with a shy smile. "It's good to see you too, Leila. How are Jon and Kyra?"

"Oh, they're fine," Leila told him cheerfully. Jon was seven and Kyra three; they were the result of her two previous marriages, and Obi-Wan was always kind enough to ask after them when he visited, though he had never met them. "How is Cory?" she asked quietly.

"He's well," Obi-Wan assured her, nodding. "Actually, that's what I came to tell you," he added somewhat apologetically, in an attempt to explain his unexpected visit. "Qui-Gon has taken him as his padawan."

"He has?" Leila asked, with a delighted smile. "That's wonderful!" Then she realized the implications, and gave him a hesitant look. "Does Qui-Gon know?"

"No," Obi-Wan said. "Not yet, anyway," he added, shaking his head regretfully. "He wants me to have dinner with him tomorrow night; I don't know what I'm going to do," Obi-Wan admitted.

"Oh," Leila said, looking down sadly as she realized the difficult position Obi-Wan was in. "Obi-Wan, I'm sorry," she apologized. "I never meant to... Do you think he will guess?" she asked worriedly.

"I don't know," Obi-Wan replied. "And this is not your fault, Leila," he reassured her, with a tender smile. "I didn't mean to worry you, I just - " he shrugged wearily, shaking his head. "I had to tell someone."

Leila nodded, understanding. "Of course," she agreed. "It's not good to keep everything inside, Obi-Wan." She smiled at him affectionately. "And I _am_ sorry; I hope - " she broke off, tears springing to her eyes. "I hope it's all right; I hope you don't get into trouble," she cried. The teapot was whistling, and she got up, blinking back tears.

"No," Obi-Wan assured her, following her into the kitchen. "I won't get in trouble, Leila; it's not like that," he insisted. "Even if Qui-Gon guesses, he won't turn me in to the Council," he said. "Actually, it's quite the opposite," he sighed, running a hand through his shaggy hair. "He thinks I'm the best Jedi in the entire Order; I might even be appointed to the Council tomorrow," he told her. "I doubt that I'll get in trouble, but it's quite possible that I might die of guilt," he admitted, with a rueful laugh.

Leila smiled, relieved to hear that he wouldn't get in trouble. "You _are_ the best Jedi in the entire Order," she told him proudly, handing him a cup of tea. Obi-Wan had ended their relationship the day he was knighted, and it had broken Leila's heart, but he had been admirably faithful to his Jedi vows ever since. "How is Anakin?" she asked, as they returned to the living room.

Obi-Wan smiled sadly as he sat down again. "He was knighted two weeks ago," he told her. "He's been assigned to Hutt Territory; I haven't heard from him since he left."

"Oh," Leila sighed, sensing his unhappiness. "But that's really good news," she insisted, trying to cheer him up. Obi-Wan nodded, smiling good-naturedly. "You miss him," she said softly, with a wistful smile.

"Yes," Obi-Wan admitted. "Actually, there's something I've been meaning to tell you, for quite some time now," he added hesitantly. "Leila..." He shook his head, sighing. "It's complicated," he apologized, looking down.

_Complicated?_ Leila looked at him critically, taking in his tired appearance, and his obvious sadness over Anakin leaving; the last time she had spoken with him, she sensed that their relationship had been a bit strained. "You two were...?" she asked, blinking in surprise. It was widely speculated that there was rampant homosexuality among the members of the Jedi Order; Leila had never taken the rumors seriously, but she'd seen a lot of things in the course of her thirty-seven years, and nothing particularly shocked her anymore.

"What?" Obi-Wan asked, vaguely confused; Leila smiled in amusement as the question went completely over his head. He squinted at her, puzzled; then his eyes widened in surprise as he realized what she was implying. "No," he said, horrified, "Force, no, he's - he was my - Leila, tell me you don't actually believe that?" he asked her, blinking in disbelief.

"No," Leila laughed, deeply amused. "No, I don't, I was just - Never mind. Sorry," she apologized lightly. "You were saying?"

Obi-Wan was still staring at her in shock. "Yes, I was _saying..._" He gave her an annoyed glare, then sighed. "He's my brother," he said quietly. "I just found out, a little over a year ago, when I was made a Master," he explained, a tone of regret in his voice.

"He's - _what?_" Leila stared at him in disbelief. "He's your brother?"

"Yes," Obi-Wan nodded. "And no, we weren't - I still can't believe you said that," he reproached her indignantly. "No, as it turns out, Qui-Gon..." Obi-Wan shrugged, looking down at the floor. "He was married once. He's our father," he finished quietly.

Leila stared at him for a moment, blinking. "Wow," she said finally, at a loss for words. _And I thought nothing shocked me any more._ "So Anakin didn't take the news well?" she asked with concern, trying to understand the reason for their falling out. _Aw, they're all a cute little family... That's so sweet_...

"Anakin doesn't know," Obi-Wan told her. "Information about family background is afforded only to Masters."

Leila frowned. "Well that's just stupid," she said bluntly; Leila had never been a huge fan of the Jedi Code. "Why don't you just tell him: look, you're my brother, stop being a butthead... End of problem," she suggested reasonably, trying to be helpful. "And why can't Qui-Gon know about Cory?" she asked, puzzled. "He's a Master."

Obi-Wan laughed, amused by her optimistic solution. "Ahh... It's complicated," he apologized again, sighing. "Not complicated as in _I'm-shagging-my-little-brother_ complicated," he clarified, with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes; then he shook his head regretfully. "Since I found out about all this, everything has changed," he admitted. "Anakin and I always got along just fine until - " he sighed.

"Sometimes I think I would have been happier if I had never learned any of that," Obi-Wan said. "I honestly think Anakin is better off not knowing; he's free now, living the life he's always wanted, and _I'm_ a miserable wreck," he confessed. "I wouldn't wish this on him. And as for Qui-Gon... He trained me as his padawan, knowing the entire time that I was his son," Obi-Wan pointed out. "He deserves a chance to know what it's like to have a normal Master/Padawan relationship, without the burden of family attachments," he admitted. "And in any case... If he found out about Cory, he would be so ashamed of me," he finished regretfully.

Leila looked at him, puzzled. "Well didn't he do the same thing?" she asked; then she realized what he meant. "Oh," she nodded, shrugging. _She probably wasn't a prostitute._

"What? No," Obi-Wan said gently, "It's not that," he assured her. "Actually, that's the whole reason I've been wanting to tell you about all this," he explained. "He married her, Leila. He married my mother; he didn't just - " he broke off, tears springing to his eyes. "I'm so sorry, Leila," he cried. "What I did was... It was terrible," he admitted. "I'm so very sorry."

"Obi-Wan," Leila said gently; she wanted to hold him, to comfort him, but it was one of his stupid, annoying ground rules. _No touching._ "Obi-Wan, it's all right," she assured him. "You didn't know." _You didn't know I was pregnant when you left me._

"I know," he cried. "But that doesn't make it right. Leila, I feel terrible, for what I did to you..."

"You didn't do anything to me, Obi-Wan," she argued. "Well," she sighed, reconsidering, "I had a perfectly good prostitution career going on when we first met, and you completely ruined that," she scolded him, feigning annoyance as Obi-Wan laughed gratefully, still teary-eyed. "But after you left... You didn't tell me to go back to it, Obi-Wan. You didn't tell me do drugs while I was pregnant," she said quietly. "It's not your fault they took Cory away from me the day he was born," she sighed regretfully. "None of that was your fault, Obi-Wan," _Anyway, things are better now; I have a roof over my head, a decent job that I love, and two beautiful children..._

Obi-Wan nodded sadly. "Still, I'm sorry," he said again, giving her an apologetic smile. "I wish I'd had my father's courage," he admitted.

Leila smiled at him wistfully, tears springing to her eyes. "So do I," she agreed. Then she grinned mischievously. "It's not too late, you know," she joked cheerfully. "As it so happens, I'm between husbands at the moment."

Obi-Wan laughed shyly, looking at the floor. "Well, I should go," he apologized, getting up; then he turned back, looking at her hesitantly. "Do you mean that?"

_No, sweetheart, I was only joking. Marriage doesn't work for me._ But then she realized what he was saying, and she looked at him uncertainly, her heart fluttering. Suddenly she couldn't think of anything to say, so she just shrugged, managing a little nod as tears stung her eyes. _Don't ask stupid questions, Obi-Wan. Of course I would marry you; obviously I'm not very picky. But it wouldn't work..._

"Leila," he said softly, his green-blue eyes glistening with tears as he approached her and stood before her, just inches away; it was the closest he had come to touching her in nearly twelve years, and Leila felt her heart would break. _Don't do this to me, Obi-Wan. Not again._

But then Obi-Wan hung his head, closing his eyes. "I can't," he cried softly. "It wouldn't work. If the children ever once saw me..." He sighed unhappily. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry, Leila. I shouldn't have - "

"It's all right," Leila cried bitterly, her chin trembling as tears blinded her eyes. "Just go," she whispered miserably.

Obi-Wan nodded, turning to leave. "I'm sorry," he said once again, with a look of pained apology; and then he slipped quietly out the door, closing it behind him. Leila stood there trembling, hanging her head as her throat seared with pain and the tears flowed freely. But a moment later she looked up in startled surprise as Obi-Wan came back in.

There were tears in his eyes as he gazed at her, so gentle and loving; his face was half-hidden under all that hair, but for a moment she caught a glimpse of the beautiful young padawan she had once loved. He gave her a rueful smile, glancing at the door. "You should lock that," he told her, blinking back tears as he stood there looking apologetic and completely adorable.

_You should lock that..._ Leila had heard better pick-up lines in her day, but it was good enough. _He will never disobey the Jedi Code by himself,_ she knew. _He will follow all their stupid, senseless rules and be miserable until the day he dies. I have to be the one to do this._

With a tearful, tender smile, Leila took him by the hand and led him into the bedroom.


	26. Meanwhile Anakin sneaks off to see Padmé

**Chapter 26**

Anakin crawled silently through the ventilation shaft, careful not to make any noise. In the six months that he had been working in Hutt territory, he had never been sent on a solo mission that was so bold, or dangerous.

Dealing with the Hutts was a delicate business. The Republic was not technically at war with them, but the Hutts were not receptive to negotiations, and had made it clear time and again that Jedi ambassadors were not welcome. So the official role of the Jedi in Hutt territory was to patrol the border against smugglers, and chase down any ships that attempted to bypass the Republic's customs checkpoint.

It was exciting work, and Anakin loved it. Already he had gained quite a reputation for his creative flying techniques and his ability to detain and board even the largest, fastest ships with only his Jedi Starfighter; the name _Skywalker_ was beginning to be whispered anxiously amongst smugglers across the galaxy who engaged in business dealings with the Hutts.

But any operation inside Hutt territory itself required extreme stealth. Anakin had been sent on three spying missions so far, which typically entailed stowing aboard a smuggling ship to gain entrance to the Hutts' trading centers. Thus far his espionage missions had been successful, and Anakin's knowledge of Huttese had proven highly valuable in gathering new information about the Hutts' dealings.

Tonight's operation was top secret, and incredibly dangerous; this mission was not officially sanctioned by the Republic, and if anything went wrong, the Senate would deny all involvement. The Hutts were not known for their humane treatment of prisoners; but Anakin knew that if he got caught for _this,_ he would be... _Castrated... Or something,_ he thought anxiously, continuing silently through the ventilation shaft.

Finally he reached his destination, and cautiously peered down through the grating into the chamber below. _Yes, this is the one,_ he determined, breathing a sigh of relief as he realized at least the first phase of this operation was complete. Quietly, he pulled his multi-purpose tool from his belt and began to unscrew the grating.

* * *

><p>"AAAAaa<em>mmmph<em>!" Padmé screamed in terror, her cry of alarm cut off by a hand clamped over her mouth. It was dark in her bedroom, but she could see the black figure looming over her. Struggling frantically, she kicked her attacker in the ribs.

"Ow!" Anakin yelped, letting go of her and clutching at his chest.

"Ani!" Padmé exclaimed, smiling in surprise as she embraced her husband. "What are you doing here?"

"I had to come," he said tenderly, his blue eyes sparkling in the dim city lights of Coruscant that filtered through the window of her apartment. "I know I shouldn't be here, but... I had to see you, Padmé," he said, kissing her and wrapping his arms around her. "I've missed you so much."

"I've missed you too, Ani," Padmé said, smiling. She kissed him again, then lay her head against his shoulder, holding him tight. They had met on Naboo a few times over the past six months since Anakin had been knighted, but he had never dared come to her apartment on Coruscant before. "I can't believe you're here," she said, overwhelmed with gratitude to see him.

"I can't either," Anakin agreed, as they sat together on the edge of the bed. He looked into her eyes, smiling tenderly. "Happy Anniversary, Padmé." He kissed her again, stroking her hair lovingly. "Hey, you got the flowers!" he said, noticing the bouquet on her dresser. Padmé had received them earlier that day; the card had said that they were from a 'Secret Admirer'.

"Oh," Padmé exclaimed, feigning surprise. "Those were from you?"

Anakin looked hurt. "Well, yes... Who did you think they were from?"

"I don't know," Padmé said, teasing him. "It said a 'Secret Admirer'... Hey, a girl can dream," she giggled. Anakin pouted, but then she hugged him, kissing him on the cheek. "Of course I knew they were from you, Ani," she said, stroking his curly, golden-brown hair. It had grown even longer since the last time she had seen him; she thought it looked so pretty that way. "Happy Anniversary, Ani." She sighed, snuggling against him and closing her eyes. "I'm glad you're here."

"So am I," Anakin whispered, stroking her hair. Then he flinched suddenly, letting go of her. "What the...?" Alarmed, he grabbed at the back of his neck, then blinked in surprise as he pulled a giant centipede off his collar. "Hey!" He grinned in delight as another one crawled up his shoulder. "You're babysitting again?" Anakin asked, cuddling the first one against his chest as he attempted to pry the other off his hair.

"Yes," Padmé said cheerfully. "Jar Jar went home for a few days; I said I'd take care of them."

"They're so cool," Anakin said, patting Squashy on the head while Squishy crawled up his face, vying for his attention. Squishy and Squashy had always loved Anakin; they hadn't seen him in over six months now, and they could barely contain their excitement. _He's going to make a wonderful father someday,_ Padmé thought wistfully, watching him play with the little centipedes.

But then Squishy got away from him, and started climbing up the wall. "Hey! Come back!" Anakin said, glancing up at the open grating in alarm; if Squishy went in there, they might never get him back again. "Squishy! Get down here! Now!" Anakin whispered urgently, not wanting to wake Padmé's neighbors. But then Squashy saw what his brother was up to, and mischievously squirmed out of Anakin's hand, crawling up the opposite wall. "Aaaah!" Anakin exclaimed. "Squashy! _You will come back here now,_" he intoned hypnotically, waving his fingers in a desperate attempt to control the hyperactive creatures.

Padmé giggled in amusement. "You can't do Jedi mind tricks on them, Ani; they barely have brains," she laughed, shaking her head. But they were far too curious about the open grating; she knew she had to get them down from there. "Squishy! Squashy!" she said sternly. "Yousa not be going up there! Yousa be coming back down here right now, okey day?"

Anakin blinked at her, stunned. "They don't have brains, but they speak Gungan?" he asked, as the centipedes obediently came back down to Padmé, snuggling contentedly in her arms.

"No, they don't speak _anything,_" Padmé laughed, cuddling them against her chest. "But they respond to your tone of voice," she explained, kissing Squashy on the forehead. "All babies are like that," she said, with a wistful smile.

"Oh," Anakin sighed unhappily, looking down at the floor; they had been trying to have a baby for a year now, but so far nothing had happened. "Padmé, I'm sorry," he apologized. "I don't know why it hasn't worked yet," he said, shrugging. "Maybe I'm defective," he admitted, hanging his head.

Padmé smiled, kissing him tenderly on the cheek. "You're not defective, Ani," she reassured him. "These things take time, that's all." She handed Squishy to him, and Anakin cuddled him gratefully, nodding. "Anyway, with all the rumors going around right now, it's just as well."

Anakin nodded ruefully; Padmé had been dragged through the tabloids this past year, between her fairy-tale engagement to Prince Leif Organa, their tragic breakup just before the wedding, and of course her on-screen romance with Anakin on _JEDI_. Mostly she and Anakin just laughed about it, but it was a bit frustrating; as much as she wanted children, she was not looking forward to how the media would respond to a mysterious pregnancy out of wedlock. "I'm sorry, Padmé," Anakin said gently, putting an arm around her.

"It's all right," Padmé said, laying her head against his shoulder as she cuddled Squashy. "It doesn't matter what they say. Let them talk. I know the truth," she said, kissing him. He looked so beautiful with his long, curly locks; his boyish features were already starting to give way to a stronger, more mature appearance. _My beautiful Jedi Knight..._

"Come on," Padmé said, taking Squishy from him and putting the centipedes back in their cage for the night. Then she turned back to Anakin with a mischievous smile. "Let's give them something to talk about."


	27. Did I forget to mention Obi-Wan's lover?

**Chapter 27**

_Several months later..._

Leila smiled, admiring the sleeping figure beside her. Obi-Wan was still so beautiful after all these years; she ran her fingers through his silky reddish-brown locks, trying to decide what to do with his hair next. He looked so pretty with long hair, but sometimes she missed his cute, short padawan hairstyle; perhaps she would try cutting it a bit shorter the next time.

She sighed, kissing him tenderly on the forehead. The truth was, Obi-Wan looked adorable no matter what she did with his hair. Leila was a professional hairstylist; she had gone to school for it, and earned her certificate, and now she finally owned her own beauty salon. It was the perfect job, and she loved it; hairdressing allowed her to be creative, and it was a fun way to meet people.

Life hadn't always been so good though. Leila had been through some hard times in the past, but she had survived, and things were better now. And she had Obi-Wan to thank for that, she realized. _How did I get so lucky?_ she wondered once again, smiling blissfully as she snuggled closer to him, running a finger delicately along his chest. Obi-Wan stirred slightly, and Leila stifled a giggle. He was so adorably ticklish; she could spend all night torturing him in his sleep. But he needed his rest, and so she lay her head against his shoulder, wrapping an arm around him lovingly.

The past eight months since he had come back into her life had been the happiest she could remember. He had asked her to marry him, but in the end they had decided against it; it wouldn't be legally recognized anyway. But they had said the words together one night, and had pledged their love to each other, and Leila knew that Obi-Wan would never leave her again.

It was strange, having a Jedi Master as a secret lover. Although 'secret lover' didn't even come close to describing what Obi-Wan was to her. He was her hero, her protector, her guardian angel. The one who had always been there to pick up the pieces, when others had left her shattered and broken. The one who had never passed judgment, but had always believed in her, even when she hadn't believed in herself.

They had met when they were both sixteen years old; he was a Jedi padawan, and she was a teenage runaway on the streets of Coruscant, selling her body to survive. Obi-Wan had saved her from an abusive customer one night, and Leila had repaid him in her own way. Afterwards, in predictable Jedi fashion, he had begged her to quit the drugs and the prostitution, but she hadn't paid much attention to him; he was just doing his job, and she was doing hers, and she figured that was the end of it.

But then he kept coming back, again and again, like some kind of pathetic junkie. He always begged her to quit, and claimed that he loved her; sometimes he would just hold her tenderly until his hour was up, but Leila didn't care. As long as he paid, he could say or do whatever he wanted. Thanks to the drugs she was on, Leila's life was a perpetual blissful, dream-like haze; her customers were reasonably gentle, and they actually _paid_ her for what her stepfather had always done for free. All in all, it seemed like a pretty good deal.

Eventually, though, the dream became more of a nightmare, as her drug addiction worsened. Her work suffered, and she began to attract a less desirable type of clientele, who treated her like the worthless piece of trash that she was. But Obi-Wan kept coming; he would pay just to hold her in his arms for an hour while she trembled deliriously, strung out from the drugs. He was so gentle, and kind; Leila felt safe with him, and finally one night she broke down crying, accepting his offer to help her get off the drugs and away from the prostitution.

She was eighteen by then, old enough to work legally, and she had gotten a job waitressing in a cafe; the pay wasn't great, but she managed to make ends meet. And for the next several years, Obi-Wan was her one and only. Leila didn't realize she was in love with him at first; she didn't think she was capable of loving _anyone_, and she'd had enough men to last a lifetime. But Obi-Wan was so kind, and gentle, and sweet; she allowed him to love her, and his visits always brought a smile to her face.

Leila smiled wistfully now, gazing at him tenderly and kissing the little scar on his chest. She remembered when he got it, so many years ago; he hadn't come around in over a month, and Leila had missed him terribly. She had worried that he didn't care for her any more; it had never occurred to her that anything could have happened to him. Not to Obi-Wan; he was a Jedi, he was invincible.

But then one day he had finally come back to her, looking a little too thin and pale, and she had been horrified to learn that he'd been hurt. Shot by a blaster... _He could have been killed,_ she realized once again, blinking back tears as she snuggled closer to him now, wrapping an arm protectively around him. She had always taken him for granted before that, but from that day on Leila had realized how much she loved him, and how completely devastated she would be if she ever lost him.

They had been twenty-one at the time, and for the next four years they had shared an intense, passionate romance; Leila had learned what it was like to be truly, madly, and hopelessly in love. Obi-Wan was everything to her; he was the joy of her life, her entire reason for being. They weren't able to be together all the time, but she lived just to be held in his arms, to feel the warmth of his body next to hers, to see the bright sparkle of his magical blue eyes, and that adorable, irresistable smile...

Then had come the most amazing discovery of all: she was pregnant. Leila was overwhelmed with happiness, and couldn't wait to tell Obi-Wan the good news. He was away on Tatooine and Naboo at the time, filming for an episode of _JEDI_; but when he got back she ran to his arms, tears of joy in her eyes as she embraced him lovingly. _We're going to have a baby..._

But nothing could have prepared her for what happened next. Obi-Wan had broken away from her embrace, explaining that he had been knighted, that he'd taken the vows, and had a padawan of his own now. He had wept sadly, and had apologized a hundred times, but it didn't matter; in the end, he had left. He had ripped out her heart and stomped on it and left her for dead.

She had never told him about the baby. And she had tried to do the right thing; she had continued to work at her waitressing job, and had tried to take care of herself, for the baby's sake. But without Obi-Wan by her side, it was so hard; and a few times over the course of her pregnancy she had given in, and had turned to drugs to numb the pain of her broken heart.

Cory had been born too soon, and had been small, and weak, and sickly; the doctors had found traces of drugs in his blood, as well as a high midichlorian count. They had taken him away from Leila the day he was born, to be raised as a Jedi youngling.

After that, there hadn't been any point in anything anymore. Leila had turned to drugs once again, and before long she had lost her waitressing job, and was back on the streets, selling her body to survive from one day to the next. Obi-Wan had found her a year later, and she had cried to see him, thinking that he had come back to her, and loved her; but he had simply taken her to a rehab clinic, and had left her there. She had hated him for it at the time, but now she realized that it was the best thing he could have done for her.

That had been the end of her prostitution career, and her drug habit. Leila had made some close friends in the rehab program; they had laughed, and cried, and shared their hopes and dreams with each other, and when she got out, she had taken a job working with her best friend as an exotic dancer at a local night club. It was loads of fun, and Leila had loved it.

She had met her first husband at the night club. He was one of the regular patrons, and she had noticed the way he looked at her; he had invited her for a drink one night during her break, and Leila had been flattered by his attention. He was tall, and dark, and handsome, and incredibly charming; soon they began seeing each other outside of work.

But then she had gotten pregnant again, and everything had changed. He hadn't been pleased by the news, but he acknowledged that the child was his, and had decided to marry her. From that point on she became his possession, and he guarded her jealously; after Jon was born, he forbade her from returning to her job at the night club. But he soon became bored with her. Leila was no longer the exotic dancer he had fallen in love with; she was just a stay-at-home mother and housewife, and it wasn't long before he left her for someone more exciting.

His leaving hadn't broken her heart as Obi-Wan's had; Leila had picked herself up and moved on, and had resumed her waitressing career to make ends meet. But it wasn't long before history repeated itself, and she had met her second husband and become pregnant yet again. He hadn't left her after Kyra was born; but often she'd wished that he would, as he had a violent temper, especially when he was drunk. But at least he never hurt the children, and Leila stayed with him for their sake; she could not support them both on just her waitressing salary.

All this time she was aware that Obi-Wan was watching over her; she never saw him properly, but sometimes she would catch a glimpse of a brown cloak disappearing around a corner, or onto a crowded street, and she could _feel_ that he had been there. _My crazy Jedi stalker..._ Leila always smiled when she sensed he had been around; she knew that he was simply checking up on her, making sure she was all right.

But one day she wasn't all right. She had a black eye and a bruised cheek, and her children were terrified by what they had heard the night before. She had gone to work that morning, but her boss had sent her home; the children were at daycare and Leila had just sat on the couch, sobbing in despair. But then there was a knock on the door, and Obi-Wan was back in her life once again.

He had given her the courage to leave her husband, and to press charges against him. Leila had begged him to come back, but Obi-Wan had told her regretfully that his duty was to the Jedi Order, and that he couldn't be with her that way. But they had been friends ever since, and Obi-Wan had made a habit of stopping by every now and then for a cup of tea.

Finally one evening Leila had told him about Cory. He was already nine years old by then, and Obi-Wan was deeply shocked by the news. Leila hadn't seen him since the day he was born, but Obi-Wan had looked into it, and reported back to her with wistful pride that Cory was indeed a youngling at the Jedi Temple, and that he was healthy, and beautiful, and an exemplary student.

It was Obi-Wan who had encouraged her to pursue her hairstyling career. Leila had dreamed of it all her life; she had always had a talent for it, and had been giving all her friends free haircuts for years, but the thought of taking classes, getting her certificate, and opening her own salon had always overwhelmed her. Her former husbands had just laughed at the idea, but Obi-Wan had smiled cheerfully, and encouraged her to do it. A year ago Leila had finally opened her very own beauty salon, and she absolutely loved her job.

Obi-Wan sighed now in his sleep, stretching a bit, and Leila smiled tenderly, kissing him again. It was amazing to realize that he had come back to her, after all these years. She never would have expected it. Obi-Wan had been faithful to his Jedi vows for so long; to be honest, Leila had begun to think of him more as a priest, or a eunuch, than as an ex-lover. She had only been joking that night eight months ago, when she had cheerfully told him that she was between husbands.

But to her complete shock, he had actually come back to her, and had apologized tearfully for leaving her so many years ago. _I'm sorry I hurt you, Leila,_ he had wept, holding her in his arms for the first time in nearly twelve years. Leila had taken him into her bedroom, thinking that was what he wanted; but in truth they had simply held each other and cried for hours, sitting on the edge of her bed.

It had been so long since Obi-Wan had allowed anyone to touch him; he was terribly conflicted, and there had been many obstacles to overcome. First there was the brown cloak; then the boots; then the belt; then _another_ belt under that... Jedi clothing was designed to protect against just such an assault, but three layers of tunics later, Leila had finally broken through the barriers and found Obi-Wan inside there.

Since then, he had come to her every night, without fail. They had laughed, and cried, and shared stories of children and younglings; they had lain together, and held each other close, and slept, and dreamed. And every morning, as the first rays of dawn touched the sky, he would kiss her one last time, with a tender smile; then Leila would drift back to sleep, dreaming that he still lay beside her. But soon she would awake to the happy laughter of children, and a new day would begin, and Leila would smile to herself, realizing that life was perfect.


	28. That business on Cato Neimoidia

**Chapter 28**

_"This?"_ Jabba roared in outrage, as the bounty hunter stood before him with an unconscious black-cloaked figure dangling limply over his shoulder. "_This_ is Skywalker?"

"Yes, Your Excellency," the bounty hunter replied, unceremoniously dumping him onto the floor. "He tried to enter Hutt Territory stowed aboard my ship. Gardulla has offered five thousand for his capture, but I thought perhaps you might be able to make me a better offer," he said, bowing respectfully.

Jabba frowned. Skywalker had been a vexing nuisance these past two years; five thousand was a fair price to be rid of him. And he might be worth even more than that as a hostage... "He is damaged," Jabba pointed out, seeing the bloody gash on his right temple.

"He will survive," the bounty hunter assured him. "He tried to escape in the docking bay, and stole one of Your Excellency's shuttles; I was forced to shoot him down," he explained.

"Was my shuttle damaged?" Jabba asked testily.

"Yes, I'm afraid it was totaled," the bounty hunter apologized.

"Aaahhhhh!" Jabba roared. "Six thousand," he said stubbornly. "No more."

The bounty hunter nodded. "Thank you, Your Excellency. I graciously accept your generous offer."

"See that he is paid," Jabba told his Twi'lek assistant. "Put Skywalker in the dungeon. And keep him sedated; I don't want him escaping!"

The next morning Jabba met with the Jedi negotiator sent by the Republic. "Fifty thousand credits," Jabba demanded in Huttese, as Bib Fortuna translated. "Or I feed him to the Sarlacc."

Obi-Wan Kenobi bowed solemnly. "With all due respect, Jabba, the Republic does not negotiate with criminals. I cannot authorize a ransom payment of any amount."

"Then I will feed him to the Sarlacc," Jabba told him.

Master Kenobi bowed respectfully. "Very well, Your Excellency," he said. "It has been a pleasure meeting with you."

Jabba's eyes narrowed in suspicion as the Jedi negotiator turned to leave. Something was wrong here; he hadn't even tried to bargain for Skywalker's life. _That can only mean one thing,_ Jabba realized. He had recently become an avid viewer of _JEDI_, and had observed that when negotiations were short like this, the situation often would become quite violent. _He is planning a breakout._

He also noticed that Bib Fortuna was looking as though he might pee himself. "What is it?" Jabba asked testily. He could always count on his Twi'lek assistant to need a bathroom break at the worst possible moment.

"Your Excellency," Fortuna said timidly, fearful of Jabba's wrath. "If we feed Skywalker to the Sarlacc... We will never find out what happens on _JEDI_, with Padmé and Ani," he pointed out.

"What?" Jabba asked, confused. Then his eyes opened wide in shock. "_He_ is Ani?" Jabba had only been watching _JEDI_ for the past two seasons, but he loved whenever Padmé and Ani were on the show. They were so funny and sweet together, and Padmé was so pretty; Jabba wished he had seen the episode when they had gotten married. "No," he said stubbornly, refusing to believe it. "Ani has shorter hair, and a little braid," he reminded his brainless assistant. That bloody, unconscious pile of poodoo in his dungeon was _not_ Ani.

"No, Your Excellency," Fortuna corrected him cautiously. "It _is_ him. Anakin Skywalker... Ani," he explained.

"Aaaahhhhh!" Jabba roared, smacking Fortuna onto the floor. _Skywalker_ was Ani? "Noooooo!" he yelled, furious. "Bring me the negotiator," he demanded impatiently.

A minute later Obi-Wan Kenobi was bowing before him once again. _I must make a bargain,_ Jabba realized. _Otherwise they will probably both escape._ He cursed himself, wishing he hadn't allowed his dungeons to become so run-down. All of the prison bars needed to be replaced, and it was quite likely that this Jedi negotiator would find a way to free Skywalker if Jabba did not cooperate.

"I will give you one last chance, Jedi," Jabba threatened him. _Maybe something good can come from this after all..._

The negotiator bowed politely. "I shall be happy to listen to your terms."

* * *

><p><em>A few minutes later...<em>

"What?" Padmé asked, shocked by the news. "Anakin's been captured?"

"Yes," Owen Lars apologized anxiously over the holo-transmitter. "Senator Amidala, I don't mean to alarm you, but Master Kenobi asked me to contact you. Anakin has been captured by Jabba the Hutt, and the Republic cannot authorize a ransom payment; but Jabba has agreed to let him go on the condition that the two of you are featured on next week's episode of _JEDI_. Apparently he is a big fan," Owen explained.

Padmé clutched at her stomach, suddenly feeling weak and dizzy. "Yes," she nodded, trying to calm herself. "Of course. I'll do it. Anything... Whatever you need," she assured him.

"Thank you, Padmé," Owen said. "I will let him know; I'll be in contact with you soon. Thanks again for your help."

Padmé nodded, turning off her transmitter. Then she sat down weakly, putting a hand protectively over her belly. She was four months pregnant, and just starting to show. _Ani,_ she cried desperately, frightened and worried. _Please be all right..._

* * *

><p><em>Well those were the strangest negotiations I've ever been party to,<em> Obi-Wan decided, still blinking in confusion as Jabba's Gamorrean guards led him down to the dungeon to collect Anakin. _But this is much easier than what I had planned._

_Oh dear,_ he cringed worriedly, as he saw his brother crumpled in the corner of his cell. "Anakin!" he said, rushing to his side. He was bleeding from the head, and there was an alarming gash along his right temple; his pulse was weak, but he was breathing. "Anakin, wake up," he said hopefully, gathering him in his arms and gently lifting open one of his eyelids. His eyes were dilated, almost completely black; he was deeply sedated, and would not regain consciousness for quite some time.

"I'll take him from here," Obi-Wan informed the guards curtly, carrying Anakin out of the cell and back up through the dungeon's winding passageways.

_Force, you've gotten heavy,_ he grunted, flopping Anakin's unconscious form into the passenger seat of his shuttle. _What have they been feeding you?_ Anakin had always been such a scrawny thing; his face was hidden underneath a mop of blood-soaked hair, and Obi-Wan barely recognized him any more. But aside from being drugged, unconscious, and bleeding, he looked healthy, and strong. Obi-Wan smiled wistfully as he carefully strapped him into the passenger seat. _It's so good to see you, Anakin. I have missed you._

_He needs a Bacta treatment right away,_ Obi-Wan realized, as they launched away from Tatooine. The gash in his head was deep, crusted with dried blood, and Obi-Wan didn't like the look of it. Anakin had spent the night in Jabba's filthy dungeon; that wound was undoubtedly infected. Tatooine's primitive hospitals did not possess Bacta tanks, and Coruscant was several hours away; Obi-Wan quickly searched the shuttle's navigation computer for the nearest medical facility.

_There,_ he decided, finding one within an hour's flight. It was a veterinary clinic belonging to a Bantha breeding facility, but the settlement was technologically advanced; the breeders would certainly have a Bacta tank, and would hopefully agree to treat Anakin in this emergency situation. Punching in the coordinates, Obi-Wan set a course for Cato Neimoidia.

* * *

><p><em>A few hours later...<em>

Anakin blinked groggily, regaining consciousness. There was a dull throbbing in his head, and... _What the hell?_ Suddenly his eyes opened wide and his arms and legs flailed wildly as he realized he was submerged in some kind of Bacta tank.

But the tank was gigantic; if it weren't for the thick, slimy feeling of the water, Anakin would have guessed he was in a swimming pool._ Where the hell am I?_ His memory was foggy, but he had a vague recollection that he had been on a secret espionage mission inside Hutt territory; obviously something had gone very wrong with that.

_Oh no. No no no..._ Anakin panicked, realizing he must be in some kind of freakish Hutt-sized Bacta tank. _Ewww! Yuck! Get me out of here!_ Swimming to the surface, he pulled off his breathing mask and climbed out of the tank, dropping down onto the floor.

His eyes and ears were still full of the thick, slimy fluid, and he couldn't see or hear well, but he vaguely caught sight of a figure advancing upon him now. Anakin was wearing only his undershorts, and he could feel slimy hands grabbing at his bare shoulders now... _Ahhh! Get off me!_ Grabbing blindly for the nearest object, he stabbed at his attacker.

That seemed to work; the slimy hands let go of him, and Anakin caught his breath, rubbing his eyes and blinking away the viscous fluid. He shook his head, then stumbled dizzily from the concussion. _Bad idea..._ But a minute later his vision cleared a bit, and he looked around the room, trying to figure out where he was.

It seemed to be a hospital of some type; he was surrounded by medical equipment, but everything was huge. _A Hutt hospital. Disgusting._ Then he noticed something crawling across the floor on the other side of the room. _That must have been what I stabbed..._ Blinking and squinting through the residual Bacta fluid, he vaguely made out the shape of a man, dressed in brown robe.

_Ooops._ Anakin stumbled toward him, hoping that it was indeed another Jedi, and that he was all right. He still couldn't see very well, so he reached out with the Force, trying to sense who it might be. _Oh crap! It's Obi-Wan!_ "Master," he said, his voice sounding strange; his ears were still full of Bacta fluid and he rubbed them now, trying to dry off. "Master, are you all right?"

"Yes, thank you," Obi-Wan slurred drunkenly, staggering to his feet and stumbling toward the door. "I'm fine."

_Crap, what did I stab him with?_ Still blinking away the slimy fluid, Anakin stumbled back toward the tank, and found an empty hypodermic needle on the floor. He squinted, holding it close to his face and attempting to read the label. _Bantha Mating Serum..._ Anakin blinked nervously as he chased after Obi-Wan, still half-naked, his slimy bare feet slipping all over the floor.

Obi-Wan had already reached the breeding facility by the time Anakin caught up with him. "Master!" he called anxiously, as Obi-Wan stumbled toward a huge, furry Bantha. "Master, come back!"

But Obi-Wan just grinned stupidly. "Anakin!" He smiled, wrapping his arms around one of the Bantha's legs and snuggling against it blissfully. "Oh, aren't they beautiful?"

But another, larger Bantha was quickly approaching him, and it did not seem pleased with the attention Obi-Wan was giving to its wife. Banthas typically refused to mate in captivity - thus the need for mating serum injections - but still, they were extremely territorial and guarded their females jealously.

"Ohhhh!" Obi-Wan exclaimed, his eyes opening wide as he saw the larger one coming toward him. "I want that one!" He stumbled toward it drunkenly, reaching his arms out to embrace its big, furry leg. But the male Bantha reared suddenly, roaring angrily as its hoofs came down on top of Obi-Wan.

"Master!" Instinctively, Anakin reached out a hand and Force-shoved Obi-Wan out of the path of the trampling hoofs. Obi-Wan crashed against the far wall, falling to the ground; but the Bantha turned angrily toward him, advancing once more. "Master!" Anakin ran to his side, grabbing Obi-Wan by the arm and pulling him away as the beast reared above them.

"Where are we going?" Obi-Wan asked, confused, as Anakin dragged him out of the mating area. "Noooo! I want them!" He struggled back toward the Banthas, but Anakin continued to haul him away. "They're so beautiful," Obi-Wan protested wistfully, tears in his eyes.

"Well you can't have them," Anakin told him sternly, half-dragging Obi-Wan back toward the veterinary clinic to find his clothes.

"You're no fun," Obi-Wan pouted, stumbling along beside him with his arm wrapped around Anakin's shoulders.

"Yeah, I know," Anakin agreed unhappily, helping him through the hallway. "I'm sorry, Master." _When he comes to his senses he is going to kill me for this._

"Is everything all right?" asked a woman in a white lab coat, approaching them in the hallway. Her expression was politely concerned, but something in her eyes, and in her presence, made Anakin feel suddenly naked. _Ahhh! I am naked,_ he realized suddenly. _Well, nearly..._

"Yes," Anakin assured her, trying to ignore her stare. "Yes, we're fine. Thank you. Um... What do we owe you, for - ?" he gestured vaguely toward the Bacta tank.

"Nothing," the veterinarian said, her eyes twinkling in admiration. "I'm happy to help, really. I'm glad you're feeling better." Then she glanced at Obi-Wan uncertainly. "Are you sure he's all right?"

"Yes, he's fine," Anakin insisted. _Ahh! Get me out of here!_ "Thanks again. We'll be out of your way in a minute," he told her, managing a somewhat confident smile. He returned to the clinic and quickly pulled on his clothes, keeping a close eye on Obi-Wan, who was sitting on an exam table with a dreamy smile. "All right," Anakin said gently, helping Obi-Wan back to his feet and out the door. "Here we go, Master."

_But where are we going?_ Anakin wondered, as he helped Obi-Wan into the passenger seat of the shuttle. He sighed, shaking his head. _Coruscant, I guess._ He wasn't certain about the long-term effects of Bantha mating serum, but he knew he should get Obi-Wan to a hospital soon. _And where are we now?_ Anakin started up the shuttle, checking the navigation computer. _Cato Neimoidia. Okay, I can deal with this._ Still clueless as to how he got into this situation, Anakin took off and set a course for Coruscant.

_I hope he doesn't remember this,_ Anakin sighed apprehensively, glancing over at Obi-Wan. His Master sat there with a dazed expression on his face, and he turned to Anakin now, smiling happily. His hair was cut shorter than before, but aside from that, he looked the same as ever. _Good old Obi-Wan..._ Anakin smiled, truly glad to see him again.

"Anakin," Obi-Wan murmured dreamily, leaning over and hugging him close. "I love you."

Anakin patted him on the back. "I love you too, Master," he said, with a regretful smile.

_This is going to be a long trip,_ he sighed, keeping an arm around his former Master and patting his shoulder gently as Obi-Wan snuggled affectionately against him, closing his eyes and drifting off to sleep with a blissful smile on his face.

* * *

><p>Dorv stared in wide-eyed disbelief at the shocking images which appeared on his video monitor. In the twelve years that he had been working as a security guard for the Bantha breeding facility, the surveillance cameras had never captured anything like this before. Pausing the recording on a particularly damning frame, he picked up his holo-transmitter.<p>

_"Galactic Enquirer,"_ the tabloid reporter answered in a business-like tone.

"Hello," Dorv said quietly. "I have some pictures that I think you might be interested in..."


	29. This is where the fun begins

**Chapter 29**

Obi-Wan awoke, surprised to find himself in the Jedi Temple's infirmary. _How did I get here?_ He had a vague, somewhat disturbing memory of flying home from Cato Neimoidia, snuggled close in Anakin's arms...

_No,_ he told himself, pushing away an even more bizarre image of Anakin, naked and glistening wet... _That didn't happen. That was only a dream._ But then he frowned, blinking worriedly. _Why in the blazes would I be dreaming about THAT?_

"Master Kenobi," the Jedi healer said, seeing that he was awake. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine, thank you," Obi-Wan replied politely. _I hope..._ "What happened?"

"Anakin brought you in last night," she told him. "You've been drugged; we're not certain what it was, but it seems to be out of your system now," she reassured him, taking his pulse and checking his blood pressure.

_Well that would explain the strange dreams..._ "Where's Anakin?" Obi-Wan asked, sitting up straighter in bed.

"He went back to his quarters last night," the healer said. "And Owen Lars left a message; he wants to meet with the two of you this morning, if you're feeling up to it," she added, nodding in satisfaction at the results of his pulse and blood pressure.

_Right; we're filming for JEDI._ "Yes, I'm feeling fine; thank you," Obi-Wan assured her, smiling. He got up and dressed himself, then went to find Anakin. He wasn't in his private chamber, so Obi-Wan continued on to the conference room to meet with Owen; but Anakin wasn't there either. _I hope he's all right,_ Obi-Wan worried, remembering his head injury. _Oh dear..._

* * *

><p><em>Mmmmm,<em> Anakin sighed sleepily, turning to snuggle closer to Padmé. He kissed her on the temple, gently brushing a loose strand of hair away from her face; then he wrapped an arm protectively around her, feeling the slight roundness of her belly. _We're going to have a baby,_ he thought happily, closing his eyes and drifting off to sleep once more.

But then Padmé woke up, stretching languidly as she turned toward him. "Ani," she said softly, kissing him; Anakin smiled, keeping his eyes closed. "Ani," she said again, her voice more persistent this time, as she prodded his shoulder. "What time is your meeting with Owen?"

Anakin sat up suddenly, looking at the clock. _Oh crap!_ "Ten minutes ago," he told her, cursing himself as he rolled out of bed and hurriedly got dressed. _Ahh! Too many clothes,_ he sighed, straightening his third tunic and reaching for his belt. _Damn Jedi dress code..._ He quickly pulled on his boots, glancing in the mirror to make sure he had fastened everything properly.

_What the... How did that scar get there?_ he wondered, blinking in surprise at the red gash down the right side of his forehead and cheek. His memory of the past few days was still a bit foggy, but there was no time to think about that now. Pulling on his cloak, he smiled at Padmé, giving her a quick kiss and hugging her tenderly for a moment. "Goodbye, Padmé," he said softly; then he hopped up into the open ventilation grating in the ceiling that allowed him secret access to and from Padmé's apartment.

* * *

><p>"Goodbye, Ani," Padmé said, as he crawled into the ventilation duct. "Good luck today."<p>

But a moment later Anakin dropped back down, shaking his head. "There's no time for that," he said, heading quickly for the landing platform outside her balcony. "I'm already late as it is."

"Ani, you can't take my ship; it will look suspicious," Padmé reminded him anxiously.

"I know," Anakin said, a mischievous twinkle in his eye as he gave her another quick kiss. "Bye. I'll see you later." Then, with a cautious glance to make sure he wasn't being watched, Anakin slipped quietly out onto the balcony and jumped off the edge, free-falling downwards through Coruscant's busy morning traffic hundreds of storeys below.

Padmé squeezed her eyes shut for a moment, not daring to look; but finally she got up her courage, and peered over the edge of the railing just in time to see Anakin grabbing hold of a speeder that was headed in the general direction of the Jedi Temple.

_I hate it when he does that..._ She shuddered, holding a hand over her stomach as she went back inside the apartment. Then she smiled ruefully, looking down at the little bulge of her belly. "Don't even think about turning out like your father," she scolded her child.

* * *

><p><em>A few minutes later...<em>

Anakin blasted away from Coruscant's atmosphere, racing to catch up with Obi-Wan and the others. He had completely missed the meeting, but Beru had stayed behind in the conference room, and had briefly filled him in on what was happening today. Apparently he and Obi-Wan were rescuing Chancellor Palpatine from Count Dooku aboard some kind of run-down spaceship just outside Coruscant's atmosphere.

_Does this look believable?_ he wondered once again, examining the black glove and leather padding strapped to his right arm, held together by three silver bracelets he'd borrowed from Beru. Everything had been thrown together at the last second, and there had been no time to get the golden droid hand from Padmé's neighbor. _Oh well, it will have to do._

_At least I found a cool yellow Starfighter,_ Anakin thought, still ecstatic over his new fighter. He'd lost the last one during his mission inside Hutt Territory, and had stopped by the Jedi Temple hangar to pick up a new one a few minutes ago; the attendant had already assigned him another blue one like he'd always had, but then Anakin had spotted _this_ beauty.

It was the only yellow Jedi Starfighter in existence. Apparently the Council had requested that a sample "gold" Starfighter be made, with the possibility of ordering twelve more for all the Council members; but for some reason they had decided not to go through with the plan, and this one had been collecting dust in the Temple hangar for months.

_This thing is awesome,_ Anakin thought, swooping back and forth and trying out the controls. But now he spotted Obi-Wan's red Starfighter ahead, and raced to catch up with him. _Ahh, he's probably mad at me for being late..._

"Master, I'm sorry," Anakin apologized into his transmitter. He was surrounded by camera droids, including one in his cockpit; Anakin had been hoping to apologize to Obi-Wan in private before they started filming this morning, but that couldn't be helped. "I'm sorry for being late," he explained, knowing that Owen was listening in too; "And I'm really sorry... about yesterday," Anakin added cryptically, not wanting to publicly broadcast the details of their Cato Neimoidian adventure.

But Obi-Wan just continued flying, ignoring Anakin entirely. _Crap... He's giving me the silent treatment._ This had happened to Anakin all too many times as a padawan; when Obi-Wan reached the end of his patience and became completely infuriated with Anakin, sometimes he wouldn't speak to him for hours, forcing Anakin to think about what he'd done wrong, and apologize for it properly.

_I didn't think he'd do this while we were filming,_ Anakin sighed unhappily, closing his eyes in dismay and putting a gloved hand to his face. _He must really be furious with me._

* * *

><p>"Anakin," Obi-Wan said again into his transmitter. But once more, there was no answer. "Anakin?" <em>He hasn't got his headset switched on, <em>Obi-Wan realized. Flipping over in his Starfighter, he fell back face-to-face with Anakin, pointing to his own headset to clue him in.

But now Anakin's eyes were closed, and he held a gloved hand to his head; he looked to be in pain. _Oh dear; that head wound was worse than I thought._ Then Obi-Wan remembered the missiles that Owen was about to launch at them. _Anakin doesn't know; and now he's flying with his eyes closed... I__'d better try to get his attention._ Pulling out in front of Anakin, he fired his burners as a signal.

_Huh?_ Anakin blinked, seeing Obi-Wan's burners flaring. _What's he doing?_ Then he remembered. _Oh, right! We're in the middle of a huge battle._ There were in fact only two ships up here - a _Space Troopers_ battleship fighting against a run-down, amazingly ugly monstrosity - but Owen would surely add other battleships and fighters digitally afterward. Following Obi-Wan's lead, Anakin flared his own burners, going into a spin for good measure.

_I'm sorry, Master..._ Anakin sighed ruefully as they continued to swoop around the battleship together. _He doesn't want to hear this now; I'll apologize later,_ he decided regretfully, focusing once again on the task at hand.

* * *

><p>"Anakin... Anakin!" Obi-Wan laughed, swooping around again. He had been trying to get his brother's attention for a full minute now, to tell him that his headset was switched off; but every time he flipped over to face his Starfighter, Anakin mimicked his movements, flying in perfect tandem. <em>Anakin, we're not playing follow the leader...<em>

"I'm sorry, Owen," Obi-Wan apologized into his transmitter, trying not to laugh.

"That's all right," Owen chuckled, amused. "We're getting some good footage from this anyway," he assured him.

_Thank goodness Owen takes all of this in stride..._ "Anakin," Obi-Wan said again, flipping over in his Starfighter. _Stop following me,_ he laughed. _This is going to look incredibly silly._ On top of the fact that they had been playing a childish game of follow-the-leader for two minutes now, Anakin had of course chosen to fly the hideously ugly mustard-yellow sample Starfighter that the Council had wisely voted against requisitioning. _That color is horrible,_ Obi-Wan thought, chuckling fondly. _I should have known Anakin would love it._

"Obi-Wan, the _Space Troopers_ are ready to join you," Owen reminded him over the transmitter.

"All right; send them in," Obi-Wan said. _Anakin doesn't know about this,_ he realized, remembering that his brother had missed the meeting this morning. _I'd better warn him..._ Obi-Wan flipped to the left, then quickly to the right in an attempt to get his attention.

_Wow... This must be some battle,_ Anakin thought, as he quickly mimicked Obi-Wan's flight patterns, flipping around in his Starfighter. _It takes a cataclysmic event to stop Obi-Wan from flying in a straight line_. But then he felt a twinge of sadness, realizing once again that being able to laugh with Obi-Wan was only a distant memory, long gone. His former Master was still giving him the silent treatment, too angry to even speak with him.

But now Anakin saw the _Space Troopers_ fleet approaching, and extended his wing flaps, following Obi-Wan's lead. "This is where the fun begins," Anakin announced mischievously. The enemy fighters were on their tail now; setting his laser weapons to the lowest power, Anakin pulled back, raining fire on the _Space Troopers_ and grinning enthusiastically as the harmless lasers bounced off the two-manned spacecrafts. The explosions would have to be added in later; but still, this was fun.

But the _Space Troopers_ continued to follow Obi-Wan, ignoring Anakin's attack. _Hey! You're dead! I shot you,_ Anakin frowned indignantly, firing at them again. These guys were supposed to be professionals; didn't they know when they'd been shot?

_What's going on?_ Anakin wondered, catching up with Obi-Wan again. It didn't help that Obi-Wan was refusing to speak with him; Anakin peered into his Master's cockpit now, giving him a pleading look. _I'm sorry, Master. Really, truly, I'm sorry. But will you please tell me what we're doing here?_

Obi-Wan was glaring at him in annoyance, and Anakin cringed apologetically; but now his eyes widened in surprise as Obi-Wan pointed desperately to his headset. _Oh, crap! His headset's not working,_ Anakin realized. Then he frowned, his brows furrowing. _Wait a minute... MY headset's not working either._ He flipped the switch back on, suddenly realizing that _everyone_ had been ignoring him these past few minutes, not just Obi-Wan._ Oops..._

"Master, can you hear me?" Anakin asked hopefully.

"Anakin," Obi-Wan replied, exasperated. "Yes, I can hear you... And stop shooting at the _Space Troopers,_" he scolded him. "They're on our side; we're fighting against Dooku's droid army," he explained.

_Well how was I supposed to know that? Oh yeah. The meeting,_ Anakin realized glumly. But now the _Space Troopers_ were under attack by the droid fighters, and Anakin saw an opportunity to redeem himself. "I'm going to go help them out," he announced, pulling back.

"No, no!" Obi-Wan retorted. "They are doing their job so we can do ours. Head for the command ship!"

_Yeah, he's mad at me,_ Anakin realized unhappily. _For missing the meeting... For not talking to him in two years... For that business on Cato Neimoidia... And whatever the hell happened before that..._ Anakin still had no idea how he had wound up in Jabba's dungeon, but Padmé had filled him in on the details of Obi-Wan's rescue operation; apparently he had left his class of younglings unattended and raced out to Tatooine the moment he heard of Anakin's capture, without waiting for authorization from the Jedi Council.

_He saved my life, and I repaid him by stabbing him with Bantha mating serum,_ Anakin sighed regretfully. _Yes, he hates me... But at least he doesn't want me to rot to death in some filthy dungeon,_ he consoled himself. _I suppose that's something._

* * *

><p>Obi-Wan laughed to himself, shaking his head. <em>I've forgotten how completely out of control things get when Anakin is around, <em>he confessed._ T__his is fun._

"Master," Anakin announced, as Owen had them try the scene again from the top, now that his headset was working. "General Grievous' ship is dead ahead. The one crawling with vulture droids."

_Yes, I know, Anakin. I was at the meeting._ "Oh, I see it," Obi-Wan replied. "Oh, this is going to be easy!" he added inanely. _Blast... T__hat sounded even more idiotic than Ki-Adi's babbling attempt at dialogue on last week's show,_ he cringed, embarrassed.

His next few lines came out better; but now the _Space Troopers_ props director was launching missiles at them, and Obi-Wan frowned worriedly._ Anakin doesn't know about this._ Owen had explained it at the meeting; the missiles didn't contain heavy explosives, but they were real enough, and could potentially be harmful if they hit anything.

"Missiles!" Anakin said anxiously, swerving away. "Pull up!"

"They overshot us," Obi-Wan pointed out. _Relax, Anakin. It's not like you've never seen a missile before._ But thanks to Anakin's spastic evasive maneuvers, most of the missiles had given up on him, and decided to follow Obi-Wan instead. _Brilliant. Thanks a lot._ One of the missiles exploded into a piece of debris now, and Arfour screamed as they shook from the impact.

"They're coming around!" Anakin said worriedly.

_Anakin, calm down._ Obi-Wan had been watching _JEDI_ religiously these past two years, and had noticed that when Jedi Knights tried to overdramatize the situation they just ended up looking stupid. _Don't panic, Anakin. You're going to look like an idiot._ "All right, Arfour. No, no. Nothing too fancy," Obi-Wan said calmly, playing it cool.

But Anakin panicked. "Surge all power units, Artoo! Stand by reverse thrusters!" Obi-Wan laughed as Anakin spun around like a lunatic; but to his credit, he _did_ cause the missiles to collide with each other. "We got 'em, Artoo!" Anakin congratulated himself idiotically.

Obi-Wan shook his head. "Flying is for droids," he said with mild annoyance, acting completely unconcerned by the fact that he still had two missiles on his tail. _Honestly, Anakin. We don't want the entire galaxy to think that the Jedi are a bunch of sissies who panic at the first hint of danger. Now watch as I effortlessly evade these two harmless little..._

_What in the blazes?_ Obi-Wan's Starfighter shuddered in the wake of another explosion nearby, and he turned around to see a bunch of tiny droids falling out of one of the _Space Troopers_ prop ships. "Owen, what was that?" he asked, concerned.

Suddenly the _Space Troopers_ director yelled over the transmitter. "Cut! Everybody in small crafts - get out of here, now!" Alarmed, Obi-Wan and Anakin veered to the side as the _Space Troopers_ sped away, following their safety evacuation procedures.

"Owen, what's going on?" Obi-Wan asked again, as he and Anakin circled back toward the director's larger ship.

"Master Kenobi," Owen replied hesitantly. "We've lost some chaos droids off the _Space Troopers_ props ship," he told him reluctantly.

"Chaos droids?" Obi-Wan repeated, alarmed. "What in the blazes are you doing with those?"

"Master Kenobi, I'm sorry," the _Space Troopers_ director apologized. "We were going to use them in another scene, under controlled conditions; I have a permit," he assured him. "We had them safely contained aboard the props ship, but the torpedo..."

"All right," Obi-Wan told him quickly. "We're on it. Anakin, follow me." Chaos droids were illegal, and highly dangerous; they would have to destroy them before they got loose and caused any more damage.

"Yes Master," Anakin replied, as they swerved back toward the escaped chaos droids. "Are we filming this?" he asked uncertainly.

Obi-Wan sighed. "Why not," he agreed. "But stay back; I promised Senator Amidala we wouldn't harm her R2 unit." Padmé had been kind enough to let them use it for this battle sequence; Obi-Wan had warned her that it might get damaged with all the explosions, but she had smiled, assuring him she was confident that Anakin would take good care of it. _She obviously doesn't know him very well,_ Obi-Wan laughed to himself.

"Yes Master," Anakin promised. "I won't let him get hurt."

"All right," Obi-Wan said. "I'll go in first; you stay back and cover for me." They flew into the small flock of chaos droids, shooting them down one at a time; but soon a few of them had attached themselves to Obi-Wan's Starfighter and were beginning to wreak havoc, drilling through anything and everything they touched. _This isn't exactly how I planned to spend my morning,_ Obi-Wan laughed, shaking his head. _Attacked by chaos droids..._ "I'm hit!" he said anxiously, for the cameras. "Anakin?"

"I see them," Anakin replied. "Chaos droids," he announced dramatically.

"Anakin," Owen broke in over the transmitter. "We can't call them 'chaos droids'; it's against the broadcast commission guidelines," he reminded him. Young, impressionable, brainless teenagers did not need any encouragement to build more of these things.

"Oh," Anakin said. "All right... Um... _I see them,_" he repeated dramatically; then there was a short silence as he tried to think what else to call them. "Buzz droids," he spat contemptuously.

Obi-Wan tried not to laugh. _Wonderful. Now I'm being attacked by 'buzz droids'._ But now one of them was drilling into Arfour... "Arfour, be careful," Obi-Wan warned him. "You have one... oh dear," he cringed, as the chaos droid ripped off Arfour's outer plating. "They're shutting down all the controls," he realized worriedly.

"Anakin," he said urgently. "I have to eject. Shoot down my Starfighter once I'm clear; I think they're all attached to me now," he added, reaching for his breathing apparatus. "But at least we'll be rid of them in one shot."

"No, I don't want to blow up Arfour," Anakin objected. "Move to the right so I can get a clear shot at them," he suggested.

_What? Are you completely mad?_ "No," Obi-Wan said. "I'm ejecting now. Owen, I'm sorry; if you could pick me up afterwards, I think we're going to have to skip ahead to the next scene," he apologized. "There's nothing more we can do here."

"All right," Owen agreed. "Master Kenobi, I'm sorry, about your Starfighter..."

"It's all right," Obi-Wan assured him; he was sad to lose Arfour, but it couldn't be helped.

"What's the next scene?" Anakin asked, totally clueless.

_Brilliant; h__e has no idea what we're even doing here._ "The mission," Obi-Wan explained patiently. "Get to the command ship; get the Chancellor." _Why weren't you at the meeting, anyway?_ "I'm running out of tricks here," Obi-Wan added worriedly; red lights were starting to blink all over his control panel.

But now Anakin was right behind him, aiming for the chaos droids on his left wing. "In the name of - " Obi-Wan cringed as he felt the explosion tear off his left wing. "Hold your fire," he told him, annoyed. "You're not helping here."

"I agree; bad idea," Anakin said. "Swing right... ease over... steady..."

"Wait," Obi-Wan told him impatiently. "I can't see a thing; my cockpit's fogging. They're all over me, Anakin." _If you wouldn't mind holding your fire for one blasted second, I'll be ejecting now..._

But Anakin was bound and determined to destroy the remainder of the chaos droids with Obi-Wan still inside the now-totaled Starfighter. "Move to the right," he instructed him again.

"Hold on, Anakin; you're going to get us both killed," Obi-Wan told him, exasperated. "Get out of here. There's nothing more you can do."

"I'm not leaving without you, Master," Anakin said stubbornly.

_Ah, so that's it. He's trying to play the hero,_ Obi-Wan realized. _All right, Anakin. But whatever you've got planned, do it now. If I don't eject soon, the emergency system is going to do it for me._ He moved to the right, praying that for once Anakin actually _did_ have a plan.

But alas, Anakin's plan was to swoop close to Obi-Wan, allowing the chaos droids to climb onto his ship as well. _Yes, Anakin. That's much better. Now we're going to lose two Starfighters instead of one; Master Yoda and Windu will be so pleased. As will Senator Amidala,_ Obi-Wan sighed ruefully, realizing her R2 unit was about to be disintegrated. _I knew this was a bad idea._ Now he had almost completely lost visibility. "I can't see," he muttered with annoyance. "My controls are gone..."

"Get 'em, Artoo," Anakin urged his astrodroid, completely oblivious to Obi-Wan's plight; he looked over now to see Artoo valiantly fighting against a chaos droid. "Watch out!" Anakin cringed, as the droid attacked Artoo once again.

"Artoo, hit the buzz droid's center eye," Obi-Wan instructed him; perhaps at least Anakin's Starfighter could still be saved.

"Yeah, you got him!" Anakin cheered happily.

"Great, Artoo!" Obi-Wan congratulated the droid, trying not to laugh. _I can't see a blasted thing... Where are we?_

Thankfully, Anakin finally seemed to realize that Obi-Wan was in trouble. "Stay on my wing," he told him, suddenly deadly serious. "The General's command ship is dead ahead. Easy... Pull up... Head for the hangar..."

_He's panicking again,_ Obi-Wan smiled, amused and touched at the same time. _Relax, Anakin. I'm a Jedi Master. I'm not going to be killed by a flock of chaos droids._ "Well have you noticed the shields are still up?" Obi-Wan asked mischievously.

"Sorry, Master," Anakin replied calmly, playing along. Obi-Wan couldn't really see what was happening, but he could hear Anakin shooting at something, and now it seemed that the hangar doors were actually closing on them.

But then he noticed the emergency eject light blinking on his control panel. "Oh, I have a bad feeling about this," he said, as his Starfighter skidded across the floor of the hangar. _Could this scene have possibly turned out any more pathetic?_ he wondered, laughing to himself.

A moment later his question was answered as his severely disabled Starfighter automatically ejected him from the cockpit. _So undignified, _Obi-Wan sighed, as he flip-flopped helplessly through the air. But a hangar full of battle droids awaited them, so Obi-Wan activated his lightsaber, praying that the next scene would be a bit less embarrassing.


	30. Fun with elevators!

**Chapter 30**

_He's still crazy as ever,_ Anakin laughed, coming to a stop inside the hangar as Obi-Wan flew dramatically through the air, lightsaber blazing. _I want to do that too,_ he decided, pressing the emergency eject button.

_NO SYSTEM FAILURE DETECTED,_ the readout blinked at him. _ARE YOU SURE YOU WANT TO EJECT? YES / NO._

_Yes..._ Anakin grinned mischievously, pressing the button.

_PLEASE ENTER OVERRIDE AUTHORIZATION CODE,_ the screen prompted him.

_What authorization code? Gah, I don't have time for this... _Anakin pouted, pressing the eject button more forcefully. _Maybe if I push it harder it will know I mean business._ But sadly nothing happened, and the screen was still blinking insistently, waiting for him to enter his authorization code. _Damn it... I guess I'll have to do this the boring way,_ he sighed, opening the hatch and climbing out.

_Oh, crap._ One of Beru's bracelets caught on something as he climbed out, clattering to the floor, and Anakin stooped to pick it up, frowning as he tried to put it back onto his forearm. _How did she do that?_ Women's jewelry was so difficult to clasp; but finally he got it back on._ That was a brilliant entrance,_ he sighed, joining Obi-Wan and slashing through the droids. _Owen will cut that._

_Now what?_ Anakin wondered, looking to Obi-Wan for direction after they finished off the droids. Artoo had let himself down from Anakin's Starfighter and was now coming over to join them. _I have no idea what we're doing here_.

Thankfully Obi-Wan seemed to have it all under control. "Artoo, locate the Chancellor," he instructed Padmé's astrodroid, as they went over to the computer terminal at the edge of the hangar. "The Chancellor's signal is coming from right there," Obi-Wan said, pointing to the screen. "The observation platform at the top of that spire."

_All right... Come on, think..._ "I sense Count Dooku," Anakin said uncertainly. _Right?_

Obi-Wan raised his eyebrows. "I sense a trap."

_Okay, I give up._ "Next move?" Anakin asked, completely baffled. _I really should have gone to that meeting._

"Spring the trap," Obi-Wan replied, with a mischievous twinkle in his eye. Anakin stifled an amused laugh. _Why does he always try to be so witty and clever for the cameras? It doesn't work, Obi-Wan._ Anakin let that one slide, but if this kept up, he would do his duty and save Obi-Wan from embarrassing himself. _Not that I'm doing much better,_ he sighed ruefully.

Artoo was following them toward the elevator now, and Anakin caught Obi-Wan's warning glance. _Right. He doesn't trust me with Padmé's stuff._ "Artoo, go back," Anakin told him. "I need you to stay with the ship."

"Here... Take this, and wait for orders," Obi-Wan improvised, tossing him a comlink as they waited for the elevator.

In the meantime, Owen and the _Space Troopers_ director had landed in the hangar, and were now hauling out several more droids, which they set loose on Anakin and Obi-Wan. _Those are awesome,_ Anakin grinned to himself. _What are they called...?_

"Destroyers!" he warned Obi-Wan, remembering their names. _Man, I need to start watching JEDI again; this is fun._ Anakin deflected their laser fire as he and Obi-Wan stepped onto the elevator, closing the doors behind them. But suddenly he felt nervous. _Now I'm trapped in an elevator with Obi-Wan... And he's mad at me..._

"Drop your weapons!" came a robotic voice from behind them. _What the...?_ "I said drop them!" the droid repeated. Anakin and Obi-Wan frowned at each other. _Where did they come from? I swear they weren't in here a second ago... _But he followed Obi-Wan's lead, spinning around and hacking through the droids at point-blank range.

Then he became painfully aware of the awkward silence as he and Obi-Wan stood together in the elevator. _Um... Hi, by the way. We haven't actually said that yet, have we?_ Anakin wondered. _No,_ he sighed ruefully. _We skipped the pleasantries and moved straight ahead to the stabbing, and the cuddling,_ he realized suddenly, panicking. _Crap, does he remember that?_ Anakin tried desperately not to look at Obi-Wan. _Come on, stupid elevator... Move faster..._

But of course it stopped. _Nooooo! Don't do this to me!_

"Did you press the stop button?" Obi-Wan asked, surprised.

"No, did you?" Anakin replied nervously. _Why would I do that? Help!_

"No," Obi-Wan told him, suddenly concerned.

_This ship is falling apart,_ Anakin realized. _Who knows how long we might be trapped in here... Alone... Together..._ He cringed inwardly at the thought. "Well, there's more than one way out of here," he said quickly, activating his lightsaber.

"We don't want to get out, we want to get moving," Obi-Wan reminded him testily. "Artoo," he added, into the comlink. "Artoo. Do you copy? Activate elevator 31174," he instructed the astrodroid.

But Anakin continued cutting a hole through the ceiling of the elevator. _Artoo can't control this thing,_ he knew. _The ship's computer system is way too old - whoa!_ Anakin blinked in surprise, instinctively jumping away as the elevator plummeted downwards.

A moment later he was hanging by his fingertips from a ledge inside the elevator shaft. _Well this is slightly better than being stuck in an elevator with an angry Jedi Master,_ Anakin consoled himself; but then several battle droids appeared just above his head, pointing their blasters at him. _Or maybe not,_ he sighed dejectedly. _I can't do anything right today._

* * *

><p><em>What in the blazes is he doing?<em> Obi-Wan laughed, regaining his balance as the elevator plummeted downwards. "Artoo, we need to be going up, not down," he said into the comlink. _Oh dear; maybe Anakin had the right idea after all._

But then the elevator came to an abrupt stop, and Obi-Wan was thrown onto the floor. _Owen will cut this,_ he hoped, picking himself up off the floor as the elevator started going up again. "Now, that's better," he told Artoo, trying to maintain some sense of dignity.

Suddenly there was a noise behind him, and Obi-Wan instinctively spun around, activating his lightsaber. But it was only Anakin. "Oh, it's you," he said awkwardly, turning it off again. _This scene is turning out even worse than the last one._ Anakin gave him a strange look, and Obi-Wan stifled a laugh; then he felt a twinge of regret. _He looks so different; __I hardly recognize him any more._

"What was that all about?" Anakin asked hesitantly.

_I wish I knew. But you didn't miss much._ "Well, Artoo has been - "

"No loose wire jokes," Anakin interrupted suddenly, with a meaningful warning glance. "He's doing the best he can."

_He remembers our signal,_ Obi-Wan realized, touched that Anakin hadn't forgotten. After their last appearance on _JEDI_, they had made a pact to warn each other if one of them was about to say something stupid. Obi-Wan's particular weakness was blurting out witty quips which seemed clever at the time, but in retrospect made him want to die from embarrassment.

"Did I say anything?" Obi-Wan asked innocently. _I wasn't going to make any loose wire jokes,_ he frowned, offended by the accusation. _I don't even KNOW any loose wire jokes. I was simply trying to fill you in on what's happening._

"He's trying," Anakin insisted, with another warning look.

"I didn't say anything!" Obi-Wan protested again. _And that's the problem,_ he realized sadly. _Hello, Anakin. It's so very good to see you._ Obi-Wan glanced at his brother fondly. _Yes, he's grown,_ he decided. _Not taller, really; but he's filled out a bit..._

_Ahh!_ Obi-Wan blinked worriedly. _Why do I keep picturing him wet and naked?_ Anakin was looking equally uncomfortable with this situation, and Obi-Wan looked quickly down at the floor, frowning. _Two nights away from Leila and I'm having dreams about Anakin, and... Banthas? _he wondered, furrowing his eyebrows in profound confusion.

_Oh dear,_ Obi-Wan realized unhappily, remembering Leila again. _I hope she's not worried._

* * *

><p>Leila was worried. Obi-Wan hadn't come home in two nights now, and she was starting to become deeply alarmed. There had been nothing in the news, and she couldn't exactly march up to the Jedi Temple and ask about him. Leila had been stubbornly forcing herself not to panic, but she couldn't help wondering where he was, and found herself envisioning the most terrible things.<p>

The last time anything like this had happened, Obi-Wan had been only a padawan, and Leila had thought that he stopped coming because he didn't love her anymore. But as it turned out, he had been grievously wounded, and was in the hospital. _Has he been maimed in some kind of freak teaching accident?_ Leila wondered, blinking back tears. _Please let him be all right..._

She was walking to work at the hair salon after dropping Jon and Kyra at school, when something on the news stand caught her attention, and she turned back for a closer look at the cover. It was a picture of Obi-Wan... and Anakin was with him! Overwhelmed with relief, Leila smiled excitedly as she picked up the _Galactic Enquirer_ and proceeded to read the front headline.

_ROMANTIC GETAWAY? - Pretty boy Anakin Skywalker of _JEDI_ fame shows off his rippling, sweat-glistening muscles as his former Master, Obi-Wan Kenobi - sporting a stylish new haircut - clings to him amorously. The two were spotted sharing an intimate moment together in an undisclosed Cato Neimoidian location yesterday afternoon._

Leila grinned happily; Obi-Wan was all right, and the article had even mentioned his new hairstyle! But what the heck were those two doing? Leila squinted curiously at the bizarre picture. She never took anything in the _Galactic Enquirer_ seriously, but Obi-Wan was clearly drunk beyond hope, and Anakin's so-called "sweat" was dripping off him in slimy, viscous globs... Leila shook her head, fearing that the truth behind this picture was even stranger than the caption suggested. _Men,_ she sighed. _I'll never understand them._

* * *

><p><em>Well that was uncomfortable,<em> Anakin sighed, as he and Obi-Wan exited the elevator. _He must really be furious with me,_ he realized glumly. _He didn't even say hello._ 'Oh, it's you', he had said; the disdain in his voice had been hard to miss. _I'm sorry, Master,_ Anakin sighed, as they entered the observation deck. _I have been such a complete asshole,_ he admitted.

_One of us should say something,_ he realized anxiously, as they walked in silence toward Chancellor Palpatine. _This is really awkward. But I still don't know what we're doing here... Come on, Obi-Wan. Say something._

"Chancellor," Obi-Wan said, bowing.

_Well duh. Even I could have thought of that. Way to state the obvious, Obi-Wan._ "Are you all right?" Anakin asked considerately.

But the Chancellor completely ignored him. "Count Dooku," he warned them quietly, glancing behind them. _What?_ Anakin looked up to the balcony, surprised. _Oh, cool! Dooku's here! Man, he makes an awesome Sith Lord. Way better than Palpatine..._

"This time we will do it together," Obi-Wan said gravely.

"I was about to say that," Anakin agreed. _Hey, I really WAS about to say that! Great minds think alike... And now we get to have another mating ritual with Uncle Dooku... Hi Uncle Dooku!_

"Get help!" Palpatine urged them. "You're no match for him. He's a Sith Lord."

"Chancellor Palpatine," Obi-Wan replied proudly, "Sith Lords are our speciality." _That's right,_ Anakin agreed. _Last time he fled in terror after we, um... Yeah, that didn't turn out so well,_ he realized, frowning. But he shrugged off his cloak along with Obi-Wan, activating his lightsaber in preparation for today's fertility dance. _You're going down this time, Dooku._

"Your swords, please, Master Jedi," Dooku said gallantly. "We don't want to make a mess of things in front of the Chancellor."

_Haha, good try._ But Obi-Wan nodded agreeably, deactivating his lightsaber. _What? We're just giving up, like that? Oh,_ Anakin realized, as Owen brought over a couple of practice lightsabers. _Yeah, that wouldn't have been so good__._

"You won't get away this time, Dooku," Obi-Wan warned him, as they charged toward him, attacking from both sides.

"I've been looking forward to this," Dooku replied.

_So have I, _Anakin agreed_. This is so much fun!_ "My powers have doubled since the last time we met, Count," he said. _At the Naberrie's house two months ago, when we dueled with barbecue forks._ Padmé's family had known about their secret marriage from the very beginning; they were really nice people, and Anakin always loved visiting them.

"Good," Dooku replied. "Twice the pride, double the fall." _He's really gotten better at this,_ Anakin confessed, as they continued fighting. Anakin had given Uncle Dooku a few pointers at the last family barbecue, and he had obviously been practicing.

"Your moves are clumsy, Kenobi," Dooku said haughtily. "Too predictable. You'll have to do better." _Yeah, Kenobi,_ Anakin agreed, grinning in amusement as he watched them fight each other. _And you call yourself a Jedi..._ _Get him, Uncle Dooku!_ Obi-Wan was obviously holding back, but Dooku really was doing an incredible job.

_Oh wait... I'm supposed to be on Obi-Wan's side,_ Anakin remembered, renewing his attack against Dooku. _Damn._ The only bad part about fighting Dooku was that the Sith Lord always won; he was on the show nearly every week, and so the Jedi were forced to lose against him every time. _Ah well,_ Anakin sighed, slashing against the evil Count and driving him up the stairs.

"Cut," Owen said, as Anakin and Dooku stopped fighting and turned to the director. "That was perfect," he congratulated them. "Okay, now we need to work on some stunts," Owen told them. "Anakin, if I can get you to stand behind Dooku and throw Master Kenobi onto the floor, we'll splice these bits together later."

Anakin nodded, with an apologetic cringe at Obi-Wan. "Do your worst," Obi-Wan laughed, bracing himself. Anakin threw him back a little ways, and Obi-Wan dutifully fell to the floor, pretending to be hurt; then he staggered to his feet, rushing toward Dooku again and hacking through two battle droids on the way up the stairs.

"Cut! That was perfect," Owen said. "All right, now let's do it the other way around..." Anakin grinned, bracing himself as Obi-Wan threw him back in the opposite direction. _Come on, Obi-Wan; you can do it harder than that. I'm not going to break,_ he sighed in disappointment as he crashed to the floor, then stumbled to his feet again. _This is so much fun!_

They brought Dooku into the action next, filming a shot of him choking Obi-Wan while simultaneously kicking Anakin aside. "Cut! Excellent," Owen said, as Anakin got back to his feet. "Now, I just need one more shot with the three of you on the balcony... This time, Master Kenobi, you're going to be knocked out, unconscious. All right?"

Obi-Wan nodded cheerfully, bracing himself again. "Anakin, do it harder this time," he urged him. "I don't want to be knocked unconscious by some sissy little Force-push. Here, throw me off the balcony," he suggested.

"All right," Anakin agreed. They had discussed this after their last appearance on _JEDI;_ it was better to endure a little physical pain, than to be put out of commission by a minor blow and look completely ridiculous, as Obi-Wan had the last time. _Sorry, Master,_ Anakin cringed; but he dutifully threw Obi-Wan off the balcony, as hard as he dared this time.

Obi-Wan collapsed face-down onto the floor, and didn't move again. "Cut," Owen said nervously, sharing an anxious glance with Anakin. "Master Kenobi? Are you all right?" he asked, quickly going to his side.

"Yes," Obi-Wan replied cheerfully, not moving. "Quite comfy, actually. Did it look bad?"

"Eh," Anakin replied, shrugging. "It could have been worse," he admitted. "Hey, how about if we collapse this whole thing on top of you?" he suggested. Owen liked the idea, so they filmed another shot with Anakin providing the special effects as Dooku collapsed the balcony on top of Obi-Wan where he lay. "How's that?" Anakin asked hopefully.

"Perfect," Obi-Wan replied, settling down for a nice mid-morning nap while the others continued to work.

_Haha!_ Anakin laughed to himself, falling off the balcony and pretending to be Dooku. _I forgot how much fun this is._ Then he went back up and did a somersault off the balcony, before resuming his lightsaber duel with Uncle Dooku.

"I sense great fear in you, Skywalker," Dooku said, as they continued to fight. "You have hate, you have anger, but you don't use them."

_Yeah, that's because Padmé cured me,_ Anakin remembered, spinning around and slashing at Dooku. The last episode had ended with their secret marriage, and her love had saved Anakin from turning to the Dark Side, as Owen had originally planned. _Happily ever after,_ he sighed, as the duel continued. _Mmmm... Padmé..._

"Cut!" Owen said. _Oops,_ Anakin blinked, realizing he'd been daydreaming again. _Damn, I need to pay attention here._ But Owen seemed pleased with their efforts. "That was perfect," he assured them. "Now we just need to end it." _Aw crap, now I have to get taken down like an idiot too,_ Anakin sighed. "Anakin," Owen said, "Can you make it look like you're chopping off both his hands?"

_Huh?_ "Sure," Anakin agreed. _But why? Damn, I should have been at that meeting..._ But he went ahead and pretended to chop off Dooku's hands, snatching his red lightsaber away from him and stepping back a pace, crossing both sabers in front of his neck. _Payback time, Dooku,_ Anakin gloated triumphantly, still wondering where Owen was going with this.

But suddenly Palpatine spoke up. "Good, Anakin, good," he congratulated him. "Kill him," he said abruptly. "Kill him now!"

_What?_ Anakin blinked in surprise, looking at Owen uncertainly. Uncle Dooku was looking equally horrified by this new turn of events. "Um," Anakin said hesitantly. "Really?" _What's going on here?_

"Yes," Owen nodded. "Sorry, I thought you knew; this is Dooku's death scene," he told him.

"What? No," Anakin protested, horrified. _You can't kill off Uncle Dooku!_

"Yes, Anakin," Dooku told him gently. "I put in my resignation last month; I've been offered another acting role, for a full-length movie this time, and I won't have time to film for _JEDI_ and _Space Troopers_ every week," he explained.

"Really?" Anakin asked. "That's great! Congratulations," he added. "What's the movie about?"

"Ah... I'll tell you later," Dooku said, with a warning glance. _Oh, right. We're supposed to be working here._

"Sorry," Anakin apologized to Owen, cringing.

"No, that's all right," Owen said. "Actually, I need a minute; we're having some camera problems here."

Anakin nodded agreeably, turning back to Uncle Dooku. "So this is it? And _I_ get to kill you?" he asked, grinning in disbelief.

"Yes," Dooku nodded, laughing. "I specifically requested it, when I heard you were filming this week. I figured you deserve it, after what I did to you last time," he said, with a playful twinkle in his eyes as he glanced at Anakin's gloved hand.

"Ha! Yeah," Anakin agreed, laughing at the silver bracelets on his arm. "You made me wear women's jewelry on a galactic broadcast," he joked. "You will pay for this, Dooku," he laughed, mock-strangling him. "No, that's sad though... So now it's just going to be Palpatine as the Sith Lord?" Anakin asked, curious. Then a thought occurred to him. _Oh! I was next in line, last I knew... Oh oh oh... Pick me! Please pick me! I want to be a Sith Lord! That would be so cool... I love this show..._

"No, didn't you hear?" Dooku asked; then he sighed. "Of course you didn't. You've been too busy making a nuisance of yourself in Hutt Territory," he laughed. Then he peered at Anakin curiously. "What happened to your head by the way? That looks dreadful."

"Um... I don't know," Anakin replied, touching his scar absently. _Really, I don't..._ "So what were you saying, about the new Sith Lord?" he asked hopefully. _It's me, isn't it? I know it is! That's what the meeting was about!_

"Oh, yes," Dooku nodded. "They had a galaxy-wide contest, where people could enter to be the next Sith Apprentice; it was all over the entertainment news, I'm surprised you didn't hear about it," he told Anakin.

"Oh," Anakin nodded sadly. _I wish I'd known; I would have entered..._ "So who won?" he asked, masking his disappointment.

"A Kaleesh named Pookie," Dooku told him. "Actually he's here today; you'll meet him in the next scene."

"A Kaleesh?" Anakin frowned, surprised. "Aren't they... tiny? And... squishy?"

"Yes," Dooku laughed, amused by Anakin's reaction. "But you should see his costume; it's extraordinary. He's built himself a robotic body which he controls from the inside, with a voice modifier and everything. Quite scary," Dooku assured him.

"Oh," Anakin nodded again, shrugging. _Well, I guess he deserves it, if he went to all that effort..._

"All right, we're ready," Owen said, as they took their places again. "Let's take it again from the Chancellor's line."

"Kill him now," Palpatine commanded Anakin.

"I shouldn't," Anakin protested. _Uncle Dooku deserves better than this._

"Do it!" the Chancellor snapped; and Anakin slashed obediently at Dooku's throat with his two lightsabers. _Sorry Uncle Dooku,_ he sighed, as Padmé's uncle crumpled to the floor. Then he blinked, frowning. _That wasn't a very Jedi-like thing I just did,_ he realized suddenly._ Oops... Um..._ "I couldn't stop myself," he blurted out lamely. _Wait a minute... YOU told me to do this! Why am I apologizing?_

"You did well, Anakin," Palpatine assured him. "He was too dangerous to be kept alive."

"Yes, but he was an unarmed prisoner," Anakin pointed out. _I'd be expelled from the Jedi Order if I did that in real life._ He reached out a hand and used the Force to free Palpatine from his wrist restraints. "I shouldn't have done that," he said again. "It's not the Jedi way." _We can't let the viewers think that was all right._

"It is only natural," Palpatine reassured him. "He cut off your arm, and you wanted revenge. It wasn't the first time, Anakin. Remember what you told me about your mother, and the Sand People," he reminded him, with a meaningful glance.

_Ohhhh,_ Anakin realized, finally understanding. _He's being Darth Sidious now. I am an idiot,_ Anakin sighed. _I really should have gone to that meeting. Um... Now what?_ he wondered, at a complete loss.

"Now, we must leave before more security droids arrive," the Chancellor told him, heading for the elevator.

_Right._ Anakin began to follow him to the elevator; then he noticed Obi-Wan still lying there unconscious with the balcony collapsed on him._ Is he supposed to be dead? I'm so confused! But I can't just leave him there..._ Anakin rushed to his side, shoving the balcony off him and rolling him over gently, pretending to check for his pulse. Obi-Wan snored quietly, a faint smile crossing his face, and Anakin tried not to laugh. _Somebody, please tell me what to do here! Ahhhh!_

"Anakin, there is no time," Palpatine scolded him. "We must get off the ship before it's too late."

_Yeah, I'm onto you, Sidious._ Anakin frowned, thinking quickly. _Let's see, what have I done so far in this episode? Made an ass of myself in outer space... Then in the hangar... Then in the elevator... Then I broke the Jedi code by killing Dooku in cold blood... And now if I leave Obi-Wan here I will look like the biggest jerk in the galaxy... Screw that._ "He seems to be all right," Anakin insisted stubbornly.

"Leave him, or we'll never make it," Palpatine commanded him.

_I don't take orders from Sith Lords. Not even fake ones. Especially not fake ones._ "His fate will be the same as ours," Anakin insisted, picking up Obi-Wan and heaving him over his shoulder. _Force, Obi-Wan, how much do you weigh?_ he grunted, shifting his Master's dead weight as Obi-Wan dangled limply, not even attempting to be helpful. _This is going to be fun,_ Anakin sighed ruefully, heading toward the elevator with Palpatine. _Where are we going anyway? Down, I guess..._ He pushed the button, but nothing happened.

_Of course. Great. Now the elevator's broken... This ship is about to fall apart,_ Anakin thought, shaking his head. "The elevator's not working," he apologized to Owen; but the director motioned for him to keep going, pointing toward his comlink. _You've got to be kidding..._ Sighing ruefully, Anakin pulled out his comlink, trying to keep a straight face as he contacted Artoo.

"Artoo," he said urgently, listening for the astrodroid's beeping reply. "Activate elevator 3224." _This is not going to work,_ Anakin worried. _Artoo can't control this thing._ It was one thing for a Jedi Knight to be playing around in a broken elevator shaft; but Anakin had the Chancellor of the Galactic Republic with him now, and he frowned uncertainly, glancing at Owen once again.

But the director seemed completely unconcerned, and Obi-Wan was still napping peacefully on his shoulder, so Anakin sighed, resigning himself to his fate and wishing for the hundredth time that he had gone to the stupid meeting.


	31. And even more fun with elevators!

**Chapter 31**

_Well this is interesting,_ Obi-Wan thought, hanging limply from Anakin's shoulder and pretending to be unconscious. Anakin was supposed to have left him lying there on the observation deck, creating dramatic tension so that Obi-Wan could heroically reappear in the next scene and save them from General Grievous. _Or we could do it this way, so that I look like a complete idiot,_ he sighed. Palpatine had instructed Anakin twice to leave Obi-Wan behind, but Anakin hadn't taken the hint, and had stubbornly decided to bring him along.

_He loves me,_ Obi-Wan realized with amusement. _He doesn't have any idea what's going on, but he didn't want to leave me for dead._ Owen of course had simply let it happen; he was the ultimate laissez-faire director, and had always maintained that some of the best moments in _JEDI_ history had come about accidentally.

"Artoo, do you copy?" Anakin was asking again. "Artoo, come in!" Owen and the cameraman had already taken another elevator down to the bridge to prepare for the next scene, leaving a couple of hovering camera droids with Anakin and Obi-Wan.

_At what point should I wake up?_ Obi-Wan wondered. _Not yet,_ he decided. _I will let Anakin rescue me and carry me down in the elevator, and then in the next scene I will surprise them all by waking up just when General Grievous is about to kill them... Yes, that will work. And then we will escape to the docking bay and steal a shuttle as planned._

_It's all under control,_ Obi-Wan decided, relaxing peacefully as he dangled from Anakin's shoulder. _Hopefully Artoo has figured out the controls to the elevator by now,_ he laughed to himself. _I wouldn't want Chancellor Palpatine to get thrown around like I did._

* * *

><p><em>Bleep bleep bleep bleep BLEEP!<em> Artoo cursed angrily, trying to get the elevator to work. _Stupid elevator! Arrrgghh! I hate you!_ The controls were completely backwards; up was down, and down was up, and even then it didn't always respond correctly. Now it was refusing to cooperate altogether; but Anakin needed the elevator to work, and so Artoo was determined to find a way.

_I can't let Anakin down,_ he told himself. Artoo loved Anakin; he always let him do the coolest tricks, and it had been so much fun flying with him in the last scene. Padmé's flying style was so boring, and safe; it had been ages since Artoo had been allowed to do anything exciting. _I will get this elevator working, just like Anakin asked me to,_ he resolved.

After several failed attempts to move the elevator up and down, Artoo determined that it was stuck. _Aha! So that's the problem..._ But how to dislodge it? _I've got it,_ Artoo realized. _If I just access the main computer and override the controls, I can spin the whole ship around really fast, and hopefully that will shake it loose, _he decided, pleased with his plan._  
><em>

* * *

><p><em>Oh my...<em> Chancellor Palpatine blinked in surprise, stumbling as the ship suddenly lurched to the side. _I don't think this was planned._ But this was precisely why everyone loved _JEDI_ so much: you just never knew what would happen. And with both Anakin and Master Kenobi at his side, Palpatine knew that he was in safe hands, and that there was no cause for alarm.

_This is quite fun, actually,_ he decided, running behind Anakin through the elevator shaft. Palpatine had always been athletic in his youth; he had naturally good reflexes, and prided himself in staying fit, even at his age. He was slightly concerned by this new turn of events, but Master Kenobi was still pretending to be unconscious; obviously everything was under control. _This is going to be such an exciting episode,_ Palpatine thought, as he continued to chase after Anakin.

* * *

><p><em>What in the blazes is going on?<em> Obi-Wan wondered, bouncing around uncomfortably on Anakin's shoulder as they ran through the elevator shaft. _Anakin, what do you think you're doing? You can't bring the Chancellor in here... Owww,_ he winced, as his head slammed against something. _That really... hurt..._ he realized vaguely, a moment before he passed out.

* * *

><p><em>EEEeeeeeeeeeee!<em> Artoo screamed, as he slid helplessly toward the edge of the docking bay. _Bad idea..._

* * *

><p><em>Oh crap!<em> Anakin blinked anxiously, grabbing hold of Palpatine as the ship continued to lurch, sending them sliding down the elevator shaft. _This is not good... What the hell is happening?_ But Obi-Wan was still pretending to be unconscious, and Palpatine seemed equally unconcerned, so Anakin decided that this, too, had been planned in advance. _Next time I'm going to the meeting._

But now the ship had righted itself, and they were falling too fast. Anakin grabbed hold of a bunch of cables, wincing painfully as they came to an abrupt stop. Palpatine was now hanging from his leg, and Obi-Wan was still enjoying his mid-morning nap... _You're not being very helpful,_ Anakin thought resentfully, trying to figure out what to do next.

"Master," he whispered; but Obi-Wan stubbornly continued to play his part, dangling limply from Anakin's shoulder. _Yeah, it would look ridiculous if he woke up now,_ Anakin agreed, sighing. But now his glove was starting to slip, and he was losing hold... "Master," he whispered again. "Master!" _Come on, Obi-Wan, wake up. This isn't funny._ Anakin shifted him uncomfortably over his shoulder; but to his alarm, Obi-Wan began to slip helplessly downwards... _Oh crap! He's really unconscious!_

* * *

><p>"AaaaAAHHH!" Obi-Wan exclaimed, waking up and grabbing hold instinctively as he felt himself falling. <em>Where am I? What's happening?<em> His head was throbbing, but he quickly gathered that he was dangling from Anakin's neck inside an elevator shaft.

"Easy," Anakin told him anxiously. "We're in a bit of a situation."

_A bit of a situation... Anakin, what have you done?_ "Did I miss something?" Chancellor Palpatine was hanging from Anakin's leg, and... "What is that?" Obi-Wan asked worriedly, noticing that the elevator was coming down toward them at a high rate of speed.

"Um, oops," Anakin apologized. Artoo!" he said into his comlink. "Artoo, shut down the elevator!" But it was falling too fast...

"Too late! Jump!" Obi-Wan said quickly, letting go of Anakin and reaching for his grappling hook. Thankfully Anakin had the same idea, and a moment later the three of them slid out into the hallway as the elevator hurtled down past them. _Owen, what's going on?_

* * *

><p>"Master Kenobi, what's going on?" Owen asked urgently into his transmitter. "Is everyone all right?" A moment ago the entire ship had suddenly and inexplicably flipped over, but it seemed to have righted itself now.<p>

"Yes, we're all right," Master Kenobi assured him over the transmitter. "What happened?"

"I'm not sure," Owen admitted cautiously. _That wasn't good,_ he realized. _Someone could have been killed._ "Let's take a break, everyone," he announced over the ship's loudspeaker. "We need to do a safety check."

* * *

><p>"Chancellor, are you all right?" Obi-Wan asked again, concerned.<p>

"Yes, I'm fine, thank you," Palpatine assured him. The Chancellor was such a good sport about being on _JEDI_ nearly every week, but Obi-Wan doubted that he fully understood the danger they had been in a moment ago.

"Anakin, what were you thinking?" Obi-Wan chided him. _You could have killed the Chancellor of the Galactic Republic._

"I... I thought that's what we were supposed to do," Anakin apologized lamely. "I figured you'd planned it, in the meeting."

Obi-Wan sighed in annoyance. "No, it wasn't planned," he told him. "Why weren't you at the meeting anyway?"

"I... um... got lost," Anakin answered vaguely, looking deeply remorseful.

"You got lost?" Obi-Wan repeated, baffled. _In the Jedi Temple? In your own home, where you grew up?_ Then he remembered Anakin's head injury. "Anakin, are you sure you're all right?" he asked, peering at his scar with concern.

"Yes, I'm fine, Master," Anakin replied uncomfortably, looking away.

_This is why he can't get far enough away from me,_ Obi-Wan sighed. _When I'm not scolding him as if he's still a child, I'm smothering him like a mother hen. He's not my padawan any more_. _He is a Jedi Knight, and a far better one than I ever was._

* * *

><p><em>He's mad at me for messing that up,<em> Anakin realized, sensing Obi-Wan's dismay. "So what's happening in the next scene?" he asked hesitantly. _I'll try to get it right, and not embarrass him again._

"We're going to get captured by General Grievous," Obi-Wan told him. "Actually, _you're_ supposed to get captured, and then I'm supposed to rescue you," he admitted. "So I'm not entirely sure how we're going to do it now, but I'm sure Owen will figure something out."

_Great__; I ruined his heroic rescue scene._ "I'm sorry, Master - "

"No, no, it's all right," Obi-Wan assured him, smiling. "It will be better this way, I'm certain." Anakin gave him an apologetic look, and a moment later Owen contacted them, saying that the ship was all right and that they were ready to film the scene with General Grievous on the command bridge. "All right," Obi-Wan replied over the transmitter. "We'll be there in a moment."

"Are we filming this?" Palpatine asked, glancing at the hovering cameras as they headed toward the hallway.

Obi-Wan nodded thoughtfully. "I suppose we should make it look as though we're trying to escape... This way, quickly!" he said, running toward the docking bay. "Let's see if we can find something in the hangar bay that's still flyable."

Anakin followed, trying to make sense of what was going on. _Wait, where's Artoo? We can't leave him behind..._ "Artoo, get down here," he said into his comlink. "Artoo, do you copy?"

* * *

><p><em>Anakin! Yes, I'm here!<em> Artoo beeped excitedly. He was in the middle of filming another scene right now, fighting against a bunch of battle droids in the docking bay, but it seemed really boring and pointless... _Screw this. Hang on, Anakin! I'm coming!_

* * *

><p><em>Where the heck is he going?<em> the cameraman wondered. _Oh well,_ he sighed, shrugging. _I guess we got enough footage here._ But the battle droids were still programmed to attack Artoo, so now they were following him down the hallway. _Oops... Um... Come back?_

* * *

><p>"Wait!" Obi-Wan said, as the three of them stopped suddenly in their tracks. <em>What?<em> Anakin wondered, looking around worriedly. "How are we going to get captured?" Obi-Wan asked, frowning.

_You're asking me?_ Anakin blinked. _Uh... Think fast..._ "Ray shields!" he announced randomly.

"Ray shields?" Obi-Wan laughed, amused by the idea.

"Yeah, they can add the effects later," Anakin said. "It will look really cool."

"Excellent idea," the Chancellor said, with an approving smile.

"All right," Obi-Wan agreed; but then he frowned, looking puzzled. "Wait a minute, how did this happen?" he asked, looking around at the imaginary ray shields. "We're smarter than this," he objected.

"Apparently not," Anakin muttered, mostly to himself_._

"I'm open to suggestions here," Obi-Wan confessed, at a loss.

_Why does that not surprise me?_ Anakin laughed. _I'm onto you, Obi-Wan. The second something happens that wasn't discussed in your precious meeting, you're suddenly no help at all._ "I say... patience," he blurted out stupidly, unable to think of anything else.

"Patience?" Obi-Wan repeated. "That's your plan, is it?"

_Well at least I HAVE one... Sort of..._ "Yes, Artoo will be along in a few moments and he'll release the ray shields," Anakin insisted confidently. Then he blinked in amazement as Artoo skidded into the hallway a moment later. _Ha! Where'd he come from?_ "See? No problem," Anakin said, trying to keep a straight face._ That was awesome..._ But a moment later he was joined by several battle droids, and they found themselves surrounded. _Oops..._

"Do you have a Plan B?" Obi-Wan asked testily.

_No,_ Anakin sighed. _I give up._ But then he frowned. _Wait a minute... We were SUPPOSED to get captured,_ he realized. _My plan worked, _Anakin thought smugly, as they were escorted at gunpoint toward the command bridge. _I am a genius!_


	32. We are still flying HALF a ship

**Chapter 32**

"Ah, there you are," Owen said, as Anakin, Obi-Wan, and Chancellor Palpatine entered the command bridge, followed by Artoo and several battle droids. "Anakin, I don't think you've met Pookie?"

Anakin stared in surprise at the giant skull-headed droid monster that stood before him. "Oh; you're the one who won the contest! Congratulations," he said cheerfully, peering into the bright yellow eyes behind the skull mask. _He deserved to win,_ Anakin confessed, admiring the details of the skull head and droid body, and the big black cape. _That looks awesome._

"Thank you," the new Sith Lord replied in a deep voice. "Oops - I mean..." General Grievous lifted up his skull mask up with a robotic hand, revealing the cute, squishy little Kaleesh underneath. "Thank you," Pookie squeaked happily, his voice suddenly two octaves higher. "It's a pleasure to meet you! I'm so excited," he added, letting go of the controls and shaking Anakin's finger with his tiny frog-like hand.

"Nice to meet you too," Anakin replied; then he peered at Pookie worriedly as the little Kaleesh was suddenly overcome by a fit of coughing. "Are you feeling all right?" Kaleeshes were amphibious, but they mostly lived underwater on their home planet; their lungs were underdeveloped, and they were susceptible to respiratory infections, which often proved deadly to the delicate little creatures.

"Yes, I'm fine," Pookie insisted, still coughing. "Sorry." Then, using his robotic arms, he picked up a bucket of water and dunked his head in for a moment, gurgling contentedly. "There," he sighed, coming up for air. "Okay, I'm ready," he said cheerfully, nodding apologetically to Owen.

"Are you sure you're all right, Pookie?" Owen asked, putting a hand on General Grievous' shoulder. Anakin could sense his concern and alarm, along with Obi-Wan's, and feared that Pookie's cough was more serious than he was letting on.

But Pookie smiled bravely. "Yes," he assured Owen. "Sorry about that." Then he pulled his skull mask back down. "Helloooooo," he said playfully, his voice once again low and robotic, as the others laughed in amusement.

"All right," Owen said. "Let's get started... Action!"

"Oh yes; General Kenobi... The Negotiator," Grievous said ominously. _What?_ Anakin blinked, surprised. _He's a General now?_ "We've been waiting for you. That wasn't much of a rescue," Grievous added. _Yeah, that was my fault,_ Anakin sighed. "And Anakin Skywalker," Grievous said. "I was expecting someone with your reputation to be a little older."

_You were?_ Anakin thought, flattered; it was amazing to realize that he had earned such a reputation for himself after just two years in Hutt Territory. "General Grievous," he replied, wanting to return the compliment. _Cool name? No... Nice cape? Wait a minute; we're supposed to be enemies_... "You're - shorter than I expected," Anakin blurted out, with a disturbed frown. _That's the best insult I could come up with?_

"Ahhh," Grievous replied angrily. "Jedi scum!"

"We have a job to do, Anakin," Obi-Wan chided him. "Try not to upset him."

"Your lightsabers will make a fine addition to my collection," General Grievous taunted them. _Ha! This guy collects lightsabers,_ Anakin laughed to himself. _That's kind of an eccentric hobby; but now I know where go next time I lose one..._

"Not this time," Obi-Wan warned him. "And this time you won't escape." _That's right,_ Anakin thought. Then there was an awkward silence as they all stood there looking at each other helplessly, realizing that no one had a plan for this scene.

"Cut," Owen said, laughing. "That was good; we just have to figure out how to start the fight sequence." Anakin sighed, realizing this was the scene where Obi-Wan was supposed to heroically re-appear and free Anakin from his bonds. "How about if Artoo does something to distract General Grievous, and the two of you Force-pull your lightsabers out of his hands," he suggested. Anakin and Obi-Wan nodded, and Artoo whistled happily. "All right... Action!"

"Artoo!" Anakin urged, as the little astrodroid dutifully spun around, shrieking wildly and activating every appendage he possessed. _He is awesome,_ Anakin confessed wistfully. Captain Typho was always upgrading him with rocket boosters and other gadgets that he got from his cousin Jango. Padmé had asked Typho to modify Anakin's astrodroid once as a special favor, but unfortunately Anakin went through astrodroids the way he did lightsabers, and Arfive had been disintegrated nearly two years ago.

"Crush them!" General Grievous yelled, frustrated. "Make them suffer!"

_Oh, right,_ Anakin realized, as Obi-Wan pretended to cut through his bonds with his fake lightsaber. _I'm supposed to be fighting here._ Using the Force to break free of his bonds, Anakin reached out and snatched the other practice saber from General Grievous. Then there was a minute of total chaos as he and Obi-Wan deflected blaster shots and fought against General Grievous, who was wielding an electrical staff. _I love this show,_ Anakin sighed contentedly, slashing at anything and everything that moved.

_Ahh - they've got the Chancellor!_ Anakin hacked his way toward the hallway, where two battle droids were escaping with Chancellor Palpatine. The droids were programmed to crumple to the floor if they came in contact with the low-voltage lightsabers; it was ridiculously easy to fight against them, but Anakin set his face in a fierce scowl, trying to make it look more difficult than it actually was.

After chopping through the battle droids and freeing the Chancellor, Anakin ran back to assist Obi-Wan in the fight against General Grievous. _Pookie is amazing,_ he realized, sincerely impressed. _That little guy can fight!_ The robotic body was programmed to mimic Pookie's movements; Kaleeshes were normally peace-loving aquatic creatures, but they were incredibly agile and possessed quick reflexes.

"Cut!" Owen said, smiling in approval. "Wonderful job! Pookie, that was terrific," he congratulated him, as General Grievous bowed graciously; then he began to cough again, and Obi-Wan thoughtfully handed him his bucket of water.

"Thank you," Pookie gasped, lifting up his skull mask and dunking his head in the water, making soft gurgling sounds as he caught his breath. Owen and Obi-Wan shared another concerned glance, but Pookie emerged cheerfully a moment later, insisting that he was perfectly fine and ready to continue.

"All right," Owen said, "We're going to film Pookie's stunt now. The ship is being destroyed by the _Space Troopers_ outside," he reminded them. "And Pookie's going to crash out the window, then eject in an escape pod." Pookie nodded, grinning excitedly.

"Chancellor Palpatine, we're going to put you on a safety cable," Owen continued, as one of his assistants attached Palpatine's harness. "And then the three of you are going to fight your way back to the docking bay and steal a shuttle. Then we get to blow this thing up," Owen finished cheerfully. _Wow, this is going to be cool,_ Anakin thought.

For safety purposes, this scene was to be filmed entirely by camera droids, and so Owen and the rest of the crew retreated to the _JEDI_ director's ship, leaving only Anakin, Obi-Wan, Palpatine, Artoo, Pookie, and a few droids for the final battle sequence. "Action!" Owen called over the transmitter, when everyone else was safely off the ship.

"You lose, General Kenobi," Grievous said ominously. Anakin and Obi-Wan rushed at him one last time; but then Pookie threw his staff out the window, and was immediately sucked out after it. _Ahh! I hope he's all right,_ Anakin thought anxiously, grabbing hold of the command console with Obi-Wan and Palpatine as they were pulled toward the window as well. _This is crazy!_

* * *

><p><em>Wheeee!<em> Pookie grinned ecstatically as he flew through space, shooting his cable and pulling himself back toward the ship. _This is so much fun!_ Activating his magnetic feet, he stomped along the outside of the ship to the escape pod and crawled inside. "Time to abandon ship," he said dramatically, punching the buttons and ejecting all the escape pods. _Teehee!_ he giggled as his pod hurtled randomly through space. _I love this show!_

But then he began to cough violently, his fragile lungs searing with pain. Lifting his mask, Pookie flopped out of his costume and onto the seat of the escape pod, clutching at his chest and coughing up green phlegm. _Aww,_ he sighed, collapsing weakly against the seat. _Not again..._ Pookie had been fighting a lung infection for months now, and the doctor had told him that if it got any worse he would have to stay underwater for at least two months, which meant he wouldn't be able to film for _JEDI_.

_No,_ he told himself stubbornly, climbing back into his droid costume as his escape pod was retrieved by the _JEDI_ film crew. _I can do this. It will get better._ But Pookie's wife was very concerned about his health, and they had three young children to care for, so he regretfully decided that if his cough didn't get better over the next few days, he would put in his resignation and give up his position as the next Sith Lord. _But at least I will get to be on one show,_ he consoled himself. _That's really something,_ Pookie decided proudly, with a cheerful smile.

* * *

><p><em>Oww...<em> Chaos Droid 2387 shook its head, regaining consciousness after crashing into the docking bay attached to Obi-Wan's Jedi Starfighter._ That really hurt._ But its circuits were up and running again, and so it quickly forgot its pain and mindlessly resumed its task of drilling and sawing through everything in sight. _Buzz... Buzz... Buzz buzz buzz..._ The little chaos droid had absolutely no idea where it was, or what it was doing, but it didn't care. _This is what I do,_ it decided philosophically, drilling into a gigantic fuel tank in the docking bay.

* * *

><p><em>Oh no! No no no...<em> Owen's face went completely white as he saw the docking bay explode into a raging inferno, sending bits and pieces of the ship flying everywhere. "Master Kenobi, are you all right?" he asked urgently over his transmitter. He could see the images from the hovering cameras on his monitor, but everything was shaking wildly, and there was no sign of the Jedi or Chancellor Palpatine.

"Yes, we're all right," Obi-Wan replied a moment later; Owen was relieved to see the three of them picking themselves up off the floor as the cameras steadied themselves. "What happened?"

"I don't know," Owen confessed anxiously. "The docking bay is on fire; you can't get out that way," he warned them. The fires were beginning to spread around the hull of the ship now; they wouldn't be able to send in a rescue shuttle if this kept up. But a moment later Owen realized the situation was even more serious as the ship began to descend toward Coruscant. "You're falling out of orbit!" he warned them. "Master Kenobi, can you get to the bridge?" he asked urgently.

"We're on our way," Obi-Wan replied, as they ran toward the cockpit.

* * *

><p>"All the escape pods have been launched," Anakin announced, as they proceeded to film their crash landing<em>. Ah, this is crazy...<em>

"Grievous," Obi-Wan cursed. "Can you fly a cruiser like this?" he asked Anakin worriedly.

"You mean, do I know how to land what's left of this thing?" Anakin retorted. _Heck if I know..._ "Under the circumstances, I'd say the ability to pilot this thing is irrelevant." _What do all these buttons do anyway?_ "Strap yourselves in," he warned the others.

Anakin managed to set a trajectory for Coruscant; but a minute later they heard an ominous crashing sound. "We lost something," Anakin said, frowning in apprehension.

"Not to worry," Obi-Wan reassured him. "We are still flying _half_ a ship."

_That's right,_ Anakin decided, grateful for his Master's unfailing optimism. _Everything's under control._ But now he blinked worriedly. _Owen said the docking bay was on fire... Oh no!_ Anakin remembered, his eyes widening in alarm. _My new yellow Starfighter!_

* * *

><p>Obi-Wan instantly sensed his brother's panic. "Anakin, what's wrong?" They had been playing it calm thus far, trying not to show their very real concern in front of the Chancellor and the <em>JEDI<em> cameras; but Obi-Wan knew that this landing would not be the smoothest ever. _Anakin actually enjoys suicidal flying techniques; if HE'S panicking, this can't be good._

"Master," Anakin said, trying to mask his alarm. "The docking bay..."

"Yes?" Obi-Wan asked, his brows furrowed. _We lost it a ways back. And your point is...?_

"My Starfighter," Anakin choked, his voice faltering. "My yellow Starfighter..."

Obi-Wan valiantly tried not to laugh. _Anakin, we are about to crash-land on Coruscant with Chancellor Palpatine aboard, and you're worried about that hideous thing?_ But his grin instantly faded as he remembered. "Arfour," Obi-Wan whispered, blinking unhappily. _Noooo..._

* * *

><p><em>They're doing all right,<em> Owen tried to reassure himself, as the Jedi calmly continued to film their crash landing scene, despite having lost half their ship. But now his heart pounded in alarm as he heard Obi-Wan's urgent transmission.

"Owen," Obi-Wan interjected suddenly, abandoning their filming. "Is there anything left of the docking bay?"

_The docking bay...?_ Owen peered out the window of his ship at the fiery wreckage they had left behind. "No," he said. "Everything got flung out of the ship when it exploded." _Uh oh,_ he thought, noting the panic in Obi-Wan's voice. _This is bad..._

"Can you see Arfour anywhere?" Obi-Wan asked. "Or Anakin's yellow Starfighter?"

_What?_ Owen blinked in disbelief; for all their rules about no possessions, he had observed that the Jedi clung pathetically to the few belongings they were permitted to keep. _Guess I can't blame them..._ Squinting at the wreckage, Owen thought he could make out a half-destroyed R2 unit, along with a yellow-striped Starfighter. "Yes, I see them," he assured Obi-Wan. "Don't worry, we'll have the rescue crew get them back for you," he promised. _Please, just focus on what you're doing,_ Owen thought, cringing as their ship entered the atmosphere and the entire hull caught on fire.

"Oh, good," Obi-Wan sighed in grateful relief, as Anakin grinned happily. "Thank you, Owen," he added, as they calmly returned to their filming once again.

_They're going to be okay; but this is a nightmare,_ Owen realized, his heart sinking. In the entire history of _JEDI,_ nothing this disastrous had ever happened; at least not during a staged scenario that was supposed to have been perfectly safe. _Please let them land safely,_ he prayed, as his crew gathered anxiously around the live video monitor along with Dooku and Pookie.

"We're coming in too hot," Anakin warned them a minute later, as they approached the landing strip. Owen held his breath, hardly daring to watch as the ship crashed into the runway and continued to slide for another mile, taking out a control tower along the way; but finally it slowed and skidded to a stop, and Owen let out a sigh of profound relief.

"Another happy landing," Obi-Wan announced, as everyone in the _JEDI_ director's ship cheered. Owen smiled in relief as he saw Obi-Wan emerge from the cockpit, followed by Anakin, Palpatine, and Artoo. _They're safe,_ he reassured himself, as his heartbeat finally began to return to normal. _I'll probably get fired for this, but everyone is alive. That's the important thing._

* * *

><p>"Excellent job, Anakin," Chancellor Palpatine congratulated him, once they were safely aboard the transport on their way back to the Senate hall. "I was never worried for an instant," he added, smiling.<p>

"Thank you, Chancellor," Anakin replied, with an apologetic grin. "It wasn't my best landing ever," he admitted.

"Well, we're all in one piece; that's what matters," Palpatine assured him cheerfully. Then his transmitter beeped, and he pulled it out of his pocket. "Excuse me," he apologized, getting up from his seat. "I need to take this call."

Obi-Wan and Anakin nodded respectfully as the Chancellor moved toward the back of the transport for a little more privacy. Then the two Jedi shared a nervous, apologetic glance. _Alone at last..._

"Good landing," Obi-Wan congratulated Anakin, attempting to make conversation.

"Thank you, Master," Anakin said, looking at the floor. "I'm sorry about... everything," he added ruefully.

"No, no; you did well today," Obi-Wan assured him. Anakin managed an appreciative smile, then looked at the floor again uncomfortably. _I have to say this,_ Obi-Wan sighed. "Anakin, I want to apologize. If I've been too critical of you at times, or smothering, or - "

"No," Anakin protested. "You're not - " he broke off helplessly, shrugging.

Obi-Wan nodded quietly. "The truth is, I'm very proud of you, Anakin," he told him. Anakin looked away, and for a split second Obi-Wan sensed pain, and sorrow; but Anakin quickly masked his feelings, shutting Obi-Wan out as he had for the past three years.

"And I also want to apologize, for - " Obi-Wan sighed. "For whatever happened, on Cato Neimoidia," he said. "I don't really remember much of it, but I fear I behaved... inappropriately," he admitted. "I just wanted you to know, I - " Obi-Wan broke off, blinking in surprise as Anakin suddenly slumped forward, burying his head in his hands and looking as if he wanted to die. "Anakin, what is it?"

Anakin cringed, giving Obi-Wan a remorseful glance. "No, that wasn't your fault, Master," he confessed uncomfortably.

"No?" Obi-Wan asked. "Anakin, what happened? I remember - I brought you there, for a Bacta treatment," he told him. "But then it gets foggy... there were Banthas...?" Obi-Wan shook his head. "I'm afraid I don't remember much after that." _At least, nothing that I want to admit to._ "The doctor this morning said I'd been drugged," he apologized.

"Yeah; about that," Anakin said, cringing. "I may have - accidentally... stabbed you with - um..." he shrugged apologetically. "Yeah, I don't remember either," he mumbled.

Obi-Wan's eyes narrowed. "You _stabbed_ me? With what?" he asked, confused. "Some kind of tranquilizer?" he wondered, frowning. _That would explain the drugs..._ "But - why?" He blinked, trying to make sense of it.

"It was an accident," Anakin promised him. "I'm sorry, Master."

"No, it's all right," Obi-Wan said. "No harm done; I just - " he sighed. "I had some very strange dreams last night," he admitted. "At least, I hope they were just dreams... And if they weren't, I - " he broke off, staring in confusion as Anakin failed to suppress an involuntary laugh. "What?" Obi-Wan asked, laughing despite himself. "Anakin, what in the blazes happened there? Tell me," he pleaded.

"Um..." Anakin cringed, trying to compose himself. "Yes, it was... Um... Bantha mating serum," he admitted, staring at a spot on the floor in a desperate attempt to look remorseful.

"What?" Obi-Wan's eyes widened, stunned. "Bantha mating serum?" _Noooo,_ he laughed. _Oh dear..._

"Yes," Anakin apologized. "It was an accident; I was confused..."

"And what happened after that?" Obi-Wan questioned him apprehensively. _Dare I ask..._

"You, uh... Well there were Banthas, and - " Anakin laughed again. "I'm sorry, Master, it's not funny," he apologized, composing himself. "Well, it kind of was, until they got mad and tried to trample you," he admitted, with a regretful cringe.

"Oh dear," Obi-Wan laughed, shaking his head. "Yes, I do remember that vaguely... And after that?"

"After that..." Anakin shrugged. "You know - when you take too much cold medicine...?" he reminded him hesitantly.

Obi-Wan cringed in embarrassment. _Yes; I tend to get rather cuddly and affectionate,_ he admitted, mortified. "I'm sorry, Anakin," he apologized. "I can't help it, I - "

Anakin laughed gently. "It's all right, Master," he assured him. "It's not your fault," he pointed out. "Anyway, don't worry; I won't tell anyone," Anakin promised, with an apologetic smile.

"Thank you," Obi-Wan sighed, nodding. "I appreciate that." Then they shared a little conspiratorial grin, laughing at the absurdity of the situation. "Ahh... Anakin, I've missed you," Obi-Wan confessed, smiling.

"I've missed you too, Master." Anakin shrugged, self-conscious; he had never felt particularly comfortable expressing his emotions. "So what's happening now? Are we done here?" he asked, changing the subject.

"Almost," Obi-Wan nodded. "Actually, _I_ am; I need to get back for a Council meeting," he explained. "But Owen wanted you to do one more scene with Senator Amidala today, in the Senate hall."

"Oh," Anakin said, nodding.

"Anakin," Obi-Wan added hesitantly. "About Senator Amidala... I don't know if you've heard...?"

"Heard what?" Anakin asked, politely curious.

_No, of course he hasn't heard._ "She's pregnant," Obi-Wan told him gently.

"Oh," Anakin nodded uncomfortably, blinking in surprise.

"Anakin, I'm afraid it's a rather delicate situation; apparently she and the father are no longer together, and - " Obi-Wan sighed. "Just - be extra kind to her, Anakin. She needs our friendship and encouragement right now, not our judgment. I fear she will be getting plenty of that in the upcoming months," he told Anakin regretfully.

"Oh," Anakin nodded again, his brows furrowing with concern. "Of course," he agreed.

"Also," Obi-Wan hesitated. "Owen has asked the two of you to appear a few more times throughout the season; there will be no way to hide Padmé's pregnancy, so she has agreed to announce it publicly, as part of this week's show," he continued. "Anakin, I was not in favor of this idea, and if you'd been at the meeting this morning we might have outvoted it," he chided him; then he shook his head. "They're planning a storyline implying that the child is yours, since the two of you are supposedly married," he finished quietly.

Anakin sat there for a moment in stunned silence; but then he nodded, blinking. "Oh."

"Anakin, it's only a silly holo-drama," Obi-Wan reminded him. "But if you're uncomfortable with it - "

"No, no, it's all right," Anakin insisted. "It's fine, I was just... surprised," he said, smiling apologetically.

"That's all right; so was I," Obi-Wan agreed. "But it's very important to be extra kind to her right now; pregnancy is a very difficult time for women, and they can sometimes be... rather emotional," he warned Anakin.

"Really?" Anakin asked, surprised. "Okay, I'll watch out for that... I mean - of course, I'll be nice to her; don't worry, Master," he promised, nodding agreeably.

Obi-Wan smiled. "I know you will, Anakin. Padmé has always been very fond of you. But if she seems a bit - out of sorts, at times, don't take it personally; it's just hormones," he explained. "You will need to be extra patient, and understanding."

"All right," Anakin nodded seriously. "Thank you, Master," he said, looking at the floor.

"You're welcome." Obi-Wan smiled cheerfully. "Not that I'm an expert on these things either," he admitted. _I abandoned Leila when she needed me the most,_ he sighed. _It tears me apart to see the same thing happening to Padmé._

The transport came to a halt outside the Senate hall, and they filmed a short scene with Anakin and Obi-Wan arguing good-naturedly over who should suffer through the boring Senate formalities.

"Anakin, let's be fair," Obi-Wan said. "Today, you are the hero, and you deserve your glorious day with the politicians."

"All right," Anakin conceded grudgingly. "But you owe me," he told Obi-Wan. "And not for saving your skin for the tenth time."

"Ninth time," Obi-Wan corrected him. "That business on Cato Neimoidia doesn't count." _Ah, Anakin. It's so wonderful to have you back again, with our own little private jokes that no one else understands._ "I'll see you at the briefing," he said, bowing his head politely as they parted ways.

_Cato Neimoidia,_ Obi-Wan laughed to himself, as his transport continued on to the Jedi Temple. _Now everyone will be dying to know what that was about. But they'll never find out, will they?_ He smiled wistfully, grateful beyond words that he and Anakin had finally had a somewhat meaningful conversation after two long years apart.**  
><strong>


	33. Ani, I'm pregnant

**Chapter 33**

"Malok," Qui-Gon said warmly, greeting his old friend.

"Qui-Gon!" the Zabrak exclaimed. "And Cory!" he added with a cheerful smile. "Come on in! It's great to see you," he said, inviting them inside. "What brings you to this part of the galaxy?"

"Well, most recently we were visiting Kilaui," Qui-Gon told him, as they sat around the kitchen table. "And before that Mobus, and Csilla... We've been taking a tour of the Unknown Regions," he explained.

"Ah," Malok said, going to the refrigerator and pulled out a pitcher of lemonade. "Kilaui... Are they having red tide this time of year?"

"No," Cory told him. "Not for another four months." Red tide on Kilaui was truly remarkable; the rivers became filled with iridescent plankton, and at nighttime the water actually glowed as if it were on fire. Cory had seen it once before, on a previous visit with Master Qui-Gon, but this time the water had appeared its normal blue color. "How is Tarok?" Cory asked hopefully. "Thank you," he added, as Malok offered him a glass of lemonade.

"Ahh," Malok sighed. "He's grounded," the Zabrak informed him. "He's doing his math homework... At least, I hope he is," Malok laughed ruefully. "He's not to leave his room until he's finished," he apologized. "But it's not every day that Jedi ambassadors come to visit," Malok conceded, "so I suppose I can make an exception... Tarok!" he yelled. "Master Qui-Gon and Cory are here; come and say hello!"

Cory grinned happily as he greeted the young Zabrak. Cory and Tarok were the same age, and had been good friends these past two years since Master Qui-Gon had taken Cory as his padawan. Master Qui-Gon and Tarok's father had met filming for an episode of _JEDI_ many years ago; Tarok had shown Cory the recording of that episode once. Malok had played the part of Darth Maul, and had killed Master Qui-Gon before being cut in half by Master Obi-Wan, who was only a padawan at the time. Cory and Tarok hoped to be on _JEDI_ one day too; it looked like so much fun.

So how have you been?" Malok was asking Qui-Gon now.

"Very well, thank you," Qui-Gon said cheerfully. "And you?"

"Good," Malok said. "I would ask after Obi-Wan and Anakin, but I take it they're doing quite well," he added mischievously. Then, seeing Qui-Gon's puzzled look, he cocked his head in surprise. "Haven't you heard? They made the front page of the _Galactic Enquirer,_" he laughed; then he composed himself as he caught Qui-Gon's worried glance. "Tarok, why don't you show Cory what you've been learning in martial arts class," he told his son casually.

Tarok rolled his eyes, but Cory bowed politely as they left Malok and Qui-Gon to their private discussion. They quickly forgot their annoyance at being left out of what was clearly a fascinating conversation, and were soon rolling around in the back yard, fighting each other with long sticks in Zabrak fashion. "Check this out," Tarok said enthusiastically, holding his staff up high and pointing it at Cory with one hand, while holding out two fingers of the other hand in a menacing pose.

"Cool," Cory agreed. "What's it for?" Master Qui-Gon had always encouraged him to study different fighting styles, and Cory was curious to learn the purpose of this new stance.

"Um..." Tarok grinned, shrugging. "It's intimidating, I guess."

"Haha!" Cory laughed; then he dutifully pretended to flee in terror. "Ahhh! Help!" he giggled, as the two of them tumbled to the ground. "So what did you get grounded for?" he asked, as they got up and continued fighting with their sticks.

"Eh," Tarok sighed ruefully; then he shrugged, seeing Master Qui-Gon and Malok emerging from the house. "I'll tell you later," he whispered. Cory nodded; the two of them frequently exchanged text messages.

"Cory," Master Qui-Gon said, as the boys stopped fighting and bowed politely. "It's time for us to be going," he told him gently.

_Aww._ Cory would have liked to visit a while longer with Tarok; but he was only a padawan, and it was not his place to question his Master's decisions. "Yes, Master," he agreed, following him back inside the house.

"Where are we going, Master?" he asked, after they had taken their leave of Malok and Tarok.

"To Coruscant," Qui-Gon replied cheerfully. Cory nodded agreeably; it had been nearly a month since they had been home, and it would be nice to see Master Obi-Wan again. "I just spoke with Master Windu," Qui-Gon added, as they approached their matching Jedi Starfighters. "Anakin will be there."

"Anakin?" Cory asked, wide-eyed with excitement. He had heard so many stories about Anakin, but had never met him; Anakin was assigned to Hutt Territory, and Qui-Gon and Cory had been busy exploring the galaxy these past two years.

"Yes," Qui-Gon said. "He and Obi-Wan are on Coruscant filming for _JEDI_ right now," he told him. "Anakin has to return to Hutt Territory tomorrow, but if we hurry we might catch him before he leaves."

"Yes Master," Cory said, grinning happily as he climbed into the cockpit of his Jedi Starfighter.

* * *

><p>"Excuse, me," Anakin said politely, taking his leave of Bail Organa near the entrance to the Senate hall.<p>

"Certainly," Bail replied, continuing on with Palpatine and the others.

_Haha!_ Anakin thought mischievously, sneaking off to meet Padmé. _This is the best scene yet!_

"Oh, Anakin," Padmé exclaimed in a hushed voice, as they embraced behind a big column.

_Mmmmm..._ Anakin nuzzled her lovingly, wrapping his arms around her and holding her close. _Padmé..._ He closed his eyes, sighing blissfully._ Oh, wait; I'm supposed to be acting._ "I've missed you, Padmé," he said, still snuggling against her. _I love this dress... And you did your hair in cinnamon buns today! I love cinnamon buns,_ he sighed happily. _They're my favorite._

But Padmé broke away from his embrace, looking up at him worriedly. "There were whispers that you'd been killed!"

_There were? Oh right; I've been in some kind of war with the Space Troopers,_ he remembered vaguely. "I'm all right," Anakin assured her. "It feels like we've been apart for a lifetime," he sighed. "And it might have been, if the Chancellor hadn't been kidnapped... I don't think they would have ever brought us back from the Outer Rim sieges," he said, smiling happily and kissing her again.

"Wait, not here," Padmé said anxiously, looking around the hall.

"Yes, here!" Anakin insisted. _Haha! No one will ever see us if we hide behind this big column!_ "I'm tired of all this deception," he told her. "I don't care if they know we're married."

"Anakin, don't say things like that," Padmé begged him.

_Right; I'm getting off the topic here..._ "Are you all right?" he asked. "You're trembling. What's going on?"

"Something wonderful has happened," Padmé told him softly. "Ani, I'm pregnant."

_I can't believe we're doing this in front of the entire galaxy,_ Anakin thought, smiling bravely and trying to mask his anxiety. "That's... that's wonderful," he stammered, feigning surprise. _Ah, this is so weird! Owen's standing right there..._

"What are we going to do?" Padmé asked worriedly.

_Um..._ "We're not going to worry about anything right now," Anakin reassured her. "All right? This is a happy moment. The happiest moment of my life." He smiled, looking into her deep brown eyes. _Oh, I want to kiss you now; you're just so cute and pretty..._

"Cut," Owen said. _Damn it!_ Anakin sighed, letting go of Padmé as they both turned to the director innocently. "That was perfect; thank you both so much... Senator Amidala, I'm sorry for holding you up," he apologized.

"It's no problem," Padmé said, smiling. "It was good seeing you both again," she added, taking her leave of Owen and Anakin to catch up with the other Senators on their way to today's session.

_Bye Padmé,_ Anakin sighed wistfully, watching her go. _I'll see you later tonight._

"Great job," Owen told him again. "Well that's it for this week; you're off the hook for another month," he said cheerfully.

"Oh!" Anakin said, remembering his bracelets. "These are Beru's," he explained, pulling the silver bands off his forearm and handing them to the director.

"Those are Beru's?" Owen asked, blinking in surprise. "I was wondering what they were... Thanks again," he said sincerely.

"No - thank you, for getting me out of Jabba's dungeon," Anakin said, with a rueful grin. "I really appreciate it," he insisted. "I'll see you next month," he promised Owen, bowing as he took his leave.

* * *

><p><em>It's so wonderful to see Anakin again,<em> Obi-Wan thought, smiling wistfully as he walked through the hallway of the Jedi Temple on his way to the Council meeting. _Perhaps we can have dinner together tonight... And then I must see Leila,_ he remembered, hoping that she wasn't too worried over his absence these past two nights.

_I've missed her as well,_ he admitted, feeling a tender, longing sensation at the thought of her. _Thank goodness,_ he smiled to himself in amusement. _I was beginning to worry, with all these dreams of Anakin, and Banthas..._

_What are they looking at?_ Obi-Wan wondered, noticing that he was receiving strange glances from some of the other Jedi he passed in the hallway. _Have I got my belt on crooked or something?_ He looked down at himself worriedly, but nothing appeared to be amiss. _Maybe it's my hair?_ Obi-Wan ran a hand through his hair nervously, suddenly paranoid.

The entire Jedi Council was laughing as Obi-Wan entered the chamber. _Oh dear..._ "Hi, Lover Boy," Mace Windu teased him, as Obi-Wan felt all the blood drain from his face. _Noooo..._

"Nice haircut," Ki-Adi-Mundi added, grinning with amusement. "Very stylish."

Obi-Wan felt suddenly dizzy as he slumped into his seat in the Council chamber. _They know about Leila,_ he realized, horrified. _Lover Boy... Nice haircut..._ Obi-Wan hung his head, realizing he was about to be expelled from the Jedi Order. _Master Qui-Gon will be so ashamed of me... But I deserve it..._

"Haha! Relax, Obi-Wan," Mace said, patting him on the shoulder. "Nobody believes this stuff," he reassured him, still laughing.

"No?" Obi-Wan asked hesitantly, utterly confused.

"A piece of poodoo, the _Galactic Enquirer_ is," Yoda agreed, slightly annoyed.

_The Galactic Enquirer? Is that what this is about?_ Obi-Wan blinked as a glimmer of hope returned to him. Had someone caught a picture of him with Leila? But if it was in the _Galactic Enquirer,_ perhaps not all was lost; as Yoda and Windu said, no one believed the idiotic stories that they published.

"So come on, tell us," Mace begged him. "I'm dying to hear about this. What were you two doing on Cato Neimoidia anyway?" he asked.

_Cato Neimoidia? Nooooooo!_ Obi-Wan wanted to die of embarrassment all over again, but felt a wave of relief to realize that perhaps this was not about Leila after all. "Ahh, it's a long story," he stammered, trying to play along. "Let me see that," he added crossly, snatching the tabloid away from Ki-Adi-Mundi.

_Oh dear,_ he cringed, seeing the picture of him clinging to Anakin, who was practically naked. Then he read the caption... "Oh dear," he said aloud, as the other Council members laughed. "Well... You see," he began ruefully, deciding that at this point it was best to tell the whole story. "We were on our way back from Tatooine, and Anakin needed a Bacta treatment..."

_That was painful,_ Obi-Wan sighed an hour later, leaving the Council chamber. _But it could have been far worse._ He had barely paid attention to today's meeting, and had been questioning once again whether his relationship with Leila was wrong. _No attachments,_ the Jedi Code stated with unbending clarity. But didn't the Jedi all form attachments to each other?

What the _Galactic Enquirer_ had suggested was beastly; it was one thing for two consenting adults to have that sort of relationship, but Anakin had been his padawan, his student, his _child_... Not to mention his own brother... Obi-Wan was thankful that at least Yoda and Windu knew the truth, and dismissed the story as an outright lie.

_But what about Leila?_ he wondered again. _Is it wrong of me to love her?_ He thought of Cory; no amount of logic could convince him that that beautiful child was a mistake, or somehow wrong. _If it weren't for love, none of us would be here._ Obi-Wan had tortured himself with these questions all his life, but in the end he always arrived at the same realization. _My only regret was abandoning Leila, for the sake of my own damned honor,_ he admitted. _I might be expelled from the Jedi Order, but I will never, ever hurt her again._

_And if I ever once thought that it detracted from my ability to do my job, I would resign immediately,_ he told himself. But if anything, Obi-Wan felt that his devotion to Leila made him a better Jedi. He understood love, and compassion, and loyalty, and duty, in a way that most Jedi had never experienced. And especially these past two years, he had discovered an incredible sense of peace, and serenity, and profound joy, that he would never have imagined possible.

Still, as he arrived at the Senate hall in search of Anakin, he was found himself in quiet admiration of his brother's pure devotion to the Jedi Order. Anakin was the quintessential Jedi Knight; a peacemaker, a true hero, with unwavering commitment to the Jedi Code. _At least one of us turned out to be a respectable Jedi,_ Obi-Wan thought proudly as he caught sight of Anakin, waiting just outside the Senate hall.

"Hello," Obi-Wan said cheerfully. "Are you still filming?" he asked, surprised. He didn't see Owen or the _JEDI_ crew around anywhere, but obviously they must need Anakin for another scene if he was still here.

"No, no, I'm done." Anakin grinned shyly, surprised to see him. "I was just - " he looked at the closed doors of the Senate hall, then shrugged, as if slightly confused. "Yeah, we just finished," he told Obi-Wan. "How was the Council meeting?"

"Oh, boring," Obi-Wan said good-naturedly. "I'm glad I found you; I was hoping you'd like to have dinner? I haven't been to Dex's in ages."

"Oh," Anakin said, looking a bit uncertain as the doors to the Senate chamber opened and the Senators began to file out; today's session was apparently over. "Um..." Anakin smiled, nodding. "Yes, that would be great," he told Obi-Wan, following him outside.

* * *

><p>"That was relatively painless," Bail Organa remarked good-naturedly, as he and Padmé got up from their circular box in the Senate chamber.<p>

"Yes," Padmé agreed. She had been daydreaming about Anakin and thinking up baby names the whole time; today's proceedings had been fairly uninteresting, but mercifully short. "What are you doing for dinner?" she asked Bail. The two of them had always been close friends, and frequently ate together when they were on Coruscant, often joined by Jar Jar or some of the other Senators.

"Oh," Bail said, with a slightly apologetic smile. "I'm meeting Leif and Kiara for dinner; you're very welcome to join us," he assured her.

"Oh," Padmé said, suddenly uncomfortable. Leif and Kiara had announced their marriage about a year ago, and it had been quite a scandal; he had given up his claim to the throne of Alderaan to marry one of his maidservants, but there were whispers that the two of them had secretly been married even before that, when he was still engaged to Padmé. "Thank you, but I think I'll just go back to my apartment," she told Bail, smiling bravely.

"Please, come," Bail apologized, sensing her discomfort. "Leif and Kiara are very fond of you, Padmé," he told her. "My brother doesn't ask just anyone to marry him, you know," he added, with a mischievous smile.

Padmé managed a laugh. "I know," she reassured him. "Thank you... But I would rather not, right now; I would feel awkward," she admitted quietly, looking down at her little belly. "But maybe next time," she promised him. "Please say hello to them for me."

"Of course," Bail promised, smiling affectionately. "Goodnight, Padmé," he said, bowing his head politely.

"Goodnight, Bail," she said, managing a somewhat cheerful smile as he turned to leave. But then tears stung her eyes, and she hurried from the Senate chamber, feeling suddenly alone and unwanted. _This is supposed to be a happy time for me,_ Padmé cried. _Why am I such a weepy, pathetic mess? I feel so awful,_ she sobbed, her vision blurred with tears as she ran through the hallway.

* * *

><p><em>Oh dear,<em> Obi-Wan thought worriedly, as Padmé rushed past them in tears. He and Anakin shared an anxious look; Anakin seemed equally concerned to see Padmé so distraught. "Padmé," Obi-Wan called after her. "Padmé, are you all right?"

Padmé stopped suddenly, surprised to see them. "Yes," she assured Obi-Wan, managing an apologetic smile as she wiped away a tear. "I'm sorry, it's just - it's been a difficult day," she admitted, still smiling bravely.

Obi-Wan gave her an encouraging smile; he knew that this must be a very trying time for her, having just publicly announced her pregnancy. "Would you like to have dinner with us?" he asked. "We were just on our way..." Obi-Wan had been looking forward to spending some time alone with his brother, but it would be too cruel not to invite Padmé; she was obviously needing a friend right now.

"Really?" Padmé asked, surprised and touched by Obi-Wan's invitation. Obi-Wan nodded, and Anakin gave her a shy, obviously concerned smile. "All right," Padmé agreed, suddenly breaking into a happy smile. "Thank you," she added, joining them as they walked out the door and down the steps of the Senate hall.

_Perhaps it's just as well,_ Obi-Wan confessed, as they headed toward Dex's Diner. He hadn't told Anakin about the _Galactic Enquirer_ article, but until that nonsense blew over, maybe it was best if they weren't seen having dinner alone together in public.

* * *

><p>Anakin blinked anxiously, sharing a nervous glance with Padmé as the three of them headed down the street. He had been waiting outside the Senate hall, hoping just to catch sight of Padmé briefly when she got out, but had never dreamed that they would be having dinner together, in public no less. But then he caught her amused look, and stifled a grin. <em>This is going to be interesting.<em>

"Obi-Wan!" Anakin was surprised to hear a familiar voice behind them. Turning around, he saw Master Qui-Gon rushing to catch up with them, with a young boy at his side. _Qui-Gon has a new padawan?_ Anakin grinned in delight at the cute little red-headed boy. _I've been away too long,_ he admitted, as Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan greeted each other fondly.

"Master Qui-Gon! And Cory! What are you doing here?" Obi-Wan asked, delighted to see them.

"Well, we heard that Anakin was back on Coruscant to film for _JEDI;_ have you seen him?" Qui-Gon asked hopefully. Obi-Wan laughed in amusement as Anakin looked at the ground, feeling suddenly self-conscious. _Here we go again,_ he sighed.

"Oh my goodness!" Qui-Gon exclaimed in surprise, finally noticing him. "Anakin! I didn't recognize you! What's all this?" he asked, tousling Anakin's moppy hair. "And what happened to your head?" Qui-Gon added worriedly, peering at his scar with concern.

"I don't know... Hi, Master Qui-Gon," Anakin said, bowing politely. He had endured this sort of thing all his life; as a teenager, he had grown and changed so much that people didn't recognize him from the cherubic little boy they remembered. It was embarrassing, but for some reason Anakin didn't mind it so much coming from Qui-Gon. _He's kind of like my grandfather,_ he thought, grinning good-naturely.

"Anakin, this is my new padawan, Cory," Qui-Gon said, introducing the boy.

"I'm pleased to meet you," Cory said, with a polite bow.

Anakin grinned. "I'm pleased to meet you too, Cory." _He looks like a miniature Obi-Wan,_ Anakin thought, laughing to himself. _I guess Qui-Gon has a soft spot for little redheads._

"We were just on our way to Dex's for dinner; would you like to come?" Obi-Wan asked. Cory grinned happily at the idea, and Qui-Gon nodded as they all continued down the street together.

_Yes, this is going to be interesting,_ Anakin thought again, as he and Padmé shared another amused glance. But to his surprise, once they sat down for dinner and started talking together, it didn't feel awkward at all. Cory was fascinated to learn that Padmé had been Queen of Naboo, and Obi-Wan was eager to hear of Qui-Gon and Cory's latest adventures; no one noticed that Anakin and Padmé were secretly playing footsie under the table, desperately attempting to look serious and focus on the discussion as they ate their meal.

"I didn't expect to see you for another two weeks," Obi-Wan was saying now. "I thought you were off exploring the Unknown Regions."

"We were," Qui-Gon said. "But then we stopped by Iridonia to visit Malok - he says hello by the way," he added cheerfully. "And then I was reading about the two of you in the news," he said. "So I thought perhaps it was time to pay a visit to Coruscant, and make sure you boys stay out of trouble," he said, with a mischievous grin.

Obi-Wan looked suddenly anxious, and Anakin frowned. "We were in the news?" he asked. _Ah, I never hear about these things._ "What did it say?" But Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon were giving him warning glances, and Anakin nodded, surprised to realize that it was a confidential matter. _Probably something to do with the negotiations with Jabba._ Obi-Wan's deal with the Hutt had not been officially sanctioned by the Senate; obviously he and Qui-Gon were reluctant to discuss it in front of Padmé.

But Padmé seemed to know about it already. "Yes, I was reading about that too," she agreed. Her expression was perfectly calm, but Anakin could tell she was desperately trying not to laugh, as was Qui-Gon, though Obi-Wan was cringing visibly. Cory, however, shared Anakin's utterly confused expression, and Anakin grinned at him good-naturedly, shrugging. _I guess we'll find out later._

After dinner they walked Padmé back to her apartment, and Anakin gave her a quiet rueful smile before returning with the others to the Jedi Temple. Cory and Qui-Gon had had a long day, and decided to turn in early; but they said goodnight to Anakin and Obi-Wan in the hallway, planning to meet them for breakfast the next morning.

"Hehe," Anakin laughed quietly as he and Obi-Wan continued on to their private quarters.

"What?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Cory," Anakin said, grinning. "I just think it's funny that Qui-Gon picked a kid that looks exactly like you."

"Does he?" Obi-Wan frowned, surprised. "I hadn't noticed."

"Yeah, I don't think Qui-Gon does either," Anakin agreed, still laughing to himself. "Probably one of those subconscious things. He's a real nice kid though." Then he gave Obi-Wan a slightly apprehensive look. "So what was that, about us being in the news?"

"Oh," Obi-Wan sighed, shaking his head. "Trust me, you don't want to know," he laughed. "I fear our Cato Neimoidian adventure has turned out to be a little less private than we might have hoped," he admitted, proceeding to tell him about the _Galactic Enquirer_ article.

"No..." Anakin gasped in horror, following Obi-Wan into his apartment and flopping weakly into the giant floating spoon. "They didn't..."

"They did," Obi-Wan sighed ruefully, handing him a copy of the tabloid. Anakin looked at the picture, then the caption; then he slumped forward in the floating spoon, wanting to die. "Anakin, I'm sorry... here," Obi-Wan said, handing him a shot of blue stuff and pouring another for himself.

"Thank you," Anakin sighed, sipping it gratefully. Then he squinted, looking at it. "What is this, anyway?" he asked. Obi-Wan had never shared his blue stuff with him when Anakin was his padawan; this was pretty cool.

"Blue stuff," Obi-Wan replied, downing his in one swig.

"Ah," Anakin nodded. "Of course." He found that after a couple sips of the stuff, he suddenly didn't care what it was called; the _Galactic Enquirer_ business was already seeming like less of a big deal too. "So how have you been?" Anakin grinned happily, leaning back comfortably in Obi-Wan's floating spoon as they finally began to catch up on two years apart.

Three hours later, as Anakin said goodnight and returned to his own quarters, he smiled wistfully to himself. _That was fun,_ he admitted, suddenly a little sad to remember that he was leaving the next morning. It had been so nice catching up with Obi-Wan, and having dinner with Qui-Gon and Cory; Anakin was surprised to realize how much he had missed them.

_I was wrong,_ Anakin admitted. _Obi-Wan doesn't hate me. I was a jerk for not talking to him these past two years, but he's so forgiving, and kind..._ Anakin made a resolution to do a better job of keeping in touch with his former Master once he returned to Hutt Territory. _Who would have thought that we could still be friends?_ he thought, smiling to himself.

Anakin waited a few minutes longer, listening intently; but there was no sound from Obi-Wan's apartment, and Anakin decided that he had fallen asleep. _He said he was tired,_ Anakin remembered, quietly opening his window and climbing out onto the sill. Then, spotting a speeder that seemed to be headed toward Padmé's apartment, he launched silently into the night sky, his black cloak rendering him nearly invisible as he plummeted downwards.

* * *

><p>Obi-Wan sighed happily, recalling his conversation with Anakin. It was so wonderful to finally be able to talk to him again; Obi-Wan still wasn't entirely sure what had gone so terribly wrong three years ago, but whatever the misunderstanding, they seemed to be friends again now.<p>

_Is he asleep yet?_ Obi-Wan wondered, listening for sounds from Anakin's quarters. But he had heard nothing for several minutes, and decided that Anakin must have fallen straight asleep, exhausted from the day's events. Opening his window silently, he dropped down toward the streets below, landing quietly on a speeder that was heading in the direction of Leila's apartment.

_People never check their rear-view mirrors,_ Obi-Wan sighed in mild annoyance as the driver of the speeder continued along, totally oblivious to the fact that there was a Jedi Master sitting in his back seat.


	34. Don't let Obi-Wan find out!

**Chapter 34**

_...And in entertainment news, a stunt sequence for JEDI went disastrously wrong this morning, resulting in an emergency crash landing with Chancellor Palpatine aboard a burning, wrecked spacecraft..._

Leila watched the crash footage in alarm; but then she smiled in surprised delight as she saw the Chancellor emerge safely from the cockpit, accompanied by two Jedi. _Obi-Wan! And Anakin!_ she realized. _They're back on Coruscant! And they're going to be on JEDI... Maybe,_ Leila frowned worriedly, listening to the rest of the news story.

_...The incident is currently under investigation, and the show's producers may face serious repercussions from today's on-set disaster. Experts speculate that the matter could be in litigation for months, and that the JEDI show could potentially lose its insurance coverage, possibly facing permanent cancellation. And in sports news..._

_Oh dear,_ Leila sighed, as she turned off the holo-monitor. _JEDI_ had always been one of her favorite shows; it would be terrible if it were cancelled. _But at least they landed safely,_ she conceded, grateful to hear that Obi-Wan and Anakin were back from their romantic fling on Cato Neimoidia. _Or whatever the heck they were doing there,_ Leila laughed to herself, still amused.

Feeling a little sleepy, Leila retired to her bedroom and changed into her favorite nightgown, hoping that Obi-Wan would come home tonight. She had missed him these past two nights; it had been lonely without him beside her, not to mention cold... But most of all, Leila missed having someone to talk to at the end of the day. Raising two kids as a single mom could be very difficult at times, but knowing that Obi-Wan cared about her made the hard days a little less lonely. And today had been a hard day.

_Ahh!_ Leila cringed as she caught sight of her reflection in the mirror over her dresser. _Where did those dark circles come from?_ Peering closer, she frowned at the faint lines around her eyes and mouth. _Go away,_ she pouted stubbornly, applying anti-wrinkle cream to the offending areas. No one else noticed them but Leila, and Obi-Wan said she was imagining things; but they were _there_.

Then she smiled despite herself. _He loves me, no matter how old and wrinkly I get,_ Leila realized wistfully as she brushed the tangles out of her straight, almost-shoulder-length hair. _He thinks I'm perfect just the way I am._ Up until two years ago, Leila honestly didn't know what her natural hair color was; she had been dying it blonde for so long that she had forgotten. But Obi-Wan had been curious to see what it looked like naturally, and now it was a light golden-brown color; he said it was even prettier that way.

_I look like a mom,_ she thought, smiling quietly. _Not some aging nightclub dancer._ Still, mousy-brown hair was so common, and boring; Leila had been toying with the idea of dying it red next, but Obi-Wan had looked at her as if she'd lost her mind. _Why would anyone want red hair?_ he had asked, completely baffled; Obi-Wan was so adorable when he was confused.

Hearing a faint scrabbling sound at the window, Leila looked up excitedly. _Obi-Wan!_ A moment later he hopped down into her bedroom, and then they were in each other's arms. "You're back!" Leila smiled in delight, kissing him as she began to unclasp his belt. It took a long time to get through Obi-Wan's endless layers of Jedi garments, and Leila had learned from experience that it was best to just get started right away. "You've been busy," she giggled mischievously, fighting her way through his second belt. "I've been hearing all sorts of fascinating things."

"Oh dear," Obi-Wan laughed. "Yes, it's been an interesting couple of days," he sighed; then he smiled tenderly. "How have you been?" he asked, with an apologetic look.

"All right," Leila nodded cheerfully; but then tears sprang to her eyes unbidden. "I've missed you," she cried, hugging him again and laying her head on his shoulder as she felt his arms around her, so warm and safe and loving. "I was worried," she admitted tearfully.

"I'm sorry, Leila," Obi-Wan apologized, gently brushing away her tears. "I wanted to call, or send a message, but... I'm sorry," he whispered again, kissing her on the forehead and massaging her tense shoulders.

"It's all right," Leila said, putting her arms around his neck and kissing him again. "It's what you do," she reminded him proudly. "So what happened?" she asked, continuing to work her way through three more layers of tunics. Leila smiled as she listened to the fascinating tale of Anakin's brush with Jabba the Hutt, their embarrassing but undeniably hilarious experience on Cato Neimoidia, and today's mishaps while filming for _JEDI_.

"It was so wonderful to see him again," Obi-Wan said wistfully, brushing a stray tendril of hair from Leila's face as she lay on top of him in bed, looking into his blue-green eyes. He was still talking about Anakin, and Leila was listening vaguely; but soon she became lost in the gentle lull of his voice, and those magical eyes, the color of the sea...

"Shhh," Leila whispered, putting a finger on his lips and kissing him with a desperate passion. Obi-Wan smiled, forgetting about Anakin for a moment as they took a not-so-quick break to attend to more urgent matters. "Okay," Leila gasped, catching her breath after they were done. "You were saying?" she asked playfully, kissing him again.

Obi-Wan laughed softly. "I don't remember." He smiled tenderly, looking up at her with his blue-green eyes. "So how have you been?" he asked, running his fingers through her silky hair.

"All right," Leila said. "The kids are good, but Jon - " she sighed, rolling off him and lying on her side, tracing a finger gently along his chest. "He got in trouble at school," Leila admitted.

"He did?" Obi-Wan asked, concerned. "For what?"

Leila shook her head. "He got in a fight," she said, tears springing to her eyes. "It wasn't his fault," she added unhappily, grateful for Obi-Wan's reassuring touch as he stroked her shoulder. _It was my fault..._

"What happened?" Obi-Wan asked gently.

Leila sniffed. "It was some stupid career day thing... They had to write an essay about what their parents do for work, and then they had to read it in front of the whole class," she told him. "Jon did such a great job - he showed it to me last night, and everything was spelled perfectly," she said, sniffing again. "But the other boys laughed at him when they heard his mother was a hairdresser, and one of the girls asked him what his father did..." Leila broke off, crying.

"It's my fault," she wept sadly, as Obi-Wan held her close, comforting her. "The boys kept teasing him on the playground, and finally he hit somebody, and - " she choked. "Now he's in trouble, and I got called in to talk to the principal... They want to put him in some kind of mentoring program for poor, neglected, underprivileged kids whose stupid mothers can't take care of them," she sobbed miserably.

"Shhh," Obi-Wan whispered, kissing her on the forehead and stroking her back gently. "Leila, it will be all right," he promised. "You're a wonderful mother," he assured her, stroking her hair. "And Jon is a very good boy," he said, smiling. "These things happen; it's part of growing up. It's not the end of the galaxy," he promised, as Leila nodded gratefully. "Was anyone hurt?" Obi-Wan asked.

"No," Leila told him, shrugging. "Just bruises." At nine years old, Jon was fairly tall for his age, with dark hair like his father; but he was slender of build, and had always been a gentle child. "It's not like him to fight like that," she protested.

"He was provoked," Obi-Wan sighed regretfully. "Leila, I wish... I wish I could talk to him, but - " he broke off, tears of frustration springing to his eyes. "I feel so useless," he admitted bitterly. "I wish I could help; the children deserve a father who can - "

"Shhh," Leila said, stopping him. "No. Obi-Wan, we've talked about this before; it's all right," she reassured him. "I didn't mean to worry you, I just - it's so nice to have someone to talk to," she confessed, kissing him tenderly and stroking his silky hair. "And I'm sure this mentoring program will be good for Jon," Leila insisted with stubborn optimism. "He could use - what?" she asked, surprised by Obi-Wan's serious expression.

"Mentoring program," he mused, lost in thought. "Did they say which one?"

"Big... Brother... Something," Leila shrugged uncertainly. "They meet every Saturday," she explained. "It's for the best," she admitted. "Saturdays are my busiest - what?" she asked again, as Obi-Wan broke into a happy grin.

"Leila, this is perfect!" he said, smiling ecstatically.

Leila frowned. "My kid gets in trouble at school and you think it's perfect?"

"No, not that," Obi-Wan apologized. "Leila, I have Saturdays off from teaching, and we're encouraged to join community outreach programs... I could volunteer as a mentor," he explained, his eyes sparkling happily at the idea.

Leila was stunned. "You... You would do that?" she asked, her voice barely a whisper; she could feel her heart fluttering, and her throat caught painfully as tears sprang to her eyes. _You would do that for Jon?_

"Of course," Obi-Wan insisted cheerfully, excited by the thought. "It will be fun! I've been wanting to meet them for years now; Kyra too," he added softly. "I've heard so much about them... I feel I know them already," he said, smiling. Then he kissed her playfully. "I'll sign up for the program tomorrow," he promised.

Leila smiled in grateful disbelief; but then she frowned as another thought occurred to her. "How can you be sure they'll assign you to Jon, and not some other kid?" she asked worriedly.

But Obi-Wan smiled, completely unconcerned. "Oh, I have my ways," he assured her, waving his fingers with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes.

Leila giggled. "Right," she laughed, snuggling closer to him. "Sometimes I forget." Then she sighed, gazing into his beautiful blue-green eyes. "Thank you, Obi-Wan," she said, her eyes glistening with tears of gratitude. "I love you."

"I love you too, Leila." Obi-Wan smiled, wrapping an arm around her and kissing her tenderly on the forehead as they drifted peacefully off to sleep in each other's arms.

* * *

><p>"No," Anakin frowned, deeply disturbed.<p>

"Ani, he's my favorite relative," Padmé pleaded. "And his name means 'fearless warrior' in the ancient language of Naboo," she pointed out, stroking his chest softly as she lay beside him in bed.

"I don't care what it means," Anakin insisted stubbornly. "We're not naming our baby after your Uncle Poodu." Then he sighed. "I don't think we should use family names at all," he admitted, offering Padmé a regretful smile.

"Well that's easy for you to say," she retorted. "You don't have a family." Anakin had shot down every single Naberrie family name that Padmé had suggested so far, claiming that it meant something grossly offensive in Huttese.

Then, seeing Anakin's hurt expression, Padmé gasped, horrified by what she had just said. "Ani, I'm sorry - I didn't mean it," she apologized in dismay, kissing him and wrapping an arm around him consolingly. "Sweetheart, I didn't mean it, it's just - stupid hormones," she grumbled in frustration. "I didn't mean to be bitchy," she apologized.

But Anakin smiled gently, pulling her close and kissing her on the temple as she lay her head on his shoulder. "I know," he said simply, absently running his fingers through her hair. "I didn't mean to be either," he conceded. "Don't worry; there's still plenty of time. We'll think of a perfect name," he reassured her, with a cheerful grin. "Anyway, it's not true," he added, stroking her back gently. "I do have a family."

Padmé smiled, kissing him again; it was wonderful to see Anakin so happy. He had been tormented these past three years by his self-enforced distance from Obi-Wan, who was practically a father to him; but tonight they had finally spoken after two long years apart, and it was as if a huge burden had been lifted from him.

"I was wrong, Padmé," Anakin admitted. "Just because I'm secretly married doesn't mean I have to be a complete asshole, and not talk to Obi-Wan," he realized. "Yeah, I'm lying to him, sort of, but - " he sighed, stroking her shoulder. "I don't think it's wrong to love someone," he said quietly. "The Jedi Code says that attachments are forbidden, but we all form them anyway," he protested. "That's why Obi-Wan raced out to Tatooine the second he heard I'd been captured, without waiting for the Council's permission," he pointed out. "And look at him and Qui-Gon; they're practically attached at the hip," he said, grinning. "And Cory now too," he added.

"They're my family, Padmé," Anakin said. "I felt it tonight, when we were all having dinner together; it's the same feeling I get when we visit your family on Naboo. We're not related by blood; but I feel like I belong with them, and that I should never have been away so long."

Padmé stroked his soft, curly hair. "I'm glad, Ani," she said. "I haven't seen you this happy... ever," she realized, as they shared a blissful smile. Padmé lay her head on his shoulder once again, closing her eyes. "Ani?" she asked a minute later, not sure if he was still awake.

"What?" he mumbled sleepily.

"I love you," she whispered softly, kissing him tenderly.

Anakin smiled, closing his eyes as he snuggled against her. Padmé sighed contentedly, dozing off to the sound of his peaceful breathing; she wasn't sure how how much time had passed when he spoke again. "Padmé?" he asked softly.

"Mmm," she responded vaguely, too tired to answer. She felt gentle fingers stroking her hair, and a tender kiss on her forehead.

"I love you too," he whispered, moments before she drifted off to sleep.

* * *

><p>"Anakin," Obi-Wan called again, knocking on his door. "Anakin, wake up! We're going to be late." They were supposed to meet Qui-Gon and Cory for breakfast in ten minutes; Obi-Wan had returned from Leila's half an hour ago, but he hadn't heard any sounds whatsoever coming from Anakin's room. <em>He must have been very tired...<em>

But now he heard footsteps behind him. "Oh! There you are," he blinked, surprised to see Anakin already up and fully dressed. "Where have you been?" he asked, suddenly apprehensive. _Did he get up early and realize I was gone?_

Anakin grinned shyly. "I, uh... went for a walk," he shrugged. "Good morning," he added cheerfully, with a polite nod.

"Good morning," Obi-Wan replied, smiling affectionately. _Since when are you a morning person?_ he wondered, vaguely confused as they continued on to the cafeteria to meet Qui-Gon and Cory.

Obi-Wan smiled to himself as they all ate breakfast together, grateful to be surrounded by his family; but it was over too soon, and then it was time to say goodbye to Anakin in the docking bay. "I'll see you next month," Obi-Wan said fondly, seeing him off. "And try not to get yourself thrown into Jabba's dungeon before then," he scolded him, feigning annoyance.

Anakin grinned. "I'll try," he promised, climbing into his Jedi Starfighter. "Thank you, Master," he added humbly. Then he gave Obi-Wan an affectionate smile. "Goodbye, Master... May the Force be with you."

"May the Force be with you, Anakin," Obi-Wan replied, smiling wistfully and feeling a twinge of heartache as he watched his brother take off for Hutt Territory once again. _Come back soon, Anakin. I miss you already._

* * *

><p>"Yes, Lor- <em>cough cough<em> Lord Sid- _cough_ Sidious," General Grievous began; then he shook his head, pulling his mask up. "I'm sorry," Pookie gasped, still coughing. "I just need a quick - thank you," he sighed gratefully, as Owen handed him his bucket of water.

"Pookie, are you all right?" Owen asked worriedly, after the little Kaleesh came up for air again.

"Yes," Pookie assured him. "I just... _cough cough... cough cough cough..._ Ohhhh..." Pookie let go of the controls to his costume, diving weakly into the bucket and crouching in fetal position under the water, clutching at his chest as he caught his breath. "I'm sorry," he gasped, coming up to the surface again and clinging to the edge of the bucket with his little hands. "This cough... It's just... _cough cough_ Not getting... _cough_ any better," he apologized.

"Don't worry," Owen reassured him. "All right, this is what we're going to do," he said quietly. "I'm going to rewrite this scene so you don't have a lot of lines, and we're going to get through it the best we can today - if you cough a little bit, that's all right," he told Pookie. "And then I'm sending you home for a while. You need to take care of that cough, Pookie," he insisted. "Your health is the most important thing. We can bring you back in a month or so when you're feeling better; I'm sure Sidious will manage to keep the Jedi busy with his evil plots all by himself, until you're well enough to film again," Owen joked.

Pookie nodded gratefully. "Thank you, Owen," he said, coughing quietly. "And I'm really sorry about this," he apologized again. "If you want to bring in another Sith Apprentice, I completely understand," he told the director. "It might be a couple months before I'm ready to come back," he admitted regretfully, still coughing.

Owen nodded; he had already been thinking the same thing. His first concern was for Pookie's health, and he hadn't wanted to hurt the little Kaleesh's feelings; but in truth the show's legal department was pressuring Owen to retire Pookie, claiming that he was an insurance risk. They did not want to face a lawsuit by Pookie's family if he died while filming for _JEDI_.

"All right," Owen agreed. "Pookie, I want to keep you on the show, and I definitely would love to continue working with you, when you're feeling better. You've done such an amazing job so far," he added sincerely, grinning at the little Kaleesh. "But I think you're right; perhaps we need to find another Sith Apprentice, and just keep you as the General of the droid army," he suggested.

Pookie nodded, coughing. "That would be perfect," he agreed, smiling.

"All right," Owen nodded appreciatively, thankful for Pookie's easy-going nature. It was one of the reasons he had won the contest, aside from his costume and natural acting ability; Owen had been careful to choose someone who had a good attitude and work ethic, and who would be a pleasure to work with rather than an egotistical jerk.

"Okay, give me a minute to talk to Chancellor Palpatine and rework this scene," Owen said, encouraging Pookie to relax for a bit. "And then we'll try this again." Pookie nodded appreciatively, sinking down into the water again.

A few minutes later, Pookie crawled cheerfully back into his costume, and managed to only cough a few times as he rushed dramatically down the gangplank of his ship, cape flowing behind him as he hurried to answer Palpatine's holo transmission.

"Yes, Lord Sidious," he said humbly.

"General Grievous," Sidious replied. "I suggest you move the Separatist leaders to Mustafar."

"It will be done, My Lord," Grievous assured him.

"The end of the war is near, General," Sidious added.

"But the loss of Count Dooku?" Grievous asked hesitantly.

"His death was a necessary loss," Sidious told him. "Soon I will have a new Apprentice; one far younger and more powerful..."

"Cut," Owen said, letting out a sigh of relief as he brought Pookie his bucket. "Great job; thank you, Chancellor," he added to the holographic image, as Palpatine nodded pleasantly and disappeared.

"And thank you, Pookie; that was wonderful," Owen continued. "I look forward to bringing you back for another episode later this season, when you're feeling a bit better," he said. "It's been a pleasure working with you; take care of yourself," he added fondly, shaking Pookie's little hand.

"Thank you," Pookie said cheerfully. "This has been so exciting! Thanks Owen," he said again, bowing politely and coughing as he returned to his ship to fly home to his family on Kalee.

Owen smiled, grateful that this week's episode was successfully completed. But then he sighed as he remembered the giant headache that awaited him back at Lars Studios. Their legal team would be relieved to hear that Pookie was taking some time off, but that was a minor issue compared to the allegations of safety code violations that the _JEDI_ show was now facing as a result of yesterday's crash landing on Coruscant. The matter would be in litigation for months, and even if the charges were dismissed, their insurance carrier was threatening not to renew their accident coverage after this season.

And on top of that, now Owen needed to find a new Sith Apprentice. _One far younger and more powerful..._ Considering that Dooku was in his seventies and a mere human being, that left the field wide open... _But who will I find?_ Owen wondered thoughtfully, as he and his crew packed up their equipment and prepared to return home.


	35. Uh, Obi-Wan has kids of his own

**Chapter 35**

Jon looked up apprehensively as the door to the hair salon opened. _Is it him?_ he wondered anxiously. _No... Just another customer,_ he decided with relief, as the woman came inside and took a seat.

"Good morning," his mother greeted the newcomer with a friendly smile. "I'll be with you in a few minutes! Help yourself to some coffee or tea if you'd like," she added cheerfully, before resuming her chat with her current customer. They were talking about some holo-drama, but Jon hadn't been paying attention; he and Kyra had been playing a game together in the corner.

"Oh!" Kyra said brightly, at the mention of coffee and tea. "I'll get it! What would you like?" she asked the newcomer. Kyra loved to play the hostess.

The woman smiled endearingly at the little blonde girl. "I'd love some coffee," she said.

"Okay!" Kyra smiled as Jon good-naturely poured a cup of coffee for her. Kyra was only five, and couldn't pour yet, but she was already an excellent little waitress, like their mom used to be, before she opened her hair salon three years ago. "Here you go," Kyra said cheerfully, bringing the woman her coffee.

"Thank you," the woman said, with an appreciative smile. Kyra beamed delightedly, then returned to her game with Jon.

It was just a silly children's game, where you try to collect different kinds of aliens; the rules were ridiculously simple, but still Jon had trouble focusing. "Heehee!" Kyra laughed, taking away one of Jon's aliens. "It's mine now!"

Jon grinned ruefully, letting his little sister win. There had been a lot on his mind lately; since his fight at school three days ago, he had been lectured by his teacher, the principal, and his mom. _Hitting people is wrong. I get it,_ he sighed ruefully. _I won't do it again._ But today he was about to get yelled at all over again, this time by his new "Big Brother" from the stupid mentoring program.

_I don't need a Big Brother,_ Jon sulked resentfully. _I AM a big brother._ Ever since Kyra's father left, Jon had been the man of the house; their mother worked so hard to provide for them, and Jon did what he could to help her out, and take care of his little sister. He was an incredibly responsible nine-year-old, not the wayward troublemaker that everybody seemed to think he was these days.

_I shouldn't have hit him,_ he admitted regretfully, wishing he could take back his actions on the playground. But the kid had been making fun of him, telling the entire school that Jon was gay because his mom was a hairdresser and he didn't have a father. _I should have just ignored him,_ he realized. But what was done was done, and he was paying for his mistake now.

The door opened again, and this time Jon's heart sank as he saw that it was a man. But not just a normal man... _Holy crap,_ Jon blinked anxiously, his heart racing as he eyed the lightsaber hanging from the man's belt. _I must really be in trouble if they sent a Jedi._

"Hello there," the Jedi said politely. "My name is Obi-Wan Kenobi; I'm looking for Jon," he added hopefully. _No,_ Jon trembled, panicking. _No no no... Mom, please... He has a lightsaber! I'll be good, I promise... I'll never hit anyone, ever again, I swear..._

"Oh my goodness!" the woman in the waiting area exclaimed, nearly spilling her coffee. "Master Kenobi! I saw you on the news the other day; that was amazing how you saved the Chancellor from that terrible crash! Oh, it's so exciting to meet you!" she babbled.

The Jedi looked a bit disconcerted for a moment, but he smiled warmly, with a little humble bow. "Thank you; it's a pleasure to meet you as well," he assured the woman. Then he glanced around the room, smiling politely at Jon and Kyra, and finally their mother. Jon stared intently at his game, avoiding the man's gaze and hoping maybe he wouldn't notice him; but he knew it was useless. _I'm the only nine-year-old boy in this room,_ he sighed ruefully. _And he's a Jedi. He'll figure it out._

"Hi," his mother was saying now, greeting the Jedi. "I'm Leila," she introduced herself with a warm smile. "And this is Jon, and Kyra."

"I'm very pleased to meet you, Leila," the Jedi smiled politely, bowing again. Then he turned to Jon and Kyra. "Hello there, young ones," he added cheerfully.

_Hello there, young ones?_ Jon blinked, caught off guard; no one had ever called him 'young one' before. _What planet is he from?_ But Kyra was beaming at the man cheerfully, and Jon managed a polite, rueful smile. _I am so screwed._

"Hi," Kyra said brightly. "Oh!" she remembered. "Would you like some coffee, or tea?"

The Jedi smiled, delighted and touched by her hospitality. "Yes, I would love a cup of tea, thank you," he replied, his blue eyes twinkling as he gave their mother a polite, appreciative smile. He wore an off-white tunic, with brown boots and a brown cloak, and his hair and beard were reddish brown; Jon had never seen a Jedi up close before, and realized suddenly that he was staring at the man.

"Oh!" He blinked nervously, getting up to help Kyra make the tea. _Sorry..._ He poured a cup of hot water for her, and she put the teabag in, carefully bringing it over to the Jedi. _Is that guy really my new Big Brother?_ Jon wondered again.

"Thank you." The Jedi smiled warmly, taking his tea from Kyra. "Are you playing a game?" he asked, curious.

"Yes, we're playing Aliens," Kyra told him. "Want to play?"

"Of course," the Jedi said cheerfully, sitting down cross-legged on the floor next to them as he sipped his tea. "How do you play this?" he asked, curious to learn. Kyra explained the rules, and for the next twenty minutes the three of them sat around playing Aliens while Jon grew increasingly nervous, wondering when the yelling and lecturing and hacking off of limbs would begin.

But for the moment, the man seemed content to sip his tea and play Aliens with Jon and Kyra. He even lost to Kyra a few times, and Jon could have sworn he did it on purpose; the Jedi caught Jon's surprised look, and they quietly shared an amused smile. _Maybe I was wrong,_ Jon thought hopefully. _Maybe he's not so bad after all._ The man had a kindly face and a cheerful smile; he seemed very friendly and polite, and it was actually kind of fun playing with him, with both of them conspiring to let Kyra win.

But then the game was over, and the Jedi gave Jon a hopeful smile. "Jon, I was hoping you might like to visit the Senate hall, and explore the Political History museum?" he asked gently.

Jon nodded nervously, his heart racing a bit. _This is my punishment, and I will face it bravely..._ He couldn't think of anything more boring than visiting a Political History museum, but still, it was better than having his hands chopped off by a lightsaber. "All right," he agreed politely, getting to his feet.

"Can I come?" Kyra begged, wrapping her arms around the Jedi and clinging to him. "Please?" she asked excitedly, looking up at him with a hopeful smile.

The Jedi smiled affectionately, kneeling down and giving her a little hug. "Oh, I don't think you would find it very interesting, Kyra," he apologized. "It's full of boring historical documents and busts of important politicians," he explained. "Perhaps someday when you're a bit older... But we'll be back afterward; maybe we could have lunch together, or dinner later on?" he suggested.

"Yeah!" Kyra grinned happily, bouncing up and down.

"That's very kind of you... Thank you, Master Kenobi," Jon's mother agreed, with an appreciative smile.

"You're welcome." The Jedi smiled warmly, with a polite bow. Then he turned to Jon. "All right then, shall we be going?"

"Yes sir," Jon replied meekly, giving his mother a brave smile as he followed the Jedi out the door. _I don't want her to worry about me._ They said goodbye to his mom and Kyra, then left the little hair salon and continued down the sidewalk.

"So," the Jedi said cheerfully, as they walked together. "What would you like to do today?"

"Um..." Jon hesitated. "I thought we were going to the museum?"

But the man grinned at him, his eyes twinkling mischievously. "I just said that so Kyra wouldn't get jealous. Do you really think I want to spend a perfectly nice Saturday morning in some musty old museum?"

"Oh," Jon blinked, confused. "So... where are we going?" he asked, slightly apprehensive. _I'm not supposed to go anywhere without telling my mom first,_ he realized worriedly.

"Wherever you would like," the Jedi told him. "Well, anywhere within the city," he corrected himself, smiling. "I promised your mother I'd have you back before dinner."

_Okay, that sounds all right,_ Jon tried to convince himself. _As long as I'm back by dinner time..._ "Okay," he nodded. "Um... Really?" he asked, still confused. "I thought... I thought I was to be punished?"

"Punished?" the Jedi asked, stopping suddenly, a look of surprise and concern on his face. "Jon, no... Oh dear," he sighed, dismayed. "Is that what you thought?" he asked, putting a hand on Jon's shoulder and peering into his eyes with gentle concern.

"I..." Jon nodded, tears of relief springing to his eyes as he felt the man's comforting touch and his gentle, compassionate gaze. _Don't cry,_ he told himself stubbornly, blinking the tears away. _Don't be a baby._

But then the man's arms were around him, holding him gently, and Jon cried. "No, Jon," the Jedi said, giving him an encouraging hug and looking into his eyes tenderly. "That's not why I'm here." He smiled reassuringly. "I'm your new Big Brother; we're supposed to have fun," he said, stroking Jon's hair and brushing away his tears. "Now, what is it that you would like to do?" he asked again.

"Um... I don't know." Jon grinned shyly, hardly believing this was happening. _We're just supposed to have fun?_ Then he looked at the man curiously. "Are you really a Jedi?" he asked uncertainly.

The man laughed, his blue eyes sparkling with amusement. "Yes, I'm really a Jedi," he assured him good-naturedly.

Jon nodded, with an apologetic shrug. "Do you think - could I go inside the Jedi Temple?" he asked shyly.

His new Big Brother smiled. "Of course," he agreed, surprised. "That's easy enough," he assured him, leading the way toward the tall towers. "Have you ever been inside?" he asked, as they walked along together.

"No," Jon told him, grinning excitedly. "Um... Sir?"

"Yes?" the Jedi asked patiently. "And you can call me Obi-Wan," he added, with a gentle smile.

"Obi-Wan," Jon repeated, grinning shyly. "How long - I mean - are you going to come every Saturday?" he asked hesitantly, not wanting to get his hopes up. _He must have more important things to do..._

"Yes," Obi-Wan replied cheerfully. "Every Saturday. Unless I'm sent on some kind of urgent mission," he grinned. "But I would call your mother if that happened. I teach a class of Jedi younglings at the Temple, and I'm on the Jedi Council," he explained, "so most of the time I'm right here on Coruscant," he assured him.

Jon grinned. _This is great!_ "For how long?" he asked next. "I mean, how long do I - do you - do we - " he broke off helplessly. _How long do I get to have you as my Big Brother?_

"As long as you want," Obi-Wan smiled, putting a hand on his shoulder. "I'm not going anywhere," he promised.

_Wow... I have a Jedi as a Big Brother... This is so cool,_ he thought, hardly daring to believe it. They hopped on a transport, and Obi-Wan wanted to know all about his school, and his family, and what sorts of things he was interested in. They made plans to go to the zoo sometime and bring Kyra along, and Obi-Wan said that the mentoring program often organized group sports at the community center on Saturdays; they could play baseball, soccer, and all sorts of other games. _How did I get so lucky?_ Jon wondered again, as they got off the transport outside the Jedi Temple. _I got in trouble at school and THIS is my punishment?_

Jon gaped in wide-eyed amazement as Obi-Wan gave him a tour of the Jedi Temple, showing him the ornate main hallway with its high ceiling and enormous statues, and then taking him up in an elevator to the very top of the highest tower, where they looked out in every direction over the whole city of Coruscant. They had lunch together in the cafeteria, and afterwards Obi-Wan took Jon down to the training rooms and showed him how to fight with a practice lightsaber.

_Haha!_ Jon laughed, clashing lightsabers with his Big Brother. _This is awesome! Wait 'til my friends at school hear about this! They'll never believe me,_ he sighed; but it didn't matter. _It's kind of fun to keep it a secret,_ he realized, smiling to himself. Finally Obi-Wan showed Jon the docking bay, and Jon grinned in amazement to see Jedi Starfighters up close.

"Would you like to go flying?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Yes!" Jon nodded, grinning ecstatically.

"All right," Obi-Wan said, leading the way toward a small, two-man shuttle. Jon climbed up into the cockpit, still smiling, and his heart fluttered nervously as Obi-Wan started it up and took off into the air. Jon had never been flying before; he had hardly ever even ridden in a speeder, much less a spacecraft, and so Obi-Wan flew low through the city for a while, until Jon felt brave enough to go higher.

Then they were high above the city, looking down on even the tallest skyscrapers; Jon was thrilled and scared all at the same time, but Obi-Wan put a reassuring hand on his shoulder and gave him an encouraging smile, and Jon knew that he was safe. "Do you want to go higher, or is that enough for today?" Obi-Wan asked gently.

"Um," Jon grinned nervously. "I want to, but I'm scared," he admitted, his heart still racing.

"All right," Obi-Wan nodded, heading back downward as Jon breathed a sigh of relief. "You did very well for your first time flying, Jon," he said. "I'm very proud of you." Jon nodded, grinning anxiously as they flew back down toward the Jedi Temple and landed safely in the hangar again.

"That was fun!" Jon said, still giddy excitement as he climbed down from the cockpit. "Ahh I was so scared!" he admitted, feeling shaky. "But next time I want to go higher," he said happily.

"And so we shall," Obi-Wan promised him. "But now we had better be heading back, before your mother starts worrying," he said, leading the way down to the main hallway again. "I've had so much fun today, Jon," he added with an affectionate smile, as they walked down the Jedi Temple steps together. "You are a wonderful Little Brother."

Jon grinned shyly. "I had fun too," he agreed. _I can't wait until next week... You're the coolest Big Brother in the whole galaxy._ "Thank you, Obi-Wan," he said, as they waited for the transport to arrive.

"You're welcome," Obi-Wan replied, his blue eyes twinkling.

"Obi-Wan?" Jon asked hesitantly, as a thought occurred to him.

"Yes?" he asked, curious.

Jon shrugged shyly. "Are you married?" he asked uncertainly. _'Cause my mom is available... And she's really nice..._

Obi-Wan laughed, amused. "No," he told Jon gently. "Jedi aren't allowed to marry," he explained.

"Oh," Jon nodded, shrugging. _Well I guess that's that..._ But he smiled cheerfully at his new Big Brother as they boarded the transport and headed back to meet Kyra and his mom at the hair salon. Obi-Wan took them out for dinner, and they all talked, and laughed, and had a great time; Jon felt a twinge of disappointment when it was time to go home.

"Bye, Obi-Wan," Jon said sadly, after they left the restaurant. "I had lots of fun today."

"Goodbye, Jon," Obi-Wan said, tousling his hair affectionately. "I had a wonderful time too. Next week we'll go to the zoo, with Kyra," he promised, as Kyra grinned excitedly, hugging him. Obi-Wan gave her a tender little hug, and then he hugged Jon warmly. "I'll see you next week," he promised, smiling cheerfully as their transport arrived to take them home.

"All right," Jon nodded, reluctantly letting go of him. "Bye Obi-Wan."

"Thank you," his mother added softly, giving Obi-Wan an appreciative smile as they boarded the transport.

"You're very welcome," Obi-Wan said. "They're both beautiful children," he told her, with a shy smile. "You should be very proud of them. And it was nice to meet you as well, Leila," he added, bowing politely.

Jon smiled as he took a seat next to his mom and Kyra, thinking about all the fun things he had done with Obi-Wan today. But then he was alarmed to see that his mother was in tears. "Mom? Are you all right?"

"Yes," she reassured him, smiling tearfully. "I'm just happy, that's all. I love you both so much," she cried, squeezing them tight.

"I love you too Mom," Jon said, hugging her lovingly as Kyra echoed the sentiment. "You're the best mom in the whole galaxy," he assured her. His mom hugged him gratefully, and her tears soon disappeared; but the smile never left her face the whole ride home.


	36. Yay, I get to be a Sith Lord!

**Chapter 36**

_Wow,_ Anakin thought, as he rode the elevator up to Padmé's apartment on Coruscant. _This way is so much easier._ Normally he climbed the entire two hundred and seventy-five storeys up through the ventilation system, using a combination of grappling-hook maneuvers and a bit of awkward wriggling; but tonight he was here on official _JEDI_ business, and there was no need for sneaking around.

A moment later he arrived on Padmé's floor, grinning excitedly as he pressed the doorbell to her apartment. They had seen each other just a week ago on Naboo, but still, he was glad to have some time off to visit Padmé, and Obi-Wan... _And Qui-Gon and Cory too, if they're around,_ he thought hopefully. It was so nice to be back home, even just for a few days.

"Padmé!" Anakin said as she answered the door, kissing her happily and wrapping his arms around her lovingly. "Oh, I've missed you," he sighed, stroking her soft, curly tresses and admiring her delicate blue silk nightgown. "You look so beautiful," he added, with a tender smile. _And you smell so pretty... Like a flower,_ he sighed, closing his eyes.

"Ani!" Padmé cried gratefully, embracing him. They held each other tenderly for a moment; but then Anakin felt her tremble slightly, and was surprised to hear a pathetic gulping, sniffing sound.

"Padmé? Are you all right?" he asked, noticing her tears. "What's wrong?"

"I - " Padmé choked miserably, crying. "I look fat," she blurted out tearfully.

_Aww..._ Anakin held her close, stroking her hair and kissing her on the forehead. _Poor thing... Everything upsets her lately._ "Padmé," he said sweetly, brushing away her tears. "You're pregnant. You're _supposed_ to look fat," he reassured her. Then he cringed, wanting to die as he realized what he had said. _No no no! Ahhh! Stupid!_

"Aaaahhh!" Padmé sobbed.

"I'm sorry," Anakin apologized quickly. _I am such an idiot..._ "No, you look beautiful," he stammered, blinking in panic. _What is it you're supposed to tell pregnant women?_ "Glowing!" He smiled hopefully, remembering the correct term.

But Padmé only wept harder. "Glowing?" she cried, horrified. "That's just a nice way of saying I look radioactive," she sobbed.

_Kill me now..._ "No," Anakin consoled her. "Not radioactive... You look perfect, Padmé," he promised her, holding her close and stroking her back softly as she cried against his shoulder. But then the doorbell rang again. "Owen," he whispered anxiously. "Are you all right?" he asked, with an apologetic, worried look.

"Yes," Padmé sniffed, wiping away her tears. "I'll be okay," she insisted bravely. "Do my eyes look puffy?"

"No," Anakin lied, kissing her again. "I'll get the door," he said, giving her a reassuring smile.

"Anakin!" Owen said cheerfully. "Oh good, you're here! Hello Padmé," he added, smiling warmly as he came inside with his cameraman. "Thank you both for coming..." Owen chatted with them as the cameraman set up, explaining the next scene. "Oh! You'll need these," he remembered, pulling out Beru's silver bracelets and handing them to Anakin, along with his black glove and leather padding.

"Thank you," Anakin said, making a pathetic attempt to fasten them by himself before giving up and letting Padmé do it. But finally everyone was ready, and they went out on the balcony to film their first scene together.

"Ani, I want to have our baby back home on Naboo," Padmé began dreamily. "We can go to the lake country..." Anakin smiled as he watched Padmé brush her hair. _I can't believe we're standing out here on the balcony together,_ he sighed. _I wish we could film scenes for JEDI every day._ It was a beautiful, warm evening, and Anakin smiled contentedly as he leaned against the doorway, mesmerized by the sound of Padmé's voice. _My angel..._

_Oh crap._ Padmé had just finished her line, and Anakin realized it was his turn to say something. _Ahhh! What was she talking about? Naboo... The baby... Something... Who cares,_ he decided, shrugging. "You're so... beautiful," he sighed happily, completely ignoring whatever she had just been saying.

Padmé smiled. "It's only because I'm so in love," she replied, with overdramatic dreaminess.

_Haha! Two can play that game!_ "No," Anakin countered, not to be outdone. "No, it's because I'm so in love with you."

"So love has blinded you?" Padmé asked worriedly; she was still smiling, but Anakin could sense her insecurity. _Not this again... I can't say anything right these days,_ he sighed. _Padmé, you look gorgeous. You're not fat, or radioactive..._

"Well, that's not exactly what I meant," Anakin replied cautiously. _And I thought we hit rock bottom with our tunafish conversation._

"Cut," Owen said a moment later. _Yeah,_ Anakin agreed ruefully. _That completely sucked. We should try that again..._ But to his surprise, Owen seemed to think it was just fine, and ushered them inside for the next scene. _Um... okay,_ Anakin blinked worriedly, following him inside and trying not to imagine how ridiculous they would look if that actually made it onto the show.

"Anakin, I was hoping I could talk to you about something?" Owen asked, his expression polite yet serious. _Oh crap,_ Anakin sighed. _Yeah, I know... I need to pay attention better, and not miss meetings and screw everything up all the time._ But he nodded agreeably, admitting that he deserved whatever Owen was about to say.

"I don't know if you've heard, but Pookie has resigned as the next Sith lord, for health reasons," he began.

"Oh no," Anakin said worriedly. "Is he all right?" he asked, concerned for the little Kaleesh.

"Yes, he's doing much better already; he's gone back home to Kalee, and he just needs a bit of rest," Owen assured him. "But now I'm looking for a new Sith Lord to take his place; I know you and I talked about it once a few years back, and I wondered if you might still be interested?" he asked uncertainly.

_What?_ Anakin blinked, stunned. "Me? Uh... Yes, of course," he stammered, nodding. "I would love to do it." He grinned happily. _This is awesome!_ "Are you serious?" he asked again, hardly believing it.

"Yes," Owen nodded, smiling. "Thank you, I'm glad you're interested... We won't need you every week; just now and then, to back up Sidious when he needs help. We've never had a Sith Lord with actual Force powers before; this will be amazing," Owen said. "And you're terrific with the acting, too," he added. "I always thought you'd make a perfect Sith Lord," he confessed.

_Really?_ Anakin beamed delightedly. _He thinks I'm a good actor!_ "Um... That last scene... I think we could have done better," he admitted, with an apologetic shrug. _I wasn't paying attention; and Padmé's having a hard day..._

"No, it was fine," Owen assured him, smiling. "All right," he continued, "I was thinking we could do the same thing we did before, where you have a dream that starts to lead you down the path to the Dark side; but this time it will be about Padmé..."

_This is so cool!_ Anakin thought excitedly, pulling off his tunic to prepare for the bedroom scene. Owen even managed to swipe a prop from last year's hit movie, _Cyborg Man,_ and Anakin laughed as he strapped on the realistic-looking mechanical arm; it even made robotic noises when he moved. _Wait a minute... If Owen had this thing all along, why was I wearing Beru's bracelets in the last scene?_ Anakin wondered, momentarily confused; then he shrugged. _Eh, who cares._

_All right, focus... Don't screw this up,_ Anakin told himself, as they began filming again. _I'm having a bad dream - it's scary and awful... Oh no, Padmé is dying!_ Anakin sat on the edge of the bed, hanging his head and pretending to cry. _Ahh, I'm so sad!_ Then he got up, pulling on his cloak and going outside onto the veranda. _And now I'm feeling all dark and broody...  
><em>

"What's bothering you?" Padmé asked, joining him a moment later.

"Nothing," Anakin lied, fidgeting with her necklace. "I remember when I gave this to you," he said, changing the subject. _Aw, I used to love arts and crafts when I was a youngling. And boys' choir too; that was so much fun..._

"How long is it going to take for us to be honest with each other?" Padmé chided him.

_Ahh! I was daydreaming again... Damn it! Come on; focus..._ "It was a dream," Anakin told her.

"Bad?" Padmé asked gently.

Anakin nodded. "Like the ones I used to have about my mother, just before she died_."_

"And?" Padmé asked.

"And it was about you," Anakin admitted.

"Tell me," Padmé pleaded softly.

"It was only a dream," Anakin insisted; then he sighed. "You die in childbirth," he told her reluctantly.

"And the baby?"

_Um... Oops? Owen didn't mention that._ "I don't know," Anakin replied cautiously.

"It was only a dream," Padmé reassured him.

"I won't let this one become real," Anakin promised, embracing her.

"This baby will change our lives," Padmé said. "I doubt the Queen will continue to allow me to serve in the Senate, and if the Council discovers you are the father, you will be expelled - " she broke off worriedly.

"I know, I know," Anakin sighed. _Trust me, I know..._

"Do you think Obi-Wan might be able to help us?" Padmé asked suddenly.

_What?_ Anakin tried not to laugh. _Yeah, that would be brilliant... Hey Obi-Wan, Padmé and I are having a kid, do you think you could get the Council to throw us a baby shower?_ "We don't need his help," Anakin told her. "Our baby is a blessing."

"Cut... That was great!" Owen said, truly impressed. "Terrific job, both of you." _Yeah, that totally made up for the last scene,_ Anakin agreed, sharing a proud smile with Padmé.

_I AM a good actor,_ Anakin sighed, as he got dressed again and politely wished Padmé goodnight. _Next I will play the part of the dutiful Jedi Knight who goes to sleep in his own bedroom. But I'll be back later,_ he promised silently, managing to give Padmé one last secret smile, before following Owen and the cameraman out to the elevator.


	37. Ow, that kind of hurts my eyebrows

**Chapter 37**

Obi-Wan smiled, closing his eyes as he felt his brother's presence in the hallway outside his apartment. _Anakin's back,_ he sighed happily. _And he's not blocking me,_ he realized with surprise. It was the first time Anakin had let his guard down in over two years; during his last visit a month ago, Obi-Wan had barely been able to sense him at all, even when he was just in the next room.

_Of course, I was blocking him too,_ he admitted. _But not tonight._ Obi-Wan had already spoken to Leila about it, and they both agreed that it was best if he stayed at the Temple while Anakin was visiting. It was too risky with Anakin right next door, and Obi-Wan had discovered that he felt even more guilty hiding his secret from his virtuous younger brother, than he did with Qui-Gon.

He could hear muffled sounds coming from Anakin's room now. _Will he? Won't he?_ Obi-Wan wondered, hoping that Anakin would knock on his door and say hello before he went to bed. He didn't want to impose, or be an overbearing nuisance; he'd had time to think about it since Anakin's last visit, and realized that that had been the root of their problem all along.

_It all started when I became a Master, and learned that he was my brother,_ Obi-Wan admitted now. _I became too attached to him, just as he was reaching an age when he was ready to be more independent._ And even more heartbreaking, Obi-Wan had managed to give Anakin the impression that he was somehow disappointed in him, which couldn't be farther from the truth. But thankfully all was forgiven now; they had exchanged several messages over the past month, and Anakin seemed genuinely grateful for their renewed friendship.

He smiled now, hearing a quiet knock on the door. "Anakin!" he exclaimed, inviting him inside.

"Master," Anakin said cheerfully, with a polite nod. _Oh dear,_ Obi-Wan noticed. _That scar hasn't gotten any better._ Anakin hadn't remained in the Bacta tank long enough on Cato Neimoidia; Obi-Wan had hoped that the wound might continue to heal on its own, but it was still bright red. The advantage of Bacta fluid was that it prevented normal scar tissue from forming; but an incomplete treatment could result in a permanent red scar that would never fade to white.

_He will need surgery to get rid of that now,_ Obi-Wan worried; but he pushed the thought out of his mind, realizing that it was not his place to mention it to Anakin. _I'm his former Master, not his wet nurse,_ he reminded himself. "It's good to see you," he said. "How did the filming go with Padmé?" he inquired, sitting on the edge of his bed and leaving the floating spoon for Anakin.

"Pretty good," Anakin said, taking a seat. Then his whole face lit up suddenly. "Oh!" he exclaimed. "Master, you're not going to believe this... Owen says I get to be the next Sith apprentice!"

"Really?" Obi-Wan asked, startled. "What about Pookie?"

"He had to drop out, because of his cough," Anakin explained. "But Owen says he's doing well; they're hoping to bring him back later in the season, but just as the General of the droid army," he told him.

"Ah," Obi-Wan nodded, glad to hear that Pookie was all right. Then he smiled at Anakin's obvious enthusiasm. "Congratulations," he nodded cheerfully. "I'm very happy for you, Anakin; I know you've always wanted to be a Sith lord," he added proudly.

"Thank you, Master." Anakin grinned ecstatically, completely unaware of Obi-Wan's profound amusement. _Yes, it's every Jedi Master's dream come true: for his padawan to become a Sith Lord._ But he listened good-naturedly as Anakin babbled on about his new role. "Owen says I get to have yellow eyes, and a red lightsaber and everything," he said. "Oh! What do you think of this?" he asked, pulling up the hood of his cloak so it hung down over most of his face, leaving only his mouth showing.

Obi-Wan tried not to laugh. "That's... interesting," he replied tactfully, not having the heart to tell his little brother that he looked like a complete moron. "But then how would anyone know that you've got yellow eyes?" he pointed out.

"Oh," Anakin sighed, pulling his hood off again. "You're right," he agreed. "Besides, I can't see anything," he admitted, shrugging. "Okay, how about this?" he asked, wrinkling his nose and squinting at Obi-Wan fiercely with bared teeth.

"Better," Obi-Wan nodded critically; in truth it wasn't too bad. But then another idea came to him. "Try doing that look you do when you sulk," he suggested; he had been the recipient of Anakin's sulking glare more times than he wished to remember.

"I don't sulk," Anakin sulked, glaring darkly at Obi-Wan from beneath furrowed brows.

"Yes!" Obi-Wan exclaimed happily. "That's it! That's perfect!" he assured him, as Anakin frowned doubtfully.

"You think so?" Anakin asked uncertainly.

"Yes," Obi-Wan promised him. "That look is pure evil; and with yellow eyes it will be even worse," he added.

"Cool," Anakin said, laughing. Then he squinted fiercely, trying it again.

"No, now you're squinting again," Obi-Wan corrected him. "It's all in the eyebrows... Yes, that's it," he nodded approvingly.

"Okay," Anakin frowned, trying to memorize his new Sith Lord look. "Ugh, that hurts my head after a while," he complained, rubbing vigorously between his eyebrows.

"Ah, it's the price you pay for being evil," Obi-Wan said cheerfully. "So why are you turning to the Dark side, anyway?" he asked, curious to know the reason.

"Um," Anakin shrugged. "I'm not really sure. I guess the same as before, with the dream about my mother... Well, Owen's mother," Anakin laughed. "Only this time it's Padmé... She dies in childbirth, and then I turn to the Dark side because I'm upset over losing her," he explained. "Aw, she's going to get written off the show," he realized glumly.

Obi-Wan smiled. "Oh, I'm sure she won't mind," he assured Anakin gently. "And it's for the best... Padmé has been such a good sport about all this, but I'm sure it's been terribly stressful for her; she deserves retirement from the show," he sighed.

Anakin nodded quietly. "Yeah, you're right," he agreed. Then he shrugged, changing the subject. "So what's this about you being a big brother?" he asked, curious.

_What?_ Obi-Wan froze, momentarily startled; then he remembered he'd mentioned Jon in a message to Anakin last week. "Yes," he nodded, "I've volunteered to be a mentor for a local boy here on Coruscant; we meet every Saturday," he told him. "It's been great fun."

"Oh," Anakin nodded, smiling shyly. "That's great," he congratulated him. "That's really nice of you, Master."

"Thank you," Obi-Wan nodded humbly. _Everyone thinks I'm a saint... If they only knew the truth,_ he sighed. "It gives me something to do," he said cheerfully. "And Jon is a very nice boy."

Anakin nodded. "Are Master Qui-Gon and Cory around?" he asked, hopeful.

"No, they're on - Adumar, last I heard," Obi-Wan told him. "But they'll be back in three weeks; it will be Cory's thirteenth birthday," he added, with a wistful smile. "Maybe you could come?"

Anakin grinned. "I'll try," he promised. "I would like that," he confessed. Then he shrugged. "Well, I didn't mean to keep you up so long," he apologized, getting up from the floating spoon.

"No, not at all," Obi-Wan protested, with a hopeful smile. _Don't go..._

But Anakin stretched, yawning slightly. "I should get some sleep," he admitted ruefully, heading for the door. "It's been kind of a long day," he said good-naturedly.

"Of course," Obi-Wan nodded, showing him to the door. _He arrived from Hutt Territory just this evening; who knows when he slept last._ "I'll see you in the morning then; it's so good to see you, Anakin."

"It's good to see you too," Anakin replied, nodding politely on the way out. "Goodnight, Master."

"Goodnight, Anakin," Obi-Wan nodded, smiling. Then he shut the door, letting out a rueful sigh. _Now what?_ he wondered, flopping comfortably into his giant spoon. It had been ages since Obi-Wan had spent the night in his own apartment, and he wasn't the slightest bit tired... _Maybe there's something on the holo,_ he decided, switching it on and flipping randomly through the channels.

* * *

><p><em>Finally,<em> Anakin sighed three hours later, climbing out his window after deciding that Obi-Wan had fallen asleep. The muffled sounds from his holo-monitor had stopped half an hour ago, and his light was off now. _I am so tired,_ Anakin yawned, blinking away his exhaustion as he dropped sleepily downward through the air. _Mmmm, that one looks comfy,_ he decided, flopping into the padded leather back seat of an expensive-looking speeder and catching a quick nap before hopping off at Padmé's apartment.

_Two hundred and seventy-three... Two hundred and seventy-four... Two hundred and seventy-five,_ Anakin gasped, reaching Padmé's floor and wriggling the final distance through the ventilation shaft before dropping down into her bedroom, completely exhausted.

Padmé was already asleep, but she smiled blissfully as Anakin gave her a tender kiss, crawling into bed beside her. "Mmmm," she sighed happily, falling immediately back to sleep.

"Unghhh," Anakin agreed groggily, flopping an arm around her and passing out face-down against his pillow, fully clothed.

* * *

><p><em>The next morning...<em>

"Premonitions... premonitions," Master Yoda mused thoughtfully. "Hmmmm... These visions you have..."

Anakin sat across from Yoda, slumped on the edge of the seat with his cloak bundled around him, trying to wake up. "They are of pain, suffering... death," he replied groggily. He had left Padmé's before dawn to sneak back into the Jedi Temple, but had skipped breakfast to catch a little more sleep before this morning's meeting with Owen; this was the first of many scenes they would film today.

"Yourself you speak of, or someone you know?" Yoda inquired.

"Someone..." _I need coffee..._

"...Close to you?" Yoda finished his sentence helpfully.

"Yes," Anakin replied sleepily. _Come on; wake up... Pull it together here._

"Careful you must be when sensing the future, Anakin. The fear of loss is a path to the Dark side."

"I won't let these visions come true, Master Yoda," Anakin insisted.

"Death is a natural part of life," Yoda assured him. "Rejoice for those around you who transform into the Force. Mourn them, do not. Miss them, do not. Attachment leads to jealousy. The shadow of greed, that is."

_Comfy, this seat is... Take a nap here, I could..._ "What must I do, Master Yoda?" Anakin asked, forcing himself to stay awake.

"Train yourself to let go of everything you fear to lose," Yoda advised him.

"Cut; thank you, that was perfect," Owen said. "All right... Master Yoda, I'll see you this afternoon for the Council scene, and Anakin - we're still waiting for the _Space Troopers_ to arrive; I'm sure you have time to grab a cup of coffee," he suggested.

Anakin laughed ruefully as they stepped onto the elevator. "Is it that obvious?" He grinned sheepishly.

"Yes," Owen laughed, amused. "But you're doing great; I really appreciate you flying all the way back here just for a few days," he added sincerely, as the elevator stopped outside the briefing room.

"No problem," Anakin said, nodding. _I would come back every week if I could, just to see Padmé and Obi-Wan._ "All right, I'll be back in a few minutes," he promised, heading toward the cafeteria. Then he stopped, changing his mind. _The coffee here sucks,_ he remembered, turning around and heading back the other way. _I have a better idea..._

* * *

><p><em>An hour later...<em>

"He's not in the cafeteria, or in his room," Obi-Wan reported worriedly, returning to the briefing room.

Owen sighed. The _Space Troopers_ still hadn't arrived, and he and Obi-Wan had come up with an alternative plan for this scene, but if Anakin didn't show up soon they would have to ditch it completely. "Well," he told the others, "there's one more thing we can try." Switching on one of the hovering camera droids, he programmed it to seek Anakin's homing device.

Owen, Obi-Wan, and the cameraman watched the live video monitor intently as the camera exited the Jedi Temple and continued on down the street, turning into the doorway of the nearby coffee shop. Then they smiled in amusement as it focused its gaze on a black-clad Jedi sleeping peacefully in a big comfy armchair, a cup of coffee sitting untouched on the little table beside him.

* * *

><p><em>What?<em> Anakin sat up suddenly, blinking in surprise as he sensed something... Something unusual... Then he noticed the hovering camera droid staring straight at him. _Oh crap! I fell asleep! Ah, damn it!_ Anakin rushed out of the coffee shop and back toward the Jedi Temple, taking the steps two at a time as he hurried back to the briefing room.

_How long was I asleep? And is that thing really filming?_ he wondered, trying to ignore the hovering camera that was still aiming straight at him. _Why do I have to always screw everything up,_ he sighed, cursing himself.

The briefing room was empty except for Obi-Wan, Owen, and the cameraman when Anakin arrived; apparently the _Space Troopers_ had already left.

"You missed the report on the Outer Rim sieges," Obi-Wan informed him casually as he entered the briefing room.

"I'm sorry," Anakin apologized, to Owen as well. "I was held up. I have no excuse." _Damn it, I didn't even get any coffee... But I'm definitely awake now,_ he sighed ruefully.

"In short, they are going very well," Obi-Wan continued. "Saleucami has fallen, and Master Vos has moved his troops to Boz Pity," he informed Anakin.

_Um... Why are you telling me this? What's going on?_ Owen was motioning for them to keep going, and Obi-Wan's expression was troubled, so Anakin tried to play along. "What's wrong then?" he asked hesitantly. _What the heck did I miss?_

"The Senate is expected to vote more executive powers to the Chancellor today," Obi-Wan told him regretfully.

_Oh; this is exactly how we planned this scene,_ Anakin remembered. _Except that I was supposed to get here BEFORE the meeting ended and all the Space Troopers left._ "Well, that can only mean less deliberating and more action," he countered, playing his part. "Is that bad? It will make it easier for us to end this war."

"Be careful of your friend Palpatine," Obi-Wan warned him, as they exited the briefing room.

"Be careful of what?" Anakin asked.

"He has requested your presence," Obi-Wan told him.

"What for?" Anakin asked, frowning.

"He would not say," Obi-Wan replied, equally disturbed.

"He didn't inform the Council?" Anakin asked. "That's unusual, isn't it?"

"All of this is unusual," Obi-Wan agreed. "And it's making me feel uneasy."

"Cut," Owen said, nodding in approval. "Great job."

"I'm sorry," Anakin apologized. "I'm sorry I missed the Space Troopers..." _How long was I asleep?_

But Owen just smiled. "No, you didn't miss anything; they couldn't make it. We were just messing with you," he laughed good-naturedly. "But I didn't think you'd actually be able to do it on the first take; that was terrific," he confessed. "Did you have a good nap?" he asked, as he and the cameraman packed their things.

Anakin laughed, embarrassed. "Apparently," he agreed ruefully, running a hand through his hair. _At least I'm awake now..._

"Good." Owen grinned. "All right; Anakin, we'd better get over to the Senate hall; the Chancellor said he could meet with us for a few minutes before lunch," he told him. "Obi-Wan, thank you," he added sincerely. "I'll see you for the Council scene this afternoon."

"No, I think I'll come along and watch," Obi-Wan said, accompanying them to the docking bay. "I'm Anakin's eyebrow coach," he explained importantly.

"Eyebrow coach?" Owen asked, confused. "What?" He stared at Anakin's eyebrows worriedly.

"That's right," Obi-Wan nodded. "Come on, Anakin; show him," he said. Anakin gave Obi-Wan an annoyed glare, refusing to cooperate. "See? There it is!" Obi-Wan smiled in delight, obviously pleased with himself. "Isn't that perfect?"

_Hey! He tricked me,_ Anakin realized, frowning resentfully. _Ahh! Damn it, I just did it again..._

"Wow, that is really good," Owen agreed, impressed.

"Thank you," Anakin said, giving Owen a polite smile and resolving to strangle Obi-Wan at the next possible opportunity. _No, not really,_ he smiled wistfully, shrugging it off. He and Obi-Wan used to tease each other all the time when Anakin was younger; it was great to have that kind of close friendship again. _The same as Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon have,_ he realized happily.

They arrived at the Chancellor's office, and proceeded to film an important scene with Anakin and Palpatine. _I'm turning to the Dark side,_ Anakin reminded himself, nodding in agreement to everything the Chancellor said. _Although I shouldn't make it look too abrupt,_ he thought, frowning. _I should at least make an effort to resist him._

"Anakin," Palpatine was saying now. "I'm appointing you to be my personal representative on the Jedi Council."

"Me? A Master?" _Now there's a funny idea..._ "I'm overwhelmed, sir," Anakin replied humbly. "But the Council elects its own members," he warned Palpatine. "They will never accept this."

"I think they will," the Chancellor assured him. "They need you more than you know."

_I'm sure they do,_ Anakin laughed in profound amusement, after they finished the scene. _I could teach them some fun eyebrow tricks... And how to always be late, and sleep through everything,_ he sighed. _No, I'm much better off working in Hutt Territory,_ he decided. _In two years I've only screwed up and landed in Jabba's dungeon once,_ he consoled himself.

Still, as Anakin and Obi-Wan had lunch together, he found himself in awe of his former Master, and wishing that he could be more like him. _He's so wise, and patient, and selfless,_ Anakin realized once again. _He's one of the most gifted Jedi in the entire Order, and yet he's perfectly content to spend his time teaching younglings and volunteering as a mentor._ Anakin smiled as Obi-Wan told him about his recent visit to the zoo with Jon and his little sister; as usual, Obi-Wan had gone above and beyond the call of duty, and now it seemed he had taken Jon's entire family under his wing, frequently taking both children out for dinner along with their mother.

_Yes, Obi-Wan belongs on the Council,_ Anakin thought proudly, as they arrived at the Council chamber for this afternoon's meeting. Owen was already there, and they discussed the scene briefly before filming.

"Allow this appointment lightly, the Council does not," Yoda said gravely. "Disturbing is this move by Chancellor Palpatine."

"I understand," Anakin replied.

"You are on this Council," Windu conceded. "But we do _not_ grant you the rank of Master."

_No, I never expected you would,_ Anakin laughed to himself. "Yes, Master Windu. Thank you." He bowed respectfully, taking a seat in an empty chair_._

But Master Windu stared at him, then at Owen. "That's it?" he asked, obviously disappointed. "_Yes Master, thank you Master, I understand, Master..._ With all the polite bowing... _THIS_ is our Dark Lord of the Sith?" he asked. "No, no, no..." Windu shook his head, and everyone else laughed, including Anakin, and Owen. "Anakin, come on, you have to put up a fight," he encouraged him.

"Yes Master," Anakin replied obediently, bowing again. "I mean - all right, I'll try," he cringed apologetically. _Ahh! Help!_

"All right," Owen said, amused by the idea. "Let's try this again, from Master Windu's line..."

* * *

><p><em>This should be interesting,<em> Obi-Wan thought, trying to keep a straight face for the camera. Anakin glanced at him helplessly, and Obi-Wan gave him an encouraging smile, subtly wiggling his brows. _Remember the eyebrows..._ Anakin grinned, nodding gratefully.

"You are on this Council, but we do not grant you the rank of Master," Windu repeated, even more belligerently than before.

"What?" Anakin sputtered indignantly, as Obi-Wan tried desperately not to laugh. "How can you do this?" Anakin continued, frowning. "This is outrageous; it's unfair... How can you be on the Council and not be a Master?" he asked, glaring at Windu.

But still he was no match for Mace Windu. "Take a seat, young Skywalker," Windu commanded him, in no uncertain terms.

Obi-Wan shook his head in disappointment as his little brother - master of the dark glare - caved under Master Windu's even darker glare. "Forgive me, Master," Anakin apologized, taking a seat once again.

Ki-Adi-Mundi joined them via hologram transmission, and they went on to film some more scenes discussing General Grievous and the evil droid army, which was now attacking Kashyyyk; apparently this was to be part of another _JEDI / Space Troopers_ crossover episode.

"Go, I will," Yoda assured the others. "Good relations with the Wookiees, I have."

"It's settled then," Master Windu agreed. "Yoda will take a battalion of clones to reinforce the Wookiees on Kashyyyk," he informed them. "May the Force be with us all," he finished, as Obi-Wan nodded sagely, attempting to look serious.

Then the _real_ Council session began, and Anakin got up to leave, along with Owen and the film crew; but Master Windu called him back. "Anakin," he said. "Master Chi'nala contacted me this morning; he needs you back as soon as possible. The Hutts are expecting a massive spice shipment to arrive any day now," he informed him.

Anakin looked suddenly concerned. "Yes, Master," he replied, bowing. "I will return at once," he agreed; but Obi-Wan caught his brother's look of apologetic disappointment as he turned to leave. _He's sad to go,_ Obi-Wan realized.

"Wait," Master Windu said, calling him back. "Owen, how much more were you planning to film with Anakin this week?" he asked. Mace had always been a huge fan of _JEDI,_ and did what he could to help Owen out.

Owen sighed. "Quite a bit more, actually," he admitted. "But if I could just have him for one more scene today, perhaps with Master Kenobi?" he asked hopefully.

Yoda nodded; he was also a big _JEDI_ fan. "Excused from today's Council session, Obi-Wan is," he agreed. "Fill you in later, we will," he added, nodding to Obi-Wan.

"Thank you, Master," Obi-Wan replied, bowing respectfully as he left the Council chamber with Owen and Anakin. They returned to the main hallway to film one last scene; Owen said it would be all right to postpone the other scenes for a future episode.

"All right," Owen said, "Let's just do this the way we had planned... But Anakin, keep going with that indignant 'I-should-be-a-Master' attitude - that was hilarious," he said, grinning.

"Okay," Anakin agreed, laughing. Then he composed himself, furrowing his eyebrows angrily. "What kind of nonsense is this, to put me on the Council and not make me a Master?" he sulked. "That's never been done in the history of the Jedi. It's insulting!"

"Calm down, Anakin," Obi-Wan chided him. "You have been given a great honor. To be on the Council at your age - it's never happened before." _Ah, I wish he really were on the Council; it would be a lot less boring with him there,_ Obi-Wan thought, as they continued filming the scene as they had planned it in the meeting earlier that morning.

"You're asking me to do something against the Jedi Code," Anakin sulked now, frowning. "Against the Republic. Against a mentor, and a friend. That's what's out of place here. Why are you asking this of me?" he demanded, outraged.

Obi-Wan was thankful for his Jedi powers as he masked his deep amusement. _I hate to say it, Anakin, but Owen was right: you do make the perfect Sith Lord._ "The Council is asking you," Obi-Wan replied.

"Thank you," Owen said when they were finished. "Anakin, I'll be in touch; hopefully we can bring you back sometime soon to do the rest of the scenes we had planned for today," he said appreciatively.

"All right," Anakin nodded; then he glanced at Obi-Wan, remembering. "Actually, I'd like to come back in three weeks for Cory's birthday... Master Qui-Gon's padawan," he explained to Owen. "Do you think we could do it then?"

"That would be perfect," Owen agreed, nodding. "All right, I'll see you in three weeks then. Obi-Wan, I'll meet you in the docking bay for the next scene with Master Yoda and Windu," he added with a cheerful smile, taking his leave as Anakin and Obi-Wan continued on to the docking bay.

"Goodbye, Master," Anakin said, climbing into his Jedi Starfighter.

"Goodbye, Anakin," Obi-Wan replied, with a warm smile. _It seems I'm always saying goodbye to him,_ he sighed, as his brother took off for Hutt territory once again. _But this time it's only for three weeks,_ he consoled himself.

Owen joined him a few minutes later with Master Yoda and Windu, and they filmed one last scene together on their way to the nearby_ Space Troopers_ set; Yoda would be leaving the next morning to continue filming on Kashyyyk over the next few days.

"Anakin did not take to his assignment with much enthusiasm," Obi-Wan reported to Yoda and Windu.

"It's very dangerous, putting them together," Windu warned them. "I don't think the boy can handle it. I don't trust him."

Obi-Wan nodded. "Neither do I," he admitted regretfully.

Mace gave him a quizzical look. "Aren't you supposed to be sticking up for him?" he pointed out. "He's your ex-padawan, he's... Hey!" Windu exclaimed suddenly, grinning with great enthusiasm. "We should bring back that Chosen One prophecy!"

"NO!" Owen, Yoda, and Obi-Wan retorted simultaneously. Mace Windu was a card-carrying member of the unofficial _JEDI_ fan club, a group of frighteningly disturbed people who spent all their free time discussing the minute details of the show and arguing over points that made no sense to begin with. Such as the Chosen One prophecy, which Cliegg Lars had written into the show thirteen years ago.

"Aww, come on," Mace begged. "The Chosen One prophecy is brilliant... We have to at least mention it," he pleaded. "Especially now that Anakin is turning to the Dark side for good," he pointed out.

"But no sense whatsoever, the prophecy makes," Yoda argued; it was widely believed that Master Yoda also belonged to the _JEDI_ fan club under a false name, though he would never admit to it openly.

"That's the beauty of it!" Windu replied eagerly. "It's a mystery, an enigma..."

"Create life, midichlorians cannot," Yoda pointed out.

"Prove it," Windu challenged him.

"Hmmmph," Yoda pouted, realizing he was beaten.

"Okayyyy," Owen said, as he and Obi-Wan shared a slightly concerned look. _JEDI fanatics are quite scary._ But as always, Owen nodded agreeably. "All right, let's take it from Obi-Wan's line, and this time let's mention the prophecy," he decided bravely.

_Oh dear..._ "With all due respect, Master, is he not the Chosen One?" Obi-Wan asked. "Is he not to destroy the Sith, and bring balance to the Force?" _And how in the blazes is he going to do that, now that he's JOINING them?_ Obi-Wan laughed to himself.

"So the prophecy says," Windu agreed, his expression dark and mysterious.

"A prophecy, that misread, could have been," Yoda warned them cryptically, and with excessive drama.

_My turn to say something enigmatic and pointless,_ Obi-Wan realized; but alas, nothing came to him. _Oh, shove it... What they've said already is enough to keep the fans talking for months._ "He will not let me down," Obi-Wan replied simply. "He never has."

"I hope right you are," Yoda replied, as they arrived at the _Space Troopers_ set. Thankfully the scene was soon over, and Obi-Wan and Owen shared a relieved grin. _Please don't put me alone in a scene with these two ever again,_ Obi-Wan laughed ruefully, as Yoda and Windu continued to debate the validity of the Chosen One prophecy all the way back to the Jedi Temple.


	38. I'm evil but I still love you, Padmé

**Chapter 38**

_Three weeks later..._

"Ani!" Padmé exclaimed, wrapping her arms around him. "Oh, I've missed you so much!"

"Padmé!" Anakin smiled, kissing her and holding her close. "Look at you," he said tenderly, admiring her dress and her intricate hairstyle. "You look beautiful."

Padmé beamed in delight, and Anakin kissed her again, grateful that she felt more comfortable with her pregnancy now, and was no longer paranoid about looking fat or radioactive. But now she was looking up at him expectantly, a hopeful expression in her deep brown eyes. "What do you think?"

_Aw... She wants me to name her hairstyle,_ Anakin realized, grinning. "Let's see," he mused good-naturedly. "Wow, this one is really complicated. Well, obviously these are seahorses," he began, admiring the twirly buns over her ears, with braided loops hanging down from them. "And sand dollars," he continued, seeing the little round buttons that held them in place. "Giant piece of kelp," he added, patting the leather band over her forehead as Padmé giggled in delight. "And a great big eel," he finished, tugging playfully on the braid down her back. Then he kissed her again, embracing her. "Am I right?"

Padmé nodded, her eyes sparkling with joy. "Yes!" she said, delighted with Anakin's answer. "I was trying to do something with an aquatic theme... Oh!" she exclaimed suddenly, smiling. "Ani, I have wonderful news!"

Anakin smiled, holding her in his arms; she was so soft, and adorable, and it was so wonderful to see her so happy... "What is it?" he asked, kissing her on the forehead.

"I had my six month check-up today; they took a picture," Padmé told him, pulling out her datapad. "Ani, you're not going to believe this," she said, showing him the vague, blurry black-and-white image.

"Wow," Anakin said, tears of joy springing to his eyes as he saw their child for the first time. Then he frowned worriedly as he peered closer, studying the details. _Ani, you're not going to believe this..._ Suddenly his heart pounded in shocked horror as he realized the truth._ Our baby is a two-headed octopus._ "No," Anakin whispered, collapsing weakly onto the couch.

"I'm sorry, Padmé," he said, holding her close as she sat next to him. "This is my fault," he gulped bitterly. _I knew I was defective... I knew there had to be a reason why Jedi aren't supposed to marry, or have kids; I should have known this would happen..._ "Padmé, I'm so sorry," he cried, gathering her in his arms and rocking her gently. _I'm so sorry I did this to you..._

"Ani, no," Padmé said gently, her eyes so full of hope. "I think it's wonderful," she assured him. "I'm so happy." She smiled, hugging him again. "This is good news," she insisted optimistically.

Anakin nodded, trying to smile bravely. _Aww... That's why she did the aquatic hairstyle,_ he realized now, tenderly stroking one of her seahorses and kissing the giant piece of kelp.

"It will be all right," Padmé assured him, and Anakin nodded again, putting a hand on her belly and stroking their child lovingly. _If Padmé can find it in her heart to love and accept our baby octopus, then so can I,_ he decided.

"Well, at least Squishy and Squashy will have some company now," Anakin said, managing a rueful laugh.

"Yes," Padmé agreed happily; then she sighed, laying her head against Anakin's shoulder as he gently stroked her back. "We still haven't thought of any names we both like," she reminded him.

Anakin sighed. "Padmé," he apologized gently. "I'm sorry about what I said before. If you want to use family names, that's all right with me." _She's being so brave about this; it's the least I can do,_ he thought, realizing suddenly that names like Ruwee, Jobal, Ryoo, and Pooja were perfect for an octopus. _Even Poodu,_ he sighed. _If it means so much to her..._

But Padmé smiled gently. "No," she told him. "You're right; our babies deserve names of their own. I'm sure we'll think of something perfect," she insisted, still smiling blissfully.

Anakin nodded; then he blinked, confused. "Babies?" he asked uncertainly.

"Oh! Right," Padmé said excitedly, remembering. "The doctor says we're having one of each! Isn't that perfect, Ani?" she asked, her eyes sparkling with joyful anticipation.

"That's - wonderful," Anakin agreed, managing a brave smile. "One of each what?" he asked hesitantly. There had been two heads, he remembered... _Some type of squid, or jellyfish?_

Padmé giggled, obviously finding his question amusing. "A boy and a girl," she told him, showing him the picture again. "See... This one's definitely a boy," she said, pointing to a little bumpy thing; "and this one's... _not_," she explained cheerfully.

Anakin squinted at the picture, trying to make sense of what she was saying. _There are two of them? A boy and a girl..._ "Oh," he gasped suddenly, tears springing to his eyes he realized what he was looking at. _That's not an octopus!_ "They're beautiful," he cried._ They're babies... They're just normal little babies,_ he realized, overwhelmed with joy and relief.

"I know," Padmé said, as Anakin gathered her in his arms and hugged her ecstatically. "Can you believe it, Ani? We're having twins," she sighed, wrapping her arms around him. "The doctor says they're perfect," she told him proudly.

"That's wonderful, Padmé," Anakin agreed, snuggling close to her and kissing her giant piece of kelp again. _Twins,_ he smiled in joyful disbelief. Then he squinted at her curiously. "Padmé?" he asked, confused. "Why did you do an aquatic theme with your hair?"

Padmé looked a little hurt. "Obi-Wan's taking me to the opera tonight," she explained. "It's the Mon Calamari Ballet, performing_ Squid Lake_; I thought an aquatic theme would be appropriate," she told him, obviously dismayed by his question. "You don't like it?"

"No, no... It's beautiful," Anakin apologized, smiling in relief and kissing her again. "I love it," he assured her, stroking her hair and admiring the seahorses and the sand dollar buttons. _That's really nice of Obi-Wan,_ he confessed. As if teaching younglings and mentoring a fatherless little boy wasn't enough, Obi-Wan had also taken Padmé under his protective wing, and they were practically dating now; Anakin thought it was sweet and hilarious at the same time.

Suddenly they heard a knock at the door. "That's either Owen, or my gentleman caller." Padmé smiled in amusement, giving Anakin one last kiss before answering the door. "Obi-Wan!" she exclaimed. "Come on in," she said, inviting him inside.

"Milady." Obi-Wan bowed politely, with an affectionate twinkle in his eyes. Then he saw Anakin. "Oh! Anakin, you're here," he exclaimed, surprised. "Owen was looking for you a moment ago... Oh dear, we should let him know you're already up here," he added worriedly, pulling out his transmitter. "Owen? Yes, Anakin's here already, in Senator Amidala's apartment."

_Yes, for once I'm early,_ Anakin sighed. _Owen will probably die of shock._ "All right," Obi-Wan nodded cheerfully, turning off the transmitter. "He's on his way... Anakin, it's so good to see you."

"It's good to see you too, Master," Anakin agreed, smiling appreciatively.

"Congratulations on the spice raid," Obi-Wan added, deeply impressed. "I hear the Hutts are furious."

Anakin grinned. "Yeah, they're not too happy with us right now," he confessed. Anakin and the other Jedi Knights assigned to Hutt Territory had confiscated one of the largest illegal spice shipments ever just last week. _It's great to be back though,_ Anakin thought happily, as he continued chatting with Padmé and Obi-Wan.

A few minutes later Owen arrived, and they filmed a quick scene with Anakin and Padmé arguing over the political situation. "Sometimes I wonder what's happening to the Jedi Order," Anakin began. "I think this war is destroying the principles of the Republic."

"Have you ever considered that we may be on the wrong side?" Padmé asked hesitantly.

"What do you mean?" Anakin frowned, remembering his eyebrows.

"What if the democracy we thought we were serving no longer exists, and the Republic has become the very evil we've been fighting to destroy?" Padmé asked.

"I don't believe that," Anakin replied coldly. "And you're sounding like a Separatist!"

"This war represents a failure to listen," Padmé argued. "Now you're closer to the Chancellor than anyone. Please, ask him to stop the fighting and let diplomacy resume," she begged him.

_She's being so sweet and adorable, and I have to act like a complete asshole..._ "Don't ask me to do that," Anakin reproached her. "Make a motion in the Senate, where that kind of a request belongs." _I'm sorry, sweety..._

"What is it?" Padmé asked softly, concerned.

"Nothing," Anakin lied, avoiding her gaze.

"Don't do this," Padmé pleaded. "Don't shut me out. Let me help you."

"You can't help me," Anakin replied stubbornly. "I'm trying to help you." _Where the hell are we going with this scene?_ "I sense - there are things you are not telling me," he said, for lack of a better idea.

"I sense there are things _you_ are not telling _me_," Padmé retorted mischievously, stifling a giggle.

_Force, here we go again..._ But thankfully they were interrupted, this time by Obi-Wan's transmitter. "I'm sorry," Obi-Wan apologized, taking the call. "Yes, Chancellor?" he asked worriedly. "Oh dear... Yes, Anakin is here... Go ahead and put him through to Senator Amidala's holo-transmitter," Obi-Wan instructed the Chancellor.

Padmé switched on her holo-transmitter, then stifled a yelp of alarm as a gigantic green blob appeared in her living room. _Holy crap, it's Jabba,_ Anakin blinked anxiously. _What the hell does he want?_

"Skywalker!" Jabba roared. "Give me back my spices!"

"Your Excellency," Anakin replied in Huttese. "You need to speak to Master Chi'nala. I am not authorized to - "

"Master Chi'nala is Bantha poodoo!" Jabba spat - literally - sending holographic chunks of food across Padmé's living room.

_Yuck..._ "Nevertheless," Anakin said calmly, trying to ignore Jabba's projectile outburst, "Master Chi'nala is the one you must speak with. I'm sure he will - "

"Jedi scum!" Jabba roared angrily. "You will pay for this, Skywalker! I will double the price on your head! Soon every bounty hunter in the entire galaxy will - " he broke off suddenly, his yellow eyes narrowing. "Is that Padmé?" he asked abruptly.

"No," Anakin lied, suddenly alarmed. _Stay away from my wife, you disgusting sack of -_

"It _is_ Padmé!" Jabba exclaimed. "Put her on now," he demanded. "I want to speak to her."

"No," Anakin refused. "Your Excellency, I have nothing more to say. I suggest you - "

"Put her on, and I will call off the bounty on your head for three months," Jabba offered slyly.

_Three months?_ Anakin frowned, uncertain. "What do you want with her?" he asked cautiously. He knew that Jabba was a big fan of _JEDI_, and Padmé in particular... _He's giving me a three-month vacation from bounty hunters just to talk to her?_

Jabba looked suddenly uncomfortable. "I want to read her some of my poetry."

_Poetry? Jabba writes poetry?_ Anakin blinked, dumbfounded. "What sort of poetry?"

"Love poetry," Jabba replied softly. "I will make a deal with you, Skywalker. If Padmé reads my poetry on the _JEDI_ show, I will call off the bounty on your head for one year," he offered reluctantly.

Anakin frowned uncertainly. "I need a minute to think about it," he said, turning off the microphone as Jabba nodded in agreement.

"What's going on?" Obi-Wan asked, concerned.

"Nothing," Anakin said. "He's angry about losing his spice shipment, that's all... But - " He sighed regretfully, shaking his head. "He says he'll call off the bounty on my head for a year if Padmé reads his love poetry on the show."

Owen, Obi-Wan, and Padmé all exchanged incredulous, worried glances; but finally Owen recovered the ability to speak. "I would have to hear it first, and make sure it's appropriate, but... Padmé, it's up to you," he conceded, somewhat disturbed.

Padmé looked at Anakin worriedly, then nodded quickly. "I'll do it."

Anakin gave her an apologetic, grateful smile, turning the microphone back on. "Your Excellency," he said politely in Huttese. "Padmé has agreed to read your poetry, as long as it is appropriate for a galactic broadcast," he informed him.

"Good," Jabba nodded. "You will translate... And she must say the words in soft, soothing tones... With much love, and affection," he instructed Anakin. Then his big yellow eyes looked suddenly dreamy and glazed over. "And she must picture me in her mind, when she says them," he added wistfully, before glaring at Anakin once again. "Otherwise the deal is off!"

Anakin blinked, explaining Jabba's terms to Padmé; then he shrugged, nodding. "All right, let's hear it."

_A few minutes later..._

"Hold me, like you did by the lake on Naboo," Padmé said dreamily, as Jabba licked his lips, dripping holographic drool all over her living room floor. "So long ago, when there was nothing but our love... No politics, no plotting... no war," Padmé sighed, closing her eyes and laying her face awkwardly against Anakin's chest as he wrapped his arms stiffly around her, trying to mask his profound disgust.

_The scariest part about that,_ Anakin decided afterwards as Jabba nodded approvingly, _is that it actually wasn't half bad._ At least it had been short... Anakin found himself wondering how many women would recite love poetry to a Hutt in order to save their husband's head for another year. _She loves me,_ Anakin thought wistfully, as Padmé left with Obi-Wan for their date at the ballet.


	39. Enjoy your date with Obi-Wan!

**Chapter 39**

"Goodnight, Milady." Obi-Wan bowed playfully, with an affectionate smile. "I had a lovely time this evening."

"So did I," Padmé said, smiling. "Thank you, Obi-Wan. Anakin, it was wonderful to see you again too."

"And you, Milady," Anakin replied, bowing. "I hope to see you soon."

"I look forward to it." Padmé smiled fondly, her brown eyes sparkling adorably as she wished them goodnight.

Anakin sighed as he followed Obi-Wan back out to the elevator after walking Padmé home from the ballet. _She looked so pretty tonight..._ Then he noticed Obi-Wan's suspicious gaze. _Oh crap!_ "What is it, Master?" he asked, trying to look innocent.

"Since when do you call her 'Milady'?" Obi-Wan asked, obviously amused.

"Um..." Anakin blinked nervously. "Well - _you_ did," he pointed out. _Ah! Was it that obvious?_

"Yes, well that's different," Obi-Wan told him. "She and I are secret lovers; I suppose you've read the news?"

Anakin laughed despite himself. "Yes," he admitted. "I read about it last week, in the _Galactic Enquirer._ I was insanely jealous," he told Obi-Wan, deeply amused. "I can't believe you left me for her, Master," he added, giving him a reproachful look.

"Well you can hardly blame me," Obi-Wan said defensively. "You're never around these days," he complained. "And besides, she's much prettier than you," he pointed out. Then he sighed, shaking his head. "No, I shouldn't joke," he admitted. "I think it's dreadful, the way she's been dragged through the tabloids with this pregnancy."

Anakin nodded ruefully. "Padmé seems to be taking it well though," he pointed out, as they got off the elevator and continued outside to catch a transport back to the Jedi Temple. _She is amazing..._

"Yes," Obi-Wan agreed quietly. "I admire her patience. And her loyalty," he admitted, sighing.

"Loyalty?" Anakin frowned, not understanding.

Obi-Wan glanced at him regretfully, then looked down at the ground as they waited for the next transport to arrive. "Obviously she's protecting the man who..." he shook his head, frustrated. "Forgive me," he apologized, giving Anakin a rueful smile. "So, how was your date with Darth Sidious?" he asked curiously, changing the subject.

"Oh." Anakin grinned shyly, trying to mask his unease. "It was good," he told Obi-Wan, nodding. "He told me all about the legend of Darth Plagueis the Wise," he laughed.

"Oh, do tell," Obi-Wan said, as they boarded a transport and headed back to the Jedi Temple.

Anakin related what he could remember of his conversation with Palpatine at the ballet. "The Chancellor is amazing," he admitted. "He just makes all of this up off the top of his head; he's a very quick thinker. I guess that's why he's the leader of the Galactic Republic... Oh!" he remembered suddenly. "You'll never guess where Pookie's been hiding all this time."

"Utapau?" Obi-Wan guessed immediately.

Anakin pouted. "Yes... How did you know?" he asked, suddenly worried. _Can he really read my mind?_

Obi-Wan laughed, quietly amused. "It was on the show weeks ago, Anakin. There was a scene with Pookie landing on Utapau and going to his secret command center to talk to Sidious. The entire galaxy knows he's there," Obi-Wan said. "Except for you, apparently," he teased Anakin affectionately.

"Really?" Anakin asked, confused. "The Chancellor said that _JEDI_ had never filmed on Utapau before."

Obi-Wan stared at him, incredulous. "They're filming on Utapau?" The Utapauans were a primitive culture, without space travel or technology of their own; they were under the protection of the Galactic Republic, and the Chancellor had built them a basic communications center, but they were incredibly shy, and rarely allowed outsiders to visit their planet.

"Yes," Anakin nodded. "The Chancellor got permission for Owen to go there next week." Then he gave Obi-Wan an inquisitive look. "How did they film the part before, with Pookie?"

"Oh, that was just a movie set," Obi-Wan explained. "It's on Geonosis, actually. They built a replica of the Utapauan communications center, and used stock footage of one of the planet's sinkholes."

"Ah," Anakin nodded; then he looked at Obi-Wan worriedly. "How do you know about all this, Master? You're not turning into one of these crazed _JEDI_ fanatics, are you?"

"Oh dear; I hope not," Obi-Wan sighed. "I fear I have been watching the show nearly every week though," he confessed. "But I'm not in the fan club," he promised Anakin, grinning good-naturedly as they arrived at the Jedi Temple.

"Good," Anakin laughed, as they exited the transport. "I worry about you, Master," he confessed, as they climbed up the steps to the Jedi Temple. "I always thought that after I was out from under your wing, you'd - " he shook his head. "Forgive me, Master; I know it's not my place," he apologized. "But - when was the last time you left Coruscant?" he asked, curious.

Obi-Wan looked at the floor as they entered the main hallway. "Not since Cato Neimoidia," he admitted quietly. Then he laughed. "But you can hardly blame me; look how that turned out."

"True," Anakin conceded, grinning. "And before that?" he asked quietly.

Obi-Wan shook his head. "Not since you left," he confessed, as they got onto the elevator. "I suppose that must sound terribly boring to you." He smiled apologetically, looking down again.

"No," Anakin insisted; then he sighed. "Well, yes," he said reluctantly. "I wish I had your patience; I truly admire you, Master, for being on the Council, teaching younglings, being a mentor... dating Padmé," he added mischievously. "But... don't you miss it?" he asked. "Traveling... Seeing other planets... Getting into a good lightsaber fight now and then?"

Obi-Wan smiled affectionately. "Yes," he admitted. "Sometimes... But I'm happy here, Anakin," he assured him, as they arrived on their floor and returned to their quarters. Then he grinned ruefully. "I suppose I'm getting old."

_Ahh! Why do I always say the wrong thing?_ Anakin cursed himself. "You're not old, Master," he insisted; then he shrugged, hanging his head as he walked past Obi-Wan's door, heading for his own room. _It's late. Padmé's expecting me, and Obi-Wan probably just wants to go to bed. Because he's getting old after all, since he wasted the best years of his life training me._ "Forgive me," he apologized. "I should get to bed; it's been a long day."

"Of course," Obi-Wan agreed cheerfully, with an affectionate twinkle in his eyes. "Goodnight, Anakin."

"Goodnight, Master," Anakin nodded; then he shook his head. "I'm sorry, Master," he apologized again. "I shouldn't have said that; it's not my place. I'm glad you're happy here."

"Thank you," Obi-Wan said, not taking offense; but then he sighed, looking down. "The only thing I do miss is having you around," he admitted. "Are you sure you don't want to come in for a minute?"

Anakin nodded shyly. "All right," he agreed, following Obi-Wan into his little apartment and sitting in the giant spoon. "This thing is so comfy," he remarked, settling back against the handle. "How do you get to keep it, anyway, Master? I mean, it's got to be worth thousands of credits." He frowned, uncertain. "Isn't this considered a possession?"

"I don't own it, Anakin; I just sit on it," Obi-Wan explained matter-of-factly, offering him a shot of blue stuff. "Besides," he said, sitting on the edge of his bed. "The whole 'no possessions' rule is a bit impractical," he pointed out. "If we followed it strictly we'd all be running around stark naked through the galaxy; I don't think people would like that much."

"Master Obi-Wan, arguing against the Jedi Code," Anakin laughed, shaking his head. "I never thought I'd see the day. You've obviously been hanging around Master Qui-Gon too much."

"Yes, I suppose so," Obi-Wan agreed. Then he looked down. "And you don't have to call me 'Master Obi-Wan'," he told Anakin. "You're not my padawan anymore," he reminded him, with a wistful smile.

Anakin shrugged uncomfortably; he knew that Knights and Masters were technically allowed to refer to each other by their first names, but somehow it seemed wrong, especially with Obi-Wan. "You still call Master Qui-Gon 'Master Qui-Gon'," he pointed out hesitantly.

"Yes, well that's different; he's - " Obi-Wan sighed. "No, I suppose you're right," he admitted.

"What is it, Master?" Anakin asked, sensing his disappointment.

Obi-Wan smiled. "Nothing. I always thought of Master Qui-Gon as being so much older than me; but you're right... There really isn't that much of a difference," he conceded.

"Not this again," Anakin laughed, rolling his eyes. "Master, you're not old," he promised him. "All right; if you want me to call you Obi-Wan, I'll call you Obi-Wan," he agreed, shrugging.

Obi-Wan nodded, giving Anakin an appreciative smile before gazing at the floor again, lost in thought. "I would like that," he said quietly. Then he smiled. "So, will you really be going to Utapau?" he asked again, incredulous.

"No," Anakin said ruefully. "I thought so too at first, but Sidious was only toying with me," he laughed. "The Council is going to send Master Ki-Adi instead, because he's been there before."

"Ah," Obi-Wan nodded. "That's too bad. I wish you could have gone; the dragons there are amazing," he sighed wistfully.

Anakin looked at him, startled. "You've been there?" he asked, surprised. Obi-Wan had never spoken of it before.

Obi-Wan frowned suddenly, furrowing his brows. "No, no, of course not," he said quickly, looking down.

"Ha!" Anakin laughed, amused. "You're doing my eyebrow thing! You can't fool me with my own trick, Master," he grinned. "You _have_ been there," he realized suddenly, delighted and amazed.

Obi-Wan laughed, shaking his head. "No," he protested again; then he sighed, relenting. "Maybe," he admitted. "Can you keep a secret?" he asked Anakin, with a hesitant look.

_You'd be surprised..._ "Yes, of course," Anakin promised.

Obi-Wan nodded, grateful. "Master Qui-Gon took me there when I was a young padawan," he told Anakin. "We didn't have permission to go, but..." Obi-Wan laughed ruefully. "That has rarely ever stopped Master Qui-Gon from doing anything," he pointed out. "So we sneaked onto the planet to explore the caves for a few days; that was the first time I ever saw dragons," he said. "It was extraordinary."

"Wow; that's amazing," Anakin agreed. "So that's why you've always liked dragons," he realized suddenly. Obi-Wan was practically obsessed with the creatures; the first time Anakin had met his future Master, they had been filming for an episode of _JEDI_ on Tatooine with Qui-Gon and Padmé, and Obi-Wan had spent nearly the entire time hunting for the fabled and elusive Krayt dragon. In the end he had filmed only a few quick scenes aboard Padmé's ship, missing Anakin's pod race altogether.

"Yes," Obi-Wan said, with a quiet smile. "The first day we arrived on Utapau, we stumbled onto a nest of Varactyls; the last of the eggs was just hatching as we arrived," he told Anakin. "We watched from a little crevice above the nest, and it poked its little head out of the egg; it was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen in my life," Obi-Wan admitted, sighing.

"Apparently the mother Varactyl didn't think so though," he continued. "She shoved it out of the nest, and refused to feed it. It was smaller than the others; I guess she figured she had enough children." He smiled sadly. "So this tiny little Varactyl crawled away into the corner of the cave, crying pathetically, but the mother ignored its cries," he told Anakin.

"Finally in the middle of the night, I jumped down and got it," Obi-Wan admitted. "Master Qui-Gon told me not to, and of course it immediately bit me," he said cheerfully. "But I kept it for the few days we were there, and tried to feed it little bits of whatever plants I could find." He laughed, shaking his head. "I suppose that sounds daft, doesn't it?"

Anakin grinned. "Yes," he said, laughing. "So what happened to it?" he asked, curious.

Obi-Wan shook his head, sighing. "I don't know," he admitted. "A few days later we got called back to Coruscant; I wanted to take it home with me, but Qui-Gon wouldn't allow it. We weren't supposed to be there in the first place, and there's no way to hide an Utapauan lizard; they grow to fifty feet, and make the most ear-splitting sound you've ever heard," he sighed ruefully.

"Worse than a Krayt dragon?" Anakin asked. One of Obi-Wan's more bizarre 'specialities' - as he called them - was that he could imitate the Krayt dragon's mating call with frightening accuracy; it was truly an odd talent.

"Far worse," Obi-Wan told him. "Would you like to hear it?" he asked, with a hopeful grin.

"No!" Anakin laughed. "And I think I speak for the entire city of Coruscant when I say that," he added pointedly.

"Pity," Obi-Wan sighed. "It's a beautiful sound, really."

Anakin stared at him thoughtfully. _He really loves dragons..._ "You should go, Master," he said. "You should go to Utapau next week, to film with Pookie. I'm sure Master Ki-Adi won't mind," Anakin suggested.

Obi-Wan smiled, shaking his head. "No; the Utapauans are very shy, and frightened of outsiders. Especially humans," he told Anakin. "They know Master Ki-Adi, and feel comfortable with him," he explained. "Besides, I have my younglings to teach," he said cheerfully.

Anakin nodded; it was late, and Obi-Wan's blue stuff tended to make him sleepy. "Well," he said good-naturedly, yawning slightly as he got up from the floating spoon. "I should get to bed... Thank you, Master," he added appreciatively

Obi-Wan nodded, seeing him to the door. "It's good to see you, Anakin," he said. "I have Confessional chamber duty tomorrow morning before classes, so I won't make it to breakfast," he told him. "Will you be at the Council meeting tomorrow afternoon?"

"Yes," Anakin laughed. "I have to demand that I be chosen for the Utapau mission."

"Well, you'd better practice that sulking glare some more," Obi-Wan advised him. "I fear you're still no match for Master Windu." He smiled, his eyes twinkling with amusement. "Goodnight, Anakin."

Anakin nodded. "Goodnight, Master... Obi-Wan," he said with a shy smile, as he headed back to his own room.


	40. What's more fun than a birthday party?

**Chapter 40**

_Hold me, like you did by the lake on Naboo... When there was nothing but our love..._ Jabba closed his eyes, holding Padmé in his arms, caressing her soft, voluptuous curves, smelling the sweet scent of her perfume, gently stroking her long, silky hair...

Jabba frowned, his fantasy disturbed by the feel of something soft and fleshy where Padmé's hair should have been. It felt warm, and squishy... Opening his eyes, he found himself clutching Bib Fortuna in his arms, caressing his tentacles.

"Ahhhhhhhhh!" Jabba roared angrily, throwing his Twi'lek assistant to the ground.

"I'm sorry, Your Excellency," Fortuna apologized pathetically, cowering on the floor. "I thought it was what you wanted..."

"Silence!" Jabba yelled, grabbing a critter from his bowl and munching on it greedily; eating always made him feel better when he was upset. But after finishing off the rest of his midnight snack, he still felt empty. _My therapist is right,_ he admitted sadly. _I am confusing food for love. But no more,_ he vowed stubbornly, throwing his dish across the room. "Get me Zorg," he demanded abruptly.

"Yes, at once, Your Excellency," Fortuna replied, bowing obediently as he left to wake Jabba's best bounty hunter.

"You called for me, Your Excellency?" Zorg asked sleepily, bowing before him a few minutes later.

"I have a job for you, Bounty Hunter," Jabba informed him. "One that will require all of your resources, and much discretion."

"Yes, Your Excellency," Zorg nodded. "I am at your service, as always. What is the assignment?"

"You will bring me Padmé Amidala," Jabba informed him. "Alive, and unharmed. I will pay... fifty thousand," he told Zorg.

Zorg nodded seriously, thinking it over. "I accept the assignment," he agreed.

"Good," Jabba said. "She is not to be harmed!" he reminded Zorg once again. "And if you bring her to me before midnight tomorrow, I will double the payment," he added. _I am crazy to pay that much,_ he realized. _But Padmé is worth it..._

Zorg's eyes widened, but he nodded obediently. "Yes, Your Excellency," he agreed. "I shall do my best," he promised, quickly taking his leave of Jabba's audience chamber.

Jabba sighed, drifting off to sleep once more. _Hold me, like you did by the lake on Naboo..._ He smiled to himself. _Soon she will be with me, and I can hold her in my arms, and read my poetry to her every night,_ he thought dreamily. _But until then..._ "Bring me another bowl of critters," he demanded. "Now!"

"Yes, Your Excellency. Right away," Bib Fortuna promised, bowing as he left to replenish Jabba's snack bowl.

* * *

><p><em>The next afternoon...<em>

"All right," Owen explained to the Council before they began filming. "Here's what we need to do today... Palpatine has just received word that General Grievous is hiding in Utapau, and he's recommended Anakin for the mission; but the Council will vote to send Master Ki-Adi instead," he told them. "Anakin, you're going to be outraged by this decision. Maybe you and Master Windu can get into a yelling match, and then you can storm out of the Council chamber, or something like that," he suggested.

"All right," Anakin agreed, grinning mischievously.

"Wait," Mace Windu said, as the other Council members sighed, shaking their heads. "I heard about this conspiracy theory that's going around; some of the fans think that Anakin is still a good guy, and that _I'm_ the new Sith Lord," he said, obviously pleased with himself. "What if we have Anakin tone it down for this scene, just to keep the suspense going?"

Windu's suggestion was met by blank stares and indifferent shrugs all around. "All right," Owen agreed, "That's a good idea... Anakin, maybe you can look a bit disturbed by the Council's decision, but don't actually argue with them?" he clarified, as Anakin nodded and Mace grinned enthusiastically. "All right, let's get started..."

"I'm sorry... Owen?" Ki-Adi-Mundi interrupted, via holo-transmission. "You said I'm to go to Utapau... When are you planning to shoot that?"

"Next week," Owen told him, suddenly concerned. "Will that work for you?"

Ki-Adi shook his head in regret. "I'm sorry; I know I was scheduled to be on the show next week, but it looks like I'm going to be stuck here on Mygeeto at least until the end of the month," he apologized.

Owen nodded. "That's all right, Master Ki-Adi," he assured him. Then he glanced at the other Council members hopefully. "Is there anyone else who might be able to do the Utapau scene next week?"

"I'll do it," Mace volunteered immediately. "I've been wanting to get my hands on Grievous," he laughed. "And I've always wanted to see Utapau," he confessed.

But the holographic images of Ki-Adi and Yoda were glancing at each other worriedly. "Master Windu," Ki-Adi said hesitantly, "I mean no offense, but the Utapauans are easily frightened, and..." he broke off apologetically.

"Someone less... intimidating, we should send," Yoda added tactfully.

Windu looked surprised, then defensive; but then he grinned, shrugging. "You're right; I do tend to have that effect on people," he admitted good-naturedly.

Obi-Wan nodded, looking around the Council chamber. He caught Anakin's hopeful glance, and smiled at his brother. _He wants me to go,_ he realized. _And I would love to do it,_ he thought; but the most important thing was that they send someone who would maintain good relations with the Utapauans, and not frighten them.

Suddenly he realized that all eyes were on him. "What?" Obi-Wan asked worriedly.

"I vote for Obi-Wan," Ki-Adi suggested, as the others nodded in agreement.

Obi-Wan looked around, slightly hurt by the implication. "I'm not intimidating?" he asked, frowning.

Mace laughed. "I'm sorry, Obi-Wan, but... You've got that dimply, twinkly-eyed, twelve-year-old look going on," he told him. "Not that that's a bad thing," he reassured him good-naturedly.

"Twelve-year-old?" Obi-Wan frowned. "What about the beard?" he asked, blinking; he had specifically grown it to look older, more mature, _less_ childish. "You don't think it will scare them?"

"No," Mace said. "You know what it reminds me of," he mused, studying Obi-Wan's beard thoughtfully. "Those little furry plushy toys, that kids love to play with," he said, grinning. "You know what I'm talking about?" he asked the others hopefully.

_Plushy toy?_ Obi-Wan blinked, horrified by the thought. But the other Council members were all smiling and nodding in agreement, with the exception of Anakin, who was doubled over with his head between his knees, quietly hyperventilating.

"All right," Owen interjected cautiously, blinking in confusion. "Master Kenobi, would you be available to film on Utapau next week?"

Obi-Wan nodded, composing himself. "Yes, of course," he said, trying to maintain his dignity.

"Thank you, Obi-Wan." Owen smiled appreciatively. "Okay, let's give this a try... Anakin, are you all right?" he asked worriedly.

Anakin nodded as he sat up, composing himself. "I'm sorry," he apologized, catching his breath. "It was... hiccups." He gulped, desperately trying not to look at Obi-Wan. "Okay, I'm good now," he promised, as they proceeded to film the scene.

* * *

><p><em>Plushy toy?<em> Obi-Wan blinked in dismay as he exited the Council chamber after the session was over. He was truly glad to have been chosen to film on Utapau, but he couldn't help feeling a bit crestfallen by the Council's reasoning. _They think I look like a plushy toy?_ Still, he was looking forward to perhaps seeing some dragons again...

"Obi-Wan!" He looked up to see Qui-Gon standing in the hallway, along with Anakin and Cory.

"Master Qui-Gon!" Obi-Wan smiled, greeting them. "And Cory! Happy birthday," he added, suddenly fighting tears of pride and joy. _He doesn't look thirteen; he's still just a little thing... Like his father, the plushy toy,_ Obi-Wan sighed ruefully.

"Thank you... Hi, Master Obi-Wan," Cory said cheerfully.

"Owen wants to film a quick scene with us down in the main hallway," Anakin told him, as they headed toward the elevator. "But then we're done for the day."

"Great; we'll watch," Qui-Gon proposed, following along with Cory.

* * *

><p>Padmé smiled, sighing contentedly as she returned to her apartment after today's Senate session. She'd had a wonderful morning with Anakin; for once he hadn't had to leave before dawn, and so they had stayed in bed until a ridiculously late hour. <em>I wish every day could be like this.<em>

Then she noticed a light blinking on her holo-transmitter. The Queen of Naboo had tried to call earlier, and apparently needed to speak with her immediately. "Yes, Your Highness?" Padmé asked politely, contacting her via holo-transmission.

"Senator Amidala," the Queen addressed her formally. "I assume you are aware of the latest allegations in the _Galactic Enquirer?_"

"No, Your Highness," Padmé answered, concerned. "What have they said now?"

"They've published a picture of you and Captain Typho hugging each other," the Queen said. "Senator Amidala, I have been extremely patient and lenient with you, but this time you have gone too far. It is strictly against policy for a Senator to have romantic relations with a member of the royal security guard."

Padmé hung her head, dismayed. "Your Highness," she apologized. "We are not romantically involved; I was simply having a hard day, and Captain Typho... He is a friend, nothing more," she assured her. "I'm sorry, Your Highness. It won't happen again."

"No, it won't," the Queen agreed. "Captain Typho has been fired; he is on his way back to Naboo already. And as for you..." The Queen sighed. "Senator Amidala, I am removing you from service as well," she informed her. "I have been lenient thus far, due to your status as a former Queen of Naboo, but I cannot allow you to serve on the Senate any longer. Your pregnancy out of wedlock goes against the traditions of our people. You have been photographed in public with no less than four different men over the past three years, and now there is evidence of romantic involvement with your own security guard. Senator Amidala, you are a representative of our people, and I cannot allow this blatant disregard for our cultural values to continue. You are hereby relieved of your duty."

Padmé felt her heart sink. "Your Highness," she protested. "It's not true! You can't fire Captain Typho because of something that was published in a tabloid," she pointed out. "Remove me from service if you must, but Captain Typho - "

"That will be all, Padmé," the Queen said icily, ending the transmission.

Padmé hung her head, clutching at her stomach as tears stung her eyes. _I'm fired,_ she realized in disbelief. _And Captain Typho too..._ Collapsing onto the couch, she sobbed bitterly, tears streaming down her face.

_Ani..._ Instinctively, Padmé reached inside her dress and pulled out the necklace he had made for her so long ago. _Ani, I love you,_ she wept, clutching it against her chest. Then, overwhelmed with loneliness, she reluctantly reached into her pocket and pulled out Anakin's little Jedi breathing device, contemplating it wistfully.

_It's only for emergencies,_ she reminded herself, sniffing. Anakin always left it with her whenever he was on Coruscant, so that she would have an excuse to seek him out if she needed to. _I shouldn't. It's Cory's birthday, and they're having a party for him tonight,_ she remembered. _Obi-Wan invited me, but he was only being polite..._

But she hung her head, squeezing her eyes shut and hugging her belly protectively. _I just want to see him; just for a minute,_ Padmé cried sadly, getting up and sniffing back her tears. _I won't ruin Cory's party,_ she promised herself. _I'll just return his breathing device, and then I'll come back here,_ she resolved, wiping away the last of her tears as she headed for the door.

* * *

><p>"You're going to need me on this one, Master," Anakin said, as they walked down the hallway together.<p>

"Oh, I agree," Obi-Wan replied cheerfully. "However it may turn out just to be a wild Bantha chase," he added, sharing a secret grin with Anakin as he turned to leave. _Banthas... Oh dear; I'll never be able to think of them again without laughing._

"Master!" Anakin called after him. _You don't have to keep calling me that, Anakin,_ Obi-Wan sighed; but he feared that his brother would never feel comfortable calling him by his first name. "Master, I've disappointed you," Anakin apologized. "I haven't been very appreciative of your training... I've been arrogant, and I apologize. I've just been so frustrated with the Council," he admitted.

"You are strong and wise, Anakin, and I am very proud of you," Obi-Wan assured him. "I have trained you since you were a small boy. I have taught you everything I know, and you have become a far greater Jedi than I could ever hope to be. But be patient, Anakin," he said. "It will not be long before the Council makes you a Jedi Master," he promised cheerfully.

_I wish it were true,_ he sighed, as he walked down the ramp to his ship. Anakin was incredibly talented, but he had no intention of continuing his studies and becoming a Master. _He will never learn about his family, or know how much Master Qui-Gon and I love him._ But Obi-Wan was proud of his brother, and grateful that Anakin valued his friendship anyway, even without knowing.

"Obi-Wan." Obi-Wan stopped in his tracks as he heard Anakin call his name for the first time. Turning around, he saw his brother standing in the doorway, his smile a mixture of humble apology and mischievous delight at his own boldness. "May the Force be with you," he said, grinning shyly as he wished Obi-Wan farewell.

"Good-bye, old friend. May the Force be with you," Obi-Wan said fondly, before turning once again and boarding the ship.

"Cut!" Owen called from the hallway, and Obi-Wan came back inside, giving his brother an appreciative smile. _Thank you, Anakin._ "That was perfect," Owen said. "All right, we're done for today! Great job," he added. "Obi-Wan, I'll be in touch," he reminded him, thanking them both as they took their leave.

And then they were on their way to Dex's Diner to celebrate Cory's birthday. Obi-Wan smiled as they walked down the steps of the Jedi Temple together; Cory was telling them about his latest adventures, and Anakin was as fascinated as Obi-Wan to hear about everything he and Qui-Gon had been up to. _The whole family is here,_ Obi-Wan sighed. And they were right on time... Obi-Wan looked down at the ground, feeling guilty and excited at the same time as he remembered the plans he had made with Leila.

_I wonder if she'll come..._ Leila had never seen Cory, except for pictures that Obi-Wan had shown her; they had talked about it dozens of times, but had always ended up deciding that it was best if she didn't try to see him. But two nights ago they had finally agreed to stage a chance meeting, and Leila and the children were planning to have dinner at Dex's as well tonight.

"Anakin!" Obi-Wan was startled by the sound of a familiar voice. Turning around, he saw Padmé rushing to catch up with them.

"Padmé," Anakin said, blinking in obvious surprise. "It's good to see you," he added, bowing politely.

Padmé returned his smile, greeting Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon as well. "Happy birthday, Cory," she added, as Cory beamed happily; he remembered Padmé from their last dinner together. "I don't mean to hold you up," she assured them, "But I found this on the floor in my apartment; I figured it had to be some kind of Jedi gadget," she said, showing them a breathing device.

Obi-Wan checked his belt, surprised, but his breathing device was there, just as it should be. "Oops," Anakin cringed, realizing his was missing. "Yeah, that's mine; thank you," he said gratefully, taking it from her and clipping it back on his belt. Obi-Wan smiled to himself quietly, shaking his head. _Ahh, Anakin. You haven't changed. Always losing things..._ Anakin had always taken the 'no possessions' rule a bit too seriously, and had trouble keeping track of the few belongings he was supposed to carry on his body.

But then Obi-Wan sensed something was amiss... _Padmé is upset,_ he realized suddenly. Anakin had sensed it too, and was obviously concerned. "Padmé? Are you all right?" Anakin asked, looking a bit awkward.

"Yes," Padmé said bravely, but Obi-Wan could tell that she was fighting tears.

"Padmé, what is it?" Obi-Wan asked gently. Anakin was a brave warrior and true Jedi Knight; but sadly, like most Jedi, when it came to women, he had absolutely no idea how to behave.

"It's... I'm sorry, I don't mean to bother you," Padmé apologized. "I just... I've been... fired," she choked, tears springing to her eyes.

"Fired?" Obi-Wan asked, deeply concerned, as Anakin stared at her worriedly. "Padmé, what has happened?"

"The Queen... I've been relieved of duty," Padmé told them. "There was another picture in the Galactic Enquirer today, with Captain Typho," she added. "He's been fired too... I'm sorry," she cried miserably, hanging her head and burying her face in her hands.

"Padmé," Obi-Wan said, hugging her close and stroking her back, comforting her. _Well this is a bit awkward,_ he confessed, feeling strange to be hugging Padmé in front of everyone. But Padmé was clinging to him desperately, sobbing against his shoulder; it would be too cruel to push her away. "Padmé, I'm so sorry."

Anakin just stood there uselessly with a distressed expression on his face, but thankfully Qui-Gon came to Obi-Wan's rescue. "Padmé," he said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Tell us what happened..."

A few minutes later they were once again on their way to Dex's Diner, this time accompanied by Padmé; Qui-Gon had insisted that she join them for dinner. They were all dismayed to learn that the Queen of Naboo had fired her because of a stupid tabloid picture. "This isn't right," Qui-Gon insisted. "We will fight it; the Chancellor will not allow you to be removed from office without due process," he assured her.

"Thank you," Padmé said gratefully, still fighting tears. Anakin gave her an apologetic, rueful smile; he clearly had no idea what to say, but he cared for Padmé, and she smiled appreciatively in return.

_Poor Padmé,_ Obi-Wan sighed; he and Leila had long suspected that Captain Typho was the father of Padmé's child. It made perfect sense, and now the truth was painfully clear: Padmé had laughed at all of the other silly tabloid stories, but obviously she was completely devastated by this one.

But she smiled bravely now, setting aside her own worries as they arrived at Dex's Diner for Cory's birthday party. Obi-Wan looked around quietly, but Leila wasn't there yet... _Perhaps she's changed her mind,_ he sighed, giving Dex a cheerful smile as the owner greeted them heartily and showed them to their usual table.

But a few minutes later he looked up to see Leila coming inside the diner, with Jon and Kyra in tow. _This was a bad idea,_ he realized suddenly; hugging Padmé in front of the others had felt embarrassing and awkward, but this was a million times worse. _What in the blazes were we thinking?_ he asked himself, trying desperately to mask his anxiety.

But Jon was genuinely surprised and delighted to see him, and so Obi-Wan smiled cheerfully as the boy came over, followed by Leila and Kyra. "Obi-Wan!" Jon exclaimed. "What are you doing here?" he asked innocently.

"Jon!" Obi-Wan said, giving him an affectionate hug, and Kyra as well. "Hello Leila," he added, with a polite nod. "Fancy meeting you here?" _This is quite possibly the worst idea I've ever had in my entire life,_ Obi-Wan realized, a cheerful smile plastered on his face as he greeted his secret lover in front of the very people he had been hiding her from all these years.

"This is my 'Little Brother' Jon," he explained, introducing the boy to Qui-Gon, Anakin, and Cory. "And this is Kyra, and Leila," he added politely. "It's Cory's birthday," he told Jon, desperately blocking Leila's presence from his mind. She was fighting tears, he could tell; but Obi-Wan knew that if he so much as glanced at her, all would be lost.

"Come, join us," Qui-Gon was saying now, as Cory and Anakin nodded in cheerful agreement. "Obi-Wan has told me so much about you; it's wonderful to meet you, Jon."

Jon beamed happily, taking a seat next to Cory; but Leila shook her head. "No," she said, with an appreciative smile, "We don't want to intrude... Jon, come on, sweetheart," she told him, heading toward another table. Jon stood up, obeying his mother; but Qui-Gon insisted that they stay, and a moment later Anakin and Cory were pulling over another table so that everyone could sit together.

_I have never felt so uncomfortable in my entire life,_ Obi-Wan thought anxiously, feeling a strange tightness in his chest as he sat at the table, surrounded by his entire family. _I think I'm having a heart attack,_ he realized vaguely, as cobwebs filled his vision.

But thankfully his heart attack was interrupted a moment later by the sound of blaster fire outside the diner. Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon shared an alarmed glance as frightened shrieks broke out among Dex's patrons. "Stay here," Qui-Gon commanded Padmé and Leila urgently, as the four Jedi ran outside and onto the street, lightsabers blazing.

It appeared to be some kind of gang war, Obi-Wan determined quickly, deflecting blaster fire from all sides as he fought back-to-back with Anakin, Qui-Gon, and Cory. _My goodness, these people are really going at each other._ Obi-Wan shared a brief, confused grin with Anakin as the four of them attempted to take control of the situation.

_Thank the Force for drug dealers,_ Obi-Wan sighed, deciding that being in the middle of a gang war was infinitely less stressful than sitting around a dinner table surrounded by his family.


	41. Being kidnapped by bounty hunters!

**Chapter 41**

Cory grinned cheerfully, slashing at the blaster fire that was coming at him from all around. _This is so much fun!_ he thought, as he and Qui-Gon charged toward one of the gangs, driving them backwards as Anakin and Obi-Wan took the other side.

It was great to be back home for his birthday. Cory had been looking forward to seeing Master Obi-Wan and Anakin again, and his birthday dinner had turned into a big party as Padmé joined them, and then the other lady with her two kids... The boy was a little younger than Cory, but he had seemed very nice, for the few seconds that they'd spoken before the fighting broke out.

_This is the best birthday party ever,_ Cory sighed happily, chasing a bunch of drug dealers through the streets of Coruscant with Master Qui-Gon at his side. _When we're done with this, I think I'll have some barbecued Nylog, and some mashed potatoes..._

* * *

><p><em>Well that was ridiculously easy,<em> Zorg laughed to himself, watching as the Jedi split off into two groups, chasing the gang members through the streets of Coruscant and leaving Dex's Diner completely unprotected.

Zorg had arrived on Coruscant just a few minutes ago. He had called ahead and instructed his associates to track down Senator Amidala, and they had followed her to Dex's Diner. No one had dared make a move yet, as she was surrounded by Jedi; but Zorg had quickly come up with a plan to get rid of them, at least for the moment.

It had been embarrassingly simple. Zorg had walked up to a local drug dealer standing on the corner, saying that he wanted to buy some death sticks; but then he had hesitated, pretending to be concerned. _The guy on the next block - what's his name? - says that you lace your drugs with Bantha poodoo... Is that true?_ he had asked the man.

After that, it hadn't taken long before the rivaling drug dealers had started shooting at each other in a full-on gang war. _People are so predictable,_ Zorg sighed. _All you have to do is mention Bantha poodoo and they go insane with rage._ And the Jedi had walked right into the trap, rushing out of the diner and joining the fight.

_On to phase two,_ Zorg decided, heading toward Dex's Diner. As he entered through the doorway, he nodded quietly to the dozen or so accomplices who were already inside the diner, armed and ready for action.

Senator Amidala was sitting at a table with another woman and two children. They appeared to be friends, and Zorg quickly decided that he would have to kidnap all four of them; it would not do to leave witnesses behind. Zorg assessed the other woman with a practiced eye. She was slender and attractive, with sandy brown hair; Jabba might be able to use her as a dancer, or concubine. The children appeared healthy; the dark-haired boy would fetch a good price as a slave, and the little blonde girl would provide leverage and serve as a valuable hostage, if nothing else.

"Hello." Zorg smiled as he took a seat at the table next to Senator Amidala's. "What beautiful children."

* * *

><p><em>Ahh,<em> Dex grumbled in frustration, putting his blaster away as he returned to the kitchen. _Stupid drug dealers..._ Thankfully the Jedi had been here, and the situation was under control now. Dex could still hear blaster fire a few blocks away, but the Jedi had driven them away from his diner, and the immediate danger was past.

Shaking his head, Dex got back to work, preparing orders for his customers. The place was busy tonight, but it wasn't the usual family crowd; Dex didn't like the look of some of the patrons scattered throughout the diner tonight. But business was business, he sighed, flipping over the hamburgers on the grill and hoping that his Jedi friends would be back soon.

_I should see if Padmé and Leila and the children want anything,_ he thought, going back out to offer them an appetizer while they waited. But to his surprise, their table was empty, and they were gone, along with half of the other customers.

_I can't blame them,_ Dex sighed dejectedly, returning to the kitchen. His diner was not in the best neighborhood, and honestly it was no place for a Senator and former Queen to be hanging out. _They've probably moved on to some fancy restaurant,_ he thought sadly, eyeing the cake that he had lovingly made this morning. _Happy 13th Birthday Cory,_ the inscription read.

_Aw,_ Dex sighed, returning to his work. _I was going to surprise him._

* * *

><p>Padmé's mind raced as she walked down the street with Leila, Jon, Kyra, and their new friend, Zorg. As Queen of Naboo, she had been trained to deal with hostage situations, and she knew she must wait for the right moment to act. It had been too risky at the diner; they had been surrounded by bounty hunters, and too many innocent lives were at stake. Padmé and Leila had left quietly, and Zorg had kept his weapon hidden; the children were not yet aware of the danger.<p>

Padmé had hoped that Anakin and the others would see them on the street and come to their rescue; but judging by the sound of the blaster fire, they were several blocks away now. Zorg was leading them toward a small spacecraft in a back alley; Padmé and Leila shared an anxious glance, and a look of understanding passed between them. _We must act now._

"Ahhhhh!" Padmé moaned, crouching down and clutching at her stomach. "I think the baby's coming!"

Zorg looked momentarily startled; but his confused expression gave way to one of shock and pain as Leila quickly kneed him in the groin, and Padmé wrestled the blaster out of his hands as he crumpled to the ground.

"Jon!" Leila said. "Take Kyra back to the diner, and get Obi-Wan. Run!" she urged him. The boy looked deeply alarmed, but nodded quickly, obeying, and a moment later he and Kyra were running away through the adjacent alley. Zorg was stumbling to his feet now, and Leila kicked him again swiftly, this time in the stomach.

Meanwhile, Padmé was blasting at the other bounty hunters who were now running toward them, weapons drawn. "Get back!" she told Leila, as they took cover behind the corner of the building. Padmé continued to blast at the newcomers, and after a brief exchange of blaster fire, the bounty hunters gave up and retreated in the other direction, away from her fire.

_I guess Zorg's friends don't like him all that much,_ Padmé thought, watching them scatter like a bunch of cowards; but then she froze as she heard a voice behind her. "Drop it," Zorg said. "And turn around slowly."

Reluctantly, Padmé obeyed, dropping her blaster and turning around to face Zorg, who now held a knife to Leila's throat. Leila's eyes blazed with angry defiance, and blood dripped down her arm and hand where she had been cut during the struggle; but Zorg was too strong for her, and Padmé realized he had won this round. Nodding quietly, she followed him onto the ship with Leila.

* * *

><p><em>What's happening?<em> Kyra wondered, frightened, as she ran back to the diner with Jon. She was grateful to see Obi-Wan returning, along with his friend in the black cloak, and she ran to them now, tears in her eyes as she wrapped her arms around Obi-Wan. _I'm scared..._

"Jon, what's wrong?" Obi-Wan asked, suddenly alarmed, as he patted Kyra's back reassuringly.

"Mom's in trouble," Jon explained anxiously. "And the other lady," he blurted out. "There was a man... They went that way," he told them, pointing toward the alleyway. The black-cloaked Jedi was already off and running, but Kyra still clung to Obi-Wan desperately.

"Kyra, Jon," Obi-Wan said quietly. "Go back to the diner and wait for us there. Dex will take care of you; he is a good man," he reassured them. "Go now!" Kyra watched fearfully as Obi-Wan chased after his friend and disappeared into the alleyway; but then she felt a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Come on, Kyra," Jon said, taking her hand and giving her a reassuring smile as they returned to the diner. "It will be all right," he promised. Kyra nodded bravely; but then tears stung her eyes and she hung her head, crying. She was grateful to feel her brother's arms around her, holding her safe. "It's all right, Kyra," he promised her again. "Come on," he said, giving her an encouraging smile and taking her hand once more as they walked back to the diner. "Let's get some ice cream."

Kyra nodded, sniffing; but still she was frightened, and worried about her mom. Glancing up at Jon, she could see a look of fear and alarm on his face as well; but he quickly masked it, smiling at her again. _He's scared too,_ she realized. _But he's being brave..._ Kyra smiled back at him tearfully as they went inside the diner. _I will be brave too._

* * *

><p>Anakin arrived in the back alleyway just as the ship was taking off. "Padmé!" he yelled helplessly, stopping in his tracks as it disappeared into the sky. "Padmé! Leila!" he called, looking around the alleyway. But there was no reply, and he saw only the bodies of several bounty hunters littered throughout the alleyway. <em>Padmé and Leila didn't give up without a fight,<em> he realized grimly.

"What's going on?" Obi-Wan asked, catching up with him.

"Bounty hunters," Anakin explained, running towards a nearby speeder and jumping inside. "They took off a second ago... Come on!" he urged him, starting it up as Obi-Wan hopped in beside him.

"Wait!" Obi-Wan said. "There's Qui-Gon and Cory!"

A minute later they were back at the Temple, taking off in their Jedi Starfighters and giving chase. _What the heck is going on?_ Anakin thought anxiously, quickly outdistancing the others as he sped upward through the clouds. His Starfighter had been equipped with modifications that weren't entirely legal, but at the moment he was grateful. _Padmé, I'm coming..._

* * *

><p>"Owwww!" Zorg howled in pain as the sandy-haired woman elbowed him in the eye, then drove a knee into his stomach for the fourth time today. <em>I hate this woman!<em> He grimaced as he fell to the floor, reaching for his knife again; but she had already taken it, and was now holding it to his throat, her eyes burning with a fierce anger.

"Don't make me do it," she warned him. Senator Amidala was in the cockpit already, taking over the controls of the spacecraft; but Zorg smiled to himself. _They won't get far,_ he knew. But in the meantime, this other woman was really annoying him, and so in the interest of avoiding further bruises and black eyes, Zorg simply nodded, admitting defeat for the moment.

* * *

><p><em>Ahh! How do you fly this thing?<em> Padmé wondered, studying the controls anxiously and trying to turn the ship around. But nothing was responding; it seemed to be on automatic pilot. Grabbing the transmitter, she set it to an open frequency and called for help. "This is Padmé Amidala, requesting immediate assistance. Can anyone hear me?"

"Padmé!" Anakin's voice broke through over the transmitter. "Padmé, hang on! I see you..." Padmé looked out the window, trying to see Anakin's Starfighter; but then she gasped as she noticed a giant freighter ship straight ahead, flanked by a swarm of smaller fighters. And they were headed right toward the docking bay...

* * *

><p>"Padmé!" Anakin yelled again in dismay, as her ship was sucked into the docking bay of the freighter. <em>Damn it!<em> Now he had twenty bounty hunters swarming all over him, and it was all he could do to avoid getting shot down. _Obi-Wan... Qui-Gon... Where are you guys?_ he wondered, twirling around in circles in a desperate attempt to evade the enemy fighters.

* * *

><p>"There he is!" Obi-Wan told the others over the radio, as they emerged from Coruscant's atmosphere. <em>How in the blazes did he get up here so fast?<em> Anakin wasn't hard to spot; he was spinning around wildly at breakneck speed as a swarm of bounty hunters rained fire on him. "Anakin, we're coming!" Obi-Wan said, speeding toward him and shooting down one of the fighters on his tail.

"Thank you," Anakin sighed, dropping out of the swarm of fighters and joining Obi-Wan as they renewed their attack. "Padmé and Leila are on the freighter," Anakin told them quickly. "We have to get aboard!"

"Cory, go!" Qui-Gon urged his padawan, seeing an opening. "I'll cover for you!" Obi-Wan glanced back to see Cory's Starfighter entering the docking bay of the freighter ship, followed closely by Qui-Gon. But a moment later his own Starfighter shuddered in the wake of an explosion as two of the bounty hunters collided with each other, and Obi-Wan found himself spinning out of control.

_Not this again,_ he sighed, realizing that his left wing had been ripped off. "Anakin, I'm hit," he said, deeply annoyed, as warning lights started blinking all over his control board. "I'm going aboard the freighter; can you handle the rest yourself?"

"Yeah, I'm good," Anakin assured him, zooming past his windshield and taking out another bounty hunter as Obi-Wan guided his ruined Starfighter into the docking bay of the freighter.

_For once I'd like to land this thing without being ejected from the cockpit,_ he sighed, flip-flopping helplessly through the air as his Starfighter skidded across the the floor of the docking bay and crashed through the opposite wall. _So undignified..._

* * *

><p>"Ahhh!" Qui-Gon exclaimed, as a Jedi Starfighter crashed through the wall and into the hallway where he and Cory were fighting against the ship's crew. "Cory! Are you all right?" he asked, unable to see past the falling debris.<p>

"Yes Master!" Cory replied; Qui-Gon could hear the sound of his lightsaber as his padawan continued to ward off blaster fire. _He's having far too much fun with this,_ Qui-Gon sighed.

A moment later Obi-Wan appeared from around the corner, lightsaber blazing as he quickly took out three security guards, then ran to join Qui-Gon. "Nice landing," Qui-Gon remarked, as they climbed over the remains of his crumpled Starfighter.

"Thank you," Obi-Wan replied, hopping down to the other side as they continued to make their way toward the cockpit. "Where's Cory?" he asked, concerned.

Qui-Gon looked around, alarmed. "Cory?" he called out. "Cory, where are you? Cory!" But suddenly another group of armed guards appeared from around the corner, and he and Obi-Wan once again found themselves warding off a storm of blaster fire.

* * *

><p><em>Oops.<em> Cory blinked in surprise as he slid down some kind of ventilation shaft. He hadn't realized that's what it was; he'd simply been looking for a suitable place to take cover until Qui-Gon arrived, but then he had found himself falling... "Ugh," he grunted, landing at the bottom and finding himself surrounded by pitch darkness.

_Well this sucks,_ he sighed, stumbling to his feet and feeling his way around blindly, trying to figure out where he was. "Hello?" he called hopefully. "Master Qui-Gon...? Anybody...? Hello?"

_"Mmmmmpphh!"_ came a muffled cry from the other side of the wall.

_What's that?_ Cory wondered, pulling out his lightsaber and cutting a hole in the wall. At least there was light on the other side... Cory peered through the hole cautiously, and was surprised to see Padmé and the other lady, tied up and gagged. "Oh! There you are," he said cheerfully, hopping down and untying their bonds. "We've been looking for you!"

_Yay!_ Cory thought happily as he returned to the cockpit with Padmé and Leila. Master Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan had already taken control of the ship, and now they were heading back toward Coruscant, flanked by Anakin in his Jedi Starfighter. _That was really fun!_

* * *

><p>"So... Who were those guys?" Anakin asked, rejoining the others aboard a transport back to Dex's Diner after landing at Coruscant's main spaceport. "What did they want with Padmé and Leila?"<p>

"They were pirates," Qui-Gon replied. "A group of bounty hunters, working as a team. Their leader was a man named Zorg; we tried to capture him, but he was killed in the struggle," he said. "I should have liked to know what he wanted."

"Zorg?" Anakin asked, incredulous. "You took down _Zorg?_" He grinned. "Wait until Master Chi'nala hears about this... He's been trying to capture Zorg for years, but nobody can ever find him. They say he works for Jabba," Anakin explained; then he frowned. "Jabba!" he exclaimed. "He sent him! He was trying to kidnap Padmé."

_I'm going to kill him,_ Anakin vowed; but he shook his head, sharing a rueful smile with Padmé and setting aside his own deep concerns as they returned to Dex's Diner for Cory's birthday party.

* * *

><p>"Mom!" Jon exclaimed happily, running to greet her along with Kyra as she returned to Dex's Diner with Obi-Wan and the others. They had been gone for nearly half an hour; Jon was beginning to grow very worried. "Are you all right?" he asked, seeing the bandage on her arm.<p>

"Yes, sweety, we're all fine," his mom said reassuringly, giving them both a big hug. Jon hugged her happily, then smiled at Obi-Wan in profound gratitude as they sat down for dinner once again. _Thank you for saving my mom._

* * *

><p><em>Well this is a good deal more comfortable than before,<em> Obi-Wan blinked in surprise, looking around the table as everyone chatted with each other happily. _There's nothing like a good kidnapping, to bring a family closer._ He still felt a bit nervous having Leila here, but they were doing their best to ignore each other for the moment, and it wasn't nearly as bad as he had imagined.

But now he realized Qui-Gon was looking at him worriedly. "Obi-Wan, are you all right?" he asked quietly, so that the others couldn't hear. "I sensed you weren't feeling well earlier," he said, peering at him with fatherly concern.

"Oh... Yes," Obi-Wan nodded, slightly embarrassed. "I had a bit of heartburn, but I'm fine now."

* * *

><p><em>Mmmmm... Barbecued Nylog,<em> Cory thought happily. _And mashed potatoes..._ "Thank you, Dex!" he said, digging in hungrily and shoveling a huge forkful into his mouth as Dex served the others. _This is the best place in the whole galaxy._

* * *

><p><em>He's beautiful,<em> Leila sighed, gazing at her son and sharing a quiet smile with Obi-Wan at the other end of the table. _He doesn't look the least bit like me,_ she decided with tender affection. Cory had his father's red hair and that adorable, impish smile, but his eyes were a bright, clear blue, like his grandfather's. _How does Qui-Gon not see it?_ she wondered again. But she felt a comforting warmth in her heart as she watched her three children laughing together for the first time in their lives.

* * *

><p><em>Finally, I understand,<em> Qui-Gon realized, looking around the table and feeling the closeness and warmth that surrounded him. He'd always equated _family_ with the special feeling he got when he was with Obi-Wan and Anakin; but now he had to admit that it was no different from the way he felt about Cory. And tonight he perceived an undeniable sense of togetherness and belonging that extended to Padmé and Leila and her children as well. _Family isn't about blood ties,_ he admitted, smiling as he realized the truth. _It's about compassion, and caring, and loyalty, and affection._

* * *

><p><em>The little fella looks so happy,<em> Dex thought fondly, as he watched Cory blow out the candles on his birthday cake. _I'm so glad they came back,_ he confessed, returning to the kitchen. Then he turned around as he heard his name.

"Thank you Dex!" Cory called over to him, wielding a frosting-covered knife and grinning as he proceeded to serve his cake. "Would you like a piece?" he asked hopefully.

Dex beamed in delight, coming back to join them. "Don't mind if I do," he nodded, taking a seat next to Obi-Wan.

* * *

><p>"We should get together for coffee sometime," Padmé suggested to Leila, as they finished their dessert. It had been so wonderful talking with her; Leila had been through two pregnancies, and had been forced to give up her career as a nightclub dancer because of it. Padmé was facing similar issues right now, and talking to Leila had made her feel less alone.<p>

"That would be great," Leila agreed. "I should give you my number," she said, looking around for something to write on.

"Oh! Here, you can type it on this," Padmé offered, pulling out her little personal data pad and handing it to Leila.

"Thanks; this thing is so cute," Leila said, typing in her name and number. "Ahh! I messed up," she laughed. "Ehh... close enough," she said cheerfully, handing it back to Padmé.

_"Leia,"_ Padmé laughed, reading what she had typed. Then she squinted at it again. "Hey, that's actually really pretty," she realized, surprised. She looked at Leila hopefully. "Would you mind?" she asked, putting a hand over her belly.

Leila blinked in surprise, obviously touched. "No, of course not... I would be honored," she said, delighted.

Padmé smiled. "I would have to consult with my committee," she said playfully. "What do you guys think about _'Leia',_ for a girl?" she asked the others, with a hopeful glance at Anakin.

"I like it," Qui-Gon nodded solemnly, his eyes twinkling.

"It's a lovely name," Obi-Wan said warmly, as Cory and the children nodded in agreement.

"It's perfect," Anakin sighed, glancing at her shyly and then studying his piece of cake once again.

"All right," Padmé said, holding a hand over her belly. "That's it!" she announced, her eyes welling over with happy tears as she realized she had found the perfect name for her daughter.

Qui-Gon lifted his coffee cup with an encouraging smile, and the others followed suit, raising teacups and milk glasses all around. "To Leia," Qui-Gon proclaimed, with a respectful nod toward Padmé.

"To Leia," the others agreed, laughing cheerfully as they made a dramatic production of clinking their glasses. Amidst the happy confusion, no one noticed that Anakin and Padmé were smiling at each other lovingly, tears of joy in their eyes.


	42. Anakin gets professional counseling

**Chapter 42**

_I'm going to kill him,_ Anakin vowed angrily as he sped toward Tatooine. He was expected to be back at work tomorrow morning, but that still left plenty of time to stop by Jabba's palace and...

_And what?_ Anakin asked himself, sighing. _What am I going to do to him? I can't kill him,_ he realized, frustrated by the situation. Obi-Wan was taking the matter up with the Council, and the Senate would weigh the evidence carefully; but Anakin knew that in the end nothing would happen, and the kidnapping would never be officially traced back to Jabba.

_I'll just scare him,_ Anakin decided, as he approached Mos Eisley. _I'll march right into his stupid audience chamber, and..._ Anakin shook his head. _And what?_ he asked himself again. _Even if I don't get thrown into his dungeon, I'll be in huge trouble with the Council if they ever find out,_ Anakin admitted. _Not to mention the fact that it's just plain wrong._

_A Jedi does not seek revenge,_ he reminded himself. But what was to stop Jabba from trying something like this again? Tears stung Anakin's eyes at the thought of Padmé getting hurt. _I don't know what to do,_ he admitted, feeling suddenly helpless.

_At least she's safe for the moment,_ Anakin consoled himself. Qui-Gon and Cory had returned with Padmé to Naboo to plead her case before the Queen, and she was under their protection for the time being; but Anakin still couldn't stop worrying about her. And that wasn't the only thing troubling him these days.

_I feel terrible about Obi-Wan,_ he admitted. _He wants to be my friend, and I love him with all my heart, but it kills me to keep lying to him. But if I ever told him the truth, it would only cause him grief and pain, and drive us apart..._

_I can't even talk to Padmé,_ he thought bitterly. She had enough worries right now, and didn't need to be burdened with Anakin's guilt and fear on top of everything else. _There's no one,_ he realized tearfully. _No one in the entire galaxy, who can help me..._

_Aww..._ Anakin sniffed back his tears as he flew past the little town of Mos Espa. _This is where we first met... Where I fell in love with her... Where we got married,_ he thought wistfully, remembering the little wedding chapel, and the kindly priest who had blessed their marriage, even knowing that Anakin was a Jedi.

_Wait,_ he realized suddenly. _The priest... He's married too, and shouldn't be. He knows what it's like... And he already knows about Padmé and me._ Hesitantly, Anakin turned around in his Starfighter and landed near the little wedding chapel. _I just need to talk to somebody,_ he admitted, wiping away his tears. _I can't take this any more._

"Oh my goodness!" the receptionist exclaimed, as Anakin entered the waiting room. "You're - "

"No, I'm not," Anakin lied, waving his fingers at her as he walked past her desk and entered the little chapel.

"Uh oh," the priest said worriedly, looking up from his desk as Anakin came into the sanctuary. "In my line of work, return business is not necessarily a good thing." He smiled, getting up to greet him. "What can I do for you, Anakin?" he asked gently, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"I just - I needed to talk to someone," Anakin apologized. "Do you do - confessionals?" he asked. _No, of course not. This is a wedding chapel._ "I'll pay you," he added. "I just... please," he cried helplessly, sitting down on the bench as the priest sat next to him.

"Of course," the priest reassured him. "Anakin, what's going on? Trouble with Padmé?"

"No," Anakin said. "Well... Yes," he confessed. "Jabba tried to kidnap her, and - I don't know what to do," he blurted out tearfully. "I came here to kill him, but I can't; that's wrong, I know... But getting married was wrong too, and - I'm so confused," he admitted, hanging his head. "How do you do it?" he asked the priest.

The priest smiled gently. "Well, Jabba's never tried to kidnap my wife," he admitted, as Anakin laughed despite himself. "But as for being married... I don't believe it's wrong, in my heart," he said.

"Neither do I," Anakin agreed. "But I feel bad lying about it."

"Yes... I'm afraid that's the price you pay for breaking the rules," the priest agreed regretfully. "You can't have it both ways, Anakin," he pointed out, as Anakin nodded. "Who would you want to tell?"

Anakin sighed. "Obi-Wan," he admitted quietly. "He's - my Master; well he _was_..."

The priest laughed. "Anakin, I watch _JEDI;_ I know who Obi-Wan is."

"Oh." Anakin nodded. _My life is so weird._ "I feel terrible, lying to him," he confessed. "He's my Master, and my best friend, and he's always telling me how proud he is of me, and I feel awful," Anakin sighed. "But if he ever found out... He would be so ashamed. Not just of me, but of himself." He shrugged unhappily. "I don't want to hurt him."

The priest nodded. "The Jedi Order does not sound so very different from the priesthood," he mused. "We are given rules in black and white, and we are expected to follow them without question," he sighed. "When in reality, everything is a shade of grey," he admitted. "Lying to a friend is wrong; but in some cases it can be a kindness," he pointed out. "Life is full of these difficult decisions, Anakin; and in the end you can only do what feels right, in your heart," he told him, with an encouraging smile.

Anakin nodded, thinking it over. "I can't tell him," he decided regretfully. "It would only hurt him, and make everything worse than it already is; nothing good could possibly come of it," he admitted. Then he turned to the priest. "Thank you," he said sincerely. "I can't tell you how much this has helped me," he told him, getting up. "What do I owe you, for - "

The priest shook his head. "I'm not actually in the confessional business," he pointed out cheerfully. "Don't worry about it; it's good to see you again, Anakin," he said. "And I'm glad to hear things are going well with Padmé. I hear you're expecting a new addition to your family," he added, smiling.

"Yes; two new additions, actually," Anakin told him, grinning. "Thank you so much," he said again, as he headed for the doorway. "I'm sorry for interrupting you, and for - " he cringed apologetically toward the receptionist.

The priest laughed. "On second thought, maybe you should go out the back door," he suggested, his eyes twinkling with amusement as he showed Anakin the way out. "It's good to see you, Anakin," he said again. "Stop by any time."

"Thank you, Your Holiness... I mean - Father..." Anakin cringed helplessly.

"Call me Luke," the priest told him cheerfully, shaking his hand.

"Luke," Anakin said gratefully, nodding. "Thanks again."

_He is a good man,_ Anakin sighed, as he took off once more in his Jedi Starfighter. He felt much better after talking to the priest, and realized that the best thing he could do was just to stay the course, and not do anything that would upset Padmé or Obi-Wan, or put his career in jeopardy. _I'm glad I went to see him._

Then a thought occurred to him, and Anakin smiled in surprise. _Luke,_ he mused. _That's a really nice name._

* * *

><p>Owen looked up from his desk as he heard a knock on the door. "Come in," he said, setting aside the memo he was writing for next week's visit to Utapau. Then he grinned in surprise. "Dad," he said cheerfully, as Cliegg Lars came into his office.<p>

"Owen," Cliegg said, smiling; then he sighed, taking a seat. "I'm afraid I have some bad news, son," he said. "Our insurance policy for _JEDI_ runs out in two months, and they're not going to renew it," he told him. "Owen, the show's been cancelled."

Owen sighed heavily; he had feared that this might happen, ever since Anakin and Obi-Wan's emergency crash landing on Coruscant with Chancellor Palpatine two months ago. "So that's it?" he asked his father, with a rueful smile.

Cliegg nodded regretfully. "We have two more months to keep filming, but then we have to call it quits," he told him. But then he gave him an encouraging smile. "We're going to make the most of it, Owen," he reassured him. "And I'm going to help you with this. We'll have two film crews going at once, for the next couple of months, and we'll try to bring all of the Jedi back for one final scene, to wrap up their individual story lines."

Owen managed a smile. "Thank you, Dad," he said, grateful for his help.

"You're welcome," Cliegg said, nodding. "You've done a hell of a job with the show these past five years," he told him with quiet sincerity. "I'm proud of you, son."

* * *

><p>"Ahhhhhhhh!" Jabba roared angrily. "Zorg has failed?"<p>

Bib Fortuna nodded apologetically. "Yes, Your Excellency," he replied. "It seems he has been killed, along with several of his associates."

Jabba munched on a critter from his snack bowl, deeply annoyed. "And Padmé?"

"She got away, Your Excellency. The Jedi rescued her," Fortuna informed him.

"Bah," Jabba spat angrily. "Stupid Jedi!" _I must have Padmé..._ "Bring me another bounty hunter!" he commanded.

"Your Excellency," Fortuna said hesitantly. "Forgive me, but do you think that is wise? The matter is being investigated by the Galactic Senate; you will be lucky if the kidnapping is not traced back to you. Besides, Zorg was our best man; if he was unable to capture Padmé..."

"Ahhhhhhhhhhh!" Jabba yelled, throwing his entire dish of critters at Fortuna. "Silence, you idiot!" But then he sighed unhappily. _Fortuna is right,_ he admitted. _Zorg was my best bounty hunter._

_Hold me, like you did by the lake on Naboo,_ Jabba thought wistfully; then he hung his head sadly. _It was only a dream,_ he sighed, heartbroken. _I can never have Padmé. Even if I succeeded in capturing her, she could never love me._ Jabba blinked back tears, returning his angry gaze to Fortuna.

"Don't just stand there!" he reprimanded his Twi'lek assistant. "Bring me another snack!"

* * *

><p><em>A few days later...<em>

"Jango," Obi-Wan said, greeting him on the _Space Troopers_ set. "It's good to see you!"

"Obi-Wan! Hello," Jango said. "How have you been?"

"Very well, thank you," Obi-Wan replied. "How is Boba?"

"He's doing great," Jango told him cheerfully; then he shook his head regretfully. "I heard about what happened last week, with the kidnapping," he told Obi-Wan. "I'm glad Senator Amidala is all right... And I was glad to hear you got Zorg; people like him give bounty hunters a bad name," Jango sighed, frustrated. He himself was a licensed bounty hunter, but he took only legitimate assignments to track down dangerous criminals, and he refused to associate with the Hutts.

"Yes; I wish they could all be like you," Obi-Wan agreed. "And I'm sorry to hear about your cousin Typho getting fired," he added. "Master Qui-Gon is on Naboo now, with Senator Amidala; he's doing what he can to get the situation straightened out."

Jango nodded. "I'm sure he appreciates it," he said gratefully. Obi-Wan sensed from his apologetic attitude that Jango wasn't entirely convinced of his cousin's innocence; since last week's _Galactic Enquirer_ article, it was widely believed that Captain Typho was indeed Padmé's secret lover, as Obi-Wan had suspected all along.

Then he heard another voice behind him. "Master Kenobi!" Turning around, he saw another man who looked exactly like Jango; but the voice had sounded distinctly feminine... "Oh! Sorry," the other man said, smiling brightly. "It's me, Zam!"

"Zam?" Obi-Wan laughed in surprise. "I never would have recognized you." Zam was a changeling, Senator Wesell's daughter from Zolan; she was in college now, studying to be an actress.

"Yes," Zam nodded cheerfully. "I have to stay in character," she explained. "It took me fifteen minutes to get this right," she admitted. "How do I look?"

Obi-Wan nodded, impressed. "Perfect," he told her, comparing her to Jango. The cast of _Space Troopers_ included several Clawdite changelings who could alter their appearances; Zam had been working for the show part-time these past three years.

"Thank you," Zam said. "Oh! Guess what? I get to go to Utapau," she told him excitedly. "Well, if we go at all," she conceded, shrugging. "They're not sure yet; it depends on whether the Utapauans allow it."

"Yes, I've heard everything is a bit up in the air at the moment," Obi-Wan agreed, as the director of _Space Troopers_ came to join them. Master Yoda had left another message with the Utapauans earlier today, but the Prime Minister had not yet returned his transmission.

"Master Kenobi," the _Space Troopers_ director said, greeting him. "Thank you for coming. Yes, I just got off the transmitter with Owen; this is a huge mess," he sighed. "They're still figuring out how to deal with the end of _JEDI_, but he wants us to film a scene today, where you meet with the clone troopers to plan your attack on Utapau," he explained. "We may or may not use it in the end; we'll see." He grinned ruefully. "All right, this is what I need you to do..."

A few minutes later they were ready to begin filming the scene. "Fortunately, most of the cities are concentrated on this small continent here, on the far side," Jango said, pointing to the holographic map in front of them.

"I'll keep them distracted until you get there," Obi-Wan assured him. "Just don't take too long."

"Come on, when have I ever let you down?" Jango teased him.

_I have no idea,_ Obi-Wan laughed to himself, at a loss._ I've never actually watched Space Troopers. __Though apparently I'm the General of their entire army._ "Very well," he agreed. "The burden is on me not to destroy all the droids until you arrive," he added mischievously, as he climbed up the ramp to his Starfighter.

"Cut," the director said. "Great job everyone; thank you, Master Kenobi," he said appreciatively. "Hopefully we'll see you next week for the Utapau scenes."

"I look forward to it," Obi-Wan replied, waving goodbye to Jango and Zam as he took his leave.

* * *

><p><em>Meanwhile, on Utapau...<em>

_Don't panic,_ Tion Medon told herself, pacing back and forth in her little cavern chamber. _You've met with Master Ki-Adi before; you can do it again._ As the Prime Minister of Utapau, it was Tion's job to meet with the Republic officials who occasionally visited Utapau, and she knew it would be important to mask her fear and revulsion when she met with the strange Jedi ambassador next week.

Master Ki-Adi-Mundi was by far the ugliest creature Tion had ever personally met, with his freakish, flat teeth and that disgusting tassel of hair on top of his head; but still, he was the least frightening of the Jedi. _Certainly less frightening than humans,_ Tion consoled herself, shuddering at the thought of the hideous, stumpy, flat-headed, hairy creatures. _At least his head is shaped properly._

_Master Ki-Adi has a good heart,_ Tion reminded herself, calming her nerves. _He can't help that he looks so strange._ Tion had been crowned Miss Utapau in her youth, and had been blessed with a naturally beautiful appearance, with her high forehead, coal-black eyes, sharp yellow teeth and supple grey-and-red striped skin. Despite her ravishing beauty, Tion had always remained modest about her appearance; but she _was_ admittedly proud of her deep, sultry, bass singing voice, and liked to believe that she had won the Miss Utapau pageant at least in part based on her musical talent.

_Not everyone is born a beauty queen,_ Tion reminded herself. _I must be kind-hearted and gracious to those who are less fortunate._ Smiling bravely at her reflection in the mirror, Tion summoned her courage and continued through the winding cavern tunnels toward the communications center to return Master Yoda's transmission.


	43. Obi-Wan goes to Utapau

**Chapter 43**

_Anakin was right,_ Obi-Wan confessed, as he approached Utapau in his Jedi Starfighter. _It's been far too long since I've left Coruscant._ The rocky planet stretched out before him now, with its unique array of sinkholes, and Obi-Wan navigated toward one of the larger ones where the Utapau communications center was located.

_How long has it been?_ Obi-Wan asked himself, recalling his last secret visit to Utapau with Qui-Gon when he was a young padawan. _Twenty-five years,_ he realized. _I am getting old._ But then he laughed as he remembered the reason why he had been chosen for today's mission.

_I am still the youngest on the Council,_ he reminded himself. _And apparently the most cuddly,_ he sighed, wishing that he could have inherited even a hint of his father's impressive stature and piercing blue gaze. Obi-Wan was still crestfallen to have been voted the least intimidating member of the Jedi Council; nevertheless, he was grateful for the chance to visit Utapau again. _I will play the part of the plushy toy, if it means that perhaps I might see some dragons before I leave._

He smiled wistfully, remembering the baby Varactyl that he had tried to rescue when he was a boy. It had been so small and helpless, rejected by its mother and pushed out of its nest; but Obi-Wan had cared for the tiny dragon for a short time, keeping it warm inside the folds of his tunic and feeding it little bits of plants and bugs.

_I wonder what became of it,_ he sighed. Obi-Wan had grown quite attached to his little dragon, and had lovingly named it Boga after a children's fairy tale; but they had been called back to Coruscant a few days later, and Obi-Wan had been forced to leave it behind. He had left Boga hidden inside a cave with a little stockpile of food; but he knew that the baby dragon's chance of survival was not good. _It probably died,_ he admitted regretfully.

Still, he hoped to be able to do a bit of exploring this afternoon once they finished filming, and perhaps catch a glimpse of some other dragons. Obi-Wan smiled in anticipation as he landed on the sinkhole's tenth level, where Owen and the _JEDI_ crew were already setting up for today's battle scene.

"Master Kenobi," Owen said, greeting him as he climbed down from the cockpit. "I'm glad you're here. We haven't met with the locals yet; I still need to know if it's all right to bring the _Space Troopers_ down later on."

"All right; I will try to talk to them," Obi-Wan promised, nodding cheerfully to the film crew as he climbed down the rocky cliff face to the fourth level below.

"Hello?" Obi-Wan called out tentatively, approaching the recessed cavern that served as Utapau's communications center. "Hello? My name is Obi-Wan Kenobi, from the Jedi Council," he explained. "I was hoping to speak with Tion Medon." He could sense a fearful presence in the shadowy recesses of the cave, and smiled gently in the direction of the timid Utapauan.

_I feel ridiculous,_ Obi-Wan thought to himself, a silly grin plastered on his face as he waited for Tion to show herself. Normally when Obi-Wan was sent on an assignment as a Jedi ambassador, he did everything he could to look serious and even a bit dangerous; he usually kept his hood up, and adopted a somber expression that conveyed an air of wisdom and mystery.

But today, in the interest of not scaring the natives, he was doing the exact opposite. His hood was down, and thanks to Mace's coaching, he had been practicing his most adorable, twinkly-eyed smile for the Utapauans. _This is completely humilating,_ he sighed, flashing his teeth and keeping the corners of his mouth turned upward in a cute, impish smile. _A Jedi is not proud,_ he chided himself. _My duty is to maintain good relations with the Utapauans, and not frighten them._

"Hello?" he asked again hopefully, keeping his voice soft and gentle. "Tion, are you there?"

* * *

><p><em>Ahhh!<em> Tion gasped, shuddering in horror as she hid in the shadows. _He's hideous!_ Yoda had explained to her last week that Master Ki-Adi couldn't make it, and that the Council was sending a young Jedi named Master Kenobi in his stead; Tion had been preparing herself for the worst, but this man's appearance was far more revolting than she could possibly have imagined.

At least Master Ki-Adi was fairly tall, with a high forehead similar to Tion's own people; his teeth were freakishly flat and square, but he was kind enough to keep them hidden as much as possible, and to conceal that horrid tassel of hair beneath his hood when he visited. Nothing could hide his terrible beard, but at least it was an inoffensive white color.

Master Kenobi, however, was short and stubby, with a grotesquely misshapen head that was literally covered in disgusting, floppy hair the color of Varactyl dung. And to make matters worse, he insisted on keeping his hood down, and baring his horrible square teeth at every possible opportunity. Tion's stomach churned as she tried desperately to keep her breakfast down.

But it was her duty to represent her people, and so she masked her revulsion as she stepped forward to greet the hideous creature, reminding herself once again that it wasn't the poor man's fault that he hadn't been blessed with her own delicate, ethereal beauty. "Greetings, Master Kenobi," Tion said bravely, stopping several paces away from him. "Welcome to Utapau. I am Tion Medon; it is a pleasure to meet you," she told him, bowing politely.

"Hello, Tion," Master Kenobi said, flashing his hideous square teeth at her again. "It is an honor to visit your planet; we are deeply grateful for your kind hospitality," he assured her. "I just have a few questions regarding today's filming," he continued politely. "Have you made a decision regarding the _Space Troopers?_"

Tion nodded solemnly; she had wanted to meet with Master Kenobi first, and make sure that she trusted in his supervision before allowing even more people to land. She had originally invited only a few members of the _JEDI_ cast and crew to visit Utapau; but Master Kenobi seemed like a polite, trustworthy man - despite his grotesque appearance - and Tion decided that it would be all right to let the _Space Troopers_ film here as well. "Yes, they have our permission to land," she agreed.

"Thank you, Tion," Master Kenobi replied, baring his horrid teeth yet again. Tion managed a polite smile, meeting his gaze for a brief moment. His eyes looked like freshly-pooped bat guano; white and viscous around the edges, with slimy globs of greenish dung mixed with darker black spots on the inside. Tion shuddered, quickly looking away.

"You're very welcome," she replied politely, bowing her head to conceal her revulsion and disgust. "Is there anything else we can do, to make your stay more comfortable?"

"Actually," Master Kenobi admitted, "I do have a personal request. I was wondering if I might have permission to explore some of the nearby caves after we finish filming this afternoon? I've heard Utapau has some of the most beautiful dragons in the entire galaxy; I've always wanted to see one," he said, a wistful tone in his voice.

Tion smiled despite herself; the Utapauans were proud of their dragons, and she appreciated Master Kenobi's interest in their local wildlife. "I did not realize you liked dragons," she said, immensely pleased. "Yes, feel free to explore this afternoon, but I cannot guarantee that you will see any dragons; they are very shy creatures, and keep to themselves."

"I understand," Master Kenobi replied. "Thank you, Tion. I appreciate your kind hospitality more than words can say," he added sincerely, flashing his strange teeth at her. "Are you ready to begin filming then?"

"Yes," Tion nodded; she had been looking forward to this all week, and had spent all morning primping and preparing for her first appearance on a galactic broadcast. Tion had been crowned Miss Utapau in her youth, and did not need makeup to enhance her naturally exquisite features, but still, she was not as young as she once was, and she had taken a little extra time this morning to exfoliate and moisturize her skin so that it would be soft and supple for the cameras.

Master Kenobi explained the scene they were about to film, telling her not to be afraid of the camera droids; then he climbed back up to the tenth level to return in his Jedi Starfighter.

"Greetings, young Jedi," Tion said politely, after he had landed. "What brings you to our remote sanctuary?"

"Unfortunately, the war," Master Kenobi admitted regretfully.

"There is no war here, unless you've brought it with you," she told him sternly, playing her part.

"With your kind permission, I should like some fuel and to use your city as a base as I search nearby systems for General Grievous," Master Kenobi asked respectfully, gazing at her with his viscous bat-guano eyes.

_Be brave,_ Tion reminded herself, masking her revulsion as she leaned closer to whisper to Master Kenobi. "He is here!" she said nervously. "We are being held hostage. They are watching us." _Ahhh! He's horrible..._

"I understand," Master Kenobi replied quietly.

Tion's stomach churned as she frantically searched the hideous man's face for something - _anything_ - that wasn't covered in nasty hair or horrid bumpy spots. _His nose isn't so bad,_ she decided in panicked desperation. _I'll just keep staring at that._ "Tenth level," she whispered, shuddering involuntarily. "Thousands of battle droids..."

Master Kenobi nodded. "Tell your people to take shelter," he instructed her quietly. "If you have warriors, now is the time."

Tion curtseyed, then let out a trembling sigh of relief as Master Kenobi finally retreated to his Jedi Starfighter. A few minutes later they were finished with the scene, and Master Kenobi bowed politely, baring his hideous square teeth once again. "Thank you, Tion," he said. "It has been a pleasure to meet with you today."

"You are most welcome, Master Kenobi," Tion replied, bravely meeting his freakish, watery gaze for a brief moment. "It has been a pleasure meeting you as well. I hope you enjoy your visit to Utapau."

_That poor man,_ Tion sighed regretfully as she returned to her private chamber. _To be forced to spend his entire life trapped inside that hideously grotesque body..._ Tion shook her head, pitying the gentle, kind-hearted Jedi Master and thanking the stars once again that she had been born an Utapauan beauty queen.

* * *

><p><em>That went fairly well,<em> Obi-Wan decided optimistically, returning to the tenth level to join Owen and the others. He had sensed Tion's deep panic and horror, and had smiled and twinkled with all of his might, as Mace had coached him. The corners of his mouth were exhausted from the effort, but in the end it had paid off; Tion had finally realized that he wasn't a threat, and had granted him permission to explore the caves this afternoon.

_I wonder if I'll see any dragons,_ he thought with a wistful smile.

* * *

><p><em>Meanwhile, miles away...<em>

_"Wawooooot! Wawooooot!"_ Boga screeched happily, romping through the rocky canyon. It was a gorgeous, sunny day, and there was nothing in the whole galaxy that Boga loved more than to run around at breakneck speed shrieking _"Wawooooot!"_ at the top of her lungs. The other dragons all thought she was insane, but Boga didn't care; it was great fun.

But suddenly she skidded to an abrupt stop, sniffing the air. There was a strange yet familiar scent coming from one of the nearby sinkholes. _What's that?_ she wondered, crawling quietly through a nearby cavern tunnel to investigate. The smell reminded her of her childhood; of safety, and warmth, and gentleness, and love...

_Mommy?_ Boga wondered uncertainly, following the comforting scent. _Mommy, is that you?_


	44. And actually gets to win a fight!

**Chapter 44**

"Pookie," Owen exclaimed happily, greeting the little Kaleesh. "Welcome to Utapau!"

Pookie was already in full costume as he walked down the ramp of his ship, and he shook Owen's hand playfully with his robotic arm before lifting up his skull mask. "Thank you, Owen," he said cheerfully. "It's good to be here!"

"Hello, Pookie," Obi-Wan added with a warm smile, shaking his tiny frog-like hand.

"All right," Owen said, after they had greeted each other. "The _Space Troopers_ should be here in a few minutes, but we can get started with the two of you. Here's what I need for this first scene..." Owen broke off suddenly, eyes widening in alarm as he heard a strange noise echoing in the distance.

_"Wawooooot! Wawooooot!"_

"What was that?" Owen asked nervously, glancing around the sinkhole. He and Pookie shared an apprehensive glance, but Obi-Wan's head was cocked in rapt attention, a dreamy look in his eyes.

"A Varactyl," Obi-Wan replied quietly. "One of the local species of dragons," he explained to the others.

"Dragons?" Owen asked, alarmed. "There are dragons here? I was told it would be safe to film," he added worriedly.

Obi-Wan smiled. "Yes, it's quite safe," he assured them. "Utapauan dragons are very shy; they're not the flying, fire-breathing, man-eating type," he explained. "Most of them are vegetarians. They're probably more afraid of us than we are of them; it was probably warning the others of our presence."

Owen nodded, grateful that Master Kenobi seemed to be an expert on the subject. "All right," he said again, forcing himself to ignore the fact that there were dragons lurking in caves just miles away from here. "Let's get started... As you know, this will be Pookie's final scene," he told them regretfully. "And possibly Obi-Wan's as well," he added; "We'll have to figure that out later. But I want you both to give it all you've got; don't hold back. Obi-Wan, you finally get to win this one," he added, with an apologetic grin.

Obi-Wan nodded cheerfully, climbing up to the next level to begin the fight scene.

_Finally,_ Obi-Wan laughed to himself as he looked down on General Grievous' command center. _A decent battle scene in which I don't get knocked unconscious within the first three minutes._ Obi-Wan had never taken _JEDI_ seriously, but it was somewhat embarrassing to have lost to Count Dooku twice in a row. _The viewers think I'm getting old and soft,_ he lamented.

_I have to make this look good,_ he reminded himself. _Qui-Gon and Cory will be watching... And Leila, and Jon..._ Obi-Wan put on his best serious expression as he looked down upon the villains below him. _I could somersault downward and take out five or six droids before I even land,_ he thought. _No, that would be far too show-offy,_ he decided. _Undoubtedly something Anakin would try to do,_ he laughed.

_What would I do if this were a real-life situation?_ he thought, looking around. There was a large piece of machinery hanging just above the very spot where most of the droids were congregated. _I could drop that onto them, and throw the others off the edge of the cliff; they'd short-circuit in the water within seconds,_ he realized. _I wouldn't even have to leave this spot. I'd get rid of the lot of them in two quick Force-blasts... and General Grievous too._

Then he shook his head. _It wouldn't be interesting to watch,_ he decided. _People want to be entertained; they don't want the villains apprehended with maximum efficiency._ Then he chuckled to himself as a thought occurred to him. _Well, if it's entertainment that they want..._ Obi-Wan shrugged off his cloak, jumping down into the midst of the battle droids.

"Hello there," he said cheerfully, not bothering to draw his lightsaber. _Oh dear... This is going to kill Qui-Gon._

His entrance was met by confused expressions all around, including those of Owen and the film crew; but thankfully Pookie recovered quickly. "General Kenobi," he replied in a deep, threatening voice. "You are a bold one... Kill him!" he ordered the battle droids.

Obi-Wan drew his lightsaber and twirled it around in an attempt to look flashy for the cameras; but then he remembered. _Cory's Zabrak pose!_ Cory had recently learned the defensive stance from his friend Tarok on Iridonia, and had proudly taught it to Obi-Wan two months ago. _I promised him I'd try to do it on the show._ Pulling his lightsaber back and holding it at shoulder level, he extended his left hand forward, pointing two fingers at General Grievous. _Cory will be so pleased,_ Obi-Wan thought to himself happily.

* * *

><p><em>What the hell?<em> Owen blinked, staring at Obi-Wan in complete bafflement as he stood there with his hair flopped forward, beaming proudly and looking for all the world like a five-year-old at his first martial arts class. But Obi-Wan had caught his startled look, and so Owen quickly nodded, pretending to be impressed; he didn't have the heart to tell the young Jedi Master how completely unintimidating he looked just now. _The Jedi Council is right,_ Owen laughed to himself. _He really is just a giant plushy toy._

* * *

><p><em>Blast,<em> Obi-Wan sighed, as the battle droids continued to advance upon him, undeterred by his fearsome Zabrak stance. He had seen Owen's worried look, and had to admit that aside from being flashy, Cory's new technique wasn't terribly practical. _On to Plan B..._ Lowering his lightsaber casually to his side, Obi-Wan pointed toward a large piece of machinery overhead, causing it to fall on top of several of the droids.

_Oh dear,_ he cringed, remembering that he wasn't supposed to kill _all_ of the droids before the _Space Troopers_ arrived. _That's three down._ Twirling his lightsaber, Obi-Wan advanced slowly upon one that was still sizzling, slicing its head off. The _Space Troopers_ weren't due to arrive for another hour or so; Obi-Wan realized that he would need to pace himself, as there were only a hundred droids left.

But thankfully Pookie understood the awkward situation they were now in, as the entire droid army advanced upon Obi-Wan simultaneously, blasters raised. "Back away," he told the remainder of his bodyguards. "I will deal with this Jedi slime myself."

_Thank you._ "Your move," Obi-Wan said politely, giving Pookie a chance to pick up his electric staff. _This will be more fun anyway._ Obi-Wan had been impressed by Pookie's fighting skills during their last encounter; the Kaleesh was incredibly quick and agile, and it was actually a bit of a challenge trying to fight him.

But Pookie made no attempt to retrieve his staff. "You fool," he said, reaching inside his cloak. "I have been trained in your Jedi arts by Count Dooku," he informed him, pulling out four lightsabers and splitting his robotic arms apart as he adopted a threatening stance.

_Ah; so Pookie has been educated in the ancient Naboo mating practice as well,_ Obi-Wan realized, impressed. _This fight just keeps getting better,_ he laughed, raising his lightsaber in response. _Let the fertility dance begin._

But a moment later it was obvious that Pookie had received absolutely no training whatsoever from Padmé's Uncle Dooku. In fact, he seemed to be entirely self-taught, and had apparently invented his own unique style of lightsaber fighting. _This should be fun,_ Obi-Wan thought as General Grievous came at him, spinning all four lightsabers like a buzz saw.

He waited until the last possible moment, then struck at Pookie with his fake lightsaber. _Anakin was right,_ Obi-Wan admitted, as he and Pookie went at each other gleefully. _It's been far too long since I've been in a good lightsaber fight. _Seeing his opportunity, Obi-Wan swung at one of Grievous' right arms; amazingly, the Kaleesh reacted with lightning-quick reflexes and obligingly allowed one of his lightsabers to clatter to the floor, along with half of his arm.

_He is incredible,_ Obi-Wan realized once again, renewing his attack and chopping off another of his robotic arms. _It's a pity Kaleeshes aren't Force-sensitive,_ he sighed. _They would make excellent Jedi._

But now he heard the sound of blaster fire overhead, and looked up to see the _Space Troopers_ arriving. _Excellent; now we can move on to our chase scene,_ Obi-Wan realized, nodding confidently to Owen, who needed to attend to the _Space Troopers_ and the battle droids. _Not to worry; Pookie and I can handle this,_ Obi-Wan thought, continuing his fight with Grievous for a few moments longer before Force-shoving him down to the lower level, then jumping down after him.

_That's an impressive vehicle he's built,_ Obi-Wan realized, as Pookie somersaulted into his circular wheel bike. _Perhaps I should have chosen a faster mode of transportation,_ he sighed, jumping out of his path as Grievous nearly ran him down. _But that can't be helped now,_ Obi-Wan decided, whistling for his trusty mount. _Here, Shelly..._

A moment later a giant Utapau Tortoise obediently lumbered up to him. "Good girl." Patting her affectionately on the head, Obi-Wan climbed onto her back, admiring once again the exotic, multicolored patterns on her shell. "All right, let's go," he said, giving Shelly a gentle nudge and urging her forward. And then they were off, chasing after Pookie as fast as the tortoise could trudge.

But alas, Pookie was already far ahead of them, and was now doubling back to meet Obi-Wan. "Sorry," Pookie apologized, as they began filming their chase scene again, this time with Pookie wobbling slowly along on his wheel bike so that Shelly could keep up. Pookie had trouble keeping his balance at such a slow pace, and nearly fell a few times; but he valiantly managed to keep the one-wheeled vehicle upright as Obi-Wan proceeded to chase him through the cavernous sinkhole.

_I didn't entirely think this through,_ Obi-Wan admitted, realizing that Pookie would probably have liked to drive a bit faster for this scene. Owen had told him to choose a mount from the local stable, and Obi-Wan had been enchanted by the Shelly's magnificent, shimmering shell patterns; but he had to confess she was a bit on the slow side. _Owen can speed up the footage afterward,_ he told himself confidently, continuing to plod along after General Grievous. _This will look much more impressive once it's been edited._

* * *

><p><em>This is quite possibly the worst action sequence I have ever filmed in my entire career,<em> Owen blinked in dismay, staring in utter disbelief at the pathetic sight on the other side of the ridge as he continued to direct the _Space Troopers_ battle scene. But now he froze, his eyes widening in panic and horror as another creature suddenly emerged from the shadows. _Holy crap... Tell me this isn't happening..._ Owen cringed helplessly as a tremendous dragon quietly joined the pursuit, slinking silently behind Pookie and Obi-Wan.

* * *

><p><em>Mommy? Is it really you?<em> Boga wondered uncertainly, keeping to the shadows as she followed Obi-Wan's tortoise. She still wasn't entirely sure; he _smelled_ like Mommy, but he looked a little different: he was bigger, and more furry...

_I'm bigger too,_ Boga reminded herself. When she had first caught Mommy's scent this morning, she had hurried through the tunnels to find him, eager to crawl inside his tunic and snuggle between the warm folds; but now she sighed with regret. _I would never fit in there,_ she realized sadly, gazing wistfully at the soft, comforting folds of his tunic.

She had been watching him for several minutes now. Mommy had been fighting with his shiny blue stick against the scary monster when Boga arrived; she had wanted to help him, but there were too many people around, and Boga had been frightened. Thankfully Mommy seemed to have won the colorful stick-fight, but now the monster was trying to get away, and Mommy was following on the back of a desert tortoise.

_You'll never catch him on that,_ Boga realized worriedly. The robotic monster had already begun to outdistance him, and Mommy was falling behind. Boga was afraid of the monster, but she wanted to help... _"Wawoot?"_ she asked hesitantly.

* * *

><p>Obi-Wan spun around, alarmed. He had sensed the timid presence following behind him; he had assumed it was a native Utapauan, and most likely a child, judging by the creature's innocence and curiosity. Obi-Wan had been ignoring the child until now, not wanting to frighten it; he had never for a moment imagined that it could have been a dragon.<p>

But there it was: a full-grown Varactyl, following just a few paces behind Obi-Wan's turtle. It was female, judging from its headfeathers; even more beautiful than the one he had seen years ago, with shimmering, iridescent scales and fluffy, silky feathers of the deepest teal._ She's beautiful,_ Obi-Wan sighed wistfully, admiring the rare creature. He had never expected to see one up close like this today, especially not while they were filming, with so many people around...

_Oh dear,_ Obi-Wan realized anxiously. _It probably has rabies._ Dragons were normally afraid of humans, and the ones that dared approach civilized sinkholes were often diseased, and very dangerous. Obi-Wan dismounted carefully from his tortoise, not wanting to frighten the creature. Tears stung his eyes as he reached for his lightsaber, knowing what he must do.

_It is a kindness,_ he told himself, choking sadly. He had never seen a rabid dragon before, but this one was clearly in the early stages; it was confused enough to approach humans, but not yet suffering from the terrible pain that would soon claim its life. _I will do it quickly and painlessly,_ Obi-Wan resolved, steeling himself as he slowly approached the magnificent beast.

"Hello there," Obi-Wan said, looking into the dragon's golden eyes. They seemed bright and clear, and its scales were shiny and healthy; it didn't appear to be diseased, and yet it made no attempt to escape, as any normal dragon would do. _It kills me to do this,_ Obi-Wan cried, putting one hand on the creature's neck as he quietly pressed the hilt of his lightsaber against its breast. The sound of the weapon would scare the dragon, he knew; this would be the quickest and most humane way to do it. All he had to do was press the button...

"You're beautiful," he whispered softly, patting the creature's scaly neck and stroking its magnificent headfeathers wistfully. The dragon cocked its head, a trusting look in its golden eyes as it blinked at Obi-Wan affectionately. _I can't do this,_ Obi-Wan realized, smiling tenderly as the creature lovingly nuzzled its feathered head against him. _And it's not just because I'm a giant softy,_ Obi-Wan laughed with quiet amusement. _This is a fake lightsaber,_ he sighed, clipping it back onto his belt.

"What are we going to do with you?" he asked, stroking the beautiful dragon's scales as it continued to nuzzle him affectionately. He knew he shouldn't touch it; it was painfully obvious now that the creature suffered from rabies. It was still in the early stages; physically healthy, but clearly disoriented and confused. Now it was trying to poke its beak into the folds of Obi-Wan's tunic; it had already pulled one of the outer layers from his belt, and was nuzzling its feathered head underneath the soft cloth, as if attempting to hide.

"What are you trying to do, girl?" Obi-Wan asked, amused and concerned by the dragon's tragically insane behavior. "You're a bit confused, aren't you?" _I shouldn't be petting it. But I'll never see one up close like this again..._

Just then Pookie emerged from around the corner, lifting his skull mask as he approached. "What's going on - Aaaaaaah!" he shrieked, quickly pulling his mask back down and grabbing his electric staff, adopting a defensive stance. "What's that?" he asked, his deep, monstrous, robotic voice cracking slightly.

"It's a Varactyl," Obi-Wan replied, trying to calm the frightened dragon that was now cowering against him, hiding its golden eyes beneath the untucked flap of his tunic. "Stay back," he told Pookie. "I think it might have rabies."

Pookie readily obeyed, backing off slowly and disappearing around the corner. Obi-Wan sighed sadly, still patting the frightened Varactyl. But now it was trying to penetrate yet another layer of his tunic with its horned beak, shoving its head inside the folds and rubbing its scaly face against Obi-Wan's bare skin.

_Force, that tickles,_ Obi-Wan gasped, using all his powers of mental focus to not shriek like a girl. Obi-Wan had always been incredibly ticklish; it was a terrible curse. Now the dragon was licking him with its rough tongue, and Obi-Wan shuddered, still trying to steady his breathing and not bring shame upon the Jedi Order by succumbing to a fit of giggling.

_I'll have to be quarantined for a week,_ he sighed ruefully, as the rabid Varactyl continued to nuzzle against his bare chest, pushing its head into his now-opened tunic. _This is not normal behavior for a dragon; clearly she is rabid and insane. Unless..._ Obi-Wan's eyes widened in surprise as the realization hit him. _There is something familiar about this..._

"Boga?" he asked softly, not daring to hope. "Boga, is that you?" Gently, Obi-Wan pulled the folds of his tunic away from the dragon's head, gazing into her beautiful, golden, trusting eyes. "It _is_ you," he whispered, his own eyes filling with tears as he hugged her great big feathery head, kissing her on the forehead. "Boga," he cried happily, a huge grin on his face as he embraced her again. "My goodness, you've grown," he said wistfully, stroking her beautiful headfeathers. "You're beautiful," he sighed, gazing into her golden eyes once again as she blinked back at him lovingly.

* * *

><p><em>Well this is a bit scary,<em> Owen thought anxiously, as Pookie and Obi-Wan re-filmed their chase scene. _Not to mention incredibly strange... But definitely better,_ he had to admit, as he watched Obi-Wan chase General Grievous around the sinkhole at breakneck speed, this time mounted atop an enormous feathered dragon.

_He does have a way with animals,_ Owen admitted, truly impressed by how quickly Obi-Wan had tamed the dragon; the creature had allowed him to put a saddle on its back and ride it, responding obediently to his Jedi mind commands. _Wait until Dad sees this,_ he thought, shaking his head in disbelief as he continued to watch the chase.

* * *

><p><em>Ah - my lightsaber!<em> Obi-Wan cringed, grabbing hold of Boga for dear life as she hurtled forward, chasing after General Grievous. _Oh dear; Anakin will never let me live that one down,_ he sighed. But then a smug look crossed his face. _It wasn't a real lightsaber,_ he reminded himself, his dignity restored. _That one doesn't count._

* * *

><p><em>"Wawooooot! Wawooooot!"<em> Boga shrieked happily, careening through the sinkhole with Obi-Wan on her back. _I haven't had this much fun... ever,_ she realized, screaming at the top of her lungs and grinning ecstatically as the sound of her beautiful voice echoed throughout the canyon. _"Wawooooooooot!"_ she shrieked again, running along beside the bad monster. _Get him, Mommy!_

But now Mommy was doing another Jedi mind trick on her. _Aww,_ Boga sighed in disappointment, obediently skidding to a stop as her Mommy jumped onto the monster's bike. _Yes, Mommy; I will wait quietly over here until you call me,_ she agreed, flopping down to rest for a moment. But now she sniffed the air, curious. Mommy was still fighting the monster by the edge of the cliff, but Boga caught his scent, coming from the other direction. _Hmm... What's that?_ she wondered, following the nice smell.

_Oh! It's Mommy's cloak!_ she realized, discovering it on the ledge above where he had first fought the monster. _And he has goodies in his pocket! Ohh, I remember these,_ Boga sighed, munching on the packaged treats that Mommy had given her when she was a baby. _The wrapper's kind of yucky though,_ she decided, spitting it out.

_Mmmm,_ she sighed, nestling down on top of her Mommy's brown cloak. _It's so soft..._ Then a thought occurred to her. _This would make the perfect lining for my nest,_ she realized. _Mommy won't mind,_ Boga reassured herself; then she grinned mischievously. _Mommy won't KNOW,_ she corrected herself, glancing quickly around the cavern and sneaking off through the nearby tunnel with her Mommy's warm, soft cloak in her beak.

* * *

><p>"Ack! Sorry!" Pookie yelled, operating General Grievous by remote control from a secluded alcove behind the camera. "I didn't mean to hit you that hard!"<p>

"Quite all right," Obi-Wan winced painfully, staggering to his feet. "Let's try that again..."

_Haha! This is like my son's video games,_ Pookie giggled, pushing the buttons on his remote control as he fought against Obi-Wan. He didn't have as much control over Grievous' movements as he did from inside the suit, but it sure was fun to watch... _Oops,_ he cringed, hitting the wrong button. "Sorry!" he yelled again, as Obi-Wan slammed against the side of the nearby fighter ship.

"That's - all right," Obi-Wan gasped, getting up again. "No worries."

_Oh no... I'm beating the crap out of him,_ Pookie realized, pushing buttons and levers on his remote control as he desperately tried to stop Grievous from killing the Jedi. "It's not responding," Pookie yelled anxiously. Unfortunately Obi-Wan had dropped his fake lightsaber earlier during the chase, and was now completely unarmed against the out-of-control droid.

But that didn't stop the resourceful Jedi; Pookie cringed as Obi-Wan ripped Grievous' chestplate open with his bare hands. _Ouch,_ he winced, grabbing at his own ribs. Then he sighed, realizing that his magnificent creation was about to die a horrible death. _Well, I guess that's what I built it for,_ he reminded himself optimistically.

But now Grievous was retaliating of his own accord, picking Obi-Wan up in its robotic arms and flinging him over the edge of the cliff. "Ahh!" Pookie yelled. "I didn't do it!" he promised. "It's on auto pilot!" he warned Obi-Wan, who was now clinging to the precipice by his fingertips. He had programmed his robotic costume to continue fighting in case Pookie was overcome by a coughing fit; but now he couldn't seem to turn it off.

"Not to worry," Obi-Wan grunted, hauling himself back up to the ledge. But now Grievous was coming at him again... Pookie cringed, covering his eyes and cowering in duck-and-cover position as the sound of blaster fire reverberated through the cavern. _Oh crap,_ he realized anxiously, still not daring to look. _Jedi don't use blasters..._

Pookie was relieved to hear the sound of Obi-Wan's voice. "So uncivilized," the Jedi Master said disdainfully, dropping the blaster to the floor as he stood over General Grievous' disintegrated body.

"You did it!" Pookie exclaimed happily, hopping down to join him. "That was great!" Then he suddenly remembered why he had been operating the droid from the safety of the little alcove. "Ahh!" he yelped, quickly skittering back up to the ridge above. "Where's Boga?" he asked nervously.

Obi-Wan glanced over to the spot where Boga had been resting a few minutes earlier; but the dragon was gone. "I don't know," Obi-Wan replied, slightly worried. "Boga?" he called hopefully. "Boga?" He shook his head. "I guess she ran off; I'll find her later," he sighed. "Well, I suppose we'd better get back to Owen and the others," Obi-Wan decided. "Come on," he said encouragingly, as Pookie hopped down onto his shoulders for a piggy-back ride.

* * *

><p>"Goodbye, Pookie," Obi-Wan said, as he and Owen said farewell to the little Kaleesh after lunch. "Have a safe trip home."<p>

"You did a terrific job, Pookie," Owen told him again. "Thank you so much; it's been such a pleasure working with you. Have a safe trip," he added, waving to Pookie once again.

"Heh, he was great," Owen chuckled wistfully, as Pookie took off in his little ship to return home to Kalee. "All right, I guess we should move on to the next scene... Where's your dragon?" he asked Obi-Wan, curious.

"I don't know... Boga?" Obi-Wan called, cupping his hands to his mouth; then Owen's eyes widened in stunned amazement as the Jedi Master did a perfect imitation of the dragon's call. _"Wawoooooot!"_ Obi-Wan yelled at the top of his lungs.

_"Wawooooot!"_ came the faint reply from far away

Obi-Wan beamed happily. "She'll be along in a few minutes," he assured Owen.

"All right." Owen smiled bravely, hoping his hearing hadn't been permanently damaged. He was still a bit nervous about having a dragon on the set, but Obi-Wan seemed to have complete control of the creature, and Owen trusted in the Jedi Master's expertise. "All that's left is one quick scene with the _Space Troopers,_" he explained. "It's an idea Master Windu and Yoda came up with; they want to kill off all the Jedi, in protest," he said with a rueful grin, as Obi-Wan laughed at the idea.

"But we're not certain if we're going to use it yet, so today we're going to film a couple of different scenarios, including one where you survive the attack. Are you up for some skydiving?" he asked, with an apologetic glance at the water, hundreds of feet below.

"Of course," Obi-Wan nodded cheerfully. "I couldn't think of a better way to go," he added, his eyes twinkling with amusement. Then they both looked up as the dragon reappeared cautiously from a shadowy tunnel. "Oh! There she is," Obi-Wan said brightly. "Come on, Boga; it's all right," he reassured the creature.

Owen shook his head in amazement as Obi-Wan climbed atop the dragon once again, ready for the next scene. "All right," Owen continued, as they rejoined Jango and the _Space Troopers._ "This is what I need you guys to do..."

* * *

><p>"Commander, contact your troops," Obi-Wan told Jango, as they began filming again. "Tell them to move to the higher levels."<p>

"Very good, sir," Jango replied cheerfully. "Oh, by the way, I think you'll be needing this," he added, handing Obi-Wan his lightsaber.

"Thank you - " _Blast, what's this one's name? _ Obi-Wan cringed in apology.

"Cody," Jango reminded him, laughing.

"Sorry," Obi-Wan apologized. "Thank you, _Cody_," he said, clipping his lightsaber back onto his belt. _And now I'm supposed say something encouraging... What would a General say in a situation like this?_ "Now let's get a move on," he improvised. "We've got a battle to win here!"

"Yes sir!" Jango agreed, putting his helmet back on.

Obi-Wan galloped off atop Boga's back. _'Let's get a move on?'_ he blinked, confused. _Where in the blazes did that come from? Qui-Gon has every right to laugh at that one._

_I had better make up for it with an impressive death scene,_ Obi-Wan decided. Jango was speaking with Sidious over the transmitter now, and the clones would soon be executing Order 66. _Owen said I could decide which level I want to fall from,_ he recalled. "What do you think, Boga?" he asked, grinning mischievously. "Shall we go all the way to the top?"

* * *

><p><em>You've got to be kidding,<em> Boga blinked, as her Mommy urged her toward the edge of the high precipice; but then she felt his comforting reassurance, and trusted that it would be all right. _Mommy would never let me get hurt,_ she told herself. _All right, let's do it!_

_Now!_ Obi-Wan signaled, as Boga heard blaster fire coming from behind them. _All right, Mommy,_ she agreed bravely, falling off the edge of the cliff and writhing helplessly as they plummeted downwards. _I hope you know what you're doing._

Thankfully, a moment later she felt herself cushioned by an invisible force that cradled her gently, slowing her fall. _Wheeee!_ Boga grinned happily as she plunged into the water, making a great big splash. _I love swimming!_

* * *

><p>"Thank you, Obi-Wan," Owen said, after they had finished filming for the day. "It's been wonderful working with you today; I hope this won't be the last time," he added sincerely, with a regretful smile. "Hopefully we'll use the footage with you escaping in the end, but nothing is certain at the moment," he apologized, as the <em>JEDI<em> crew packed up to leave. "I'd really like to get one more scene with you confronting Anakin; he'll be turning to the Dark Side next week."

"Ah yes, that naughty boy," Obi-Wan laughed. "Someone needs to put him in his place... Yes, I'll be around if you need me," he assured Owen. "Have a safe trip back to Geonosis," he added, smiling as they said their goodbyes.

_I seem to have lost my cloak,_ Obi-Wan realized, surprised that it wasn't on the ledge where he had left it earlier. _Oh dear, I'm nearly as bad as Anakin today,_ he thought ruefully. _Ah well,_ he sighed, taking a last look around. _These things happen. At least it wasn't my lightsaber,_ he consoled himself, clipping his real one back onto his belt.

"All right, Boga," Obi-Wan said affectionately, as the dragon nuzzled against him, pushing him up onto her back. "What is it you've been wanting to show me all day?" He gave Boga free rein, letting her go wherever she liked. After crawling through what seemed to be an endless, pitch black tunnel, they finally emerged on the other side, and Obi-Wan suddenly found himself in a beautiful sunlit canyon, with a sparkling river below and lush vegetation all around.

_How could I not see this from the air?_ he wondered, looking upward. Then he understood; the walls of the canyon sloped inward, making it appear much smaller from above and shading the trees and other plants from the harsh Utapau sun. _No wonder the Utapauans are so protective of their planet,_ Obi-Wan realized, awestruck by the sight before him. _This is absolutely beautiful._

Boga carried him along the riverbank, beneath the trees, until they came to the entrance of another tunnel in the canyon wall. Then she brought him inside the cavern, making her way through the winding passages. Finally they reached their destination: a small inner cave with a high ceiling, lit softly by the sunlight that filtered down from above.

In the far corner was another Varactyl, larger than Boga; it was a male, with iridescent midnight-blue headfeathers and fiercely handsome features. Boga turned her head toward Obi-Wan, nudging him off her back, and he nodded quietly, slipping down from the saddle as she approached the other dragon.

_Boga is married!_ Obi-Wan realized, smiling in delighted disbelief as he watched the two dragons nuzzle each other affectionately. Boga blinked at him shyly; then she nudged her mate gently aside with her beak. Obi-Wan could see something smooth and white beneath where he had been sitting, and quietly approached to take a closer look.

"Boga!" he whispered, smiling happily as he stroked her headfeathers. "You're going to have babies of your own!" Obi-Wan counted three eggs that he could see; then he peered closer as he noticed the lining of the nest. It was brown, and soft, and strangely familiar... "Is that my cloak?" he asked, blinking in confusion.

Boga cringed, nuzzling her head against Obi-Wan's chest in an apologetic gesture; but her husband was less bashful, and Obi-Wan suddenly found himself eye-to-eye with a fiercely territorial male Varactyl. "That's quite all right," he assured them quickly. "You're welcome to keep it; it's a gift," he said graciously, backing slowly away.

Boga blinked at him gratefully; then, nuzzling her husband once again, she led Obi-Wan back out through the winding tunnels to the sunlit canyon beyond. It was late afternoon, and Obi-Wan had promised Tion he would leave Utapau before sunset; regretfully, he guided Boga back toward the main sinkhole where his Jedi Starfighter awaited him.

"Goodbye, Boga," Obi-Wan said, tears in his eyes as he embraced her one last time, stroking her beautiful headfeathers affectionately. "It was so wonderful to see you; I shall miss you terribly," he cried, a tear escaping down his cheek as he said goodbye to his beloved dragon.

Boga nuzzled him lovingly with her scaly, feathery head; then she looked up in surprise as they both sensed another presence approaching the landing platform.

"Master Kenobi," Tion Medon said bravely, stepping forward from the shadowy tunnel that led to her clan's home. "I see you have made a new friend," she added, with a respectful nod to Boga.

"Tion," Obi-Wan said, bowing politely. "Yes, I can't quite explain it," he apologized, stroking Boga's headfeathers. "She's beautiful though, isn't she?"

"Yes," Tion agreed. "She seems to have become quite fond of you as well," she noted, approaching slowly and reaching a hand out to stroke Boga's feathers. "Dragons don't allow just anyone to touch them," she admitted. "But they are excellent judges of character. If this one trusts you, then so do the people of Utapau," she said, smiling. "You are welcome to visit our planet again sometime; perhaps next time we will have a chance to talk a bit more."

"I should like that very much," Obi-Wan replied, with a respectful bow. "Thank you, Tion. It has truly been an honor to meet you, and to visit Utapau today," he told her, flashing her one last silly, twinkly, plushy-toy smile as she bowed in return, then retreated into the shadowy tunnels beyond.

* * *

><p><em>He is a good man,<em> Tion realized once again, returning home through the winding cavern tunnels. _He's still the ugliest person I've ever laid eyes on, but he has a kind heart,_ she confessed, smiling. _I hope to see him again someday._

* * *

><p>"Goodbye, Boga," Obi-Wan said, stroking her feathers and kissing the top of her beak once again. "Take care of those eggs," he told her. "I'll be back to visit again someday," he promised, giving the dragon one last affectionate hug before climbing into the cockpit of his Jedi Starfighter.<p>

_Soon, I hope,_ he confessed wistfully as he took off into the sunset, leaving Utapau behind him.

* * *

><p><em>Goodbye, Mommy,<em> Boga smiled, her golden eyes glistening with iridescent dragon tears as she watched Obi-Wan's Starfighter until it became a tiny blue speck in the sky, then disappeared altogether. _Come back soon._


	45. Meanwhile Anakin sucks at Nintendo

**Chapter 45**

"Ani!" Padmé exclaimed, as he hopped down into her bedroom from the ventilation grating above. "You're early! I didn't think you'd be here until tomorrow!"

"I know," Anakin said, kissing her. "I couldn't wait to see you... Your Highness," he added, his blue eyes twinkling as he bowed playfully, kissing her hand.

Padmé giggled. "Thank you, Sir Knight," she replied in the royal dialect of Naboo, keeping her voice at a flat monotone. "We are deeply honored by your presence, and delighted that you could join us this evening."

"Ahhh!" Anakin cringed in horror, drawing away from her. "You're not going to start talking like that again are you? With the face paint... and the weird lipstick... and the big jester's hat?" he asked worriedly.

"Ani!" Padmé retorted, smacking him. "It's not a jester's hat; it's the royal headdress of Naboo," she said. "In the old days, that sort of comment would get you flogged," she added, giving him a reproachful look.

"Ow!" Anakin laughed. "Quit flogging me! Okay, I'll be good," he promised, kissing her again. "So how long do you get to be Queen?"

"Just until they can elect a new one," Padmé said. "Maybe a month or so." Thanks to Qui-Gon's help in pleading her case before Naboo's parliament, Padmé had not only been reinstated as Senator, but had also been chosen to serve as interim Queen of Naboo after the members of parliament finally declared a unanimous vote of no confidence in the previous Queen.

"I'm glad," Anakin said proudly, stroking her hair and kissing her on the forehead. "Congratulations, Padmé."

"Thank you," Padmé said gratefully. "I'm glad too," she admitted, sighing. "What she was doing wasn't right. Refusing work permits and citizenship for non-humans... Denying basic rights to anyone who didn't conform to her ideals... She claimed to be a champion of family values, but in reality she was only tearing people apart... Ani, she was trying to illegalize homosexuality, claiming that it's against our cultural traditions, when in fact many of our most beloved artists, writers, and performers throughout history have been gay... It wasn't until I was removed from office that the parliament finally had the courage to get rid of her."

Anakin stroked her back softly as he held her in his arms, a dreamy expression in his eyes; one of her husband's most endearing qualities was that he had absolutely no interest at all in politics. _He didn't hear a word I said,_ Padmé realized in amusement.

But now Anakin blinked, realizing he had zoned out. "Artists - gay," he repeated idiotically, caught off guard; then he laughed apologetically. "Sorry; it's been a long day."

Padmé kissed him tenderly. "How did you get here so soon? Did you sleep at all last night?" she asked, unbuckling his belt.

"No," Anakin admitted, pulling off his cloak. "I came straight here after I got off work. I'm pretty tired," he confessed, flopping onto the bed and letting Padmé pull off his boots. "It's good to be back," he sighed.

Padmé smiled sympathetically as she finished undressing him; then she snuggled next to him, laying her head on his shoulder. "How have you been feeling?" Anakin asked thoughtfully, gently stroking her belly.

"Fine," Padmé told him. "Although I'm not sure if Leia and her brother get along very well," she giggled. "They've been kicking me a lot lately."

"They're kicking?" Anakin asked, delighted. "That's so cool!" He grinned ecstatically. "I mean - that's awful... I'm sorry, Padmé," he corrected himself quickly, with an apologetic smile.

"It's not so bad," Padmé assured him. "I still haven't thought of a boy's name though."

"Oh!" Anakin exclaimed, remembering something. "Padmé, I went to see the priest a couple weeks ago, in Mos Espa; the one who married us," he told her. "You remember him?"

Padmé looked at him, surprised. "Of course," she said. "Why did you go to see him?" she asked, concerned.

Anakin sighed apologetically. "I just needed to talk to someone; I was really upset, after - " he broke off, shrugging again. "And I've been feeling bad about lying to Obi-Wan," he admitted. "But I feel so much better after talking to Luke; he was very reassuring, and made me feel like everything will be all right. He's a good person, Padmé."

"I'm glad," Padmé said, smiling. Then she cocked her head, curious. "Luke? That's his name?"

"Yes," Anakin nodded. "I thought it was nice," he admitted. "What do you think?"

"Luke," Padmé repeated thoughtfully; then she broke into a delighted smile. "It's perfect," she agreed. "Luke and Leia," she murmured. "I love it... Ani, we did it! We found perfect names for our babies!"

Anakin smiled, his blue eyes sparkling happily as he kissed her again. Then his expression became concerned as he sensed her sudden anxiety. "What is it?" he asked.

"Nothing," Padmé reassured him, smiling bravely; but then she sighed, knowing that he would get it out of her eventually. _We shouldn't keep secrets from each other_. "Ani," she said hesitantly. "What if the babies are... like you?" she asked quietly. She had researched the subject, and midichlorian count was believed to be inherited genetically.

Anakin smiled, stroking her hair. "We've already talked about this, Padmé," he reminded her. "These are our children; we're not giving them up," he reassured her, with unwavering confidence.

Padmé nodded appreciatively. "I love you, Ani," she said, kissing him. _He makes it sound so simple._ "But what if we're being selfish by keeping them? What if we're holding them back from achieving their true potential?"

Anakin looked uncomfortable. "It doesn't matter," he insisted stubbornly. "Padmé... I thought you wanted children?" he asked, obviously troubled by what she was suggesting.

"I do," Padmé assured him. "Ani, of course I do," she agreed. Then she smiled at him wistfully. "Sweety, can I ask you something?" Anakin nodded hesitantly. "Would you have preferred if your parents had kept you?" Padmé asked, running her fingers through his silky, curly hair.

Anakin's deep blue eyes burned fiercely for a moment. "That's not the same thing," he protested darkly, barely concealing his bitterness. "They didn't want me." Anakin had always been painfully aware of the fact that his parents had disowned him at birth, refusing him the dignity of keeping his family name. It was rare, but some parents were ashamed and afraid of their freakish children, and orphans found on the Temple steps were given embarrassing Basic names like Skywalker, Spaceflyer, and Moonshooter.

"But what if they did?" Padmé asked gently. "If you could live your life over again, would you choose to grow up in a normal home, and live a normal life with a normal job, instead of training to become a Jedi?"

Anakin sighed. "No," he admitted, shrugging. "I would be bored out of my mind." Then he laughed. "I'd probably be some kind of criminal," he added, his eyes twinkling mischievously.

Padmé giggled in amusement, but Anakin shook his head regretfully. "It's not a bad life, Padmé," he told her. "Some of the rules are stupid and annoying, but..." Anakin shrugged, sighing. "Being trained by Obi-Wan; exploring the galaxy; becoming a Jedi Knight... I can't imagine anything more fun than that," he said, with a rueful smile. "But you're not giving up our babies," he insisted stubbornly. "Padmé, you can't be serious?" Anakin asked, confused.

Padmé sighed. "It would be wrong of me to not at least consider it," she told him. "And I wouldn't give up Leia," she conceded. The Jedi Order was overwhelmingly dominated by men; it was incredibly rare for a female youngling to be chosen as a padawan, and most girls were shipped off to the Agricultural Corps on their thirteenth birthday.

"But Luke..." Padmé sighed. "Is it fair of me to deny him the chance to discover his true potential, and become a Jedi?" She looked into Anakin's eyes, putting a hand protectively over her belly. "Ani, he's our child, and I love him; I don't want to give him up," she said quietly. "But I want to do what's best for Luke, not what's best for me," she explained. "This past week, when Qui-Gon and Cory were visiting Naboo... That is the happiest kid in the galaxy," Padmé said, smiling fondly.

Anakin grinned. "I know," he agreed; then he laughed ruefully. "But not all masters are as fun as Qui-Gon," he pointed out. "Padmé, I was really lucky to have Obi-Wan," he said. "Most masters are a lot stricter."

Padmé nodded. "Ani," she said hesitantly. "What if you took Luke, and trained him as your padawan?"

Anakin stared at her, startled. "Me?" He blinked, thinking it over. "I never - I never thought about it," he confessed, overwhelmed by the idea. But suddenly tears sprang to his eyes and he nodded, smiling in disbelief. "I would love that," he said, his voice cracking a bit. "Padmé, would you really...?"

"Yes," Padmé cried, her eyes welling with tears. "Ani, I don't want to give him up - I don't - but if he were with you," she sniffed, nuzzling against Anakin for comfort. "I think he would be happier," she admitted, smiling despite her tears. "I want what's best for him," she insisted bravely. "And I want him to know his father."

Anakin smiled, his blue eyes shining with tears as he kissed her tenderly. "How are we going to do this, Padmé?" he asked. "If I have a padawan, it will be a lot harder to see you," he pointed out.

"We'll find a way," Padmé assured him. "And that's ten years down the road," she reminded him. "But Ani, you know you'll have to take a padawan at some point anyway," she said; it was expected of all members of the Jedi Order. "And if we can't see each other as often during those years, at least you would have Luke with you."

Anakin nodded, smiling ruefully. "I never thought this would be so complicated."

"Neither did I," Padmé admitted. "Ani, this isn't going to be easy. It never has been, and it never will be. But remember when we got married? You left the next day, and we didn't see each other again for six months, when you were knighted. We survived it though, and it was all right," she reminded him. "We'll make it work, Ani."

"You're right," Anakin agreed, stroking her hair gently. "And there's still time to decide about all this," he reassured her. "This is a happy time, Padmé. We're going to have two beautiful babies, and we're going to be a family, even if we can't always be together." He smiled wistfully. "Our children will grow up happy and loved," he said, kissing her again. "It's not an easy decision, about Luke," he agreed. "But whether he grows up in a loving home, or trains to become a Jedi... He will have a good life, Padmé," he promised her. "They both will. Whatever we decide, it will be all right."

Padmé smiled tearfully, grateful for his reassurance. "Thank you, Ani," she cried, snuggling close to him. "I'm so glad you're here. Sometimes I worry too much," she admitted. "But you're right: this is a happy time for us," she said, stroking his soft, curly hair. "I love you," she whispered, closing her eyes as she lay her head on his shoulder once again.

"I love you too, Padmé," came Anakin's soft reply a moment later. Padmé smiled blissfully as she felt a tender kiss on her forehead, then she nuzzled closer to him for warmth, drifting off to sleep in the comforting safety of his arms.

* * *

><p><em>Anakin's coming home tomorrow,<em> Obi-Wan thought with a happy smile, sitting cross-legged on a padded stool inside the Confessional chamber in the fourth tower. He had confessional duty until midnight, and then he was looking forward to spending one last night with Leila before Anakin arrived. They had both agreed that it was too risky when he was visiting.

It was nearly midnight now; Obi-Wan closed his eyes in peaceful meditation, passing the time until his hour was up. No younglings or padawans had come to the Confessional chamber tonight, which wasn't surprising, considering the late hour. But suddenly Obi-Wan sensed an unexpected presence approaching, and he looked up in surprise as he heard a knock on the door.

"Come in," he said cheerfully, as Master Qui-Gon entered the Confessional chamber. "What brings you up this way?" he asked, suddenly concerned as he felt his father's unease. "Is something wrong?"

Qui-Gon smiled as he took a seat on the other padded stool; then he sighed, looking down at the floor. "I've come for Confessional," he admitted, his eyes twinkling with amusement. "And it's no coincidence that I chose your shift," he added. "There's something that has been troubling me lately, and I am tempted to seek Master Yoda's counsel on the matter, but I wanted to speak to you first."

"Of course, Master." Obi-Wan nodded respectfully, encouraging Qui-Gon to continue.

"I fear I am losing my connection to the Living Force," Qui-Gon admitted quietly, with a heavy heart. "My senses are clouded; I no longer trust my feelings. And it frightens me," he confided to Obi-Wan.

Obi-Wan nodded, struggling to set aside his own grief at the realization that his father's powers were failing him. "How long has this been going on?" he asked, keeping his voice steady. _I am by no means an expert in the Living Force; if he has come to me for guidance then he is truly lost,_ Obi-Wan realized.

"Almost two years now," Qui-Gon confessed. "It began when I took Cory as my padawan," he told Obi-Wan, sighing. "I had grown overconfident, too trusting of my abilities." He shook his head regretfully. "I thought that I sensed something special about the boy; my instincts told me to take him as my padawan, and I acted upon them without question," he explained.

"And I don't regret my decision," Qui-Gon insisted. "Cory is a wonderful boy, and I love him with all my heart," he assured Obi-Wan. "But I have since come to realize that my instincts were wrong," he admitted. "My feelings always used to be so clear; but now I question everything," he sighed.

"Master... Why do you feel your instincts were wrong, about Cory?" Obi-Wan asked.

Qui-Gon smiled sadly. "I feel like such a fool, Obi-Wan. I was so certain that my decision to train Cory was based on a true premonition. It felt that way to me at the time," he explained. "But now I realize how very wrong I was, and I am ashamed. It's not fair to the boy," he sighed, shaking his head.

"What's not fair?" Obi-Wan asked carefully.

"I realize now, what I saw in him," Qui-Gon admitted. "And I am not the only one; it has been mentioned to me by several others, and perhaps you have seen it as well." He smiled ruefully. "Obi-Wan, the boy reminds me of you; that's all there is to it," he sighed. "And that's why I love him. But he deserves to be treated as a unique individual. It's wrong of me to expect him to follow in your footsteps, simply because he has red hair and a perky little smile," Qui-Gon berated himself, frustrated.

Obi-Wan nodded, not quite knowing what to say to that. "Master, Cory seems very happy with you," he pointed out encouragingly. "Honestly, I don't believe your decision to take him was wrong, or that you're losing your connection to the Living Force," Obi-Wan reassured him. _I am an ass... This been upsetting you for two years now?_

Qui-Gon smiled appreciatively. "That's not all," he admitted. "There is something else that troubles me even more," he sighed. "Obi-Wan, I have lost my connection to your mother," he continued. "I used to think that I could feel her unique spirit, in you, and in Anakin," he explained. "But now, my feelings are muddled; I have often sensed your mother's presence in Cory, and more recently in Padmé, which clearly makes no sense. I cannot trust my feelings any more," he confessed unhappily.

"Master," Obi-Wan said hesitantly. _I have to tell him. The only reason I haven't told him before is that I honestly thought he was happier not knowing. I just hope I don't give him a heart attack..._ "I do not believe your feelings are wrong," he began. "Well, perhaps about Padmé." He smiled ruefully. "But as for Cory... your feelings do not betray you, Master."

His father gave him a sharp look. "No," Qui-Gon protested, stunned. But Obi-Wan met his gaze, nodding remorsefully. Qui-Gon's expression was confused, then surprised; then suddenly he burst out laughing, shaking his head. "Obi-Wan, the thought had occurred to me, of course, but I pushed it aside as completely absurd," he exclaimed, still staring at him in disbelief.

_Why does everyone think of me as a eunuch?_ Obi-Wan sighed. _At least he's taking it fairly well... He hasn't had a heart attack, or killed me yet._ "Master, I'm sorry," Obi-Wan apologized. "Not so much for what I did; but for not telling you," he confessed sincerely. "You seemed so happy to be training a padawan who wasn't related to you," he said, grinning.

"Ha!" Qui-Gon laughed. "Yes, I was happy about that," he admitted. "For the first few days, until I realized why he had caught my attention," he sighed. "Obi-Wan, how did this happen? Feel free to spare me the graphic details," he added quickly, with a mischievous grin. "But how... Who was the mother?" he asked, trying to understand.

Obi-Wan proceeded to tell him about Leila: how they had met; their secret love affair when he was still a padawan; how he had left her, not knowing she was pregnant; and how they had gotten back together two years ago. Qui-Gon listened, nodding thoughtfully and smiling as he learned what was going on. "I'm sorry if I have dishonored you, Master," Obi-Wan finished.

Qui-Gon smiled. "No," he assured him. "I feel a little foolish that I never guessed," he admitted. "But as for not telling me... I never told my Master about your mother either," he sighed. "I am not in any position to judge. And Cory is a beautiful child," he said proudly. "I am glad to know there's a reason why I see so much of your mother in him, and that I'm not just going crazy," he laughed. "And I'm glad that you and Leila have each other," he added quietly.

"Thank you, Master," Obi-Wan replied, with a rueful smile. "You don't believe it's wrong, then?"

Qui-Gon sighed. "No, I don't," he admitted softly. "And neither does the Council, or they would have expelled me from the Order the day I confessed to Master Yoda," he pointed out. "But it is against the rules, and it's best kept quiet," he conceded. Then he smiled at Obi-Wan. "Come," he said cheerfully, getting up from his padded stool. "I believe you owe me a shot of your famous blue stuff for this," he said mischievously, patting Obi-Wan on the shoulder as they headed down the winding stairway together.

* * *

><p><em>Damn it... I suck at video games,<em> Anakin sighed, setting it aside on the couch as Padmé came into the living room. _Cliegg is right though,_ he admitted. _The frustration really works to get me in the mood. I'm glad he's directing today._

"Obi-Wan's been here, hasn't he?" Anakin asked, still frustrated by his low score. _450 points... that's pathetic._

"He came by this morning," Padmé replied.

"What did he want?" Anakin asked grumpily. _I hate that game! I have to try it again later though..._

"He's worried about you. He says you've been under a lot of stress."

_Yeah... I have,_ Anakin admitted, sighing. "I'm sorry," he apologized to Cliegg. "What should I say next?" he asked hopefully. _I love working with Cliegg. He doesn't make me think, he just feeds me all my lines and makes me act dark and moody... He's awesome._

"You're doing great, Anakin," Cliegg assured him. "You feel lost; Obi-Wan and the Council don't trust you," he reminded him.

"I feel lost," Anakin admitted.

"Lost?" Padmé asked, concerned. "What do you mean?"

"Obi-Wan and the Council don't trust me."

"They trust you with their lives," Padmé told him.

Anakin looked at Cliegg again hopefully. "Something's happening; you're not the Jedi you should be," Cliegg told him. "You want more, and you know you shouldn't."

_Thank you..._ "Something's happening," Anakin repeated. "I'm not the Jedi I should be. I want more, and I know I shouldn't," he said, looking at the floor in shame. _450 points... I DO want more..._

"You expect too much of yourself," Padmé said gently.

_Don't patronize me, Padmé. I saw your name on today's high scores, with like fifty billion points... Damn it, what is this whole scene about anyway? Oh right, my nightmares..._ "I've found a way to save you," Anakin told her, remembering.

"Save me?" Padmé asked, surprised.

"From my nightmares," Anakin explained.

"Is that what's bothering you?" Padmé asked gently.

"I won't lose you, Padmé," Anakin insisted darkly. _The way I lost that stupid video game..._

"I'm not going to die in childbirth, Ani," Padmé reassured him. "I promise you."

"No, I promise _you,_" Anakin blurted out, parroting her words back at her. _Force, not this again... 'I love you more'... 'No, I love YOU more'... We are pathetic,_ Anakin sighed. _Jabba comes up with better lines than we do._

Thankfully, Cliegg seemed to like it. "Cut!" he said cheerfully. "Wonderful job! Anakin, your emotion was excellent," he congratulated him. "That video game worked, eh? What was your score on that last one?" he asked curiously, going over to the couch and picking it up. Then his enthusiastic expression turned to one of surprise, worry, and pity.

"Oh dear," he sighed, patting Anakin on the shoulder. "Don't worry about it, son," he told him gently. "You're a hell of a Jedi, and a great actor. We all have something that we're not good at," he consoled him, smiling brightly as he clapped him on the back. "All right, terrific job everyone! Anakin, I'll see you after lunch," he reminded him.

"Padmé, it was wonderful to see you again," Cliegg added warmly, turning to her. "In case we don't get another chance to work together... Shmi and I wish you all the best," he said affectionately, gently placing a hand on her shoulder as he took his leave.

_Okay, let's try this again._ Anakin frowned, sitting back down on the couch and picking up the video game. _I can do this... I just have to - Noooooooo! You stupid - Arrrgghhh... Damn it!_ he sighed, shaking his head in defeat. _320 points... I suck._


	46. So he turns to the Dark Side

**Chapter 46**

_Ohhh... My tummy hurts,_ Anakin gulped, crossing his arms over his aching stomach as he entered Chancellor Palpatine's chamber. _I shouldn't have eaten that Bantha burger for lunch._

"Chancellor, we have just received a report from Master Kenobi," Anakin said, dutifully furrowing his brows as he tried to ignore his stomach ache. "He has engaged General Grievous."

"We can only hope that Master Kenobi is up to the challenge," the Chancellor replied.

"I should be there with him," Anakin said, looking away and trying to mask his nausea. _I don't usually get stomach aches like this... Maybe that Bantha meat was bad,_ he worried.

"It is upsetting to me to see that the Council doesn't seem to fully appreciate your talents," Palpatine told him. "Don't you wonder why they won't make you a Jedi Master?"

"I wish I knew," Anakin agreed, still clutching his stomach. "More and more I get the feeling that I am being excluded from the Council," he said, feeling suddenly weak and dizzy. "I know there are things about the Force that they are not telling me."

"They don't trust you, Anakin," Palpatine told him regretfully. "They see your future. They know your power will be too strong to control." He got up, leading the way out to the hallway, and Anakin followed, letting go of his stomach and focusing on his breathing as he blocked his pain and nausea. "Anakin, you must break through the fog of lies the Jedi have created around you," Palpatine advised him. "Let me help you to know the subtleties of the Force."

"How do you know the ways of the Force?" Anakin asked. _Walking seems to help with the pain,_ he realized gratefully.

"My mentor taught me everything about the Force," Palpatine replied. "Even the nature of the Dark Side."

Palpatine had stopped in the hallway, but Anakin kept going a few paces, trying to calm his stomach. "You know the Dark Side?" he asked, his voice shaking a bit as he winced in pain. _Please, let's just keep walking... Don't stop..._

"Anakin, if one is to understand the great mystery, one must study all its aspects, not just the dogmatic, narrow view of the Jedi," Palpatine droned on at a painfully slow rate, refusing to move from his spot. _Crap, he's doing one of his long-winded speeches,_ Anakin realized in dismay. "If you wish to become a complete and wise leader, you must embrace a larger view of the Force."

_Come on, let's just keep moving,_ Anakin pleaded, as he began to pace around the Chancellor in a circle.

"Be careful of the Jedi, Anakin," Palpatine warned him, as they continued to circle each other. "Only through me can you achieve a power greater than any Jedi. Learn to know the Dark Side of the Force and you will be able to save your wife from certain death."

_Force, now I'm dizzy,_ Anakin gasped, stopping. "What did you say?" _Seriously, I wasn't listening... Something about my wife?_

"Use my knowledge, I beg you," Palpatine begged him.

_Oh, crap... Let's just get this over with,_ Anakin decided, activating his lightsaber. "You're the Sith Lord!"

"I know what has been troubling you," Palpatine replied, as Anakin continued to pace around him in a circle in an attempt to quell his nausea. "Listen to me. Don't continue to be a pawn of the Jedi Council!" _Okay, now I'm dizzy again,_ Anakin realized, stopping. _Bad idea..._ "Ever since I've known you, you've been searching for a life greater than that of an ordinary Jedi; a life of significance, of conscience," the Chancellor continued, stepping away a few paces. "Are you going to kill me?" Sidious taunted him.

Anakin gulped painfully as his Bantha burger threatened to come up. "I would certainly like to," he admitted, wishing desperately that this scene would soon be over. _I'm going to be sick..._

"I know you would," Palpatine said slowly. "I can feel your anger. It gives you focus, makes you stronger."

_Okay, we're almost done... I can do this._ Anakin deactivated his lightsaber. "I'm going to turn you over to the Jedi Council," he said weakly, trying to keep his voice steady as he shifted his weight back and forth, walking in place. _Okay, this is better than circling; at least I won't get dizzy. Ohhh, I have to go potty now..._

"Of course you should," Palpatine agreed. "But you're not sure of their intentions, are you?"

"I will quickly discover the truth of all this," Anakin said bravely. _'Quickly' being the key word..._ Anakin's eyes blazed in defiance as he willed his bodily functions to hold out for just another minute.

"You have great wisdom, Anakin," Palpatine finished. "Know the power of the Dark Side... The power to save Padmé."

"Cut," Cliegg said quietly, his voice rough with emotion. "Wow," he whispered, awestruck. "That was incredible," he told them. "Chancellor, you were - Anakin?" he exclaimed suddenly, concerned. "Anakin, are you all right?"

_Ohhhhhhhhhh,_ Anakin moaned, running through the hallway toward the nearest bathroom. _I'm going to be sick..._

* * *

><p>"Master Windu, I must talk to you," Anakin said, walking briskly toward him. He'd been violently ill just a few minutes earlier, but his stomach felt much better now that it was empty. He still felt a bit weak and shaky, and his hair and face were slightly damp from clammy sweat, but hopefully no one would notice.<p>

"Skywalker," Master Windu replied. "We've just received word that Obi-Wan has destroyed General Grievous. We're on our way to make sure the Chancellor returns emergency powers back to the Senate."

"He won't give up his power," Anakin informed him. "I've just learned a terrible truth. I think Chancellor Palpatine is a Sith Lord," he told Windu, panting a bit from the effort.

"A Sith Lord?" Mace asked, incredulous.

"Yes," Anakin confirmed. "The one we have been looking for."

"How do you know this?" Windu asked.

"He knows the ways of the Force," Anakin told him. "He has been trained to use the Dark Side."

"Are you sure?" Mace asked again.

"Absolutely," Anakin assured him. _Yes, I'm feeling much better now; it must have been that Bantha burger._

"Then our worst fears have been realized," Windu sighed. "We must move quickly if the Jedi Order is to survive."

"Master, the Chancellor is very powerful. You will need my help if you are going to arrest him," Anakin said. _Come on, let me do the fight scene! I'm feeling all right now, really!_ After Anakin's unexpected fit of vomiting, Cliegg had rewritten the next scene with Master Windu confronting Sidious instead of Anakin. _Really, I'm fine! Let me do it!_

"For your own good, stay out of this affair," Windu told him. "I sense a great deal of confusion in you, young Skywalker. There is much fear that clouds your judgment."

"I must go, Master," Anakin pointed out. _This is my big scene where I turn to the Dark Side... It won't work if I'm not there..._

"No," Windu insisted. "If what you told me is true, you will have gained my trust, but for now remain here. Wait in the Council chamber until we return," he instructed Anakin.

"Yes, Master," Anakin agreed reluctantly. _Ugh... Maybe I'm not feeling so great after all._

* * *

><p><em>Force, my stomach's killing me,<em> Anakin cringed, staring out the window of the Council chamber. He was being filmed by a hovering camera droid, and right now he was having no trouble at all acting deeply disturbed and upset. _What the hell is wrong with me?_ he wondered, gasping in pain.

Finally the pain became so intense that tears sprang to his eyes. Anakin ran to the bathroom, thinking he was going to be sick again; but he just kept dry heaving, and nothing more would come up. _Crap, I'm really sick,_ he realized.

But it killed him that he was missing his big scene. _Don't be a wimp,_ he told himself. _Pull it together here. You can do this._ Steeling his resolve, Anakin ran to the docking bay and hopped into a ship, hoping he wasn't too late.

_Yeah! I made it!_ Anakin thought, slowing to a walk and steadying his breathing as he entered the Chancellor's chamber.

"You are under arrest, my Lord," Windu was saying now, holding Sidious at bay with his purple lightsaber.

"Anakin!" Palpatine said, obviously relieved to see him. "I told you it would come to this. I was right; the Jedi have taken over!"

"The oppression of the Sith will never return," Windu warned him fiercely. "You have lost."

"No," Palpatine said. "No... No... You will die!" Sidious spat dramatically. "Traitor!" _Force, he looks funny,_ Anakin laughed despite himself, as Palpatine proceeded to zap Windu with imaginary blue lightning.

"He is the traitor... Ahhhhhhhhhhh!" Windu yelled.

_Well, yeah. I told you that half an hour ago... But no, you wouldn't believe me,_ Anakin grumbled. _Oh, crap... Not again,_ he gulped painfully, as he was overcome by another wave of nausea. Thankfully at that point they took a break, and Anakin sat against the wall, regaining his strength while Cliegg brought in Zam Wessel to film Palpatine's transition to his Sith Lord appearance. Anakin was feeling a bit better by the time Palpatine returned, now wearing his creepy Sith mask.

"I'm going to end this, once and for all," Master Windu threatened.

"You can't!" Anakin protested. "He must stand trial!"

"He has control of the Senate and the courts," Windu countered. "He's too dangerous to be left alive!"

"I'm too weak... Ahh... Ohh... Don't kill me!" Palpatine begged. "Please!"

"It's not the Jedi way," Anakin insisted stubbornly. "He must live! I need him!"

"Please don't," Palpatine begged again. "Please, don't!" But Master Windu raised his lightsaber for the kill.

"Noooooo!" Anakin yelled, hacking at his arm with a fake lightsaber.

_"Aaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"_ Windu yelled like a sissy, as Anakin rolled his eyes. _You didn't see me hollering and carrying on like that when Dooku cut my arm off... Come on, be a man._

But Mace continued to scream. _"AAAAAaaaahhhhhhhh! AAAaaaahhhhhhhhhhh!"_

_"AAAAAAAaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"_ Sidious yelled, not to be outdone.

_"AAAaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh!"_ they both screamed at the same time.

_"AAAAAaaaaaaaaaahhhhhh!_ Sidious yelled incoherently.

_"Ahhhh!"_ Windu grunted, as Anakin finally put an end to it, Force-shoving him out the window.

_"Ahhhhhh,"_ Sidious sighed, laying back weakly with a faint smile on his face.

"What have I done?" Anakin gasped, overcome by a horrendous wave of nausea after the strain of his Force-shove. _I hope Master Windu's all right,_ he worried, clutching his stomach in pain. _Oops, I threw him kind of far._

_Oh, crap, I feel really sick,_ he shuddered, staggering dizzily and slumping weakly onto the stool behind him. _Whoa... What the hell was that?_ he wondered, as his stomach made a horrible low gurgling sound.

"You're fulfilling your destiny, Anakin," Sidious said, getting up from the window. _Oh, I'm going to vomit again,_ Anakin gasped. "Become my apprentice," Sidious continued. "Learn to use the Dark Side of the Force."

_Give me a second here,_ Anakin shuddered, hanging his head as he desperately tried to compose himself. "I will do whatever you - ask," Anakin panted weakly. _Hang on... Don't be sick... It's almost over..._

"Goooooooooood," Sidious congratulated him.

"Just help me save Padmé's life," he panted, shaking feverishly. "I can't live without her," he gasped, doubling over in pain as he was hit by another wave of nausea. _Force, what is wrong with me?_

"To cheat death is a power only one has achieved, but if we work together, I know we can discover the secret," Sidious promised, as Anakin crawled weakly off the stool and approached him on his knees. _Crap, I'm so shaky, I can't even get up..._

"I pledge myself - to your teachings," Anakin shuddered, slumping down onto the floor.

"Gooooood," Sidious agreed. "Gooooood..." Anakin hung his head as another horrible gurgling sound escaped from his stomach. _Ohh, that sounds nasty... I hope nobody heard that,_ he gasped, squeezing his eyes shut in pain.

"The Force is strong with you," Sidious continued. "A powerful Sith, you will become." _Why is he talking like Yoda?_ Anakin wondered briefly. _Who cares... Ohhhhh, I feel awful..._ "Henceforth you shall be known as Darth... Vader," Sidious proclaimed.

_"Bleeaahhhhh,"_ Anakin gagged again, doubling over and dry-heaving on Palpatine's shoes. _I think I'm dying... Seriously..._

"Thank you... My Master," Anakin gasped painfully, sitting up again.

"Rise," Sidious commanded him.

_Ohhhhh... I'll try,_ Anakin shuddered weakly, staggering to his feet. But then the edges of his vision turned fuzzy, with little stars all around, before everything faded to black...

* * *

><p><em>"Anakin."<em>

Anakin's eyes fluttered open as he heard a familiar voice calling his name; he inexplicably found himself staring upward at a white ceiling, a pair of blue-green eyes peering down upon him with deep concern.

"Anakin," Obi-Wan said again, smiling with obvious relief. "How are you feeling?" he asked worriedly.

"Uhhh," Anakin gulped weakly, trying to lift his head. _I'm in the medical ward,_ he realized. _Perfect._ "I'm okay," he insisted, managing a faint smile as he sank back down against his pillow. "What happened?"

"You've had appendicitis, Anakin," Obi-Wan told him, smiling with gentle concern. "The doctors have removed your appendix; you're going to be fine."

"Oh," Anakin said, trying to sit up; but Obi-Wan held him down.

"No, no," he chided him. "You need to rest. And eat lots of ice cream, for the next week or so," Obi-Wan said cheerfully. "But you'll soon be fine; not to worry," he assured him, patting his shoulder. "And I'm glad you finally woke up," he added, with an affectionate smile. "I was just about to leave," Obi-Wan apologized, getting up from his bedside stool.

"Oh... Where are you going?" Anakin asked, curious.

Obi-Wan smiled, clearly pleased with himself. "I have a date with the Queen of Naboo," he informed Anakin proudly. "We're going to the opera together."

_Perfect,_ Anakin sighed. "Have fun," he said bravely, managing a weak smile. "Tell her I say hello."

"I will," Obi-Wan promised, his eyes twinkling. "I'm glad you're feeling better, Anakin. Get well soon."

"Thank you, Obi-Wan," Anakin said, giving him a grateful smile as he took his leave. Then he sighed ruefully, leaning back against his pillow and closing his eyes once again. _Enjoy your date with my wife._


	47. And slaughters younglings!

**Chapter 47**

Anakin furrowed his eyebrows with all his might as he marched up the Jedi Temple steps, followed by an entire battalion of clone troopers. _Being a Sith Lord is awesome._

He was feeling much better after yesterday's emergency appendectomy; they had just completed the previous scene in Chancellor Palpatine's office, and Cliegg had rewritten the Jedi Temple sequence so that Anakin wouldn't have to do a lot of fighting, since he was still supposed to be taking it easy after his surgery.

_It's even creepier this way,_ he admitted, marching into the Temple and heading straight for the Council chamber. Obi-Wan had volunteered his youngling class for this scene, and signaled for them to cautiously come out from behind their seats as Anakin entered the room. _Aw, they've been rehearsing for this... I used to love doing school plays when I was a youngling too._

"Master Skywalker, there are too many of them! What are we going to do?" an adorable little boy asked, his accent a nearly perfect imitation of Obi-Wan's. _No, no, no,_ Anakin cringed, horrified. _Obi-Wan, you're not actually teaching them to talk like that? They'll get the crap beat out of them if they ever go to the Outer Rim..._

Obi-Wan had been raised during his formative years by a very old-fashioned Master who insisted that his younglings learn the formal, antiquated speech of Coruscant which was now used only by diplomats and other important officials. It had gotten him into trouble on numerous occasions during visits to Outer Rim planets, where the locals had no great love for overeducated, elitist snobs. _Of course, it didn't help that he used to go around calling them all 'pathetic life forms',_ Anakin sighed ruefully.

_Hey... He called ME a pathetic life form the first time we were on JEDI together,_ Anakin remembered, furrowing his eyebrows indignantly as he activated his lightsaber. _All right, you little pansies, I'll show you what happens to a classroom full of younglings whose teacher insulted a future Sith Lord,_ he vowed, slashing at them carefully with his fake lightsaber. _Aw, they're adorable... And pretty good little fighters, too,_ Anakin realized, impressed. _Obi-Wan has taught them well._

But it wasn't long before they had all dutifully collapsed to the floor, and the scene was over. "Good job, young ones!" Obi-Wan praised his students, as their nighttime Master ushered them back to their private quarters for bedtime. Anakin smiled in delight as he watched them leave, so polite and well-behaved. _Was I ever that small?_ he wondered, hardly able to believe it. Then he felt tears spring to his eyes as he thought of something else. _That's going to be Luke in a few years._

"Anakin, are you feeling all right?" Obi-Wan asked, concerned by his dazed, teary-eyed expression.

"Oh," Anakin blinked, startled. "Yes, I'm fine." He grinned apologetically. "They are so adorable," he confessed, as Obi-Wan beamed proudly, nodding in agreement.

Just then Master Windu limped into the classroom, covered in bandages. "Have you guys seen Cliegg?"

Obi-Wan shook his head in apology, but Anakin told him he was filming with the _Space Troopers_. "I think they're on the third floor... Master, what happened to you?" he asked, concerned and perplexed by all his bandages.

Mace gave him a dark glare. "What do you _think_ happened to me?

_Oh, crap!_ Anakin cringed, remembering. "I'm sorry, Master Windu, I - "

"No, no," Mace said cheerfully. "It was great! I told you not to hold back; I should have remembered who I was talking to," he laughed, shaking his head. "How's your appendix?" he asked, concerned.

"Um... Gone," Anakin said, grinning ruefully. "Master, I'm sorry," he apologized again.

"Don't worry about it," Mace assured him, hobbling back toward the doorway. "Anyway, I'm glad you're all right... I was just talking to some of the fan club members; they've come up with some amazing ideas for the final episode, including a lightsaber duel on Mustafar with the two of you," he told Anakin and Obi-Wan enthusiastically. "Ahhh, I've got to go talk to Cliegg," he said, heading off to pitch his ideas to the director.

_Wow,_ Anakin blinked, as Windu limped off quickly toward the hallway. _That guy likes JEDI a little too much._ But then he sighed, remembering that this was all going to end in another month; and then Anakin would be sent back to work in Hutt territory, without any convenient excuse to visit Padmé and Obi-Wan on Coruscant. _I'm going to miss it too._

* * *

><p>"What?" Owen asked, a confused expression on his face as he talked to his father over the holo-transmitter. "A new show called <em>SITH...<em> Someone from the fan club came up with this?" He blinked worriedly.

_Oh dear,_ Beru thought, giving her husband a quiet commiserative smile from the living room couch. _Sounds like Cliegg has come up with another one of his crazy ideas._ Owen had only just returned a few days ago from his whirlwind tour of the galaxy, filming the demise of the Jedi on several different planets, and he had been working round the clock in the editing room to prepare for tonight's episode. _Poor Owen,_ Beru thought, concerned by her husband's exhausted appearance. _He works too hard._

"Dad, it'll never work," Owen was protesting now, trying to rein in his father's overactive imagination. "A show where the galaxy is ruled by Sith Lords? Nobody wants to watch that."

_That does sound really stupid,_ Beru agreed, giving Owen a sympathetic look. Then she winced, gasping as she felt something very strange... And extremely painful... _Ohhh, what is that?_ she wondered, clutching a hand to her belly. _I'm only eight months along... This can't be a contraction,_ she thought, still gasping from the pain. _It's too soon..._

"All right, Dad," Owen was saying now. "If you can write something up tonight, I'll pitch it to the network tomorrow," he agreed reluctantly. "I'll let you know what they say, but I really don't think - Dad!" he said urgently, seeing Beru's pained expression. "Dad, I have to go... I think Beru's going into labor!" he blurted out anxiously, ending the transmission.

"Ohhhhhh," Beru gasped, wincing in pain; but she managed a brave smile as Owen quickly came to her side. _It's really happening,_ she realized, excited and happy and frightened all at the same time. _We're having a baby!_

* * *

><p><em>A few days later...<em>

"How many other Jedi managed to survive?" Obi-Wan asked, walking through the hallway of Captain Antilles' ship with Yoda and Bail Organa. _This is by far the most ridiculous idea the producers of JEDI have ever come up with,_ he thought. _But if it means that Anakin and I can keep working together, I'll do whatever they say._

"Heard from no one, have we," Yoda told him regretfully. Most of the Jedi had been killed off in last week's episode; Cliegg and Owen were still working out the details of their proposed new show, _SITH,_ and at this point they were leaving their options open, so that they could bring in some straggling Jedi survivors later on if they needed to.

"I saw thousands of troops attack the Jedi Temple," Bail said. "That's why I went looking for Yoda."

"Have we had any contact from the Temple?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Received a coded retreat message, we have," Yoda informed him.

"It requests all Jedi to return to the Temple," Bail explained. "It says that the war is over."

"Well, then we must go back!" Obi-Wan insisted. "If there are other stragglers, they will fall into the trap and be killed." Obi-Wan had to admit that he loved his new role; he was the tragic hero, the kind-hearted Jedi Master whose padawan had cruelly betrayed him, destroying their friendship and leaving him heartbroken and alone. _I hope this new show gets approved,_ he realized suddenly. _It's tragically brilliant, when you think about it._

"Hmm... Suggest dismantling the coded signal, do you?" Yoda asked.

"Yes, Master," Obi-Wan replied. "There is too much at stake."

"I agree," Yoda nodded. "And a little more knowledge might light our way."

* * *

><p>"So this is how liberty dies," Padmé said, looking around the Senate hall as they filmed Emperor Palpatine's special session of Congress. "With thunderous applause."<p>

"Cut," Cliegg said, floating out to the center of the hall in one of the circular platforms. "Senators, I want to thank you all for the hard work you've dedicated to the _JEDI_ show these past thirteen years," he told them. "I know that you've all done it out of the goodness of your hearts, donating your acting paychecks to charitable causes, and I just wanted to say once again how much all of us at _JEDI_ have appreciated your efforts," he told them sincerely.

"As I mentioned earlier, we are in the process of being approved for a new show called _SITH,_ and Owen and I hope to continue working with you next season; but in case that doesn't happen, thank you so much... I wish you all the best," Cliegg finished warmly, bowing as the Senate members responded with friendly applause, wishing him farewell.

"Bail," Padmé said with a happy smile, as they got up to leave. "I just heard the news! Congratulations!"

"Thank you, Padmé." Bail Organa beamed delightedly; he and his wife had applied to adopt a baby nearly a year ago, refusing to take advantage of their royal status to speed up the process. They had finally been approved just yesterday, and Bail's new baby daughter awaited him on Alderaan. "I can't wait to see her," he said. "Breha says she's beautiful."

"I'm sure she is." Padmé smiled wistfully. "I can't wait to see her too! Well I won't hold you up," Padmé assured him, as Bail nodded gratefully, heading for the door. "Congratulations, Bail," she wished him again. "And tell Breha I say hello!"

* * *

><p>"I have recalibrated the code warning all surviving Jedi to stay away," Obi-Wan informed Yoda, after they had fought their way back into the Jedi Temple and filmed another scene with Obi-Wan's poor, slaughtered younglings<em>.<em>

"For the Clones to discover the recalibration, a long time it will take," Yoda assured him, as they headed for the exit.

"Wait, Master," Obi-Wan said, stopping him. "There is something I must know."

"If into the security recordings you go, only pain will you find," Yoda warned him.

"I must know the truth, Master," Obi-Wan insisted, switching on the holo-monitor and watching in horror as Anakin killed the younglings, then knelt before Lord Sidious. "I can't watch any more," Obi-Wan gasped, turning it off. Cliegg had explained to Obi-Wan that his performance in these final scenes could influence the network's decision to approve _SITH_ for next season, and so he was pouring everything he had into his acting, hoping that he and Anakin could continue to work together.

"Destroy the Sith, we must," Yoda told him gravely.

"Send me to kill the Emperor," Obi-Wan begged, heartbroken. "I will not kill Anakin."

"To fight this Lord Sidious, strong enough you are not," Yoda told him bluntly.

"He was my padawan," Obi-Wan pleaded. "I cannot - "

"Cut," Cliegg said. "Wonderful so far," he assured them. "But I want to add another element to the tension between you and Anakin; how about if you say he was like your brother, instead of your padawan," he suggested. "I know that's not very Jedi-like," he confessed, grinning in apology. "But it's something the viewers could relate to," he said. "It would make it more tragic."

"All right," Obi-Wan agreed, forcing himself not to look at Yoda, who was one of the few people who knew the truth. _This is an interesting twist._ "He is like my brother," Obi-Wan pleaded. "I cannot do it."

"Twisted by the Dark Side, young Skywalker has become," Yoda warned him. "The boy you knew, gone he is. Consumed by Darth Vader." This was another tricky point: Anakin's turn to the Dark Side had happened so quickly, within the span of a single episode; Cliegg worried that the viewers were still sympathetic to him, and wanted to make it clear that he was now a villain.

"I do not know where the Emperor has sent him," Obi-Wan protested, heartbroken. "I don't know where to look."

"Use your feelings, Obi-Wan, and find him you will," Yoda assured him.

_This is where I finally use my brilliant powers of deduction and figure out that my padawan has been married to Padmé all along,_ Obi-Wan laughed to himself, after the scene was over. _The viewers must think I'm incredibly naive for not having seen that years ago,_ he sighed. _Ah well, it's only a silly holo-drama._

"Thank you, Master Yoda; Master Kenobi," Cliegg said, as he packed up to leave. "You both did an excellent job; I really think the network executives will be pleased with what they see," he told them. "Owen and I are taking two weeks off," he reminded them; Owen and Beru had just had a baby boy, and Cliegg was now a proud grandfather. "But then we'll both be back to film the next episode."

"Have a safe trip back to Geonosis," Obi-Wan said, bowing politely. "And congratulations on the birth of your grandson."

"Best wishes to Owen and Beru, the Council sends," Yoda added, smiling warmly.

"Thank you," Cliegg nodded. "I can't wait to see him," he confessed, as he and the cameraman headed for the door. "All right, I'll see you both in two weeks," he said fondly, taking his leave.


	48. Obi-Wan is outraged by this

**Chapter 48**

Leila smiled, gently stroking Obi-Wan's silky hair as he slept beside her, a peaceful expression on his face. _He is a changed man,_ she realized, kissing his brow tenderly. Obi-Wan smiled faintly, sighing contentedly in his sleep.

His recent trip to Utapau had done wonders for him; he had returned all starry-eyed, with tales of dragons and hidden caverns and a secret tropical paradise nestled deep inside a rocky canyon. And then, just over a week ago, he had come to her with tears of joy in his eyes, telling her that Qui-Gon knew the truth, and still loved him.

Since then, it was as if a huge burden had been lifted from him. For the first time in over thirteen years, Obi-Wan reminded her once again of the young padawan she had once loved, unfettered by the guilt that had tormented him for so long. There was a newfound sparkle in his eyes; his smile was brighter, his embraces warmer, his kisses more passionate, and his lovemaking... Leila grinned mischievously, crawling back on top of him and showering him with kisses as he slept.

Obi-Wan's eyes fluttered open and he smiled lazily, wrapping his arms around her and drawing her closer. _I shouldn't keep waking him up like this,_ Leila scolded herself as they made love for the third time tonight. _He needs his rest._ But Obi-Wan didn't protest, and Leila smiled happily afterward, gazing deep into his beautiful eyes and kissing him once again as he drifted back to sleep.

_Insomnia sucks,_ Leila sighed ruefully, snuggling beside Obi-Wan once again and playing with his hair out of sheer boredom. _But at least I have something pretty to look at,_ she consoled herself.

_I probably shouldn't have had coffee before bedtime,_ she admitted. But Padmé had stopped by, along with Captain Typho, and it had been so wonderful talking to her. Typho had played with the children while Leila and Padmé chatted in the kitchen, talking about silly pregnancy cravings, creative hair designs, raising children, and other girly things.

_I can't believe I'm friends with the Queen of Naboo,_ she giggled to herself again. At first she had expected Padmé to be a bit of a snob; but as it turned out, she had grown up in a normal middle-class family, and was a very down-to-earth, friendly person. In the course of their discussion, Leila had accidentally let slip that she had been through three pregnancies, and had apologetically explained that she'd given up her first child for adoption; but Padmé hadn't judged her. She had been very understanding, supportive of Leila's decision and curious to learn how she had dealt with that difficult issue.

'Do you ever regret your decision to give him up?' Padmé had asked gently.

'No,' Leila had said. 'I wasn't able to care for him at the time,' she had explained. 'I love him, and I think of him often, but I know I did the right thing. He is with a family who loves him, and can give him the life that he deserves. I know where is, and that he's happy,' she had confided quietly.

Thankfully, Padmé hadn't pushed further, but had simply given Leila a sympathetic smile, and a look of understanding had passed between them. _We both know what it's like to have secrets,_ Leila realized. Padmé hadn't questioned her about Jon and Kyra's fathers; and likewise, Leila hadn't asked Padmé about her own secret lover, though it was glaringly obvious that it was Typho.

_I really like Padmé,_ Leila thought, as she continued to stroke Obi-Wan's hair. _I can't wait until her twins are born. I bet they'll be adorable_. Padmé wasn't due for two more months, but already she was looking pretty huge; Leila wouldn't be surprised if the babies were born early, especially since this was her first pregnancy.

_It almost makes me want another._ She smiled wistfully, gazing at Obi-Wan as he slept. But Leila had had an operation after Kyra was born, and she realized once again that it was for the best. _Jedi babies are too complicated,_ she sighed regretfully. _You can't help feeling guilty, no matter how you decide to raise them._

Obi-Wan made a funny snuffling sound in his sleep, and Leila smiled in amusement, kissing him. "Mmm... Anakin, come in," Obi-Wan mumbled randomly, as Leila stifled a giggle. _I wonder what he dreams about._

* * *

><p>"Anakin! Come in," Obi-Wan smiled, surprised and delighted to see him. "What are you doing here?"<p>

"I don't know," Anakin admitted uncertainly, coming inside Obi-Wan's little apartment and taking a seat in the giant floating spoon. "This is your dream," he reminded him.

"Oh, right," Obi-Wan nodded. "Forgive me; it's been a long day." _Silly me, I thought this was real._ "Would you like some blue stuff?"

"No, thank you," Anakin replied; then he looked down at his lap, troubled. "Master, I know it's not my place," he began hesitantly. "But... you drink too much of that stuff," he chided Obi-Wan gently. "It's not the Jedi way."

Obi-Wan sighed, nodding. "Yes, I suppose you're right," he admitted, putting it back on the shelf. "And please, don't call me 'Master'," he added. "It makes me feel old."

"Well... You _are_ old," Anakin pointed out; then he shrugged. "But I'll call you Obi-Wan if it means that much to you," he agreed good-naturedly.

"Thank you, Anakin," Obi-Wan replied, with a grateful smile. "Anakin, I'm glad you're here; there is something I have been wanting to talk to you about," Obi-Wan said, taking a seat in the other floating spoon.

Anakin frowned, surprised. "Since when do you have two of these?" he asked, furrowing his brows as if trying to remember.

_Force, he's right,_ Obi-Wan realized. _Where did this one come from?_ "I don't know," Obi-Wan admitted uncomfortably. _They say that dreams reflect your deepest desires; am I really this materialistic?_ he wondered, disturbed by the thought.

"It's all right, Obi-Wan," Anakin said reassuringly. "Don't worry, I'm not going to report you to the Council or anything," he added, with a conspiratorial grin. Then he gave Obi-Wan a curious look. "What is it that you wanted to talk to me about?"

"Oh," Obi-Wan said, looking down. _He's my brother, and I love him, and I don't want to lie to him any more. He will understand, as Qui-Gon did._ "Anakin, you remember Jon, the boy that I'm mentoring?" he began hopefully.

"Yes," Anakin nodded; then he looked at Obi-Wan worriedly. "Is he all right?"

"Yes, yes," Obi-Wan assured him. "Actually, it has more to do with his mother, Leila," he explained. "You remember her?" Anakin nodded, indicating for him to go on. "Anakin... Leila and I are - " he broke off, shaking his head. _Oh dear; this is more difficult than I thought it would be._

"What?" Anakin asked, puzzled. Then he saw Obi-Wan's pained, apologetic expression, and gaped at him wide-eyed. "No," he whispered, stunned. "Obi-Wan... You're - you're doing the kid's mother?" Anakin asked, horrified.

"No, no," Obi-Wan protested quickly. _Oh dear, I didn't explain that well; he doesn't realize I've loved her all my life, and that we have a child together._ "Anakin, it's not like that," he reassured him. "Well, it is, but... You see, she was a prostitute, and - "

"She's a prostitute?" Anakin gasped, even more horrified than before.

"No - well, she was - but I didn't pay her," Obi-Wan explained quickly. "I mean... I did... but not any more," he assured him.

Anakin stared at him in shock. "Obi-Wan," he whispered, betrayed. "You're supposed to be a role model for this boy," he said, grief-stricken by this news. "You're not supposed to - " he broke off, shaking his head in frustration. "It's bad enough that she's a prostitute," he sighed. "But... you don't even have the decency to pay the poor woman?" he asked reproachfully.

_Oh dear,_ Obi-Wan cried, tears springing to his eyes as he hung his head. _He thinks I'm terrible._ "Anakin, I'm sorry," he wept, heartbroken. "Please forgive me," he begged. "I shouldn't have said anything."

Anakin sighed, looking down. "No, it's all right," he said quietly. "Don't worry, Obi-Wan. I'm not going to report you," he promised. "But I'm very disappointed," he admitted. "All my life, you taught me to uphold the Jedi Code, and now..." He shook his head. "On second thought, maybe I will have a shot of that blue stuff," he sighed, rubbing his forehead.

Obi-Wan nodded, getting up; but tears stung his eyes as he poured two shot glasses of blue stuff. _Oh dear... Now I'm driving him to drink... I AM terrible,_ he thought, heartbroken. "Here," he said, handing Anakin a glass, then downing his own shot in one gulp, wincing as it stung his throat. "Anakin, I'm sorry," he apologized again. "I shouldn't have burdened you with this; I just thought - " he choked back tears. "I have disappointed you," he sobbed. "I have failed you, Anakin... I'm so sorry..."

"Obi-Wan." Obi-Wan woke up with tears in his eyes, his breath coming in pathetic, ragged gasps, as Leila peered at him with tender concern. "Obi-Wan, you were dreaming," she whispered gently, stroking his hair and kissing him on the forehead. "It's all right, sweetheart," she reassured him. "It's all right; it was only a dream."

Obi-Wan nodded, smiling tearfully as he stroked her soft, silky hair, grateful for her loving embrace and the warmth of her sweet, delicate body against his own. _I can never tell Anakin,_ he realized sadly. _But it is for the best._ "I love you, Leila," Obi-Wan whispered, comforted by her tender, reassuring kisses as he drifted off to sleep once again.

* * *

><p><em>A week later...<em>

"When was the last time you saw him?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Yesterday," Padmé replied truthfully. They had all met in Padmé's apartment last night, along with Owen and Cliegg, to discuss their final scenes together and plan for the Mustafar fight sequence. Anakin had filmed a short scene on Padmé's terrace last night, and then he and Cliegg had left to film Darth Vader's assault on the Trade Federation.

"And do you know where he is now?" Obi-Wan asked.

"No," Padmé lied. In truth they were all on Kilaui right now. Several months ago, Sidious had sent his Trade Federation flunkies to Mustafar as a joke; but the volcanic planet's fiery atmosphere was poisonous to all life forms, and so they had obviously never filmed any scenes there. Kilaui, however, was a bit more hospitable, and Cliegg had found an abandoned hydroelectric plant that would serve as the Trade Federation's headquarters.

"Padmé, I need your help," Obi-Wan pleaded. "He is in grave danger."

"From the Sith?" Padmé asked.

"From himself," Obi-Wan replied sadly. "Padmé, Anakin has turned to the Dark Side." The episode documenting his tragic attack of appendicitis had just aired last night; they had all had watched it together along with Qui-Gon and Cory, and Anakin had nearly died from embarrassment when he heard the freakishly amplified sounds of his nauseous gagging as he knelt before Sidious.

"You're wrong!" Padmé protested, horrified. "How could you even say that?"

"I have seen a security hologram of him - " Obi-Wan broke off, trying not to think about last night's episode. _I shouldn't laugh... but Force, those noises were awful._ Obi-Wan put a hand over his mouth, stroking his beard thoughtfully in an attempt to hide his laughter. "Killing younglings," he finished sadly, managing to compose himself once again.

"Not Anakin!" Padmé gasped. "He couldn't!"

"He was deceived by a lie," Obi-Wan told her. "We all were. It appears that the Chancellor is behind everything, including the war. Palpatine is the Sith Lord we've been looking for. After the death of Count Dooku, Anakin became his new apprentice."

"I don't believe you... I can't," Padmé protested, sitting down on the couch.

Obi-Wan sat next to her. "Padmé, I must find him."

"You're going to kill him, aren't you?" she asked, horrified.

"He has become a very great threat," Obi-Wan replied, playing the tragic hero.

"I can't," Padmé said quietly, looking down.

Obi-Wan got up from the couch, heading back to the landing platform. _Oops!_ he remembered suddenly, stopping. _I was supposed to confront her about Anakin... Poor Padmé, I hate doing this..._ "Anakin is the father, isn't he?" he asked gently. _I'm glad she's getting written off the show; she deserves some privacy after everything she's endured with this pregnancy,_ he sighed.

Padmé looked down, not responding. Obi-Wan could feel her discomfort at the question, and he felt terrible. _I've really upset her,_ he realized. _Let's just get this done with._ "I'm so sorry," he said coldly, walking toward his Starfighter and pulling his hood up for dramatic effect. _Well that wasn't very nice of me,_ he thought worriedly. _Oh dear, I look a bit uncaring..._

Obi-Wan turned back, wanting to ask Owen if they could try that one more time; but then he sensed Padmé's discomfort again, and changed his mind. _Poor girl,_ he realized. _I won't put her through that again._ Captain Typho had been watching from the doorway, and Obi-Wan realized that the two of them could probably use a moment alone together before Padmé left for Kilaui.

_This is terribly manipulative of me,_ Obi-Wan admitted. "Owen?" he asked. "I'm sorry, I just remembered; there's something I need to take care of, back at the Temple, before we leave for Kilaui," he apologized. "Would it be all right if we left after dinner, at sunset?" _That would give Padmé and Typho time to say goodbye before we leave._

"Oh..." Owen blinked, surprised. "Of course; yes, we can do that," he assured Obi-Wan good-naturedly. "All right everyone, let's meet out on the docking bay right after dinner."

_Two hours later..._

"Milady, let me come with you," Captain Typho pleaded, as Padmé prepared to depart.

"There is no danger," Padmé assured him. "The fighting is over. And this is personal."

"As you wish, Milady," Typho replied. "But I strongly disagree."

"I'll be all right, Captain," she reassured him. "This is something I must do myself. Besides, Threepio will look after me."

Captain Typho bowed respectfully; but he and Padmé shared one last secret, hesitant glance before they both forced themselved to turn, walking quickly away from each other.

"Oh dear," Cliegg's trusty protocol droid lamented as he followed Padmé up the ramp of her ship.

_I agree,_ Obi-Wan sighed regretfully, waiting for the shiny golden droid to make it up the ramp before slipping quietly onto Padmé's ship. Padmé wasn't due for two more months, but Leila was guessing that the babies would come early, and Typho was clearly nervous as well._ I'm glad Anakin and I have emergency medical training,_ he confessed, hiding inside a storage compartment and using the Force to shut the door. _But hopefully it won't come to that._

* * *

><p><em>Meanwhile, on Kilaui...<em>

_I love being a Sith Lord,_ Anakin sighed, slashing mercilessly through the Trade Federation separatists. _I can't wait until Obi-Wan gets here though,_ he thought excitedly. _Now THAT'S going to be a good fight._

_You know, I never was a huge JEDI fan,_ he admitted, chopping down Nute Gunray in mid-sentence. _Was I supposed to wait for him to finish his line? Ehh, who cares... JEDI's always been kind of lame like that,_ Anakin confessed.

_But SITH is going to be awesome,_ he decided enthusiastically, glaring at the camera with his evil yellow eyes. Then he turned away, squinting in pain. _Ow, these contacts really hurt,_ he admitted. _Luckily Cliegg lets me take them out whenever I get uncomfortable. It's kind of random how my eyes keep changing color. But who cares; it's only for this one episode,_ he told himself. _Pookie promised to make me a costume that's much better than this. I hope it's really scary..._

_Oh, crap._ Anakin frowned, standing outside on the bridge overlooking the fiery wasteland of Kilaui. _My eyes are watering, aren't they? Damned contact lenses... Sith Lords aren't supposed to cry,_ he thought unhappily. _Hopefully no one will notice._


	49. So he goes to Mustafar

**Chapter 49**

"Wow," Padmé whispered, awestruck by the sight before her as they approached Kilaui. "That is amazing." Padmé had never been to Kilaui before, but she had heard about the planet's unique conditions, especially during red tide season.

Kilaui was a volcanic planet, and as Obi-Wan touched down at the abandoned hydroelectric plant where they were filming, Padmé could see several active volcanoes in the distance. The smoldering sparks that occasionally blew toward them in the wind were real enough; but the river nearby was completely safe. This time of year, the water was illuminated by iridescent plankton; tiny aquatic organisms that glowed red and yellow during their mating season.

"Yes," Obi-Wan agreed, smiling cheerfully as they walked down the ramp of Padmé's ship together. "Watch out for the sparks," he warned her again, with a worried look toward one of the closer volcanoes.

Padmé nodded, staying close to Obi-Wan; she knew his Jedi senses would warn him of danger if any larger rocks were thrown their way, and she was grateful for his protection. It was a lovely warm evening, and Padmé smiled as she felt the wonderful, relaxing, steamy air against her skin. "It's like being in a sauna."

Then she saw Anakin standing outside the control center, and waved to him. "Anakin!" she said, as she and Obi-Wan went over to greet him. Anakin waved back, grinning ecstatically. _He looks happy,_ Padmé laughed to herself. Anakin was enjoying his new Sith Lord role a little too much, and Padmé worried that it was starting to go to his head.

"Hi Senator Amidala!" he said excitedly, as they approached. "Hi Master Kenobi!"

_Master Kenobi?_ Padmé wondered, as Anakin and Obi-Wan shared a secret, amused smile. _I wonder what that's about... Some kind of private joke, I guess._ Anakin often called Padmé by her formal title in public, but he had never done so with Obi-Wan. Suddenly Padmé gasped as she saw his eyes. "Ahhhh!" she exclaimed, laughing. "Ani, that's creepy!"

"Oh!" Anakin apologized. "Sorry!" Padmé gasped again as his eyes magically turned back to their normal dark blue color; he hadn't even blinked, or touched his contact lenses. _How did he do that?_ But now that his eyes were normal again, Padmé began to notice that something wasn't quite right. His face was _wrong,_ somehow, and...

"Aww." Anakin shrugged in disappointment, seeing Padmé's confused expression. "It's my nose, isn't it?" he asked, with a questioning look at Obi-Wan. _What?_ Padmé blinked worriedly. _His nose? Is he getting a cold?_ His voice did sound a little strange... _Poor thing, he's getting sick again,_ she realized, giving him a secret tender glance - which Anakin completely missed.

"No," Obi-Wan was saying now, admiring Anakin's nose. "It's perfect, actually."

"Really?" Anakin beamed happily. "Noses are always the hardest to get right," he admitted. _What is he talking about?_ Padmé wondered. _Ani, what's wrong with you? You're acting really weird._ And he just looked _wrong_. Or rather, he _looked_ right, but he _felt_ wrong; there was no recognition behind his eyes, none of the secret glances that they usually shared...

"Oh!" Padmé exclaimed, finally realizing what was going on. "Zam!" She smiled, hugging the changeling. Padmé had known Senator Wesell's daughter since she was a little girl. "You look amazing! I had no idea is was you."

"Thank you!" Zam smiled delightedly, still looking like Anakin. "Watch this," she grinned, demonstrating her shapeshifting skills. Padmé and Obi-Wan watched in amazement and horror as Anakin's skin melted and became blackened and charred.

"Ahh!" Padmé exclaimed. "That's terrible! I mean, that's really good, but... Yuck," she cringed, as Anakin's hideously burned face grinned back at her.

"Hee!" Zam laughed, pleased by Padmé's reaction. "I've been practicing! Aw, now I have to go fix this," she apologized, heading back toward the control center. "I have to look in the mirror to get it right," she explained.

"Have you seen Anakin?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Yes, he's down by the river," Zam told them, pointing to the rocky shore below.

"Ah! Thank you, Zam," Obi-Wan said cheerfully, heading off with Padmé to talk to the real Anakin while his blackened, charred stunt double returned to the control center.

* * *

><p><em>That does look terrible,<em> Obi-Wan confessed, trying to erase the image of his barbecued padawan from his memory. _Oh dear, I'll be having nightmares about that for months._

They found Anakin down by the river, lying on his stomach on a rocky ledge and peering into the water with great fascination. "Hey!" Anakin grinned happily, seeing them. "Look at this!" Obi-Wan and Padmé came closer, and Anakin proudly showed them the little blob of red and yellow water cupped in the palm of his hand.

"If you look really close, you can see them kissing," he explained. "Aren't they cute?"

"Yes," Obi-Wan agreed, squinting at the tiny creatures. "Although I would say they're doing more than just kissing," he remarked, noticing the high concentration of orange plankton in Anakin's hand.

"What do you mean?" Anakin frowned worriedly. _Ah, Anakin,_ Obi-Wan sighed. _Don't be such a prude._ Like most Jedi, Anakin was vaguely horrified at any mention of sexual activity.

"Well, the red ones are males, and the yellow ones are females," Obi-Wan explained.

"Right," Anakin agreed, still frowning. "What about the orange ones?"

"They're pregnant," Obi-Wan explained matter-of-factly.

"Ahhhh!" Anakin gasped in horror, flailing his hand wildly in panicked disgust as he flung plankton all over the rocky ledge. "They're pregnant?"

"Well not any more," Obi-Wan retorted testily. "Now you've killed them."

"Oh," Anakin realized sadly, looking around. "I'm sorry..."

_Honestly, Anakin,_ Obi-Wan sighed. _You need to get over your fear of these things. How do you think it makes Padmé feel when you go around murdering pregnant creatures because you find them disgusting?_

Just then Cliegg appeared from behind the rocky ledge, peering at them through a hand-held video camera. "Oh!" he exclaimed in surprise. "Obi-Wan, Padmé; you're here! I was just working on the color levels," he grinned cheerfully, greeting them. "So what do you think?" he asked enthusiastically, admiring the fiery landscape beyond.

"It's beautiful," Obi-Wan agreed.

"Amazing," Padmé told him. "The water doesn't exactly look like lava though," she admitted worriedly. It was teeming with iridescent plankton, but still there were areas of blue-green water amidst the swirl of red and orange, and the rocky cliffs were adorned with patches of soft moss; even at night the color was noticeable.

"Ah." Cliegg beamed proudly. "That's where the color filter comes in. Take a look," he told her, handing Padmé his camera.

"Wow!" Padmé smiled, looking through the lens. "That's so cool! Ani, look at this."

* * *

><p>"Hey," Anakin said, looking through the camera at the landscape beyond. "That's amazing," he agreed. Somehow, Cliegg's camera made the rocks look black, and the water fiery red, just like lava. "How does it do that?"<p>

"It filters out everything that's bluish-green, and adds a bit more red to everything," Cliegg explained. "I'm hoping it won't affect the color of the lightsabers," he admitted uncertainly. "I was going to test that next."

"Obi-Wan, let's see," Anakin said, pointing the camera at him as Obi-Wan activated his lightsaber. "Nope, it looks perfect," Anakin assured them. _Ha! I like being the camera operator._ "Whoa," he exclaimed, looking closer. "Obi-Wan, you look really freaky," he told him. "Your eyes are all black."

"Really?" Cliegg asked worriedly, taking the camera from Anakin. "Yeah, you're right," he admitted, looking at Obi-Wan. "Yours are a little dark too," he told Anakin. "I'll see what I can do, but we might just have to live with it," he sighed.

"Cool," Anakin laughed. _I love this show... Now Obi-Wan has freaky black eyes._

"Well, we should get started," Cliegg said, herding them back up to the control center. "Anakin, why don't you wait out on the bridge, and come running when you see Padmé getting off her ship."

Anakin grinned cheerfully as he ran along the bridge to greet Padmé. _Wait a minute,_ he remembered, slowing to a dignified walk. _Sith Lords don't run._ But now Padmé was running toward him, and he cringed. _Padmé, should you really be doing that?_

But she seemed to be all right, and Anakin smiled despite himself as he hugged her. _Aw, she's so cute in her little dress... Oh no!_ he realized suddenly. _We haven't even rehearsed this scene! What the hell are we supposed to say?_

"Padmé, I saw your ship," Anakin improvised, stating the obvious. "What are you doing out here?" _Please tell me so I know what to say next... Meanwhile I'm just going to stand here being evil.  
><em>

"I was so worried about you," Padmé said. "Obi-Wan told me terrible things."

"What things?" Anakin asked suspiciously. _Come on, I need something more specific to work with here._

"He said you've turned to the Dark Side; that you killed younglings," she told him, horrified.

_Oh; yeah, I did do that,_ Anakin agreed. _It was fun!_ "Obi-Wan is trying to turn you against me," he said, scowling. _This is all his fault. He's a stupid Jedi poodoo-head and I hate him,_ Anakin reminded himself.

"He cares about us," Padmé insisted.

"Us?" Anakin repeated worriedly. _I'm just going to pretend that doesn't scare the crap out of me..._

"He knows," Padmé said. "He wants to help you. Anakin, all I want is your love."

_Oh, right! That's what Cliegg was saying before..._ "Love won't save you, Padmé," Anakin reminded her. "Only my new powers can do that."

"At what cost?" Padmé asked. "You're a good person. Don't do this!"

"I won't lose you the way I lost my mother," Anakin vowed. "I'm becoming more powerful than any Jedi has ever dreamed of, and I'm doing it for you. To protect you," he insisted stubbornly. _Boy am I going to be pissed off when she dies anyway. I still don't understand why they're doing that,_ Anakin sighed; then he remembered. _Oh yeah - I'm going to be kind of crispy and hideous; she won't want me back after Obi-Wan gets done with me,_ he admitted.

"Come away with me," Padmé pleaded. "Help me raise our child. Leave everything else behind while we still can."

"Don't you see? We don't have to run away anymore," Anakin told her. "I have brought peace to the Republic!"

"Um... Congratulations," Padmé giggled, unable to keep a straight face any longer. She had been acting dutifully worried so far, but now she laughed despite herself. "I'm sorry," she apologized to Cliegg. "He just looked so happy!"

"That's all right," Cliegg said. "I love it; you're doing great, both of you," he assured them. "Anakin, remember what we talked about before - the ideas the fan club sent in? You are more powerful than the Chancellor; you can overthrow him, and together you and Padmé can rule the galaxy... Make things the way you want them to be," he reminded him.

_Yeah! I like that plan!_ "I am more powerful than the Chancellor," Anakin repeated. "I can overthrow him, and together you and I can rule the galaxy," he told Padmé, grinning ecstatically. "Make things the way we want them to be!"

But Padmé didn't share his enthusiasm. "I don't believe what I'm hearing," she said, horrified. "Obi-Wan was right. You've changed."

"I don't want to hear any more about Obi-Wan," Anakin said, scowling. _When you see what he's going to do to me in the next scene, you'll understand why I hate him so much. I saw Zam practicing earlier..._ "The Jedi turned against me," Anakin sulked. "Don't you turn against me!" he warned Padmé_._

"I don't know you anymore," Padmé cried, grief-stricken. "Anakin, you're breaking my heart," she wept, as Obi-Wan appeared in the doorway of her ship with his hands on his hips, a stern expression on his face. _Oh, he looks pissed off,_ Anakin grinned to himself. _Probably because of what I did to his younglings._ "You're going down a path I can't follow!"

"Because of Obi-Wan?" Anakin asked dangerously.

"Because of what you've done," Padmé cried. "What you plan to do." _What I plan to do?_ Anakin thought angrily, glaring at Obi-Wan. _What about what HE plans to do?_ "Stop," Padmé begged him desperately. "Stop now. Come back! I love you."

_Okay, I'm ready. Bring it on..._ "Liar!" Anakin yelled, still glaring at Obi-Wan.

"No!" Padmé protested tearfully.

"You're with him," Anakin accused her. "You brought him here to kill me!" _And for that I will pretend to Force-choke you with my evil black glove... Aw, I'm sorry, sweety...  
><em>

"Let her go, Anakin," Obi-Wan commanded him, coming down the ramp. "Let her go!"

_Damn it, I hate this scene,_ Anakin cried, tears springing to his eyes. He let go of his make-believe Force-grip, and Padmé dutifully crumpled to the ground, slamming her head on the stone tiles. _Oh, crap!_ "Padmé!" Anakin gasped anxiously, rushing to her side. "Padmé, are you all right?"

* * *

><p>Obi-Wan hurried to Padmé's side, helping her as she sat up, wincing slightly. "Yes," Padmé nodded bravely, "I'm all right."<p>

"Are you sure?" Obi-Wan asked gently, peering into her eyes and checking her head for bleeding or signs of head trauma. Padmé nodded again, and Obi-Wan continued to hold one arm around her back as he placed his hand gently on her belly, drawing upon the Force to calm and comfort her while Anakin stood by uselessly, looking apologetic and pathetically helpless.

_Honestly, Anakin. Why are you always flinging pregnant creatures onto the rocks? Is this some kind of bizarre compulsion?_ Obi-Wan sighed, frustrated by his brother's stupidity. But thankfully Padmé seemed to be all right, and Obi-Wan gently helped her to lie down again, before they continued filming.

* * *

><p><em>I'm sorry, Padmé...<em> "You turned her against me!" Anakin screamed at Obi-Wan, pacing angrily. _Crap, I don't even remember why I'm mad at him. He's right, I was the asshole who killed all the younglings. And he was so nice to Padmé just now... Poor Padmé..._

"You have done that yourself," Obi-Wan retorted.

"You will not take her from me!" Anakin yelled, frustrated by his inability to think of a good reason to be angry at Obi-Wan.

"Your anger and your lust for power have already done that," Obi-Wan told him, as they began to circle each other. "You have allowed this Dark Lord to twist your mind until now... until now you have become the very thing you swore to destroy."

_I don't really need a reason to hate Obi-Wan,_ Anakin decided suddenly. _I'm a Sith Lord, I'm evil and arrogant, and he's really pissing me off with that tone of voice._ "Don't lecture me, Obi-Wan," he threatened. _What would Palpatine say?_ "I see through the lies of the Jedi. I do not fear the Dark Side as you do. I have brought peace, freedom, justice, and security to my new Empire!"

"Your new Empire?" Obi-Wan asked, sounding annoyingly self-righteous.

"Don't make me kill you," Anakin warned him. _Oh, yeah... We're almost getting to the good part!_

"Anakin, my allegiance is to the Republic... to democracy!" Obi-Wan yelled.

"If you're not with me, then you're my enemy," Anakin told him. _Come on... Let's quit bickering and start hacking at each other!_

"Only a Sith Lord deals in absolutes," Obi-Wan replied. "I will do what I must."

"You will try," Anakin taunted him. _Come on... YEAH!_ Anakin reached for his lightsaber as he heard Obi-Wan's activate; and then the battle had begun. Anakin did a backwards flip through the air, landing right in front of Obi-Wan, and they began to clash lightsabers at lightning-quick speed. _Ha! This is awesome,_ Anakin thought, driving Obi-Wan backwards across the platform.

_Hey!_ he frowned indignantly, as Obi-Wan did one of his fancy Jedi Master moves, catching Anakin off-guard and driving him back. _You're not supposed to do that! I'M the bad guy!_ Then he realized what was going on. _Oh yeah,_ he agreed, realizing that they were at the edge of the platform and he had almost sent Obi-Wan down into the fiery pit. _That wouldn't have been so good._

_But you tricked me!_ Anakin realized again angrily. _How did you do that? Arrgh, that pisses me off... Now I'm going to kick you in the chest. Take that!_ Obi-Wan somersaulted backwards from the impact, and Anakin prepared for his next assault; but then he stopped as he realized Cliegg was yelling for them to cut.

"Cut!" Cliegg yelled anxiously, hurrying over toward them; he did not look pleased. _Oh, crap, he wants us to go back and redo our lines,_ Anakin realized, sighing in disappointment. _Just when it was finally getting to be fun._

"Was that not good?" Obi-Wan asked, concerned.

"No," Cliegg assured them, though he still looked a bit frazzled. "That was great, really, I just... Sorry, I'm having a heart attack here," he admitted, laughing ruefully. "Can you guys do me a huge favor and _not_ use real lightsabers for this scene?"

_Oh,_ Anakin blinked, nodding agreeably as he and Obi-Wan traded in for fake lightsabers. _Sure, if it makes you feel better._ "Can we put them on stun?" he asked hopefully; it would give them better balance, and allow them to fight with more force.

Cliegg sighed heavily, nodding. "All right," he agreed. "Just be careful," he pleaded. Obi-Wan and Anakin nodded, assuring Cliegg that they would try not to stun each other; then they set their lightsabers to the highest intensity, continuing their fight.

_Eh... This isn't so bad,_ Anakin decided as he drove Obi-Wan backwards across the bridge and into the control center. They couldn't put quite as much weight into their blows with the fake lightsabers, but Anakin quickly adjusted to the feel of it. _At least they make sparks when you hit stuff,_ he consoled himself as they slashed their way through the little hallway. _That's pretty cool._

_Oops!_ Suddenly Anakin and Obi-Wan found themselves in the control room, where the members of the Trade Federation were very much alive and well, and apparently having a cast party. "Sorry!" they apologized, deactivating their lightsabers.

"No problem," Nute Gunray told them, smiling. "Can I get you something to drink?" he asked. "There are refreshments in the next room," he added graciously.

_I am kind of hungry,_ Anakin realized, looking at Obi-Wan and Cliegg hopefully. "All right," Cliegg agreed. "Let's take a quick break, and then we'll continue with the fight scene here in the control room," he told them.

* * *

><p><em>A few minutes later...<em>

"Aagghhh," Obi-Wan choked dramatically, as Anakin held him by the throat, pushing him slowly down onto the floor. _Remind me never to get on your bad side,_ he gasped; then he blinked in surprise. _Anakin, how many times have I told you not to eat hard candy while fighting?_ he sighed, seeing the telltale bulge inside his padawan's cheek. _You deserve a kick in the pants for that,_ he resolved, kicking Anakin in the pants and sending him tumbling backwards.

* * *

><p><em>Hey!<em> Anakin glared indignantly, getting to his feet again. _You kicked me in the butt! What did you do that for?_ Anakin ran at him, kicking Obi-Wan in the chest and knocking him off the edge of the table. _See, at least I fight fair. I don't go around kicking people in the ass,_ he sulked, rushing at Obi-Wan to kick him again.

_Oh, crap, this is not good,_ Anakin realized too late, as Obi-Wan tripped him in mid-air, sending him flopping onto his back. _Owww..._

* * *

><p><em>Anakin, what is wrong with you?<em> Obi-Wan wondered, frustrated. _You should never try the same move twice in a row. Especially against a Jedi Master. And you still shouldn't be fighting with candy in your mouth._

_And now we've BOTH lost our lightsabers,_ he sighed, as they both used the Force to retrieve them. _Honestly, Anakin; try to pay attention. This is a fight scene, not a comedy routine._

* * *

><p>"What now?" Anakin grunted, lying flat on his back with his lightsaber just inches from his throat as Obi-Wan pressed against him with his entire body weight. <em>Obi-Wan, seriously, how much do you weigh?<em> Anakin wondered. _These fake lightsabers can only take so much,_ he worried, as Obi-Wan continued to lean into him.

"Now," Obi-Wan replied matter-of-factly, stepping back and allowing Anakin to get up. "First, you will get rid of that candy," he reprimanded him sternly. _Crap,_ Anakin sulked, obediently going over to the garbage can and spitting it out. _How does he always know?_ "And now," Obi-Wan continued, as if Anakin were still his padawan. "We will work on your saber techniques."

_Argh,_ Anakin grumbled, facing his old Master and igniting his lightsaber again. _I'll show him..._

* * *

><p><em>He really has gotten better,<em> Obi-Wan thought proudly, as he and Anakin swung their lightsabers around in a dizzying blur, practicing their old routine and managing to evade each other's blows for several seconds. But then Obi-Wan made his move, and Anakin blocked his attack at the last instant. _Good job, Anakin. That's better than I've ever seen you do it._

But now their lightsabers were locked together; Obi-Wan strained against his little brother for several seconds before realizing that it was completely hopeless. _Force, he's stronger than me now,_ he admitted, sobered by the realization. _All right, let's see how he does with this, _Obi-Wan decided, letting go of his lightsaber and reaching out his left hand to Force-push Anakin backwards.

Anakin countered his move, reaching out his own hand and Force-pushing against Obi-Wan. _Come on, Anakin. You can do this._ Obi-Wan gradually increased the intensity of his own Force-push until Anakin was straining under the effort; his little brother had always been a natural in his use of the Force, but still, he was no match for a Jedi Master. _Not bad,_ Obi-Wan conceded, letting go as they both were thrown backwards across the control room. _But you could do so much better if you studied more, Anakin._

_He's not so very far from achieving the level of Jedi Master,_ Obi-Wan thought. _If he really worked at it, it might only take a few more years,_ he sighed wistfully. _And then he would learn that he has a father and brother who love him dearly..._

But now Anakin was rushing at him again, leaping across the room to renew his assault. Obi-Wan got up quickly, meeting his blow; but Anakin's lightsaber slashed against the control panel, and suddenly alarms began to sound throughout the facility.

_Anakin, what have you done?_ Obi-Wan laughed. _And why does this not surprise me..._

* * *

><p><em>Oops,<em> Anakin cringed, as they fought their way to the door, following standard evacuation procedures. _Here, I'll press the button with my lightsaber... Hey! Don't kick me,_ he frowned indignantly, chasing Obi-Wan out the door.

_Hey! He kicked me again! Obi-Wan, we're trying to evacuate here, quit messing around._ Anakin hacked at him, pushing him back across the bridge and kicking him squarely in the chest. _Take that._

"Ahhh!" Obi-Wan groaned, as Anakin's boot hit his jaw instead. _Crap! Ahhh! I'm sorry Obi-Wan! I was aiming for your chest. It's not my fault you're so short,_ he thought, furrowing his brows and remembering that he was supposed to be merciless. _But I AM sorry, Master. You can get me back for that one; I deserve it._

But the alarms were continuing to sound, and Anakin worried that the control center was unsafe. _We'd better get out of here,_ he decided quickly, shoving Obi-Wan off the bridge and onto a rickety metal pipe, then jumping down to join him. _Whoa, this is kind of wobbly,_ he admitted, as Obi-Wan continued to glare at him as if he'd completely lost his mind.

_Sorry,_ Anakin cringed again, as they tip-toed across the pipe, barely keeping their balance and forgetting their duel for the moment. _Ah, this looks really lame... Come on, let's just try one little slash at each other. Okay, that was pathetic,_ he admitted, as they both struggled to regain their balance once again.

* * *

><p><em>Whoa,<em> Obi-Wan blinked worriedly, nearly falling off the pipe. _Brilliant, Anakin. What exactly is your plan here?_ He had been trying not to look down, but now he couldn't help it; the steam from the river below cleared for a moment and he saw that there was a larger, more stable structure directly below them.

_All right, Anakin,_ he laughed to himself mischievously. _Remember, this was your idea..._ Obi-Wan hacked at Anakin again, deeply amused by his brother's panicked expression as they both began to lose their balance once again.

* * *

><p><em>Obi-Wan! No!<em> Anakin gasped in horror as Obi-Wan jumped off the rickety metal pipe, down toward the river beneath them. It was only water, but there was a broken dam just ahead, with a hundred-foot drop down to the churning rapids below. _Crap,_ Anakin sighed anxiously, following him down without question. _Obi-Wan, are you trying to get us drowned?_

_Oh,_ Anakin realized in mid-jump, seeing the platform just a few feet beneath them. _Hey! You tricked me again! All right, now you've pissed off Darth Vader,_ Anakin thought, furrowing his brows fiercely and punching Obi-Wan in the face. _You really, really don't want to anger a Sith Lord,_ he vowed, coming at Obi-Wan again. _Sith Lords don't play by the rules._

* * *

><p><em>Anakin, what in the blazes are you doing?<em> Obi-Wan laughed, wrestling against him stupidly as they held each other's sword hands. _This looks ridiculous. Your eyebrows are perfect though,_ he conceded, truly impressed.

_At least we're on something a bit more solid now,_ he consoled himself, as they continued to fight their way across the large steel structure overhanging the river. Then they both stopped suddenly as they heard a tremendous explosion behind them.

_Force, what was that?_ Obi-Wan wondered, turning around. Then he saw it: a huge burst of fire and lava, erupting from beneath the river. _An underwater volcano,_ he realized worriedly. _Oh dear, we really should get off this thing..._

But a moment later their escape route was cut off by a massive glob of lava which landed in the middle of the narrow structure and began to slowly melt through the steel. _Oww!_ Obi-Wan instinctively ran for cover as he felt something burn his shoulder. Anakin was right behind him, and they made a half-hearted attempt to clash lightsabers just once, before pressing themselves against the wall as lava continued to rain upon them.

_I have a bad feeling about this,_ Obi-Wan confessed, as the entire structure gave way, plunging them rapidly downwards into the churning river below.


	50. And hacks him into pieces, The End

**Chapter 50**

_Not good,_ Obi-Wan thought, giving Anakin an anxious glance as they ran back up toward the narrow part of the structure. They clashed lightsabers briefly before grabbing hold of the now-vertical steel column as it crashed into the river.

"What now?" Anakin yelled from below him, as the current carried them swiftly downstream toward the broken dam.

"There's a bend in the river just ahead!" Obi-Wan yelled down to him. "Hopefully that will catch us!" he told Anakin. _It's a bad day when getting smashed against the side of a rocky cliff is one's best-case scenario,_ he sighed, as they continued to swipe uselessly at each other while clinging to the vertical column.

But of course they completely missed the rocky outcropping, and Obi-Wan cringed as he saw the waterfall just ahead. "Too late!" He yelled to Anakin. "Jump!" Grabbing a cable, he swung out over the river, relieved to see that Anakin had the same idea. _Force, he's still trying to fight me,_ Obi-Wan laughed, clashing lightsabers as they swung past each other.

_But the danger's over now,_ he realized, breathing a sigh of relief as he dropped safely onto a hovering platform, activating his lightsaber as he turned to face Anakin. _He's going to come back fighting with a vengeance,_ Obi-Wan laughed to himself, amused by his little brother's enthusiasm for his new Sith role. _I'd better be on my guard. I don't want to get kicked in the face again._

Anakin was swinging back toward him now; but suddenly Obi-Wan became alarmed as the entire structure began to topple over the edge of the waterfall. "Anakin!" he yelled anxiously, as his brother crashed back into the steel column. _Oh no, he's going over the edge..._ Obi-Wan watched helplessly as his brother disappeared beyond the edge of the waterfall.

"Anakin!" he called again worriedly. _Please let him be all right..._ It was only a hundred-foot drop, and Anakin was an excellent swimmer; if he had enough sense to jump clear of the steel structure as he fell, he would be all right. _Anakin can handle this,_ Obi-Wan told himself stubbornly as he sped after him on his little hovering platform. _He is a quick thinker, and very resourceful._

But just then he saw the flash of a blue lightsaber, and suddenly Anakin was jumping off the end of the structure towards him. _How in the blazes did he manage that?_ Obi-Wan laughed, profoundly impressed as his brother landed atop a tiny little droid hovering over the water._ Yes, Anakin can take care of himself,_ he realized proudly. _I needn't have worried._

_He deserves more respect than I give him,_ Obi-Wan admitted, as they began to clash lightsabers once again. _Sometimes I treat him as if he's still my padawan, but in truth he is one of the best Jedi Knights in the entire Order,_ he confessed. _He doesn't know that he's my little brother; what must he think when I treat him that way?_ Obi-Wan resolved once again to set aside his own attachments, and to treat Anakin as he would any other Jedi Knight, for his brother's sake.

_His enthusiasm for this new SITH show is quite silly though,_ Obi-Wan sighed, as Anakin continued to glare at him while they fought. _But I can understand it. The life of a Jedi is incredibly strict and unyielding; we all have our ways of dealing with the pressure. At Anakin's age I was still just a padawan myself, sneaking off to hop in the sack with Leila at every possible opportunity,_ he reminded himself ruefully. _Playing a Sith Lord for a silly holo-broadcast is Anakin's way of blowing off steam._

_And I will do what I can to help him,_ Obi-Wan resolved. _I will act my little heart out and play the tragic hero so that this new show gets approved, and Anakin will continue to have his escape from the stress of working in Hutt Territory. And I am grateful for the chance to keep working with him,_ Obi-Wan admitted.

Cliegg and the _JEDI_ crew had finally caught up with them in another hovercraft, and they took a quick break now to regroup and prepare for the final dramatic scene. "Lots of emotion," Cliegg reminded them, as Anakin and Obi-Wan nodded seriously.

"I have failed you, Anakin," Obi-Wan admitted, heartbroken, as they began filming again. "I have failed you." _It's not such a stretch to play this role,_ he sighed. _Anakin would be so disappointed in me, if he knew the truth._

"I should have known the Jedi were plotting to take over," Anakin replied angrily.

"Anakin, Chancellor Palpatine is evil!" Obi-Wan tried to reason with him.

"From my point of view, the Jedi are evil!" Anakin countered.

"Well, then you are lost!" Obi-Wan yelled, playing the righteously outraged Jedi Master.

"This is the end for you, my Master," Anakin threatened, jumping over to join Obi-Wan on his little hovering platform. _Ahh!_ Obi-Wan laughed, as Anakin nearly fell into the river. _Be careful with those somersaulting jumps, Anakin. You're getting sloppy._ He gave him a moment to regain his balance, and then they were hacking at each other again atop the little platform.

_Oh dear... Lightsaber lock,_ Obi-Wan sighed, as he and Anakin strained against each other. _If he keeps pushing, I'll fall into the river. Anyway, we're supposed to end up at the top of one of these volcanoes so that Anakin can get barbecued,_ he remembered, somersaulting off the little platform and landing on the rocky shore nearby.

"It's over, Anakin," Obi-Wan told him. "I have the high ground." _We're supposed to taunt each other a bit before we start fighting our way up the side of the volcano,_ he recalled. _And then when we're nearly at the top, Anakin will get hit by a huge glob of fake lava,_ he laughed to himself. _Now that's going to be funny to watch._

"You underestimate my power!" Anakin threatened.

"Don't try it," Obi-Wan warned him, merely for dramatic effect; but of course Anakin launched into the air, somersaulting over his head and onto the side of the volcano so that they could continue their fight.

Then Obi-Wan saw it: a shiny, black, and extremely deadly vampire eel crawling up Anakin's leg as he flew through the air. _Not good..._ Obi-Wan reacted instantly, slashing at the venomous creature with all his might and hoping that his fake lightsaber would be enough to at least stun it. If he'd had his _real_ saber, he could have sliced the eel in half with one precise swing without even touching Anakin; but that couldn't be helped now.

_I'm sorry, Anakin,_ he lamented, slashing across his left arm and both legs as he forcibly flung the vampire eel off his little brother and back into the river. _Whew,_ Obi-Wan sighed in relief, as Anakin crashed to the ground and rolled back down the slope, coming to a stop before he fell into the water. _That was too close._

"Ahhhhhhhhhh!" Anakin yelled, lying face down on the ground. "What the hell did you do that for?"

"I'm sorry, Anakin," Obi-Wan apologized, rushing to his brother's side. "Are you all right?" he asked worriedly.

"Ahhhhhh," Anakin gasped again, clinging to the rock with his right hand and flopping pathetically as he tried to drag himself forward. _Oh dear, I've stunned him,_ Obi-Wan realized, cringing. "No," Anakin gasped. "I'm not all right," he grunted, still flopping comically along on his stomach. "I feel like a beached Gooberfish."

_Oh dear,_ Obi-Wan lamented, putting a hand over his mouth and trying not to laugh. _He does look like a beached Gooberfish._ Cliegg and the crew were coming over now, concerned by what had happened. "Anakin, I'm sorry," Obi-Wan apologized again. "You see, there was a vampire eel crawling up your leg, and - "

"Ahhhhhh!" Anakin yelled, panicking as he flopped quickly up the bank. "Get it off! Get it off me!"

"Yes, yes, I did," Obi-Wan assured him, putting a hand on his shoulder to calm him. "It's all right, Anakin, it's gone."

"Where is it?" Anakin asked worriedly, looking around the rocky ledge.

"I flung it back in the river," Obi-Wan reassured him. "I think I stunned it."

"Oh," Anakin sighed in relief, laying his head down on the rock, exhausted by the ordeal. Then he realized once again the predicament he was in, and blinked worriedly. "Well this sucks," he admitted, staring at his gloved right hand and flexing it experimentally as he realized it was the only part of his body that was working at the moment.

"Anakin, are you all right?" Cliegg asked worriedly, catching up with them.

"Yes, he'll be fine in a few hours," Obi-Wan reassured him, patting Anakin on the shoulder. "I'm sorry," he apologized again. "There was a vampire eel crawling up his leg, and - no, no, I threw it back in the river," he assured them quickly, as Cliegg and the crew breathed a sigh of relief. "I stunned it; it won't be back anytime soon," Obi-Wan promised them.

"Whew," Cliegg sighed, nodding. "Good job," he told them, sighing heavily as they took a break to regroup. "A few hours, you say?" he asked Obi-Wan, scratching his head worriedly. Obi-Wan nodded, and Cliegg sighed, accepting it. "It'll be morning by then," he pointed out regretfully, looking up at the night sky. "And I have to be back at the studio tomorrow," he mused. "We're going to have to figure something else out here," he decided quickly.

* * *

><p><em>A few minutes later...<em>

"You were the Chosen One!" Obi-Wan yelled tearfully. "It was said that you would destroy the Sith, not join them... bring balance to the Force, not leave it in darkness!"

_Aw, he feels really guilty for what he did,_ Anakin realized, clinging pathetically to the rock with his one good hand. _It's all right, Obi-Wan... It's even better this way! Now I'm not just going to be crispy and hideous, I'm going to be a hybrid robot too, just like Pookie! Haha, this is great! But this is my last scene as a human being, so I'd better make it good..._

"I hate you!" Anakin screamed at the top of his lungs, glaring angrily at Obi-Wan with his evil yellow eyes. _Force, that was funny trying to put these contacts back in,_ he remembered, trying not to laugh. Obi-Wan had had to hold his eyelids open while Anakin used his one good hand to put the lenses in. _But I look cool now; that's all that matters,_ he decided, looking up at Obi-Wan with a pleading expression as he dragged himself painfully forward. _Oh, poor, poor me... Now I really have a reason to hate you, Obi-Wan. Our next fight is going to be awesome. Ohhh I can't wait to see my new costume!_

"You were my brother, Anakin," Obi-Wan cried, heartbroken. "I loved you." _Aw, I love how he keeps saying he's my brother. Obi-Wan is so cool... I wish he really were my brother,_ Anakin thought wistfully.

_Ooops! Time to scream,_ Anakin remembered, seeing Cliegg's signal. "Aaaaaaahhhhh!" he yelled, pretending to be burning. "Aaaarrrggghhh!" _Yeah, this is going to look awesome when they put in the effects. And Cliegg promised me he would personally oversee the editing so they get the amputations right. Not like what happened before with Obi-Wan,_ he sighed.

_Aw, now I'm all done,_ Anakin realized, as Obi-Wan gently dragged him off to the side so that Zam could take his place. _Whoa,_ he grinned, watching her. _She's really good... Ugh, that looks hideous,_ he cringed, sincerely impressed.

_And now Obi-Wan's being an asshole, and just leaving me there to burn to death,_ Anakin realized, incensed by what he was seeing. _Thanks a lot, Obi-Wan. Now I'm really, really, REALLY going to hate you. Heartless bastard..._

_I hope this new show gets approved,_ Anakin sighed happily, as they said goodbye to Cliegg and Zam before returning to Padmé's ship, with Anakin flopped over Obi-Wan's shoulder. Cliegg had been dressed as Sidious when they left; Anakin vaguely wondered what that was all about. _Oh no!_ he realized suddenly. _Padmé! She can't see me like this! Ahhhhhh! Stop!_

But it was too late. "Anakin!" Padmé exclaimed, running toward them as they approached her ship. _Padmé, you really shouldn't be running..._ "Is he all right?" Padmé asked Obi-Wan worriedly. "What happened?"

Anakin gave her a rueful, embarrassed smile as Obi-Wan explained to her about the vampire eel, and the lightsaber stunning incident. "He'll be all right in a few hours," Obi-Wan assured her, laying Anakin on a cot inside her ship. "But he's a bit shocky and goofy from being stunned, I'm afraid," he warned her.

_No I'm not,_ Anakin blinked indignantly. _I'm not goofy!_ "Hi Padmé," he said, grinning. _Crap... Is that drool coming out of my mouth?_" I love you," he added, his words sounding a bit slurred. _See? I'm perfectly fine._

"I'm sorry," Obi-Wan sighed, as Padmé looked vaguely horrified. "Anakin, we're not acting right now," he chided him. Anakin frowned, somewhat confused. _Who says I was acting?_ "As I said, the effects will wear off in a few hours," Obi-Wan apologized to Padmé again. "Anakin, will you be all right for a moment?" he asked hopefully, his eyes filled with concern. "Padmé and I need to film one short scene together, and then we'll be on our way home," he assured him.

"All right," Anakin agreed. "I'll wait here," he told them. _Mmm... I do feel a little sleepy,_ he realized, closing his eyes. _Maybe I'll just take a nap... This is really relaxing, actually,_ he smiled dreamily. _I should get stunned more often._

* * *

><p><em>One week later...<em>

"Aaaahhhhhh!" Zam screamed, writhing in pain as the medical droids attached mechanical limbs to the stumps of her mangled, crispy body. _Actually this is one of the more painful scenes that I've done,_ she admitted. _But wow, that mask looks totally cool,_ she decided, as it came slowly down on top of her hideously scarred face. _Pooooooh... Khhhhhhhh..._

* * *

><p><em>Meanwhile, on Polis Massa...<em>

_Oh! Babies!_ Padmé smiled ecstatically, cuddling Bail and Owen's newborn infants before they filmed Luke and Leia's birth scene. _I can't wait until Luke and Leia are born for real,_ she thought happily. _I hope it's just like this; a couple little pushes and then they're out! Yay! Except without dying stupidly afterwards,_ she conceded.

_And definitely without those ridiculous droids... If that one says 'Oooobaaa' one more time I'm going to kick it in the face,_ Padmé sighed, deeply annoyed. _I'm so glad my mom is a midwife._

* * *

><p><em>A few minutes later...<em>

_What?_ Obi-Wan blinked, utterly confused. _Qui-Gon wants to be on SITH as a ghost? Force, this will be interesting..._

* * *

><p><em>The next day...<em>

_It's my first day on the job, and I get to be on JEDI!_ Queen Apailana realized excitedly, keeping her expression dutifully somber as she walked behind Padmé's casket. The people of Naboo had already gathered here in Theed for Apailana's coronation this morning, and they had been more than happy to stay to film Padmé's funeral procession.

_Everyone loves Padmé,_ Queen Apailana thought wistfully, seeing looks of profound sadness on the people's faces, just at the thought of losing their beloved Queen Amidala. _I hope that I can be a wise and compassionate ruler just like her._

* * *

><p><em>Elsewhere in the galaxy...<em>

_She's beautiful,_ Bail and Breha Organa sighed happily, admiring their daughter outside their palace on Alderaan.

_He's beautiful,_ Owen and Beru sighed happily, admiring their son outside some random igloo on Tatooine.

* * *

><p><em>A week later, on Geonosis...<em>

_I'm beautiful,_ Anakin sighed happily, wearing his new costume for the first time. _Pookie is a genius._

"Lord Vader," Sidious asked. "Can you hear me?"

"Yes, Master," Anakin replied. _Ohh, I love this costume!_ "Where is Padmé?" _My voice sounds so cool,_ Anakin thought, grinning ecstatically behind the mask. "Is she safe?" he asked, trying out his new creepy Sith accent. "Is she all right?"

"It seems in your anger, you killed her," Sidious explained hesitantly.

"I... I couldn't have... She was alive... I felt it!" _Oh, now I'm really pissed off,_ Anakin thought indignantly, using the Force to crush everything on the set. _Being a Sith Lord is awesome._

_Ahh! It's kind of hard to walk in high-heeled boots though,_ he frowned worriedly, nearly falling down as he broke free of his bonds. _Pookie, what were you thinking? Dude, I'm not this tall... It looks cool though. This is great, really._

_But... Padmé's dead... Obi-Wan left me to burn... I'm a hideous, crispy, half-robotic monster... And this is my last chance to impress the network executives with my acting skills..._ "Nooooooooooooooo!" Anakin yelled dramatically, clenching his fists in anger and despair._ Hahaha... That was pretty good, wasn't it?_

_Oh, I sure hope SITH gets approved,_ Anakin thought once again, grinning in delight as he tiptoed across the command deck to join Darth Sidious aboard his Star Destroyer. _This is going to be the best show ever._


	51. Luke and Leia's first appearance

**Chapter 51**

"Goodbye, Jon," Obi-Wan said, giving him one last hug. "I had a wonderful time today. I'll see you next week," he promised, as the boy grinned happily. "Goodbye, Kyra," Obi-Wan added, hugging the little girl. "It was wonderful seeing you too! Goodbye, Leila," he finished quietly, giving her a polite nod and a secret, adoring glance.

"Goodbye," Anakin said, smiling delightedly at the children as they took their leave. "They're so adorable," he said, as he and Obi-Wan headed back toward the Jedi Temple. It was Saturday, and Anakin had tagged along with Obi-Wan on his visit to the aquarium with Jon and Kyra. "That was really fun."

"Yes, it was," Obi-Wan agreed. It was so nice having Anakin home for the weekend; since _JEDI_ had ended, he had made a habit of visiting Coruscant whenever he could, for no particular reason at all.

"So, you have another date with Padmé tonight?" Anakin asked, clearly amused by the idea.

"Yes," Obi-Wan replied cheerfully. "We're going to the opera again," he told Anakin. Then a thought occurred to him. "Would you like to come?" he asked; he felt guilty leaving Anakin alone on a Saturday night.

"Um," Anakin shrugged uncomfortably. "I don't know; I don't want to get in the way."

Obi-Wan laughed. "Anakin, it's not like that," he said. "Contrary to what the _Galactic Enquirer_ reports, Padmé and I are simply friends," he assured him. "You don't actually believe any of that?"

Anakin grinned mischievously. "I don't know... I've seen how you flirt with her," he teased Obi-Wan.

"How _I_ flirt with her?" Obi-Wan laughed. "You're the one who told her you loved her, back on Kilaui... with drool hanging out of your mouth, as I recall," he retorted. "That wasn't very subtle, Anakin." _Force, it was funny though..._

"That wasn't my fault," Anakin frowned, defensive.

_Ah, Anakin, I'm only joking; don't take it so seriously._ "I know," Obi-Wan conceded. "Anyway, you're more than welcome to come," he insisted. "Though I'm not sure if you would enjoy it," he warned him; Anakin had never been a huge opera fan.

"What's it about?" Anakin asked, curious.

"Oh, the usual; secret lovers, evil tyrants, tragic misunderstandings... Everyone dies in the end," Obi-Wan explained cheerfully.

Anakin nodded thoughtfully; then he shrugged. "Okay, I'll come."

Obi-Wan smiled quietly. _He loves me,_ he realized, deeply touched. _He has no great love for the opera, but he will suffer through it just to spend time with me. __Just as I have agreed to be a part of this ridiculous SITH show if it gets approved, to spend more time with Anakin._

An hour later they arrived at Padmé's apartment to escort her to the opera. "Hello, Captain Typho," Obi-Wan said with a polite bow, as Padmé's secret lover greeted them at the door. _He must be very nervous with Padmé going out so close to her due date,_ Obi-Wan thought, as Padmé emerged from her bedroom looking alarmingly huge.

"Obi-Wan," Padmé exclaimed happily, greeting him. "And Anakin! What are you doing here?"

"Going to the opera," Anakin informed her importantly, clearly pleased with himself.

"You are? Oh, that's great!" Padmé said, her eyes sparkling ecstatically. "All right, I'm ready," she told them, turning to Captain Typho. "Captain, I'll be back after the opera; enjoy your poker night," she said, giving him an affectionate smile.

"Thank you, Milady," Typho replied formally, though his smile was equally warm. _They are going to make such wonderful parents,_ Obi-Wan thought, smiling to himself as they said goodbye to Captain Typho.

* * *

><p><em>Why did I never think of this before?<em> Anakin wondered, smiling blissfully as he sat next to Padmé at the opera. He had absolutely no idea what the libretto was about, but the music was relaxing, and the costumes were colorful and interesting. _These seats are really comfortable,_ Anakin sighed, leaning back and caressing Padmé's hand lovingly beneath the folds of her elaborate dress. _I love the opera._

* * *

><p><em>Well what do you know,<em> Obi-Wan thought to himself, amused by the look of rapt fascination on his brother's face as he watched the opera._ He's actually enjoying this._ Obi-Wan could feel his blissful contentment; Anakin was mesmerized by the performance, completely unaware of the fact that Padmé's ample maternity dress was spilling over onto his lap.

_Oh dear,_ Obi-Wan cringed worriedly. _I hope he doesn't panic and fling her away when he realizes it's touching him._

* * *

><p><em>Meanwhile, someplace dark...<em>

_I'm bored,_ Luke sighed unhappily.

_Stop whining,_ Leia sighed, equally bored.

_I wish Mom would sing to us,_ Luke sighed wistfully. _Maybe if we give her just a little kick?_ he suggested.

_Fine,_ Leia agreed, slightly annoyed. _If it will shut you up._

_Yay,_ Luke grinned, kicking happily.

* * *

><p>Obi-Wan gave Padmé a concerned glance, sensing her discomfort. <em>Oh dear, the babies are kicking again,<em> he realized, as Padmé put her hand over her belly in an attempt to calm them. Anakin had sensed it too, and was looking at her worriedly; but Padmé gave them a reassuring smile, and they returned their attention to the opera once again.

* * *

><p><em>Come on, Mom,<em> Luke pleaded, kicking again. _Just one song! Please?_

But it didn't work. It was a mystery to both of them; sometimes their mother would sing to them right away, but other times she refused, no matter how hard they kicked. _She's not going to sing to us right now,_ Leia told him. _Just go to sleep._

_I can't,_ Luke protested. _I'm not tired. Come on, Leia... Maybe if we both kick really hard?_ he asked hopefully.

Leia rolled her eyes. _It won't work,_ she told him. _We've tried that before._

_Well that's no reason to give up,_ Luke pointed out optimistically. _All right, you just sit tight; I'll take care of this,_ he assured her.

* * *

><p><em>Ohh... Please stop,<em> Padmé winced, gasping slightly and holding a hand over her belly as the kicking continued, harder than before. Anakin squeezed her hand reassuringly, and Padmé managed another brave smile as Obi-Wan glanced at her in concern. _Maybe coming here tonight was a bad idea,_ she admitted, feeling intensely uncomfortable.

* * *

><p><em>Ow!<em> Leia cried, as pain seared through her shin. _Will you stop that? She's not going to sing to us, all right?_

_Sorry,_ Luke apologized. _I didn't mean to kick you, Leia... It's just so crowded in here,_ he lamented, frustrated.

_I know,_ Leia agreed ruefully. Neither of them wanted to admit to it, but their little cave was becoming more and more cramped every day, and as much as they loved each other, they were starting to get on each other's nerves.

_I'm going to look for a way out,_ Luke announced bravely. They had tried several times before, to no avail, but it was only a matter of time before there was no room left at all in their cave... _And then what?_ they both wondered, deeply worried.

_All right,_ Leia agreed, grateful for her brother's resourcefulness and take-charge attitude. Luke started to wriggle downward awkwardly, but Leia stopped him, giving him a quick kiss. _For luck,_ she told him shyly.

Luke grinned ecstatically, then continued downward, exploring the lower regions of the cave.

* * *

><p>Padmé gasped, clutching her belly as she felt something moving. <em>Ohhhhh,<em> she cried, tears in her eyes as Anakin and Obi-Wan looked at her anxiously. "I have to go," she whispered in desperation, grateful for their assistance as they quietly helped her out of the theater and into the hallway of the opera house, where she rested on a bench.

"I think the babies are coming," she told them, smiling tearfully as she continued to clutch her belly, her breath coming in short little gasps. "I think one of them just turned."

"We need to get you to the hospital," Obi-Wan said gently, taking charge of the situation. "I'll call for an ambulance."

"No!" Padmé gasped. "Please, no," she protested. "I want to go home... to Naboo," she cried desperately.

* * *

><p><em>Oh dear,<em> Obi-Wan thought worriedly. He knew that Padmé wanted to have her babies at home, and that her mother was a midwife; but Naboo was several hours away, and the babies might come before then. "Are you sure, Padmé?"

"Yes," she gasped, nodding vigorously. "Please... Take me home," she begged them.

Obi-Wan sighed, nodding as he continued to stroke her back gently; he knew it meant a lot to Padmé, but he was very concerned for her. "Have you had any contractions?"

"No," she assured him. "I think - something moved, that's all," she insisted, steadying her breathing. "I'm all right. I just want to go home," she cried desperately.

"All right," Obi-Wan decided quickly, as he and Anakin helped Padmé to her feet. "We'll take a taxi back to your apartment, and then we'll take your ship," he told her. "Do you know where Captain Typho is?"

"No," Padmé gasped, as they helped her to walk out of the opera house.

"Does he have his transmitter on him?" Obi-Wan asked.

"No," Padmé said, shaking her head. "I told him to take the night off."

_Well, I guess that can't be helped,_ Obi-Wan sighed regretfully, saddened by the thought of leaving Typho behind. _We'll leave a note for him back at her apartment,_ he decided. _He should be there for the birth of his children; hopefully he will be able to catch up, and meet us at her parents' home on Naboo before the babies arrive._

_I'm glad Anakin is here,_ Obi-Wan admitted, smiling gratefully at his brother as they helped Padmé into the taxi and headed back to her apartment. _He may have a silly fear of pregnant creatures, but he has never let me down in an emergency._

* * *

><p><em>Crap,<em> Anakin thought anxiously, as they arrived at Padmé's apartment. _How are we going to get rid of Obi-Wan?_ Thankfully, Padmé seemed to be doing a little better now; Anakin continued to squeeze her hand reassuringly as he quickly tried to think of a way out of this awkward situation.

"I'll take her back to Naboo," he volunteered. "I have to head back to Hutt Territory tomorrow night anyway," he explained. "It's on my way."

But Obi-Wan just laughed. "No, no, I'm coming too," he assured them. "I've got nothing better to do this weekend," he insisted. "I've left a note for Captain Typho," he told Padmé. "Hopefully he will find it and catch up with us on Naboo. How are you feeling?" he asked Padmé once again, taking charge of the situation in true Obi-Wan fashion.

"I'm all right." Padmé smiled bravely, sharing an anxious glance with Anakin.

_I have a bad feeling about this,_ Anakin sighed, climbing aboard Padmé's ship and heading for the cockpit while Obi-Wan escorted Padmé aboard and helped to make her comfortable for the journey.

* * *

><p><em>Luke, are you all right?<em> Leia asked worriedly.

_Yeah,_ Luke grunted from beneath her. _I think I'm stuck though,_ he admitted, hanging upside-down. _Um... Can you get your foot off my face?_ he asked her hopefully.

_Oh! Sorry,_ Leia apologized, pulling her legs up and wedging them awkwardly against the side of the cave. _Is that better?_

_Yeah, thanks,_ Luke sighed in relief. _Hang on, I'm coming back up there,_ he told her, wriggling around.

* * *

><p>"Ahhhhhhhh!" Padmé gasped suddenly, clutching her stomach again.<p>

"Shhh," Obi-Wan said, putting a comforting hand on her belly and stroking her hair gently. "Hold on, Padmé. Just another hour or so and we'll be there. You're doing very well," he told her, with a reassuring smile.

"You're doing great, Padmé," Anakin added shyly, holding her hand. Obi-Wan could sense his intense nervousness and discomfort right now, but thankfully Anakin had managed to set aside his fear of pregnant creatures, and was being extremely helpful and encouraging to Padmé as they made the trip through hyperspace to Naboo. "We're almost there," he assured her.

But Padmé continued to gasp in pain...

* * *

><p><em>I can't get up there,<em> Luke grunted, straining to turn around in the cramped cave. _Maybe if I pull on this rope..._

_Owwwwwwww!_ Leia cried, gasping in pain. _Luke, no! That's my belly button!_

_Sorry!_ Luke apologized, letting go of the rope. _I'm sorry, Leia! I forgot..._

_You stupid..._ Leia cried, kicking her brother angrily as tears of pain stung her eyes. _Don't do that again!_

_Okay, I won't,_ Luke promised. _I'm sorry, I keep forgetting,_ he apologized again, truly remorseful.

_It's all right,_ Leia sniffed, clutching her aching tummy. _Oh, I hate this stupid cave,_ she wept, kicking it angrily.

* * *

><p>"Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!" Padmé screamed, writhing in pain. "Aaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"<p>

"She's having a contraction," Obi-Wan told Anakin. "Padmé, hold on," he said gently, trying to calm her. "You're doing well. We're almost there. It's all right," he reassured her. "It's all right..."

But Padmé screamed again. "Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh!" she cried. "Ani!" she gasped pathetically.

"It's okay," Anakin said, his blue eyes filled with concern as he smiled at Padmé, stroking her hair. "It's okay," he repeated, as if willing her to be all right.

Padmé nodded bravely, looking into Anakin's eyes, and Obi-Wan looked at Anakin in surprise. _He's doing an excellent job of calming her,_ he realized, blinking in amazement. _This is a side of Anakin I haven't seen before._

But it wasn't long before another contraction came, and Padmé screamed once again. "Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"

* * *

><p><em>Luke! What was that?<em> Leia asked, frightened and alarmed.

_I think it was an earthquake,_ Luke replied anxiously. A moment ago the entire cave had begun to shake violently, but it seemed to have stopped for the moment. _Come on! We'd better get out of here,_ he told Leia worriedly. _Can you turn around?_

_I'll try,_ Leia agreed, her heart pounding with fear. But just then they were hit by another earthquake, and Leia felt the cave wall crash against her head. _Luke!_ she screamed. _The cave is collapsing!_

_This is no cave,_ Luke replied, suddenly alarmed. _Leia!_ he yelled urgently. _Get down here! Now!_

_All right,_ Leia agreed, straining to turn around in the cramped cave. _Oh, I have a bad feeling about this..._

* * *

><p>"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" Padmé screamed. "Ani! Ani! Aniiiiiiiiiiiiii!"<p>

"Shhh!" Anakin said desperately, trying to calm her. "It's all right; shhh..." But as Padmé continued to scream his name, he shook his head, tears springing to his eyes. "You're doing good, Padmé," he told her, stroking her hair and looking into her eyes with a tender smile. "It's all right; shhh, you're doing great. It's all right."

_What in the blazes?_ Obi-Wan wondered again, watching as Anakin continued to comfort Padmé, kneeling beside her and holding her hand, stroking her hair, looking into her eyes so tenderly, his voice so soft and gentle, his blue eyes filled with tears...

_No,_ he gasped, as it finally hit him. _No..._ But Anakin glanced up at him, sensing his shock, and his younger brother's look of remorse left no doubt. _Force, it's true,_ Obi-Wan realized, stunned. _It can't be..._ Suddenly he found himself reeling backwards, stumbling toward the cockpit as he gasped for air. _Anakin... No..._

_How could I have not felt this?_ Obi-Wan asked himself in shocked disbelief, slumping weakly into the pilot's seat. _How could they have hidden this from me? I was so certain it was Typho..._ Obi-Wan sighed, realizing his downfall. _I was so certain that I had found the answer, I stopped asking the question,_ he admitted. _It was Anakin all along._

Obi-Wan laughed softly despite himself, slumped forward with his head in his hands. _Now I know how Qui-Gon felt,_ he realized, seeing the irony of it all. _He never knew about Leila either._ Then he sat up, smiling regretfully. _Ah, Anakin. Welcome to the family,_ he sighed, deeply amused. _Qui-Gon is going to die of laughter when he hears about this._

_I still feel quite foolish for not having seen it,_ Obi-Wan sighed; but they were coming out of lightspeed now, and so he set aside his own questions for the moment in order to focus on the matter at hand.

_First, make sure Padmé and the babies make it safely through the delivery,_ he resolved. _Then, strangle Anakin._


	52. Obi-Wan finally discovers the truth

**Chapter 52**

"Ani," Padmé whispered, after Obi-Wan had staggered from the room in shock. "Ani, I'm sorry."

Anakin smiled lovingly, kissing her on the forehead. "It's all right, Padmé," he reassured her. "Don't worry, it's all right." Deep down he was devastated by the realization that Obi-Wan knew the truth; but he was forcing himself to stay strong for Padmé. "It's going to be all right," he told her again, smiling tearfully as he gazed into her eyes, stroking her hair.

But presently Obi-Wan reappeared in the doorway, his expression regretful. "We're coming up on Naboo," he told them. "Anakin, do you know how to get to the Naberries' home?" he asked quietly.

Anakin nodded, giving Padmé one last tender, reassuring smile before going to the cockpit. He desperately avoided Obi-Wan's gaze as he walked past him; but then he was surprised to feel his Master's hand on his shoulder, and he sensed Obi-Wan's familiar, comforting presence. Tears sprang to his eyes, and Anakin glanced at him furtively, his own expression still full of remorse; but Obi-Wan was smiling regretfully, and there was a look of compassion in his eyes, along with a spark of amusement.

Anakin blinked, startled and confused by Obi-Wan's reaction. He had expected anger, condemnation, and utter devastation; not this gentle look of compassion and reassurance. It made Anakin feel even more guilty than before, and he turned quickly away, weeping in shame as he took over the controls, guiding the ship toward Padmé's parents' home.

_Of course he's not angry,_ Anakin cried sadly. _He is a true Jedi. He is compassionate, and caring, and loving, even though I have shamed and disappointed him. He spent his whole life training me, and he's not even angry that I threw it all away... Because anger is not the Jedi way,_ Anakin realized, tears stinging his eyes. _Obi-Wan, I'm so sorry..._

But the Naberrie home was just ahead, and Anakin wiped away his tears as he touched down on the nearby landing platform and lowered the ramp of the ship. Obi-Wan had already gathered Padmé in his arms when Anakin joined them, and Jobal and Ruwee were rushing out of the house to meet them.

"Padmé," Jobal exclaimed, putting a hand on her daughter's forehead. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm all right," Padmé assured her, as Obi-Wan carried her inside the house and up the stairs, laying her gently on the bed her mother had prepared for her.

_Well I guess the secret is out now,_ Anakin confessed, taking Padmé's hand once again and doing what he could to comfort her as the next contraction hit. But he felt very strange showing affection to Padmé with Obi-Wan there. _What must he think of me,_ Anakin sighed, giving Obi-Wan another look of deep apology.

But once again, his remorseful glance was met by a gentle, reassuring smile, and Anakin was confused by the faint humorous twinkle in Obi-Wan's eyes. _He thinks this is funny?_ Anakin wondered, blinking at Obi-Wan, who smiled in quiet amusement at Anakin's bewildered expression. _Master, I've broken the Jedi Code; I'm about to be expelled from the Order, and you're laughing?_

But Anakin was touched by Obi-Wan's gentle compassion, and tears sprang to his eyes again. _I might be expelled from the Jedi Order, but Obi-Wan will still be my friend,_ he realized, weeping in gratitude and relief. _Even though I've done nothing to deserve his friendship..._ Anakin choked back tears as he continued to stroke Padmé's arm gently, comforting her.

Then it hit him. _I'm no longer a Jedi,_ he realized. _No more hiding, no more secrecy... Padmé and I can be together, and raise our children, and be a real family..._ Anakin felt excited and terrified at the same time. "It's going to be all right, Padmé," he said again, smiling at her tearfully and kissing her on the temple. "I love you," he whispered.

* * *

><p>Padmé smiled lovingly at her husband, grateful for his presence and excited that the time had finally come. <em>We're going to be parents,<em> she realized, tears of happiness springing to her eyes. Both of the babies had turned now, and the contractions were getting closer; her mother said that they would be coming very soon.

She felt Obi-Wan's comforting hand on her shoulder, and smiled at him gratefully. _Thank you, Obi-Wan._ Padmé had been horrified when he had guessed the truth earlier; but after he had sent Anakin up to the cockpit of her ship, Obi-Wan had assured her quietly that there was no need for alarm. _We will talk about this later; but I will not report him to the Council,_ he had promised.

But now Padmé gasped as another contraction hit, and she cried out in pain. "Padmé, push!" her mother told her. "I can see the first one! It's coming now! Push!" Padmé gripped Anakin's hand, groaning in agony as she pushed with all her might.

* * *

><p><em>Ahhhhhh!<em> Leia screamed, as the cave continued to collapse on her. _Luke! Luke, are you all right?_

_Yeah, I'm okay,_ Luke groaned; he was wedged into a tunnel at the bottom of the cave, desperately looking for a way out. _I'm stuck though,_he admitted. Then another earthquake hit, and Leia screamed again.

_Luke!_ she cried, after the shaking stopped. _Luke, where are you?_ Leia panicked, reaching out for her brother; but he was gone, and now she was alone in the cave. _Luke,_ she wept, frightened and grief-stricken. _What's happening?_

Then she heard it: a horrible wailing sound, coming from outside of the cave. _Luke!_ Leia realized anxiously. _He's in trouble! Hang on Luke, I'm coming!_ she cried, gathering her courage and diving head-first into the tunnel where he had disappeared. A moment later there was another earthquake, and Leia scrambled quickly through the tunnel, not looking back.

_What the...?_ "Aaaaaaaahhhhhhhh!" Leia screamed, squeezing her eyes shut against the bright light and trying to convince herself that the monsters surrounding her weren't real. "Aaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhh!"

"Aaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhh!" Luke yelled, equally disturbed by this new turn of events.

_Where are we?_ Leia wondered, blinking in bewilderment at the black-cloaked monster who held her now.

* * *

><p>"Oh," Anakin whispered, tears in his eyes as he held his daughter. "She's beautiful!" Padmé was already holding Luke, and they smiled at each other tearfully. "You did it, Padmé," Anakin said, kissing her tenderly on the forehead. "You were great!"<p>

"It wasn't so bad," Padmé insisted, smiling blissfully at her children. "Oh, they're perfect," she cried happily.

There was a joyful moment as Anakin proudly introduced his daughter to her new family. "This is your grandmother, and your grandfather," he told Leia, as Jobal and Ruwee held her little hand; then Anakin saw Obi-Wan looking on, his eyes shining with happy tears. "And this is Obi-Wan," Anakin said, with a rueful smile.

"They're beautiful," Obi-Wan confessed, smiling. "Congratulations, Padmé."

"Thank you, Obi-Wan," Padmé said, looking up from her bed as she held Luke in her arms.

Anakin smiled in wonder as Jobal helped him to give Leia her first bath; then he wrapped her in a towel, handing her to Padmé and doing the same for Luke. "Aren't they amazing?" he said, awestruck by the realization that these two little babies were his blood relatives. _I have a family now. A real family..._ Anakin smiled at Padmé with tears in his eyes, kissing her again.

Then he remembered Obi-Wan, and blinked nervously. _Ah, I keep forgetting! I shouldn't be kissing Padmé like that in front of him; it's like a slap in the face._ But Obi-Wan was gone, and Anakin sighed. "I need to talk to Obi-Wan," Anakin told Padmé quietly, handing Luke to his grandfather. "Are you all right?" he asked, stroking her hair once more.

Padmé nodded, giving him an encouraging, regretful smile, and Anakin nodded quietly, feeling a sinking sensation in his stomach and a deep sense of dread as he went off to look for Obi-Wan.

He found him downstairs in the living room, sitting on the couch with his head bowed, deep in thought. "Anakin," Obi-Wan said quietly, managing a regretful smile as he saw him.

"Master," Anakin replied, bowing his head apologetically. "Obi-Wan... I'm sorry," he began, tears springing to his eyes as he felt his stomach churning. "I've - I've dishonored you," he admitted. "Obi-Wan, I'm sorry."

But Obi-Wan simply gave him another one of his quietly amused smiles. "Anakin, sit down," he said, nodding to the spot beside him on the couch, as Anakin sat obediently, preparing for his lecture. _Whatever he has to say, I deserve it,_ Anakin sighed. "How long has this been going on?" Obi-Wan asked quietly.

Anakin hung his head. _How do I answer that?_ "Since I was nine," he told Obi-Wan. "I've loved her since the day I met her, Master," he admitted. "We've been married nearly three years," he said, looking down.

"You're married?" Obi-Wan asked, surprised.

"Yes, Master," Anakin confessed.

"Anakin, will you stop calling me that," Obi-Wan sighed. "I'm not your Master any more."

Anakin felt a lump in his throat as tears stung his eyes. _That's right,_ he realized miserably. _I've been expelled. I don't even have the right to call him that any more._ "I'm sorry," he whispered pathetically, gulping back tears.

But then he felt Obi-Wan's hand on his shoulder again, and he squeezed his eyes shut in shame. _Stop being so nice to me, Obi-Wan. I don't deserve it._ "I'm sorry," he said again, managing to sound a little less pathetic.

"All right," Obi-Wan agreed, patting him on the shoulder. "Apology accepted."

_What?_ Anakin looked at him, startled, as Obi-Wan smiled back cheerfully. "You called me 'Master' twice, and apologized for it twice, with a great deal of sincerity; tears and everything," Obi-Wan said, his eyes twinkling with amusement. "Apology accepted."

"Now, as for the other thing," Obi-Wan sighed. "How did you get married?" he asked, puzzled.

_How?_ Anakin blinked, surprised by the question. "On Tatooine, Mast-... Obi-Wan," he replied, correcting himself. _I hate that I can't call him Master; it makes me feel like even more of an asshole._ "At a little wedding chapel," he explained, confused.

"Ah," Obi-Wan nodded thoughtfully. "And did they know that you were a Jedi?" he wondered, curious.

"Yes," Anakin replied cautiously. _This is not the interrogation I was expecting..._

"Hmm," Obi-Wan mused, lost in thought. Then he sighed. "So who else knows about this?"

"Padmé's parents," Anakin told him. "And her sister; and her husband, and their two kids... Uncle Dooku; the priest who married us... Captain Typho... I think that's it," he said uncertainly. "And you," Anakin added ruefully.

Obi-Wan laughed quietly. "Well, I'm glad to have made it on the list," he told him. "Congratulations, by the way," he added, with gentle sincerity. "They're beautiful children, Anakin," he confessed. "And as for Padmé - " Obi-Wan shook his head. "I'm still trying to comprehend that one," he admitted. "But congratulations, Anakin; she's a wonderful girl," Obi-Wan told him, with a regretful smile.

Then he cringed suddenly. "Oh, Force, I've been dating her," he remembered, mortified. "Anakin, I'm - " he blinked, shaking his head. "Hold on... No, I'm not apologizing to you for that," he decided, with a reproachful look at Anakin.

Anakin stared at him, blinking in utter confusion. _Has he completely lost his mind?_ "It's all right," he said uncertainly.

Obi-Wan smiled in amusement. "Anakin," he continued quietly. "Did I ever once give you the impression that what you're doing is in any way acceptable?" he asked, suddenly deeply serious.

Anakin looked at the floor. "No," he admitted. _This is where the lecture begins._

Obi-Wan nodded. "Good," he said, sighing. Then he shook his head. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to - I should let you get back to Padmé, and the babies," he apologized. "But when you have a moment... There is something I would very much like to talk to you about," he admitted, giving Anakin a hopeful look.

"Of course," Anakin replied, still deeply confused. "Master," he said hesitantly. _I'm calling you Master whether you like it or not. I don't deserve to call you Obi-Wan._ "What will happen to me?"

Obi-Wan sighed. "If the Council finds out, you could be expelled," he told him regretfully.

Anakin looked at him, startled. _If...?_ "You're not going to tell them?" he asked, suddenly horrified by the thought of Obi-Wan covering for him, or becoming an accomplice in his transgressions. _Obi-Wan, no..._

But Obi-Wan just smiled. "No, I'm not going to tell them," he assured Anakin. "Actually, that was what I was hoping to talk to you about," he admitted. "Anakin... You're not the first one to have done this," Obi-Wan said quietly.

"I'm... I'm not?" Anakin blinked, surprised and stunned by what Obi-Wan was saying. "There have been others?" _Obi-Wan is on the Council; he would know,_ Anakin realized suddenly. _That's why he wanted the details of how I got married..._

"Yes," Obi-Wan confessed. "Two, that I know of," he told Anakin. "Force, there might be more though," he laughed ruefully. "It wouldn't surprise me if the whole blasted Order is married," he sighed, shaking his head.

Anakin grinned despite himself. "And the others... Were they expelled?"

"No," Obi-Wan replied. "Although the Council only knows about one of them," he told him. "Actually, only Master Yoda and Windu know," he conceded. "But no, they didn't expel him."

_Wow,_ Anakin blinked, sobered by what Obi-Wan was implying. _Obi-Wan isn't just on the Council; he must be one of the highest members, if he knows about that stuff. And he seems to know even more than Yoda and Windu, _he realized, trying to make sense of it.

"Master," Anakin said hesitantly. "I don't expect you to cover for me. It's not right," he protested. "You're on the Council; it's your duty to report me," he said. _I won't drag you down to my level, Obi-Wan._

Obi-Wan laughed softly. "Yes, I suppose it is," he agreed. "But I'm not going to report you, Anakin. If you want the Council to know about this, you'll have to tell them yourself. And I would recommend against that," he added quietly.

Anakin nodded. "Master, I will do whatever you say," he told him. "I respect your wisdom, and your judgment, and - " Anakin broke off, startled by Obi-Wan's sudden outburst of laughter. "What is it?" he asked, confused.

Obi-Wan shook his head, sighing. "Anakin, before you go on praising my wisdom and judgment, there is something I must tell you," he said, with a regretful smile. "But you must promise to keep it a secret," he added, suddenly very serious.

"I - yes, of course," Anakin assured him, blinking in confusion. _He trusts ME with his secrets, after what I've done?_

"Good." Obi-Wan smiled appreciatively. "Anakin, there is something that I've wanted to tell you, for quite some time now," he said. "And the only reason I haven't is that I didn't want to burden you," he added. "But after _this_ business," he said, with an amused glance towards Padmé's bedroom, "I believe you owe me."

Anakin nodded seriously, as Obi-Wan continued. "Anakin... oh dear," he sighed. "I had a dream that I told you about this a few weeks ago; you didn't take it well," he admitted. "But now..." Obi-Wan looked down at the floor. "I'm so afraid to tell you," he admitted, whispering.

Anakin blinked. "It's all right, Master. You don't have to; I understand," he assured him. _What is he afraid to tell me? It must be something really awful... The galaxy is about to collapse, or something... Oh, crap!_

"No," Obi-Wan protested. "I want to tell you - I just... I've kept it a secret for so long; this is very difficult for me," he apologized, with a regretful smile. "Anakin, Cory is my son," he told him quietly.

Anakin blinked, stunned. _What?_ "No," he stammered, momentarily shocked; then he grinned suddenly. "Ha!" he laughed, deeply relieved to learn that the galaxy was not about to collapse. "That's - that's great," he said, blinking in disbelief. "Cory?" he asked. "Master, you - ?" Suddenly Anakin's brows furrowed as the implications hit him. "Oh, yuck!" he blurted out, trying to erase the image from his mind as he stared at Obi-Wan in shock.

"Thank you, Anakin," Obi-Wan sighed, shaking his head and laughing ruefully, embarrassed.

"No," Anakin protested quickly. "Master, I'm sorry; no, it's - it's... I'm just surprised, that's all," he apologized; then he grinned, delighted. "Cory? Are you serious? Master, that's... Wow," he sighed, still in shock.

Obi-Wan smiled, amused by his reaction. "Yes," he sighed. "Anakin, the Council doesn't know, and I only just recently told Master Qui-Gon," he said quietly. "But... you're not the only one, Anakin," he told him, with a wistful smile.

Anakin felt tears spring to his eyes as he realized the truth. _Obi-Wan has a kid. He knows what it's like. That's why he kept smiling at me earlier, like he thought it was funny._ "How... How did this happen?" he asked. "I mean - I know _how_," he said, amused. "But - when...?" Anakin blinked, trying to do the math. "And - who?" he wondered. "Master, you're married?"

"No," Obi-Wan said regretfully, looking down. "No, I'm not married." _Aww,_ Anakin realized. _They're not together any more._ "And as for when," he continued, answering Anakin's question. "It happened when I was a padawan."

Anakin nodded, not wanting to push Obi-Wan. _It sounds like it didn't work out._ "Cory is a great kid," he told him sincerely. "He _does_ look like you, Master," Anakin added, delighted.

Obi-Wan laughed ruefully. "Force, I don't know how people don't see it," he sighed. "Qui-Gon didn't even see it. He felt it though," he told Anakin. "Come to think of it..." Obi-Wan squinted at Anakin suddenly; then he broke into an amused smile. "Ha! Good old Qui-Gon," Obi-Wan laughed, obviously proud of his old Master.

"What?" Anakin asked, puzzled.

"He sensed Padmé, too," Obi-Wan explained. "Or actually, the children," he corrected himself.

"He did?" Anakin asked, blinking. "He knows about Padmé and me?" _He sensed it? Holy crap, Qui-Gon is good..._

"No, he doesn't know," Obi-Wan said, smiling wistfully. "But he will be very glad to learn," he told Anakin. "Don't worry, he won't tell anyone either," Obi-Wan assured him quickly.

Anakin grinned. "No, I wasn't worried," he told Obi-Wan. "_You,_ I was worried about," he conceded. "But Master Qui-Gon..." Anakin shook his head, laughing. _Qui-Gon has never played by the rules._

"Yes, well that's the other thing I wanted to talk to you about," Obi-Wan admitted. "As I said, you are not the first Jedi to have been married, and had children," he continued. "Master Qui-Gon is way ahead of you, Anakin."

Anakin stared at him, stunned. "No... Master Qui-Gon?" He grinned. _This just keeps getting better._ Then Anakin blinked in confusion. "Are there any Jedi who _aren't_ married?"

Obi-Wan laughed, amused. "I was beginning to wonder the same thing myself," he agreed. "As far as I know, Yoda is not married, being the only one of his species in the entire galaxy," he mused. "And Cory had better not be married, if he knows what's good for him," Obi-Wan added indignantly. "But aside from that... No, I can't be certain of anything any more," he sighed.

"But to the best of my knowledge, it's only the three of us," he told Anakin. "Which is completely ironic when you think about it," he confessed. "Force, what is wrong with us?" he sighed. "This is all Qui-Gon's fault."

Anakin grinned, delighted by this news. "So Master Qui-Gon was married?" he asked, curious. "And he had kids? Oh!" Anakin remembered. "He told me about that! Well, he said that he was in love once... But that she died," he told Obi-Wan.

"He did?" Obi-Wan asked, startled. "When did he tell you that?"

"A few years ago," Anakin admitted, shrugging. "I went to him for confessional."

Obi-Wan laughed. "Oh dear... Master Qui-Gon should be banned from the Confessional chamber," he sighed; Obi-Wan had always been disdainful of his Master's loose interpretation of the Jedi Code. "Yes," he confirmed. "Master Qui-Gon was married, a very long time ago, and he had two children."

"Really?" Anakin asked, curious. _Just like me!_ "So... did his wife raise them?" he asked. _Because I could really use some advice about that right now,_ he sighed.

"No," Obi-Wan replied hesitantly. "They were raised at the Temple."

Anakin nodded; he and Padmé had discussed this as well, and they were planning for Luke to be raised as a Jedi. But as for Qui-Gon's kids... "Are they anyone we know?" he asked, curious.

Obi-Wan laughed. "Yes," he said, his eyes twinkling with amusement. "Yes, we know them quite well."

"Really?" Anakin asked, surprised. _Not Cory; he's Obi-Wan's kid,_ Anakin mused, trying to figure it out. _Not Windu, or Yoda, or Ki-Adi... Who else do we hang out with?_ he asked himself, frowning. _Actually, who else does Qui-Gon hang out with?_ Then his heart pounded as it hit him. _Qui-Gon wanted to take me as his padawan,_ he remembered. _No..._ But tears sprang to Anakin's eyes as he realized the truth. _I'm tall like him... Well, almost,_ he realized, teary-eyed. "He's... He's my..." Anakin broke off, crying.

"Yes," Obi-Wan said gently, patting his shoulder. "He is your father, Anakin."

Anakin wept, smiling tearfully. _Qui-Gon is my father! No wonder I'm so screwed up. Ohh, he will want to know about his grandkids,_ Anakin realized, his heart leaping with joy. Then he thought of Obi-Wan. _Gah, poor Obi-Wan, caught in the middle of this mess. Qui-Gon begged him to take me as his padawan,_ Anakin remembered, suddenly feeling guilty.

"Obi-Wan..." _Damn. Between the two of us, Qui-Gon and I have really screwed him over,_ Anakin realized suddenly. _And that explains how Cory came about. Qui-Gon must have been a terrible influence on him_. "Obi-Wan, I'm sorry," he apologized. _You could have been so much better if we hadn't dragged you down._

"For what? For Qui-Gon being your father?" he asked. "That's hardly your fault, Anakin."

Anakin grinned, grateful for Obi-Wan's reassurance. _Yeah, it's not my fault I'm this way,_ he realized suddenly. _This is Qui-Gon's fault! Ah, but I love him; I wouldn't want anyone else in the whole galaxy to be my father_. "Wait a minute," he said, remembering something. "Qui-Gon has another kid... someone in the Order?"

Obi-Wan looked at the floor for a moment. "Yes," he nodded, smiling quietly. "You have a brother, Anakin."

_A brother...?_ Anakin smiled in wonder, trying to figure out who it might be. _Someone I know... Someone else who is special to Qui-Gon,_ he reminded himself. _Someone freakishly tall..._ "Is he older or younger?" Anakin asked, unable to guess.

Obi-Wan smiled, deeply amused. "Older," he told him, obviously entertained by this game.

_Older..._ Anakin tried to think of anyone who looked even remotely like Master Qui-Gon, but still nothing came to him. _Who else is special to Qui-Gon?_ he asked himself again. _Cory... Obi-Wan..._ Anakin blinked suddenly. _No..._

Anakin stared at Obi-Wan in disbelief. But Obi-Wan was still smiling at him gently, with the familiar look of tender compassion and undying affection that he had always shown him. Anakin felt his own eyes well over with tears, and then Obi-Wan's arms were around him, and he felt his Master's gentle, loving reassurance as he patted his shoulder, comforting him.

"Master?" Anakin asked, incredulous. "You - you don't look anything like him," he protested, staring at Obi-Wan and smiling ecstatically despite his tears. _But if I could pick anyone in the galaxy to be my brother, it would be you._

"No," Obi-Wan admitted ruefully. "Apparently our mother was a plushy toy," he sighed.

"Ha!" Anakin laughed; then he remembered. "She died... a long time ago?" he asked Obi-Wan.

"Yes," he told Anakin. "She died in childbirth," he explained regretfully.

"Oh," Anakin nodded; then he blinked worriedly. "Oh..." _Crap! I - I killed her..._

"No, no, Anakin; that wasn't your fault," Obi-Wan assured him, putting a comforting hand on his shoulder. "You were named after her, though," he added, with a tender smile. "Her name was Ana Kenobi," he told him. "Master Qui-Gon can tell you more about her; but she had green eyes, and red-gold hair... more like Cory's than mine," he said wistfully.

Anakin nodded, taking it all in. "Cory," he mused, trying to figure it out. "He doesn't know?"

"No," Obi-Wan said quickly. "Force, no. Anakin, you're not supposed to know either; this information is only afforded to Masters, and I shouldn't have told you any of this," he told him seriously. "And I wouldn't have, if you hadn't - " he glanced upstairs once again, with a rueful smile. "But I'm glad," he admitted. "Anakin, I've been miserable not telling you."

Anakin nodded, smiling; then tears stung his eyes. "So have I, Master," he said. "About Padmé, I... I hated not telling you," he confessed, truly remorseful. "I wish I'd known about this before," he sighed. Then he grinned again, in utter disbelief. "This is great!" he realized. "Master, I thought - I thought..." Anakin broke off, shrugging cheerfully.

Obi-Wan laughed, amused. "Anakin, why do you keep calling me 'Master'? I thought for certain once you learned I was your brother you would stop with the formalities."

"Sorry," Anakin apologized, still smiling happily. "Obi-Wan," he added pointedly. "So what do we call Qui-Gon?" he asked, furrowing his brows. "Pops? Daddy-o?" he asked mischievously.

"Ha!" Obi-Wan laughed. "Not if you value your skin," he advised Anakin. "No, you're right," he admitted, sighing. "I still call him Master; it would seem wrong otherwise," he conceded.

Anakin nodded. "So what about Cory?" he asked hesitantly. "Who was his mother?"

Obi-Wan smiled quietly. "Leila."

"Leila... What?" Anakin blinked, surprised. "Jon and Kyra's mother?" Then another realization hit him. "Force, Obi-Wan, how many kids do you have? Jon and Kyra are yours too?"

"No, no," Obi-Wan laughed. "No, just Cory," he told Anakin. "Leila and I were together when I was a padawan, but I broke it off the day I was knighted," he explained regretfully. "She's been married twice since then."

"Ah," Anakin nodded. "But you two are still friends? Why are you being a mentor for her kids?"

Obi-Wan smiled wistfully. "Because it's the only way I can see them," he said. "They don't know about Leila and me," he added. "But they deserve to have a father, and it's the best I can do."

"Wait... So - you and Leila are still...?" Anakin asked, blinking.

"Yes," Obi-Wan laughed apologetically. "Since two years ago," he said. "After you left... It was terrible, Anakin; I was so lonely," he admitted, with a rueful smile. "But yes," he finished wistfully. "She took me back."

Anakin grinned. "I'm glad," he said shyly. "That's great, Obi-Wan. Really," he insisted. "Leila... She's a nice person; Padmé really likes her," he added, amused by the realization.

"Yes," Obi-Wan laughed. "We should all get together for a family barbecue."

"We should!" Anakin agreed. "That would be awesome! With Qui-Gon and - aww, Cory can't know," he remembered.

Obi-Wan smiled quietly. "No, it would never work," he agreed. "Jon and Kyra don't know either."

Anakin nodded, accepting it; then he squinted, puzzled. "Why can't they know? They're not Jedi," he pointed out.

"Yes, but they're only children; they can't be expected to keep secrets, Anakin," Obi-Wan explained.

"Well... Our nieces - Ryoo and Pooja - have known about Padmé and me for two years now," Anakin countered. "They're younger than Jon and Kyra; they understand that it's a secret," he assured Obi-Wan.

"Really?" Obi-Wan asked, blinking at the thought.

"Yes," Anakin said. "Obi-Wan, you should tell them; they would be happy to know."

Obi-Wan smiled wistfully. "Maybe I will," he said. Then he frowned worriedly as another thought came to him. "Anakin, what about Luke and Leia? I agree, at a certain age they can be trusted with secrets, but... What exactly is your plan here?"

Anakin sighed, hanging his head. "I don't know," he admitted. "Padmé and I have been talking about this for months," he told him. "Obi-Wan," he said hesitantly. "The Jedi Order is no place for girls," he conceded, "but we're thinking of - " he broke off, shaking his head. "Obi-Wan, we were planning to pass Luke off as stillborn, and send him to the Temple anonymously, when the time comes," he explained. "That's probably a really bad idea," he admitted, sighing.

He was grateful to feel Obi-Wan's reassuring hand on his shoulder. "No, it's not such a bad idea, Anakin," he said. "It's a very difficult decision. And I agree about Leia, unfortunately," he sighed. "But Luke..." Obi-Wan laughed suddenly. "Force, we're going to have another Jedi in the family... Maybe we can get Cory to train him."

"Ha!" Anakin laughed; it was great being able to talk about this, with someone who had been through it all before. "Actually," he admitted, "I was hoping to take him, as my padawan."

Obi-Wan smiled, nodding. "Yes, of course you should," he agreed.

Anakin smiled wistfully, grateful for Obi-Wan's approval. "We'll have to change his name though," he sighed. "Even if we pass him off as stillborn, people will be suspicious if a baby named Luke suddenly gets dropped off at the Temple," he pointed out; the entire galaxy had seen 'Luke' and 'Leia' born on _JEDI_ just a few weeks ago.

"Not necessarily," Obi-Wan countered thoughtfully. "Since that episode aired, the Temple has already received two infants named Luke," he told Anakin. "Actually, no one would take any notice."

"Really?" Anakin asked, blinking in surprise.

"Yes," Obi-Wan said, with an amused smile. "Where did the name come from, by the way?"

"Oh," Anakin said. "The priest who married us; his name is Luke."

"Ah." Obi-Wan smiled, nodding. Then he gave Anakin a curious look. "He can be trusted? I would imagine so, if you've named your child after him."

"Yes," Anakin told him. "Absolutely. He's married too," he added, with a mischievous grin. "Why do you ask?"

Obi-Wan looked down. "No reason," he said, feigning innocence. Then he smiled. "Come on," he said cheerfully, patting Anakin on the shoulder as he got up from the couch. "Let's go see how those children of yours are doing."

Anakin nodded, getting up and following him to the stairway; then he stopped. "Obi-Wan?" he asked hesitantly.

"Yes?" Obi-Wan asked, turning around.

Anakin smiled shyly, looking down. "Thank you."

Obi-Wan nodded. "You're welcome, Anakin," he said, his eyes twinkling with affection. "But I should really be thanking you," he said. "I've been wanting to talk to you about all of this for a very long time now." Anakin smiled gratefully, as Obi-Wan patted him on the shoulder.

"Now, run along," Obi-Wan told him, shooing him up the stairs. "Go and hold Padmé like you did by the lake on Naboo... Or whatever it is that you two do when you're alone together," he teased Anakin. "I'll be up in a moment."

"Where are you going?" Anakin asked, confused.

Obi-Wan smiled cheerfully, a mischievous twinkle in his eyes. "To tell Qui-Gon to come visit his grandchildren."


	53. And so does Qui-Gon, eventually

**Chapter 53**

"Tarok!" Cory yelled playfully, balancing atop a tiny hovering droid over the water as his Zabrak friend stood on the shore nearby, attempting to pelt him with chunks of volcanic ash. "Try it again!"

Tarok scanned the shoreline for another suitable missile, and grinned wickedly as he spotted the largest piece yet. He had joined Qui-Gon and Cory on their visit to Kilaui, wanting to experience the planet's famous red tide season before the plankton stopped mating, and turned off their little lights for another year.

It was a beautiful day on Kilaui; the water sparkled and glistened in the sunlight, its natural green-blue color intermixed with glowing patches of red, yellow, and orange as the plankton continued to mate. The volcanic landscape surrounding them was covered in soft blue-green moss near sea level, giving way to higher, craggy peaks that burned brightly against the clear blue sky. Kilaui was a beautiful planet, with fertile, tropical valleys nestled between the gentle volcanic mountain ranges.

Qui-Gon cringed now as he watched Tarok hurl a large piece of volcanic ash at his grandson. The bits of molten lava that occasionally spewed onto the shoreline tended to form solid chunks that looked like rocks as they cooled; but the volcanic ash was very soft, and crumbled under pressure. _Oh dear, that's going to hit him,_ Qui-Gon realized, the instant the rock left Tarok's hand. Sure enough, it hit Cory right in the chest, splattering all over his white tunic.

"Ahhhh!" Cory yelled, grinning in delight. "You got me! Okay, try it again!"

Qui-Gon shook his head, laughing quietly. "Boys will be boys," he remarked to the man sitting beside him on the rocky ledge, as Cory and Tarok continued their game. "Jedi, Zabrak, or otherwise."

"Yes," Ben Kenobi agreed, with a fond smile. "And you're right," he added. "He does look very much like Obi-Wan."

Qui-Gon smiled ruefully. "I can't believe I didn't see it right away," he admitted, still embarrassed by the fact that he'd been training his own grandson for two years without knowing it. "I felt it, of course, but..." he sighed. "I've always seen so much of Ana in him," he told Ben. "I forced myself to set aside my feelings; I thought I was going mad."

Ben nodded; he was Ana's younger brother, and the only person on Kilaui who knew the truth of his sister's secret love affair. "I wish she could have seen this," he confessed, gazing at his grand-nephew. "I can't believe I'm a great-uncle," he laughed. "I feel so old."

"So do I," Qui-Gon agreed; he was fifty-eight now, and Ben was nearly fifty-one. _Where has the time gone..._ "I remember when you were that age," he said, as he watched Cory dodge another missile.

"Do you?" Ben asked, surprised. "I never saw you, back then," he admitted. Ben had only been thirteen when his sister's first child had died tragically at five months old; it wasn't until many years later that he learned that Obi-Wan had survived.

"Well, you wouldn't have," Qui-Gon agreed, with a mischievous smile. "Ana and I were quite sneaky about it." Qui-Gon had only been a padawan himself when he and Ana had met; his Master had been conducting scientific research on the mating habits of Kilaui's famous plankton, and they had spent two months here during the red tide season when he was nineteen. Qui-Gon had often wandered off on his own, exploring the hillsides and visiting the nearby villages.

His Master had encouraged him to get to know the local villagers, and to learn what he could of their culture. Qui-Gon had taken his task a bit too seriously, and by the end of the two months he had gained a first-hand understanding of Kilaui's marriage ritual, as he and Ana had pledged their undying love for each other atop a high mossy cliff overlooking the ocean.

"Yes, you were," Ben agreed. "I suppose Obi-Wan takes after both of you, that way," he added. Ben had been amused to hear of Obi-Wan's relationship with Leila, continuing the proud Kenobi family tradition of engaging in scandalous love affairs. Between Ana's two mysterious pregnancies out of wedlock and Ben's previous marriage to a Geonosian supermodel, the Kenobis of Kilaui had never failed to provide fascinating gossip for the local villagers.

"Yes, I suppose he does," Qui-Gon agreed; then he sighed, hanging his head. "I'm worried about him, Ben," he admitted.

"You are?" Ben asked, suddenly concerned. "Why is that?"

Qui-Gon shook his head regretfully. "I fear there is more going on, than just his affair with Leila," he told Ben. "Since he told me about Cory, I have been starting to trust my instincts more, and I do not like what they are telling me," he confessed. "Ben," he told his brother-in-law reluctantly. "Obi-Wan has other women, and perhaps other children as well."

"What?" Ben asked, blinking in alarm. "No... What makes you think this?"

Qui-Gon sighed. "Padmé Amidala," he said. "I have sensed Ana's presence in her, since she has been pregnant," he told Ben. "Obi-Wan denies it, but I know my feelings are right about this," he insisted. "Obi-Wan is still lying to me - as he always has," Qui-Gon admitted, heartbroken. "He is the father of her twins."

"Are you sure?" Ben asked, deeply disturbed by this news.

"Yes," Qui-Gon sighed. "Though I hate to admit it. Since Padmé's pregnancy, Obi-Wan has been dating her publicly; they go to the opera and the ballet together... He has even conspired for Leila and Padmé to get together socially, and the two of them have become close friends. It's some kind of twisted compulsion, almost as if he _wants_ to get caught."

"Oh dear," Ben agreed worriedly. "Have you confronted him about it?"

"No," Qui-Gon said. "I suppose I ought to, for his own sake, but... it is not a conversation I want to have," he admitted. "I love him, Ben, and I don't want to hurt him," he said. "He will tell me about this when he is ready."

Ben nodded; then he smiled suddenly. "We're going to have royalty in the family," he realized, amazed by the thought. "Is that true?" he asked uncertainly. "Will Luke and Leia be considered a Prince and Princess of Naboo?"

Qui-Gon laughed despite himself. "I suppose so," he agreed. "Technically, yes. Although I doubt Padmé will allow them to put on airs; she's a very down-to-earth girl."

Ben smiled; then his brows furrowed as another thought occurred to him. "Qui-Gon," he said hesitantly. "Don't laugh, but... What if it's not Obi-Wan?" he asked. "What if it's Anakin?"

"Ha!" Qui-Gon laughed. "Yes, of course I had considered that," he said. "But have you actually _seen_ those two on _JEDI?_" Qui-Gon chuckled to himself. _"Oh, Padmé, you make the best tunafish sandwiches in the whole galaxy..._ There's no way that idiotic nonsense could possibly be real," he pointed out.

"You're right," Ben laughed. "Although I thought he did a really great job with these latest episodes," he said, impressed by his nephew's acting skills. "They both did," he added. "That fight scene was incredible."

"Yes, they did very well," Qui-Gon agreed. "They take after their uncle that way," he added. Ben was a professional actor, and incredibly gifted; he had done both stage work and films, and was quite famous in his own right.

Ben smiled, pleased by the compliment. "So, has there been any word on this new _SITH_ show?"

"No," Qui-Gon said. "But I'm going to be on it, if it gets approved," he told Ben. "I've decided to come back as a ghost; I figured it would be good for a laugh." Then he regarded Ben thoughtfully. "You should do a cameo appearance too sometime," he suggested. "Force knows, they could use a decent actor on that show."

Ben chuckled, amused by the idea. "Maybe I will."

Qui-Gon smiled, as they turned their attention back to Cory and Tarok, who were now both on the riverbank below, hurling chunks of volcanic ash at each other in a full-on war. "Well, I suppose I should be heading back to Iridonia," he said. "I told Tarok's father I'd have him back home by this evening," he sighed, getting to his feet. "It's always so good to see you, Ben," he added fondly. "I hope to see you again soon."

"I hope so too," Ben nodded. "Take good care of my grand-nephew," he said, with a wistful glance at Cory, as Qui-Gon nodded in cheerful agreement. "Goodbye, Qui-Gon," Ben said affectionately. "May the Force be with you," he added with theatrical formality, a mischievous twinkle in his blue eyes.

Qui-Gon smiled in amusement; Ana's little brother had always delighted in any chance to use the formal Jedi phrase with him. "Thank you," he nodded. "Goodbye, Ben," he said warmly, bowing respectfully as he took his leave.

Ben headed back up the path toward the village, and Qui-Gon continued down to the riverbank below where Cory and Tarok were playing. "So who's winning?" he asked cheerfully.

"Cory, of course," Tarok admitted, with a rueful glance at his dusty, ash-covered clothes. Tarok was a few months older than Cory, and was a gifted Zabrak fighter in his own right, but still he was no match for a Jedi padawan.

"Oh dear," Qui-Gon said, putting a hand on Tarok's shoulder. "You two had better dust yourselves off a bit; we can't have your father seeing you like that." He smiled fondly at the Zabrak boy. "And then I'm afraid it's time to go," he said. "I promised I'd have you back before evening."

The boys nodded obediently, doing what they could to clean themselves up; then they headed back toward the landing platform where their Jedi Starfighters were docked. "Who was that man?" Cory asked, curious.

"Oh, just one of the locals," Qui-Gon told him. "Fly safely," he told Cory sternly, as his padawan climbed into the cockpit with Tarok strapped into the emergency passenger seat behind him. "I don't want to see any tricks."

"Yes, Master," Cory nodded, closing the hatch and preparing for takeoff.

Qui-Gon climbed into his own Starfighter, and was surprised to see the message light blinking on his console. It was from Obi-Wan; they often exchanged text messages when Qui-Gon and Cory were off exploring other parts of the galaxy. _I wonder what he's up to today,_ Qui-Gon thought, pressing the button.

But he frowned worriedly as he read the message. _Theed, Naboo. Code Orange._

_A Code Orange,_ Qui-Gon sighed, as he and Cory took off from Kilaui. _That can't be good._ "Code Orange" was the unofficial secret code used by Jedi Masters who needed a break from the relentless pressure of training a padawan. If a Jedi Master called a Code Orange, his friends immediately did what they could to take the padawan off his hands, and pretend that the Master had been sent on an important and dangerous solo mission so that he could take a much-needed break.

_The last I heard from Obi-Wan, he was heading out to the opera with Padmé and Anakin,_ Qui-Gon recalled. _And now he's on Naboo?_ That could only mean one thing. _Padmé has gone into labor, and Obi-Wan needs me to get rid of Anakin,_ Qui-Gon realized, alarmed. _Force, I hope I'm not too late... Anakin would die if he found out about this._

_Obi-Wan, what were you thinking?_ Qui-Gon sighed, as he and Cory made the jump to lightspeed, heading back to Tarok's home on Iridonia. _Obviously he WASN'T thinking,_ Qui-Gon confessed. _At least not with his head._ But what was done was done, and Qui-Gon would do what he could to help Obi-Wan out of this difficult situation.

_And then I WILL confront him about his affair with Padmé,_ he decided. _What he is doing isn't right. I just hope Leila and Padmé are the only ones, and that he doesn't have other women scattered across the galaxy._

_Obi-Wan, I love you with all my heart, but I don't understand you,_ Qui-Gon confessed, tears springing to his eyes. _How could you have lied to me all this time? You only admitted to Cory because I had already guessed the truth; and I fell for your touching speech about how Leila is your soulmate... But it was all a lie,_ Qui-Gon realized, betrayed.

_How could you, Obi-Wan? What is wrong with you? You've lied to me all your life, just as you're lying to Padmé and Leila now, and Force knows how many other women... Obi-Wan, I don't understand you,_ Qui-Gon thought, heartbroken.

_But you are my son, and I love you, and I will help you to get out of this mess,_ he resolved. _But then it will end. I will not sit by and allow you to ruin these people's lives as you have, Obi-Wan. Your mother would not approve of this._

Qui-Gon wiped the tears from his eyes as he touched down behind Cory outside Tarok's home on Iridonia. "Malok," he said, emerging from the cockpit as Tarok's father came out to greet them.

"Did you have a good time on Kilaui?" Malok asked his son, giving Qui-Gon an appreciative smile as Tarok chattered on about all the fun things he and Cory had done today. "Come on in," he said cheerfully. "I was just about to fix dinner."

Qui-Gon smiled, nodding appreciatively as he and Cory followed them inside the house; but then he spoke to Malok quietly in the kitchen, while the children played together in the living room. "Malok, I have a favor to ask," he said. "Obi-Wan needs my help with something, and I can't bring Cory along. Can I leave him here with you for a day or so, while I take care of this?"

Malok looked at him, suddenly concerned. "Yes, of course," he assured him. "I hope everything's all right?"

"Yes, I hope so too," Qui-Gon agreed, managing a smile. "But I'm afraid I can't stay for dinner; I must leave right away. Thank you so much, Malok. I'll be in touch."

"No problem; any time," Malok assured him. "Thank you for taking Tarok today. And tell Obi-Wan I say hello."

"I will," Qui-Gon promised; then he went to the living room to say goodbye to his padawan. "Cory, I'm afraid I can't stay for dinner after all," he apologized. "There is something I must take care of, and I must go alone," he told him. "Malok has agreed to let you stay here for a day or so while I'm gone; will you be all right?"

"Yes, Master," Cory assured him, his expression a mixture of concern and barely-concealed delight at this new turn of events. "Is everything all right, Master?" he asked, following him outside the house.

"Yes, yes," Qui-Gon said. "Hopefully I won't be more than a day or two, and I'll keep in touch; not to worry," he told him. "All right, you two have a good time. Cory, I want you on your best behavior," he told his padawan.

"Yes, Master," Cory agreed, bowing politely as Qui-Gon climbed back into the cockpit of his Starfighter.

"Goodbye, Cory," Qui-Gon said, with a reassuring smile. "I'll be back in a day or so. Goodbye, Tarok," he added cheerfully. "Thank you, Malok," he said, nodding appreciatively as they waved goodbye to him.

_He is a good friend,_ Qui-Gon confessed, as he took off once again from Iridonia. He and Obi-Wan had met Malok years ago filming for_ JEDI,_ when the Zabrak had played the part of Darth Maul. Malok's wife had been pregnant with Tarok at the time, and Malok had been giddy with excitement at the prospect of becoming a father.

But tragically, two months later, his wife had died in childbirth, leaving Malok to raise Tarok alone. It was then that Qui-Gon had paid him a visit, and had confided to the grieving Zabrak that he too had been married once, and that his beloved wife Ana had died in childbirth as well. Malok had kept his secret, and the two of them had been close friends ever since.

_It's hard to believe that his son and my grandson are best friends now,_ Qui-Gon thought, smiling. _Where does the time go_. Then he sighed, remembering the reason for his secret mission, and typed a quick response to Obi-Wan's message before making the jump to lightspeed: _I'm on my way._

_I hope Obi-Wan has managed to keep Anakin in the dark,_ he prayed. _And that Padmé and the babies are all right._ Qui-Gon still dreaded the conversation that he must have with his older son, but he knew that the time had come, and that it couldn't be avoided. _I must put an end to this mess, before anyone else gets caught up in it._

The saddest part, and the hardest to understand, was that Obi-Wan had worked his entire life to maintain an outward image of being one of the most upstanding, respectable members of the Jedi Order. He had become a Master at age thirty-five, and had been elected to the Council less than a year later; with his dignified manners and proper Coruscant accent, no one would ever suspect that Obi-Wan had in fact been secretly consorting with prostitutes, queens, and probably other women as well.

_It's some kind of twisted compulsion,_ Qui-Gon realized sadly. _How terribly miserable he must be, if he has been living a lie, and keeping this horrible secret all of his life... My poor, sweet little boy,_ Qui-Gon thought again, heartbroken.

_What is wrong with my sons, that they must hide their true nature behind a false exterior?_ he asked himself. Obi-Wan projected a cheerful, innocent, plushy-toy image to hide his shameful secret; whereas Anakin tried to look as tough as possible, to compensate for his childhood reputation of being a sweet little boy named Ani who loved arts and crafts and boys' choir.

_Anakin is the only decent Jedi of the three of us,_ Qui-Gon admitted, proud of his younger son. _Despite the silly black leather outfit and Outer Rim slang, he is innocent, and chaste, and above all, honest._ Like all Jedi, Anakin had struggled with feelings of sexual desire when he was younger; but he been completely open about it, confessing to Qui-Gon and seeking help for his problem, rather than trying to hide it as Obi-Wan had.

_I only hope he hasn't figured out about Obi-Wan and Padmé,_ Qui-Gon sighed again as he emerged from hyperspace several hours later. _It would break his heart to learn what his beloved Master has been doing._ Qui-Gon checked his messages, and indeed there was another communication from Obi-Wan, with the street address of Padmé's parents in Theed.

_Please, let me be on time,_ Qui-Gon prayed as he rang the doorbell. _Please let Anakin remain innocent of this mess._ The door opened a moment later, and Qui-Gon managed a polite smile, masking his profound anxiety.

"Master Qui-Gon?" the man asked hopefully, as Qui-Gon nodded. "Hello! I'm Ruwee Naberrie; come on in," he said warmly, inviting him inside.

A moment later Obi-Wan appeared, coming down the stairway. "Master," he said, smiling gratefully. "Thank you for coming; I'm sorry for the secrecy, but there is something I must talk to you about," he apologized, leading the way into the living room. Qui-Gon could sense Anakin's presence upstairs, and heard the cry of an infant. _The babies have been born,_ he realized, smiling despite himself. _My grandchildren... I only hope Anakin doesn't realize what's going on._

He sat down on the couch, allowing Obi-Wan to speak first, and hoping that his son would finally tell him the truth. "Master," Obi-Wan began; Qui-Gon was touched and heartbroken at the same time by his son's obvious joy and excitement. _He is giddy over the birth of his children; he doesn't yet realize the mess he has created._

"Master, you said before that you had sensed something about Padmé," Obi-Wan continued, his expression hopeful. "You thought that you had felt my mother's presence?"

"Yes," Qui-Gon replied, managing a smile.

"You were right, Master," Obi-Wan said, giving him a look of deep respect and admiration. _He admires me for guessing his secret? Is this all just a childish bid for attention? A cry for help?_

Qui-Gon nodded. "Yes, I know."

Obi-Wan looked surprised. "You know?"

Qui-Gon looked down. "Yes," he sighed. "I guessed the truth, after you told me about Cory," he admitted. "Obi-Wan... how many other women are there?"

Obi-Wan blinked, caught off guard. "What do you mean? In the galaxy?" he asked uncertainly.

_Force, he's got women in OTHER galaxies?_ Qui-Gon blinked in shock. "Yes, for starters," he replied, nodding.

Obi-Wan looked confused. "Billions... Trillions... I'm not sure of the exact number, Master," he confessed. "Why do you ask?"

Qui-Gon stared at him in utter disbelief. _Trillions... Obi-Wan, where do you find the time?_ He shook his head, blinking. "We'll get back to that in a moment," he said, pushing the thought aside. "Does Leila know about this?"

"No." Obi-Wan smiled fondly, looking down. "No, I imagine she will be very surprised." Qui-Gon could feel the warmth in his heart at the thought of Leila, and his obvious excitement to tell her. _Obi-Wan, what is wrong with you?_

"The babies have been born, I take it?" Qui-Gon asked, trying to make sense of this. "Padmé is all right?"

"Yes, yes, she's fine," Obi-Wan assured him. "They're all doing very well."

"Does Anakin know?" Qui-Gon asked worriedly.

Obi-Wan smiled, nodding. "Yes, Master. He knows everything. I'm sorry; I know I wasn't supposed to tell him, but... He took it very well," Obi-Wan assured him. "He knows, about you... and me."

Qui-Gon closed his eyes again, heartbroken. "Obi-Wan, how could you," he blurted out, grief-stricken. "I thought we had agreed not to drag him into this mess."

"I'm - I'm sorry, Master," Obi-Wan apologized; Qui-Gon could feel his sudden remorse. "Master, I'm - no, you're right," he admitted. "I should have spoken with you first... Master, I'm sorry."

Qui-Gon shook his head. "What's done is done," he told Obi-Wan regretfully. "You say he took it well?"

"Yes," Obi-Wan assured him. "Master, please forgive me; I'm so sorry... But yes, he took it very well," Obi-Wan said. "He was glad to know," he added, with a hopeful smile. But Qui-Gon could see the tears of worry in his eyes, and felt his son's anxiety at having displeased him.

Qui-Gon sighed, nodding. "All right," he said. "I would like to speak to him alone, if I could," he said. _I came here to save Anakin from this mess; I will deal with you later._

Obi-Wan nodded, blinking back tears as he stood up. "Yes, Master. Of course. I'll send him down," he said, bowing respectfully as he headed back upstairs, clearly dismayed by Qui-Gon's reaction.

_I love you, Obi-Wan,_ Qui-Gon sighed. _With all my heart, I love you. But I will not let you hurt Anakin._

* * *

><p>Anakin looked up, smiling nervously as Obi-Wan returned to the bedroom. His brother had bravely volunteered to break the news to Qui-Gon first, and Anakin had been waiting upstairs anxiously, clinging to Luke to calm himself.<p>

"How did he take it?" he asked; but he realized that it had not gone well, seeing that Obi-Wan was now fighting tears. "Obi-Wan!" he exclaimed, going to him quickly; he could sense his brother's extreme distress. "What's wrong?"

Obi-Wan managed a brave smile. "It's all right, Anakin," he assured him. "He guessed about you and Padmé; he already knew," he told him. "He wants to speak with you," he added apologetically.

_Crap, this isn't good,_ Anakin thought, blinking. "Obi-Wan, what's wrong?" he asked. "He's angry with me?"

"No," Obi-Wan said hesitantly; then he shook his head. "Perhaps. I'm not sure. I think he was more angry with me, for telling you the things that I did," he confessed. "Anakin, I'm sorry. I should never have told you any of that... I'm sorry," he cried, obviously heartbroken.

"Obi-Wan, no," Anakin protested. "It's all right; I'm glad you did," he assured him. "Really... I'm glad." _Obi-Wan, what did he say to you?_

Obi-Wan nodded, managing a brave smile. "You'd better go talk to him," he said, as Anakin nodded, handing Luke to him as he headed down the stairs to his doom. _This is exactly what I've been terrified of all this time,_ he sighed. _But I deserve it,_ he resolved, steeling himself for his father's wrath. Then indignant tears sprang to his eyes. _I won't let him take this out on Obi-Wan though,_ Anakin resolved stubbornly, angry that Qui-Gon had reduced his brother to tears. _This isn't his fault._

Anakin could sense Qui-Gon's unhappiness as he entered the living room. "Master," he said, bowing respectfully and calming his nerves as he faced his father. _I thought you would be happy. You didn't get mad when Obi-Wan told you about Leila; why are you mad at me?_ he wondered. _I deserve it though,_ he admitted, bracing himself for the lecture to come.

* * *

><p>"Anakin," Qui-Gon said gently, sensing his younger son's distress. "Anakin, are you all right?"<p>

"Yes, Master," Anakin replied nervously, blinking.

Qui-Gon nodded, giving him an encouraging smile. "Sit down, Anakin." _Oh dear, he's traumatized,_ Qui-Gon realized, as Anakin sat obediently in the armchair across from him. "Anakin, I'm so sorry," he began. "I'm sorry that Obi-Wan told you what he did." _Damn you, Obi-Wan. You're off in your happy little fairy-tale world, thinking that Anakin took the news well, but the poor boy is clearly a wreck. I have half a mind to report you to the Council now; this has gone too far._

"Master, that wasn't Obi-Wan's fault," Anakin said defensively; Qui-Gon sensed his barely-concealed anger. _Obi-Wan, what did you tell him? He's angry at ME for all this?_ Then he sighed. _Yes, I suppose in a way this is my fault._

"Anakin," Qui-Gon continued. "I'm sorry that you had to learn these things. I know it must be very hard for you." His heart ached, as he realized that his relationship with his youngest son had been ruined over this. _It's my own fault though,_ he confessed. _I brought them into this world, and I asked Obi-Wan to train Anakin._ "I'm sorry, Anakin."

Anakin glanced at him uncertainly, his expression guarded. "No, Master," he protested. "I was glad to know. Truly. I'm thankful that Obi-Wan told me what he did," he said. "Please, Master... This wasn't his fault; it was mine."

"Anakin, nothing is your fault," Qui-Gon said, heartbroken to see his younger son so confused over this. "This is not your fault, Anakin. If anyone is to blame, it's me. But it's going to be all right, Anakin; we're going to get through this," he promised.

Then another thought occurred to him. _Force, is he going to report us?_ "Anakin," he said gently. "You must do what you feel is right, in your heart, of course," he told him. "And I will respect your decision, either way," he assured him. "Are you going to tell the Council about this?"

Anakin looked down. "No," he confessed. "I mean - if you think I should...?" he added doubtfully, blinking. Then he shrugged. "Obi-Wan said I shouldn't," he told Qui-Gon. "And I would rather not."

Qui-Gon nodded, sighing. _I agree with Obi-Wan on this,_ he conceded. _Anakin should not have to be the one to blow the whistle. I will do it myself, if it becomes necessary. But hopefully it won't come to that,_ he thought. _Hopefully Obi-Wan will listen to reason, and stop this insanity._ "Anakin, I would have to agree, I think it is for the best," he said gently.

Anakin nodded obediently, accepting it. _It kills me that he still listens to me and respects my judgment, when he's the only one here who has any credibility at all,_ Qui-Gon lamented. _Anakin, you're better than us. Get away from this mess, while you still can._

"Anakin," he said, with a sorrowful smile. "I just want you to know that I love you, and that I'm so very proud of you... And your mother would be too," he added wistfully.

Anakin looked down, blinking back tears. "Thank you, Master," he said uncomfortably. Then he looked up at him uncertainly. "Master?" he asked hesitantly, as if trying to understand. "Are you angry with me?"

"No, Anakin," Qui-Gon assured him. "No, of course not." He smiled tenderly. "You've done nothing wrong, Anakin; how could I possibly be angry with you?"

Anakin blinked uncertainly. "Well... I _have,_ Master," he said. "I've broken the Jedi Code; I'm married, I have children," he told him, looking at Qui-Gon worriedly. "You're not angry about that?"

Qui-Gon stared at him, shocked. "What?" he asked, at a complete loss. "Anakin, what...?" Then it hit him. _He's married, and has children... Padmé? Force, Anakin, that was YOU?_

But he could tell from Anakin's remorseful expression that it was true. "Ha!" Qui-Gon laughed suddenly, embarrassed and delighted and relieved all at the same time. "Anakin!" he exclaimed, still laughing. "You and Padmé...?" he asked, ecstatic at this news. "Those are your children?" he asked, tears of joy in his eyes. _This is wonderful..._

Anakin's expression was guarded, hopeful, but extremely confused. "Yes," he said hesitantly; then his brows furrowed and he blinked uncertainly. "What did you think, Master? I thought you knew."

"No," Qui-Gon said, smiling despite his embarrassment. "No, I thought..." _Ah! Obi-Wan; what must he think... I was terrible to him,_ he realized. "Anakin, that's wonderful," he said, tears of pride and joy in his eyes. "Congratulations; I'm so happy for you," he cried, getting up. "Come here," he said cheerfully, embracing his son. "Oh, Anakin, I'm so proud of you."

There were tears in Anakin's eyes when Qui-Gon finally let go of him, but Anakin was smiling gratefully. "Thank you, Master," he said, his expression still uncertain. "You're not angry?"

"No, no," Qui-Gon said, tousling his hair fondly. "How could I be?" Then he remembered his duty. "No, you're right," he conceded. "What you've done is very, very wrong, and if the Council found out you could be expelled," he admitted. "But - no, I think it's wonderful," Qui-Gon said again. "Welcome to the family."

Anakin grinned shyly, grateful for his blessing; then he blinked, looking at the floor. "Master," he said. "Please don't be angry with Obi-Wan, for telling me. I'm glad he did; truly."

Qui-Gon smiled, amused. _So that's what this defensiveness was about,_ he realized. _You're angry with me for upsetting Obi-Wan. What a loyal little brother you are_. "No, you're right," Qui-Gon said, putting a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry, Anakin; I misunderstood, before. I'm glad that he told you too," he assured him. "Oh dear, now I owe him an apology," he sighed. "Is it all right if I go upstairs?" he asked, uncertain whether Padmé was accepting visitors yet.

"Oh! Yes, of course; come on," Anakin said cheerfully, leading the way.

* * *

><p>"Obi-Wan, I'm glad you told him," Padmé said, cuddling Leia against her chest. "And I'm very glad to know too," she insisted. "It will be all right."<p>

Obi-Wan managed a sad smile, still holding Luke. "Thank you, Padmé," he said. "Yes, I'm sure it will be," he agreed. "I've just never seen him so angry with me before; it frightened me." _I deserve it though, after everything I've done,_ he admitted, sighing.

But now he heard Anakin coming back upstairs, along with Qui-Gon, and gathered his courage. _Don't be such a blubbering idiot,_ he told himself, embarrassed that Anakin had seen him in tears earlier. _You're a Jedi Master, not a child._ Still, it had been an emotional day for all of them, and Qui-Gon's disapproval had caught him off-guard.

He calmed himself now as his father entered the chamber. _I was wrong to tell Anakin. Qui-Gon was frustrated with me, but as he said, what's done is done. I apologized, and he accepted it; the matter has been settled,_ he told himself, giving his father a respectful nod and managing a somewhat normal smile.

"Come on in," Anakin was saying, grinning cheerfully as Qui-Gon said hello to Padmé. _At least they're getting along well,_ Obi-Wan thought. _I was worried he was somehow angry with Anakin too._ But Qui-Gon gave him a reassuring smile, and Obi-Wan smiled back gratefully. _Yes, I'm forgiven,_ he sighed in relief.

"This one's Leia," Anakin said proudly, introducing Qui-Gon to his granddaughter. "And that's Luke," he told him, nodding toward Obi-Wan.

"They're beautiful," Qui-Gon said, tears in his eyes as he admired his sleeping granddaughter, then came over for a closer look at Luke. "Congratulations, both of you," he said, smiling warmly at Padmé.

"Thank you, Qui-Gon," Padmé said appreciatively, as she and Anakin shared a happy, relieved smile.

"Obi-Wan, I'm sorry, about what I said before," Qui-Gon said quietly, taking a seat next to him. Obi-Wan sensed his sincere regret, and saw the sparkle of humor in his blue eyes. "I was mistaken. I'll explain later," he said, giving Obi-Wan an apologetic cringe.

Obi-Wan nodded; he was grateful that the matter was forgiven, and sensed that there was more to it than Qui-Gon was letting on._ He was mistaken?_ he wondered; then he grinned, sharing a private amused look with his father. _When Qui-Gon is 'mistaken' it's usually a pretty funny story,_ he realized. _Force, I can't wait to hear what that was about._

"So the two of you have been together all along." Qui-Gon grinned at Anakin and Padmé, shaking his head as he tried to comprehend it. "I should have seen it years ago," he chided himself. "First with the necklace, and then with the..." Qui-Gon broke off, laughing. "This is all because of that blasted _JEDI_ show," he realized with amusement.

_Yes, I suppose it is,_ Obi-Wan agreed, smiling as he felt the warmth and happiness that surrounded him. _It was _JEDI_ that brought us all together for the first time. _Then he laughed, amused by the memory. _That first show we did together was a complete disaster._

* * *

><p><em>Thirteen years earlier...<br>_

"When will you be back?" Leila asked hopefully, kissing Obi-Wan as she helped him back into his Jedi garments.

"Hopefully tonight," Obi-Wan replied, as Leila attempted to fix his hair, running her fingers through his short locks and re-tying his ponytail, then giving his little padawan braid a playful tug. "Tomorrow at the latest," he assured her.

"And you're really going to be on a holo-broadcast?" she asked, delighted.

"Yes," Obi-Wan said. "It's for a new show called _JEDI;_ they follow us around on the job with their little cameras, and supposedly people actually want to watch that," he told her, mystified by the concept. "It's all pretty daft if you ask me. But they've told Master Qui-Gon that he'll be killed off in this episode, so of course he's giddy over that," Obi-Wan laughed.

"They're staging some sort of fight with a Zabrak warrior on Naboo," he added vaguely; then he shrugged, kissing her again. "It makes no sense to me," he confessed. "But at any rate it should only take a day or two; I'll be back soon," he promised, embracing Leila one last time. "Oh, I miss you already," he added, with a wistful smile.

"So do I," Leila said, laying her head against his shoulder. "I love you, Obi-Wan."

Obi-Wan smiled, stroking her silky blonde hair. "I love you too," he said, kissing her tenderly. "I'll be back soon," he promised, giving her one last adoring smile before climbing out her apartment window and hopping down to the street below. His heart ached to be leaving her even for a few days, but he composed himself as he slipped quietly through the streets of Coruscant and back to the Jedi Temple.

_I am a Jedi,_ Obi-Wan scolded himself. _This is what I do. I love the Order, and I love my Master, crazy as he is,_ he laughed, sneaking back into his little room. _This JEDI assignment is completely ridiculous, but it will be over by tomorrow. A quick trip to Naboo, stick a lightsaber through a Zabrak, home by dinner, and then a good romp in the sack with Leila to celebrate my fifteen minutes of fame,_ Obi-Wan thought cheerfully, quietly closing his bedroom window and proceeding straight to the door.

"Good morning, Master," Obi-Wan said, yawning slightly as he entered Qui-Gon's quarters.

"Good morning, Obi-Wan," Qui-Gon replied cheerfully. "Are you ready for our trip to Naboo?" he asked, getting up from the couch and accompanying Obi-Wan out to the hallway on their way to breakfast.

"Yes, Master," Obi-Wan replied, managing a brave smile. "I'm looking forward to it."


	54. The Phantom Menace!

**Chapter 54**

_THE PHANTOM MENACE _

"So what exactly are we doing today, Master?" Obi-Wan asked, as they ate breakfast together in the cafeteria of the Jedi Temple.

Qui-Gon laughed ruefully. "Mostly, we're trying to boost the ratings for a dying holo-broadcast," he told his padawan. "The network is threatening to cancel _JEDI_ due to lack of interest," he explained regretfully. "Apparently viewers don't want to watch us sitting through endless Council sessions, meditating for hours on end, practicing safe, fuel-efficient flying techniques, or resolving trade disputes in a peaceful manner," he sighed. "Unfortunately they find it all very boring."

"Well when you put it that way, Master, it is very boring," Obi-Wan replied with a cheeky grin, pushing up the sleeves of his cloak as he dug into his scrambled eggs.

"Yes, I suppose so," Qui-Gon said. "People don't appreciate peace; they don't realize that it's our constant vigilance and discipline that keeps them safe, so that they can sit at home watching graphic crime dramas and violent war films on their holo-monitors, rather than experiencing the real thing in the streets of their home towns," he lamented.

Obi-Wan cringed in disdsain as he realized his cloak sleeve had dragged through his food as he reached for his juice glass. "Blast," he whispered, wetting a napkin and cleaning himself up. "Sorry, Master," he apologized. "You were saying?"

Qui-Gon suppressed a rueful smile at his son's antics; they went through this at nearly every meal. _Obi-Wan, it's time to admit that you're not going to grow any more; just hem those cloak sleeves and be done with it._

"_JEDI_ was originally conceived as a way to promote the Order, so that more parents would send their infants to the Temple to be trained as younglings," Qui-Gon explained. "But unfortunately it has had the opposite effect; in the past six months since _JEDI_ has been on the air, we've received even fewer younglings than usual," he admitted.

"Really?" Obi-Wan blinked, setting his glass down carefully and managing to keep his cloak out of his food this time. "That's terrible... So why are we trying to boost the show's ratings? Shouldn't we just allow it to be cancelled?"

"Probably," Qui-Gon conceded. "But the director has recently come up with a new plan, to combine reality footage with staged scenarios, so that the public can see us in action," he said. "The Council is hoping that if we add a bit of excitement and drama to the show over the next few episodes, it might undo some of the damage that it's caused so far."

"Ah," Obi-Wan nodded. "So that's why we're fighting the Zabrak today."

Qui-Gon nodded. "And our job is to make it look as dramatic as possible," he told Obi-Wan. "They say he is one of the best Zabrak warriors on Iridonia; it should be an interesting fight."

"Sounds like fun," Obi-Wan agreed. "So I am to kill him?"

"Yes," Qui-Gon said. "But only after he kills me," he added. "Apparently the entire fight needs to be over within five minutes; most likely we'll be back by... Obi-Wan, are you all right?" Qui-Gon asked, suddenly alarmed.

Obi-Wan blinked, gasping for air. "Yes... Yes, Master," he stammered, looking somewhat confused. "I just... I felt a bit ill for a moment, but I'm all right now," he assured Qui-Gon, managing a brave smile.

But Qui-Gon was still deeply alarmed. _Please tell me I imagined that..._ It had happened in just the blink of an eye, but he could have sworn that Obi-Wan's normally straight brown hair had turned red and curly for a moment. "Obi-Wan, are you - "

"Hey!" came a familiar voice from behind him, as Mace Windu appeared, grinning enthusiastically as he brought over his breakfast and joined them at their table. "I hear you two are filming for _JEDI_ today."

"Yes, we are," Qui-Gon replied with a friendly smile, though he was still concerned about his padawan. Obi-Wan was looking better now though; his hair was once again brown and straight, and apparently he was feeling all right, as he was once again pulling up the sleeves of his cloak and attacking his scrambled eggs. "We're fighting a Zabrak warrior on Naboo," he told Mace cheerfully.

"So I heard," Mace said. "He's our new Sith apprentice."

"Sith apprentice?" Qui-Gon asked, suddenly alarmed. "What?"

Mace grinned, clearly pleased with himself. "You know how Senator Palpatine of Naboo has been playing some random evil guy with a hood pulled down over his face?" he asked them.

Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan exchanged confused glances. "No," Qui-Gon admitted.

"Ah," Mace shrugged. "I guess you didn't see the last couple of episodes. Anyway, it's an idea the fan club came up with: they've decided to make him a Sith Lord, and the Zabrak will be his apprentice."

"My goodness," Qui-Gon said. "That's quite an elaborate plot." Then he looked at Mace in surprise. "Did you say there's a fan club, for the _JEDI_ show?" he asked, puzzled by the concept.

"Yes," Mace nodded. "Check this out," he told them, pulling a card out of his pouch. _Mace Windu,_ the bold type proclaimed. _Official Member of the _JEDI_ Fan Club._

"Impressive," Qui-Gon agreed, though he still didn't quite understand it; Obi-Wan was frowning at the card in utter confusion. "How did you become a member?"

"Oh," Mace said cheerfully. "You know those little cereal boxes? Oh, you guys had scrambled eggs," he noticed, disappointed. "Anyway, if you collect five of them and mail them in, you can get an official membership card."

"I see... So this is sponsored by the show?" Qui-Gon asked, trying to understand.

"No," Mace admitted. "It's not technically an official fan club. But see, they get around that by saying you're an official _member_ of the fan club," he explained. "I'm not sure who's in charge of it, actually," he confessed; then he grinned again. "But it's really fun; you can talk to all the other members over the holo-transmitter; they're planning conventions and everything," he told them happily.

"Excellent," Qui-Gon said, masking his confusion as Obi-Wan followed his lead, nodding and smiling indulgently. "Well, I'm glad to know I'm going to be killed by a Sith apprentice, and not just an ordinary Zabrak warrior; that's a much better way to go."

"Definitely," Mace laughed. "So I guess you guys have heard about the emergency security drill they're having on Naboo today?" he asked, carefully tearing apart his cereal box and reading the special offer printed on the inside. "_Varactyl plushy toy..._ Nah, I don't want that," he sighed, tossing it aside.

"Emergency security drill?" Qui-Gon asked, trying not to laugh as Obi-Wan immediately picked up Mace's empty cereal box, his eyes widening in excitement and disbelief. _Obi-Wan, you're twenty-five years old. I'm not buying you a plushy toy._

"Yes, it's a bet Senator Palpatine has going on with Governor Bibble," Mace explained. "Apparently the two of them got a little tipsy the other night, and came up with the idea to stage a mock invasion of Naboo as a security drill," he told them. "So Bibble's going to be defending the Queen, and Palpatine's going to try to take over the Royal Palace, with the help of the Trade Federation; I've heard rumors that the Queen's uncle has donated thousands of battle droids for the invasion, but I'm not sure if that's true," Mace told them. "Anyway, it should be pretty exciting."

"I see," Qui-Gon said, blinking as he tried to make sense of all of that. _Thankfully all we have to do is fight the Zabrak; it sounds like this security drill will be quite a production though,_ he admitted. _We'll try to stay out of the way of that_. "Yes, it does sound very interesting."

Mace was just finishing his bowl of cereal, and Qui-Gon took the opportunity to make a polite escape. "Well, Obi-Wan, I suppose we should be going," he said, getting up. "Mace, thank you for letting us know what's happening today."

"No problem," Mace said, grinning. "Have fun today."

"What was that all about?" Obi-Wan asked, blinking in profound confusion as they left the cafeteria.

"I'm not entirely certain," Qui-Gon admitted. "But I don't think it's anything we need to worry about. Our job is simply to fight the Zabrak." Then he stared at Obi-Wan in alarm; his hair was suddenly red and curly again, and he sensed his son's discomfort. "Obi-Wan," he exclaimed worriedly, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Are you feeling all right?"

Obi-Wan nodded. "Yes, Master," he assured him again. "I felt a bit sick for a moment; it must have been something I ate," he said, blinking. "I'm fine, Master; not to worry," he insisted, as they continued through the hallway.

His hair had returned to its normal brown color, and Obi-Wan appeared to be all right; but Qui-Gon was deeply alarmed by what he had seen. _I didn't imagine that; his hair changed color again. This is not good..._

"Obi-Wan," he said gently, masking his concern. "I think we'd better stop by the medical ward and make sure you're all right, before we leave for Naboo," he told him, smiling reassuringly as he led the way. _Please don't let this be what I think it is..._

* * *

><p><em>What in the blazes...?<em> Obi-Wan blinked in confusion, sitting in the examination room as a medical droid took a sample of his blood. _It was only a little tummy ache_. Then he sighed, realizing what was going on. _I have the most overprotective Master in the entire Order._

* * *

><p>"I have analyzed his blood sample," the medical droid told Qui-Gon in a gentle, compassionate, and annoyingly robotic tone. "I'm afraid your padawan has TPM," it announced, failing miserably in its attempt to sound sympathetic.<p>

_TPM..._ Qui-Gon's heart sank, and tears sprang to his eyes. _No... It can't be..._ "Are you certain?" he asked, hoping against hope that the diagnosis could be wrong.

"Yes," the droid replied. "The blood test results are one hundred percent accurate."

_No..._ Qui-Gon hung his head, grief-stricken. _Obi-Wan..._ "Thank you," he choked, dismissing the droid.

"You're very welcome," the droid replied, floating away and leaving Qui-Gon alone in the little waiting room.

_Obi-Wan,_ Qui-Gon wept, heartbroken. _My poor, sweet, beautiful little boy..._ TPM was a rare Jedi disease in which the midichlorians took over their host's skin cells, grotesquely altering the victim's appearance. Obi-Wan showed the classic onset symptoms; slight nausea accompanied by minor and temporary changes in hair color. But the disease tended to progress rapidly, and Qui-Gon knew that within six months he would no longer recognize his son.

The change in Obi-Wan's hair color would soon be irreversible; and then the midichlorians would begin to attack his skin, causing it to become hardened, shiny, and ghastly pale. The muscles in his face would become paralyzed, especially around the mouth, and finally his eyes would bulge grotesquely from their sockets; their color might fade, and he could end up cross-eyed.

TPM - or The Phantom Menace, as it was originally named - had been known to the Jedi for hundreds of years; but it was extremely rare, and had only recently gained public awareness since Master Yoda had been diagnosed with the illness six months ago. At first his symptoms had been similar to Obi-Wan's, with slight nausea and changes to his hair. But it had progressed rapidly, and now Master Yoda's face was stiffened and paralyzed to the point where he could no longer move his lips when he spoke. His eyes bulged out of his head, and their normal dark brown color had faded to a pale hazel; he almost looked like some type of grotesque puppet.

_Obi-Wan will look like that in six months' time,_ Qui-Gon wept, grief-stricken by the news of his son's illness. His only consolation was that TPM was not deadly; the nausea would soon pass, and in the end the damage would be purely cosmetic. _He will still be healthy,_ Qui-Gon reassured himself stubbornly. _He will still be a Jedi. And I will still love him..._

_But how can I tell him?_ Qui-Gon cried. _How can I tell my beautiful little boy that he is becoming a hideous gargoyle?_ There was no known cure for TPM, though the doctors at the Temple had been working relentlessly to find new treatments since Master Yoda had contracted the illness_._

_I don't have the heart to tell Obi-Wan,_ Qui-Gon admitted, heartbroken. _But if I don't do it, that blasted medical droid will,_ he realized, getting up from his seat. Obi-Wan was still a padawan, but legally he was an adult, and by law he would have to be informed of his medical condition. _He deserves to know, so that he can make the most of these last precious months._

"Obi-Wan." Qui-Gon smiled affectionately, joining him in the examination room. _He looks so beautiful,_ he thought, choking back tears. His hair was brown and straight as usual, and he looked like his normal self again. "How are you feeling?"

"Fine, Master," Obi-Wan assured him. "Can we go now?"

"In a minute," Qui-Gon nodded, smiling regretfully as he sat next to his son, putting a hand on his shoulder. _I must set aside my own grief, and be strong for him._ "Obi-Wan," he said gently. "I'm afraid I have some bad news..."

* * *

><p><em>What?<em> Obi-Wan blinked worriedly, as Qui-Gon informed him of the diagnosis._ TPM...? No,_ he cried, tears springing to his eyes. _This can't be happening..._ "How bad is it?" he asked, suddenly apprensive. _Are my eyes bulging yet?_

"It's barely noticeable at this point," Qui-Gon assured him. "I wasn't even sure of it myself; there was just a very slight change in your hair color. It's back to normal now. But twice, I saw it change to a more reddish color, and it became a bit more curly."

_Reddish hair..._ Obi-Wan nodded, trying to be brave. _That doesn't sound so bad._ And Qui-Gon had assured him that the nausea would pass in time. _But then my skin will grow hardened and stiff; a__nd my eyes will bulge out of their sockets. Oh, I'm going to be hideous_...

Then it hit him, and tears of grief filled his eyes. _Leila will never want me like that,_ he realized, heartbroken. _It's over for us..._

"Obi-Wan, I'm going to find someone else to fill in for us today," Qui-Gon said. "We don't have to go to Naboo. We'll just stay right here; it's going to be all right," he assured him.

"No," Obi-Wan insisted, choking back tears. _I am a Jedi. I will continue to do my duty, as Master Yoda has_. "I want to go," he told his Master. "I want to go to Naboo, and chop that Zabrak into pieces," he spat bitterly.

Qui-Gon laughed gently, patting him on the shoulder. "All right, then," he said, getting up. "You do know we'll be using fake lightsabers?" he asked, his eyes twinkling with amusement.

Obi-Wan managed a sad laugh. "Yes, Master, I know," he said, comforted by Qui-Gon's light-hearted humor as he followed him out of the examination room. Then he looked up at him hesitantly. "Master?" he asked. "You promise, it doesn't look bad yet?"

He was relieved to see Qui-Gon's warm smile. "I promise," he said. "It will probably be at least a week before anyone starts to notice. But I will let you know, if it gets worse," he said, as they left the medical ward and proceeded to the docking bay.

Obi-Wan nodded, steadying his breathing as they walked together through the hallway._ A Jedi is not vain,_ he told himself. _If Master Yoda can live with this illness, then so can I,_ he decided bravely. He managed a cheerful smile as he climbed into the cockpit of his Jedi Starfighter, taking off from Coruscant behind his Master; but after they made the jump to lightspeed and began the long journey through hyperspace to Naboo, Obi-Wan hung his head and wept.

_Leila,_ he sobbed, heartbroken. _I loved you..._ But then he shook his head, calming himself. _It's not so bad yet, _he reminded himself._ I will chop up this Zabrak; we'll be home by tonight, and I will have one last night with Leila,_ Obi-Wan thought wistfully. _One last night, before I'm completely hideous..._

Obi-Wan managed to compose himself by the time they emerged from hyperspace outside Naboo; but then he blinked in surprise at the view outside his window: a gigantic fleet of ring-shaped ships surrounding the planet in blockade formation. _What in the blazes is going on here?_ he wondered, suddenly forgetting his own troubles as he stared at the sight before him.

A moment later his question was answered as a voice crackled over his transmitter. "Welcome, Master Jinn, and Obi-Wan," the man said politely. "This is Cliegg Lars; I'm the director of _JEDI_," he explained, introducing himself. "Thank you so much for coming out here today; if you could join us aboard the mother ship here, we'll get started," he told them cheerfully.

_Well this isn't quite what I expected,_ Obi-Wan thought, sharing a look of surprise with Qui-Gon as they climbed down from their Starfighters inside the docking bay. _I thought we'd be fighting the Zabrak inside the Royal Palace,_ he admitted, somewhat disappointed. _But I suppose we can't do that now because of the security drill._

_Ah well,_ Obi-Wan thought optimistically, giving his Master a cheerful smile and looking around curiously for the Zabrak warrior as he prepared himself for their five-minute lightsaber duel. _It will be faster this way._


	55. Come on, let's go chop up a Zabrak

**Chapter 55**

"Captain," Qui-Gon said quietly. "Tell them we wish to board at once."

"Yes sir," the pilot replied, turning to address Viceroy Nute Gunray of the Trade Federation on her viewscreen. "With all due respect, the Ambassadors for the Supreme Chancellor wish to board immediately."

"Yes, of course," the Viceroy replied. "As you know, our blockade is perfectly legal, and we'd be happy to receive the Ambassadors."

_I'm still not quite sure what this is about,_ Obi-Wan admitted, blinking in confusion beneath his brown hood as he and Qui-Gon entered the hallway of Nute Gunray's ship. He had a homing device attached to his belt, and was painfully aware of the hovering camera droids that followed him everywhere he went. _The director promised this would be a short scene, and then we can move on to our lightsaber duel with the Zabrak warrior,_ he told himself, calming his nerves.

They were immediately met by a shiny silver protocol droid. "I'm TC-14 at your service. This way, please." Obi-Wan was grateful for his hooded cloak as he followed his Master through the hallway. _It hides my face from the cameras, and will come in very handy once my TPM becomes more severe, _he realized unhappily.

"We are greatly honored by your visit, Ambassadors," TC-14 said, showing them into a larger room. "Make yourselves comfortable. My master will be with you shortly."

* * *

><p>"I have a bad feeling about this," Obi-Wan confessed, as they pulled down their hoods. He was pretending to sense Darth Maul's presence, but Qui-Gon knew all too well what must really be on his son's mind right now.<p>

"I don't sense anything," Qui-Gon reassured him_._

"It's not about the mission, Master," Obi-Wan protested. "It's something - elsewhere... elusive..."

_I believe 'Phantom' is the word you're looking for,_ Qui-Gon sighed unhappily. "Don't center on your anxiety, Obi-Wan," he said. "Keep your concentration here and now, where it belongs."

"Master Yoda says I should be mindful of the future," Obi-Wan pointed out_._

"But not at the expense of the moment," Qui-Gon said. _You must make the most of whatever precious time you have left, Obi-Wan, before your illness gets worse._ "Be mindful of the living Force, young padawan."

"Yes, Master," Obi-Wan replied, obediently focusing on the matter at hand. "How do you think the trade Viceroy will deal with the Chancellor's demands?"

"These Federation types are cowards," Qui-Gon assured him. "The negotiations will be short."

* * *

><p><em>Five minutes later...<em>

"Is it in their nature to make us wait this long?" Obi-Wan asked, as they sat at the table. _Please, let's just fight this Zabrak and get back home, so that I can see Leila one last time before I'm a complete monster._

"No," Qui-Gon replied. "I sense an unusual amount of fear for something as trivial as this trade dispute."

_What's this?_ Obi-Wan thought, as TC-14 brought over a tray with little shot glasses. _Who cares,_ he sighed, taking a sip. _I know I shouldn't drink just before a lightsaber duel, but it's been a bad day_. Then he blinked, squinting at the blue liquid. _What is this stuff?_ he wondered, forgetting his worries for a moment. _It's really good!_

Just then they heard blaster fire coming from down the hallway, and Obi-Wan was instantly on his feet, lightsaber blazing alongside his Master. They had been asked to take part in the security drill, and their task was to capture Nute Gunray, then stow aboard a battleship full of droids, and finally meet up with the Zabrak at Naboo's Royal Palace.

"Dioxis," Qui-Gon said, as the room began to fill with gas. Thankfully this was only a drill, and the gas was harmless, but Obi-Wan obediently took a deep breath.

Finally the doors opened, and Obi-Wan activated his lightsaber, deflecting blaster fire from the droids that were now shooting at them. _This is actually quite fun,_ he thought, chasing them into the hallway and hacking them to pieces. _Just what I needed, really._

_Take that,_ Obi-Wan frowned indignantly, Force-pushing several of the droids away as they continued to fight their way down the hallway. The door to the command bridge was closed, but that didn't stop Master Qui-Gon. _You obviously don't know who you're dealing with, _Obi-Wan thought smugly, as he continued to hack at the droids. _No one can shove a lightsaber through a wall quite like Master Qui-Gon,_ he admitted, as his Master continued to melt his way through the heavy steel blast doors.

_Oh..._ Obi-Wan gasped suddenly, hit by a wave of nausea. _My stomach hurts... it's the TPM again._ But there was no time to think; two Droidekas were rolling straight towards them now. "Master, Destroyers!" he warned Qui-Gon, turning to face them.

* * *

><p>Qui-Gon blinked in alarm, noticing Obi-Wan's curly red hair once again. <em>Oh dear, that looks dreadful.<em> It wasn't the color that was so bad; in fact, it reminded him of his beloved Ana. But somehow, this curly red hair just looked _wrong_ on Obi-Wan_;_ unnatural, almost as if he were wearing some type of wig. Qui-Gon could sense his padawan's nausea and anxiety, but Obi-Wan was fighting valiantly against the Destroyers, deflecting their blaster shots with his blue lightsaber.

"They have shield generators," Obi-Wan announced.

"It's a standoff," Qui-Gon agreed. "Let's go." They ran quickly down the hallway, then jumped up into a ventilation shaft. "Obi-Wan, are you all right?" he asked worriedly, once they were away from the cameras.

"Yes, Master," Obi-Wan gasped, trying to blink away his nausea. They rested for a moment inside the ventilation shaft, and eventually the nausea passed, as Obi-Wan's hair returned once again to its natural brown color.

"All right," Qui-Gon said gently, seeing his son's obvious distress. "We're going to forget about capturing the Viceroy; we'll just stow aboard one of these ships and get to the Royal Palace to fight the Zabrak," he told him. "Are you feeling well enough?"

Obi-Wan nodded bravely; he looked like himself again, and Qui-Gon smiled encouragingly. "Let's go," he whispered, dropping down from the ventilation shaft as Obi-Wan followed behind him. "Battle droids," he announced, as they spied the army in the hangar.

"It's an invasion army," Obi-Wan said; these droids had apparently been donated by the Queen's uncle.

"This is an odd play for the Trade Federation," Qui-Gon admitted; he still didn't quite understand the plot of this episode, or _why_ the Trade Federation - normally a peaceful organization, which championed free trading rights - had suddenly decided to invade a Republic planet. "We've got to warn the Naboo and contact Chancellor Valorum," he decided. "Let's split up," he told Obi-Wan. "Stow aboard separate ships and meet down on the planet."

Obi-Wan nodded; then he gave Qui-Gon a mischievous grin. "You were right about one thing, Master," he said, his eyes twinkling with amusement. "The negotiations _were_ short."

Qui-Gon managed a smile, forcing back tears of grief as he climbed aboard one of the droid transports. _Obi-Wan, I am going to miss that adorable smile of_ yours, he confessed, heartbroken over his son's terrible illness.

* * *

><p><em>Meanwhile, in the Royal Palace...<em>

_Ha!_ Padmé smiled triumphantly. _You lose!_ She had just received word that two Jedi Knights had boarded Nute Gunray's ship; the mock invasion that Senator Palpatine had planned would be stopped before it even began. At first she had been skeptical of this ridiculous security drill that Palpatine and Governor Bibble had come up with in a moment of drunken inspiration; but now that _her_ side was obviously winning, she had to admit that it was kind of fun.

_Besides, it's nice to have a chance to dress up,_ Padmé confessed. _I love my pretty red dress and spiky hat. And Sabé was right; this hairstyle is perfect,_ she thought, grateful for her friend's impeccable fashion sense. _Cinnamon buns would have been completely wrong for this outfit,_ Padmé admitted, contacting Nute Gunray over the transmitter.

"Again you come before us, Your Highness," the Neimoidian Viceroy said, in his strange accent.

_Oh, you think your accent is weird? Listen to this..._ "You will not be so pleased when you hear what I have to say, Viceroy," Padmé droned haughtily, keeping her voice at a careful monotone. "Your trade boycott of our planet has ended." Padmé had only been Queen of Naboo for a few months now, but was already an expert in the traditional royal dialect.

"I was not aware of such failure," Nute Gunray said.

_What?_ "I have word that the Chancellor's Ambassadors are with you now, and that you have been commanded to reach a settlement," she replied confidently, masking her sudden concern. _The Jedi just took over your ship, right?_

"I know nothing of any Ambassadors," Nute insisted. "You must be mistaken."

_Ahh! What's going on up there?_ "Beware, Viceroy," Padmé warned him, stubbornly refusing to show vulnerability. "The Federation has gone too far this time." _Where the heck are the Jedi Ambassadors?_

"We would never do anything without the approval of the Senate," Nute replied. "You assume too much."

"We will see," Padmé said coldly, ending the transmission. Then she sighed. _I guess this security drill isn't over with after all._

* * *

><p><em>Meanwhile, NOT in the Royal Palace...<em>

"Noooooo!" Malok groaned, pounding the dashboard in frustration as he heard the pathetic but all-too-familiar sound of hyperdrive failure. "Not again." _I was supposed to be on Naboo half an hour ago... __I don't have time for this_, he lamented. It was a great honor to have been chosen for the part of Darth Maul; he didn't want to let the producers down.

_I'll never make it on time,_ Malok confessed, picking up his transmitter and contacting the director of _JEDI_. "Cliegg, it's Malok," he said. "I'm having engine trouble," he apologized. "I have to fix the hyperdrive. It will be at least another three hours before I can get to Naboo; I'm so sorry."

He could hear the director sighing on the other end. "No, it's all right," Cliegg told him. "We've just had a bit of an unexpected development on this end, too," he admitted, laughing quietly. "We've lost the Jedi."

* * *

><p><em>Meanwhile, up in space...<em>

"I don't know what went wrong," Dooku apologized to Cliegg. "I programmed the droid transports to land near the Royal Palace... I have no idea how they ended up on the other side of the planet," he sighed.

"We tried to contact the droids," Nute Gunray told him. "We asked them to search for the Jedi aboard their ships, but I doubt they understood," he admitted. "And they're definitely not here on our ship either."

Cliegg sighed, nodding. "All right," he said. "I guess we'll all just sit tight and see what happens."

* * *

><p><em>Meanwhile, on the wrong side of the planet...<em>

_Where in the blazes are we?_ Qui-Gon wondered, running through a swampy forest as the out-of-control droid battleships chased after him. _And where is Obi-Wan? Oh dear, I hope he hasn't gotten ill again..._

_And what in the name of the Force is THAT?_ he wondered, seeing a tall, gangly, flop-eared creature in front of him. "Get down!" Qui-Gon yelled, grabbing the strange newcomer and tackling it to the ground as the battleship plowed over them.

"Was'n dat?" the creature asked, peering curiously at Qui-Gon's hovercams as they stood up.

_Those are cameras. All right; have a nice day, whoever you are,_ Qui-Gon thought, running off to find Obi-Wan.

"Wait!" the newcomer yelled, chasing after him. "Whatsa yousa doin' here? Mesa lookin' for da mornin' munchings - oh!" he exclaimed, spotting a large nest on the ground. "Goffbird eggs! Yum!"

_Is he an idiot?_ Qui-Gon wondered, glancing back at the creature - then up at the tremendous predatory Goffbird that was circling above the forest. _He's going to get eaten alive._ Sighing in annoyance, Qui-Gon ran back toward his stupid companion.

"Oh, mooie mooie!" the creature babbled excitedly, gathering the eggs in his arms. "Mesa love yummy eggs! Mooie mooie - WAAAAAHHHH!" he shrieked suddenly, as the Goffbird swooped down, grabbing him in his talons and taking off into the air. "Noooo! Help!" he yelled, flailing in panic and flinging the eggs in all directions.

_Brilliant,_ Qui-Gon sighed, doing his best to catch most of the eggs, and using the Force to cushion their fall. "Let him go," he commanded the Goffbird, waving his fingers. But the Goffbird was glaring at _him_ now, and Qui-Gon glanced ruefully at the eggs he'd just caught, realizing that mind tricks tended to fail on irate parents who were protecting their young.

"Kawwwww!" the Goffbird shrieked furiously, grabbing Qui-Gon as well, and now carrying _both_ of them up into the air, high above the forest. _This is embarrassing,_ Qui-Gon sighed, reaching for his lightsaber and switching it on.

"KAAAA!" The Goffbird reeled suddenly, terrified by the strange glowing weapon; then it released Qui-Gon and the other creature from its talons, and they began plummeting back toward the ground, a hundred feet below.

"Hold on," Qui-Gon instructed the gangly creature quickly, still trying to hold the eggs carefully in his arms. But his warning was unnecessary; his new companion was already clinging to him for dear life.

_Please, let this part be cut from the show,_ Qui-Gon prayed, as he landed on the ground with an armful of Goffbird eggs, and a shrieking, panicked creature clinging to his face and babbling incoherently. "Let go of me," he grumbled, trying to pry the gangly creature off him as he set the eggs carefully back in their nest. "Now, go home," he commanded the stupid creature, heading off to find Obi-Wan.

"Oh, mooie mooie, I love you!" the creature babbled, continuing to follow him.

"You almost got us killed," Qui-Gon said, annoyed. "Are you brainless?"

"I spake," it pointed out.

"The ability to speak does not make you intelligent," Qui-Gon replied. "Now get out of here."

"No, no," the creature protested. "Mesa stay! Mesa called Jar Jar Binks! Mesa your humble servant!"

"That won't be necessary," Qui-Gon assured him.

"Oh, but it is! Tis demanded by the gods, it is!" Jar Jar insisted.

Just then Obi-Wan appeared in the forest, running for his life as he was chased by two battle droids on speeders. _This is getting out of control,_ Qui-Gon sighed, quickly dealing with the droids. _Obi-Wan, where is your lightsaber? _He glanced at his padawan worriedly._ And why in the blazes is your hair wet?_

"You saved my again!" Jar Jar gushed appreciatively. _Trust me, it wasn't intentional,_ Qui-Gon sighed. _Obi-Wan, keep running; save yourself..._ But his padawan had stopped, and was now eyeing the creature curiously.

"What's this?" Obi-Wan asked cautiously.

"A local," Qui-Gon replied. "Now let's get out of here, before more droids show up," he warned him. Obi-Wan took the hint, and they both ran away from the creature as fast as they could.

But alas, they did not run fast enough, and five miles later Jar Jar was still right behind them. "Ex-squeeze me, but de mostest safest place would be Gunga City. Is where I grew up. Tis a hidden city."

_Blast,_ Qui-Gon sighed, finally stopping. _Obi-Wan isn't feeling well, and I'm getting too old for all this running. Besides, this forest doesn't seem to end,_ he admitted, defeated. "A city?" he asked hopefully. "Can you take us there?"

"Uh... On second thought... No. Not really, no," Jar Jar apologized.

"No?" Qui-Gon asked, barely keeping his temper.

"Tis embarrassing," Jar Jar admitted. "But uh, my afraid my have been banished. My forgotten. Da bosses would to terrible things to me... Terrible things to me if me going back there," he explained pathetically.

Just then they heard another droid battleship crashing through the forest in the distance. "You hear that?" Qui-Gon asked the creature. "That is the sound of a thousand terrible things heading this way."

"If they find us, they will crush us, grind us into tiny pieces and blast us into oblivion," Obi-Wan added mischievously.

"Oh," Jar Jar agreed quickly. "Yousa point is well said. Dis way! Hurry!"

Obi-Wan ducked to avoid the creature's floppy ears; but suddenly he was overcome by another fit of TPM, as his hair turned red and curly. Thankfully it passed quickly; a moment later his hair was brown and straight - and bizarrely enough, wet again.

"How much further?" Qui-Gon asked, ignoring Obi-Wan's strange illness for the moment and focusing on their mission. It was getting dark; he realized they had completely missed their lightsaber duel with the Zabrak.

"Weesa goin in da water, okey day?" Jar Jar told him. "Ah, my warning you, Gungans no liken outsiders, so don't spect a warm welcome," he added, leading the way toward a large swamp.

"Oh, don't worry," Obi-Wan remarked dryly. "This hasn't been our day for warm welcomes."

_H__e's having too much fun with this assignment,_ Qui-Gon thought with fond amusement, as they pulled out their breathing devices and waded into the swamp. _And I'm grateful for the distraction as well,_ he admitted, stubbornly quelling his own grief as they swam down through the water toward Gunga City.


	56. Wait, how did we end up on Tatooine?

**Chapter 56**

_This place is beautiful,_ Obi-Wan thought, admiring the magical lights and shimmering bubbles of Gunga City. _If it weren't for the annoying residents, I should like to stay and explore a bit._

_Come on, Master, let's be going,_ he sighed impatiently. _No no, Master, there's no need to bring Jar Jar along; I'm sure they'll forgive him for whatever he's done... Master no... No... Please no... Nooooooo!_

_This was your idea, Master,_ Obi-Wan reminded him with an annoyed glance, adjusting the pilot's seat of the little underwater ship and stretching his legs comfortably as Qui-Gon awkwardly crammed himself into the tiny back seat.

_And now we're being chased by a giant Gooberfish,_ Obi-Wan sighed, glancing in his rear-view mirror. _Perfect._

* * *

><p><em>Grrr,<em> Padmé grumbled, marching down the stairs with Sabé and the rest of the royal guard while being held at gunpoint by her Uncle Dooku's battle droids. _This security drill didn't go so well after all._

It was scary to admit that Naboo's planetary defense system was so ineffective. It had only taken a matter of hours for Senator Palpatine to take control of the Royal Palace with the help of Nute Gunray and the droid army. _I had been counting on the Jedi to take care of everything,_ Padmé sighed unhappily. _Without their help, we are defenseless. Where are they, anyway?_

* * *

><p><em>Here we are,<em> Qui-Gon sighed in relief, as he and Obi-Wan emerged from their underwater transport, finding themselves in Naboo's capital city of Theed. _We might yet win this security drill._ They made their way toward the royal palace, then sneaked along an overhead passage, planning their attack.

The Queen's entourage was passing beneath them now, held at gunpoint by battle droids. Qui-Gon turned to Obi-Wan, signaling for him to jump down; but then he blinked worriedly, noting his son's red, curly hair. _Oh dear... Obi-Wan, are you feeling up for this?_ he asked silently, with a questioning glance. Obi-Wan nodded bravely, and they jumped off the bridge, attacking the droids.

Thankfully Obi-Wan's TPM cleared up in mid-air; by the time he landed his hair was brown and straight again, and he seemed to be feeling all right, as he was now executing a perfect jumping split-kick. _Good job, Obi-Wan,_ Qui-Gon thought proudly, as the two of them quickly took out the remainder of the battle droids, then led the Queen to safety.

"We are Ambassadors for the Supreme Chancellor," Qui-Gon informed Governor Bibble. _In case you were wondering_, he laughed to himself; between the Jedi outfits and the lightsabers, it was probably pretty obvious. _ Sorry we're late, by the way._

"Your negotiations seem to have failed, Ambassador," the Governor reproached him.

_Hey! It's not like your people did so well either,_ Qui-Gon thought indignantly. "The negotiations never took place," he told Bibble. _And what would I do next, if this were a real-life situation?_ "It's urgent that we make contact with the Republic," he decided quickly.

* * *

><p><em>What?<em> Obi-Wan wondered, as his Master continued to debate with the members of Naboo's parliament. _Qui-Gon is taking this drill a bit too seriously... Now we're going to Coruscant?_ he blinked, confused. _What about the Zabrak?_

* * *

><p><em>Yes!<em> Padmé thought excitedly, following the Jedi out to the docking bay along with Sabé and the rest of her bodyguards. _We're going to Coruscant!_ The older Jedi Ambassador had convinced them that this was a very serious matter, and Padmé realized that he was absolutely right. _It's time to plead our case before the Galactic Senate._

* * *

><p><em>Oh dear,<em> Governor Bibble thought worriedly, as the others marched out to the hangar. _They DO realize this is just a drill?_

* * *

><p>"We'll need to free those pilots," Captain Panaka noted.<p>

"I'll deal with that," Obi-Wan replied, hiking up his cloak sleeves in order to have use of his hands, or at least his fingertips. _Qui-Gon is right; I should have hemmed these sleeves years ago,_ he confessed._ But that can't be helped now,_ he decided, pushing Panaka aside and fighting the droids single-handed.

_Take that,_ he scowled fiercely, doing another perfectly-executed jumping split-kick. _Yes, I am being a complete show-off,_ he admitted, making his moves as flashy as possible for the cameras. _But this TPM is starting to get on my nerves, _he sighed._ And if I am to be a hideous mutant for the rest of my life, I deserve this one moment of glory._

* * *

><p><em>Yes!<em> Qui-Gon though triumphantly, as they blasted away from Naboo in the Queen's starship. Getting past the blockade would be a bit tricky, but with a bit of evasive maneuvering and some well-aimed laser blasts, it should be no problem...

_Now watch as I show off my fancy Jedi flying skills,_ he thought smugly, taking over the pilot's seat. _What?_ he blinked in disbelief. "No weapons?" he asked Captain Panaka worriedly. _And this thing can only fly in a straight, dignified fashion? What in the blazes is wrong with you people? You deserve to be invaded!_

"No, sir," Captain Panaka apologized. "We have an excellent shielding system though."

"Congratulations," Qui-Gon told him, sighing in annoyance as he gave over the controls. _All right, we'll just fly through the blockade and pretend their laser blasts don't damage us._

* * *

><p><em>Blast,<em> Obi-Wan cursed. _That thing is STILL following us?_ "Now stay here," he told Jar Jar, showing him into the droid storage room. "And keep out of trouble." _Let's play hide and seek. You close your eyes and count to eight billion, and I'll go hide..._

* * *

><p>"Uh... Should I shoot at them?" the Trade Federation captain asked uncertainly, as the royal starship flew towards them. <em>Are they insane?<em> he wondered, as the tiny, weaponless ship advanced upon their massive blockade.

"Yes," Senator Palpatine said. "But try not to actually hit them," he added; even on their lowest power, the Trade Federation's lasers could potentially damage the pathetic Nubian vessel.

"Very good, sir," the captain replied, aiming just to the side of the Queen's starship and accidentally hitting it on his first shot. _Damn... This is why we need to do more of these drills. I am so out of practice, _he admitted._ Hopefully that didn't do any damage._

* * *

><p>"The shield generator's been hit!" the Queen's pilot announced. <em>This crazy Jedi Ambassador is going to get us all killed.<em> He reached for his transmitter to warn the Trade Federation to hold their fire; then he sighed as he remembered. _They've been jamming our transmissions all day._ But thankfully the Trade Federation starships understood the danger, and were now aiming safely wide of the Nubian vessel, missing the ship by dozens of yards each time.

* * *

><p><em>Oopsie day, wesa in trouble,<em> Jar Jar realized worriedly, locked in the droid storage room. _Hmmm... Whatsa dis do?_ "Defend the Queen," the little red button said. _Okey day, datsa good plan..._

* * *

><p><em>Ahhhhh!<em> Artoo blinked anxiously. _Don't you dare touch that button, you crazy beast! Get away from me!_ The annoying flop-eared creature had programmed all the other astrodroids to 'Defend the Queen', but thankfully Artoo was spared from their fate as they received the order to repair the shield generator.

_Get out of my way, you insufferable moron,_ Artoo spat, following the other droids into the elevator.

"How rude!" Jar Jar said indignantly, as if he actually understood.

_Uh oh... This isn't good,_ Artoo admitted worriedly, quickly trying to fix the shield generator as his colleagues continued to be blown away by blaster fire. "Defend the Queen" was an emergency procedure in which the droids magnetically attracted all nearby laser fire onto themselves, to save the Queen from being hit.

* * *

><p>"We're losing droids fast," Obi-Wan remarked dryly. <em>Master, this security drill really is getting a bit out of hand,<em> he sighed. _And have you completely forgotten about our fight with the Zabrak warrior?_

"If we can't get the shield generator fixed, we'll be sitting ducks," Captain Panaka confessed.

"Shield's gone," the pilot announced; then a moment later he blinked in surprise. "The power's back!" he realized in amazement. "That little droid did it!"

Obi-Wan stifled an amused smile. _Well of course it did. That's its job,_ he laughed to himself, entertained by the Naboo's utter lack of combat experience. _That's what astrodroids are made to do. You're acting like it's some kind of miracle._

"There's not enough power to get us to Coruscant," the pilot said, after they were safely past the Trade Federation's blockade. _We're not really going back to Coruscant, are we?_ Obi-Wan thought, frowning. "The hyperdrive is leaking," the pilot added. _That's not good,_ Obi-Wan realized, quickly going to the computer and searching for a safe place to land.

"We'll have to land somewhere to refuel and repair the ship," Qui-Gon said. _Yes, I'm working on it..._

"There, Master," Obi-Wan said, pointing to his screen. "Tatooine. It's small, out of the way, poor... The Trade Federation have no presence there," he added, uncertain whether they were still engaging in the security drill.

"How can you be sure?" Captain Panaka asked suspiciously. _Yes, we're STILL doing this blasted drill,_ Obi-Wan sighed; but he was starting to sense something else._ Panaka and the pilot think Master Qui-Gon handled this badly,_ he realized, frowning. _Do you people really think you could have done better? As I recall, you were being held at gunpoint before we came along._

"It's controlled by the Hutts," Qui-Gon reassured them.

"You can't take her royal Highness there!" Captain Panaka protested. "The Hutts are gangsters! If they discovered her - "

"It would be no different than if we landed on a system controlled by the Federation," Qui-Gon said calmly. "Except that the Hutts aren't looking for her, which gives us the advantage," he pointed out, as Obi-Wan gave Captain Panaka an indignant glare. _If you disrespect my Master one more time I'll lock you in the storage room with Jar Jar._

* * *

><p>"Senator, there's an unidentified small vessel approaching," the Trade Federation captain said. "Should I contact it?"<p>

"Yes," Palpatine nodded; they had been jamming local transmissions all day for the purpose of the drill, but it would be dangerous not to warn this newcomer of the mock invasion. In any case, the Queen's starship had already gotten past the blockade, though Palpatine wasn't certain if Padmé was aboard. _She's a sneaky one,_ he admitted, smiling fondly. _I wouldn't put it past her if that whole stunt was just a diversion. She's probably still back on Naboo, dressed as a commoner._

Still, whoever _was_ aboard that Nubian cruiser hadn't played by the rules; in a real-life scenario they would have been shot down instantly, and would never have made it past the blockade. _We must equip the royal starship with weapons,_ Palpatine admitted reluctantly. Like all of Naboo's citizens, Palpatine was a pacifist at heart; but he was also a realist, and knew that the time had come to change some of their policies. _We must at least have the ability to protect ourselves in an emergency._

"This is Captain Telari of the Trade Federation," the captain introduced himself over the transmitter. "We are conducting a planetwide security drill; please identify yourself."

"This is Malok, of Iridonia," the newcomer replied. "I'm here to film a scene for _JEDI._"

"Ah! Excellent," Palpatine said, taking over the transmitter. "Malok! You're here; come on aboard," he said cheerfully. Then he went to the lounge, where Cliegg and Nute Gunray were engaged in a game of chess. "Malok's here," he told them.

"Oh, great," Cliegg said, getting up to greet the Zabrak. "Any word on the Jedi?" he asked hopefully; they had been missing for several hours now, and no one seemed to know where they had gone.

"No," Palpatine confessed; then he laughed ruefully. "In the meantime I think we may have lost the Queen; the royal starship blasted through here a few minutes ago," he said. "The security drill might be over now; I'm going to contact Governor Bibble, and find out where we stand," he told Cliegg, returning to the command bridge.

"Sio," Palpatine said, contacting his friend over the transmitter. "What's going on down there?" he asked. "And what was that stunt all about, with the Queen's starship?" he asked indignantly. _You're cheating, my friend._

"The Jedi Ambassadors advised the Queen to seek the Senate's help," Governor Bibble told him, clearly proud of himself. "They're taking her to Coruscant; did they make it past the blockade?" he asked hopefully.

"Yes," Palpatine admitted, with an annoyed glare. "But if you think you have won this bet, you are sadly mistaken, my friend. In a real-life scenario we would have blasted that ship to pieces." Then he realized what Sio had told him. "You said the Jedi are with her?"

"Yes, they finally met up with us here at the Royal Palace," Sio confirmed. "They're on their way to Coruscant now."

"Ah," Palpatine nodded. _Cliegg won't be happy to hear that,_ he sighed; Malok had finally just arrived to film their lightsaber duel. "All right," he said, thinking quickly. "I'm going to catch up with them on Coruscant. But this is not over," he added, with a mischievous grin. "I see Dooku's army has caught up with you once again," he chuckled, noticing that his friend was surrounded by battle droids.

"Yes, they have," Sio sighed, glaring at Palpatine in annoyance. "So what now?"

Palpatine grinned evilly. "Well I'm not telling you, am I?" he replied, ending the transmission.

"What's going on?" Cliegg asked, joining him with Malok and Nute Gunray. "Have they found the Jedi?"

"Yes," Palpatine told him. "They're aboard the Queen's starship, on their way to Coruscant now," he explained. "I'm on my way there too."

Cliegg laughed, shaking his head. "Malok, I'm sorry," he apologized. "All right, I guess we'll go there too, and do the lightsaber duel on Coruscant," he said, as Malok nodded agreeably. "But before we go, can we film one quick scene?"

_A few minutes later..._

"Queen Amidala," Palpatine inquired, playing Darth Sidious via holo transmission. "Has she signed the treaty?"

"She has disappeared, My Lord," Nute Gunray informed him. "One Naboo cruiser got past the blockade."

"I want that treaty signed," Palpatine warned him.

"My Lord, it's impossible to locate the ship; it's out of our range," Nute protested.

_Ha..._ "Not for a Sith," Palpatine replied. _I love this show; who would have thought I'd end up playing a Sith Lord?_ "This is my apprentice, Darth Maul," he continued, as Malok stepped up behind him. "He will find your lost ship."

"Thank you," Cliegg said appreciatively, as they boarded separate ships in the docking bay. "I'll meet up with you guys on Coruscant."

* * *

><p><em>Force, help me,<em> Obi-Wan prayed, trying to look serious. _They're holding an official ceremony for an astrodroid._

_Starving children... Dying babies... What else is sad?_ Obi-Wan asked himself, desperately trying not to laugh; he could sense Qui-Gon's amusement as well, which made it even worse.

But then he remembered, and felt as though he had been punched in the stomach. _Soon I won't have this problem, because my whole face will be paralyzed,_ Obi-Wan realized. _And I'll never be able to see Leila again..._

"Your Highness," Qui-Gon said, stepping forward. "With your permission, we're heading for a remote planet called Tatooine," he told her. "It's in a system far beyond the reach of the Trade Federation."

_Please let this blasted drill be over soon,_ Obi-Wan thought miserably. _I just want to see Leila one last time, before it's too late._

"I do not agree with the Jedi on this," Captain Panaka told the Queen.

_All right,_ Obi-Wan thought, frowning. _I've had enough of you. I AM going to lock you in that storage closet, the next time I get a chance._

"You must trust my judgment, Your Highness," Qui-Gon told the Queen gently.

_That's right,_ Obi-Wan thought indignantly; but then he felt a wave of nausea, and he knew it was happening again. "Excuse me," he said, bowing quickly as he rushed from the Queen's chamber. _Oh, I feel sick... And I know my hair is turning orange; Qui-Gon told me about that..._ Obi-Wan ran quickly to the storage room where he had locked Jar Jar.

"Obi!" Jar Jar exclaimed happily. "Mesa - "

"Get out," Obi-Wan said abruptly, shoving the Gungan out the door and closing it behind him; then he sank to the floor cross-legged, hanging his head and weeping. _This is the worst day of my entire life,_ he cried, sobbing quietly. _And it's only going to get worse from here,_ he realized. Soon the red hair would be permanent, and his symptoms would progress to paralyzed facial muscles and freakishly pale, bulging eyes.

_Leila can't see me like that,_ Obi-Wan choked, hanging his head. _I would die..._ But now he heard a knock on the door, and sniffed back his tears, doing what he could to compose himself.

"Obi-Wan," Qui-Gon said gently, from the other side of the door. "Are you all right?"

"Yes, Master," he replied. "I'm sorry; I just need a moment alone."

* * *

><p><em>My poor boy,<em> Qui-Gon thought sadly. He wanted to go in there, and console him; but Obi-Wan had asked to be left alone, and Qui-Gon respected his space. _It's been a hard day. He will be all right in a moment,_ he told himself, returning to the cockpit.

_And now we have other problems to deal with,_ he sighed. The hyperdrive was broken, and would need to be repaired before they could leave Tatooine. The Jedi Council would need to be alerted of their whereabouts; and finally, Qui-Gon recalled that he was supposed to be filming a lightsaber duel with the Zabrak on Naboo.

_But first I will need to contact Governor Bibble, and let him know that the Queen is safe,_ he realized. _Hopefully the Trade Federation has stopped jamming transmissions, now that she has escaped._

* * *

><p>"Governor, we are receiving a holo transmission from the Jedi Ambassador," one of his aides informed him.<p>

_Not now,_ Sio Bibble sighed. He had been racing Nute Gunray and Padmé's uncle Dooku through the hallways of the Royal Palace in walking crab chairs, and Sio had been in the lead. But duty called, and he regretfully followed his aide back down to the throne room to speak with the Ambassador.

"Yes, Ambassador," Sio said politely.

"Governor Bibble," the Jedi replied, bowing. "We are experiencing engine trouble, and have landed on Tatooine to make some repairs," he informed him. "The Queen is safe; we will return as soon as possible," he promised.

"You're on Tatooine?" Sio asked, blinking in surprise. "I thought you were going to Coruscant?"

"We were," the Jedi said; then he looked at Sio curiously. "What is the status of the security drill; has it been called off at this point?"

_I wish,_ Sio sighed ruefully. "No," he told the Ambassador. "I'm still being held hostage by Viceroy Gunray and the droid army, and Palpatine and Darth Maul have gone on ahead to Coruscant to catch up with you and the Queen," he explained.

"Darth Maul... The Zabrak warrior?" the Jedi asked, surprised.

"Yes," Sio nodded. "The _JEDI_ director has gone ahead to Coruscant as well," he told him. "They're expecting you to be there already," he added, trying not to sound as annoyed as he felt. _These Jedi Ambassadors they sent for our security drill really aren't very good,_ he thought, sighing. _They've made a complete botch of everything so far._

"Very well," the Jedi nodded respectfully. "We shall do our best to meet up with them on Coruscant as soon as we can," he promised. "Thank you, Governor," he said politely, ending the transmission.

_What a mess,_ Sio sighed, returning to the third floor to resume his walking crab chair race with Nute and Dooku. _But at least those blasted droids have been shut down for the moment,_ he consoled himself. _They were really beginning to annoy me._

* * *

><p><em>Meanwhile, traveling through hyperspace...<em>

_I still feel bad that I was so late,_ Malok sighed, on his way to Coruscant. _Engine trouble sucks. But I guess it turned out all right; the Jedi were lost the whole time anyway, _he realized, amused by this whole fiasco.

_This works out very well,_ he admitted. _Coruscant is on my way back home; I'll just stop off there, film a quick fight with the Jedi, and be back home by tonight_. Malok's wife was pregnant with their first child, and he was anxious to get back home to her.

_I'm really looking forward to the lightsaber duel though,_ Malok thought cheerfully. _I hope these Jedi are good._ Then he sighed, stretching uncomfortably in his cramped pilot's seat. _Ugh... I'll be glad to get to Coruscant,_ he confessed. _I've flown halfway across the galaxy twice today,_ he laughed to himself. _That's kind of insane, for a five-minute fight scene._


	57. Hey, let's get Ani out here too!

**Chapter 57**

"Obi-Wan," came a quiet voice from the hallway.

Obi-Wan wiped away his tears, composing himself. "Yes, Master," he replied. "Come in." A moment later Qui-Gon entered the room, giving Obi-Wan an encouraging smile.

"I've contacted Governor Bibble," Qui-Gon told him. "The drill is still on; we need to bring the Queen to Coruscant as soon as possible. The _JEDI_ director and the Zabrak warrior have gone on to Coruscant too. Hopefully we can film the lightsaber duel when we get back, and then we'll be done with this mess."

Obi-Wan nodded. "What's our next move, Master?"

"We need to get a new part to fix the hyperdrive," Qui-Gon replied. "I'm going into town now; with any luck I'll be back in a few hours, and then we can be on our way," he told him. "I need you to stay here, and protect the Queen," he added gently.

"Yes, Master," Obi-Wan nodded obediently, managing a smile.

Qui-Gon nodded, then looked at him with quiet concern. "Are you all right, Obi-Wan?"

"Yes, Master," Obi-Wan assured him. "I'm sorry, Master; it's been a long day."

"Yes, it has," Qui-Gon agreed, sighing. "But hopefully we'll be on our way back to Coruscant in a few hours," he said, getting up. "And then I think we both will have earned dinner at Dex's," he added good-naturedly.

Obi-Wan smiled. "Thank you, Master," he said humbly, following him out to the hallway; Qui-Gon was being so patient with him, and hadn't reprimanded him for his pathetic crying fit earlier.

They returned to the Queen's chamber, and Obi-Wan laughed despite himself as he saw the little astrodroid. It had been lovingly cleaned and polished by the Queen's handmaiden, and now the Queen herself was insisting that Qui-Gon take the heroic R-2 unit into town for minor cosmetic repairs.

_The people of Naboo are incredibly silly,_ Obi-Wan thought, amused; but then he sighed wearily. _Between Captain Panaka and the Gungan, my patience is starting to wear a bit thin._

* * *

><p>"I'll be back in a few hours," Qui-Gon assured the Queen, taking his leave with the little astrodroid; then he sighed, remembering the cameras. He and Obi-Wan had shut them down for a while, but now Qui-Gon clipped the homing device back onto his belt, remembering that he had agreed to allow the cameras to film him on the job at all times.<p>

_These cameras are rather annoying, but this will soon be over,_ Qui-Gon told himself. _And then I'll never have to do it again,_ he laughed, remembering that he was to be written off the show after the lightsaber duel with the Zabrak warrior.

He had almost made his escape from the ship when he heard an annoying voice behind him. "Ex-squeeze me!" the Gungan called, chasing after him. "Can mesa be coming with yousa?"

Qui-Gon sighed, remembering why he had brought Jar Jar along in the first place. _How can I expect people to show compassion for my son, if I have none for this creature?_ "Of course, Jar Jar," he said, managing a smile. _Obi-Wan could use some time alone right now._

* * *

><p>Captain Panaka watched as the older Jedi Ambassador left with the astrodroid and the Gungan. <em>The Jedi are splitting up,<em> he realized worriedly. _And he's leaving us with the little crybaby padawan._ Panaka had heard muffled sobs coming from inside the droid storage room earlier, and he did not like this new turn of events.

Because of the security drill, Panaka and the other bodyguards were armed with fake blasters, and were helpless to defend the Queen in case anything actually went wrong. _That Jedi kid is the only thing protecting this ship,_ he sighed.

"Your Highness," Panaka said quietly to Padmé, who was now dressed as one of the handmaidens. "We are unarmed, and I do not trust this younger Jedi's competence," he told her. "I think you would be safer going with the older one." _Not that I like him any better; but he's been doing all the talking so far,_ Panaka realized. _And if HE'S the smart one, I hate to imagine how brainless this kid must be._

Thankfully Padmé agreed, and a moment later they were following the older Jedi off the ship. "Wait!" Panaka called after him, trudging as slowly as possible through the sand so as not to look like he was hurrying. _It's fun to annoy this guy._ "Wait," he demanded importantly. "Her Highness commands that you take her handmaiden with you."

"No more commands from her Highness today, Captain," the Jedi replied. "This spaceport is not going to be pleasant."

"The Queen wishes it," Panaka insisted, giving the Ambassador a dangerous glare. _Don't make me shoot you with this fake blaster._ "She's curious about the planet."

The Jedi sighed. "This is not a good idea," he said. "Stay close to me," he told Padmé, leading the way through the desert.

* * *

><p><em>I love Tatooine,<em> Padmé thought blissfully, trudging along beside the Jedi Ambassador. _A whole planet made of magical sand._

* * *

><p><em>Finally,<em> Qui-Gon sighed wearily. _A junk dealer who doesn't use slave labor._ They had found several other dealers who had the part they needed to fix the hyperdrive, but the Queen's handmaiden had stubbornly refused to do business with anyone who employed slaves. "Hi chuba da naga?" the blue Toydarian shop owner was asking them now.

"I need parts for a J-type 327 Nubian," Qui-Gon explained.

"Ah yes. Nubian. We have lots of that," Watto assured him, showing him outside to the junk yard. "A T-14 hyperdrive generator! You're in luck; I'm the only one hereabouts who has one," he lied. "But you might as well buy a new ship. It would be cheaper, I think, heh? Saying of which, how is it you're going to pay for all this?"

"I have twenty thousand Republic dactaries," Qui-Gon told him.

"Republic credits? Republic credits are no good out here," Watto protested. "I need something more real."

"I don't have anything else," Qui-Gon said. "But credits will do fine," he added, waving his fingers at the creature.

"No, they won't," Watto retorted.

"Credits _will_ do fine," Qui-Gon insisted, waving his hand again.

"No, they won't," Watto repeated. "What, you think you're some kinda Jedi, waving your hand around like that?" he asked. "I'm a Toydarian. Mind tricks don't work on me. Only money. No money, no parts! No deal! And no one else has a T-14 hyperdrive, I promise you that," he lied again.

_I can't blame him for lying,_ Qui-Gon sighed wearily. _It's the only way to survive in this town. But he IS the only one who doesn't employ slaves._ "All right; let me see what I can do," he told Watto, going outside the shop to contact Obi-Wan.

* * *

><p>"Obi-Wan, you're sure there isn't anything of value left on board?" Qui-Gon asked, over the comlink.<p>

"A few containers of supplies, the Queen's wardrobe, maybe," Obi-Wan told him regretfully. "Not enough for you to barter with. Not in the amounts you're talking about."

"All right," Qui-Gon sighed. "Another solution will present itself. I'll check back," he promised, turning off his comlink.

_Please come back soon, Master,_ Obi-Wan thought. _These people are holding a droid funeral now,_ he sighed, returning to the Queen's chamber to pay his respects to the brave little astrodroids who had heroically sacrificed themselves in battle.

* * *

><p>"No again," Jar Jar protested. "No again! Da bees hereabouts crazy! Wesa be robbed and crunched!"<p>

"Not likely," Qui-Gon said. "We have nothing of value. That's our problem."

_Aww... Mesa wish mesa could help,_ Jar Jar sighed. "Ah! Mooie mooie!" he exclaimed, seeing a yummy dead frog hanging from a wire. Reaching out his ten-foot tongue, he grabbed the tasty delicacy; but alas, it got away from him and flew across the street, hitting one of the patrons at the nearby cafe.

* * *

><p>"Chuba!" Sebulba exclaimed, as the frog hit him in the face. <em>Who did that?<em> Looking around indignantly, he spotted the culprit, and sprang toward him angrily, wrestling him to the ground.

"Ni chuba ni?" he asked dangerously. _Is this yours?_

"Who, mesa?" the creature asked innocently, blinking its yellow eyes coquettishly.

It was love at first sight. _He's beautiful,_ Sebulba thought dreamily, mesmerized by the Gungan's amber eyes. But he knew he had no chance with this gorgeous creature. _He would never be attracted to a crippled freak like me,_ Sebulba sighed. _Even if I am the best pod racer on Tatooine._ Sebulba had been born with his arms and legs switched, and he had bravely overcome his disability in the pod racing arena, but it had made romantic relationships nearly impossible.

"I'm sorry," Sebulba apologized, giving the frog back to the tall, exquisitely handsome foreigner and feeling stupid as he walked away on his hands. But then he became aware of the creature's plight, as one of the nearby vendors began to yell at him, demanding that he pay for the frog.

"Mesa have no money," the Gungan apologized. "Here... Yousa take yousa frog back," he offered.

"Well I don't want it now," the vendor spat disdainfully, throwing it back at him. "You've slobbered all over it! And you'd better enjoy that; I hear the food in Jabba's dungeon isn't nearly as good," he added, calling for security.

"I'll pay for that," Sebulba said quickly; he couldn't bear to think of that sweet creature suffering in Jabba's dungeon.

"Yousa saved me!" the Gungan gushed happily. "Mesa love you!" he exclaimed, hugging Sebulba.

Sebulba blushed, giving his new friend a shy hug. "You're very welcome," he assured the beautiful, exotic foreigner. "My name is Sebulba," he added, introducing himself.

"Nice to be meeting yousa! Mesa called Jar Jar Binks!" the Gungan replied, shaking Sebulba's foot. "Desa my friends," Jar Jar added, as he was joined by two humans and an astrodroid. "Padmé, Artoo, and Qui-Gon!"

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Sebulba said politely, greeting the foreigners and wondering if they were all really just 'friends', or if any of them were more intimately involved with Jar Jar. _Is it possible that such a gorgeous creature is still available? Not that he would ever want me,_ Sebulba reminded himself glumly, pushing his feelings aside.

Then he remembered their plight. _They don't even have enough money to pay for one little frog,_ he realized. "Would you like to join me for lunch?" he asked hopefully, seeing that they were hungry. _They seem like nice people._

The tall man looked as if he were about to decline Sebulba's offer; but then he saw Jar Jar's hunger and weariness, and graciously accepted the offer. "Thank you, Sebulba," Qui-Gon said, as they all sat down together. "That is very kind of you. I had not expected such hospitality from the local residents," he added, with an appreciative smile.

Sebulba nodded, smiling; then he noticed the hovering cameras that were aimed at them. "What's all this?" he asked, curious.

"Oh," Qui-Gon said. "We're filming for a reality holo-broadcast called _JEDI;_ perhaps you've heard of it?"

Sebulba's eyes widened. "Yes!" he exclaimed. "Oh my goodness, are we on the show right now?"

"No, no," Qui-Gon assured him, laughing. "The director edits the footage afterwards, and picks the most interesting parts for the show," he explained. "Not that this isn't interesting," he added quickly.

"Ah," Sebulba nodded. "So what are you doing here on Tatooine?"

"We're having engine trouble," Qui-Gon told him. "We need to get back to Coruscant, but we don't have any local money to pay for the repairs to our ship. I don't suppose you know anyone who could help us?"

Sebulba sighed. "No," he admitted. "The honest people in this town are poor, and the people who have money - you don't want to get involved with them," he warned the Jedi. "I am just a lowly pod racer myself," he explained modestly.

"Pod racer? What is that?" Qui-Gon asked, curious.

"It's our main sporting event around here," Sebulba told them. "I can show you after lunch if you'd like; the track is not far from here. There's a big race the day after tomorrow, for Boonta Eve." Then a thought occurred to him. "If you need money," he said hesitantly. "It's risky, but there might be a way..."

* * *

><p>"Betting on a pod race," Qui-Gon mused, as Sebulba explained his idea. "It could work," he admitted, giving Padmé a questioning look. <em>Would the Queen approve of this?<em> But to his surprise, she nodded agreeably. "I have an idea," he said. "I take it that the best payoff would be to bet on someone who has little chance of winning?"

"Theoretically, yes," Sebulba agreed. "_If_ they win, the payoff would be huge."

"And you say a human has never done it before?" Qui-Gon asked.

"That's right," Sebulba confirmed. "The races are very fast; humans don't have quick enough reflexes."

Qui-Gon nodded. "I should like to give it a try," he told him. "You say these racing pods can be built relatively inexpensively?"_ Perhaps we can trade the astrodroid for the parts we need, and then I could enter the race. Being human, people would think me an unlikely candidate; and then if I won..._

But Sebulba was laughing, obviously amused. "I do not doubt your skill, Master Jedi," he told him good-naturedly. "But I'm afraid you're far too big; you would never fit in a racing pod."

Qui-Gon sighed, admitting that he _was_ freakishly tall. But perhaps Obi-Wan could do it... "How small do you have to be?" he asked._ Oh dear; Sebulba really is tiny,_ he realized.

"One hundred pounds is the maximum limit," Sebulba told him. "There is no official height requirement, but pod racers are usually under five feet tall."

_Not Obi-Wan, then,_ Qui-Gon sighed. _Master Yoda?_ he wondered briefly; then he shook his head. _No, he would never do it._ Yoda hated flying, and in any case, he had refused to be filmed on _JEDI_ since his TPM had become more advanced over the past few months. He was embarrassed to be seen with his stiff, hardened skin and bulging eyes.

_Who else is small?_ Qui-Gon asked himself. _No,_ he told himself quickly, dismissing the ridiculous idea that had just popped into his mind._ Yoda would never allow it._ But his heart ached as another thought came to him. _Anakin deserves to see his brother, before it's too late._

"Sebulba," he asked. "What if I brought in a Jedi youngling to enter the race? I know one who is an excellent pilot... And speaks Huttese," he added, delighted by the realization; all younglings were required to learn a foreign language, and of course Anakin had chosen the most ridiculous one imaginable. "We could pass him off as a local boy."

"That could work," Sebulba agreed. Then he squinted at Qui-Gon. "Wait a minute... If you can bring in a Jedi youngling, why can't you just have someone bring you the part you need for your ship?"

"Ah," Qui-Gon sighed. "It's complicated," he told Sebulba, with an annoyed glance at Padmé. The Queen's handmaiden was making this drill incredibly difficult; Qui-Gon had tried several times to cut corners and bend the rules slightly, suggesting that the Queen didn't have to know, but Padmé had simply glared at him. _I admire her honesty though,_ he sighed ruefully.

"I'm afraid our entire plight is the result of a drunken bet," Qui-Gon told Sebulba now, explaining their security drill. "The Queen has already been accused of cheating once for running the blockade, and our penalty is that we must make the necessary repairs and get back to Coruscant without any outside help from the Republic," he told him. Then he sighed, remembering something else. "This won't work," he realized unhappily. "We can't ask for help from the Jedi Council."

But Padmé looked thoughtful. "Not necessarily," she countered. "What if the youngling isn't sent by the Council? What if he's brought here as part of the _JEDI_ show?"

"That's not a bad idea," Qui-Gon conceded, impressed. "Do you think the Queen would allow it?"

"I think she would," Padmé nodded, sounding reasonably confident. "Do you think this youngling would have a chance of winning?" she asked; he would have to finish in at least third place for the bet to pay off.

Qui-Gon grinned. "I think he would," he told her, equally confident. "All right, then," he said cheerfully. "All we need is a racing pod, or the parts to build one... From a dealer who doesn't employ slaves," he mused. "If we can figure out a way to enter the race, I'll tell Cliegg about our plan; hopefully he will agree to it."

Sebulba was fascinated by all of this, and joined them as they returned to Watto's shop to look for parts for a racing pod. "I can help you fix up a racing pod, and I'll stay clear of the boy during the race," he promised. "But as for winning, that's up to him. I'm an honest racer; I have a reputation to uphold, and I will not throw the race," he warned them.

"I understand," Qui-Gon said, respecting Sebulba's integrity; then he gave him a worried look. "What do you mean, you'll stay clear of him during the race?"

"Ah," Sebulba sighed. "It's a dangerous sport," he admitted. "Passing is tricky; sometimes the pods get tangled, and then it's a big mess," he told Qui-Gon. "Usually less than half the contestants finish the race. But crashing isn't so bad; the pods are designed to disintegrate and absorb most of the impact, and typically there are no serious injuries," he assured him.

"But the worst thing is sabotage," Sebulba continued. "It's against the rules, but too many people do it," he lamented. "They'll mess with your pod before the race, or throw things at you as they're passing, to jam your engines."

Qui-Gon nodded; he didn't like the idea of his son scraping against the side of a cliff or ditching in the sand at a hundred miles an hour, but Jedi were more resilent than normal humans, and even at his tender age, Anakin had suffered worse crashes. _He'll be fine,_ Qui-Gon assured himself. _He's been flying since he was three. But I AM going to make him wear a helmet, just in case._

They had been perusing Watto's junk yard for parts to build a racing pod, and now the Toydarian came out to greet them. "You're back," he said. "And I see you've made a new friend," he added, grinning at Sebulba.

"Yes," Qui-Gon nodded, explaining to the Toydarian what was going on.

"_JEDI,_ eh?" Watto grinned, impressed. "I tell you what: if I can be on the show, you can borrow the parts you need for a racing pod," he offered. "But I want it back in one piece afterward," he warned Qui-Gon good-naturedly.

"Yes, I hope it will be in one piece afterward too," Qui-Gon agreed heartily. _Although considering Anakin's record, that isn't likely,_ he sighed. Anakin was an excellent pilot, and knew how to handle himself in a crash, but he was also a risk-taker, and unfortunately he crashed all too often. _Ahh, but that's how children learn,_ Qui-Gon thought proudly.

"All right," he said now. "Thank you both for your help," he told Sebulba and Watto. "We need to get back to our ship," he added regretfully. "But I'll contact the director of _JEDI_, and hopefully he will agree to our plan," he told them, smiling appreciatively as they took their leave and headed back across the desert to rejoin the others.

He found Obi-Wan waiting outside the ship, looking out towards the distant cliffs with a wistful expression on his face. _Ah,_ Qui-Gon smiled to himself. _He has heard the dragons too._ Obi-Wan was in love with the creatures, ever since they had discovered a nest of Varactyls on Utapau when he was a very young padawan.

"Master," Obi-Wan said, obviously glad to see him. "How did it go?"

Qui-Gon filled him in on their plan, as Obi-Wan listened, frowning skeptically. "A youngling?" he asked. "Master Yoda will never agree to that."

"He might," Qui-Gon told him. "I'm going to contact him now," he added, heading back toward the ship. "Obi-Wan, if you'd like to do a bit of exploring, I'll watch the ship for a while," he offered. "Here, take my comlink," he said, handing it to him.

Obi-Wan grinned cheerfully. "Thank you, Master," he said. "I think there's a Krayt dragon somewhere in the caves over there," he told him. "Let me know if you need me for anything," he added, heading out across the desert.

Qui-Gon smiled, watching him leave; then he sighed, returning to the ship to contact Yoda. "Master Yoda," he said, bowing. "We've come up with a plan to get the money we need to repair our ship," he told him, with a rueful smile. He had told Yoda earlier about their security drill, and the Jedi Master found it all very amusing.

"I know I can't ask for the Council's help with this, but I wanted to speak with you before I talk to Cliegg. We're hoping to enter a Jedi youngling in a pod race the day after tomorrow, as part of the _JEDI_ show," he explained. "If he finishes within the top three, we will have the money we need. But Cliegg will need your permission to bring the boy here."

"I see," Yoda replied thoughtfully. "Dangerous, pod racing can be," he mused. "Wear a helmet, this youngling must," he stipulated. "But my permission, Cliegg shall have," he assured him.

"Thank you, Master Yoda," Qui-Gon nodded. _At least that's settled._ "Master, there is one other thing," he said regretfully. "It's about Obi-Wan... Master Yoda, he has been diagnosed with TPM."

Yoda was silent for a moment. "Obi-Wan... Certain of this, you are?" he asked, deeply alarmed.

"Yes, Master," Qui-Gon replied. "He was diagnosed just before we left for Naboo. He is still in the early stages; it's barely noticeable, but... Master Yoda, I was wondering if it might be possible to send Anakin for the pod race. I want him to see Obi-Wan, before... before it's too late," he pleaded.

Yoda nodded gravely; he and Master Windu were the only ones who knew that Obi-Wan and Anakin were brothers. "Like this, I do not," he told Qui-Gon. "But agree with you, I do," he conceded, sighing. "Sad news about Obi-Wan, this is," he said quietly, hanging his head in dismay. "See his brother, Anakin should."

"Thank you, Master Yoda," Qui-Gon said, bowing. "I shall contact Cliegg Lars and let him know of our plan." Qui-Gon ended the transmission, hanging his head and taking a moment to compose himself before contacting the director of _JEDI_.

* * *

><p><em>A few minutes later, back on Coruscant...<em>

"Ah, there you are," Cliegg said cheerfully, finding Palpatine and Malok in the Senator's chamber. They had been playing card games all morning while they waited for the Jedi to arrive with the Queen. "I've just spoken with Master Qui-Gon; there's been a slight change in plans," he told them, with a rueful laugh.

"They're going to be stuck on Tatooine for at least two more days; I'll be joining them to film some footage there," Cliegg explained. "But then we'll all be back, and the security drill can continue," he assured Palpatine. "Malok, I'm so sorry; if you just want to go home at this point, I completely understand," he apologized. "I know you're eager to get back to your wife."

"No," Malok said, laughing. "I didn't fly across the galaxy twice for nothing; I'll wait." Palpatine had explained the security drill to him; Malok was eager to see how this all turned out, and he was still very much looking forward to his lightsaber duel with the Jedi.

"All right then," Cliegg nodded gratefully. "Thank you, Malok; I should be back in a couple of days," he told them, taking his leave.

_And now to pick up this Jedi youngling,_ Cliegg thought excitedly. Qui-Gon had explained his idea about the pod race, and Cliegg thought it was fantastic; his mind was already racing as he made plans. Yoda had given him permission to choose a youngling for the part, and had recommended a boy who spoke Huttese and would be able to pass as a local Tatooine boy.

"Hello," he said respectfully, introducing himself as he entered the Temple. "My name is Cliegg Lars; I'm the director of _JEDI_," he explained. "I'm looking for a youngling named Anakin Skywalker."

* * *

><p><em>Meanwhile, elsewhere in the Temple...<em>

"Anakin," Master Syrio said, exasperated. "How do you lose a lightsaber _in_ lightsaber practice?"

"I don't know," Anakin protested, looking around the training room in dismay as the other younglings continued with their exercises. "I had it a few minutes ago," he promised. _Ahhh! How does this keep happening?_

"All right," Master Syrio sighed, going to the supply closet and pulling out another one. "But if you lose this one, you won't get another until next month," he said sternly, handing it to Anakin.

"Yes, Master," Anakin promised, bowing politely as he returned to his exercises. _I won't lose this one,_ he told himself stubbornly, carefully executing the slow, graceful movements along with his classmates. _I will clip it on my belt when I'm done with it, and I won't put it down anywhere, not even for a second,_ he resolved.

_Arghh,_ he sighed, forcing himself to concentrate on his saber techniques. _Lightsaber practice is so boring. I wish we had arts and crafts today... or boys' choir,_ he sighed wistfully. _It's too bad we only rehearse once a week... We could be so much better if we practiced more,_ he lamented. The boys' choir had a concert coming up next week, but they were not nearly ready for it.

_I know all my words though,_ Anakin thought proudly, going over the songs in his head as he went through the motions of his lightsaber exercises. _My choir director says I'm really good at memorizing words. Of course, my favorite one is really easy,_ he grinned to himself, singing it softly as he continued to practice.

_Yah yah yah... Yah yah yah... Yah yah yah yah yah... Yah Ya -_

"Anakin," Master Syrio said, coming over to him.

"I'm sorry!" Anakin apologized, blinking. _Crap! I was singing again,_ he cringed. _Ahh, this is embarrassing..._

"Anakin, this is Cliegg Lars," his teacher continued, as Anakin blinked in surprise at the strange man. _He's not a Jedi..._ "Master Yoda has chosen you for a special assignment," he explained. "Cliegg will be taking you to Tatooine, to enter in a pod race."

_Tatooine?_ "Nice to meet you," Anakin said, bowing politely to the stranger; then he looked up at his teacher in confusion. "What's a pod race, Master?" he asked uncertainly.

"It's a popular sport on Tatooine," Master Syrio explained. "You race through the desert in a little hovering speeder."

"Oh," Anakin nodded, blinking doubtfully. _They don't even really fly? Why am I doing this?_ "Yes, Master," he replied obediently; then he remembered. "Master, will I be back in time for my concert?" he asked worriedly.

"Yes, Ani," Master Syrio assured him. "You'll only be gone for a couple of days. Cliegg will take good care of you, and you'll be working with Master Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi as well," he told him.

"Yes Master," Anakin replied obediently. _I have no idea who those people are... Aww, I'm going to miss arts and crafts tomorrow,_ he sighed. But he nodded politely, following the strange man out to the hallway.

"It's nice to meet you, Ani," the man said, smiling cheerfully.

"Thank you... It's nice to meet you too," Anakin assured him politely. "Are you from Tatooine?" he asked hopefully. _Because I know Huttese! I never get a chance to speak it though... This will be fun,_ he realized suddenly.

"No," Cliegg said. "I'm from Geonosis. I'm the director of a show called _JEDI_; have you heard of it?"

"No," Anakin said, furrowing his brows. "It's a show about Jedi?" _That sounds really boring..._

"Yes," Cliegg nodded. "This week's show is featuring Master Jinn and Obi-Wan," he explained. "But we needed someone to play the part of a young Tatooine boy; Yoda recommended you because you speak Huttese."

_Wait a minute..._ "So... it's like a play?" Anakin asked hopefully. "Do I get to wear a costume?"

Cliegg grinned. "Yes," he told him. "We can't have you looking like a Jedi; we're going to dress you up as one of the locals," he explained. "Do you like play-acting, Ani?"

"Yes!" Anakin grinned excitedly, bouncing up and down. _I get a costume and everything!_ "Do I get to speak Huttese?" he wondered; then his eyes widened. _Ohhh!_ "Will I see Jabba the Hutt?" he asked, excited and afraid at the same time.

"Yes, you get to speak Huttese," Cliegg replied, smiling at his enthusiasm. "And you might catch a glimpse of Jabba at the pod race," he said. "But we'll try to avoid him, eh?" he said, grinning.

"Yes, sir," Anakin agreed, with a mischievous smile. _I like this guy!_

"All right," Cliegg said, patting him on the shoulder. "Do you have everything you need for the trip?"

Anakin frowned, not sure how to answer that. _I don't HAVE anything else, except what's on my belt,_ he blinked, confused. Then he stopped in his tracks, looking down. _Oh, crap! Not again..._

"What is it, Ani?" Cliegg asked worriedly.

"Nothing," Anakin replied, masking his dismay. "Yes, I'm ready," he assured Cliegg, following him out to the docking bay and onto his ship. _I just lost my lightsaber again, that's all._


	58. No, I just want to chase dragons

**Chapter 58**

"Cliegg!" Shmi exclaimed, hugging him as he came through the door. "I didn't expect you home so soon!" She gave her husband a tender kiss; but then she became aware of a small boy looking up at them with an expression of worried disgust. "Who is this?" Shmi asked, letting go of Cliegg; obviously the boy was uncomfortable with their display of spousal affection.

"This is Ani," Cliegg said proudly. "He's a Jedi youngling," he added, though Shmi had already guessed that from the boy's little white Jedi outfit and short-cropped hair. "We're on our way to Tatooine to film a pod race; we just stopped by to find him a costume," her husband explained, smiling affectionately and giving her a secret, loving glance so as not to horrify the young Jedi child.

Shmi turned to the boy, smiling tenderly. "It's nice to meet you, Ani," she said, giving him a hug. The boy cringed, squirming away from her embrace, and Shmi respectfully let go, hiding her dismay. _The way they raise these younglings is so unnatural,_ she sighed. _Children need to be hugged, and loved._

But the boy remembered his manners, and managed a polite bow, though his expression was still set in a worried scowl. "It's nice to meet you too," he said automatically, looking at the floor.

"I just stopped by to say hello," Cliegg said, explaining his unexpected visit to the Lars' home on Geonosis. "And I promised Ani I'd show him Threepio," he added with a cheerful grin, leading the way down to the basement.

Shmi smiled affectionately, listening to the boy's enthusiastic chatter as Cliegg introduced him to his half-finished protocol droid. _He misses Owen too,_ she realized; their son was about Ani's age, and had been away at summer camp these past few weeks.

She wasn't surprised when the two of them returned with Threepio in tow; Cliegg was already thinking up ways to incorporate the droid into the pod race on Tatooine. "He can be your flag bearer," Cliegg suggested.

"Yeah!" Ani agreed; then he frowned worriedly. "I don't have a flag," he pointed out.

"Oh, we can fix that easily enough," Cliegg said. "We have all sorts of things at the studio," he assured the boy cheerfully. "Come on, let's go find you a costume."

"Yippee!" Ani cheered, heading for the door.

Shmi and Cliegg shared an amused smile at the Jedi youngling's enthusiasm; then she gave her husband a wistful look. "Come back soon," Shmi said, giving him a tender kiss and hugging him close for a moment as the boy scowled and quickly looked away. "I've missed you lately," she confessed.

"I'll try," Cliegg promised, with an apologetic smile. "I've missed you too." Then he got that look in his eyes; that trademark Cliegg Lars _watch-out-I'm-coming-up-with-another-one-of-my-crazy-ideas_ look. Shmi laughed to herself; her husband's imagination tended to get away from him, but she loved him dearly for it. "Hey," Cliegg suggested thoughtfully. "Would you like to come along? It's a quick trip to Tatooine; we'll only be there for two days," he assured her.

Shmi smiled, nodding agreeably; Tatooine wasn't exactly her dream vacation spot, but she had been missing her husband, and once in a while it was fun to accompany him on his filming adventures. And so a few minutes later they were all at the Lars Studios' costume department, finding something for Ani to wear for his pod race.

_He looks adorable,_ Shmi thought affectionately, as the boy emerged from the dressing room wearing a simple grey peasant outfit. But his short-cropped hair was too neat and clean-cut for a peasant, and so Cliegg found him a shaggy little wig; Ani scowled initially at the thought, but then quickly grinned in excitement when he saw himself in the mirror.

"Do you like your costume?" Cliegg asked.

"Yeah!" Ani nodded happily. "Okay, I'm ready!"

"Great," Cliegg said, as they headed for the door; then he stopped as another outfit caught his eye. "Hmm," he said, pulling a brown peasant dress off the rack and holding it up to Shmi. "This would look cute on you," he said, with a mischievous twinkle in his eye. Shmi shook her head, protesting good-naturedly as he handed the dress to her; but then she laughed good-naturedly as her husband herded her onto the ship with the boy, resigning herself to her fate.

* * *

><p><em>Wwwrrrrrrreeeeeeeeeee-Wwwoooooaaaaa...<em>

Obi-Wan stood outside the ship, scanning the distant cliffs for any signs of the Krayt dragon. He'd been hearing its call all morning, and yesterday he had scouted the nearby caves until dusk, but so far he had not caught sight of the dragon.

_It's over that way,_ he realized now, following the sound of its voice. _Just beyond that cliff..._ Obi-Wan sighed, hanging his head. _Qui-Gon wants me to stick around to meet this youngling,_ he remembered. _But then he said I can do some more exploring, as long as I stay close to the ship._

The Nubian vessel's ramp was lowering now, and Obi-Wan turned to see Qui-Gon approaching. "I just spoke with Cliegg," his Master said. "He's on his way, with the youngling. They should be here in an hour or so."

Obi-Wan nodded. "Any word on the security drill?" he asked; the Queen had been trying to contact Governor Bibble, and they weren't exactly sure what was going on in the Royal Palace, or on Coruscant.

"Yes," Qui-Gon said, with an amused smile. "In fact, now that Palpatine knows we're on Tatooine for two more days, I doubt he'll just sit around waiting for us," he laughed ruefully. "The Queen thinks he might try something; we must be on our guard. I want you to keep moving the ship, and send no more transmissions," he told Obi-Wan.

"Yes, Master," Obi-Wan replied obediently. _Everyone is taking this drill far too seriously. I just want to find that dragon..._ But Qui-Gon wanted to film another scene before Cliegg arrived, and so Obi-Wan dutifully followed him back onto the ship.

"The hyperdrive generator's gone, Master; we'll need a new one," Obi-Wan informed him, re-enacting the scene that they should have filmed yesterday, had they not turned the cameras off due to Obi-Wan's crying fit.

"That will complicate things," Qui-Gon sighed. "Be wary: I sense a disturbance in the Force," he added mysteriously.

"I feel it also, Master," Obi-Wan lied, trying to keep a straight face. _This is ridiculous. Palpatine won't send the Zabrak out here._ But Qui-Gon and the Queen thought he might try something, and they didn't want to be caught off guard.

"Don't let them send any transmissions," Qui-Gon warned him, taking his leave.

Obi-Wan nodded; then he blinked, gasping for air as a wave of nausea hit him. _Not again..._ The TPM attacks had been coming more frequently lately, and the effects were lasting longer; even after the nausea passed, his hair remained slightly reddish for another hour or so, though the curliness went away fairly quickly. The Queen's people were starting to notice his bizarre hair changes, and Obi-Wan wished more than ever just to get away from them.

Qui-Gon returned now, and Obi-Wan smiled bravely, hoping that perhaps he wouldn't notice; but he knew he couldn't hide it from his Master. "It's getting worse, isn't it?" Qui-Gon asked gently, sitting beside him.

"Perhaps a little," Obi-Wan admitted. _I just want to get out of here..._ "I'm all right, Master," he assured him; then he shook his head, frustrated. "Master, I know you want me to stay and meet this youngling, but can I do it later? The dragon's calls are getting farther away; I don't want to lose track of it," he pleaded.

Qui-Gon sighed. "Of course, Obi-Wan," he agreed, nodding. "I know this has been a difficult time for you, but you're handling it very well; I'm very proud of you," he added. "And I agree this security drill is getting out of hand," he sighed. "Just keep your comlink with you, and don't wander off too far."

"Thank you, Master," Obi-Wan said, getting up and pulling the homing device off his belt. "I'll stay within sight of the ship, and I'll be in contact if you need me for anything," he promised, as he headed back down the ramp and set out across the desert.

_The dragon is miles away by now,_ Obi-Wan sighed regretfully as he trudged through the sand. _But luckily I can keep moving the ship. And I don't know why Qui-Gon kept insisting that I wait for this youngling to arrive,_ he wondered again. _I don't feel like meeting anybody right now, with my silly red hair. There are plenty of Jedi younglings on Coruscant,_ he told himself. _But Krayt dragons are only here on Tatooine, and I hope to see one before I leave._

* * *

><p>Anakin grinned excitedly as he guided Cliegg's ship through the Tatooine desert in search of the Nubian vessel. "They're around here somewhere," Cliegg was saying now, as they scanned the endless reaches of sand and rocky cliffs.<p>

_I really get to meet a Queen,_ Anakin realized, ecstatic. Then he wrinkled his nose, rubbing his head vigorously as his scalp began to itch._ This wig is kind of uncomfortable,_ he admitted. _But it's worth it,_ he decided cheerfully. _I look really cool with long hair. And this slave costume is awesome_.

Cliegg had already decided that Anakin would play the part of a young slave boy, and that Shmi would be his mother; he wasn't too thrilled about all the hugging, but she was a really nice lady, and Anakin was very much looking forward to today's play-acting assignment. _Oh yeah, and the pod race too,_ he shrugged indifferently.

"Over there," Cliegg said now, pointing to something shiny and silver in the distance. Anakin nodded, heading toward it; then he squinted curiously as he saw something blue moving around in the sand, behind a rocky ridge not far from the ship. _What's that?_ he wondered, flying closer to get a better look. _A person?_

It looked almost like a person, but it didn't move like a person; instead of walking normally, it twirled and spun around gracefully, then it lay down in the sand, making flying motions with its arms and legs. _Ohhhhh,_ Anakin gasped, realizing what he was looking at. _It's an angel!_ Anakin had heard of angels, but he had never seen one before. _It's beautiful..._

_Ahhh! Where did it go?_ he wondered, blinking. The angel had been there just a second ago, but now it was gone... _Aww,_ he sighed, continuing on toward the silver Nubian vessel. _I probably scared it away._

Anakin pushed the button to open the hatch; he could see a tall man approaching, and Cliegg and Shmi were heading down the ramp now to greet him. Anakin followed them obediently for a little ways; but then he looked wistfully toward the nearby ridge. _Maybe it's still there,_ he thought. _Maybe it came back out..._

_They won't notice if I'm gone for just a minute,_ he decided, slipping away from the others and running toward the rocky ridge. He climbed quickly to the top, then quietly slithered forward on his stomach, peering over the edge of the cliff.

_No,_ Anakin sighed regretfully, disappointed. _It's gone now. But it was definitely an angel,_ he realized, gazing in wonder at the perfect angel-shaped impressions left in the sand. _That was the most beautiful thing I've ever seen in my life._

* * *

><p><em>Ahhhh!<em> Padmé blinked anxiously, hiding in the shadows of the rocky ridge. She had slipped away from her bodyguards a few minutes ago in order to make a few sand angels, but she had been startled as another ship flew past a moment earlier. _Eeek! I hope nobody saw me,_ Padmé cringed in embarrassment, sneaking back toward her ship.

* * *

><p><em>What in the blazes is he doing?<em> Qui-Gon wondered, watching as his son ran off toward the nearby cliffs. _Maybe he has to pee... But wouldn't Cliegg have a toilet aboard his ship?_ Qui-Gon sighed, shaking his head. He had been secretly watching over his younger son all his life, and knew that Anakin was incredibly gifted in many ways, but he had to admit that the boy had his head in the clouds half the time. _He gets that from his mother,_ Qui-Gon smiled wistfully.

Thankfully Anakin was returning now, trudging through the sand and looking adorable in his little peasant outfit and shaggy wig. _He always has loved play-acting,_ Qui-Gon thought affectionately. _Just like his Uncle Ben._ Qui-Gon did his best to attend all of Anakin's school plays and boys' choir concerts, and was proud of his son's talents.

He had been chatting with Cliegg and Shmi about today's filming plans, but smiled now as Anakin joined them. "Hello, Anakin," he said, with a cheerful nod. "I'm Qui-Gon Jinn," he said, putting a hand on his son's shoulder.

"I'm pleased to meet you," Anakin said, bowing respectfully; then he squinted at him curiously. "Hey!" he exclaimed, beaming suddenly. "I know you! You came to our play," he said happily, remembering.

"Yes, I did," Qui-Gon agreed, patting him on the back. "And I remembered how good you were in it; that's why I recommended you for this part today," he told him, as Anakin grinned shyly.

"Thank you, Master," Anakin said; then he gave Cliegg a hopeful glance.

"He's been wanting to meet the Queen," Cliegg explained, with an indulgent smile.

"Ah! Of course," Qui-Gon nodded, leading them back to the ship. "Come aboard; I'm sure she will be glad to have visitors." _She must be terribly bored of sitting in her throne room all this time,_ he admitted, sighing. _But she is the one who keeps insisting that we continue with this security drill,_ he reminded himself.

They had just reached the Queen's chamber when Captain Panaka emerged, looking distraught. "Her Highness is missing," he was telling one of the other bodyguards urgently. "I can't find her anywhere."

Qui-Gon looked around in alarm for the missing Queen, peering into her chamber worriedly; but she was sitting right there as usual, surrounded by her handmaidens. "It's all right," he told Captain Panaka, putting a hand on his shoulder and pointing to the Queen. "She's here." _Are you blind as well as stupid?_

Captain Panaka gave Qui-Gon a frustrated look; but then he nodded, sighing as he saw the Queen in her usual place. "Thank you, Ambassador," he said stiffly, heading outside for some fresh air.

Qui-Gon led Anakin into the Queen's chamber, introducing him to Queen Amidala; Anakin bowed politely, but Qui-Gon felt his sudden amusement upon seeing her elaborate headdress. "Does she always dress like that?" Anakin asked, after they had left her chamber.

"Yes," Qui-Gon replied. "The Naboo are very proud of their royal tradition; these days the Queen is elected democratically, but they still keep everything else as it has been for hundreds of years," he told his son; then he sighed, pulling out his comlink. "Excuse me," he said quietly to the others. "Obi-Wan?" he called into his transmitter.

"Yes, Master," Obi-Wan replied a moment later.

"I'm going into town now, with Cliegg and the youngling," he told him. "I will need you to stay close to the ship while I'm gone," he added regretfully. _These people are hopeless... Captain Panaka just lost the Queen in her own throne room._

"Yes, Master; I'll return at once," Obi-Wan assured him.

"Thank you, Obi-Wan," Qui-Gon smiled ruefully, clipping his comlink back on his belt; then he gave his younger son a questioning look. "What is it?" he asked, seeing the expression of rapt wonder on the boy's face.

"Is that an angel?" Anakin asked hesitantly, looking out across the desert.

Qui-Gon followed his gaze, and saw the Queen's handmaiden coming toward them now, as Captain Panaka waved to her. "No," he said cheerfully, tousling his son's fake fluffy hair. "That's Padmé."


	59. And pretend to be a Jawa

**Chapter 59**

"A slave boy?" Watto said, as Cliegg explained his idea to him. "No, no, I won't have any slaves," he protested. "Especially not on a holo-broadcast; my children will be watching."

"That's the point," Cliegg explained. "There is no slavery in the Republic, but if we show this on our program, it will raise awareness for the plight of slaves on your planet."

"Ah," Watto nodded. "I understand now... All right, the boy can be my slave for the show." Then he turned to Qui-Gon. "Did you ask about the collateral for the entry fee?"

Qui-Gon and Padmé shared a hesitant glance. "Yes," Qui-Gon said. "The Nubian vessel will serve as collateral. If we lose the race, the ship is yours," he told him. He and Padmé had come up with the idea yesterday; Qui-Gon had asked Padmé if she thought the Queen would allow it, and Padmé had reluctantly agreed that the Queen didn't need to know.

* * *

><p><em>Ahhh!<em> Padmé thought anxiously. _I can't believe I'm betting the royal starship on a pod race._ She didn't dare tell any of the others; even as Queen of Naboo, she needed the Parliament's authorization for such a large transaction. _Qui-Gon is right, though,_ she admitted. _It's worthless without a hyperdrive, and we really need a new ship with decent weapons._

_Besides, Qui-Gon seems certain that the boy will win,_ she reassured herself; but then she sighed. _What we are doing is wrong,_ Padmé confessed. Yesterday it had seemed like a good idea to bring in the Jedi youngling for the pod race; but now that she had actually met the boy, she hated to think of him getting hurt.

_He's so tiny, and innocent,_ Padmé thought, watching as the boy dutifully rehearsed his lines with Cliegg now. _He shouldn't have to pay for Palpatine and Bibble's drunken bet, and put his life in danger because the rest of us let this stupid security drill get out of hand._ But Qui-Gon was confident of the boy's flying skills, and Padmé reluctantly trusted in the older Jedi's judgment.

_I just hope he doesn't get hurt,_ she sighed regretfully.

* * *

><p>"Peedunkel!" Watto yelled from inside the shop. "Naba dee unko!"<p>

Anakin laughed to himself, managing to keep a straight face as he ran into Watto's shop. _He called me 'peedunkel'... Huttese is so funny,_ he thought, deeply amused. _But the cameras are on now, so I'd better not mess up._

"Coona tee-tocky malia?" Watto asked him impatiently.

"Mel tassa cho-passa!" Anakin replied. _Yeah! My first line came out perfect!_

"Chut-Chut! Ganda doe wallya," Watto told him. "Me dwana no bata," he said, taking Master Qui-Gon out back to the junk yard.

_All right,_ Anakin decided bravely, as Qui-Gon and Watto left the shop. _We're supposed to make casual conversation now,_ he remembered, looking at Padmé thoughtfully. He hadn't dared to bring the subject up so far; but perhaps if she thought he was only acting, he might get away with it...

"Are you an angel?" he asked her, feigning innocence. _No reason... Just a random question... Hee!  
><em>

"What?" Padmé asked, startled. _Don't worry, Padmé. I can keep a secret._

"An angel," Anakin explained casually. "I've heard the deep space pilots talk about them. They're the most beautiful creatures in the universe. They live on the Moons of Iego, I think," he said, shrugging. _It's not like I'm not obsessed with angels or anything._

"You're a funny little boy," Padmé told him. "How do you know so much?"

_Aww, crap. I called her an angel and she called me a funny little boy. That's not fair,_ Anakin scowled, looking down and pretending to clean a piece of machinery. _And I know all this because I'm a Jedi; Jedi know everything,_ he thought indignantly. _But I'm play-acting now, so I'll just pretend that didn't hurt my feelings_.

"I listen to all the traders and space pilots who come through here," Anakin said, making it up as he went along. "I'm a pilot, you know," he added pointedly. _I'm not a 'funny little boy'._ "And some day I'm going to fly away from this place," he told her. _Tomorrow, probably. After I win this dumb pod race..._

"You're a pilot?" Padmé asked.

"Mm-hmm," Anakin said casually. "All my life."

"How long have you been here?" Padmé asked.

_Ahh! I forgot!_ "Since I was very little... Three, I think," Anakin said uncertainly. _Oh, right._ "My mom and I were sold to Gardulla the Hutt; but she lost us, betting on the pod races," he said, remembering his story.

"You're a slave?" Padmé asked.

_Arghh!_ Anakin knew she was only playing her part, but still, it hit a nerve. _You're an orphan?_ the other younglings had always asked him, when they learned his last name. And even worse: _You're a boy, and your name is Ani?_

"I'm a person," Anakin said defensively. "And my name is Anakin."

"I'm sorry," Padmé apologized. "I don't fully understand... This is a strange place to me."

_Yeah, me too,_ Anakin agreed; then he frowned, irritated. "Hey!" he yelled at Jar Jar, who was being a moron again. "Hit the nose!" _What is wrong with that thing? And why is he here?_ he wondered, completely baffled.

* * *

><p><em>He's beautiful,<em> Sebulba confessed, admiring the exotic Gungan from afar as he worked on Ani's racing pod. _There's a childish innocence about him; an endearing clumsiness,_ he thought wistfully. _But he's only in town for two days; it could never work out._

"Sebulba," Watto called, fluttering over to him. "This is Cliegg Lars, the director of _JEDI_," he said, introducing the man who was with him. "Would you like to be on the show too?" he asked hopefully.

"No, no," Sebulba protested; he was very self-conscious about his switched arms and legs, and didn't want to make a fool of himself on a galactic holo-broadcast. "I'm very camera shy," he apologized to the director.

"Ah, but this is a way to make your voice heard, Sebulba," Watto told him. "I'm playing a cruel slave owner to protest slavery; you could play a dishonest pod racer, to raise awareness for the sabotage that goes unpunished," he suggested. "The show will be broadcast all over the galaxy; people would take notice," Watto insisted.

Sebulba sighed thoughtfully. It troubled him that the sport of pod racing had become so dishonest; people had been seriously injured due to sabotage and dirty racing tactics, and Sebulba realized that it was time to take a stand for what he believed in. "All right," he agreed, giving the director a brave smile. "What do you need me to do?"

"I liked the footage from yesterday, with you and Jar Jar," Cliegg told him. "Let's take it from the point where you pounced on him, but this time you're going to get in a fight," he suggested. _Instead of falling head over heels in love with the gorgeous creature,_ Sebulba sighed, nodding agreeably as Cliegg explained what he needed him to do.

_This is actually a lot of fun,_ Sebulba thought, as he engaged in a heated argument in Huttese with the little Jedi boy. _Ah, it kills me to be cruel to Jar Jar, though,_ he sighed unhappily. _I hope he realizes I'm only acting._

* * *

><p>Obi-Wan stood outside the Queen's ship, looking around for signs of the Krayt dragon. <em>It's probably gone into those caves,<em> he realized; a sandstorm was coming up, and Obi-Wan regretfully admitted that he might need to take shelter as well.

_Wonderful... Here comes Captain Incompetent,_ he sighed, as Panaka came out to talk to him. _What does he want now; has he lost the Queen again?_ Qui-Gon had warned him of the disturbing incident this morning.

"This storm will slow them down," Obi-Wan said, trying to make polite small talk. _When in doubt, talk about the weather._

"Looks pretty bad," Panaka agreed, making an equally lame attempt at civilized conversation; but then there was an awkward moment of silence as neither of them could think of anything to say. _YOU came out here to see me,_ Obi-Wan sighed, annoyed. But thankfully they were spared from further conversation as Panaka's comlink buzzed.

"Panaka," the captain replied, grabbing for it with obvious relief.

"We're receiving a message from home," the pilot said.

"We'll be right there," Panaka told him, as he and Obi-Wan went back inside the ship. _Oh dear; perhaps it's a real emergency,_ Obi-Wan worried, quickly taking a seat in the Queen's throne room as they played back the transmission.

But it was only a part of the stupid security drill. "The death toll is catastrophic," Governor Bibble insisted, with excessive drama. "I must bow to their wishes... You must contact me!"

_This drill is really getting boring._ "It's a trick," Obi-Wan said impatiently, getting up. "Send no reply. Send no transmissions of any kind," he reminded the Queen, as he left the throne room. _Don't you people have anything better to do?_

* * *

><p><em>Meanwhile, back on Coruscant...<em>

"Tatooine is sparsely populated," Malok said, as he and Palpatine filmed a quick scene together. "If the trace was correct, I will find them quickly, Master." _Ha, we're going to win this drill for sure; they'll never expect me to show up there._

"Move against the Jedi first," Palpatine instructed him. "You will then have no difficulty in taking the Queen back to Naboo, to sign the treaty."

"At last we will reveal ourselves to the Jedi," Malok said. _I've flown across the galaxy twice; I'm tired of waiting for them. This plan is so much better..._ "At last we will have revenge."

"You have been well trained, my young apprentice," Palpatine said. "They will be no match for you."

_That's right,_ Malok thought, getting into his little ship and heading off to Tatooine. Nute Gunray had traced the location of Queen Amidala's ship, and Palpatine and Malok had come up with a plan to find the others quickly. _This security drill is so much fun,_ he admitted, blasting off into hyperspace. _I'm so glad Palpatine is letting me play too._

* * *

><p>"Storm's coming up, Ani," the nice old lady warned him. "You'd better get home quick!"<p>

_I can't believe we're going through with this,_ Padmé sighed, as they sat around the dinner table eating the meal that Shmi had prepared for them. Cliegg had rented a little furnished apartment in Mos Espa, where they would all be staying for the night. _We're exploiting this little boy; all of us,_ she admitted sadly. _We're jeopardizing his safety just to win this stupid security drill, make our anti-slavery statement, and boost the ratings for JEDI_.

_He's only a child,_ Padmé lamented. Ani had eagerly shown her Cliegg's protocol droid, and Padmé had smiled at his infectious enthusiasm; he was an incredible little actor, and was clearly enjoying his role as a slave boy. But he seemed to have no interest whatsoever in pod racing, and Padmé wondered if anyone had actually warned him of the danger.

"But I love it," Ani was protesting now, playing his part. "Mom, you say the biggest problem in this universe is that nobody helps each other." _He's so eager to please everyone,_ Padmé sighed. _He doesn't realize we're all just using him._

"I'm sure Qui-Gon doesn't want to put your son in danger," Padmé told Shmi now. "We'll find some other way," she suggested hopefully; but of course it was agreed in the end that Ani would enter the race tomorrow.

"Are you sure about this?" Padmé asked Qui-Gon, after the storm had passed. "Trusting our fate to a boy we hardly know?" _An adorable, innocent, sweet little boy who is over there doing arts and crafts with the local children right now._ "The Queen will not approve," she said stubbornly, making one last attempt to change Qui-Gon's mind.

"The Queen doesn't need to know," Qui-Gon replied predictably.

"Well I don't approve," Padmé frowned unhappily, as Qui-Gon went inside the shop to meet with Watto.

* * *

><p><em>Aww... I'm still not finished,<em> Anakin sighed, obediently putting down the japor snippet he had been working on and rejoining Watto and the others for the next scene. Anakin had met some of the local children this morning; they were carving japor snippets outside Kitster's house, and had invited Anakin to join them.

_It's coming along well though,_ he thought proudly, half-listening as Qui-Gon and Watto worked out the details of their pod race betting; Anakin had no idea what this scene was about, but thankfully he was mostly just supposed to stand there.

_And then I can finish my necklace._ The other children were making necklaces for their mothers, and Anakin had briefly considered giving his to Shmi; but he knew who he really wanted to give it to. _I'm going to work really hard on it, and do a good job,_ he resolved. _And if it turns out all right, I'll give it to Padmé._

* * *

><p><em>Come on,<em> Obi-Wan urged the herd of dinosaurs, using a Jedi mind trick. _This way now..._ He had been tracking the Krayt dragon all morning, and finally had caught sight of it: a magnificent creature, greyish-green and nearly fifty feet long. Dragons were afraid of humans, but Obi-Wan had discovered that if he blended in with the herd of dinosaurs, they masked his scent.

_Just a little farther,_ Obi-Wan encouraged his new friends, herding them around the next ridge; then he sighed. _I'm supposed to stay within sight of the ship,_ he remembered. "Stay here," he whispered to the herd, waving a hand at them as he headed back to the ship. The dinosaurs blinked stupidly for a moment, obeying; but then they started following him back.

_All right; fine,_ Obi-Wan sighed, trudging back toward the ship with a herd of dinosaurs behind him. After two days in the desert, his relations with Captain Panaka and the others had been strained to the limit, and Obi-Wan was past caring what they thought of him any more. _I like these dinosaurs better anyway._

* * *

><p><em>What in the hell is he doing now?<em> Panaka wondered, watching the younger Jedi return to the ship along with a herd of dinosaurs. _This guy is seriously starting to worry me..._

"We need to move the ship!" the Jedi announced, hurrying on board and starting it up. "I think the sand people are after us; very dangerous," he added seriously, as he flew toward the next ridge. His hair was red again, but not as curly as before; Captain Panaka wondered if it _had_ ever been brown and straight, or if he had just imagined it.

The Jedi was hurrying back down the ramp - whistling for his herd of dinosaurs, who were now galloping to catch up - when Panaka remembered the message from the other Ambassador. "Padawan Kenobi," he called after him, as the young Jedi turned around, looking slightly annoyed. "Master Jinn asked you to contact him."

* * *

><p><em>I wish he would stop calling me that,<em> Obi-Wan grumbled, trudging back up the ramp to contact his Master. But then he frowned worriedly as he heard what Qui-Gon was saying. _He's bet the Queen's starship on this silly pod race? Master, don't you think this is getting a bit out of hand?_

"What if this plan fails, Master?" Obi-Wan asked, trying not to laugh at the absurdity of this drill. "We could be stuck here a very long time."_ But if we lose the ship... Were Captain Panaka and the pilot included in the deal?_ he wondered hopefully.

"Well, it's too dangerous to call for help," Qui-Gon pointed out, still determined to win this security drill at all costs. "And a ship without a power supply isn't going to get us anywhere," he said; Obi-Wan had to agree with that. _This is by far the stupidest ship I have ever encountered in my life,_ he sighed.

"And there's something about this boy," Qui-Gon admitted thoughtfully, ending the transmission.

_Ahh... The boy,_ Obi-Wan sighed, hanging his head; but then he stood up straight, steeling his resolve. _Don't be so stupid,_ he told himself angrily, heading back outside. _You're not a child any more; why are you so jealous of your Master's attention?_ Qui-Gon had been giddy over this Jedi youngling since yesterday, when he had come up with the pod racing plan.

But now the herd of dinosaurs had caught up with him, and Obi-Wan smiled wistfully. "You still love me, don't you?" he mumured, patting one of them on the neck as he herded the flock toward the dragon once again. "Yes," he added sadly, as the dinosaur licked his face. "Soon I'll be a tough, leathery, bug-eyed monster just like you."

* * *

><p>"He gives without any thought of reward," Qui-Gon remarked, as they watched the youngling pretend to work on his racing pod in the yard below. After filming their lunch conversation earlier, Cliegg had decided that they couldn't just end the episode with Ani remaining a slave; everyone had quickly agreed that Qui-Gon should find a way to free him.<p>

"He knows nothing of greed," Shmi told him. "He has..."

"He has special powers," Qui-Gon said.

"Yes," Shmi admitted. _So far this makes sense..._

"He can see things before they happen," Qui-Gon added. "That's why he appears to have such quick reflexes; it's a Jedi trait."

"He deserves better than a slave's life," Shmi confessed.

"Had he been born in the Republic, we would have identified him earlier," Qui-Gon told her. "The Force is unusually strong with him, that much is clear," he agreed. "Who was his father?"

_Don't laugh,_ Shmi told herself stubbornly. "There was no father," she said, managing to keep a straight face. "I carried him, I gave birth, I raised him... I can't explain what happened," she apologized vaguely. A nine-year-old slave boy would never be accepted as a Jedi youngling, but Cliegg had called Mace Windu for advice, and now Anakin was apparently some kind of Chosen One, born of the midichlorians themselves. It made no sense whatsoever, but no one else had any better ideas, so they were going along with it. "Can you help him?" she asked Qui-Gon.

"I don't know," Qui-Gon said regretfully. "I didn't actually come here to free slaves," he apologized.

_And I'm now the virgin mother, _Shmi laughed to herself, as they finished._ Cliegg, whatever will you think up next._

* * *

><p>"Hey, Jar Jar," Ani warned the beautiful Gungan, as Sebulba looked on from behind the camera, still working on Ani's racing pod. "Stay away from those energy binders... If your hand gets caught in that beam, it will go numb for hours."<p>

_Don't stare,_ Sebulba told himself stubbornly, focusing on his work. He had been sneaking glances at the gorgeous creature for the past two days, but if he wasn't careful, people would begin to notice.

But a moment later he was alarmed as Jar Jar cried out in pain. "Oooobaloobaloobaloobaloooo!" the Gungan exclaimed. "My tongue... is fat... My tongue... blub... blub... Uh oh!" he cried, as his hand got stuck in the engine.

_Oh dear,_ Sebulba gasped, his heart aching for the poor creature. He wanted to rush to his side, to hold him in his arms, to kiss his wounds..._ But it would be too obvious,_ he sighed regretfully. And now Padmé was helping him anyway...

_I missed my chance,_ Sebulba realized sadly, flashing Jar Jar a cheerful smile as the Gungan gave him the thumbs up. _Such a wonderful attitude,_ Sebulba thought, admiring the foreigner's bravery. _And he has a brilliant sense of humor,_ he admitted, smiling. _But it is not meant to be,_ he scolded himself, returning to his task.

_He's only here until tomorrow,_ Sebulba sighed. _I don't want to do anything to ruin our friendship._ The last time Sebulba had opened his heart to anyone, it had been crushed into a thousand pieces; he would not make the same mistake again.

_I should never have told Ben Quadinaros how I felt about him,_ Sebulba lamented. He and the Toong had always been such wonderful friends, and shared a passion for pod racing; but since Sebulba had confessed his feelings for the lovable green blob, it had made their relationship awkward, and now they barely spoke to each other.

_Jar Jar reminds me of Ben,_ Sebulba admitted with a wistful smile. _He has the same sweet innocence, the same endearing clumsiness, the same..._ Sebulba hung his head sadly, blinking back tears as he realized the truth. _My infatuation with this exotic foreigner is only a passing crush,_ he confessed, his heart aching again. _It's Ben that I love._

* * *

><p>"It's working!" Anakin yelled, as his racing pod finally started up. "It's working!"<p>

"Excellent," Qui-Gon said. "Now, I want you to take a practice run around the course," he told his son gently. "You need to get familiar with it before the race tomorrow."

He could see the look of disappointment in his son's eyes; the other children had returned to their games, and Anakin clearly wanted to join them. But he nodded obediently. "Yes, Master," he said, taking off across the desert in the completely wrong direction.

_Oh dear,_ Qui-Gon sighed, shaking his head. _My eldest son is off chasing dragons, and this one just wants to make necklaces all day long,_ he laughed; then he smiled tenderly. _Ah, I was no different at their age._

* * *

><p><em>Oops... I think I'm lost,<em> Anakin realized, speeding randomly through the desert in his racing pod. _Yeah, I should turn around,_ he decided; then he squinted at something in the distance. _A Jawa!_ He grinned in surprise, seeing the brown-cloaked figure. _I've heard of those!_ Anakin knew that sand people could be unfriendly, but Jawas were relatively harmless.

_I wonder if he really has glowing eyes,_ Anakin thought to himself, heading toward the Jawa for a closer look. But then he frowned in surprise as he approached the hooded creature. _He's kind of big for a Jawa..._

* * *

><p>Obi-Wan sighed, emerging from the cave and heading back toward the Nubian vessel to move it once again. He had been tracking the dragon through a nearby canyon, but the creature had been frightened away by the sound of a speeder. <em>I shouldn't have wandered so far from the ship anyway,<em> he admitted, hiking back along the rocky ridge.

He could see the speeder now, and was surprised to see it coming toward him. _Oh dear, that's not the Zabrak is it?_ he wondered briefly; but the driver appeared to be quite small, and now he could see that it was a human boy.

_What a strange contraption,_ Obi-Wan thought, as it came to a stop nearby. The vehicle appeared to be made entirely from junk parts, and the boy's clothing was equally ragged; obviously he was a local boy, from the nearby city of Mos Espa.

The shaggy-haired child was saying something to him now in Huttese, but Obi-Wan shook his head regretfully. "I'm sorry," he said, slowly and clearly. "I don't speak Huttese."

"Oh," the boy said, surprised; then he squinted at Obi-Wan uncertainly. "Are you a Jawa?" he asked, in Basic.

Obi-Wan tried not to laugh. _Oh dear..._ "Yes," he lied, amused by the question. _A local boy ought to know better. Perhaps he's a bit slow,_ he realized. _I shouldn't make fun of him._

The boy nodded seriously, accepting it; but then he blinked as a loud screeching sound echoed through the canyon. "What was that?"

"That was a Krayt dragon," Obi-Wan told him; then he looked at the boy curiously. "Would you like to see it?" he asked. _He's obviously a city boy; he knows nothing of Jawas, or Krayt dragons, or other desert creatures._

The boy grinned. "Yeah!" he said, hopping down from his strange little speeder. "My name is Ani," he added, following Obi-Wan toward the rocky ridge.

"A pleasure to meet you," Obi-Wan nodded cheerfully. "I'm - " _Force, what sort of names do Jawas have?_ he wondered. "Nuku-Luku," he blurted out, making up the first thing that came to him.

"Nice to meet you," Ani replied, as they began climbing up the cliff. For a city boy, he was a decent rock climber; Obi-Wan had expected that the boy would need help on some of the steeper ridges, but he was doing just fine on his own.

_I shouldn't be doing this,_ Obi-Wan scolded himself; but Qui-Gon was busy filming with the youngling right now, and Captain Panaka wasn't likely to object if he stayed out a bit longer than usual. _I still can't believe I'm impersonating a Jawa,_ Obi-Wan laughed, climbing just behind the boy to catch him in case he fell. _But it's been a strange couple of days, and I deserve a bit of fun._

"Nuku-Luku?" the ragged little boy was asking now, glancing back at him as they continued to climb.

"Yes?" Obi-Wan replied, managing to keep a straight face.

"Do your eyes really glow?" he wondered.

"Yes," Obi-Wan told him. "But only at night," he explained.

"Oh," the boy nodded. Then he stopped suddenly. "Ahh!" he exclaimed, cringing worriedly. "I forgot... I'm not supposed to be here," he told Obi-Wan. "I have to go... Is the dragon far?" he asked hopefully.

"I think it's on the other side of this ridge," Obi-Wan told him. "If we climb to the top, you might be able to see it," he said. _Oh dear, I don't want to get him in trouble._ "What do you need to get back for?" he asked, curious; he was starting to like this strange little boy.

"Oh, I... Well - I - I'm a slave," Ani admitted, frowning. "My master is expecting me back soon," he confessed.

_A slave? Oh dear..._ Obi-Wan's heart sank at the realization. _Perhaps I could buy him? No, I don't have any money,_ he lamented. "You're a slave?" he repeated. "Is your master good to you?" he asked, concerned.

"Yes," Ani assured him, looking up at the ridge above them. "He won't mind if I'm a little bit late," he said optimistically; then he looked down at Obi-Wan with a confused expression. "How are you going to get up there?" he asked.

The final ascent was a sheer vertical cliff face, fifteen feet above their heads. _Good question,_ Obi-Wan sighed, catching up with Anakin on the little ledge. _Jawas can't jump that high._ "Ah," he said calmly, reaching for his belt. "I'm going to use my magical Jawa retractor cable," he told the boy, pulling it out. _He'll believe that..._

But the boy had caught a glimpse of his belt and tunic beneath the brown cloak, and was now squinting at him in confusion. "Hey," he said, his brows furrowing in suspicion. "You're not a Jawa!"

Obi-Wan sighed. "No," he confessed. "I'm not a Jawa. I'm sorry," he apologized, seeing the boy's frustration at being tricked. "No one has ever called me a Jawa before; I was just having a bit of fun."

But Ani grinned in amusement. "It's all right," he told Obi-Wan. "Can you keep a secret?" he asked.

"Yes," Obi-Wan replied, giving him a curious look.

"I'm not really a slave," the boy confessed; then he looked up at Obi-Wan, with a mischievous gleam in his blue eyes. "You're Master Qui-Gon's padawan, aren't you?"

Obi-Wan gaped at the boy. _How in the blazes does he know that?_ "You're the youngling," he realized, blinking in surprise.

Ani grinned, nodding; then he looked suddenly anxious. "I'm not supposed to be here," he told Obi-Wan. "Please don't tell Master Qui-Gon? I'm supposed to be practicing for my race, but... I got lost," he confessed.

Obi-Wan laughed cheerfully. _I like this boy._ "I won't tell if you don't," he promised, with a conspiratorial smile; then he cringed in embarrassment. "Please don't tell Master Qui-Gon about this Jawa business?"

Ani shook his head vigorously. "I won't," he promised, equally embarrassed. "Well, I'd better go," he said, climbing back down. "Sorry I missed the dragon... It was nice meeting you, Nuku-Lu... Obi-Wan," he corrected himself, with an amused grin.

"It was very nice meeting you... Anakin," Obi-Wan said, remembering the youngling's name. "Can you find your way back?"

"Eh... I hope so," Anakin said worriedly, looking out across the desert toward Mos Espa. "I know where Master Qui-Gon is; I'm just not sure about the race track." He shrugged casually, hopping down to the next ledge as Obi-Wan followed him.

"Good luck with your race tomorrow," Obi-Wan said, remembering the reason for the youngling's visit. "I wish I could come," he added. _Truly, I do_. "But I'm supposed to stay and guard the ship," he explained, glancing over toward the tiny silver speck in the distance.

Anakin followed his gaze, squinting doubtfully. "Good job," he told Obi-Wan, with an amused look; then he grinned again. "Don't worry, I won't tell," he assured him. "And it's okay about the pod race; we just go around in circles in these dumb little speeders," Anakin said, hopping down to the sand below. "It's probably going to be really boring."

Obi-Wan smiled, nodding. "Well good luck anyway," he told him. "And I hope to see you tomorrow, after the race," he added sincerely. "May the Force be with you, Anakin," he said, bowing formally to the youngling as they parted ways.

"Thank you, Obi-Wan," Anakin replied, bowing politely and remembering his manners. "May the Force be with you." Then, with a final mischievous grin, he turned and trudged back toward his little racing pod.

_Qui-Gon is right,_ Obi-Wan realized, as the youngling sped off across the desert. _There is something about that boy,_ he admitted, smiling with fond affection as he headed back to the Queen's ship once again.

* * *

><p>"There are so many," Anakin said dreamily, gazing up at the stars as Qui-Gon cleaned the ketchup off his arm. He had squirted it on himself accidentally at dinner, and it had given Cliegg the inspiration for this scene. "Do they all have a system of planets?" he asked now, playing the starry-eyed slave boy.<p>

"Most of them," Qui-Gon replied cheerfully, still dabbing ketchup off his son's arm. _I can't believe I'm sitting here under the stars having a conversation with my little boy,_ he realized wistfully. _Even if we are just acting..._

"Has anyone been to them all?" Anakin wondered.

"Hmm," Qui-Gon laughed, tenderly amused. "Not likely." _I wish Ana could see this._

"I'm going to be the first one to see them all," Anakin announced confidently. Qui-Gon smiled quietly at his son's enthusiasm. _He is a wonderful little actor,_ he realized again, proud of his son. _If only he would show half as much interest in pod racing,_ he sighed. Anakin had gotten hopelessly lost on his way to the race track this afternoon, and still hadn't practiced for tomorrow's race. _He will do fine; the boy is a natural. But it would be better if he at least knew the course._

"Ani, bedtime!" Shmi called from inside the apartment.

"Ow!" Anakin exclaimed, as Qui-Gon jabbed him with his comlink. "What are you doing?"

_Making a fool of myself on a galactic holo-broadcast,_ Qui-Gon laughed to himself ruefully. "Checking your blood for infections," he told Anakin, admirably keeping a straight face. "Go on in," he said, patting his son on the shoulder. "You've got a big day tomorrow. Sleep well, Ani," he said, as Anakin headed inside for bed.

"Obi-Wan," Qui-Gon said into the comlink, contacting his other son.

"Yes, Master," Obi-Wan replied weakly. _Oh dear, h__e doesn't sound well,_ Qui-Gon thought._ He's having another TPM attack._ But the cameras were rolling, and so he continued, hoping that his padawan was all right. "I need an analysis of this blood sample I'm sending you," he told him. _And now I will pretend that blood samples can be sent via comlink,_ he sighed, pretending to push a magical button that would accomplish the task.

* * *

><p><em>This is ridiculous,<em> Obi-Wan laughed, forgetting his nausea for a moment in his amusement. "Wait a minute," he instructed his Master seriously, pressing a bunch of random buttons on the ship's computer console.

"We need a midichlorian count," Qui-Gon instructed him.

_Of course... Ah, yes, I'm receiving it now, Master,_ Obi-Wan laughed to himself. _This has been a fun day for play-acting._ "The reading is off the chart," Obi-Wan exclaimed, gaping in wonder at the computer game he had been playing earlier. "Over twenty thousand," he said, reading today's high score. _Panaka... Grrrr..._ "Even Master Yoda doesn't have a midichlorian count that high," he added in amazement. _Or perhaps he does? I have no idea actually,_ Obi-Wan confessed, amused.

"No Jedi has," Qui-Gon agreed solemnly.

"What does that mean?" Obi-Wan asked. _Blast... Panaka really IS good at this game,_ he realized in dismay, seeing his name all over the high score list as he continued to peer at the computer monitor in disbelief. _I only got 680 points..._

"I'm not sure," Qui-Gon replied, equally mystified.

Obi-Wan smiled in amusement as he wished his Master goodnight. _So Anakin is the Chosen One,_ he chuckled affectionately; then he clutched at his stomach surreptitiously, willing the nausea to pass. The other crew members were giving him strange looks, and Obi-Wan didn't dare to imagine what his hair was doing right now.

_All right, Panaka,_ he resolved, turning to the computer and starting a new game. _You're going down._

* * *

><p><em>Ha! I made it,<em> Malok thought smugly as he touched down in the Tatooine desert and walked down the ramp, scanning the horizon for Queen Amidala's starship. Palpatine had traced the coordinates earlier; it should be somewhere nearby.

_Where is it?_ Malok blinked in confusion, looking around with his binoculars. _It was supposed to be right here._ But inexplicably, the Nubian vessel was nowhere in sight. _They must have moved it..._

_Arghh,_ Malok sighed in frustration, pushing a button on his wrist and activating the _JEDI_ camera droids that he had brought from Coruscant. Cliegg had left them in Palpatine's office to use for their lightsaber fight when they got back, and these three were already programmed to seek Qui-Gon's homing device.

Malok watched as the camera droids hovered off toward the nearby city of Mos Espa; then he returned to his ship for the night. Palpatine was receiving the live feed from the cameras in his office on Coruscant, and Malok would call him in the morning to see where they ended up.

_This is going to be too easy,_ Malok laughed to himself, settling onto his little cot for the night. _Although it's strange that the Queen's ship wasn't where it was supposed to be,_ he admitted, slightly concerned by this unexpected turn of events. But in any case, he would find the Queen tomorrow, and the Dark Lords of the Sith would have their victory.

_And now let's see what kind of reception I get out here,_ Malok thought cheerfully, turning on his holo-monitor and flipping through the channels in search of a fun show to watch before bedtime.


	60. Ani wins the pod race!

**Chapter 60**

"Lord Sidious," came a quiet, sinister voice over the transmitter. "What is thy bidding, my Master?"

Palpatine grinned in amusement; he and Malok were enjoying their play-acting tremendously, and referred to each other by their Sith titles even when the cameras were off. "Ah, Darth Maul," Palpatine replied, in an equally ominous tone. "I trust you slept well?" he asked hopefully; evidently it was morning on Tatooine now.

"Yes, my Master," Malok hissed softly. "So kind of you to ask," he added. "Lord Sidious, I am afraid that Queen Amidala's ship is no longer at these coordinates," he reported. "Have the _JEDI_ cameras revealed to you the location of Master Jinn?"

Palpatine sighed ruefully. "Yes and no," he told his apprentice. "Lord Maul, I'm afraid the camera droids you sent to look for Master Jinn were scenery cameras; they are programmed to stay within a hundred yards of Master Jinn's homing device, and film random footage of the surrounding area," he explained.

"The video monitors are showing me images of a city; dusty streets lined with vendors, with small buildings all around, and people wandering every which way," Palpatine told him. "But I cannot pinpoint Master Jinn's exact location. Perhaps if you go into town and wander about, you might run into him?" he suggested.

"Ah," Malok sighed, hanging his head. "About that... Lord Sidious, I just remembered something," he admitted. "There is a Zabrak named Janik who is wanted by Jabba the Hutt; every bounty hunter on Tatooine is looking for him. I fear I must keep a low profile, and avoid the city," he apologized. "But Queen Amidala is most likely still aboard her ship, somewhere in the desert. I shall find her, Lord Sidious," Malok promised. "And we shall have our revenge."

_Oh dear..._ Palpatine did his best to hide his dismay. "Excellent, Lord Maul," he said. "Stay in the outskirts, away from the city," he agreed, concerned for his friend's safety. "I have faith in you, my young apprentice."

"Thank you, my Master," Malok replied, flashing him a cheery smile as he ended the transmission.

Palpatine shook his head sadly. _Poor Malok,_ he sighed. _He'll never find the Queen._ As Naboo's Senator, Palpatine knew that Padmé often used decoys, and that she was probably with Master Jinn now, posing as a handmaiden; but it was a well-kept secret and a matter of national security, and he couldn't tell his Zabrak friend what was actually going on.

_I've sent him on a wild Bantha chase,_ Palpatine confessed. _Even if he does manage to find the ship and capture the Queen, he will only have captured a decoy,_ he realized. _I must come up with another plan..._ Sighing heavily, Palpatine rubbed his temples, plotting his next move. _Darth Maul will never succeed,_ he feared. _And Nute Gunray and Dooku are too busy with their walking crab chair races..._

_If I am to win this security drill, I must do it myself,_ Palpatine decided mischievously, working on his next evil plan.

* * *

><p><em>Hehehe,<em> Sebulba chuckled in amusement, as Watto and Qui-Gon worked out the final details of their bet for the cameras. _We look like complete idiots._ Watto and Sebulba had gotten a little drunk last night, and had dared each other to do something really stupid in their final scene together. Now Watto was flying around while holding a walking stick, and Sebulba was getting his toenails painted while shamelessly batting his eyelashes at Jar Jar.

_Oops!_ Sebulba looked quickly away from the Gungan, realizing he had been too obvious; Jar Jar was now staring at him with an expression of confusion and worry. _Poodoo!_ Sebulba cursed himself in frustration. _Why do I always have to be an idiot and ruin everything?_ It was obvious from the Gungan's anxiety that he had no romantic feelings toward Sebulba whatsoever. _Now I've made things awkward between us, just like I did with Ben Quadinaros,_ he sighed unhappily.

But now it was time for the race, so once again Sebulba set his feelings aside, focusing on the task ahead of him.

* * *

><p><em>Mesa bery scared,<em> Jar Jar blinked anxiously as he watched the pod racers line up in the arena. _Sebulba give mesa dee flashy eyeballs like dee girly Gungans do when dey want kisses,_ he cringed. _Mesa not want to kiss Sebulba,_ Jar Jar decided emphatically; then he blinked suddenly as he caught sight of another pod racing contestant.

_Mesa want to kiss HIM!_ Jar Jar gasped, running toward the beautiful green blob.

* * *

><p><em>Ahh! Get away from me, you weirdo!<em> Ben Quadinaros cringed, running away from the bizarre flop-eared creature. _Leave me alone!_ A minute ago, Ben had been preparing for the race, but then he had been bowled over by a babbling lunatic fan, who inexplicably managed to get his hands, feet, and tongue stuck in every part of Ben's pod racer. _These overzealous spectators are really getting out of hand,_ Ben sighed, checking his pod for damage. _I hope he didn't mess anything up..._

Ben was nearly finished with his safety check when he stopped suddenly, forgetting his task as he gazed at the beautiful Dug who was now receiving thunderous cheers from the spectators. _Everyone loves Sebulba,_ he smiled to himself wistfully, touched by his friend's valiant effort to stand on his hands and wave his feet at the crowd in an attempt to look normal.

_I never realized he was deformed,_ Ben sighed sadly. _I thought all Dugs were like that. But now he thinks that's why I turned him down,_ he lamented. _When in truth this is all my parents' fault..._

Ben Quadinaros came from a well-to-do family that was proud of their Toong heritage, and had never allowed Ben to associate with members of other species, much less date them. _Why can't you find a nice Toong girl to marry?_ they were always asking him. And Ben had tried so hard to please them; but the truth was, he was not the least bit attracted to Toong girls. He found most of them to be pathetically fat, blobby, and quite frankly, very silly looking.

_But Sebulba..._ Ben sighed, forcing himself to look away. _No,_ he reminded himself sadly. _It could never work._

* * *

><p><em>Ahh!<em> Sebulba cringed, hopping down from his racing pod before he lost his balance. _It's so hard to try to stand up like that..._ But now it was time to film his little sabotage scene, and so he sneaked over to Ani's pod racer, breaking off a piece that had absolutely no function whatsoever. _Hehehe! I'm making a complete ass of myself today... This is fun.  
><em>

* * *

><p>"Stay here," Qui-Gon told the Gungan sternly. "You are not to touch any of the racing pods, <em>or<em> the contestants," he reminded Jar Jar, deeply annoyed. _Is this thing going to follow me for the rest of my life?_

"All set, Ani?" Qui-Gon asked, making sure he was ready for his race.

"Yup," Anakin replied. He still hadn't even taken a practice run around the course, and had only grudgingly agreed to wear a helmet, but Qui-Gon hoped that his enthusiasm would kick in once the race actually began.

"Right," Qui-Gon said, lifting his son up into the racing pod. _He's such a tiny thing; just like Obi-Wan at that age,_ Qui-Gon thought fondly. "Concentrate on the moment," he reminded him. "Don't think. Use your instincts."

"I will," Anakin promised, not the slightest bit nervous. _This is child's play to him. The biggest danger is that he'll forget he's supposed to be racing, and go off chasing Banthas through the desert._

"May the Force be with you," Qui-Gon said, brushing his son's hair as he stepped away. _Be safe, Ani. Put your helmet on... Good boy,_ he thought proudly. _Just trust your instincts, and you'll do fine._

* * *

><p><em>Ugh... I am so glad this stupid pod race is almost over,<em> Anakin sighed impatiently, waiting for the starting signal. _I don't understand what all the hype is about. It's not like these are Jedi Starfighters or anything._

_It's really just a dumb little kiddie speeder,_ he sighed. _I'm so glad none of the other younglings are watching this. Silly Ani Skywalker in his silly racing pod... I don't care, though,_ he told himself stubbornly. _I like play-acting, and Master Syrio says it's nothing to be ashamed of. And if this is the only way I get to do it, it's worth a little embarrassment._

_I'm just glad this thing is finally built,_ Anakin sighed in annoyance. _Between Sebulba and Master Qui-Gon insisting that I memorize every stupid part of this thing, my head was about to explode. But that's all over with now. Master Qui-Gon said to use my instincts; I'm just going to pretend I'm in a Jedi Starfighter instead of this dumb thing,_ he decided.

_Oh! That's the signal,_ Anakin realized, taking off in his Starfighter; but alas, it was not a Starfighter, it was just a dumb racing pod, and of course it immediately stalled. _Argh... Stupid thing,_ he grumbled, flipping switches and trying to figure out how to get it started again. _Okay, here we go,_ he sighed, finally taking off and trying to catch up with the others.

_Yeah, I probably should have learned the course before the race,_ he admitted now. _It would be embarrassing to get lost... But that was great meeting Obi-Wan yesterday,_ he thought. _He's really fun. I can't believe I thought he was a Jawa,_ Anakin giggled. _Hey! There they are,_ he noted cheerfully, catching up with the other racers and overtaking them one by one.

* * *

><p>"En do wakka!" Ben Quadinaros cursed, flailing his fists against the dashboard of his racing pod. <em>I know this doesn't help, but I'm just so frustrated,<em> he admitted, continuing his temper tantrum.

_All right... Focus,_ Ben told himself, managing to get his engine started. _You can do this._ But then the power coupling disintegrated, sending pieces of his racing pod flying in all directions.

_Poodoo,_ Ben sighed, as the crowd laughed at his mishap. _Why do I even do this any more? I only started pod racing to try to impress Sebulba,_ he confessed. _And I've done a brilliant job of that,_ he sighed glumly.

_Who am I kidding,_ he realized, defeated. _I'm no good at this. I should just give it up. And as for Sebulba..._ Ben sighed regretfully. _I should give that up too,_ he admitted. _My parents would die if I brought him home for Boonta Eve dinner._

* * *

><p><em>Sebulba was right,<em> Anakin admitted, frustrated. _Passing is kind of tricky. Hmm... What if I... Yes!_ he realized triumphantly, flipping his entire pod upside down and flying over the other racer's head. _He said these things can't spin, but they can!_

* * *

><p><em>All right,<em> Sebulba thought, steeling himself. _This guy has thrown stuff at me hundreds of times; he's one of the dirtiest racers in the entire sport. I can do this,_ he told himself stubbornly, looking back and taking careful aim before 'accidentally' tossing a piece of machinery into Terter's engine. _Ahh! Watch out, Ani!_ Sebulba cringed, as Terter's pod disintegrated in mid-air.

* * *

><p><em>Okay, now I'm spinning a little TOO much,<em> Anakin admitted, flipping around in circles. _Getting kind of dizzy... What was I supposed to do if this happened? Oh, right,_ Anakin remembered, switching on the power coupling and reaching for the flopping cable with his giant magnet. _Yeah, I'm glad Sebulba told me about that,_ Anakin sighed, racing to catch up with him again.

_But I still don't see why we can't just use Starfighters, with astrodroids to fix things when they break,_ he sighed in annoyance. _Ahh, a canyon... Yes!__ Nobody dares to pass anyone inside a canyon,_ Anakin remembered. _Except for me,_ he thought mischievously, quickly overtaking three other racers and missing the rocky walls by several millimeters.

_Ugh... Sand People... Not sure I like them._ Anakin cringed worriedly as one of them shot the hull of his pod. _But those Jawas are cute!_ he thought. _Haha, I still can't believe I thought Obi-Wan was a Jawa..._

_Just me and Sebulba now,_ he realized. _We're almost done... Hey!_ Anakin frowned indignantly, as Sebulba smacked into him from the side._ Oh, right... He's making his big public anti-sabotage statement,_ Anakin remembered. _Although that's a pretty weird way to do it if you ask me. And what was with the toenail painting earlier? I don't get that guy..._

_All right, I'm sick of this,_ Anakin decided, getting away from Sebulba and heading up the service ramp. _Haha! I'm flying!_ he laughed to himself; then he cringed worriedly. _Oops... No I'm not,_ he realized, surging his power thrusters on the way back down. _Come on... Yay!_ he thought cheerfully, coming down in front of Sebulba.

_Oops... The engine's on fire,_ Anakin realized. _Ahh, what do I do for that? Was it this button? No... Um... Plug this thing in the other side? No... Um... Flip this little switch up and down a bunch of times? Argh, I'm really falling behind now... YEAH!_ Anakin sighed, as his racing pod took off faster than ever. _Okay, I'm not sure what I did there, but this is great!_

_Argh... Sebulba... No, don't do that,_ Anakin grumbled, as Sebulba started crashing against him again. _You've made your point; come on, let's race to the finish line!_ But Sebulba kept smacking into him, and now they were stuck together. _Oh, great... Well I guess it's going to be a tie... Unless... Yeah!_ Anakin thought, surging his power again to blast free of Sebulba's pod.

_Come on, Sebulba, I'll race you to the end! Sebulba?_ Anakin blinked worriedly, looking back. _Sebulba?_

* * *

><p>"Poodoo!" Sebulba cursed, ditching in the sand. <em>Seriously... What was I thinking?<em> he sighed, trudging back toward the arena. _But hopefully my voice has been heard,_ he consoled himself. _Dirty racing sucks._

* * *

><p><em>Yay!<em> Anakin grinned, as Qui-Gon lifted him up onto his shoulder after the race. _Master Qui-Gon is so cool,_ he thought, enjoying the view. _He's got to be the tallest person in the whole galaxy. And he's so nice, and fun to be around... I like him way better than Master Syrio,_ Anakin decided. _I don't know... Somehow he just makes me feel like I'm special._

_Kind of like Padmé,_ he sighed blissfully, closing his eyes as she hugged him afterward. _Ohhhhhh... Do that again... Don't stop..._ But it was over too soon, and now Shmi was hugging him... And kissing him... _Ahh! Yuck!_

_Aww,_ Anakin sighed, enduring Shmi's kisses as Padmé left with Jar Jar. _This is so unfair._

* * *

><p><em>Wwwrrrrrrreeeeeeeeeee-Wwwoooooaaaaa,<em> came the dragon's call from inside the canyon.

_It's coming closer!_ Obi-Wan realized. _"Wwwrrrrrrreeeeeeeeeee-Wwwoooooaaaaa!"_ he yelled in reply, imitating the dragon's call. After three days of tracking the creature, he had discovered that the dragon actually seemed to be attracted to the sound of its own call._ Why did I not think of this before?_ Obi-Wan thought happily, screeching again.

_There it is!_ he realized excitedly, as the Krayt dragon timidly emerged from behind the rocks. _Ohhh... It's beautiful,_ Obi-Wan sighed. _Come on... I'm not going to hurt you..._ "Wrreee-Wooaa," he called gently.

The dragon continued cautiously toward him, and Obi-Wan stood perfectly still, allowing it to approach. _Just a few more steps... That's right..._ "Hello there," he said softly, reaching a hand out and patting the creature's scaly green neck as it licked his face. "Aren't you beautiful?" he whispered, awestruck by the magnificent beast.

_Ahh... What are you doing?_ Obi-Wan wondered, surprised and confused as the dragon gently pressed him to the ground with its front paw. It licked his face a few more times, then closed its eyes blissfully, rubbing its scaly head against him...

_Oh dear,_ Obi-Wan blinked worriedly, guessing what the dragon was trying to do. _That was its mating call,_ he realized suddenly. "I - I didn't mean it," he apologized, scrambling to his feet and backing away from the amorous creature. "I'm sorry... I didn't mean to lead you on... You're beautiful - truly you are - but you see, I'm a Jedi, and I'm not allowed to - oh dear," he cringed, hurrying away from it and back through the canyon.

But the dragon continued to follow him, screeching insistently. "I'm sorry!" Obi-Wan apologized again, yelling over his shoulder as he ran away from the creature. "Please don't be angry with me... It's against the Code... I didn't make the rules," he pleaded, now running full-tilt toward the Queen's ship with the dragon close on his heels.

_Blast..._ "Captain Panaka!" Obi-Wan yelled into his transmitter. "Captain Panaka, start the ship! Start the ship!"

* * *

><p><em>Yes, there is something seriously wrong with this kid,<em> Panaka sighed, starting up the ship and lowering the ramp just enough for the clearly insane young padawan to jump aboard before the dragon got him. _I am so glad we're finally leaving._

* * *

><p><em>All right, that was embarrassing,<em> Obi-Wan admitted, avoiding the strange looks the other crew members were giving him as he walked out to meet Qui-Gon a few minutes later. _And now I feel another TPM attack coming on. Perfect._

"Well, we have all the essential parts we need," Qui-Gon told him. "I'm going back; some unfinished business. I won't be long," he promised; then he gave Obi-Wan a look of deep concern as he noticed his strange new symptoms.

_I feel dizzy and sick, my hair is bright orange, and now my braid is on the wrong side. Wonderful... _"Why do I sense we've picked up another pathetic life form?" Obi-Wan asked, with a regretful smile. _And believe me, I include myself in that category when I say that. Please, Master, can we talk about this later? I can't deal with this right now._

Qui-Gon nodded quietly, sensing his plea. "It's the boy who's responsible for getting us these parts," he replied. "Get this hyperdrive generator installed," he added, giving him a look of gentle concern.

"Yes, Master; it shouldn't take long," Obi-Wan promised, nodding bravely despite his nausea. _I'm all right, Master; please don't worry. Let's just get out of here and go home,_ he sighed, returning to the ship to install the hyperdrive.

* * *

><p><em>His TPM is progressing more rapidly than the doctors predicted,<em> Qui-Gon realized, heartbroken over his son's condition as he rode back into town to film one last scene with Shmi and Anakin. _I'm glad I brought Anakin out here to see him, but I fear it may already be too late._ Obi-Wan was already progressing to Stage Two; his eyes were turning slightly greenish, and his padawan braid had completely switched sides, indicating massive midichlorian interference.

_But he is still my beautiful boy,_ Qui-Gon thought fondly. _With the red hair and greenish eyes, he reminds me even more of Ana. And the braid will be coming off soon in any case,_ he reminded himself, as he rejoined the others back in town.

_It's time to face facts,_ Qui-Gon realized, as they filmed Anakin and Shmi's farewell scene. _Obi-Wan has been ready to face the trials for years. I have been holding him back for selfish reasons,_ he admitted. _And my reason for finally let him go is equally selfish,_ he sighed.

_But if I don't take Anakin as my padawan right now, someone else soon will,_ he realized worriedly. Nine was the youngest that a Jedi youngling could be taken as a padawan, and Qui-Gon had planned on waiting until Anakin was ten or eleven; but once this _JEDI_ episode aired, the other Masters would start to take notice of his incredible talents.

_He did an amazing job in that pod race,_ Qui-Gon admitted proudly. Anakin had exceeded even Qui-Gon's expectations; not only had he won the race, but he had managed to do things that a racing pod was not designed to do, such as flying upside down and using the service ramp to become airborne. _The boy is a natural._

Qui-Gon smiled now, as Anakin said goodbye to Shmi one last time. _He does not realize that his life truly is about to change; that he must leave behind his play-acting and boys' choir, and begin training as a padawan,_ he sighed. _He's still just a child; he deserves to have at least another year as a youngling. But it would break my heart if another Master chose him before I did._

_I must meditate on this,_ Qui-Gon resolved, as he and Anakin headed back out across the desert toward the ship. _I know that it is time to let Obi-Wan face the trials; but as for Anakin, I must do what is in his best interest, and not act selfishly._ Anakin was chattering happily now as they trudged along, and Qui-Gon smiled at his son fondly. _I'm glad I brought him here,_ he confessed. _He has enjoyed this tremendously, and I'm grateful that he will have a chance to see his brother, before it's too late._

"Come," Qui-Gon said cheerfully, picking up his pace as they spotted the silver Nubian vessel in the distance. "There's someone I would like you to meet."

* * *

><p>"Thank you, Cliegg," Sebulba said, as he and Watto received their payment for their acting roles on <em>JEDI<em>.

"Thank you," Cliegg replied cheerfully, nodding. "It's been a pleasure working with both of you. And I'm sorry, about the race," he added to Sebulba. "But I really think people will start to take notice, and pay more attention to what goes on in pod racing," he added seriously. "And we made a hell of an anti-slavery statement too," he said, sharing a rueful grin with Watto; they both knew their efforts would make no difference whatsoever, but it had felt good to at least try.

"Happy Boonta Eve," Cliegg wished them both good-naturedly, as they said goodbye.

_Happy Boonta Eve,_ Sebulba sighed wistfully, heading back home to celebrate the holiday alone. Watto had invited him to have dinner with his wife and six young children, but Sebulba didn't want to intrude; to be honest, all the buzzing and fluttering that went on in that household gave him a bit of a headache. But now he masked his loneliness as he caught sight of Ben Quadinaros, lugging what was left of his racing pod back to Watto's junk yard for repairs.

"You, too?" Sebulba grinned ruefully, nodding toward his own wrecked pod which lay in pieces nearby.

"Yes," Ben confessed, shrugging. "Big surprise," he added, with a shy smile.

Sebulba nodded; he wished he could think of something else to say, but as usual, an awkward silence ensued. "Well," he said cheerfully, continuing on his way. "Happy Boonta Eve."

"Thanks... You too," Ben nodded, giving him an adorable, apologetic little smile. _He's such a nice person,_ Sebulba sighed. _I know he's terribly uncomfortable knowing how I feel about him, but he's still so kind, and friendly... He has a good heart,_ Sebulba thought tenderly._ He's going to make some Toong girl very happy one day._

But then he stopped as he heard his name. "Sebulba," Ben called after him, catching up. "Sebulba, wait... I was wondering, if - if maybe you... Um... Would you like to come for Boonta Eve dinner?" he asked nervously.

_He's just being polite; he knows I don't have any family here._ "Thank you," Sebulba said, smiling. "That's very kind of you, Ben, but I don't want to impose," he told him.

"No, you wouldn't be imposing," Ben protested. "I mean... Yes, you would," he admitted, cringing. "My parents would die... Seriously," he laughed ruefully, looking down. "But that's the point. Sebulba, that's why... When you told me, before, I - " Ben shrugged, sighing.

"I feel the same way, Sebulba," he said quietly. "I always have. But my parents... They want me to marry a nice Toong girl and have little Toong babies." He laughed ruefully. "I don't even dare to imagine what would happen if I brought you home for Boonta Eve dinner," he confessed; then he grinned. "Want to find out?" he asked, with a mischievous gleam in his eyes.

Sebulba stared at him in disbelief. "Ben, you - really?" he asked, blinking in stunned shock as Ben smiled shyly. "Ha!" Sebulba laughed, hugging him spontaneously. "Are you sure about this?"

"Yes," Ben nodded bravely. "Like I said, I don't know how my family will take it," he apologized.

"Well, this has been my day for making statements," Sebulba laughed, patting Ben's back reassuringly. "All right then," he agreed, following the Toong back to his home for dinner. "Let's go give your parents a heart attack."

* * *

><p>Malok sighed, scanning the horizon one last time for any sign of Queen Amidala's ship. It was mid-afternoon; he had been listening to the local radio over his transmitter, and knew that the Jedi youngling had won the pod race, and that they would all be leaving as soon as their ship was repaired.<p>

_Good for him,_ Malok thought affectionately, secretly delighted and impressed by the youngling's victory. _But I didn't do so well myself,_ he admitted; he had been searching for Queen Amidala's ship all morning, with no luck whatsoever.

_I guess it's time to head back,_ he decided, walking back to where his little speeder bike was parked. _My wife is going to laugh when she hears I've flown across the galaxy four times for a five-minute fight,_ he laughed ruefully. _But I'll just head back to Coruscant, and then we'll film the duel there.._.

Then he stopped, blinking in surprise as he noticed a small black camera droid coming toward him. _What the...?_ Malok grinned suddenly._ That's one of Qui-Gon's scenery droids,_ he realized, hopping onto his speeder and starting it up. _He must be somewhere nearby..._

_Haha!_ Malok laughed, spotting the Jedi Master just beyond the next ridge. The boy was with him, and they were running now. _They must be trying to take off before the sandstorm hits,_ he realized, glancing back at the approaching storm. _I'd better get out of here too..._

_Ahh!_ Malok cringed, turning around and realizing that he was about to run over the boy. _Sorry!_ Luckily the Jedi youngling had quick reflexes, and dropped to the ground as Malok veered past him at the last second. _Qui-Gon is not going to be pleased about that,_ Malok sighed, jumping off his speeder bike and igniting his lightsaber.

_I hope he realizes who I am,_ Malok thought worriedly, a bit too late. _And that this is just a fake lightsaber,_ he cringed, as the Jedi Master began to fight him. _Oh dear, I really didn't think this through,_ he admitted; then he grinned in relief as he continued to clash sabers with Qui-Gon, knowing that the Jedi Master could have made Bantha fodder out of him by now if he had wanted to. _This guy is good,_ Malok confessed. _Thanks for not killing me, by the way..._

_Hey! There's the Queen's ship!_ Malok realized, seeing the Nubian vessel approach. _Well at least I found it in the end,_ he consoled himself, though he knew it was a lost cause. _There's no way I can capture the Queen now, with my silly fake lightsaber and three Jedi on board,_ he admitted. _Whatever was I thinking,_ he laughed to himself.

But now the Jedi was jumping aboard the ship, and Malok wached as it took off into the air. _Grrr,_ he glowered, deactivating his lightsaber and returning to his speeder bike. _Just wait until we get back to Coruscant, and you have a fake lightsaber too. You'll have no chance against me then,_ he laughed evilly. _It says so in Cliegg's memo._

* * *

><p>"What was it?" Obi-Wan asked, as he and Anakin rushed to Qui-Gon's side. <em>I can't believe the Zabrak came all the way out here.<em> Obi-Wan was still laughing at Anakin's panic a moment earlier; the youngling had rushed straight to the cockpit and attempted to take over the controls himself, certain that the Zabrak warrior was a real danger. Obi-Wan had quickly explained to him that it was just part of the play-acting, and Anakin had sighed in relief, before giving him an embarrassed grin.

"I'm not sure," Qui-Gon replied, pretending to be out of breath. "But it was well trained in the Jedi Arts," he said dramatically. "My guess is, it was after the Queen."

"What are we going to do about it?" Anakin asked worriedly.

"We shall be patient," Qui-Gon decided, for lack of a better plan. Then he took it upon himself to introduce the boy. "Anakin Skywalker, meet Obi-Wan Kenobi," he said formally.

"Hi," Anakin said, shaking Obi-Wan's hand enthusiastically and pretending to have never met him before. Obi-Wan was caught off guard; he hadn't expected a handshake from a Jedi youngling, and he fumbled to free his hand from his ridiculously long cloak sleeves. _I really should hem these sleeves,_ he admitted once again, sighing.

"You're a Jedi too?" Anakin was asking now, still playing the part of the little slave boy. "Pleased to meet you!"

Obi-Wan smiled, amused by the youngling's enthusiasm for play-acting, and touched by his infectious blend of mischief and innocence. _I like this boy,_ he decided, sharing an appreciative look with Qui-Gon. _He makes me laugh._

* * *

><p><em>All right,<em> Malok sighed, returning to his own ship and taking off from Tatooine. _Back to Coruscant to film the lightsaber duel, and then it's time to go home,_ he admitted, realizing that he had been away from his wife for four days already.

_But I am looking forward to this fight,_ he confessed, setting the coordinates for Coruscant and preparing for the jump to lightspeed. _Master Qui-Gon is a gifted warrior; it is a great honor to be the one to kill him,_ he realized. _I hope Obi-Wan is a decent fighter too,_ he thought. _Besides the fact that I'm looking forward to the challenge, it's a bit embarrassing to be killed by an untried padawan,_ he sighed, pulling the lever to blast into hyperspace.

_What?_ Malok blinked worriedly as the engine made a pathetic sound, then stalled completely. _No no no... Not again..._ But alas, his hyperdrive was broken; and not daring to show his face in the spaceports of Tatooine, Malok climbed down to the little control room, setting about the time-consuming task of repairing the hyperdrive by himself.

_All right, so I'll be a few hours late,_ Malok sighed. _But the Jedi are based on Coruscant; it's not like they're going anywhere,_ he consoled himself. _They'll still be there when I arrive. And THEN I will be ready for a good fight,_ he thought cheerfully, whistling as he began to disassemble the hyperdrive to see what was wrong with it this time.


	61. Let's go back to Coruscant

**Chapter 61**

"So you two are going to fight that thing when we get back to Coruscant?" Anakin asked.

"Yes," Qui-Gon said. "And he's not a _thing,_ Ani," he corrected his son gently. "He's a Zabrak warrior, from Iridonia; one of the most gifted of his kind."

"I wish I could watch," Anakin said, looking down.

Qui-Gon shared an amused grin with Obi-Wan. "Perhaps you can," he told his younger son. "Although I wish you could see his native fighting style," he sighed. "Zabrak warriors usually fight with a long wooden staff; it's remarkable to watch," he told Anakin. "I have never seen one fight with a lightsaber before, or any type of sword for that matter; this one is incredibly talented," he confessed.

"It should be an interesting fight," Qui-Gon said cheerfully; then he glanced at Obi-Wan in concern, sensing that he wasn't feeling well. _Oh dear,_ he worried. _Anakin won't know what to think of this._ Qui-Gon had been relieved to find Obi-Wan looking like his normal self when he and Anakin boarded the ship, with his usual straight brown hair and blue eyes; he was still coming to terms with with Obi-Wan's illness himself, and was not yet ready to explain it to Anakin.

Thankfully Obi-Wan was equally reluctant for the boy to see his strange symptoms, and he quickly got up, heading for the hallway. "Excuse me," he apologized. "I need to - fix the - " he broke off abruptly, disappearing around the corner.

Anakin looked after him, vaguely surprised and confused, and Qui-Gon smiled at his younger son gently. "I should go help him," he said. "It's been a long day, Ani; why don't you try to get some rest," he suggested, nodding to the padded bench nearby. "Are you warm enough?"

"Yes, Master," Anakin assured him; then he looked at him curiously. "Is it nighttime?" he asked, uncertain.

Qui-Gon smiled. "Yes, it's nighttime on Coruscant," he said. "And it will be morning when we arrive, so you will need your sleep," he added, showing him over to the little bench. "I'll see if I can find you a blanket," he promised, taking his leave. The cool air aboard the ship was a welcome relief after three days in the Tatooine sun, but Qui-Gon worried that Anakin might take a chill from the sudden change in temperature.

_He is not used to space travel,_ he reminded himself. _But he will be soon._ He smiled wistfully, checking the supply closet for extra blankets. But he was unable to find any, and so he sighed, trusting that Anakin would be all right. _The worst thing you can do to a Jedi youngling is to coddle him,_ he told himself. _I will not make the same mistake with Anakin that I did with Obi-Wan,_ he resolved, continuing down the hallway in search of his older son.

_I have done Obi-Wan a terrible disservice by holding him back so long,_ Qui-Gon admitted once again. _And it breaks my heart to let him go now, when he is facing the worst trial of his life,_ he lamented. _He needs my love and encouragement more than ever, and instead I am pushing him away, forcing him to deal with this illness alone_.

_But he can't remain a padawan forever,_ Qui-Gon admitted, feeling his son's presence inside the droid storage room nearby. _And perhaps the challenge and excitement of facing the trials and becoming a Knight will give him something to focus on; a new sense of purpose, that might help him in dealing with this terrible illness._

"Obi-Wan," he called softly from outside the closed door.

"Yes, Master; come in," Obi-Wan replied.

Qui-Gon entered the little room, smiling at his son as he closed the door behind him. "How are you feeling?" he asked, taking a seat next to him and putting a hand on his shoulder.

"I'm all right, Master," Obi-Wan assured, him; Qui-Gon sensed that the worst of the nausea had passed, but his hair was still reddish, and slightly curly. _At least the braid is back on the right side,_ he consoled himself.

"We will speak to Master Yoda when we get back, and see if anything can be done," he said; but he knew that it was an empty promise, and that there was no cure for his disfiguring condition. But Obi-Wan nodded, masking his own grief. "Obi-Wan, there is something that I need to talk to you about, and I know this is the worst time imaginable," Qui-Gon apologized, heartbroken by his son's terrible illness. _There is no easy way to say this,_ he admitted. _Obi-Wan will see right through any attempt I make to soften the truth._

"It's about Anakin," Qui-Gon told him. "Obi-Wan, there is something very special about that boy. I wish you could have seen him in the pod race; he was incredible," he said, as Obi-Wan nodded good-naturedly. "But besides his skill as a pilot, I sense something else in him; the same thing that I felt in you, when I chose you as my padawan," he added; then he looked down. "Obi-Wan, I want to train this boy."

Obi-Wan nodded, understanding the implications. "Yes, Master," he agreed, masking his feelings; but then he hung his head, squeezing his eyes shut as a tear escaped down his cheek. "I'm sorry, Master," he whispered, sniffing. "I agree, you should train him," he insisted. "There _is_ something special about that boy; I have felt it too."

"Have you?" Qui-Gon asked, surprised and impressed by his son's intuition. Then he nodded, smiling encouragingly. "All the more evidence that you are ready to face the trials," he said. "You are far wiser than I was at your age, Obi-Wan. You will make a fine Jedi Knight."

"Thank you, Master," Obi-Wan said, touched by the compliment; but then tears sprang to his eyes once again, and Qui-Gon felt his son's bitterness and grief.

"Obi-Wan, I know this is the worst time to be letting you go," he apologized, putting a comforting hand on his shoulder. "And believe me, I don't want to," he sighed, frustrated. "But once this episode of _JEDI_ airs, the other Masters will take notice of Anakin's talents, and - " he hung his head regretfully. "I am being selfish," he admitted. "Perhaps I shouldn't."

"No, Master," Obi-Wan assured him. "Master, I have felt it as well; there is something about this boy," he agreed. "And I couldn't think of a better Master to train him," he told Qui-Gon. "I am ready to face the trials, Master," he insisted. "It's what I've always wanted, and I would rather do it now, than - " he broke off, shrugging sadly.

Qui-Gon nodded regretfully, understanding. _He wants to be knighted before his symptoms progress any further._ "I am proud of you, Obi-Wan," he told him. "You have shown extraordinary patience and courage over these past few days," he said. "Especially with all these blasted cameras around," he laughed; they had both taken their _JEDI_ homing devices off for a moment of privacy.

Obi-Wan grinned ruefully, nodding in agreement, and Qui-Gon continued gently. "Obi-Wan, you _do_ understand why I have held you back for so long?" he asked. _If I am to push him away now, he deserves to know the truth._

Obi-Wan nodded. "Yes, Master," he replied. "I still have much to learn of the Living Force. And I am headstrong," he conceded. "I will work on that, Master," he promised.

Qui-Gon laughed gently, patting him on the back. "I'm sure you will," he agreed. "And you're right about those things, by the way," he teased him. "But that has nothing to do with my reasons for holding you back," he sighed. "Obi-Wan, the truth is, you've been ready to face the trials for years now. I have held you back because I don't want to lose you," he admitted. "It was never because of any incompetence on your part, Obi-Wan," he assured his son, smiling regretfully. "But I'm afraid that once you pass the trials, I'll never see you again."

Obi-Wan blinked, surprised by this revelation. "Don't worry, Master; you'll still see me," he assured him. "Though you may not want to, in a few more months," he admitted, laughing despite his undeniable fear.

Qui-Gon patted his shoulder. "Trust me, I will," he promised. "And it's that kind of attitude that's going to get you through this," he added, touched by his son's courage. "You're going to be all right, Obi-Wan."

Obi-Wan nodded. "Yes, Master," he agreed. "I'm going to miss you, though."

"You must let go of your attachment, Obi-Wan," Qui-Gon reproached him; then he smiled fondly. "I will miss you as well. Terribly," he confessed. "But hopefully our paths will cross more often than not," he said. "And I won't make the same mistake with Anakin," he sighed. "Obi-Wan, I'm sorry for holding you back as long as I did; it wasn't fair," he admitted. "I hope you can forgive me one day."

"Master, there is nothing to forgive," Obi-Wan assured him. "There isn't a better Master in the entire Order, and I am grateful for your training," he insisted. "But I am ready for this braid to come off," he confessed, with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes. "Force knows what it will try to do next," he laughed ruefully.

Qui-Gon laughed despite himself. "Yes, I was a bit worried about that too," he admitted. "All right, then; we will speak to Master Yoda when we return to Coruscant, and hopefully he will agree to let you face the trials," he said. "After we fight this Zabrak, of course."

"Yes, Master," Obi-Wan agreed, with an appreciative smile. "Thank you."

Qui-Gon nodded, getting up. "Well, I'd better check on Anakin," he said. "Try to get some sleep, Obi-Wan; we'll be arriving on Coruscant in a few hours."

"Yes, Master," Obi-Wan replied, nodding politely as Qui-Gon took his leave.

* * *

><p><em>I AM kind of cold,<em> Anakin admitted, shivering as he sat huddled in the corner. _I hope Master Qui-Gon can find me a blanket._ But then the door opened, and he held his breath as a red-robed figure entered the room. _Padmé!_ Anakin watched as she played back a holo-transmission; apparently it was part of the security drill. She was surrounded by hovering camera droids, and so Anakin kept quiet, realizing she must be filming this for _JEDI_.

But then Padmé noticed him, and looked suddenly concerned. "Are you all right?" she asked worriedly.

Anakin shrugged shyly. "It's very cold," he admitted.

Padmé brought him her own special blanket, covering him up gently, and Anakin's heart fluttered. _She loves me too!_ "You come from a warm planet, Ani," Padmé said. "A little too warm for my taste. Space is cold," she told him.

_Aw; she's just acting,_ Anakin realized. "You seem sad," he said uncertainly; Padmé didn't _feel_ sad, but she was acting sad, and without Cliegg here, Anakin wasn't sure what to say in front of the cameras.

"The Queen is worried," Padmé told him. "Her people are suffering, dying. She must convince the Senate to intervene. I'm not sure what will happen."

_I'm not sure either,_ Anakin confessed. _Ah, I have no idea what this whole security drill is about! Okay... Um... Change the subject..._ "I made this for you," he blurted out, handing her the necklace he had made with the other children on Tatooine. _I've been trying to give this to her for two days now; I've just been too shy._ "So you'd remember me," he said. "I carved it out of a japor snippet... It will bring you good fortune," he explained shyly.

"It's beautiful," Padmé said, as Anakin breathed a sigh of relief. _I was worried she'd think I was a 'funny little boy' for making a necklace_. "But I don't need this to remember you by," Padmé told him, smiling. "Many things will change when we reach the capital, Ani," she said. "But my caring for you will remain."

_She cares for me?_ "I care for you too," Anakin said quickly, his heart tingling with warmth. "Only I..." _I'm a Jedi; I'm not allowed to feel this way,_ he realized suddenly, crushed.

"You miss your mother," Padmé finished, still play-acting. _Oh... She was only acting the whole time,_ Anakin realized, feeling stupid as tears stung his eyes. But he managed to fight them, and simply nodded.

"Thank you for the blanket," Anakin said, burying his feelings as Padmé smiled indulgently, leaving the room once again. _Aw, that sucked,_ Anakin cried, wiping the tears out of his eyes before anyone saw him.

* * *

><p>"Hello, Padmé," Qui-Gon said, meeting her in the hallway on the way back from talking to Obi-Wan. "Do you know where I might find a blanket, for Anakin?" he asked hopefully; it was starting to get quite cold aboard the ship.<p>

"Oh; I just gave him one," Padmé said; then she smiled affenctionately. "Did you see the necklace he made with the other children?" she asked, showing him the japor snippet. "He said he wanted me to have something to remember him by," Padmé said fondly. "He's such an adorable little boy."

Qui-Gon nodded, masking his sudden concern. "Yes... Yes, he is," he agreed. _And he did a very good job with that necklace,_ he conceded, proud of his son's talents. _But this has me a bit worried,_ he admitted, thanking Padmé for the blanket and going in to talk to Anakin.

_He's been crying,_ Qui-Gon realized, immediately sensing his younger son's unhappiness, though he was bravely hiding his tears. "Ani," he said, sitting on the bench beside him. "Are you all right?"

"Yes, Master," Anakin nodded, managing a brave smile.

Qui-Gon nodded, smiling fondly. _I won't push him._ "Good," he said cheerfully. "Padmé showed me the necklace you made; you did a wonderful job with that, Ani."

"Thank you, Master," Anakin replied politely; but Qui-Gon could feel the boy's frustration and confusion. _No, we must talk about this,_ he sighed.

"What is it, Ani?" he asked.

Anakin shrugged. "I - I feel stupid, that's all," he confessed. "I made her a necklace, and I thought..." he shook his head, furrowing his eyebrows in frustration. "She called me a funny little boy," he admitted, tears in his eyes.

Qui-Gon nodded, his heart aching for his son. _Jedi are denied the joy of being in love,_ he sighed. _And yet we are not spared the terrible longing, or the anguish of being rejected_. "Ani," he said gently. "I agree, that was not a very kind thing of Padmé to say," he consoled him. "And I am proud of you, for showing her kindness and compassion in return," he said, smiling regretfully.

"But you shouldn't be making necklaces for pretty girls, or calling them angels," Qui-Gon added pointedly, as Anakin cringed in embarrassment. "It's all right," he assured him. "It's a lesson that every youngling and padawan must learn. But it is not the Jedi way; you know that, don't you?"

"Yes, Master," Anakin replied, bowing his head. "Trust me, I won't do it again," he added miserably.

Qui-Gon smiled in tender amusement. _It is good that he has learned this lesson early on_. "Good," he nodded in approval.

"Anakin, there's something else I'd like to talk to you about," he continued. "You know that I came to your class play a while back, which is why I recommended you for this _JEDI_ assignment?" he asked, as Anakin nodded. "The truth is," Qui-Gon confessed, "I have been watching you for quite some time now, Ani. You have incredible talents, and you will become a gifted Jedi Knight one day," he said, as Anakin grinned shyly. "Anakin, I would like to take you as my padawan learner," Qui-Gon told him.

Anakin's mouth hung open for a moment, and he blinked in surprise and disbelief; but then he broke into a happy grin. "Me, Master? Really?" he asked, his eyes shining with excitement and happiness.

"Yes," Qui-Gon laughed gently, patting him on the shoulder. "You are young, but you are already a talented pilot, and I am told your lightsaber training is coming along well too," he lied; in truth, Anakin's teacher found him to be nearly hopeless.

"Um... Yes, Master," Anakin nodded, not wanting to argue; then he furrowed his brows uncertainly. "What about Obi-Wan?"

Qui-Gon smiled. "Obi-Wan will be facing the trials soon," he told him. "So what do you say; would you like to become my padawan?"

Anakin grinned ecstatically. "Yes, Master," he nodded. "Of course I would... Thank you, Master."

"Good," Qui-Gon said cheerfully, getting up. "We shall talk to Master Yoda when we get back to Coruscant. Speaking of which, you'd better get some sleep," he reminded Anakin. "We'll be arriving in a few hours."

"Yes, Master," Anakin nodded obediently, snuggling back down under his blanket. "Thank you, Master."

"You're welcome," Qui-Gon said, smiling warmly. "Goodnight, Ani. Sleep well," he added, leaving the main room in search of his own place to sleep for the night.

_They are like night and day,_ Qui-Gon confessed, amused to realize how completely different his two sons were from each other._ Anakin is a daredevil pilot, whereas Obi-Wan prefers safe flying tactics,_ he admitted. _And Obi-Wan has always excelled in his saber techniques, but Anakin can't seem to hold on to a lightsaber for more than two minutes,_ he laughed. _And their personalities couldn't be more different_.

_I've just had a discussion with Anakin at age nine, that I have not yet had with Obi-Wan at twenty-five,_ he realized, sobered by the thought. _And now I suppose it is too late..._ Qui-Gon had been meaning to talk to Obi-Wan for years now, about the difficulties a young Jedi inevitably faces in dealing with feelings of sexual desire; but the topic had simply never come up.

_Obi-Wan has never felt the longing that I felt at his age, and that Anakin feels already,_ Qui-Gon realized, still somewhat baffled by his older son's complete lack of interest in the opposite sex. _But I suppose it's for the best,_ he conceded. _And with his illness, it's not likely to become an issue,_ he admitted regretfully. _Obi-Wan will never have a woman._

_But Anakin is too much like me,_ Qui-Gon admitted worriedly. _Thank the Force he has already learned his lesson at age nine._ Anakin was obviously dismayed and mortified by Padmé's cruel indifference to his childish advances; but he would survive this, and more importantly, he would undoubtedly take great pains to avoid similar embarrassment in the future.

_They will both make fine Jedi Knights one day,_ Qui-Gon thought, smiling fondly. _I am so very proud of them._


	62. Wow, politics are really boring

**Chapter 62**

"Welcome, Your Highness," Chancellor Valorum said politely, meeting Queen Amidala on the landing platform. "It is an honor to finally meet you in person." _This is ridiculous. Why would I come all the way out here to greet some silly little Queen from some backwards Outer Rim planet? I should never have agreed to be part of this idiotic JEDI show._

"Thank you, Supreme Chancellor," the Queen replied. _Good heavens, that is a strange accent, _Valorum thought._ And is she really going to wear that dreadful feather headdress in the Senate? How embarrassing..._

"I must relay to you how distressed everyone is over the current situation," he told her. _I agreed to do this, and I am a man of my word. But this play-acting is unbefitting for someone of my status._ "I've called for a special session of the Senate to hear your position." _And then I am never going to be on this ridiculous show again._

"I'm grateful for your concern, Chancellor," Queen Amidala droned monotonously, taking her leave.

_Please tell me we're done now,_ Chancellor Valorum sighed. _I have more important things to be doing._ But then Master Jinn turned to him; apparently this nightmare was not yet over. "I must speak with the Jedi Council immediately, Your Honor," the Jedi told him. "The situation has become more complicated."

_All right; fine,_ Valorum blinked. _Why are you telling me this? Of course you must report to the Jedi Council; that's your job,_ he thought, annoyed. _I'm not actually supposed to respond to that, am I?_ he wondered; no one else seemed to be speaking. _Who cares,_ he sighed. _I'll just ignore what he said. This is beneath me._

_And this director is frightfully disorganized,_ Valorum realized in annoyance. _That dirty little peasant boy clearly has no idea where he's supposed to go. What an embarrassingly amateur production this is. I gave the director my word that he could film in the Senate hall today, but that will be the end of it,_ he decided. _Never again will I allow this show to make a mockery of our political system._

* * *

><p>"There is no civility, only politics," Senator Palpatine told Padmé regretfully. "The Republic is not what it once was. The Senate is full of greedy, squabbling delegates; there is no interest in the common good. I must be frank, Your Majesty; there is little chance the Senate will act on the invasion." <em>Hahaha... And I will win this security drill once and for all!<em>

"Chancellor Valorum seems to think there is hope," Padmé countered, with naive optimism.

_Ah, Padmé. Chancellor Valorum has no idea what's going on._ "If I may say so, Your Majesty, the Chancellor has little real power," Palpatine replied. "He is mired by baseless accusations of corruption. The bureaucrats are in charge now."

"What options have we?" Padmé asked.

"Our best choice would be to push for the election of a stronger Supreme Chancellor," Palpatine counseled her. "One who can control the bureaucrats, and give us justice. You could call for a vote of no confidence in Chancellor Valorum." _That would tie the Senate up for at least another month._ Palpatine had been planning for this mock Senate hearing for two days now, and had come up with several different ways to wreak havoc and prevent the Queen from receiving any help whatsoever in this security drill. _It's actually quite frightening, how easily the political system can be manipulated,_ Palpatine admitted regretfully.

"He has been our strongest supporter," Padmé protested.

_Padmé, Chancellor Valorum thinks this security drill is stupid, and a waste of time; you'll get no help from him._ "Our only other choice would to be to submit a plea to the courts," Palpatine told her.

"The courts take even longer to decide things than the Senate," Padmé protested. "Our people are dying, Senator. We must do something quickly to stop the Federation," she pleaded.

_Ah, Padmé, you should never have come to Coruscant._ "To be realistic, Your Majesty, I think we're going to have to accept Federation control for the time being," Palpatine said. _It's over, Padmé. I've already won._

"That is something I cannot do," Padmé replied, pouting. _I'm sorry, Padmé,_ Palpatine sighed. _I'm as horrified as you are, to realize how easy it would be to destroy Naboo... And the entire Galactic Senate, if my plan succeeds._

* * *

><p>"He was trained in the Jedi arts," Qui-Gon informed the Council. "My only conclusion can be that it was a Sith Lord."<p>

"Impossible!" Ki-Adi-Mundi exclaimed. "The Sith have been extinct for a millennium."

"I do not believe they could have returned without us knowing," Mace said.

"Ah," Yoda countered thoughtfully. "Hard to see, the Dark Side is," he reminded the others. _Courage, I must have. Too long have I hidden from the cameras,_ Yoda admitted. This was his first appearance on _JEDI_ since his TPM symptoms had become more severe; Yoda was extremely self-conscious of his freakishly pale, bulging eyes and his sickly, hardened skin, but he knew that it was time to put his own vanity aside. _A good example for Obi-Wan, I must set._

"We will use all our resources to unravel this mystery," Mace assured Qui-Gon. "We will discover the identity of your attacker. May the Force be with you," he said, as Obi-Wan turned to leave.

_Normal, young Obi-Wan looks today,_ Yoda noted, still deeply disturbed by his recent diagnosis. _Still in the early stages, he is._

"Master Qui-Gon," Yoda said now. "More to say, have you?" He was embarrassed that he couldn't move his lips properly when he spoke, but reminded himself once again that it was time to come out of hiding, and bravely face the cameras.

"With your permission," Qui-Gon replied, "I have encountered a vergence in the Force."

"A vergence, you say?" Yoda asked. _Interesting, this new development is._ Mace had explained his theory to the Council; it didn't entirely make sense, but he was fascinated with the idea, and Yoda had agreed to go along with it.

"Located around a person?" Mace asked, feigning confusion.

"A boy," Qui-Gon replied. "His cells have the highest concentration of midichlorians I have seen in a life form. It is possible he was conceived by the midichlorians."

"You're referring to the prophecy of the one who will bring balance to the Force," Mace nodded. "You believe it's this boy?"

"I don't presume - " Qui-Gon began humbly.

"But you do!" Yoda interjected. "Revealed, your opinion is." _Train Anakin as his next padawan, Qui-Gon wants,_ Yoda sensed. _Disappointing, this is,_ he sighed, dismayed by Qui-Gon's unhealthy attachment to his children. _Allow it, I will not._

"I request the boy be tested," Qui-Gon said politely, for the cameras.

"Oh! Trained as a Jedi, you request for him, hmm?" Yoda challenged him pointedly.

"Finding him was the will of the Force," Qui-Gon said. "I have no doubt of that."

Yoda shared a secret glance with Mace; Cliegg had asked them to act suspicious, but in truth they were more worried about Qui-Gon's real-life intentions than this made-up prophecy. "Bring him before us, then," Mace sighed.

* * *

><p>"Who is it?" Queen Amidala asked.<p>

"Anakin Skywalker, to see Padmé, Your Highness," one of her handmaidens announced. A moment later the Queen appeared from around the corner, wearing a big puffy robe and an enormous jester's hat with dangling tassles. _And I thought her last outfit was weird,_ Anakin blinked, trying his best not to laugh. _I'm so glad Padmé doesn't dress like that._

"I've sent Padmé on an errand," the Queen told him.

_Aw..._ "I'm on my way to the Jedi Temple to start my training, I hope," Anakin explained shyly. "I may never see her again... So I came to say goodbye," he shrugged. _I wish she were here..._

"We will tell her for you," Queen Amidala promised. "We are sure her heart goes with you."

_Yeah, she's just saying that to be polite... Or for the cameras,_ Anakin realized, not exactly sure if they were filming for _JEDI_ right now. "Thank you, Your Highness," he said, bowing politely to the Queen before heading back out to the hallway.

_I'm still not sure why Master Qui-Gon told me to come here with the Queen,_ Anakin wondered again; but he had obeyed the Jedi Master without question, sensing that there was more going on than he understood. _Chancellor Valorum looked angry out on the landing platform, _he remembered. _I wonder what that was about._

_Oops! Wrong way,_ Anakin realized, coming to a dead end in the hallway and remembering that the elevators were in the other direction. Turning around, he headed back the other way; but just as he was approaching the Queen's chamber once again, Chancellor Valorum appeared from around the corner with his assistant, Mas Amedda.

"Did you see that frightful black feather headdress she was wearing earlier?" Valorum was asking as they approached the Queen's chamber._ Shh! Not so loud!_ Anakin cringed, seeing that the Queen's door was open. _She can hear you!_

"Yes," Mas Amedda laughed. "It looked as if some kind of bird crawled onto her head and died," he agreed. "But wait until you see what she's wearing now, Chancellor; this will kill you," he added, as they reached the Queen's chamber.

_Oh... This is awkward,_ Anakin thought, pressing himself against the wall in an attempt to hide. Chancellor Valorum was not a patient man, and Anakin had been stopped twice already for roaming the hallways dressed as a peasant boy; he quickly decided to avoid another confrontation with the Chancellor, and headed back in the other direction once again.

_Ah! Now I'm going to be late,_ he realized worriedly. Qui-Gon had sent a message saying Anakin was needed back at the Temple for some more filming. _I'd better go back. Maybe I can sneak past the Queen's chamber without being seen..._

But thankfully, the Chancellor was already leaving when Anakin returned, and was walking back toward the elevator with Mas Amedda. Then Anakin saw the guard posted outside the Queen's door. _I'll never sneak past him,_ he sighed.

"Sorry," Anakin apologized, walking past the guard. "I got lost." The door to the Queen's chamber was shut now, and the guard nodded to him politely; but Anakin nearly stopped in his tracks, feeling the intense sadness coming from inside the room. _She heard,_ Anakin realized, dismayed. _She heard what they said..._ But he forced himself to keep walking.

_It's none of my business,_ Anakin reminded himself; but Chancellor Valorum and Mas Amedda were getting onto an elevator just now, and Anakin glared at their backs angrily. _You hurt Queen Amidala's feelings. I don't like you._

* * *

><p>"The Chair recognizes the Senator from the sovereign system of Naboo," Chancellor Valorum announced; he had agreed to give Cliegg five minutes to film this mock Senate hearing for <em>JEDI,<em> in conjunction with Naboo's security drill.

"Supreme Chancellor, delegates of the Senate," Senator Palpatine began. "A tragedy has occurred, which started right here with the taxation of trade routes, and has now engulfed our entire planet in the oppression of the Trade Federation."

"This is outrageous!" the Trade Federation representative protested. "I object to the Senator's statements!"

"The Chair does not recognize the Senator from the Trade Federation at this time," Valorum interrupted sternly.

"To state our allegations, I present Queen Amidala, recently elected ruler of Naboo, to speak on our behalf," Palpatine continued, introducing Padmé to the Senate.

_I should never have come here,_ Padmé confessed. _This was a bad idea. But it's too late to back out now..._ "Honorable representatives of the Republic," she began bravely. "I come to you under the gravest of circumstances. Naboo's system has been invaded by the Droid Armies of the Trade - "

"I object!" the Neimoidian representative interrupted again. "There is no proof. This is incredible. We recommend a commission be sent to Naboo to ascertain the truth."

"The Congress of Malastare concurs with the honorable delegate from the Trade Federation," another Senator agreed. "A commission must be appointed - "

"The point - " Chancellor Valorum began, attempting to take control.

"Enter the bureaucrats," Palpatine whispered to Padmé. "The true rulers of the Republic, and on the payroll of the Trade Federation, I might add. This is where Chancellor Valorum's strength will disappear."

Padmé was fighting tears of frustration now. _I know Palpatine is up to something; h__e's trying to manipulate me, in order to win this security drill. I shouldn't listen to him,_ she scolded herself. _But he's right,_ she admitted, seeing the chaos and disorder in the Senate. _These people can't help me... And Chancellor Valorum just thinks I'm a silly clown,_ Padmé realized unhappily. _Suddenly Palpatine's plan doesn't seem like such a bad idea._

"The point is conceded," Valorum announced. "Will you defer your motion, to allow a commission to explore the validity of your accusations?" he asked Padmé.

"I will not defer," Padmé replied stubbornly. "I have come before you to resolve this attack on our sovereignty now. I was not elected to watch my people suffer and die while you discuss this invasion in a committee." _All right, Palpatine. I don't know what you're up to, but if it involves humiliating Valorum, I'm with you._

"If this body is not capable of action, I suggest new leadership is needed," Padmé continued bravely. "I move for a vote of no confidence in Chancellor Valorum's leadership." _That will teach you to make fun of my hat._

"Order! We shall have order," Mas Amedda insisted, as total chaos broke out in the Senate.

"Now we will elect a new Chancellor," Palpatine told Padmé quietly. "A strong Chancellor. One who will not let our tragedy continue." _Ahh!_ Padmé realized too late, as Palpatine used the remainder of the five minutes of the mock Senate session to get himself nominated as the next Supreme Chancellor. _This was his plan all along..._

Padmé sighed ruefully as Cliegg thanked the Senate for allowing him to film today; the Senators were all smiling and nodding enthusiastically, and they begged to hold another mock session this afternoon, to see who would win the vote. _Palpatine will win,_ Padmé realized, impressed to see how well-loved he was by the other Senators. She smiled to herself as Chancellor Valorum grudgingly agreed to allow another mock session, pretending to be amused by this turn of events.

_Palpatine has won this security drill,_ Padmé admitted. _But he deserves it,_ she thought, secretly proud of her Senator's creative brilliance. _Chancellor Valorum takes himself far too seriously; someone needed to put him in his place._

* * *

><p>"The boy will not pass the Council's tests, Master," Obi-Wan said. "He is too old." <em>And this JEDI plot is becoming more bizarre by the minute, <em>he laughed to himself. Cliegg had decided that in light of Qui-Gon's imminent death in the upcoming lightsaber duel, the Jedi Master should be portrayed as a tragic hero, and the only one to recognize Anakin's special talents.

"Anakin will become a Jedi," Qui-Gon replied. "I promise you."

"Do not defy the Council, Master," Obi-Wan pleaded. "Not again." In truth, Obi-Wan was a bit worried by what had transpired in their private meeting with Master Yoda a moment ago. Qui-Gon had requested that Obi-Wan be allowed to face the trials, and had asked to take Anakin as his next padawan; Yoda had agreed that Obi-Wan was ready for the trials, but had flatly refused Qui-Gon's request to train Anakin. At that point Obi-Wan had been dismissed from the room, and had waited for his Master outside in the hallway, wondering what was going on.

"I shall do what I must, Obi-Wan," Qui-Gon told him, with a tone of mischief in his voice.

_Oh dear..._ "If you would just follow the Code, you would be on the Council," Obi-Wan told his Master. "They will not go along with you this time." _And I'm sorry, Master; I don't know why they won't allow you to train Anakin._

"You still have much to learn, my young apprentice," Qui-Gon said, putting a hand on his shoulder.

Obi-Wan looked out the window, trying to think what to say next; but then he gripped the windowsill as another wave of nausea hit him. "I'm sorry, Master," he whispered, frustrated and embarrassed.

"It's all right, Obi-Wan," Qui-Gon reassured him gently. "I spoke to Master Yoda; he promised he would speak with the doctors, and work harder than ever toward finding a cure," he told him. "There may still be hope."

Obi-Wan nodded, not answering; he was appreciative of his Master's encouragement, but he knew that nothing could be done. _The doctors have been looking for a cure for TPM for centuries,_ he sighed. _It's not likely that they will find one now._

* * *

><p>Padmé stared out the window of her private chamber, lost in thought. She had changed her clothes yet again, and Sabé had helped her to fix her hair. Padmé had set aside her hurt feelings over Chancellor Valorum's comments about her previous outfits, but still she was dismayed by everything she had experienced since coming to Coruscant.<p>

_Valorum is not the wise and noble leader I thought he was,_ Padmé admitted, disappointed by the Chancellor's conduct. _He is arrogant and heartless, and looks down on the smaller planets of the Republic,_ she sighed.

_And our security drill has failed,_ Padmé confessed, frightened and disturbed to realize how vulnerable and unprotected Naboo truly was. _We are powerless to defend ourselves in a real-life situation._

But now she became aware of Jar Jar approaching, and she sighed, remembering that the _JEDI_ cameras were still rolling. _I will be so glad when this is all over._ "You thinking yousa people gonna die?" the Gungan asked her.

"I don't know," Padmé replied. _Please go away, Jar Jar. I can't deal with this right now._

"Gungans get pasted too, eh?" he continued, still play-acting.

"I hope not," Padmé said dully. _Just go away... I'm tired of this stupid security drill._

"Gungans no dying without a fight," Jar Jar insisted. "Wesa warriors. Wesa gotta grand army," he told her. "Dat's why you no liking us, methinks."

Padmé blinked. _What? The Gungans have an army?_ But before she could process this new information, Captain Panaka entered her chamber, along with with Senator Palpatine and another swarm of camera droids. _Perfect._ "Your Highness," Panaka said cheerfully. "Senator Palpatine has been nominated to succeed Valorum as Supreme Chancellor." _Yes, I know..._

"A surprise, to be sure," Palpatine said modestly. "But a welcome one," he admitted. "Your Majesty, if I am elected, I promise to put an end to corruption."

_Ha... Yes, I'm sure,_ Padmé laughed to herself, simultaneously amused and dismayed by Palpatine's victory in the mock Senate hearing. "Who else has been nominated?" _Maybe they will elect someone who could help us..._

"Bail Antilles of Alderaan and Ainlee Teem of Malastare," Captain Panaka informed her.

"I feel confident our situation will create a strong sympathy vote for us," Palpatine said. "I will be Chancellor."

Padmé sighed, knowing he was right. "I fear by the time you have control of the bureaucrats, Senator, there will be nothing left of our people, our way of life," she told him. _He has won the political game,_ she admitted. _But there is still the Gungan army... And perhaps the Jedi will agree to return with me... We might still win this drill,_ Padmé thought mischievously.

"I understand your concern, Your Majesty," Palpatine replied. "Unfortunately, the Federation has possession of our planet," he pointed out, in a veiled threat.

_This is not over, Palpatine._ "Senator, this is your arena; I feel I must return to mine," Padmé told him. "I've decided to go back to Naboo," she announced abruptly. _Ha, look at his face!_

"Go back?" Palpatine asked, clearly caught off guard. "But, Your Majesty, be realistic!" he said worriedly. "They will force you to sign the treaty," he added, trying to scare her.

"I will sign no treaty, Senator," Padmé replied. _I bet he's wondering what I'm up to..._ "My fate will be no different from that of our people," she added mysteriously. "Captain!" Padmé called abruptly, heading for the door. "Ready my ship!"

"Please, Your Majesty," Palpatine begged. "Stay here... where it's safe."

Padmé turned back toward him calmly, not giving Palpatine any hint of her plan. "It is clear to me now that the Republic no longer functions. I pray you will bring sanity and compassion back to the Senate," she said, heading down the hallway with Panaka, Jar Jar, and the rest of her handmaidens.

"Your Highness, are you sure this is a good plan?" Captain Panaka asked, as they entered the elevator.

Padmé nodded solemnly, maintaining proper decorum in front of the cameras. "Yes, Captain," she told him, pressing the button to go down to the first floor. "There is nothing more we can do here."

Panaka frowned, concerned. "Your Majesty, the ship is docked on the landing platform, up on the roof," he reminded her.

"We're not going back to the ship just yet, Captain," Padmé told him, leading the way out to the main entrance. "We're going to the Temple, to collect our Jedi ambassadors."

Panaka sighed in dismay, and Padmé stifled a laugh; Sabé had told her about the Captain's unfortunate but amusing personality conflict with the young Jedi padawan. "Yes, Your Highness," he agreed, resigning himself to his fate.

But a moment later Panaka was smiling again, despite himself. "What is it, Captain?" Padmé asked curiously, as they boarded a transport to the Jedi Temple.

"Forgive me, Your Majesty," Panaka apologized. "It is not my place. But I couldn't help overhearing several of the other Senators talking with Palpatine," he told her. "They were impressed by his performance today in the mock hearing, and they're encouraging him to run for Chancellor next term," Panaka said proudly. "I think he's considering it."

* * *

><p>"Your Highness, it is our pleasure to continue to serve and protect you," Qui-Gon told Queen Amidala as they boarded the Nubian vessel once again, heading back to Naboo. <em>And I am grateful to get away from Coruscant for a while,<em> he admitted, still heartbroken over Yoda's unwavering refusal to allow him to take Anakin as his padawan.

"I welcome your help," the Queen replied. "Senator Palpatine fears that the Federation means to destroy me."

"I assure you, I will not allow that to happen," Qui-Gon said absently, preoccupied with his own problems. _I have lost both of my children because of this,_ he realized; Obi-Wan would be facing the trials as soon as they got back, and Anakin would be trained by another Master. _I don't know what I will do without them,_ he confessed, fighting tears.

_And now they are both terribly confused,_ Qui-Gon lamented, smiling despite his grief as he spied Anakin and Obi-Wan sitting together in a corner of the ship, talking quietly amongst themselves. _Obi-Wan senses that there is more going on than I am telling him, and Anakin feels that this is somehow his fault,_ he sighed.

_These blasted cameras aren't making it any easier,_ Qui-Gon grumbled. _I will be glad when this ridiculous JEDI assignment is over,_ he sighed in frustration; then he hung his head. _No, I won't,_ he realized, grief-stricken by the thought. _When this is over, the three of us will go our separate ways, and we may never be together as a family again._

_Yoda is right; I must relinquish my attachments, and allow Obi-Wan and Anakin to live their own lives,_ Qui-Gon admitted. _But letting go of my children is the most difficult and painful thing I have ever done._

* * *

><p><em>Finally,<em> Malok laughed ruefully, stretching his aching muscles as he walked down the ramp of his ship. It had taken him ten hours to fix the hyperdrive, but he had finally got it working again, and was glad to be back on Coruscant.

_I wonder where Cliegg is... and the Jedi,_ he mused, not sure where to go next. Then he grinned mischievously. _I'll pay a visit to Lord Sidious; hopefully he will know where they are,_ he decided cheerfully.

"Malok!" Palpatine exclaimed, welcoming him inside. "I mean - Lord Maul," he corrected himself, with an amused smile. "What are you doing here?" he asked, curious.

"Lord Sidious," Malok bowed respectfully. "I'm here for the lightsaber duel," he reminded him. "Sorry I'm late," he apologized. "I had engine trouble," he explained. "Have the Jedi arrived yet?"

Palpatine cringed. "Lord Maul, I'm afraid I have some unfortunate news," he told him, patting his back consolingly as he ushered him out toward the hallway. "The Jedi have gone back to Naboo."


	63. Fight scenes are so much more fun!

**Chapter 63**

"Jar Jar is on his way to the Gungan city, Master," Obi-Wan said hesitantly, reluctant to disturb his Master as he joined him beside the lake. _What's wrong, Master? I wish you would tell me._

"Good," Qui-Gon replied absently, not looking at him.

"Do you think the Queen's idea will work?" Obi-Wan asked, fighting another wave of nausea; he was grateful that the two-handed tummy clutch was actually an acceptable Jedi pose. He was having one of the worst TPM attacks yet, and had abruptly left Anakin with the others, claiming that he needed to speak with Qui-Gon.

"The Gungans will not easily be swayed," Qui-Gon replied, turning to him. But then he quickly looked away again, pretending not to notice his curly red hair; Obi-Wan was already growing accustomed to this reaction from people. _Qui-Gon is taking this diagnosis even harder than I am, if that's possible,_ Obi-Wan sighed unhappily.

"And we cannot use our power to help her," Qui-Gon continued; he had used a Jedi mind trick during their last meeting with the Gungans, but regretted it now, and refused to take advantage of the simple creatures again. If Queen Amidala wanted the Gungans to help her win this security drill, she would have to ask them herself.

Obi-Wan looked away uncomfortably. _Why has he been so quiet since Coruscant? Is he angry with me?_ "I'm - I'm sorry for my behavior, Master," he apologized. "It is not my place to disagree with you about the boy." _I was only acting, for this stupid show; I didn't mean it, Master. I still don't understand why Yoda won't allow you to train Anakin._

"And I am grateful you think I'm ready to take the trials," Obi-Wan added sincerely. _Truly, I am. I don't know what I've done to upset you, Master; but whatever it is, I'm sorry._

"You've been a good apprentice, Obi-Wan," Qui-Gon said. "And you're a much wiser man than I am," he confessed. "I foresee you will become a great Jedi Knight," he said encouragingly, putting a hand on Obi-Wan's shoulder.

"Thank you, Master," Obi-Wan said, looking down. _I have to say this._ "Master," he continued hesitantly. "I can't help but notice you've been unusually quiet lately," he apologized. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

Qui-Gon smiled, obviously grateful for his concern. "You can pass the trials, and make me proud," he told him. "And after that," he sighed unhappily. "Please don't be a stranger, Obi-Wan."

"I won't," Obi-Wan promised; then he caught his Master's startled but somewhat relieved look, and ran a hand tentatively through his hair. It felt straight again, but he wasn't sure of the color. "Is it still red?" Obi-Wan asked, with an embarrassed grin.

"No; it's back to normal now," Qui-Gon assured him; then he squinted at something in the water. "Ah," he nodded, as Jar Jar emerged from the lake. "We'd better find out what the Gungans are up to."

* * *

><p>"I am Queen Amidala of the Naboo," Sabé said, introducing herself to the Gungan leader as Padmé stood behind her. "I come before you in peace." <em>I should be doing this,<em> Padmé thought regretfully. _This isn't right._

"Ah," Boss Nass replied, suspicious. "Naboo biggen. Yousa bringen da Mackineeks... Yousa all bomba," he informed them emphatically; apparently it was some kind of Gungan insult.

"We have searched you out because we wish to form an alliance," Sabé continued; but then Padmé stepped forward boldly, interrupting her. _If I expect these people to help me, I should at least have the decency to be honest with them._

"Whosa dis?" Boss Nass asked, clearly unimpressed by her lack of respect.

"I am Queen Amidala," Padmé replied, ignoring the baffled glances from Jar Jar, Anakin, and the other Jedi. "This is my decoy," she explained. "My protection; my loyal bodyguard. I'm sorry for my deception, but it was necessary to protect myself," she apologized. "Although we do not always agree, Your Honor, our two great societies have always lived in peace. The Trade Federation has destroyed all that we have worked so hard to build. If we do not act quickly, all will be lost forever. I ask you to help us... No, I beg you to help us," Padmé corrected herself, kneeling before the Gungan leader.

"We are your humble servants," Padmé assured him, as the others knelt. "Our fate is in your hands."

"Hmmmm," Boss Nass said thoughtfully. Then he cacked gleefully. "Yousa no tinken yousa greater den da Gungans," he said. "Meesa like dis," he decided emphatically. "Maybe weesa being friends," he told her.

"Bllblllbbllbbblllbbbllbbbb!" the Gungan added enthusiastically; Padmé wasn't certain if this slobbery outburst was meant to impress or intimidate her, but she bowed her head respectfully. _These people are very strange; but they are our neighbors, and they have good hearts. I am grateful to have finally met them._

* * *

><p><em>Haha!<em> Anakin giggled silently, following behind Padmé, Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan as they sneaked through the streets outside the Royal Palace. _This is great!_ He still wished he could have watched the Gungans fight against the droid army, but Cliegg had come up with a new task for him, and Anakin was eagerly looking forward to his role in today's battle.

Now they were hiding behind the corner of a building, and Master Qui-Gon knelt down, putting his hands on Anakin's shoulders. "Once we get inside, you find a safe place to hide, and stay there," Qui-Gon instructed him.

"Sure," Anakin agreed, nodding.

"Stay there," Qui-Gon warned him sternly, as Anakin nodded again. _Ha! Of course, I might hide in the cockpit of a Naboo Starfighter, and then I might accidentally take off,_ he giggled to himself. _And then I might accidentally shoot out the controls to the entire droid army,_ Anakin laughed, loving this latest play-acting assignment.

_Aww, I wish I had a lightsaber too,_ he sighed, tagging along uselessly as Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan slashed at the blaster fire that was coming at them. _Eh, I'd probably just lose it again,_ Anakin confessed. _This is really cool though,_ he thought, as they entered the docking bay of the Royal Palace.

"Ani! Find cover," Qui-Gon instructed him urgently, warding off blaster fire from the droids.

"Get to your ships!" Padmé commanded the other pilots. _I can't believe Padmé's really the Queen of Naboo,_ Anakin laughed again._ She's awesome._ He made a good act of looking for a safe place to hide; then as a last resort, he scrambled up a ladder and into the cockpit of a Naboo Starfighter. _Yeah, this is a good place to hide,_ he thought mischievously, looking back to make sure Artoo was there. _Thank goodness for astrodroids,_ he sighed. _I don't want to have to fix every stupid thing that goes wrong with this ship, like I did with that dumb racing pod._

"Red Group! Blue Group! Everybody this way!" Captain Panaka was ordering the others now.

_Oh! That's my cue,_ Anakin remembered. "Hey!" he called to them, standing up in the cockpit. "Wait for me!"

"Anakin, stay where you are; you'll be safe there," Qui-Gon told him.

"But I - "

"Stay in that cockpit," Qui-Gon commanded him, pointing a finger at him. _Haha! Okay, I will,_ Anakin nodded, sitting back down._ I'm glad Master Qui-Gon is acting normal again,_ he thought. _I felt really bad, when he was so quiet and sad on the way here. I still wish Master Yoda would have let me be his padawan,_ Anakin sighed.

_Whoa,_ he thought excitedly, as the doorway opened. _The Zabrak warrior is here!_ Cliegg had been hoping he would show up to fight Master Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan, but they hadn't been entirely certain. _Aw, I wish I could watch._ But Qui-Gon had commanded him to stay in the cockpit, and so Anakin obediently did as he was told.

* * *

><p><em>Ha! There he is,<em> Qui-Gon realized, seeing the Zabrak warrior in the doorway. "We'll handle this," he told Padmé.

"We'll take the long way," Padmé agreed, heading to the side of the hangar with the others.

The Zabrak pulled off his black hood, revealing his horns; then the three of them shrugged off their cloaks in preparation for the fight. Adopting a defensive stance, the Zabrak activated his red lightsaber.

_That's an odd stance,_ Qui-Gon thought. _A bit unbalanced; but he's not used to lightsaber fighting,_ he remembered. _He's doing a good job of it though; it's a pity he couldn't use his native fighting style,_ he sighed. _But two lightsabers versus a wooden staff would not make for a very successful fight scene,_ he admitted.

Then he blinked in surprise as the other end of the Zabrak's lightsaber ignited. _Yes! T__hat's more like it..._ Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan activated their lightsabers in response, and the fight began. Obi-Wan somersaulted over the Zabrak's head, and then they each fought against one side of his double-ended lightsaber. _This is great._

* * *

><p>"Oops," Anakin blinked innocently, starting up his Starfighter and rolling across the docking bay. "Wrong one... Maybe it's this one?" he continued, closing the hatch. "Nope... Wait - here it is," Anakin said, pretending to have no idea what he was doing as he 'accidentally' shot at the droid Destroyers. <em>Yeah!<em>

"Ah! It's on automatic pilot," he cringed worriedly for the cameras, taking off from the docking bay. "Try to override it," he told Artoo, putting on his helmet. _I promised Master Qui-Gon I'd wear this thing... Argh, I look silly._

* * *

><p><em>Heeheehee!<em> Obi-Wan giggled involuntarily, rolling around on the floor and clutching at his chest. _Force, that tickles..._ He had just done another flashy somersaulting jump over the Zabrak, assuming that his opponent wouldn't strike at him, seeing as how Obi-Wan was supposed to kill _him_ in the end; but unfortunately Qui-Gon had simultaneously struck at the Zabrak's feet, forcing him to raise his lightsaber vertically. The other end of it had passed straight across Obi-Wan's chest in mid-air, and he had landed in a fit of giggles from the intense tingling sensation.

"Sorry," Obi-Wan gasped, still rolling around and giggling idiotically. "Ohh, you have it set on 'tickle'," he reproached his opponent, clutching at his chest as Qui-Gon rolled his eyes in annoyance. _I'm sorry, Master,_ Obi-Wan giggled. _You know I can't help that I'm so impossibly ticklish._

"What's wrong with him?" the Zabrak asked, eyeing Obi-Wan in guarded confusion.

"Nothing," Qui-Gon assured him. "He's just ticklish, that's all." He laughed as Obi-Wan managed to stagger to his feet again. "I'm Qui-Gon Jinn," he said politely. "And this is my padawan learner, Obi-Wan Kenobi," he added with an affectionate smile, as Obi-Wan bowed respectfully, catching his breath.

"I'm Malok," the Zabrak replied good-naturedly. "Pleased to meet you... Are you all right?" he asked Obi-Wan, with an apologetic cringe. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean to - "

"No, no; I'm fine," Obi-Wan assured him, masking his embarrassment. "I'm just - slightly - ticklish, that's all," he apologized, ignoring Qui-Gon's amused laugh. _Understatement of the century, I know._

"Sorry," Malok apologized again. "Here, I'll put it on a lower setting," he offered, adjusting the intensity of his double-ended lightsaber. _Thank you,_ Obi-Wan sighed; then he cringed as his Master interrupted. _Master, please..._

"No," Qui-Gon said, a mischievous gleam in his eyes. "Let's put them all on 'tickle'," he suggested, adjusting his own practice saber. "Obi-Wan will be facing the trials soon, to become a Jedi Knight; this will be excellent motivation for him to stay focused," he explained to Malok cheerfully, as the Zabrak nodded, impressed.

_Fine,_ Obi-Wan grumbled, glaring at his Master as he set his own saber to 'tickle'. _I would rather have them on stun._ But he adopted a defensive stance, vowing not to let Malok's double-ended torture device come anywhere near him again.

* * *

><p><em>Haha! These Jedi are great!<em>, Malok realized, breaking away from them and doing a dramatic kicking flip as they allowed him a moment to show off his fighting skills. _And now behold my fearsome Sith powers!_ he thought, pointing dramatically to a piece of scrap metal as Qui-Gon threw it across the room from behind the cameras.

_This is the best fight I've ever had in my life,_ Malok admitted, spinning and flipping his way through the Royal Palace's power generator pit as he clashed lightsabers with the Jedi. _Definitely worth flying across the galaxy six times._

* * *

><p>"Look!" Anakin exclaimed, catching up with the other Naboo pilots just outside the planet's atmosphere. "There they are! That's where the auto pilot is taking us," he said, still feigning innocence. <em>I'm just a little slave boy who doesn't know how to fly..<em>. "This is intense!" Actually, it was fairly boring; but Cliegg said that he could add explosions afterwards, and make it look dangerous and exciting. _I wonder how he does that?_

"Artoo, get us off this auto pilot; it's going to get us both killed," Anakin said, lurching his engine spastically and pretending to be in trouble. _This isn't really good for the engine,_ he admitted; then he shrugged. _Eh, who cares._

"You did it, Artoo!" Anakin congratulated his astrodroid. "Okay, let's go left," he decided, randomly heading for the interior of the Trade Federation starship. "I'll try spinning, that's a good trick!" he added cheerfully, going into a barrel roll. _Ha! I love pretending I don't know how to fly,_ Anakin laughed as he spun around stupidly. _Play-acting is fun!_

* * *

><p><em>Ahhh!<em> Padmé cringed, standing on the seventh-floor window ledge. _Don't look down..._ The Naboo Fire Department was waiting below with a giant air cushion in case anyone fell, but Padmé didn't want to be the one to test its effectiveness. Panaka had radioed them for backup, and had come up with this brilliant plan to reach the top floor.

_All right... You can do this,_ Padmé told herself, ignoring her terror as she and the others shot their retractor cables up toward the roof. _Whoa! It's working!_ she blinked in disbelief, as the cable pulled her upwards. _I can't believe I'm doing this! Okay, let's get back inside now,_ Padmé decided quickly, pretending to blast her way through the window.

_That was by far the scariest thing I've ever done in my life,_ Padmé admitted. _I'm still having a heart attack._

* * *

><p><em>Noooo!<em> Obi-Wan cringed, hopping out of the way of Malok's giant tickling device. _You keep that thing away from me!_ But now Malok was fighting Qui-Gon, so Obi-Wan stepped closer, watching the other end of the Zabrak's red saber intently.

But unfortunately he didn't watch the Zabrak's foot. _Oops,_ he blinked, falling several levels downward and landing with a thud on the hard floor before rolling off the edge, catching himself by his fingertips. _That was impressive,_ he sighed, dangling idiotically from the edge as Qui-Gon and Malok continued their fight.

_Ugh,_ Obi-Wan grunted, hopping back up onto the ledge. Then he looked up at the narrow bridge fifty feet above him, and the seemingly bottomless pit beneath him if he missed. _All right, then: don't miss,_ he decided, Force-jumping back up to rejoin the others.

_I'm coming, Master!_ Obi-Wan panted, sprinting to catch up with him. _Oh? What's this?_ he blinked, skidding to a stop as a red force field suddenly blocked his path. He watched as Malok experimentally hit his red lightsaber against the strange beam. _Whatever it is, apparently it doesn't respond to 'tickle',_ Obi-Wan sighed, wishing he had his real lightsaber.

They were all separated by these ray shields now, and Qui-Gon knelt patiently, waiting for the walls to release. _He's meditating,_ Obi-Wan laughed. _Leave it to Master Qui-Gon to meditate during a lightsaber duel._

* * *

><p>"We're hit, Artoo!" Anakin yelled, spinning helplessly; but by some miraculous coincidence, he twirled straight into the tiny entrance to the Federation starship's hangar and skidded to a stop. <em>Haha! That was fun!<em>

"Oops... This is not good," he cringed, as several battle droids ran towards him, blasters drawn.

* * *

><p><em>Yes!<em> Obi-Wan thought happily, sprinting down the hallway as the force fields released. _No,_ he sighed in frustration, skidding to a stop once again. _They're really going at it,_ he realized, surprised by the Zabrak's skill and endurance against the Jedi Master. _Malok is incredibly talented,_ Obi-Wan confessed.

But suddenly they stopped fighting as Qui-Gon raised his hand, calling for a break. _What's going on?_ Obi-Wan wondered, watching from behind the red wall as Qui-Gon spoke into his transmitter. He couldn't hear what was being said, but Qui-Gon nodded politely, clipping it back on his belt; then he said something to Malok, and they shared a mischievous grin.

_I wonder who that was,_ Obi-Wan mused, as the fight continued. _And I wish these blasted ray shields would lift again,_ he sighed impatiently. _Ah! Master, pay attention!_ Obi-Wan cringed, as Malok somehow managed to smack him in the chin with the hilt of his lightsaber. Obi-Wan blinked worriedly for a moment as his Master reeled, stunned from the blow; then Malok quickly deactivated one end of his lightaber, shoving the hilt into Qui-Gon's chest.

_Oh,_ Obi-Wan sighed in relief, as his Master crumpled dramatically to the floor. _That's what the transmission was about. It must have been Cliegg,_ he realized, disappointed that the fight was almost over. _All right, Malok; it's you and me now._

_Blast,_ he grumbled, wincing in pain and glaring at Malok from behind the red wall. _Now I'm having another TPM attack..._ But thankfully it passed quickly, and by the time the ray shields released again, he was back to normal.

_Here we go,_ Obi-Wan thought, clashing sabers with Malok as they kicked and spun and somersaulted their way across the power generator pit. _Oh, I don't think so,_ Obi-Wan scoffed disdainfully, jumping up quickly as Malok slashed at his feet. _Though perhaps it wouldn't tickle so much through my boots._

_Qui-Gon is right; the Zabraks have an incredible style of fighting,_ he admitted, watching the way Malok used his double-ended lightsaber. _I wonder how they made that thing?_ Obi-Wan mused, studying the weapon's long hilt. _Hey!_ he realized now. _It's just two normal lightsabers glued together. Haha... Take that,_ Obi-Wan decided mischievously, slashing quickly through the center of Malok's hilt and kicking him backwards onto the floor.

_And now I will do a flashy somersault for no reason at all,_ he laughed to himself, flip-flopping through the air. _Yes, I am a terrible show-off. But I don't care; this is fun,_ he confessed, landing just as Malok was springing to his feet once again. _Of course, if I hadn't done that, I could have killed him right then and there... And now he has two lightsabers instead of one,_ Obi-Wan sighed. But thankfully Malok seemed to have lost one of them, and was now fighting with a single red saber.

_He's not a bad swordsman,_ Obi-Wan admitted, impressed by Malok's versatility. _But he doesn't quite know what to - Ow!_ Obi-Wan blinked, outraged. _Did you just kick me in the face? All right; I've had enough of this. Now I'm going to - Hey!_ he frowned indignantly, tumbling backwards as Malok somehow managed to Force-shove him.

_I was wondering where Qui-Gon's body had gone to,_ Obi-Wan admitted, tumbling down into the power generator pit and grabbing hold of something to break his fall. _Perfect,_ he sighed, dangling helplessly once again. Then he watched in dismay as Malok kicked his lightsaber down into the endless pit. _Even better._

Of course Cliegg Lars had to choose that exact moment to arrive on the scene; Obi-Wan sighed as he heard the telltale ding of an elevator door opening above him. "How's the fight going?" Cliegg asked, checking up on their progress.

"Very well," Qui-Gon replied. "I'm dead, and Obi-Wan was just about to kill Malok," he explained.

"Ah," Cliegg nodded, peering curiously down into the pit where Obi-Wan was dangling from a light bulb. "Good job."

* * *

><p><em>Meanwhile, in the throne room...<em>

"Captain!" Padmé yelled, opening her secret stash of blaster pistols and throwing him one. _I can't believe this; we're actually winning this crazy drill,_ Padmé realized triumphantly, shooting at the battle droids all around them.

"Jam the doors!" Captain Panaka ordered the others.

"Now, Viceroy," Padmé said, holding Nute Gunray at blaster point. "We will discuss a new treaty."

* * *

><p><em>Meanwhile, up in space...<em>

"Yes... We have power," Anakin said, starting his engine again in the docking bay of the Federation starship. "Take this!" he added indignantly, shooting at the battle droids that were still advancing upon him. "And this... Oops," he cringed, pretending to have shot out the ship's main reactor. "Let's get out of here!"

_I hope Cliegg makes this look really cool, with lots of fiery explosions,_ Anakin thought, blasting away from the Trade Federation ship. "Now _this_ is pod racing," he declared happily. "Wooooooooooo!"

* * *

><p><em>Meanwhile, out on the battle field...<em>

"Was'n dey doing?" Jar Jar asked, as the battle droids suddenly went limp. They had spent the past half hour fighting the droid army, and General Binks had singlehandedly wrought destruction everywhere he turned, completely by accident.

"The control ship has been destroyed," his Gungan friend deduced, pushing one of the droids over. "Look!"

"Woohoo!" the other Gungans cheered, jumping up and down all over the battlefield.

* * *

><p><em>Meanwhile, back in the power generator pit...<em>

"You sure you don't need help?" Cliegg asked, peering down at Obi-Wan.

"Positive," Obi-Wan grunted, dangling inside the bottomless pit.

"All right," Cliegg agreed, stepping back as Qui-Gon lay down once again, playing dead.

_Qui-Gon's lightsaber is just above me; if I can just find it._ Obi-Wan frowned with determination, reaching out with the Force. _Yes!_ he thought triumphantly, jumping up and somersaulting over Malok's head while simultaneously drawing Qui-Gon's lightsaber into his hand. _Take that,_ he scowled, slashing straight across Malok's stomach.

The Zabrak's eyes widened in shock, and he stood perfectly still for a moment; then he slowly toppled into the generator pit, falling to his doom. _That was quite dramatic,_ Obi-Wan admitted, impressed by the Zabrak's performance; then he cringed anxiously as he realized what was happening. _Oh no! Malok!_

Quickly, Obi-Wan dived headfirst into the generator pit, hurtling after the falling Zabrak and grabbing him in mid-air as he shot his grappling hook back upward toward the ledge. _Oof,_ he grunted, as they came to an abrupt stop, dangling from the cable inside the pit._ That was close._

Then he realized the Zabrak wasn't breathing. "Malok! Malok, are you all right?" Obi-Wan asked urgently.

Malok gulped, nodding bravely as Obi-Wan held him from the cable. "Ahhh... Ahhh," he gasped, shuddering. "Ahhh... hahaha... haha... AHAHAAAA!" he laughed, clutching his stomach and giggling uncontrollably.

_Oh dear..._ "I'm sorry, Malok," Obi-Wan apologized sympathetically, retracting his cable and pulling them back up to the top level. _Well, at least I'm not the only one who's frightfully ticklish._

"Are you all right?" Qui-Gon asked Malok, giving him a hand as they hauled themselves back up onto the platform.

"Yes," Malok nodded, still a bit breathless. "So, I guess that's it?" he asked, looking slightly disappointed.

"Yes," Cliegg nodded. "Wonderful job. We got some great footage of you falling; I'm thinking of editing it to make it look as though you've been chopped in half," he added enthusiastically, as Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon headed toward the elevator. "Whoa, whoa... Where are you going?" Cliegg asked, blinking in surprise. "No, no, no... Back on the floor," he ordered Qui-Gon cheerfully, herding him back to his death spot. "We're not done with you just yet."

_A few minutes later..._

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Obi-Wan yelled at the top of his lungs from behind the red force field. _Cliegg is right,_ he admitted, impressed by the director's foresight. _My original reaction of vague indifference at Master Qui-Gon's death wouldn't have done him justice. I'm so glad Cliegg is here to think of these things._

_This is pretty funny though,_ Obi-Wan thought, rushing to Qui-Gon's side and cradling him in his arms. "It's... It's too late," Qui-Gon gasped weakly. _Oh dear; he's doing a very good job of acting pathetic._

"No," Obi-Wan protested, fighting tears despite himself. _My voice came out too high,_ he realized. _Why do I have to be such an emotional sap? He's only acting... But this is terrible..._

"Obi-Wan," Qui-Gon continued weakly. "Promise me you'll train the boy." Cliegg had come up with this plan just a few minutes ago, to tie up a loose end in the plot; Obi-Wan had laughed at the idea before, but now he nodded unhappily.

"Yes, Master," he replied._ This always happens when I watch sad movies. I end up in tears; it's embarrassing. There is no emotion, there is peace,_ he reminded himself stubbornly, quoting the Jedi Code.

"He - is the Chosen One," Qui-Gon insisted feebly. "He - will bring balance... train him," he pleaded once again, as Obi-Wan nodded tearfully. _There is no passion, there is serenity... Blast,_ Obi-Wan cried miserably, squeezing his eyes shut as the tears finally came. _I am the worst Jedi ever. I'm hopelessly emotional, and embarrassingly ticklish... Hey!_ he blinked in surprise, spinning around at the sound of a lightsaber being activated.

Malok was coming at him again, spinning and twirling around the platform with his red lightsaber. "You're supposed to be dead," Obi-Wan said indignantly, meeting his attack with Qui-Gon's green saber.

"I know," Malok replied. "But what you guys were doing there reminded me of those horror movies, where everyone is crying and hugging at the end, and nobody bothers to check to see if the bad guy is really dead... And then he suddenly comes back when you least expect it," Malok explained, still clashing sabers with Obi-Wan around the power generator pit.

"Ah... Brilliant," Obi-Wan nodded. "How shall I kill you this time?" he asked, looking over at Cliegg hopefully. But the director was already getting back onto the elevator, shaking his head and grinning dismissively as he waved goodbye, while Qui-Gon laughed in amusement from the other side of the pit.

_Ahh,_ Obi-Wan sighed, sharing a rueful grin with the Zabrak as they continued to fight. _It's a shame, really,_ he thought, clashing sabers with Malok. _This would have been a much better ending._


	64. And so are Gungan parades!

**Chapter 64**

"Ha!" Anakin laughed, as he and Obi-Wan walked out to the courtyard. "Senator Palpatine's ship is pink!"

Obi-Wan smiled at the youngling, sharing his amusement; then he reeled suddenly as another wave of nausea hit him. _Blast... Not this again,_ he frowned worriedly, trying to will it away._ Please, not right now. Not in front of Anakin..._ Obi-Wan did his best to mask his discomfort, but now the boy was staring at him in shocked confusion.

"Obi-Wan... Are you all right?" Anakin asked, his eyes wide with concern.

_He saw that,_ Obi-Wan realized._ I cannot hide this from him any longer._ "Yes, Anakin," he assured him, smiling. The Senator's ship was touching down in the courtyard now, and they were needed to film this scene; Obi-Wan put a hand on Anakin's shoulder, continuing toward the Queen's entourage. "We'll talk about this later," he whispered, as Anakin nodded obediently, masking his anxiety.

_I'm feeling sick, and Anakin is frightened by what he just saw,_ Obi-Wan lamented, as the two of them walked out to greet Senator Palpatine._ But it works well for this scene; we're supposedly grieving over Master Qui-Gon's death._

"We are indebted to you for your bravery, Obi-Wan Kenobi," Palpatine said, as they bowed before him. "And you, young Skywalker," he added encouragingly. "I will watch your career with great interest."

"What was that about?" Anakin asked, blinking in confusion as he and Obi-Wan escaped from the courtyard.

Obi-Wan grinned ruefully. "That ridiculous prophecy, I imagine," he laughed. "Don't worry; I don't understand any of this either," he admitted good-naturedly, as Anakin gave him a relieved smile. Then he sensed the boy's concern again._ I promised to talk to him about this_. "My hair's turned red again, hasn't it?" he asked quietly.

Anakin frowned, nodding reluctantly. "How did it do that?"

Obi-Wan sighed. "Anakin, I - " he broke off, turning around as he heard his name.

"Obi-Wan," Cliegg Lars called after him, hurrying to catch up. "I was hoping I could film one quick scene with you and Master Yoda up in the turret room, before we lose the light?"

"Of course," Obi-Wan nodded. "Anakin, ask Master Qui-Gon to explain," he told the boy quietly, seeing his Master waiting for them at the entrance to the palace. Anakin nodded obediently, continuing on to rejoin Qui-Gon.

_He will do a better job of explaining it,_ Obi-Wan sighed, following Cliegg and Yoda up to the palace's turret room._ Though I wish it could have been avoided altogether._ Obi-Wan had grown very fond of the youngling over the past few days; with everything else he was dealing with lately, being around Anakin was a breath of fresh air.

Cliegg was explaining the scene to them now, and Yoda nodded thoughtfully, agreeing that for the purposes of the show they would pretend that Obi-Wan had already passed the trials. But he sighed when he heard about the plan for Obi-Wan to take Anakin as his padawan. "Qui-Gon's idea, was this? Hmm?"

"No, Master," Obi-Wan assured him. "It was Cliegg's idea," he explained, as the director nodded in agreement.

"Hmmph," Yoda grumbled, as they entered the turret room. "Like this, I do not. But go along with it, I will." _What is it about this boy?_ Obi-Wan wondered._ Qui-Gon sensed it immediately, and so did I. There is something special about Anakin,_ Obi-Wan realized._ Master Yoda is obviously very protective of him as well._

"Confer on you the level of Jedi Knight, the Council does," Yoda said now, as they began filming. "But agree with your taking this boy as your padawan learner, I do not."

"Qui-Gon believed in him," Obi-Wan pointed out. _Yes, there is more going on than I know._

"The Chosen One, the boy may be," Yoda agreed reluctantly. "Nevertheless, grave danger I fear, in his training."

"Master Yoda, I gave Qui-Gon my word," Obi-Wan said. "I will train Anakin," he insisted. "Without the approval of the Council, if I must." _I will be so glad when we're done filming; I don't enjoy this role one bit._

"Qui-Gon's defiance I sense in you," Yoda said. "Need that, you do not. Agree with you, the Council does," he told Obi-Wan. "Your apprentice, Skywalker will be."

_Well that was uncomfortable,_ Obi-Wan sighed, as he returned to join Qui-Gon and Anakin._ I hope Master Yoda realizes I was only acting. __Obviously the idea of me taking Anakin as my padawan is ridiculous; I'm still only a padawan myself. But I still don't understand why Yoda would not allow Qui-Gon to train him._

* * *

><p>Master Qui-Gon," Anakin said, as they waited for Obi-Wan to return. "Obi-Wan told me to ask you about..." he broke off, frowning worriedly.<p>

_Ahh,_ Qui-Gon nodded, sensing his son's discomfort. "About why his hair was red just now?" he asked. "Ani," he said with quiet regret, "Obi-Wan has a rare disorder called TPM; perhaps you've heard of it?"

Anakin looked up at him, concerned. "The same as Master Yoda has?"

"Yes," Qui-Gon said. "Obi-Wan has just been recently diagnosed; he's still in the early stages, but every now and then his hair turns a bit reddish and curly, and he feels ill," he explained. "The sickness will pass in time, but I'm afraid the other symptoms will continue to get worse; his skin will become hardened and stiff, and his eyes might protrude a bit," Qui-Gon told Anakin, momentarily setting aside his own grief so as not to frighten the youngling.

Anakin nodded. "He's sad about it," he murmured. "I felt it, before."

"Yes, we're all sad about it, Ani," Qui-Gon agreed with tender smile, proud of his son's intuitions. "But Obi-Wan is facing it bravely, just as Master Yoda has; he will be all right," Qui-Gon assured him.

"What are we doing after this, Master?" Anakin asked.

"Well, first, we're going to get something to eat," Qui-Gon said cheerfully. "And then we get to film my funeral scene. I will be expecting lots of tears," he added, as Anakin laughed in amusement. "Speaking of which," he remembered. "I didn't get a chance to tell you before: Obi-Wan will be taking you as his padawan, now that I'm dead."

Anakin's eyes widened. "Really?" he asked. "He can do that?"

_Oh dear; he misunderstood._ "No, no," Qui-Gon corrected him quickly. "Just for the show," he explained, as Anakin blinked, obviously disappointed._ Actually, I have been wondering the same thing, ever since Cliegg came up with the idea_. "Anakin," he said hesitantly. "If it could be arranged... Would you want Obi-Wan to take you as his padawan?"

Anakin shrugged. "I didn't understand, before," he apologized, looking down. "I don't want to be a problem."

Qui-Gon smiled at him fondly. "You're not a problem, Ani. And I'm still very disappointed that I can't train you myself; you are incredibly gifted. Anakin, once this _JEDI_ episode airs, I'm sure you will be receiving several offers from other Masters, who will want to take you as their padawan," he promised; but to his surprise, Anakin looked down, sighing.

"What is it, Ani?" Qui-Gon asked.

Anakin shook his head. "I'm sorry, Master. I just - " he shrugged. "I don't want any of the other Masters," he admitted. "I wish I could have had you... Or Obi-Wan," he confessed.

_So Anakin has felt it as well,_ Qui-Gon realized. _He senses something about Obi-Wan and me, that he doesn't sense in the other Masters. Yoda will never allow this..._ "I will speak to Obi-Wan," he promised quietly. "Anakin, you do understand about his condition? In a few months' time, he will not look as he does now," he warned him. "Would that make you uncomfortable, if he were to take you as his padawan?"

Anakin frowned, furrowing his eyebrows. "Of course not," he insisted. "That doesn't matter to me." Then he looked at Qui-Gon uncertainly. "Do you think he would take me? And - would Master Yoda allow it?"

"I don't know, Ani," Qui-Gon said. "But I will speak to both of them, and see how they feel about it," he promised; then he noticed Obi-Wan returning. "Ah! There he is," he added cheerfully. "Come; let's go get something to eat."

* * *

><p>"Obi-Wan," Qui-Gon said respectfully, joining him outside on the little balcony. He had just tucked Anakin in bed after filming his funeral scene, and Obi-Wan had been gazing absently at the stars, lost in thought. Obi-Wan smiled now, grateful for his company and this rare moment of tranquility after everything that had happened over the past few days.<p>

"Obi-Wan, there is something that I have been meaning to speak to you about," Qui-Gon began. "Have you given any thought to what you want to do, after you pass the trials?"

Obi-Wan shook his head. "No, Master. I mean, yes, I've tried to think about it, but... I know it sounds pathetic, but I don't have any plans," he admitted. "I suppose I'll just do whatever the Council assigns to me."

Qui-Gon nodded. "Obi-Wan, I do have one suggestion. Actually, it's more of a request," he admitted. "You know I've been unhappy over Yoda's refusal to allow me to train Anakin," he continued. "And you asked before, by the lake, if there was anything you could do," he reminded him, with a mischievous grin. Then he sighed, looking down. "Obi-Wan, would you consider taking Anakin as your padawan?"

Obi-Wan laughed at the thought. "The Council would never allow it," he pointed out. "I'm still only a padawan myself; if Yoda refused you, he's not likely to - " he broke off, seeing Qui-Gon's look of quiet regret. "Yes, Master, of course," he agreed humbly. _I don't understand what's going on here, but Qui-Gon would not be asking me this unless it were very important._ "I will ask the Council," he promised. "But I doubt they will allow it."

Qui-Gon smiled affectionately. "Obi-Wan, I was not expecting an answer right away," he said. "Taking on a padawan is a serious decision. You would be committed to training this boy for the next ten years, or more," he warned him. "It is not a decision to be made lightly, or just because I'm asking you," he added. "But I would like you to think about it," he confessed. "What are your feelings, at this point?"

Obi-Wan sighed. "I'd never seriously considered it," he admitted. "But I know - " he hesitated. "Master, I know there is something special about the boy; I have felt it, just as you have. And I know Master Yoda is incredibly protective of him. He was not in favor of me even _pretending_ to take Anakin as my padawan," he admitted.

"No?" Qui-Gon asked.

"No," Obi-Wan told him regretfully. "But I will ask him, Master," he promised. "And not just for you. I have sensed - " Obi-Wan broke off. "I don't know what it is that I sense," he confessed. "I haven't seen his piloting skills, though I've heard he's very good. His saber techniques are absolutely frightening," he laughed, recalling the pathetic sight he had witnessed earlier today as Anakin had attempted to fight against Malok; in the end Anakin had lost _all_ of their lightsabers.

"But aside from that..." Obi-Wan sighed. "I don't pretend to understand it, Master. He's just a silly little youngling; he's always going on about his boys' choir, and things like that," Obi-Wan laughed affectionately. "And sometimes I wonder if he's really all that bright," he admitted, with a worried frown. "But like you say... There's something about him," Obi-Wan said. "Yes, I would very much like to take him as my padawan, if the Council would allow it."

Then he remembered. "And if - " He gave Qui-Gon a hesitant look. "You explained to him, about the TPM?"

"Yes, I did," Qui-Gon nodded encouragingly. "He took it very well; he insisted that it didn't matter to him."

"I don't know if it would be fair to him though," Obi-Wan sighed. "And... I don't even know if Anakin would _want_ to - "

"He does, Obi-Wan," Qui-Gon assured him. "When I told him about Cliegg's plans today, he thought you were taking him as your padawan for real; he got all starry-eyed," Qui-Gon laughed. "And that was _after_ I told him about the TPM."

Obi-Wan nodded, grateful for Anakin's acceptance. "I will speak to him about it tomorrow," he agreed. "And I will ask Master Yoda, as soon as I pass the trials," he promised. "Though I still doubt that he will allow it," he warned Qui-Gon.

Qui-Gon smiled, nodding. "Thank you, Obi-Wan. And I only want you to do it if it feels right to you," he insisted. "But the boy looks up to you, and he doesn't want anyone else to train him," he added. "I told him the other Masters would soon start to take an interest in him; he was horrified by the thought," he told Obi-Wan, laughing affectionately. "I can't think of anyone better to train him."

"Thank you, Master," Obi-Wan said, smiling. "I will see what I can do." Qui-Gon nodded in respectful gratitude, and they both lapsed into thoughtful silence, gazing at the stars once again.

* * *

><p><em>Oh... This is so cool!<em> Anakin thought, watching the Gungan parade. Then he remembered he was still supposed to be sad about Qui-Gon's death, and he managed to share a somber look with Obi-Wan, before breaking into an ecstatic grin again as the Naboo marching band and choir joined the Gungan drum corps.

_Hey!_ Anakin realized excitedly._ I know this song! We sing this one in boys' choir._ Anakin smiled happily as he sang along under his breath._ Yah yah yah... Yah yah yah... Yah yah yah yah yah... Oh, I can't wait for my boys' choir concert when we get back,_ he thought; then he was caught off-guard as Obi-Wan surreptitiously kicked his boot.

_Oh, right,_ Anakin remembered, frowning again as Padmé presented the Gungan leader with a big shimmering ball._ Very serious..._ But now Padmé was looking at him, and Anakin gave her a little half-smile._ Yeah, I know,_ he sighed._ I look like a little pansy in my Jedi outfit, with my silly short hair. I miss my slave costume already,_ he admitted._ But seriously, Padmé, you're in no position to judge,_ he thought, grinning in amusement as Padmé smiled at him with her funny clown face.

_And now it's all over,_ Anakin realized, sighing._ I really had fun with all of this, and I'm going to miss Master Qui-Gon, and Obi-Wan,_ he admitted. _But I have my boys' choir concert in two days,_ he consoled himself._ And I think tomorrow we have arts and crafts, _he thought optimistically._ It will be good to be back home._

* * *

><p>"Anakin," Obi-Wan said, as they boarded Senator Palpatine's pink ship, heading back to Coruscant. "I was hoping I could speak to you?"<p>

"Oh." Anakin nodded, following him into a little private lounge area.

"Have a seat," Obi-Wan said, sitting across from him._ Why am I nervous about this? The boy was just singing along to the Gungan Yah Yah song._ "Anakin," he began hesitantly. "I was wondering - assuming that I pass the trials when we get back... and if the Council allows it," he added, with an apologetic look. "Anakin, would you like to become my padawan learner?"

Anakin nodded eagerly. "Yes," he agreed. "I would like that... except..." Suddenly he frowned, uncertain.

"Master Qui-Gon told you, about the TPM," Obi-Wan said gently. "Anakin, I understand if you - "

"No, no, it's not that," Anakin insisted. "I just..." he shrugged unhappily. "I would have to give up boys' choir, wouldn't I?" he asked, blinking in dismay. "And arts and crafts," he added wistfully.

Obi-Wan smiled in fond amusement._ He doesn't give a damn about my TPM; he just wants to do his arts and crafts._ "Yes, Anakin," he told him gently. "You wouldn't be a youngling any more."_ Perhaps he's not ready; __I was twelve when Master Qui-Gon took me..._ "Anakin, if you want to wait another year or so - "

"No," Anakin interrupted him. He grinned at Obi-Wan, nodding confidently. "I'm ready."


	65. Obi-Wan takes Anakin as his padawan

**Chapter 65**

"Rise, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Jedi Knight."

_Normal, he looks today,_ Yoda noted with relief. Obi-Wan had suffered another attack of TPM during his final lightsaber trial with Yoda and Windu yesterday, but he had valiantly kept fighting despite his nausea. _Terribly sick I felt, in the early stages as well,_ Yoda confessed.

"Do you have any requests, for your new assignment?" Mace asked him.

"Yes, Master," Obi-Wan replied humbly. "With the Council's permission, I would like to take Anakin Skywalker as my padawan learner."

Yoda shared a knowing look with Mace; then he nodded. "Granted, your request is," he told Obi-Wan. "Your padawan learner, Anakin Skywalker shall be."

Obi-Wan blinked, obviously surprised. "I... Thank you, Master," he stammered, bowing. Mace handed Obi-Wan's padawan braid to Qui-Gon as the other Masters stood up to congratulate the young Knight.

_Surprised, he is,_ Yoda chuckled to himself. At first he had been vehemently against the idea, but after meditating on the matter, he realized now that it was the best thing for everyone involved.

_Bonded, Obi-Wan and Anakin already have,_ Yoda smiled, touched by the obvious closeness and affection he had witnessed during his brief visit to Naboo. _Happy, they will be with this assignment; and Qui-Gon too,_ he realized. _The will of the Force, it is._

* * *

><p>"Congratulations, Obi-Wan," Qui-Gon said, as they left the Council chamber. "Though I can't say I'm the least bit surprised," he added respectfully. "And congratulations on your new assignment."<p>

"Thank you, Master," Obi-Wan replied. "And I _am_ very surprised," he confessed. "I was not expecting the Council to allow it."_ I'm sorry, Master. I feel terrible that Master Yoda turned you down, and yet he granted my request without hesitation. It makes no sense; you would have been a far better Master than I could ever be._

Qui-Gon laughed fondly. "I wasn't certain what to expect either," he admitted. "But I'm glad, Obi-Wan," he said. "You will be a fine Master for Anakin."

Obi-Wan smiled, grateful for his Master's continued friendship. _It was just a technicality,_ he sighed. _Qui-Gon's timing was wrong; he should have waited until after I was knighted, before requesting to take a new padawan._

But now it was time for Anakin's concert, and so Obi-Wan set aside his thoughts for the moment, as he and Qui-Gon continued on to the opera house to attend tonight's performance of the Jedi Temple Boys' Choir.

_They really are quite good,_ Obi-Wan realized, surprised and impressed. _Qui-Gon was right; I never knew what I was missing. _Qui-Gon had been an avid Boys' Choir groupie for the past several years, and he had always encouraged Obi-Wan to come to their concerts; but Obi-Wan had scoffed at the idea, thinking it silly, and had invariably used the opportunity to sneak off for a visit with Leila.

_Ah,_ Obi-Wan sighed once again. _Leila... _He had been trying very hard not to think about her over the past week, but knew he could not avoid facing the reality of his situation any longer. _It is over,_ Obi-Wan admitted unhappily. _Even if it weren't for the TPM... I am a Jedi Knight now; I swore an oath to uphold the Jedi Code, and now it is my duty to set a good example for Anakin_. _I love Leila with all of my heart, but this has to end,_ Obi-Wan confessed.

Qui-Gon sensed his sudden unhappiness now, and smiled encouragingly. _He thinks I'm sad about the TPM,_ Obi-Wan sighed, giving Qui-Gon a grateful smile. _And I am frightened about that as well; __but it's nothing compared to how I feel about leaving Leila._

_What will I say to her?_ Obi-Wan wondered. _She knows it's against the Code; she will understand that I've been knighted, and taken the vows, _he tried to convince himself_. It was different when I was a padawan, _he admitted. _There were rules, of course, and I was expected to follow them; but until now, I never actually swore an oath to do so._

_I only hope I don't hurt her... She's been through so much, _Obi-Wan realized. _And I'm so very proud of her,_ he admitted tenderly. In the nine years that they had been together, Obi-Wan had watched Leila grow from a teenage runaway and drug addict, selling her body to survive, into the beautiful, strong, healthy young woman she was today. Leila had been working as a waitress for almost seven years now, and had her own apartment. _She will be all right,_ he thought wistfully.

_Leila is strong,_ Obi-Wan told himself. _She has survived far worse things than me leaving her. And who knows; perhaps it is better for her this way,_ he confessed. _She is a beautiful young woman; so loving, and sweet, and wonderful... She deserves someone who can be there for her, not just someone who stops by now and then for a quick hop in the sack,_ Obi-Wan admitted, suddenly realizing how selfish he had been.

_She has always wanted to have children someday,_ he reminded himself. _She needs someone who can be a good husband, and father; someone who can give her a family,_ Obi-Wan realized. _Leila is twenty-five now; if she wants to have children, she needs to start thinking about it now. I cannot waste her time any longer,_ he berated himself. _I have been terribly selfish, _Obi-Wan confessed._ I have taken advantage of her loving nature all of these years._

_But no more,_ he resolved. _Yoda is right, about the TPM, _Obi-Wan realized now. _It is a blessing as well as a curse, and I have become a wiser, better person because of it. I have been arrogant all of my life; it never occurred to me before that Leila deserves better than what I can give her, but it's painfully obvious now. It's time to finally do the right thing. To set her free, and allow her to live the life that she wants,_ Obi-Wan decided. _To give up my jealous hold on her, and allow her to fall in love with a man who can give her what she deserves. A man who will marry her, and help her to raise her children._

Obi-Wan felt a newfound sense of peace filling him as he realized he had finally made the right decision._ I am a Jedi Knight now,_ he realized proudly. _I will do what is right for Leila, and for the Order... and for Anakin,_ Obi-Wan resolved. _It is all for the best._

_I will do everything I can to be a good Master, and to give him the training that he deserves. __I am young, and inexperienced, but Master Qui-Gon will be there to help me when I need it._ _I will devote myself to training this boy, _Obi-Wan thought wistfully. _He doesn't know it, but he is the one ray of sunshine in my life now._

Obi-Wan shared an amused smile with Qui-Gon as the choir began the familiar Yah Yah song, and Anakin sang his little heart out, beaming with pride as the last note gave way to thunderous applause. Then the concert was over, and Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon made their way backstage to congratulate the younglings on their performance.

_I never thought I'd take on a padawan the very day I was knighted,_ Obi-Wan confessed. _And I certainly never dreamed I would find him at a boys' choir concert. __But training this happy, silly little youngling is exactly what I need right now,_ Obi-Wan admitted. _He makes me forget about Leila, and the fact that I'm turning into a hideous gargoyle,_ he sighed. _Anakin needs me to be strong for him; to get on with my life, and not give in to despair,_ Obi-Wan realized, smiling fondly as the boy came over to greet them. _And I love him for it._

"Hello, Anakin," Qui-Gon said warmly. "You did a wonderful job tonight; I enjoyed it very much."

"Thank you, Master," Anakin replied, obviously delighted that they had come to his concert.

"Yes, I was very impressed too," Obi-Wan said, with an apologetic smile. "Now I'm sorry I never came to any of your concerts before."

"It's all right," Anakin assured him cheerfully. "Did you hear the Yah Yah song?"

Obi-Wan laughed. "Yes... Yes, I did. It was very good," he said. "Anakin, I - "

But now the choir master was calling for the younglings to board their transport back to the Temple, and Anakin sighed unhappily. "I'm sorry," he apologized. "I have to go."

"No, Anakin - wait," Obi-Wan called after him. Anakin obediently turned back, but cringed worriedly as he watched the other younglings filing aboard the awaiting transport. "Actually, you won't be going back with them," Obi-Wan said. "Anakin, I've passed the trials, and the Council has granted me permission to train you. You're my padawan now," Obi-Wan told him, sounding much more confident than he felt. _Oh dear; I hope he hasn't changed his mind about this._

Obi-Wan was prepared for Anakin's characteristic frown; in the few days he had spent with the youngling, he had already learned that any new idea was typically met with furrowed eyebrows and vague suspicion. But to his surprise, Anakin grinned in disbelief. "Really?" he asked. "I mean - that's... Thank you," he stammered, bowing politely as he remembered his manners. "So I am to go with you?"

"Yes," Obi-Wan said, smiling fondly. "But first, why don't you say goodnight to the other younglings, and let your choir master know you're coming with me." Anakin nodded obediently, going off to say goodbye to the others. Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon shared a tender smile as they waited for Anakin to return; but a minute later he was back, smiling excitedly as he followed them out to the street.

Then he frowned uncertainly as they boarded a transport and headed in the opposite direction from the Jedi Temple. "Um... Where are we going, Master?" Anakin asked.

Qui-Gon smiled in amusement. "Rite of initiation," he said mysteriously. "For Obi-Wan as well." Anakin continued to stare back toward the Jedi Temple in utter confusion, and Obi-Wan laughed to himself quietly.

_Yes, this boy makes me smile__,_ Obi-Wan thought fondly, as they arrived at their destination. _We're going to do all right_, he realized, following Qui-Gon and Anakin off the shuttle to celebrate their rite of passage with ice cream at Dex's Diner.


	66. End of The Phantom Menace

**Chapter 66**

_It is time,_ Yoda decided, hobbling through the hallway of the Jedi Temple library as he made his way toward the ancient manuscript collection. _Too long, have I put this off._

_Far, far too long,_ he confessed, pulling an ancient leather-bound book off the shelf and reading the archaic text: _Dragon Lore._ It had been centuries since Yoda had read this book for the first time; but since his diagnosis six months ago, Yoda had been reminded of something he had read within its pages, so long ago.

_There it is,_ he sighed now, leafing through the pages of the ancient volume and finding the hand-painted illustration that had been nagging at his memory these past six months. _'Dragon's Curse,'_ the caption proclaimed, below the gruesome portrait of a man with hideous bulging eyes and hardened, leathery skin.

_'Also known as Kiss of the Dragon,' _the ancient text continued._ 'Extremely rare condition, believed to be caused by a dragon's bite_._ Remedy: tears of a dragon, mixed with fresh dragon dung and Eopie spittle. Provides temporary relief for hardened skin and swollen eyes for up to six hours. No permanent cure has been found.'_

Yoda sighed regretfully, staring at the gruesome illustration. _Knew it all along, I did,_ he realized now. _But only since my own diagnosis did I remember,_ he berated himself. _No help I was, for those who suffered over the course of my lifetime,_ he admitted unhappily. TPM had been discovered by a Jedi Temple doctor several centuries ago; but this book was even older than that, and Yoda realized now that the disease had been known to ancient healers by a different name.

_A dragon's bite,_ Yoda mused. _Bitten I once was, centuries ago. And Obi-Wan as well,_ he suspected; the young Jedi had always been obsessed with the creatures. _Confused, our midichlorians are; think we are dragons, they do,_ he realized in amusement. _But this strange cure, I do not understand,_ Yoda sighed; alchemy was regarded by most Jedi as superstitious nonsense. _Unpleasant, this remedy sounds,_ Yoda confessed, not at all thrilled by the idea of applying dragon dung all over himself. _But try it, I will, _he decided bravely.

_How to find the ingredients though,_ Yoda mused, trying to think where he might find dragon's tears along with fresh dung and Eopie spittle. _Ah, _he smiled, as an idea came to him. _Not far from here, dragons and Eopies live_, he realized. _The Coruscant Zoo I will visit, _Yoda resolved, putting the ancient volume carefully back onto the shelf.

* * *

><p>"Higher, Anakin," Obi-Wan instructed his new padawan, as Anakin attempted a somersaulting jump over his head during lightsaber practice. "I could have chopped off both your arms and legs in mid-air," he scolded him.<p>

"Oops," Anakin cringed apologetically as he landed. "Yeah, that wouldn't have been so good," he agreed. "Sorry, Master. All right, I'll give it another try..." But then he stopped suddenly, staring at Obi-Wan. "Master!" he exclaimed, grinning. "It's brown! It's brown again! Please...?" he begged.

Obi-Wan laughed ruefully. _He was almost beginning to do well at this. _But he had promised to let Anakin make his padawan braid the very next time his hair turned brown, and so he nodded. "All right," he agreed, as they headed back to their private quarters. "Your saber techniques are coming along well, Anakin," he added. "I'm very proud of you."

"Thank you, Master," Anakin said; then he looked up at him worriedly. "Hurry," he urged him, giving Obi-Wan a pleading look as he broke into a run.

"Anakin, stop," Obi-Wan scolded his padawan. "We do not run in the hallway of the Jedi Temple." But then he gave him a worried look. "Is it changing color already?" he asked hesitantly. These days his hair seemed to be red and curly most of the time, with only brief moments of reverting back to its normal brown state.

"A little bit," Anakin confessed. "But it's still more brown than red," he assured him. "Please, can we hurry?"

Obi-Wan laughed gently. "Here," he sighed, pulling out his knife from his belt. "Let's just chop the whole thing off and be done with it," he decided good-naturedly, blindly hacking off what was left of his little ponytail. Anakin had already cut a piece from it yesterday, when it had been quite red; but then he had gotten the brilliant idea to make a multi-colored padawan braid, and had been waiting for Obi-Wan's hair to turn brown once again so that he could harvest another strand.

"There you go," Obi-Wan said cheerfully, handing the little brown tassel to Anakin. _I still don't see why Qui-Gon wouldn't let me have my padawan braid back, _he sighed_._ _This isn't nearly long enough to make a decent braid for Anakin. _But Qui-Gon was being annoyingly possessive, and so Obi-Wan and Anakin were forced to make do with what little bits of hair they could harvest from his ponytail.

"Thank you, Master," Anakin said, as they returned to their quarters. "Okay, I'll go get the other piece," he added, running to his little room to retrieve the red tassel he had cut off yesterday. "All right," Anakin continued seriously, as they sat together at their little table. "One red strand, and two brown ones," he murmured, carefully tying the pieces together and forming them into a little braid.

It was pathetically short; but Obi-Wan smiled affectionately, tying it onto Anakin's own short-cropped hair just behind his ear. "Well," he decided, giving the stubby little braid a gentle tug to make sure it would stay in place. "It's a bit short, but it will have to do for now."

Anakin grinned excitedly, running to the mirror to look at it. Then he cringed in dismay. "It is really short," he agreed; but then another idea came to him. "How about if we make a bunch of little braids and tie them all together?" he suggested, coming back over to the table and pulling apart the rest of Obi-Wan's ponytail. "I think there's enough for two more... Here, we can each make one," he proposed, handing Obi-Wan a little strand of red hair along with two brown ones.

Obi-Wan laughed to himself as he worked on his section of Anakin's braid. _He is going to have the craziest padawan braid ever... __But that was a very clever idea to connect three of them together; I never would have thought of it,_ he admitted. "All right, here you go," Obi-Wan said, tying his own braid to the end of Anakin's first one, then attaching the third piece that Anakin had just made.

"Well that doesn't look half bad," Obi-Wan confessed, surprised at how it turned out. _That's actually quite nice._ The braid just barely reached Anakin's shoulder now; and with the red and brown strands tied together at three points, it was by far the fanciest padawan braid Obi-Wan had ever seen. "You did a very good job with that, Anakin."

Anakin beamed in delight as he admired his new braid in the mirror. "Thank you, Master," he said. "That was so much fun," he added wistfully, giving Obi-Wan an appreciative smile. "I wish we could make padawan braids every day," Anakin confessed, sighing contentedly. "I love arts and crafts."

* * *

><p><em>The happiest dragon in the galaxy, this is,<em> Yoda sighed ruefully, as the Krayt dragon licked his face. It had been raised from infancy at the Coruscant Zoo, and was very fond of humans and other species. _Difficult it will be, to make it cry._

But there were _other_ ways to extract tears from a dragon, and Yoda hobbled toward the nearby lunch stand now. "One Nerf roll, please. With lots of onions," he added, paying the vendor.

_Let's try this again, _Yoda thought, smearing bits of crushed onion all over his hands and approaching the creature once again. "Sorry about this, I am," he apologized, patting the dragon's face.

The dragon blinked in confusion, its eyes irritated by the onion fumes; but it instinctively trusted the Jedi Master, and continued to nuzzle its head against him as Yoda collected its tears in a little bottle.

"Thank you, my friend," Yoda murmured appreciatively, saying goodbye to the dragon. The zoo attendant had already given him a little bucket of dragon dung, and now he headed toward the Eopie pen for the final ingredient._ In a foul mood today, this Eopie is,_ Yoda confessed, thankful for his lightning-quick Jedi reflexes as he caught the creature's spittle in another bottle.

_A great deal of work this is, for six hours of relief,_ Yoda admitted ruefully; according to the _Dragon Lore _book, the remedy would provide only temporary respite from his symptoms. _But understand the nature of TPM better now, I do. _Dragons were not Force-sensitive creatures, and midichlorians could not survive inside them; but if a Jedi were infected with dragon DNA as a result of being bitten, it was possible that over time a mutated strand of midichlorians could evolve.

_At war with each other, my midichlorians are,_ Yoda realized. _Pushed to the surface, the mutated ones have been._ But even the mutant midichlorians could only tolerate a tiny amount of dragon DNA; the concentrated mixture of dragon tears and dung would quickly overwhelm them, killing them within minutes. _But only on the surface of the skin does it work,_ Yoda mused.

_Try to escape deeper inside my body, the mutant midichlorians will,_ Yoda guessed. But within hours, the normal midichlorians would once again push the unwelcome mutants back out to the surface, and his symptoms would return. _How to stop them from escaping,_ he wondered, as he made his way back to the entrance of the zoo.

Then he stopped in his tracks, blinking worriedly. _No connection to the Force, do I feel,_ he realized suddenly. Turning around, Yoda sighed in relief as he understood the reason for his sudden loss of Force powers. _Ah: Ysalamiri._ Ysalamiri were small, lizard-like creatures from the planet of Myrkr, who lived in trees and had developed a unique ability to create a Force-void around themselves in order to hide from their native predators.

_Sleeping, my midichlorians are right now,_ Yoda mused, a new idea coming to him. _If apply the mixture here I do... Unable to escape, the mutant midichlorians would be,_ he theorized. _Worth a try, it is._

_A few minutes later..._

"Mommy, what is that strange mud-beast with the lizard on its head?" a little boy asked, peering into the ysalmiri exhibit of the Coruscant Zoo.

"I'm not sure, sweety," the boy's mother admitted. "Come on, let's go visit the Krayt dragon."

_Embarrassing, this is,_ Yoda sighed ruefully. _A lesson in humility, this experience has been. __But__ if right about the ysalamiri I am, permanent this cure might be,_ he fervently hoped. _Suffer further disfigurement, perhaps young Obi-Wan might not._

* * *

><p>"Much better," Obi-Wan said approvingly, as Anakin somersaulted high over his head. "Now, let's try it one more time..." He broke off as Anakin stared past him toward the doorway of the training room. Turning around, Obi-Wan was startled to see Master Yoda hobbling inside to greet them.<p>

_He's smiling!_ Obi-Wan realized, astonished; Yoda's face had been stiff and paralyzed for months, but now he looked just as he had before, with soft green skin and deep brown eyes, his kindly face once again conveying a look of intelligence and wisdom rather than bug-eyed stupidity. "Master Yoda!" Obi-Wan exclaimed, surprised and delighted. "You're better!"

"Yes," Yoda said, his dark eyes sparkling with delight. "Found a cure, I have," he told Obi-Wan. "But not entirely pleasant, it will be," he warned him. "Come, come," Yoda said cheerfully, beckoning them toward the doorway. "Pay a visit to the Coruscant Zoo, we shall."

* * *

><p><em>The next morning...<em>

"It looks good," Anakin decided, peering at Obi-Wan's hair critically as they ate breakfast together in the Jedi Temple cafeteria. "It's kind of in between. Not as brown it used to be, but not bright orange either," he told him. "And at least it's straight again," he pointed out optimistically. "So Master Yoda thinks it's going to stay that way?"

"Yes," Obi-Wan said. "I hope so anyway. I can't say as I enjoy smearing dragon dung all over myself," he laughed ruefully. "But yes, hopefully it will be permanent," he told Anakin, grateful to be well again. So far his hair had stayed the same reddish-brown color since yesterday afternoon, and he'd had no more fits of nausea.

"I hope so too," Anakin agreed. "So are you ever going to shave again?" he added with a mischievous grin, munching on his cereal.

Obi-Wan laughed, scratching his stubbly cheek; he hadn't shaved since the day he was knighted, partly reveling in his newfound freedom, and partly out of sheer laziness. But there was another reason, which Anakin had already guessed. _I was preparing for the day when I would need to hide my face from the world._ "I don't know," Obi-Wan replied truthfully; then he nodded in respectful greeting as Qui-Gon came over to join them. "Hello, Master," he said cheerfully.

"Hello, Obi-Wan; hello, Anakin," Qui-Gon said, sitting down at the table. "How is the training going?" he asked. "I see you have a new padawan braid," he added, giving Anakin an approving smile.

"Yes," Anakin said, beaming.

"No thanks to you," Obi-Wan added indignantly, giving his former Master a reproachful look.

"I told you, you wouldn't need it," Qui-Gon replied, amused. Then he peered at Obi-Wan in concern. "That's a new color," he remarked quietly. "Are you feeling all right?"

Obi-Wan looked down, smiling self-consciously. "Yes... Yes, I am," he assured him.

"Master Yoda figured out a cure," Anakin explained, shoving a spoonful of cereal into his mouth.

"Did he?" Qui-Gon stared at him suddenly. Obi-Wan could feel his profound happiness at this news; but he quickly masked his emotions, for Anakin's sake. "That's wonderful," he said simply, with a warm smile. "I'm glad."

"Thank you, Master," Obi-Wan said. "So am I," he admitted shyly.

"So, what are you two doing today?" Qui-Gon asked, changing the subject.

Obi-Wan smiled mysteriously. "It's a surprise," he replied vaguely. "In fact, we'd better get going or we'll be late," he apologized to Qui-Gon, glancing at the clock.

"Well can I at least know what it is?" Qui-Gon begged, as they got up from the table. "I've been sent on an assignment to Corellia, and won't be back for a week; I might die of curiosity before then." Obi-Wan laughed, leaning over and whispering something in his ear. "Ah," Qui-Gon nodded, his eyes twinkling. "Well, have a good time," he said. "I'll see you both when I get back."

"Goodbye, Master," Obi-Wan said, bowing politely as he and Anakin took their leave.

"Why do I have to keep my eyes closed, Master?" Anakin asked, many twists and turns later.

"Because it wouldn't be a surprise if you didn't," Obi-Wan replied. "And we're nearly there," he assured him, leading the way down the hallway. "Now remember, you promised to work extra hard on your saber techniques this afternoon," he added; that had been the arrangement, for allowing him this special surprise today.

"Yes Master," Anakin agreed. "Are we there yet?"

Obi-Wan laughed. "Yes, we're here," he told him gently, as Anakin opened his eyes.

"Oh!" Anakin exclaimed, a look of surprise and wonder on his face. "Master... Really?" he asked, not daring to believe it.

"Yes," Obi-Wan said, glancing toward the door to the Arts and Crafts room. "But only this once," he told him. "Go on, Anakin," he said, smiling affectionately. "I'll be back in an hour."

"Thank you, Master," Anakin said happily. "I promise, I'll work extra hard this afternoon." He gave Obi-Wan a respectful bow, then went inside the room to join his old classmates for one last day of arts and crafts.

_And now for the other part of the surprise,_ Obi-Wan sighed, continuing out the door and onto the streets of Coruscant. It had taken him several days to find a way to occupy Anakin for even an hour in order to speak with Leila, and Obi-Wan realized once again how completely impossible it would be to keep up their relationship now, even if he wanted to._ And of course I want to,_ he sighed. _But I must stop being selfish, and think of others for a change_. _I have a responsibility to Anakin, and to the Order; and Leila deserves so much more than I can give her._

_It is for the best,_ Obi-Wan reminded himself stubbornly, as he reached Leila's apartment building. _She needs to get on with her life; to stop wasting her time with me, and find someone who will be able to give her everything that I cannot,_ he admitted unhappily, fighting tears as he climbed up the fire escape to Leila's bedroom window.

* * *

><p>"Obi-Wan!" Leila exclaimed, rushing to embrace him as he climbed through her window. "You're back! Oh, I missed you so much," she said lovingly, tears of happiness in her eyes as she squeezed him tight. <em>Obi-Wan, you're not going to believe this! I'm pregnant; we're going to have a baby...<em>

But then she blinked in surprise as he gently disentangled himself from her embrace, pushing her away. "Leila," he said quietly, looking very serious and concerned. "Leila, I need to speak with you..."

_Something's happened, _Leila realized, suddenly anxious. "Obi-Wan... What's wrong?" she asked. _Obi-Wan isn't afraid of anything. If he's this upset, something terrible must have happened._

"Leila, I - " Obi-Wan choked tearfully, shaking his head. _Oh, sweety..._ Leila held him close, stroking his hair and kissing him reassuringly; but once again, he gently pushed her away. "No," he protested, still crying. "Leila - "

"Obi-Wan, what is it?" Leila asked. _You're scaring me, sweetheart._ She searched his face worriedly, suddenly noticing his dissheveled appearance. He hadn't shaved in days, and had the beginnings of a stubbly beard. But strangely, his stubble was a reddish color, as was his hair; and his eyes had a touch of green in them... "Obi-Wan, what's happened?" Leila asked, alarmed. "Are you all right?"

Obi-Wan saw her confused look, and nodded quickly. "Yes, yes, I'm fine, Leila," he assured her. "Leila, I... I've been knighted," he told her. "I took the vows, I - "

Leila smiled ecstatically, relieved. "You've been knighted?" _That's why he looks so different; his little braid is gone..._ "Obi-Wan, congratulations!" she exclaimed, hugging him once again.

But once again he pushed her gently away. "Thank you," he said. "Leila, I'm sorry. I can't - I took the vows," he apologized. "I can't... I can't do this anymore," Obi-Wan whispered, grief-stricken. "I'm sorry..."

Leila's face fell. "What?" she asked, shocked. "Obi-Wan... you're leaving?"

Obi-Wan nodded. "Yes," he replied tearfully. "I'm so sorry, Leila..."

"No," Leila sobbed. "Please, no..." Obi-Wan tried to disentangle himself once again, but this time she refused to let go. "Please, Obi-Wan," she wept, laying her head on his shoulder and clinging to him desperately. "Don't leave me..."

"Leila, I must," Obi-Wan insisted gently, finally succeeding in pushing her away. He led her toward the bed, where she slumped down pathetically; but then he just stood there uselessly, making no attempt to comfort her. "Leila, I'm so sorry," he said again, as she hung her head, sobbing uncontrollably. "I love you, Leila; I do, but - "

"No you don't," Leila choked miserably. _If you loved me you wouldn't be doing this..._

But Obi-Wan just nodded sadly. "I'm sorry, Leila," he said. "But I have a padawan of my own now," he explained quietly. "That's why I haven't been able to come... Leila, I can't do this any more. Even if I wanted to," he choked, squeezing his eyes shut.

_Even if he wanted to... _"Obi-Wan, what did they do to you?" Leila whispered, betrayed.

"They didn't do anything to me, Leila," Obi-Wan told her. "But I took the vows, and I now must keep them. I was wrong, before," he admitted, looking at the floor. "Not just for disobeying the Code, but - Leila, you deserve better than this," he insisted. "You deserve someone who can be with you; someone who can - " he broke off, miserable. "Leila, I'm sorry. I can't do this," he choked, tears in his eyes. "Will you be all right?" he pleaded, with quiet desperation.

Leila shook her head, beyond tears. "No," she whispered truthfully, closing her eyes.

"Leila, I'm sorry," Obi-Wan said again. "But I must leave now; I'm needed back at the Temple. You'll be all right, Leila. You're strong; you've been through so much, and I hate that I have to - " he broke off tearfully. "I'm sorry, Leila," he apologized again. "You deserve so much more than what I can give you. You're a wonderful girl, Leila; you'll find someone who can - "

"I don't want anyone else," Leila choked bitterly. _Obi-Wan, I'm pregnant. Don't do this to me. Not now..._

"I have to go, Leila," Obi-Wan said quietly. "I'm sorry. I loved you, Leila. I'm so very sorry."

Leila hung her head, too exhausted to respond. She closed her eyes, crying silently; but then she heard the sound of a window closing, and her heart shattered into a million pieces as she realized that Obi-Wan had truly left her, and was gone.

* * *

><p><em>Thirteen years later...<em>

_Well that was an awful dream,_ Leila confessed, disturbed by the memory. _I wish Obi-Wan was here now,_ she admitted, trying to drift back to sleep. But sleep refused to come, and so she pulled on her bathrobe, going into the kitchen to make a cup of soothing tea.

She was still heartbroken by yesterday's tragic news. It had been reported on the holo that Padmé Amidala had gone into labor the night before last; she had given birth to a healthy baby girl named Leia, but unfortunately Luke had not survived childbirth.

_Poor Padmé,_ Leila sighed unhappily. She'd felt so helpless when she heard the news; she wanted to send flowers, or visit her, something, _anything..._ But she didn't know how to reach Padmé, and even if she could, Leila didn't know what to say. _Congratulations? I'm sorry?_ Leila shook her head regretfully, wishing she could help.

_She is a Senator, and a former Queen, _Leila told herself again. _She has lots of important friends, and probably wouldn't even notice whether or not I send flowers, or what it says on the card,_ she admitted. _I just feel so bad..._

But then Leila was startled by the sound of a window opening. _Obi-Wan,_ she realized, hurrying back toward her bedroom. _At least, I hope it's Obi-Wan,_ she thought, reminding herself that having someone break into her apartment in the middle of the night was not necessarily a good thing. But a moment later her fears were allayed as her secret Jedi lover hopped down from the window sill.

"Obi-Wan!" Leila exclaimed softly, forgetting her other concerns for a moment as she held him close, laying her head against his shoulder. She smiled gratefully to feel his arms around her, so safe and warm and loving. "You're home."


	67. Back to the present: Obi-Wan proposes

**Chapter 67**

"Obi-Wan," Leila giggled, as he assaulted her with kisses, touching and caressing and groping her all over. _Well this is the complete opposite of my dream,_ she laughed, amused. "What are you doing here?" Leila asked, trying to break away from his overly enthusiastic embrace. "I thought you were with Padmé?" she asked, concerned.

"Yes," Obi-Wan replied, kissing her again. "Yes, I was. Oh, I missed you," he said, hugging her close and stroking her hair. Leila smiled, tears springing to her eyes; nothing in the world compared to the feeling of safety and belonging that filled her heart when Obi-Wan held her like this_._ "Leila," Obi-Wan sighed, pressing his forehead against hers and kissing her once again; then somehow he was down on the floor, holding her hands as he knelt before her. _What the...?_

"Marry me, Leila," Obi-Wan begged, his eyes glistening with joyful tears. "Please... marry me," he cried, kissing her hand tenderly. _Obi-Wan, what's gotten into you?_ "Please, Leila," he whispered again, wrapping his arms around her and laying his head against her as he knelt there on the floor, nuzzling his face against her soft bathrobe.

"Obi-Wan," Leila laughed, caught off guard by this weird display of affection. "Are you drunk?"

"No," Obi-Wan murmured, still clinging to her blissfully. "Oh, I love this bathrobe," he sighed dreamily. "Marry me, Leila," he begged again, looking up at her with a tender, hopeful smile. "Please, marry me."

_Um..._ "All right," Leila agreed, blinking. _'I love this bathrobe?' Obi-Wan, that was the lamest proposal I've ever heard in my life,_ she laughed. _But I love you, sweety... I really do._ "Obi-Wan," Leila asked, prying him off her and pulling him to his feet. "Are you all right? What's this all about? I heard on the news, about Padmé," she told him, still deeply concerned.

"Oh," Obi-Wan nodded, smiling cheerfully. "Yes, she had the babies. Leila, you're not going to believe this - "

_He hasn't heard about Luke,_ Leila realized in dismay. "Obi-Wan," Leila said gently, looking into his eyes. "Sweety, there's been some bad news, about Luke," she told him.

"What?" Obi-Wan blinked worriedly. "What's happened?"

Leila sighed. "Obi-Wan... He didn't make it," she explained regretfully, as Obi-Wan's eyes filled with tears. "It was on the news tonight," she told him, stroking his hair consolingly. "I'm sorry, sweety; I feel so bad..."

But Obi-Wan suddenly let out a sigh of relief. "Oh; Leila, no... He's all right," he told her. "They're putting it out that he was stillborn, but he's perfectly fine; they both are," Obi-Wan promised. "Leila, you're not going to believe this," he said, leading her over to the bed and sitting next to her. You'll never guess who the father is," he said, his eyes sparkling mischievously.

"Not Typho?" Leila asked, surprised; they had been so certain it was him.

"No," Obi-Wan said, as Leila laughed quietly. _He's going to make me guess. All right; two can play this game..._

"Chancellor Palpatine?" Leila asked. _He's from Naboo; it's as good a guess as any._

"Ha!" Obi-Wan laughed; then he looked down. "It's Anakin," he confessed.

"Anak -...? No," Leila protested, her eyes wide in disbelief. Then she broke into an amused grin. "Obi-Wan, are you serious? You're sure?" _He IS drunk... He's just messing with me..._

But Obi-Wan nodded, smiling. "Yes," he said. "I can't believe I never saw it. I'm so embarrassed," he admitted. "I'm a Jedi; he's my own brother... How could I not see it?"

"I didn't see it either," Leila sighed. "Anakin? Really?" she asked again, trying to picture it. "So are they - is this serious?"

"Yes," Obi-Wan told her. "They've been married for two years," he said. "Oh, Leila... Please marry me," he begged again, kissing her on the temple and stroking her hair.

_Ah; so that's what this is about._ Leila laughed softly, shaking her head. "Will you quit asking me that? I said I would." _Copycat..._ "So they're really married? I mean - it's official?" she asked, confused.

"No, no," Obi-Wan conceded. "They got married on Tatooine, at a little wedding chapel... Actually they named Luke after the priest who married them," he told her.

"He's all right, then?" Leila asked, still concerned about Luke. "Why are they saying he was stillborn?"

"They're going to send him to the Temple anonymously," Obi-Wan said. "But not right away; Padmé is going to keep him for the first year," he explained. "And then Anakin is planning to take him as his padawan, when the time comes."

"Oh," Leila nodded, smiling. "Just like Cory."

"Yes," Obi-Wan agreed. "In fact, I told Padmé about Cory; she was very glad to know," he added. "She said it made her feel better about her decision. She says hello by the way," he told her cheerfully.

"So she knows, about us?" Leila asked. "Anakin knows too?" _This is so cool! We're like a family now._

"Yes, they know everything," Obi-Wan said, smiling. "Leila, I can't tell you what a huge relief it is, to not have to hide everything from Anakin any more," he admitted. "I never thought he would understand."

Leila smiled tenderly, kissing him on the cheek. "I told you he would; you should listen to me more," she reproached him. "All this secrecy and sneaking around is going to give you high blood pressure," she added, only half-joking.

Obi-Wan sighed. "I know," he admitted. "Speaking of which... Leila, I want Jon and Kyra to know," he told her. "I want them to know about us... I want us to be a family," he pleaded.

_So do I..._ Tears sprang to Leila's eyes. "Obi-Wan - you think it's safe?" she asked. "They're only children." Leila and Obi-Wan had discussed this before, but had decided that aside from being risky, it wouldn't be fair to burden the children with the knowledge of their relationship.

Obi-Wan sighed regretfully. "Perhaps you're right," he agreed; then he smiled tenderly. "Like you said: I should listen to you more often," he admitted. "I will let you decide about this, Leila. But if you ever decide that you want to tell them, it's all right with me."

Leila smiled, nodding. "I do want them to know," she admitted wistfully. "I just need time to think about it."

"Of course," Obi-Wan agreed. "I love you, Leila," he sighed, kissing her tenderly; then he wrapped his arms around her again, nuzzling his face against her soft robe. "Almost as much as I love this bathrobe," he added mischievously, as Leila giggled, prying him off of her once again and beginning the long and arduous task of removing his endless layers of Jedi garments.

* * *

><p>"Waaaaaahhhh!" Luke whined.<p>

"Shhh," Anakin replied softly, waving his fingers as he effortlessly calmed his son.

"Ani!" Padmé scolded him again. "Don't do that! You're going to give him brain damage."

Anakin grinned sheepishly. "Sorry... I forgot," he said. "And it won't give him brain damage," he assured her. "This is how they always calm the baby younglings at the Temple."

"Yeah, and look how _you_ turned out," Padmé said grumpily.

"Ahh, you're just jealous," Anakin teased her, holding Luke in his arms. "Besides, it's not like I can do it your way," he conceded, with a tender smile at Leia, who had drifted blissfully off to sleep at her mother's breast.

"Wow," Padmé whispered, noticing that Leia was done with her feeding. "I think they're both asleep!"

"It's a miracle," Anakin agreed, wide-eyed with disbelief. "Okay... quietly," he whispered, getting up and tip-toeing over to the crib, carefully laying Luke down and covering him with a baby blanket as Padmé did the same for Leia. They stood there for a moment, holding their breath; then they grinned at each other in delight.

"We did it!" Padmé whispered, putting her arms around Anakin and resting her head against his shoulder.

"Yes," Anakin agreed, equally amazed, as he embraced her lovingly, kissing her on the forehead. Then he grinned playfully, wrapping his arms all the way around her. "Whoa... I forgot how tiny you were," he told her shyly.

Padmé smiled, grateful for his loving acceptance. In truth, she felt saggy and swollen and sore, and about as unsexy as a person could possibly be; but Anakin didn't need to be burdened with that knowledge. _Mom understands,_ she smiled to herself, closing her eyes for a moment as Anakin held her in his arms, stroking her back tenderly.

They were startled by the sound of the doorbell ringing, and listened intently to see who it was. Yesterday afternoon Anakin and Luke had been forced to hide in the broom closet for nearly an hour when some well-meaning neighbors had dropped by for an unexpected visit; but since that unfortunate incident, Ruwee and Jobal had been doing a wonderful job of screening visitors.

Thankfully it was just another delivery man bringing flowers, and Padmé and Anakin smiled in relief as Jobal thanked the man, shutting the door again. "More flowers," Padmé sighed regretfully; she had received nearly thirty arrangements so far, with cards expressing the senders' congratulations and condolences at the same time. "We should see who they're from."

_I feel so guilty about all of this,_ Padmé admitted, looking around at all the flowers and cards that people had sent her, each one of them heartbroken over the news of Luke's tragic death. _Though in a way, I really am going to lose him,_ Padmé sighed, remembering their plans to send Luke to the Jedi Temple._ I will remember all of these people's kind words and condolences a year from now._

"Who are they from?" Jobal asked, admiring the latest flower arrangement as Padmé opened the card.

"Oh!" Padmé exclaimed, smiling. "They're from Leila, and Jon, and Kyra... And Obi-Wan," she said, handing the card to Anakin, who grinned in surprise. _And it's just a simple congratulations card,_ Padmé sighed in relief. _Thank goodness for family._

But Anakin gave her a regretful look, glancing out the window as the sun began to set in the late afternoon sky. "I have to go," he said, holding her close and smiling apologetically.

Padmé nodded, giving him an understanding smile; their time together had always been stolen in quick snatches, and the two of them had long ago decided to treasure their moments together, and not grieve over goodbyes. "Come back soon," she said simply, kissing him one last time as he headed for the door.

But then Anakin turned around, quickly heading back upstairs. "I just have to look at them one more time," he said, as Padmé followed him back up to the bedroom. "Aww," Anakin sighed, wrapping his arms around her once more as they gazed at their sleeping children. "Congratulations, Padmé," he whispered, kissing her tenderly on the forehead. "They're beautiful."


	68. Secret wedding on Tatooine

**Chapter 68**

"Jon, Kyra," their mother said, turning down the volume on their Saturday morning holo-cartoons and sitting next to them on the couch. "There's something I want to talk to you about." _Uh oh... _Jon shared an apprehensive glance with Kyra. _We're in trouble._

"Sweethearts... You know I love you more than anything in the world," she continued, as Jon blinked anxiously. _No, we're not in troubl__e; this is something even worse_. "But do you ever wish that you could have a father, like your friends at school do?"

_What?_ "No, Mom," Jon replied, looking down. Jon had never known his own father, but he remembered Kyra's, and had been glad when he left. "We don't want a father... Do we, Kyra?"

"No," Kyra agreed, shaking her head.

Their mother nodded sadly. "Sweethearts, I'm so sorry, that your own fathers didn't - " she broke off, pulling Kyra onto her lap and hugging them close. "I love you, do you know that?" Jon and Kyra nodded reassuringly. "But what if... What if I found someone who would be a good father to you? Someone who would love all of us, and be part of our family?"

Tears sprang to Jon's eyes. _She wouldn't be asking us this if it hadn't already happened._ "You're getting married again?" he asked uncertainly, trying to hide his dismay; Kyra was looking surprised but curious at the idea.

His mother smiled. "Maybe," she admitted. "Sweethearts, long before either of you were born, there was a man that I was in love with... A boy, really," she said wistfully. "We were both very young, and it didn't work out," she explained. "But he's come back, and he's asked me to marry him," she told them. "He would be a very good father; he loves you both very much."

_He doesn't even know us,_ Jon sighed glumly. _This completely sucks._ But Kyra seemed to be all bright-eyed over the idea, and so Jon smiled bravely, nodding. _If he ever once hurts you, I will kill him._

"You love him?" Kyra asked hopefully.

"Yes, I do," their mother said, smiling tenderly. "He's - "

She was interrupted by a knock on the door. It was a neighbor, asking to borrow something; Jon and Kyra shared a rueful grin as the two women started the inevitable yakk-fest in the kitchen. _Just as well,_ Jon sighed in relief, going to his room to finish getting dressed. _I'm not in the mood for this conversation right now._

* * *

><p><em>An hour later...<em>

"I'm sorry," Leila whispered, cringing in apology as she pulled Obi-Wan into the little supply room of her hair salon, pretending to need his help with something. "I tried to tell them, but - " she sighed, shaking her head. Leila had been working up the courage to talk to her children all week, but it had been a lot harder than she'd expected.

"It's all right," Obi-Wan assured her, sneaking a mischievous kiss. "There's no hurry."

Leila nodded; then she gave him a pleading look. "Can you talk to them? I told them _maybe_ I was getting married," she explained ruefully. "Kyra seemed okay with it, but Jon wasn't so sure."

"All right," Obi-Wan nodded. "I'll do my best."

"Thank you, Obi-Wan," Leila said, smiling gratefully. "I love you," she whispered, kissing him again.

Obi-Wan sighed, wrapping his arms around her. "I love you too," he whispered, giving her an adoring smile before heading back out to the waiting area to pick up the children for their Saturday outing. "All right, young ones," Obi-Wan announced cheerfully, as they cringed in embarrassment; he had agreed not to call them that in public, but he derived great pleasure in inflicting the nickname on them at every possible opportunity, when no one else was within earshot. "Are we ready to go?"

Leila smiled as Jon and Kyra nodded in happy excitement, following Obi-Wan out the door. _They already have a father who loves them, _she thought wistfully. _They just don't know it yet._

* * *

><p>"I'm getting tired," Kyra confessed, struggling to keep up with Jon and Obi-Wan as they hiked to the top of Dragon Ridge in Coruscant's forest preserve.<p>

"We're almost there," Obi-Wan assured her, hoisting her up over the next moss-covered ledge as Jon climbed up by himself._ Hiking is fun,_ Jon decided, as they continued along the shady forest path. _I love Saturdays._ He was still dismayed by what his mother had told them this morning, but he was determined not to let it ruin his day out with Obi-Wan.

"Why is it called Dragon Ridge?" Kyra asked. "Are there dragons up here?"

"No, no," Obi-Wan laughed. "Not any more. Although there probably were at one time," he added thoughtfully, glancing at the rocky ledge beside the path, nearly hidden beneath the moss and underbrush. The planet of Coruscant was mostly one giant city, but there were little parks and nature preserves scattered here and there, and Jon and Obi-Wan were determined to visit all of them eventually as part of their Saturday adventures.

"What kind of dragons?" Jon asked, curious.

Obi-Wan grinned. "The fire-breathing, man-eating, flying kind," he told them. "But Coruscant dragons have been extinct for centuries," he added regretfully, as they continued hiking up the path.

"That's too bad," Kyra sighed. "I love dragons... And castles, and fairy princesses, and knights," she added, as Jon and Obi-Wan shared an amused smile. Obi-Wan was officially Jon's Big Brother, but they often invited Kyra to tag along on their Saturday outings. Kyra was a bit of a chatterbox, and tended to dominate the conversation, but Jon didn't really mind. "Obi-Wan, do you know any fairy tales?" she asked.

"Yes, I know a few," Obi-Wan replied, smiling affectionately. Then he looked suddenly thoughtful. "Would you like to hear one?" he asked, with a curious look at Jon.

"Yes!" Kyra beamed delightedly, as Jon shrugged, nodding. Jon was nearly ten, and far too old for fairy tales, but Kyra loved them, and so he smiled good-naturedly as they all sat down on the rocky ledge, looking out over the canopy of trees to the city beyond.

"All right," Obi-Wan began. "Once upon a time there was a young Jedi Knight - "

"Ohh! This is a Jedi fairy tale?" Kyra asked, wide-eyed with excitement.

"Yes," Obi-Wan said, as Jon nodded, impressed. _Cool... I've never heard a Jedi fairy tale._ "As I was saying... Once upon a time there was a young Jedi Knight, who fell in love with a beautiful fairy-tale princess," he continued.

"Wait," Jon interrupted him, frowning. "I didn't think Jedi were allowed to...?"

"That's right," Obi-Wan nodded. "As we all know, Jedi Knights are not allowed to fall in love with fairy-tale princesses," he agreed. "But the fairy-tale princess was so beautiful, the Jedi Knight couldn't help but fall in love with her," he explained.

"So the Jedi Knight and the fairy-tale princess had to keep their love for each other a secret; no one could know," Obi-Wan continued, as Kyra grinned mischievously, nodding in agreement. "And so the Jedi Knight would visit the fairy-tale princess at night, when no one was watching; he would climb up the castle wall to her bedroom window, up in the highest turret - "

"Oh!" Kyra exclaimed. "Did she make a really long braid with her hair, for him to climb up?"

Obi-Wan frowned. "No," he said, blinking in confusion. "Why would she do that?"

"Oh... never mind," Kyra shrugged, as Jon laughed quietly; his little sister was a bit too involved in her fairy tales.

"All right," Obi-Wan agreed, still baffled. "So, the Jedi Knight would climb up the castle wall - using his Jedi retractor cable of course," he said cheerfully, showing Kyra the one on his belt. "And he would visit the fairy-tale princess secretly every night, and would always leave the next morning before dawn; and no one ever saw him," he told them.

"The Jedi Knight and the fairy-tale princess were secretly in love, for many years," Obi-Wan continued. "But then one day the Jedi Knight decided that it was wrong to disobey the Jedi Code, as he had been doing," he explained regretfully. "And so he said goodbye to the fairy-tale princess, and it broke his heart; but for the next several years he followed all the rules, and tried to be a good Jedi Knight, and he didn't see the princess again for a very long time."

"He didn't love her any more?" Kyra asked, dismayed.

"No, he did," Obi-Wan assured her. "In fact, many years later the Jedi Knight came back again, and he told the fairy-tale princess that he still loved her, and asked her to marry him, even though it was forbidden," Obi-Wan continued. "They would have to always keep their love a secret, but he promised never to leave her again," he assured them.

"And the fairy-tale princess wanted to marry him; but you see, now she had two children of her own, and she didn't know how they would feel about their mother getting married to a Jedi Knight," Obi-Wan explained.

"Wait," Jon frowned uncertainly. "How did she have children all of a sudden?"

"Ah." Obi-Wan nodded. "Well you see, in the meantime the fairy-tale princess had married another ma - a handsome prince_, _" he corrected himself quickly. "And they - well actually it's a bit complicated," Obi-Wan apologized. "But in the end the handsome prince left her as well," he told them regretfully.

"This is a weird fairy tale," Kyra said, frowning.

"Yes, Jedi fairy tales usually are," Obi-Wan agreed, with an apologetic smile. "But it has a happy ending," he assured her. "The Jedi Knight was still madly in love with the fairy-tale princess, and now he fell in love with her children as well; because they were wonderful, sweet, beautiful children."

"What were their names?" Kyra asked, curious.

"Their names were... Prince Jon, and Princess Kyra," Obi-Wan said, as Kyra giggled in delight and Jon shook his head, laughing quietly to himself. _He's just making this whole thing up. This isn't a fairy tale at all._ "And the Jedi Knight loved Prince Jon and Princess Kyra with all his heart," Obi-Wan told them, smiling wistfully. _Wait a minute... _"Just as if they were his own children," he added; Jon blinked in stunned disbelief as he began to realize what this was really about. _Mom was telling us that she wants to get married... To someone she was in love with a long time ago..._

"The Jedi Knight wanted to marry Jon and Kyra's mother, so that they could all be a family, and live happily ever after," Obi-Wan continued with a tender smile, as Jon felt tears stinging his eyes. Kyra was looking up at Obi-Wan uncertainly now, beginning to figure it out as well. "But it would have to be a secret," Obi-Wan told them apologetically. "No one could know."

Jon smiled tearfully, nodding in agreement. "We won't tell anyone," he promised. "Will we, Kyra?" he asked her, sniffing; he was grateful to feel Obi-Wan's arm around him.

Kyra shook her head. "I won't tell anyone," she whispered softly, hugging Obi-Wan and laying her head against him as he cuddled her lovingly. "You're going to be our new dad?" she asked, smiling in teary-eyed disbelief.

"Yes, I am," Obi-Wan said, cuddling them close. "I'm sorry I haven't told you before," he apologized. "Your mother and I have secretly been in love since we were sixteen years old," he confessed, as Jon grinned in amusement. "We want to get married, and be a family; but it will always have to be a secret," he told them.

"I love you both so very much," Obi-Wan said, pulling them onto his lap and wrapping his arms around them. Jon hugged him, embarrassed by his own tears but too happy to care. _I love you too, Obi-Wan._ "Do you have any idea how wonderful you are?" Obi-Wan whispered, his eyes glistening as he smiled lovingly, giving them each a tender kiss on the forehead.

_So this is what it feels like to have a father,_ Jon realized, overwhelmed by the strange sensation of warmth and safety and unconditional love as Obi-Wan held them close. _I never knew._

"Well," Obi-Wan said cheerfully, smiling as he wiped away his own tears with his cloak sleeve. "There's not much point in climbing half a mountain," he pointed out, glancing up toward the ridge above them. "Shall we keep going?"

Jon and Kyra grinned, nodding; and then Kyra held Obi-Wan's hand, beaming up at him in delight as they set out once more. _This was worth waiting my whole life for, _Jon decided, sharing a smile of quiet gratitude with Obi-Wan as he followed him up the winding forest path to the top of the ridge. _I have the best father in the entire galaxy._

* * *

><p><em>Two weeks later...<em>

Father Luke looked up in surprise as he heard a soft tapping sound at the back door of the wedding chapel. _What is that?_ he wondered, going to the door and peering through the window. Then he smiled, opening the door and welcoming his secret visitor inside. "Anakin," he exclaimed. "What brings you out this way?"

Then he remembered, and bowed his head in regret. "I was very sorry to hear about your son," he said, putting a hand on Anakin's shoulder. "But congratulations, on the birth of your daughter," Luke added, with a warm smile. "That's wonderful news, Anakin; you and Padmé must be very proud."

"Thank you, Luke," Anakin replied; then he gave him a hesitant look. "Are you busy right now?"

"No," Luke assured him. "What's going on?"

Anakin smiled cheerfully, going to the door. "I brought some friends," he said, inviting them inside. Luke blinked in surprise as a small army of people began to file in through the back door of his wedding chapel: he recognized Padmé, carrying her newborn daughter, followed by another woman with yet another baby; and then suddenly Obi-Wan Kenobi of _JEDI_ fame appeared with two more children in tow, and finally another Jedi with long, greying hair that Luke didn't recognize.

"My goodness," Luke exclaimed, greeting the newcomers. "Who are all these people?"

"My family," Anakin told him. "Well, you know Padmé, and this is Leia," he began, introducing them. "And this is Leila, and Luke - long story," Anakin said, as the priest blinked in confusion. "You didn't see him," Anakin added mischievously, waving his fingers as Luke laughed, but nodded in agreement. "He's a figment of your imagination. And this is Obi-Wan - did I mention he's my brother? And Qui-Gon; he's our dad... long story again," Anakin sighed, not bothering to explain. "And this is Jon, and Kyra," he finished simply.

"Hello," Luke said politely, smiling as he greeted the newcomers. _All right, now I'm more confused than I was before... But I'll just pretend that all made sense, _he thought, laughing ruefully to himself. "So what brings you all out this way?" Luke asked. "Welcome to sunny Tatooine," he added good-naturedly.

"Oh!" Anakin remembered. "Obi-Wan and Leila want to get married," he explained, taking his son from Leila.

"Ah." Luke beamed delightedly. _This, I can handle._ "Congratulations," he told the happy couple, herding them over to the altar as the others sat down to watch. "No, no, no," Luke laughed cheerfully, making them all get up again. "You, and you," he ordered Anakin and Jon. "Best men... You," he said to Qui-Gon, sending him to the back. "You'll be giving the bride away. Padmé, you're the maid of honor... And you," he said, turning to the adorable little blonde girl. "You can be the flower girl; I think we have some flowers in the front room."

"Forgive me," Luke apologized with a cheerful grin. "But we don't get whole wedding parties in here every day," he confessed. "Oh!" he added, with a hopeful look at Anakin. "I know my wife would love to play the organ for this; I'll tell her to behave herself," he promised. "She's a bit nutty over _JEDI,_ but she can keep a secret," he assured him, as Anakin grinned, nodding in agreement.

"All right then," Father Luke said, as they took their places. "Let's get started," he nodded, cueing his wife on the organ as Kyra led the wedding processional down the aisle.

* * *

><p><em>Don't cry... Don't cry... Don't cry,<em> Leila told herself, following Kyra and Padmé down the aisle of the tiny wedding chapel with Qui-Gon at her side, while Obi-Wan waited for her at the altar with Anakin and Jon beside him, holding the babies. But Leila couldn't stop the tears, and by the time she reached Obi-Wan she was a complete mess.

Thankfully, so was Obi-Wan; and so they held each other for a moment, composing themselves and laughing in embarrassment before finally managing to wipe the tears away, so that the priest could continue with the ceremony. Leila half-listened, staring stubbornly at the wall, then at the window, in a desperate attempt to maintain her composure. But this was after all her wedding, and so finally she forced herself to look at Obi-Wan once again, and the tears immediately returned.

_I didn't think it mattered,_ Leila confessed, smiling tearfully at her soon-to-be third husband. _When he asked me to marry him, I just laughed; I didn't think it would change anything. I've been married twice before, and it was a complete disaster. But this time it's different, _Leila realized, losing herself in Obi-Wan's magical green-blue eyes._ This time it's Obi-Wan._

"Obi-Wan, do you take this woman to be your wife?" the priest was asking now.

"I do," Obi-Wan said, his eyes glistening as he gazed at her lovingly.

"Leila, do you take this man to be your husband?" the priest asked next.

"I do," Leila replied, her eyes filling with tears of joy.

"I now pronounce you husband and wife," the priest said. "You may kiss the bride."

Obi-Wan kissed her tenderly, wrapping his arms around her, and Leila lay her head against his shoulder, grinning idiotically at Anakin and Jon behind him. _This is about the least dignified moment of my life,_ Leila laughed in embarrassment, unable to stop her smiles and tears as everyone gathered around to congratulate them. _But it is without a doubt the happiest._

_We're a real family now,_ Leila realized, sharing a tender smile with her husband; then she caught his wistful look, and nodded quietly. _Yes,_ Leila agreed, sighing. _I wish Cory could have been here too._

* * *

><p><em>Speaking of which...<em>

_This is so cool,_ Cory thought happily, reveling in his freedom from his padawan studies as he and Tarok hiked across the rocky ridge behind the Zabrak's home on Iridonia. _Twice in one month..._ Master Qui-Gon had been called away on another important solo mission, and had left Cory once again in the care of their Zabrak friends, Malok and Tarok.

"Oops! Sorry," Cory apologized, blinking in surprise as he suddenly ran into someone coming up the path from the other direction. It was a human girl about his age, with straight black hair and dark eyes, dressed in tattered, dusty clothing.

"Sorry," the girl apologized, looking down with a shy smile. Cory moved to the side to let her pass, but unfortunately the girl went the same way, and they nearly ran into each other again.

"Sorry," they both laughed stupidly, finally managing to get past each other without tripping. _Okay, that was really embarrassing,_ Cory sighed ruefully. "Who was that?" he asked Tarok, looking back after the girl as she continued down the path.

"Oh, that was Elena," Tarok said, hiking up to the next ledge. "She lives in the next town, on the other side of this ridge... Come on, I'll show you," he added cheerfully, leading the way.

"All right," Cory agreed, following his friend; but then he stopped, looking back at the girl one last time. _Wow, _he thought, blinking in confusion and stumbling slightly as he turned around to follow Tarok again. _She's really pretty._


	69. Filming for SITH begins

**Chapter 69**

"Haahahaaa," Anakin laughed evilly. _Oh, I love my voice..._ "Prepare to die!"

"Lord Vader, please - please... I beg you... Nooooooo!" Governor Bibble pleaded helplessly, as Anakin hacked at him with his red lightsaber. They were filming the first episode of _SITH,_ and in celebration of his upcoming retirement, Governor Sio Bibble of Naboo had eagerly volunteered to be the show's first casualty.

"Good, Lord Vader," Palpatine cackled, surveying the carnage in the throne room of Naboo's Royal Palace. "Good... You have grown strong in the Dark Side, my young apprentice," he said, seating himself on the throne. "This pitiful planet has learned its lesson," Palpatine spat contemptuously. "Naboo is now under the glorious rule of the Sith!"

"Yes, my Master," Anakin agreed, taking a seat beside the Emperor. _Pooooh, khhhhhh... Pooooh, khhhhhh... I am the best Sith Lord ever,_ Anakin sighed blissfully, losing himself in the hypnotic sound of his own breathing.

"Cut," Cliegg said. "That was wonderful. Sio, thank you so much," he added, shaking the Governor's hand. Then he squinted at Anakin and Palpatine critically. "Could we try one more take with you two?"

Anakin nodded, getting up; but then he blinked in alarm, nearly falling back into his chair again. _I keep forgetting about the high heels. Pookie, seriously, what were you thinking?_ But he managed to keep his balance, and they filmed another take, this time with Anakin kneeling humbly before Sidious, instead of seated by his side.

"I think it's better that way," Cliegg said. "We need to show some tension between the two of you." The network had tentatively approved only six episodes of _SITH,_ and if the show's ratings were not good, they would need to wrap up the plot quickly. Cliegg had already planned the season finale with Vader and Sidious killing each other, thereby fulfilling Anakin's destiny as the Chosen One.

_I hope it's approved for more than six episodes though,_ Anakin sighed wistfully, pulling off his helmet and switching off his chest plate as he went to change back into his Jedi clothes. _This show is so cool. And I can't believe we filmed our first episode on Naboo,_ he thought cheerfully, grateful for the chance to visit Padmé and the children again.

_A few minutes later..._

"Ani!" Padmé exclaimed, embracing him as he came through the doorway of her parents' house in Theed. Then she looked out the window, concerned; it was mid-afternoon, and the neighbors might be watching. "Did anyone see you?"

"I hope so," Anakin said mischievously, kissing her. "I'm here on Naboo filming for _SITH;_ what sort of horrible friend would I be if I didn't stop by to say hello, and visit the baby that I helped to deliver?" he pointed out, taking Leia from Padmé and cuddling her in his arms.

"Wow... She's gotten so big," Anakin sighed, stroking Leia's wispy hair as she stared up at him curiously. Luke and Leia were nearly two months old now, but Anakin hadn't seen them since Obi-Wan's wedding. "Where's Luke?" he asked hopefully.

"Oh, my mom took him out shopping," Padmé told him, as Anakin followed her into the living room.

"No," Anakin cringed in embarrassment, realizing what that meant. "Padmé, please tell me he's not wearing a dress." With their fuzzy dark hair, undefined eye color, and delicate baby features, Luke and Leia were nearly identical, and Anakin had been mortified to learn that Padmé and her parents had been parading his son around the city of Theed for the past two months dressed as a Nabooan princess.

"Ani, he's just a baby; he doesn't know the difference," Padmé insisted, rolling her eyes. "Besides," she sighed, as Anakin sat next to her on the couch, holding Leia. "We won't be able to take him out much longer," Padmé told him regretfully. "Look," she said, peering into Leia's eyes. "My mom thinks her eyes are turning brown."

"Really?" Anakin asked, grinning in surprise. _Aw, I love brown eyes... Just like Padmé's._ "You're right, they're starting to look a little darker," he agreed, enchanted by his daughter's magical eyes; he had been surprised to learn that babies' hair and eye colors could change dramatically during their first year. "What about Luke?" he asked, curious.

"His eyes seem to be staying blue," Padmé said, smiling. "His hair is turning a little blonder too," she added. "He looks more like his dad every day."

"Ahh!" Anakin cringed anxiously. "Don't say that!" Anakin was hoping to take Luke as his padawan one day, and it would be awkward if the boy looked too much like him. _Please let him look more like Padmé... Or better yet, neither of us,_ he sighed. They were still planning to leave their son on the steps of the Jedi Temple when he was a year old, with a note saying that his name was Luke. As an orphan, he would be given a Basic last name such as Starchaser or Moonshooter or something equally idiotic, but hopefully the Council would never guess that he was in fact Anakin and Padmé's child.

Jobal returned home a few minutes later with Luke, and Anakin winced at the sight of his son in a pink baby dress; but a few minutes later Luke had been stripped down to his underwear and tucked in bed for his afternoon nap along with Leia, and Anakin gazed at his children in adoration. "They're so peaceful when they're asleep," he whispered, smiling.

"Yes," Padmé agreed, shutting the bedroom door. "I'm a little tired; I think I'll have a nap too," she confessed with a shy smile, taking off her shoes and unbuttoning her dress.

"Oh; yeah, me too," Anakin agreed, pulling off his boots and crawling into bed beside her. _She needs all the rest she can get,_ he thought, snuggling close to her. But a moment later she wriggled out of his embrace and began to unbuckle his belt. "Oh... Sorry," Anakin apologized, taking it off and tossing it on the floor. _Yeah, Jedi tool belts aren't really designed for snuggling_.

But Padmé wasn't satisfied with just the belt; now she was pulling off his tunic as well. _What the...?_ Anakin blinked in surprise, going along with it. He generally didn't take all his clothes off for just a quick nap, but he supposed the black leather wasn't very cuddly either. Then he caught the mischievous look in Padmé's eyes as she began to pull off his pants.

"Oh," Anakin said in disbelief, his heart suddenly racing happily as Padmé continued to undress him. "Are you sure?" he asked, stroking her hair gently as she showered him with tender kisses. _It's been so long..._

"Yes," Padmé whispered softly, with a tantalizing smile. "I'm ready."

* * *

><p><em>Meanwhile, on Geonosis...<em>

"Oooobiiii-Waaaaannnn... Oooobiiii-Waaaannnn... IIIIII am the ghoooossst of Quuuiii-Gonnnn Jiiinnnnn..."

"Yes! Yes, Master! I can hear you!" Obi-Wan replied ecstatically, before the two of them broke down once again, tears streaming down their faces as they doubled over, dying of laughter.

_Dad, what were you thinking? _Owen Lars sighed, shaking his head in disbelief. _This show won't last two months._


	70. Luke is sent to the Jedi Temple

**Chapter 70**

_The next week..._

"General Kenobi," Captain Antilles said, welcoming him aboard the _Tantive IV._ "I'm so glad you could make it. Bail was just about to begin with the briefing."

"Thank you, Captain," Obi-Wan replied, bowing; then he sighed as he followed Antilles to the ship's conference room. _I originally agreed to be a part of this show because I thought it would allow me to see Anakin more often,_ he thought, amused by the irony. _How things have changed in just a few months._

But now he blinked in surprise as he entered the conference room. "General Kenobi," Leif Organa said, greeting him. "Thank you for joining us. Please, have a seat," he added graciously, gesturing toward the benches where the other actors playing the Rebel Alliance were seated. _What is Leif doing here?_ Obi-Wan wondered; but he bowed politely, doing as he was told.

"What's going on?" Obi-Wan whispered to Captain Antilles beside him, as Leif began the briefing.

"Oh," Antilles whispered. "You didn't get the memo? Leif and Bail are job-sharing the part; it's kind of a joke," he explained. "We all pretend that he's Bail, and nobody ever seems to notice that he looks different sometimes," Antilles said, his eyes twinkling. "Actually the fan club came up with the idea; they think it's hilarious," he whispered, nodding solemnly as Leif continued his speech.

_Well, as long as the fan club thinks it's funny,_ Obi-Wan sighed. _I have a bad feeling about this..._ The show had only been approved for six episodes, but already the fans were crazy over it, and Obi-Wan feared that it might continue for an entire season, or even longer. _I can't do this every week,_ he admitted worriedly. _Last week was fun, filming with Qui-Gon, but Cliegg has already decided that Anakin and I will never appear together until the final episode,_ he realized; it had something to do with keeping the show's dramatic tension going, but Obi-Wan didn't quite understand it.

_Bail and Leif have the right idea,_ Obi-Wan decided, nodding seriously and pretending to pay attention as Leif continued with the briefing. _I need to find myself a stunt double._

* * *

><p><em>Another week later...<em>

_I can't believe it,_ Owen thought, showing Ben Kenobi around the set of _SITH _on Geonosis. _Two weeks ago I was certain the show would be cancelled, and now we've signed on one of the most famous and respected actors in the entire galaxy._

At fifty-one, Ben Kenobi was far too old to double as Obi-Wan, but they had the same reddish-brown hair, and their features were strikingly similar. There had long been whispers that the famous actor was in fact Obi-Wan's uncle, but Owen had always dismissed the notion as just another ridiculous conspiracy theory propagated by members of the _JEDI_ fan club.

But now that he had met Ben in person, Owen was beginning to believe it; despite the thirteen year age difference, his resemblance to Obi-Wan was uncanny. _Not that we're even trying to pass them off as the same person,_ Owen laughed to himself; a large part of _SITH's_ wild popularity was the fact that the premise of the show was completely preposterous, and the more unbelievable it was, the more the fans seemed to love it.

"This is Obi-Wan's home on Tatooine," Owen explained, showing Ben the little sound stage that served as the cozy little hovel where Qui-Gon's ghost would visit Obi-Wan from time to time. "And here we have Dagobah," he continued, stepping around Obi-Wan's wall and suddenly entering a swampy jungle set, with Yoda's tiny hut hidden amongst the overgrown fauna.

"Wonderful," Ben nodded, smiling cheerfully. His involvement in _SITH_ would be limited to just a few cameo appearances now and then; in truth, Owen and Cliegg were minimizing Obi-Wan's role on the show, and Yoda's as well, realizing that the Jedi Masters would not be available to film every week. Cliegg was already doubling for Sidious much of the time, and they were looking for a talented stunt actor to wear the Vader suit when Anakin was unavailable.

"All right then," Owen said, showing Ben back to Obi-Wan's hovel as the other actors arrived on the set for today's filming. "Let's get started..."

* * *

><p><em>A week after that...<em>

"What?" Anakin asked, as Owen apologetically showed him the modifications to his costume. _You've got to be kidding..._ Cliegg had hired a stunt double to fill in for Anakin; a gifted swordsman and stunt actor who also happened to be a fanatical bodybuilder. The network executives had been impressed by the new, more heavily muscled Vader, and now they thought that Anakin looked too thin in comparison. _This totally sucks,_ Anakin sighed unhappily, zipping himself into his new and improved, fake muscle Vader suit. _First I was too short, now I'm too scrawny... Ugh, now I can hardly move in this dumb thing._

* * *

><p><em>And the week after that...<em>

"Padmé... Padmé, I'm so sorry," Zam Wessel wept, burying her hideously burned face in her robotic hands as she played the part of Vader beneath the mask. "I tried to save you," she sobbed, heartbroken. Then she lifted her head, forcing herself to look in the mirror at her ghastly, scarred, bald reflection. "Obi-Wan," she glowered threateningly. "You will pay for this..."

* * *

><p><em>And the week after that...<em>

_Ha!_ Anakin thought smugly, using the Force to collapse half the set as he destroyed the Rebels' secret base. _See if you can do THAT, Mr. Giant Musclebound Stunt Guy._

_Or this,_ Anakin decided cheerfully, somersaulting off the thirty-foot high bridge he had been standing on. But once again, he forgot to compensate for his high-heeled boots, and landed in an undignified heap on the stage floor below. _Damn this suit!_ "I'm fine," Anakin insisted, picking himself up and climbing back up to try again. _Though my dignity might never recover._

* * *

><p><em>And the week after that...<em>

_Am I even on this show any more?_ Obi-Wan wondered vaguely, sitting on the couch with Leila, Jon, and Kyra and munching on popcorn as he watched his Uncle Ben out-act him in his own role.

* * *

><p><em>And the week after that...<em>

_Yes!_ Mace grinned ecstatically, strapping on his fake robotic arm and making his unexpected and heroic debut on _SITH_ as the mysterious lone Jedi vigilante, fighting single-handedly against the Empire and completely unaware of the existence of the Rebel Alliance or the other surviving Jedi stragglers.

"This party's over," Windu announced dangerously, walking straight into Palpatine's chamber and igniting his purple lightsaber.

* * *

><p><em>And the week after that...<em>

_Hehehe,_ Mace chuckled to himself, watching as Darth Vader chopped off his mechanical arm and sent him flying out the window again, using some recycled _JEDI _footage. _Ah, the irony... I love it. But next time Vader's going down,_ he vowed.

* * *

><p><em>And the week after that...<em>

_Ahh!_ Anakin cringed, flying helplessly across half the city of Coruscant and praying that Windu's instincts were correct. _I can't see a thing in this mask_. But a moment later he landed safely in the back seat of an open speeder, and Anakin grinned in amazement as he sat up, looking back at the Senate hall several blocks away.

_Windu is incredible,_ he confessed, sincerely impressed by the Jedi Master's perfect aim. But then he blinked in surprise as he saw a light on in Padmé's apartment building. _Padmé's here?__ The Senate isn't in session this week..._

Then Anakin's heart sank, and tears filled his eyes as he realized what that meant. _Oh, Padmé..._

* * *

><p><em>A week after that...<em>

"Padmé," Leila said, hugging her sister-in-law as she arrived at the Naberrie lakeside retreat on Naboo. "How are you doing?"

"I'm all right," Padmé said bravely, inviting her inside. "Thanks so much for coming... Hi Jon; hi Kyra," she added, hugging them. "Hi Obi-Wan," she said, fighting tears as he gave her a hug. "Hi Qui-Gon," she choked; but then the tears came unbidden, and Padmé shook her head miserably. "I'm sorry," she whispered, rushing off to the other room.

Anakin smiled apologetically as Jobal followed her daughter into the living room. "Come on in," he said, holding Leia in one arm as he led them out to the terrace. It was a lovely Spring day on Naboo, and Ruwee was firing up the barbecue grill.

"It's beautiful here," Leila murmured, as she looked out across the sparkling lake. Leila, Jon, and Kyra had never known anything but the vast urban sprawl of Coruscant; they were awestruck by the incredible beauty of Naboo's lake country.

"Oh!" Kyra exclaimed, admiring the view from the terrace. "Can we go out to the meadow?" she asked, enchanted by the rolling fields of wildflowers beside the lake.

"Sure," Anakin said cheerfully, handing Leia to Ruwee and leading the way down the terrace steps. Jon and Kyra followed, along with Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan; but Leila shook her head at Obi-Wan's questioning look.

_Padmé needs me,_ Leila sighed regretfully, going back into the living room to talk to her sister-in-law. Jobal gave her an appreciative smile, excusing herself to the kitchen to finish making lunch. _Unless you've carried a child for nine months and then given it up to the Jedi Order, you don't know what it's like._ "How have you been?" Leila asked gently, sitting down next to Padmé.

Padmé nodded tearfully. "All right," she said, giving Leila a grateful smile. "Thank you for coming."

"Thanks for inviting us," Leila said, smiling. "It's so beautiful here," she added sincerely, still overwhelmed. Padmé nodded, managing a cheerful smile; but then she shook her head, sniffing back tears once again.

"Leila, how did you do it?" she asked. "How did you get through it?"

Leila laughed unhappily, looking down. "With a lot of drugs," she admitted, giving Padmé an apologetic look. "If you can manage to get through this without destroying half your brain on death sticks, then you're doing better than I did," she confessed, as Padmé laughed, grateful for her commiseration. "It's really hard," Leila agreed, with a regretful smile.

Padmé nodded, sniffing back her tears. "I didn't think it would happen so soon. I thought I'd have a year," she sighed. "But it was getting too hard to hide him. Anakin had to mind-trick a couple of the neighbors who swore they heard two babies crying at once, and - " she sniffed again. "It was only going to get worse," Padmé confessed. "Towards the end we had to split them up more and more, and my sister would take one at a time, but... They _knew,_" she whispered. "Luke and Leia... they would look around for each other, when we separated them. They were only four months old, but they _knew_," Padmé said, heartbroken. "It was only going to get worse."

Leila nodded, stroking Padmé's back sympathetically. "I think earlier is better," she said quietly. "I hate that they took Cory from me the day he was born, but... in a way it was easier," she told Padmé. "If you'd waited a whole year it would have been worse." She smiled encouragingly. "Obi-Wan says he's doing well."

"Yes," Padmé said, smiling wistfully. "Anakin says he's at the head of his class; he's getting all the highest marks in eating, sleeping, and playing with his own feet," she giggled, as Leila laughed affectionately. "And Leia is doing well too," Padmé added. "Sometimes she cries, or looks around as if she's missing him, but she's doing it less and less. I'm really glad we didn't wait any longer," she admitted.

"You did the right thing," Leila reassured her. "And it does get better," she promised. "I still miss Cory, of course; but if you can get past the first few years, you realize that it's for the best," she said truthfully. "Cory is having the time of his life, exploring the galaxy with his grandfather instead of being stuck in some boring old Coruscant public school," Leila said, smiling fondly. "Just think of how wonderful it will be, when Anakin takes Luke as his padawan."

"I know," Padmé agreed, smiling gratefully. "Thank you, Leila. It means a lot to me, to know someone who's been through this already," she said. "You're right; it's really hard, and I miss Luke terribly... But then I think of Cory, and I know everything will be all right." She laughed affectionately. "He seems like the happiest kid in the whole galaxy."

"Yes," Leila agreed, smiling tenderly. "Yes, I think maybe he is."

* * *

><p><em>Speaking of which...<em>

"You kissed her?" Tarok asked, gaping at Cory in wide-eyed disbelief.

"Yes," Cory said, grinning apologetically as they hiked back over the ridge toward Tarok's house. "Don't tell anyone," he begged. "Please... Not even your father," he pleaded anxiously.

"I won't," Tarok agreed, shaking his head. "_Especially_ not my father."

* * *

><p><em>Meanwhile, on Coruscant...<em>

_Another Luke,_ Yoda noted fondly as he visited the Temple's newest youngling. _Luke Starkiller..._ This was the fifth infant named Luke that the Temple had received since the famous _JEDI_ episode had aired, although only one other had been left on the steps as an orphan; Yoda sighed thoughtfully as he hobbled over to look at the other foundling.

_Luke Skywalker..._ Yoda smiled in amusement as he peered over the edge of the crib at the tiny black child snuggled beneath the covers. He had been given the name 'Skywalker' as a tribute to the recent _JEDI_ episode, but Yoda knew the boy's true last name._ Twelve black people in this entire galaxy there are,_ he estimated. _And seven of them Jedi padawans... __Not difficult to figure out, this is__,___ Yoda sighed worriedly. __Mace, you must be more careful._  
><em>

_An interesting class of younglings, this will be,_ Yoda admitted, as he looked around the nursery. _Five pupils named Luke..._ Then he bowed his head in regret, as he remembered their namesake. _Poor Senator Amidala,_ Yoda thought. _A tragedy it is, that her own son did not survive._

"Named after a Nabooan prince, you are," Yoda whispered to Luke Starkiller, smiling at the blond-haired child once again as he hobbled back toward the doorway. But then he stopped by another crib, peering down at a tiny redheaded girl. _Mara Jade,_ Yoda sighed once again, closing his eyes painfully. _Clouded, your future is..._

* * *

><p><em>And back on Naboo...<em>

"How are you doing?" Anakin whispered softly, snuggling in bed next to Padmé. Their guests had all retired for the night, and Leia was asleep in her crib; Padmé smiled, grateful to finally have a moment alone with her husband.

"I'm all right," Padmé whispered, feeling strangely peaceful and happy for the first time in over a week. "It's so wonderful having everyone here," she confessed, as Anakin smiled, nodding in agreement. "And it was really nice talking to Leila today," she told him. "She knows what it's like, Ani... I feel so much better now."

Anakin smiled tenderly, a look of relief in his eyes as he kissed her. "I'm glad," he said. "I know this has been really hard for you, Padmé," he apologized, for the hundredth time.

Padmé smiled, running her fingers through his curly locks. "It's going to be all right," she reassured him. "This past week has been the hardest, but it's already getting better," she insisted bravely. "I had a wonderful day today."

"So did I," Anakin agreed. "I'm so proud of you, Padmé," he said, stroking her hair. "I know this hasn't been easy, and... I'm sorry," he apologized again helplessly.

"This wasn't your fault, Ani," Padmé said. "Well, in a way I suppose it was," she laughed, kissing him. "Ani, you've been so wonderful through all this," she told him. "When I think of what Leila had to go through, all alone..." Padmé sighed, shaking her head.

Anakin grinned mischievously. "Yeah, at least I'm not as much of a butt-head as Obi-Wan."

Padmé giggled. "It's still so hard to believe."

"What?" Anakin asked, frowning. "That Obi-Wan's a butt-head?"

"No," Padmé laughed softly. "That you would actually _call_ him that," she said. "Four months ago - things were so different," she admitted. "And now..." Padmé sighed contentedly. "Ani, we have the best family in the entire galaxy."

"Yes," Anakin murmured, his blue eyes sparkling in the moonlight as he kissed her again. "Yes, we do."


	71. Solaris Three? WHAT?

**Chapter 71**

"Mace... Mace, wake up, honey; you're going to be late," his wife said gently, kissing him.

"Mmm," Mace mumbled sleepily, with a lazy smile; then he remembered where he was. _Oh, crap!_ Suddenly he was wide awake, hastily throwing his clothes on. "Sorry, honey," he apologized, giving her a quick kiss as he ran out the door. "I have a Council meeting this afternoon... I'll try to make it back for the weekend," he promised.

"Bye, sweety," Janessa said, kissing him one last time. "I love you."

"Love you too." Mace smiled tenderly. "I'll come back soon," he promised, climbing into his freighter. _Ahh, this thing is a piece of junk_, he sighed ruefully, starting up the engine and waving goodbye to Janessa. _But it's not like I can show up to visit my wife in a Jedi Starfighter,_ he laughed, making his way past the sprawling city to a more remote location before taking off in the Starfighter that he kept hidden in the back of the freighter.

But then Mace stared in alarm as red lights began to blink on his console. "No," he protested. "No; don't do this," he begged his trusty Starfighter. "Please, not right now..." He shook his head in dismay, realizing that the hyperdrive was broken. _Oh, no,_ Mace sighed anxiously, climbing out to take a look at the engine. _I have a bad feeling about this._

* * *

><p><em>Later that afternoon...<em>

_Missing, Mace is,_ Yoda noted, glancing at Master Windu's conspicuously empty seat as today's Council session began. _Gone all weekend, he has been,_ he realized worriedly. _Not good, this is._

Yoda knew exactly where Mace was, but he was the only Council member with that knowledge, and so once again he covered for his former padawan, as he had done for years. "On a special assignment, Master Windu has been sent," he informed the other Council members, as they nodded respectfully. "Begin today's session, we shall."

But Mace still hadn't returned by evening, and Yoda kept an anxious vigil in the Confessional chamber that night. _Safe, he is,_ Yoda sensed, reaching out with the Force for his beloved pupil's presence. _But unable to communicate,_ Yoda knew; Mace's home planet lay on the outskirts of Hutt Territory, and had been cut off from the rest of the galaxy for centuries.

_Engine trouble, he must be having,_ Yoda realized. Breaking down in Hutt Territory was not a good situation; the Hutts were not technically at war with the Republic, but the political situation had always been tense, and if Mace were captured... _No_, Yoda told himself stubbornly. _Allow that to happen, I will not._

_If not back by morning he is, rescue him, I will,_ Yoda resolved. _But manage this alone, I cannot,_ he sighed regretfully. _Dangerous, it will be... And extremely confidential,_ he reminded himself; the Jedi had no official business in Hutt Territory, and it would be awkward and potentially dangerous if news of Mace's predicament got out.

_Assistance with this mission, I will need,_ Yoda admitted. _A Council member, I must confide in. But who?_ Yoda asked himself; Mace was the one he normally turned to in delicate matters such as this. _Ki-Adi?_ Yoda wondered briefly, then quickly dismissed the idea. _No,_ he sighed. _A rigid proponent of the Jedi Code he is,_ Yoda realized; the Cerean would not react well to news of Mace's secret marriage. Besides, Cereans had never ventured that deep into Hutt Territory. Even undercover, Ki-Adi-Mundi would be identified as an outsider immediately.

_Obi-Wan, it must be,_ Yoda decided, realizing he was next in line in the Jedi Council's hierarchy. _Understand Mace's situation, he would._ Upon becoming a Master three years ago, Obi-Wan had learned the truth of his own father's secret marriage, and had remained close friends with Qui-Gon; of all the Council members, he was the most likely to keep Mace's secret.

_Excellent field skills Obi-Wan has; and mind control abilities as well,_ Yoda thought, knowing that if anything went wrong, he would need someone who could handle himself in a difficult situation. _Speak with Obi-Wan about this, I must._

* * *

><p><em>The next morning...<em>

"Master Kenobi," Yoda said, bowing respectfully as he entered Obi-Wan's classroom.

"Master Yoda!" Obi-Wan bowed, as the younglings greeted him eagerly. "What brings you down this way?"

"A favor, I must ask of you," Yoda replied, as Obi-Wan nodded obediently, giving his younglings a reassuring smile and gesturing for one of them to fetch their nighttime Master as he followed Yoda out into the hallway. "As you know, on a special assignment, Master Windu has been sent," Yoda continued, leading him toward the private chamber down the hallway.

"Yes, Master." Obi-Wan nodded, wondering what was going on. "Is everything all right?"

Yoda sighed. "In grave danger, I fear he is," he admitted. "Come," he said, entering the private chamber after Obi-Wan and closing the door behind them.

"Master Windu is in danger?" Obi-Wan asked worriedly, taking a seat on the round padded stool across from Yoda.

"Perhaps," Yoda confessed. "Obi-Wan... Highly confidential, this matter is," he continued, as Obi-Wan nodded, blinking anxiously. _Master Yoda has never approached me before with a confidential matter; this must be bad._ "Trust you above all others in this, I do," Yoda admitted. "Your help I need, to rescue Master Windu," he said. "Dangerous, this mission will be. If risk your life to save him, deserve to know the truth, you do."

_Risk my life? What?_ "Yes - yes, Master," Obi-Wan stammered. "He is truly in danger then?"

"More, I cannot say, without your word, that you will keep this matter confidential," Yoda warned him.

_What in the blazes is going on?_ "Yes," Obi-Wan nodded quickly. "Of course, Master Yoda."

Yoda nodded, satisfied. "In Hutt Territory, Mace is stranded," he said quietly, as Obi-Wan blinked at him in surprise. _Hutt Territory? What is he doing there?_"Obi-Wan... Married, like your father, Mace is," Yoda told him quietly. "His wife, he has been visiting."

Obi-Wan gaped at Yoda in shock. "Master Windu is married?" He blinked stupidly. _Force, is there anyone in the Order who ISN'T married?_ Obi-Wan wondered suddenly; then he bowed his head in apology. "Forgive me, Master," he said. "I was surprised, that's all," he assured Yoda. "So his wife lives in Hutt Territory?"

"Yes," Yoda nodded, sighing. "On the far side of Hutt Territory, Mace's home planet lies," he confided, as Obi-Wan nodded; it was not spoken of openly, but no one could help but wonder where the galaxy's twelve black humans had come from. "An isolated planet it is, cut off from the Republic for centuries."

"So we must fly through Hutt Territory to get there?" Obi-Wan asked worriedly. _Yoda wasn't joking; this isn't going to be easy,_ he realized. _How in the blazes did Mace get there in the first place?_

Yoda bowed his head, sighing. "Around the outskirts of Hutt Territory, we can fly," he told him. "Obi-Wan... Know of this planet, the Hutts do not," he continued. "Hidden by a Force field, the entire system is."

"Like Kamino," Obi-Wan whispered, surprised; he had discovered the missing planet of Kamino three years ago. _There is more to this galaxy than most of us know,_ he realized once again, sobered by the thought. "But... Hidden by a Force field? How was that accomplished?"

Yoda sighed, his ears drooping. "By my father, nearly a millennium ago," he confessed, as Obi-Wan stared at him in shock. He knew that Yoda was from another galaxy, but the details of his origins had always been a mystery. "A great disturbance in the Force, my people sensed, a year before I was born," Yoda told him. "Traveled here, my father did; and soon after, the balance was restored," he continued. "But returned home, my father did not," he sighed sadly.

"Came here to look for him, I did," Yoda confessed. "Years later... But gone, he was," he told Obi-Wan. "Killed, in the battle against the Sith," Yoda said, hanging his head.

"The Sith?" Obi-Wan asked, his heart racing. "Your father was the one who destroyed them?" He gaped at Yoda in amazement. He had heard the legend of the Sith; they had been vanquished nearly a millennium ago. And if their planet had been sealed off by a Force field... Obi-Wan gasped in shock. "Master Windu is from the planet of the Sith?" he asked, his heart pounding.

Yoda bowed his head, sighing. "Be seen on this planet, I cannot," he said regretfully. Obi-Wan nodded; considering that Yoda's father had been the one to drive back the Sith and seal off their planet, it was understandable that their descendants might harbor a grudge against his kind. "Need your help, I do," Yoda told Obi-Wan. "Dangerous, this mission will be."

Obi-Wan nodded bravely. "Yes, Master. I understand," he said quietly. "What must I do?"

* * *

><p><em>A few hours later...<em>

"I'm afraid they don't fit quite right," Obi-Wan admitted, emerging from the back room of the rescue shuttle as he and Yoda traveled through hyperspace on their way to Hutt Territory. This was an undercover mission, and Yoda had found some of the Sith planet's native garb in Mace's quarters for Obi-Wan to wear; the colorful short-sleeved shirt fit reasonably well, but Mace's faded blue pants were far too long for him, and the strange white shoes were a bit too large as well.

Yoda handed him his utility tool, with a meaningful glance at his overly long pant legs, and Obi-Wan obediently began cutting them to the proper length. "Oh dear," he sighed, as the tough blue cloth immediately became frayed and stringy. "This looks a bit messy." There was already a small hole in the knee, and Obi-Wan feared it might attract attention.

"Messy is good," Yoda told him, looking him over with a critical eye. "Fit in better this way, you will." _Oh dear,_ Obi-Wan sighed. _The planet of the Sith sounds like a very uncivilized place._

But then he noticed Yoda looking at his hair worriedly. "What is it?" Obi-Wan asked.

Yoda sighed. "Obi-Wan," he said quietly, indicating for him to sit down. "Isolated from the galaxy, this planet is," he told him. "But several episodes of _JEDI_, these people have seen," Yoda confessed, shaking his head regretfully. "Recognized, you might be."

"What?" Obi-Wan blinked worriedly. "The Sith watch _JEDI?_"

"Not the Sith," Yoda assured him. "Truly gone, they are."

"But their descendents survive?" Obi-Wan guessed. "The Sith-spawn?"

Yoda sighed, bowing his head. "A chaotic and dangerous planet, it is," he admitted. "But yes; recognize you from _JEDI,_ the inhabitants might."

Obi-Wan nodded quietly. "Master Yoda, what must I do?"

_A few minutes later..._

_Oh dear,_ Obi-Wan cringed, looking in the mirror at his short-cropped hair and shaved face. _That looks terrible. I look like an overgrown youngling. __Whatever will Leila think,_ Obi-Wan sighed ruefully, returning to the cockpit. _But if it keeps me from being recognized..._ "Do you think I will fit in now?" he asked, concerned.

Yoda smiled in amusement at Obi-Wan's freshly-shorn look. "Fit in better than I would, you will," he assured him._ Well that's something, I suppose,_ Obi-Wan sighed, nodding bravely. They were emerging from hyperspace now, and Yoda guided the shuttle toward an empty pocket of space at the edge of Hutt Territory.

"The Maw?" Obi-Wan blinked in astonishment. "I thought this was a black hole?"

"A black hole, it is not," Yoda replied. "A Force field, created by my father, it is," he explained, closing his eyes as he flew toward it now. Obi-Wan could feel the change in pressure as Yoda used the Force to counter the Maw's gravitational pull; and a moment later they passed through the barrier.

Now a yellow star appeared, surrounded by nine planets, and Obi-Wan blinked in surprise as he beheld the hidden system. "Solaris Three," Yoda announced quietly, pointing to the third planet of the system. It appeared to be an oceanic planet; mostly water, with a few large land masses.

Obi-Wan nodded, gathering his courage for the upcoming rescue mission; but then he noticed Yoda's sudden cringe of dismay. "What is it?" he asked hesitantly, not at all certain that he wanted to know the answer.

"When my father created the Force field, a great disturbance it caused," Yoda confessed reluctantly. "Strange anomalies on Solaris Three have been known to occur," he explained. "Radio transmissions from the future, they have somehow intercepted," Yoda admitted, as Obi-Wan blinked in profound confusion. "Obi-Wan... Episodes of _SITH_ they have recorded, which have not yet been filmed," Yoda told him.

"What?" Obi-Wan whispered, profoundly confused. "Master Yoda, I don't understand."

Yoda sighed. "Better it is, that you do not," he said unhappily. "But if stranded on this planet for long you are... A movie called _Star Wars_, you must not watch," he warned him. "Too difficult for the human brain to comprehend, it is."

_If I'm stranded here?_ Obi-Wan blinked, horrified by the thought. _No, I don't intend to watch any movies at all. I'll just find Mace, and then we'll get out of here as quickly as possible_. But he nodded, as Yoda continued to educate him in the ways of the inhabitants of Solaris Three.

"Ready, you are, Obi-Wan," Yoda told him encouragingly, after instructing him in the specifics of the mission. "Watch for your signal, I will," he promised, as they touched down in a sandy desert region.

"Thank you, Master," Obi-Wan nodded, climbing out of the cockpit and peering at the city in the distance. "I'll try not to be too long."

Yoda bowed his head in gratitude. "May the Force be with you, Obi-Wan."

"And with you as well, Master," Obi-Wan replied, bowing politely. Then, giving Yoda a cheerful smile that conveyed much more confidence than he felt, he turned and set out across the desert toward the glittering city beyond.

* * *

><p><em>Oh dear,<em> Yoda blinked anxiously, remembering another of the strange anomalies on Solaris Three: the fact that many people in the galaxy had an identical counterpart living on this planet. _I forgot to tell him about his doppelganger..._ But Yoda shook his head, reminding himself that Obi-Wan was a Jedi Master, an expert in mind control, and knew how to take care of himself.

_Safe, he will be,_ Yoda reassured himself, flying a safe distance away from the planet to wait for Obi-Wan's signal.


	72. I've won something? What did I win?

**Chapter 72**

"You win!" a lady exclaimed excitedly. "You win! Can I have your autograph?"

Obi-Wan smiled patiently, scribbling illegibly on a piece of paper as the lady thanked him. _What strange people the Sith-spawn are,_ he thought, continuing on down the street. Everywhere he went, people kept telling him that he'd won, and then they immediately wanted his autograph; Yoda had explained to him that Las Vegas was a gambling town, but Obi-Wan didn't quite understand this game. _What have I won?_ he wondered again.

But he didn't want to attract attention, so he continued on down Las Vegas Boulevard toward the area of town where Mace's wife lived. _I came here to rescue Mace, not play games,_ Obi-Wan reminded himself, stubbornly ignoring the next several people who told him he'd won. _Yoda says it's all a scam, and I mustn't fall for it._

_At least nobody seems to recognize me,_ he consoled himself, running his fingers through his short hair. He still felt a bit naked without the beard, and dreaded the laughs of the other Council members when he returned, but it was a small price to pay for anonymity; Obi-Wan cringed to imagine what would happen if the Sith-spawn discovered that he was a Jedi.

"You win!" another man was congratulating him now; Obi-Wan smiled politely, but kept going. _Yes, it's all just a scam; I haven't won anything at all,_ he realized now. _They probably say that to everyone,_ he laughed ruefully, feeling a bit foolish. But then he stopped in his tracks at the man's next question. "Are you here for the Star Wars convention?"

Obi-Wan blinked in alarm. _Star Wars!_ Yoda had warned him about the movie; apparently this was the _SITH_ footage that had been captured from the future. _And they actually have a convention for that?_ "No, no," Obi-Wan said nervously, continuing on. _Oh dear... Do you suppose he recognized me?_ he worried. _I'd better get off this street; it's frightfully busy._

But just as he was crossing the street, a long, shiny black vehicle pulled up; and to his surprise, Mace Windu stepped out of the back seat, wearing the local garb and waving to the cheering crowd as he entered what Obi-Wan guessed was the Sith planet's seat of government._ Caesar's Palace,_ it was called; a very official-looking building located in the center of the city.

"Mace," Obi-Wan whispered loudly, following him inside the government building. "Master Windu!" But Mace obviously couldn't hear him above the frenzied, screaming crowd of Sith-spawn, and so Obi-Wan quietly followed him, nodding politely to the locals who continued to inform him that he'd won.

_The Sith-spawn are quite friendly,_ Obi-Wan decided, smiling appreciatively as he followed Mace down the hallway. _But they have the oddest games I've ever heard of in my life,_ he sighed again, shaking his head in amusement. _You can't just tell somebody 'you win'; there's usually some type of prize involved,_ he laughed to himself.

Mace stepped into a large room filled with people, and Obi-Wan followed him inside, hoping to catch his eye without attracting too much attention. Thankfully a moment later, after waving cheerfully to the crowd, Mace continued on into a smaller chamber that appeared to be off limits to the other Sith-spawn. Quietly, Obi-Wan followed him into the little room.

"Master Windu." Obi-Wan smiled as he bowed politely, profoundly relieved to see that he was all right. Mace looked at him in surprise for a moment, then he grinned, laughing.

"Master Kenobi," Mace laughed, bowing dramatically. "I didn't think you were coming," he added, surprised.

"Yes," Obi-Wan whispered, looking around worriedly. _Shh! Not so loud!_ "Master Yoda is waiting for us," he told him quickly. "He said your Starfighter broke down?"

Mace stared at him worriedly. "You win," he said quietly, putting a hand on Obi-Wan's shoulder. _What is this, some type of local custom?_ Obi-Wan wondered, smiling and pretending to understand. "Are you all right?" Mace asked.

"Yes, yes, I'm fine," Obi-Wan assured him, smiling. "But we must be going now; Master Yoda is waiting out in the desert for our signal," he explained. Then he saw Mace's look of profound concern. "Oh... I'm sorry," Obi-Wan apologized, embarrassed. _I forgot about the haircut... And the clothes,_ he sighed in dismay. "Mace, I'm sorry; Master Yoda said it would be all right if I wore your clothes. I had to cut the pants a bit shorter; I'm terribly sorry," he apologized.

But Mace continued to stare at him in alarm; Obi-Wan noticed him nodding quietly to some of the other people in the room, who slipped outside now. _What in the blazes is going on?_ Then Obi-Wan realized what was wrong. _He doesn't recognize me without the beard! Oh dear..._ "Master Windu," Obi-Wan said quietly, laughing in embarrassment. "It's me... Obi-Wan," he told him, with an apologetic smile. "Obi-Wan Kenobi... Master Windu, do you remember me?"

_Oh dear,_ Obi-Wan realized suddenly. _He didn't have engine trouble; he's had some type of head injury,_ he realized worriedly. "Master Windu, are you feeling all right?"

"Yes, I'm fine," Mace said quietly, nodding to the men in white coats who were now entering the chamber.

"Mace, what's going on?" Obi-Wan asked.

"It's all right, you win," Mace told him gently. _What have I won?_ Obi-Wan wondered for the hundredth time, as the men helped him into a little white jacket with no sleeves. _Well this is rather uncomfortable,_ Obi-Wan frowned worriedly.

"These people will take care of you," Master Windu assured him; but Obi-Wan sensed something was wrong as the men in white coats led him out toward the hallway.

"No," Obi-Wan protested, struggling. "Master Windu!" _He's having me locked up! He thinks... Oh dear,_ Obi-Wan blinked in dismay. "Master Windu, it's all right; I know you're married," he said quickly. "Yoda told me everything. It's all right; I won't tell the Council," he promised. "Please, Master Windu," Obi-Wan begged.

But Mace shook his head, with an apologetic look at the men in white coats. "It's the stress," Mace told them sadly. "He's been overworked lately," he apologized. "You win," he congratulated Obi-Wan again quietly. "You're going to be all right; you just need some rest," he promised, as the men in white coats led Obi-Wan away.

"No... I'm not tired," Obi-Wan protested, looking back at Mace anxiously.

"It's all right... _Obi-Wan,_" one of the men in white coats told him. "Please, just come quietly; we don't want to make a scene."

_No, of course not..._ Obi-Wan nodded, following them outside to their strange boxed-shaped vehicle. _The last thing I want is to make a scene. I don't know what's going on here, but I trust that Master Windu knows what he's doing,_ Obi-Wan told himself, smiling politely at the men in white coats as they shut him into the back of the padded vehicle.

* * *

><p><em>Meanwhile, over the Bermuda Triangle...<em>

_Come on,_ Mace pleaded desperately, setting the coordinates of his Jedi Starfighter for Coruscant. _Please, please work this time..._ After examining his hyperdrive yesterday, he had realized that it was damaged beyond repair, and now Mace's only hope was that the Force anomaly accidentally created by Yoda's father in this region would launch him into hyperspace.

_Yes!_ Mace grinned triumphantly, as the control panel suddenly came to life. _No,_ he sighed, as all the lights went out again and he began spiraling rapidly downward to the ocean below.

_Crap,_ Mace cursed to himself, ejecting from his Starfighter at the last second and watching as it plummeted into the water, before sighing dejectedly and beginning the fifty-mile swim toward shore.

"Go away," he grumbled to the great white shark that suddenly appeared, waving his fingers at it impatiently. "You too," Mace added with an annoyed glare at the big poisonous jellyfish that was squiggling towards him.

* * *

><p><em>Meanwhile, over the Nevada desert...<em>

_Annoyingly bright, that is,_ Yoda squinted uncomfortably, moving his shuttle away from the billion-watt light that was coming from the little black pyramid below him. But then he blinked in alarm as he realized where he was.

_Area 51,_ Yoda cringed anxiously, seeing the military base below him; Yoda had spent a rather unpleasant stay there several decades ago, when he had accidentally crashed his Jedi Starfighter in the Nevada desert. _Want to go there again, I do not,_ he decided emphatically, flying quickly back toward Las Vegas.

But a moment later he was surrounded by military aircraft, ordering him to land; and before he had a chance to respond, they opened fire on his shuttle, sending him plummeting toward the desert below.

_Ouch,_ Yoda winced, ejecting at the last moment and landing face-down in the sand as his shuttle exploded in a ball of fire nearby. _Polite, that was not,_ he decided grumpily, getting back up and raising his hands to Force-fight against his attackers; but they had already surrounded him, and were now zapping him with taser fire. _A bad feeling about this, I have,_ Yoda sighed dejectedly, a moment before he lost consciousness.


	73. Get us off this Sith planet!

**Chapter 73**

"He's in London?" Janessa Windu asked one of her trusted contacts quietly, over the telephone. "You're sure he didn't come to the Star Wars convention here in Las Vegas?"

"Yes, I'm sure," the woman told her. "He's been performing in a musical these past several months; he was seen just a few hours ago here in London, and he has another show tonight."

Janessa blinked worriedly, but masked her concern, thanking the woman pleasantly before hanging up. _If he's in London, who was that at the Star Wars convention today?_ she wondered.

_Mace, please come home soon,_ Janessa begged silently. Her husband had called an hour ago; his attempt to launch into hyperspace over the Bermuda Triangle had failed, and he was now flying back to Las Vegas on a commercial airline. But it would be several hours before he arrived, and in the meantime she had just witnessed an extremely disturbing sight at the _Star Wars_ convention.

_Who was that?_ Janessa wondered again, recalling the shabbily dressed, ginger-haired man who had just been hauled away to the psychiatric hospital. _It couldn't be..._ But Janessa began to realize what was going on. _Mace is already more than a day late getting back to Coruscant,_ she reminded herself. _Yoda must have sensed he was in trouble, and sent someone to rescue him..._

_That really WAS Obi-Wan!_ Janessa realized, hurrying out to her car to rescue the Jedi from the mental hospital. _Not good..._ Hundreds of people had seen him on the way into Caesar's Palace, and if news of this got out... _It won't get out,_ Janessa told herself stubbornly, chasing after the padded truck toward the mental hospital.

Obi-Wan was being taken inside as she arrived, and Janessa waved to him frantically from the parking lot. _There's no time to be subtle. We have to get back to the convention and cover this up._ "Obi-Wan!" she yelled, running toward him. Obi-Wan looked up, startled, as did the medics; they were about to call for backup, but thankfully Obi-Wan took control of the situation.

"You don't need to call for backup," he told them quietly, as Janessa approached.

"We don't need to call for backup," the medic agreed, putting his radio away. Janessa smiled at Obi-Wan in relief and amazement, realizing that he had done that without using his hands.

"You can take this off me now," Obi-Wan told them, glancing down at his straightjacket.

"We can take this off you now," the medics agreed, removing it.

"Now," Obi-Wan said, sharing a concerned glance with Janessa as he waved his hand at them. "I was never here."

"Wait," Janessa interrupted anxiously. _He was seen by too many people; we can't completely cover this up._ "You _were_ here," she corrected him, with an apologetic look. "You're a crazy _Star Wars_ fan; people have always told you that you look like Obi-Wan Kenobi, and after a while you began to believe it. You've even had some plastic surgery done," she added, quickly thinking up a cover story. "But you're harmless, so they decided to let you go," she told Obi-Wan, nodding toward the medics.

Obi-Wan frowned, blinking in confusion; but then he nodded, trusting Janessa's judgment. "What she said," he told the medics, waving his fingers.

"What she said," the medics agreed, nodding amiably as they returned inside the hospital.

Obi-Wan glanced back at them worriedly as he followed Janessa back to her car. "What's going on?" he asked. "Thank you, by the way," he added, with an apologetic smile. "You must be Janessa?"

"Yes," Janessa nodded, cringing apprehensively; but Obi-Wan smiled.

"It's all right," he reassured her. "Yoda told me that you and Mace are married; I'm sworn to secrecy." He grinned mischievously, his eyes twinkling. "Don't worry, I won't tell the Council."

Janessa smiled, nodding gratefully. "Thank you, Obi-Wan. Thank you for coming; Mace is on his way back from Bermuda," she explained. "He should be here in a few hours. We just need to get back to the convention and - "

"What?" Obi-Wan asked, confused. "No, Mace was at the government building... Caesar's Palace," he told her. "I saw him just a few minutes ago. Janessa, I'm a bit worried about him; he was acting very strange," Obi-Wan confessed.

"Yeah, I bet he was," Janessa sighed ruefully. "Did Yoda explain to you, about the doppelgangers?"

Obi-Wan frowned. "Doppelgangers?" he asked, blinking in confusion. "What?"

"It's part of the Force anomaly, caused by Yoda's father," Janessa explained. "He told you about the Force field?"

"Yes," Obi-Wan nodded, trying to understand.

"No one is exactly sure why, but it seems that for many people in the galaxy, there is an identical double, here on Earth - on Solaris Three," she corrected herself, trying to explain it in terms that Obi-Wan could understand. "The man you saw at the _Star Wars_ convention was Mace's doppelganger; his identical double," she told him.

"Oh," Obi-Wan frowned, confused. "So why the men in white coats?"

Janessa laughed ruefully. "These _Star Wars_ fans can get a bit out of hand," she told him. "And once in a while there's one who loses his grip on reality... Or even worse, discovers the truth," Janessa admitted. "I'm afraid the men in white coats were there at Mace's request," she continued. "He and I have been watching the fans for years, and have always taken precautions to ensure extra security at these conventions; the medics are instructed to quietly remove anyone who appears to be delusional," Janessa explained.

"This whole planet is delusional," Obi-Wan muttered, shaking his head. "Sorry," he apologized, with a rueful grin. "I just don't understand these people... What is this _'you win'_ business?" he asked. "Everywhere I go, people tell me 'you win', and then they ask for my autograph... It makes no sense," Obi-Wan told her. "I haven't won anything, have I?"

Janessa giggled despite herself. "I'm sorry," she apologized, composing herself. "No, they're not actually saying 'you win'," she told him, proceeding to explain to Obi-Wan about his doppelganger. _His name does sound a bit like that,_ she laughed.

"What?" Obi-Wan blinked in profound confusion, after she had finished. "I have a doppelganger too? And Mace has been brainwashing the poor man all these years?" he asked, horrified.

"Yes," Janessa confessed regretfully. "It started over thirty years ago, when the _SITH_ footage was first discovered. A young filmmaker in California accidentally intercepted the transmissions one day, while editing another movie during a freak electrical storm, and several future episodes of _SITH_ somehow wound up on the film," she explained.

"Yoda sensed the Force disturbance caused by the electrical storm, and went to investigate the situation," Janessa continued. "He found the young director, and confiscated his film reels; he tried to make him forget the whole incident - but the man was resistant to mind-tricks," Janessa sighed. "Several months later they found him out in the Tunisian desert, trying to re-create the films completely from memory - using the doppelgangers as actors," she told Obi-Wan.

"It's a long story; but - this whole situation has gotten completely out of hand," Janessa admitted, sighing. "Yes, Mace and Yoda have been brainwashing these people for thirty years," she confessed. "Actors, directors, producers, artists, cameramen, stunt people... They all believe that _Star Wars_ is something they created themselves, here on Solaris Three; the entire planet believes it."

"I see," Obi-Wan murmured, frowning. "But - these _SITH_ episodes from the future...?"

"You don't want to know," Janessa told him quietly. "Believe me... Mace has often wished he had never seen them," she confessed. "It's nothing bad; or at least, it seems that way now, but... Truly, Obi-Wan, it's best to forget about it," Janessa said gently. "As Yoda says, knowing the future is more than the human brain can handle."

Obi-Wan nodded, accepting it. "I agree," he said quietly, as they returned to Caesar's Palace. It only took a few minutes for Obi-Wan to cover up the damage he had done earlier, convincing the entire convention that they hadn't seen him, while Janessa leaked a vague story to some of the reporters, about a crazed fanatic who looked a lot like Obi-Wan's doppelganger.

_Hopefully this will be soon forgotten,_ Janessa sighed ruefully, as she returned home with Obi-Wan. Janessa had always done what she could to help Mace with his ongoing cover-up effort, but she would be glad when he returned from Bermuda.

* * *

><p><em>Several hours later...<em>

"Obi-Wan, thank you for coming... and I'm sorry," Mace apologized quietly, as they trudged through the desert to meet Yoda's rescue shuttle. "You must be very disappointed with me."

"No, no," Obi-Wan reassured him. _How could I judge Mace for being married to Janessa, when I'm married myself?_ He smiled, almost wishing he could tell Mace the truth. _No,_ he decided regretfully. _There have been enough revelations for one day._ Obi-Wan was still horrified to learn that Mace had been deceiving his entire home planet for thirty years, but he told himself once again that it was not his place to judge. _I wasn't there; how can I be sure that I would have handled it any better?_

"Obi-Wan, you do understand why the cover-up is necessary?" Mace asked again. "Obi-Wan, these are my own people, and I love them, but - " he broke off, sighing. "This entire system lies within Hutt Territory," he reminded Obi-Wan. "And my people are curious, by nature. If they ever truly learned what lay beyond their own system, and managed to get past the Force field..." he shook his head. "The Hutts would take control of this planet," Mace told Obi-Wan. "And I will never allow that to happen to my people."

Obi-Wan nodded, seeing his point. "I understand."

"Well... I think we're far enough out now," Mace decided, looking around at the vast expanse of desert in all directions. "What's the signal?" he asked Obi-Wan.

"The usual," Obi-Wan said, sharing a laugh with Mace as they both closed their eyes. _Master Yoda,_ Obi-Wan called to him telepathically. _Yoo-hoo... Master Yoda, we're ready... Master Yoda?_ Obi-Wan frowned, casting an anxious glance at Mace, who was looking equally concerned. _Master Yoda? MASTER YODA!_he screamed silently.

But there was no reply, and they could not feel Yoda's presence anywhere. "Oh no," Mace sighed, looking across the Nevada desert toward the north. "Not again."

* * *

><p><em>Meanwhile, inside Area 51...<em>

_Yep,_ Vern the janitor nodded, looking in at the caged, sedated alien. _That's the same bugger we captured back in '47,_ he remembered, as he mopped the floor._Sneaky little varmint, thought he could escape..._

_They all think I'm crazy,_ Vern laughed to himself, glancing over at the military officials who had been whispering in hushed tones around the conference table all day long. The military base had no records of an alien being held here before, but there had always been whispers and rumors. _No one else remembers him; only crazy old Vern,_ he smiled in amusement.

_I know how he got away, too,_ Vern grumbled. _It was that other janitor... Windu,_ he sighed, shaking his head in disgust as he remembered the man's name. _HE let him out,_ Vern had always suspected. _Can't trust them colored folk..._

* * *

><p><em>Meanwhile, still in the desert...<em>

"Master Yoda has been captured?" Obi-Wan asked worriedly, as he and Mace continued northward toward Area 51.

"That would be my guess," Mace nodded regretfully. "And it's not the first time," he added, sighing. "Actually, that's how I came to be his padawan," he confessed, telling him the story. "Yoda was captured here a long time ago, before I was born," he explained. "He managed to escape, and brainwashed everyone into believing they'd never seen him, or had only imagined him... Except for my father," Mace said proudly.

"He was just a janitor at the military base, but he was resistant to Yoda's mind tricks," Mace continued, as they trudged through the sandy desert. "Yoda didn't quite know what to do with him; but in the end my father helped him to get the parts he needed to fix his Starfighter, and escape," Mace explained. "Yoda suspected that my father had Jedi abilities, and they kept in touch over the years; and then after I was born, Yoda took me to the Temple to be trained as a Jedi," Mace told him.

Obi-Wan nodded, grinning mischievously. "So breaking Master Yoda out of Area 51 is a Windu family tradition?"

"Yes," Mace laughed, as they sneaked inside the secret military base. "Yes, I suppose it is."

* * *

><p><em>Meanwhile, on Coruscant...<em>

"Has anyone felt their presence since yesterday?" Master Ki-Adi-Mundi asked the other Council members, as they glanced anxiously at the three empty seats in the Jedi Council chamber.

But the others shook their heads, and Ki-Adi sighed, nodding. "I am absolutely certain that I sensed Master Yoda inside Hutt Territory yesterday," he told them quietly. "But I cannot feel his presence today, and I have sensed nothing of Mace, or Obi-Wan, though that is not unusual," Ki-Adi conceded; Yoda's presence was far stronger than the others.

"I have spoken with Chancellor Palpatine about this matter," Ki-Adi continued. "We have reluctantly agreed that any rescue effort on our part would be seen as an act of aggression against the Hutts," he told the Jedi Council. "The Hutts would then have cause to declare war upon the Republic," he reminded them gravely.

"I do not know why they have entered Hutt Territory, but thus far it appears that the Hutts are unaware of their presence," Ki-Adi added. "But their absence from Coruscant has been noticed already, and if word gets out that they are on a secret mission, the Hutts will become wary, and begin looking for them; it would only put them in more danger," he reasoned, sighing heavily.

"Masters Yoda, Windu, and Kenobi are among the finest the Jedi Order has ever known," Ki-Adi reminded the others. "We must trust that they know what they are doing, and that they would contact us if they needed our assistance," he continued. "I believe that the best thing we can do to ensure their safety in Hutt Territory is to announce that they were killed in an accidental shuttle explosion while on a routine mission," he proposed. "The Hutts will not look for them if they believe they are dead."

Ki-Adi looked around the Council chamber at the worried faces of the other members. _They are all thinking the same thing,_ he knew. _It has only been two days, but it's possible that they will never return, and that they are already dead._ But the others were all nodding in agreement, and so Ki-Adi nodded solemnly. "It is decided, then," he said. "I will make the announcement this afternoon."

* * *

><p>Anakin reeled dizzily as he heard the news. He had just been called back from his patrol by Master Chi'nala, who had informed him gently that his former Master had been killed in a shuttle explosion along with Yoda and Windu.<p>

_Obi-Wan,_ Anakin choked, grief-stricken, as tears stung his eyes. _No..._

* * *

><p>"No," Leila whispered, sinking weakly onto the couch as she watched the news on her holo-monitor. "No..." Jon and Kyra had already gone to bed, and Leila hung her head, sobbing quietly. <em>Obi-Wan...<em>

* * *

><p>Qui-Gon and Cory stood on the rocky ridge as they looked across the starry sky, quietly mourning Obi-Wan's passing. "He has become one with the Force," Qui-Gon told Cory gently, putting a hand on his shoulder. "He is at peace..."<p>

"No," Qui-Gon whispered, frowning, as Cory looked up at him in surprise. "No..." He smiled lovingly, his eyes welling over with tears of joyful relief. "He's alive," Qui-Gon whispered, closing his eyes. "I can feel it."


	74. Anakin and Qui-Gon to the rescue

**Chapter 74**

_Huh?_ Vern blinked in surprise, hearing a distinctly British voice coming from the conference room. _What's going on in there?_ He mopped his way toward the next room, pretending to be hard at work. _Can't trust them foreigners..._

"Hello there," the newcomer said, nodding pleasantly to the other military officials gathered around the conference table. He had short, reddish hair and was wearing a wrinkled t-shirt and ill-fitting blue jeans. _Young people today got no respect,_ Vern shook his head in disgust, continuing to mop the floor.

"Hey!" the base commander objected. "You can't be here!" _That's right,_ Vern nodded smugly; Area 51 was a top-secret military base, and no outsiders were allowed. _Especially foreigners..._

"Yes, I apologize for the intrusion," the man replied politely. "I'll be out of here in just a moment," he assured them. "I was just wondering: who else knows about the alien you captured this morning?" he asked, waving his fingers.

The commander frowned, but motioned for the guards to step back. "No one," he told the foreigner. "We haven't reported it yet."

"Perfect," the red-haired man nodded. "Excellent work, all of you," he congratulated them. "Now, what about your computer records; have you documented this incident yet?" he wondered.

"Not yet," the commander admitted. "I'm sorry; we're not sure what to do about this," he added, sharing an anxious glance with the other officers. "You see, the alien... He looks like - " the commander shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "He looks like Yoda... from Star Wars," he confessed.

_Star Wars,_ Vern scoffed, shaking his head. _These young folks watch too many damned space movies._

"Hahaha," the newcomer laughed, amused. "Oh dear; it's a good thing you haven't reported this," he told the commander. "No one would believe you... Star Wars," he chuckled again. "Not to worry," he assured them. "I will handle this; and it's best if you just forget about it," he said, waving his fingers at the officers.

"Thank you," the commander said. "I appreciate your help, sir."

"You're very welcome," the red-haired man replied, nodding. "Now, if you could be so kind as to direct me to the docking bay, where the alien's ship is being stored?" he asked them politely.

The officers shared an anxious glance. "I'm afraid it was destroyed in the crash," the commander admitted. "The whole thing burned... There's nothing left."

The foreigner was suddenly alarmed. "It was destroyed? Completely?" he asked. "You're sure of this?"

"Yes, sir," the commander sighed, nodding. "I'm sorry."

"Oh dear..." The red-haired man cringed visibly. "All right then," he continued quickly. "Thank you for your time," he said, bowing. "I must be going now... I was never here," he reminded them, waving his fingers once again.

The officers nodded as the strange man took his leave; then the commander grinned at the others around the conference table. "So who's up for some poker?" he asked, as everyone nodded good-naturedly.

_What the - ?_ Vern blinked in confusion, staring at the officers who were now playing poker around the conference table. _How did I get in here? I'm supposed to be mopping the detention wing,_ he reminded himself, going back down the hallway. _Ehh, I suppose they're right... Old Vern's getting a bit senile,_ he admitted.

Then he gaped in surprise as he saw what was inside the cage: a little green alien with big pointy ears. _Hey!_ Vern realized suddenly._ That's the same dang blasted varmint we caught back in '47! He's been here all along! I knew it,_ Vern grumbled, continuing with his mopping. _And they all think I'm crazy..._ But now he became aware of another intruder.

"Hey!" Vern exclaimed indignantly, as a tall black man suddenly appeared in the detention wing. "You can't be in here!"

"Vern!" the man laughed, amused. "Are you still working here? I thought you'd be retired by now," he said. "Don't worry, I'll be out of your way in a minute," he assured him casually, waving his hand as the cage door magically opened. _How the hell did he do that?_ Vern blinked in confusion. _Nope... Can't trust them colored folk one bit,_ he frowned.

"I'm calling for security," Vern announced importantly, turning down the hallway; but then he stopped, frozen in his tracks as the strange man waved his fingers at him again. _What the hell...?_

"That won't be necessary," the stranger assured him, gathering the little alien in his arms. "We'll be on our way now... You didn't see us," he said, waving his hand. "Have a nice day," he added politely, heading off down the hallway.

Vern sighed, shaking his head as he returned to his mopping once again. _Hey,_ he frowned, seeing the empty cage. _Weren't we holding some kind of alien varmint in there?_ he wondered, confused; then he shook his head again. _Crazy old Vern,_ he told himself, realizing that the others were right. _Getting senile... Always imagining things._

* * *

><p>"Is he all right?" Obi-Wan asked worriedly, as Mace emerged from the facility carrying Yoda in his arms.<p>

"I hope so," Mace sighed, nodding. "He's been sedated, but he should be all right," he told Obi-Wan. Then he glanced around, confused. "Did you find the ship?"

Obi-Wan shook his head apologetically. "The commander said it was destroyed in the crash," he told Mace. "We'll have to find another way out."

"What?" Mace asked, deeply alarmed. "Destroyed? Completely?"

"I'm afraid so," Obi-Wan nodded, looking around the area outside the military base. "Perhaps we can take one of these aircraft, and try that trick above the Bermuda Triangle again?"

"It won't work." Mace shook his head, concerned. "Nothing on this planet is built for hyperspace travel," he told Obi-Wan. "We don't have durasteel, or the chemical compounds needed to build a hyperdrive... This is not good," he sighed. "Well, I guess we'd better get back to my place, and figure out what to do next," he decided, as they set out across the desert toward Las Vegas once again.

"Is there any chance of salvaging your Starfighter?" Obi-Wan asked, trudging along beside him.

"I don't think so," Mace sighed. "It's at the bottom of the ocean; the hyperdrive fluid will have all leaked out by now," he admitted unhappily. "Maybe we could pull up the hull, and rebuild it, but... Obi-Wan, without a hyperdrive it would take years just to get back to the edge of Hutt Territory," he told him. "Even if we built a whole new ship, there's no way we could store all the supplies we would need for the journey; that's why my people have never made it past our moon," he explained.

Obi-Wan looked at him in alarm. "What are you saying? We're stuck here?"

Mace looked away, not answering for a moment; but then he gave Obi-Wan a regretful look. "Yes," he admitted quietly.

"No," Obi-Wan protested. "Someone will come for us! Master Yoda felt your presence here; surely the others will sense us, and find us," he insisted, following Mace out toward the highway to hitchhike back to the city.

"Yoda knew what he was looking for," Mace pointed out regretfully. "It's possible that some of the strongest Jedi might sense our presence, or Yoda's, at least," he admitted. "Ki-Adi might be able to do it, but... Obi-Wan, no one else knows this system exists," he explained. "Not Ki-Adi, not any of the other Council members... And even if they can sense us, we're in Hutt Territory; they would be forbidden to send a rescue party. It would be a disaster, if they tried," Mace admitted.

"Obi-Wan, we must mask our presence, until Master Yoda wakes up," Mace warned him now, as a trailer truck pulled over to give them a ride back to Las Vegas. "We will discuss this later this evening," he added quietly, as they approached the truck.

"Hey!" The truck driver grinned, recognizing them. "Aren't you - ?"

"No, we're not," Mace assured him truthfully, as they climbed inside the cab. "But we get mistaken for them all the time," he told him. "Thanks for the ride; we really appreciate it," he added sincerely, as Obi-Wan managed a friendly smile. But inside, his heart was sinking as they made their way back to Mace's home in Las Vegas.

_Stuck on Solaris Three,_ Obi-Wan thought, fighting tears. _Oh, I have a very bad feeling about this._

* * *

><p>"What is it, Master?" Cory asked worriedly, as they hiked back down the ridge toward their Starfighters. They were on Adumar handling a routine matter, and had been in the capital city an hour ago when they'd heard the tragic news of Master Obi-Wan's death. Cory and Qui-Gon had hiked up to the ridge to have a moment alone, and that's when Qui-Gon had felt Obi-Wan's presence, distant and veiled. <em>Don't cry,<em> Cory told himself again, fighting tears. _He's not dead..._

But now Qui-Gon stopped suddenly, cocking his head. "Shh," he told Cory quietly, closing his eyes and reaching out with the Force. But a moment later he shook his head, sighing. "I lost him," he admitted. "I'm sure I sensed him before, but then... I felt he was in pain, for a moment; and now, nothing," Qui-Gon whispered, his voice failing.

"Master?" Cory asked helplessly, as Qui-Gon sank down onto a nearby boulder, hanging his head. Cory could feel his intense pain and grief, and his own tears came again unbidden. _Master, please don't do this... I'm frightened._

_I miss Master Obi-Wan too,_ Cory admitted, heartbroken. _I know I'm not supposed to, but I do. Master Qui-Gon says he's become one with the Force, and I shouldn't mourn him, but... this completely sucks._

He was grateful to feel his Master's hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry, Cory," Qui-Gon apologized gently, standing up. "Come, we must be going," he said, as Cory nodded obediently, blinking back his tears and following him back down the ridge. Chancellor Palpatine had called for a day of mourning, and Cory and Qui-Gon were returning to Coruscant for the memorial service tomorrow.

"You lost him, Master?" Cory asked, as they hiked back toward their Starfighters. "What does that mean?"

"I don't know, Cory," Qui-Gon answered regretfully. "But we will not give up hope yet," he promised him. "We will continue to be vigilant, and we will be mindful of the Living Force," he told Cory; then he bowed his head, smiling. "And I am very glad that you are here with me," he added quietly, putting a hand on Cory's shoulder once again.

Cory smiled despite his tears, feeling a familiar warmth in his heart at his Master's affection. "I'm glad too, Master," he nodded, grateful for Qui-Gon's comforting presence as they returned to their Starfighters and set out for Coruscant.

* * *

><p>"Leila," Padmé cried tearfully, hugging her sister-in-law as she entered her little apartment. "Leila, I'm so sorry." Padmé had been in her own apartment here on Coruscant when she'd heard the news, and after speaking with Anakin briefly over the transmitter, she had come straight to Leila's apartment, along with Leia and Captain Typho.<p>

"Padmé," Leila sobbed, as they stepped inside her apartment. "Thank - you - for coming," Leila choked tearfully, shuddering with cold; Padmé quickly realized that she was in shock. "Would you like - some - tea - or..." Leila broke off helplessly, shaking weakly as Padmé led her over to the couch.

"Shh," Padmé whispered, holding her sister-in-law as she sobbed uncontrollably. Captain Typho quickly found a blanket in Leila's bedroom, and they wrapped it around her now. _Just last weekend she was consoling me for giving up Luke,_ Padmé remembered, tears in her eyes. _But that's nothing compared to this..._

"I'm so sorry, Leila," she said softly, rubbing her back gently. "Shh," she whispered again, doing what little she could to comfort her grieving sister-in-law. "It's going to be all right..." But tears sprang to Padmé's eyes and she choked, shaking her head. _It's not going to be all right,_ she realized. _Obi-Wan is gone,_ Padmé wept, grief-stricken.

"Have - you - talked to Anakin?" Leila asked, still shuddering weakly. Her eyes were swollen and rimmed with red; Padmé had never seen her looking so awful. Captain Typho had gone to the kitchen to make her some hot tea.

"Yes," Padmé nodded, choking back tears. _Poor Ani..._ He had contacted her briefly, but had barely been able to speak; Padmé could hardly understand what he was saying. "He's on his way," she told Leila. _He's completely devastated..._

Leila nodded, sniffing, and Padmé saw that she was in desperate need of a handkerchief. "Here," she said, handing Leia over to her as she got up to look for some tissues. But Leia's brown eyes opened groggily as she settled into Leila's arms, and suddenly she blinked in concern. "Shh," Padmé said, kissing her daughter on the cheek; but she could see from the baby's worried expression that it was too late.

"Aaaahhhhhh," Leia cried, immediately sensing that something was wrong. She was going through a difficult phase herself, adjusting to Luke being gone, and teething as well; but on top of that, Leia was a Jedi baby, and often picked up on the emotions of people around her. "Aaaaaahhhhhhhh," she sobbed, feeling Leila's grief and heartbreak.

"Shh," Padmé whispered again, as they both tried to console the baby; but then the door to the children's room opened, and now Jon and Kyra stumbled out, blinking sleepily.

"What's going on?" Jon asked worriedly, surprised by all the people gathered in his living room. "Mom?" he whispered, blinking back tears of fright as he and Kyra saw their mother huddled on the couch, wrapped in a blanket. _This is one of the most horrible days in my entire life,_ Padmé cried, beckoning the children to come over.

"Sweethearts," Padmé said gently, pulling Kyra onto her lap and cuddling her close as Leila clung desperately to Jon, sobbing quietly. "Sweeties, we have some sad news..."

* * *

><p>Ki-Adi-Mundi sat in the meditation chamber of the Jedi Temple's highest tower, closing his eyes and reaching out with the Force in an attempt to sense Master Yoda's presence. <em>I felt him yesterday in Hutt Territory; I'm certain of it,<em> he told himself again. _But nothing today; and no trace of the others,_ he sighed, still feeling nothing at all.

_They were alive yesterday,_ Ki-Adi consoled himself. _It is too early to give up hope._ It was unfortunate that they had been forced to proceed with tomorrow's memorial service; Ki-Adi could feel the terrible sadness and grief all around him as the entire galaxy mourned for the lost Jedi Masters. _But perhaps this deception will buy them some time, and keep them safe from the Hutts for a while longer,_ Ki-Adi hoped.

_What are they doing in Hutt Territory?_ he asked himself again. _Mace went there first; and then Yoda and Obi-Wan followed afterward,_ he mused, going over the facts in his head. And it seemed that Mace had been gone all weekend; Ki-Adi sighed as he began to guess the truth.

_Mace was visiting his home planet,_ Ki-Adi realized now. It had always been a mystery, where Mace and the other black-skinned humans had come from. Mace claimed to be from Haruun Kal, a planet whose inhabitants were darker than most humans; but the Jedi Master's complexion was much blacker than the tribes of Haruun Kal, and his hair - which he had carefully kept shaved since the day he was knighted - was curly rather than straight.

_Just like the seven black padawans,_ Ki-Adi mused, questioning once again the origins of these mysterious foundlings. They had received another black-skinned youngling just a few months ago; an orphan who had been given the name of Luke Skywalker. _Mace has been bringing these infants back from his home planet,_ Ki-Adi guessed.

Of course, Ki-Adi had long wondered if there might even be more to it than that. _Is it possible that these are Mace's own children?_ he asked himself again. Ki-Adi had been wanting to ask Mace about it for years now, but had never worked up the courage, as it was a highly improper question. _Of course not,_ Ki-Adi sighed. _Mace was Yoda's own padawan, and the second ranking Jedi in the entire Order,_ he reminded himself. _He is an upstanding Jedi Master, and a staunch defender of the Code._

_Unlike me,_ Ki-Adi sighed, as he thought of his beautiful wife and daughter on Cerea. He had a son as well, who had been raised at the Temple as an orphan, and was now a Jedi Knight himself. _No, it is only wishful thinking,_ Ki-Adi scolded himself again, realizing that the black infants that Mace had been bringing to the Temple from his mysterious home planet were probably not his own children.

_But this mysterious planet,_ Ki-Adi mused, trying to decipher what was going on. _It is in Hutt Territory,_ he realized now, deeply surprised. _Yet it is not on any of the charts, and the Hutts seem not to know about it_.

_Could it be?_ he wondered, disturbed by the thought. _Could it be the hidden planet of Solaris Three, of ancient Sith lore?_ Ki-Adi had studied the legend in his youth, and knew as much about the Sith as anyone else in the Order, save Master Yoda himself. _Could it be that Mace is from the planet of the Sith?_

_And if he were in trouble, Yoda would certainly go to his aid; and the mission would be kept top secret,_ Ki-Adi reasoned. _But why take Obi-Wan?_ he wondered, slightly hurt. _I am third in the Council's hierarchy, and Obi-Wan is fourth; why was I passed over?_ Then he nodded, understanding. _Yoda needed a human for the mission,_ he realized. _Otherwise he would have simply gone himself, and not involved anyone else._

_So they are on Solaris Three,_ Ki-Adi guessed, sobered by the thought. _The planet of the Sith... And they are masking their presence,_ he told himself, not wanting to admit that they might truly be dead. _But what are they doing there?_ he wondered again.

But now he looked up as he sensed someone approaching, in the hallway outside the meditation chamber. _Qui-Gon...?_ "Come in," Ki-Adi said, realizing that Qui-Gon would of course be grieving over the death of his former padawan. "Qui-Gon," he said, bowing his head. "I am deeply sorry for the loss of Obi-Wan," he said regretfully, as the Jedi Master entered the little chamber along with his young padawan, Cory. "He was one of the finest Jedi I have had the honor to know."

"Thank you, Master Ki-Adi," Qui-Gon replied, bowing; Ki-Adi could feel his deep grief. _I wish I could tell him what's going on. He deserves to know that there may still be hope,_ Ki-Adi sighed. _But that information is available only to Council members,_ he reminded himself. _Though Qui-Gon was on the Council for several years, before Obi-Wan took his place..._

"Master," Qui-Gon continued respectfully, as he and Cory took a seat on the round padded stools. "I believe that I have felt Obi-Wan's presence," he told him. "It was distant, and veiled, but... Ki-Adi, my feelings tell me that Obi-Wan is alive."

Ki-Adi looked at him in surprise. "You have felt him?" he asked, not daring to hope. "Today?"

"Yes," Qui-Gon nodded; then his eyes narrowed in suspicion. "This does not surprise you," he observed quietly. "The shuttle crash was a cover-up," Qui-Gon guessed, with a pleading look in his eyes.

_Damn,_ Ki-Adi cursed silently. _I'm acting head of the Jedi Council now, and I can't even mask my own feelings. Qui-Gon saw through the deception immediately,_ he sighed. "I'm not at liberty to say," he replied evenly. _Yes, Qui-Gon; it was a cover-up. You know it, and I know it, but my duty is to the Council, and I must obey protocol._

"You say you sensed his presence today?" Ki-Adi asked. "Where was it coming from?"

"I couldn't tell, exactly," Qui-Gon confessed. "It was distant, and veiled; elusive."

"I see," Ki-Adi nodded. "Have you sensed Master Yoda, or Windu?"

"No," Qui-Gon said regretfully. "I have always felt a closer connection to Obi-Wan," he reminded him. Ki-Adi nodded; it was quite common for Masters and padawans to remain close friends, as Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan always had. "I felt that he was in pain, earlier this evening; but then I lost the connection completely," he confessed.

Ki-Adi nodded unhappily. _Could it be, that they truly are dead, then?_ Ki-Adi and the other Council members had resolved to be vigilant, and not give up seeking Master Yoda's presence; but they had felt nothing at all today. It was obvious that Qui-Gon had a strong connection to Obi-Wan; it would be unconscionable not to ask for his assistance in this matter.

"Qui-Gon, I want you to continue to be vigilant," Ki-Adi told him, as Qui-Gon nodded, understanding. "And if you sense his presence again, or any of the others, you will inform the Council immediately."

"Yes, Master," Qui-Gon agreed, nodding. "I shall continue to search for him..." Then he bowed his head. "Master Ki-Adi, Obi-Wan was my own padawan. Please... Do you have any idea where they've gone?"

"I am not at liberty to say," Ki-Adi sighed, following protocol. Then he closed his eyes, searching his feelings. _If Qui-Gon sensed Obi-Wan was in pain, they may need our help... And Qui-Gon may be our only link to ever finding them again,_ he realized. "Qui-Gon," Ki-Adi said carefully. "What do you know, of the legend of the Sith?"

"The Sith?" Qui-Gon asked, blinking in alarm. "They were vanquished nearly a millennium ago," he told Ki-Adi. "And their home planet was destroyed. But it is only a legend; no one is even certain that they ever existed."

Ki-Adi nodded quietly. "And while we're on the subject of ancient myths," he added, with a regretful smile. "What do you know of Solaris Three?"

Qui-Gon gave Ki-Adi a suspicious look, trying to follow. "According to legend, it is a lost planet; it disappeared centuries ago," he said. "No one knows where it was, or if it ever existed at all," he added, furrowing his brows; then the realization hit him. "Solaris Three was the planet of the Sith?" Qui-Gon asked, deeply alarmed. "And you think that's where they've gone?"

Ki-Adi avoided his shocked gaze. "I'm not at liberty to say," he said again. "But even if it were true," he continued hesitantly. _I shouldn't be saying this..._ "Even if it were true," Ki-Adi repeated, sighing. "If Master Yoda and the others had found Solaris Three, and if it were in fact the planet of the Sith," he said, looking at the floor. "And _if_ it lay within Hutt Territory," Ki-Adi added pointedly, as Qui-Gon's eyes flashed in alarm. _Yes, Qui-Gon, they are in Hutt Territory._

"Qui-Gon, you must understand that any rescue attempt within Hutt Territory would be seen as an act of aggression against the Hutts, and could lead to galactic war," Ki-Adi warned him, in no uncertain terms. "You are expressly forbidden by the Council to go there," he added emphatically. "Do I make myself clear?"

Qui-Gon let out a sigh of deep dismay, nodding seriously. "Yes," he said quietly. "I understand."

"Good," Ki-Adi replied. "So I have your word?" he asked hopefully, as Qui-Gon and Cory stood up to leave. "If you sense that Obi-Wan and the others are in danger, you won't come before the Council with a request to send a rescue party?"

Qui-Gon blinked in surprise at the question; then he caught Ki-Adi's meaningful look, and nodded, understanding. "You have my word," Qui-Gon promised, his eyes sparkling mischievously. "I will make no such request."

Ki-Adi nodded, sharing a regretful smile with his old friend. "Thank you, Qui-Gon, and Cory," he said, standing up as they took their leave. _The Council is forbidden to intervene in this matter; if Master Yoda and the others are truly in danger, you are now their only hope._ "May the Force be with you," Ki-Adi said, bowing to them with the deepest respect.

"Thank you, Master Ki-Adi," Qui-Gon replied, as he and Cory bowed politely. "May the Force be with you as well."

* * *

><p>"Anakin," Padmé cried, hugging him as he climbed in through Leila's bedroom window. "Ani, I'm so sorry..."<p>

"Padmé," Anakin choked miserably, tears streaming down his face as he clung to her, weeping. It had been a very long trip from Hutt Territory, and by the time Anakin had arrived on Coruscant, he had been numb from shock and grief; but seeing Padmé and the others made the tears come again. _He's gone,_ Anakin sobbed, grief-stricken. _My brother..._

Padmé led him into the living room, and Anakin tearfully hugged Leila and the children, before slumping weakly onto the couch with Leia in his arms, clinging to his baby daughter for comfort and laying his head on Padmé's shoulder as she held him close, stroking his hair gently. Captain Typho brought him a bowl of hot soup, and Anakin tried to eat a few bites; but then he gave up, shaking his head helplessly as he thought of Obi-Wan again.

_I didn't even know he was my brother until four months ago,_ Anakin wept, wishing they could have had more time together as brothers, rather than Master and padawan. _And now he's gone..._

_Poor Leila,_ Anakin thought, seeing her obvious grief. _She's known him even longer than I have,_ he realized. _And they only just got married... This completely sucks,_ he cried, looking at Jon and Kyra through tear-streaked eyes. _Obi-Wan was such a good father to them,_ Anakin wept, heartbroken. _This is the worst day of my entire life._

But now Qui-Gon and Cory were coming in through the window, and Anakin stumbled toward his father, only vaguely remembering that Cory wasn't supposed to know about any of this. "Master," Anakin choked, bowing his head as he felt his father's arms around him, comforting him. _I'm sorry, Master. I know you must wish it had been me, and not Obi-Wan..._

"Anakin," Qui-Gon said gently, gripping his shoulders firmly. "Anakin, listen to me." Anakin forced himself to look up at his father. _He's going to give me the usual Jedi crap about how Obi-Wan has become one with the Force and I shouldn't mourn him,_ he cried, ashamed._ I'm sorry, Master. I know I suck as a Jedi, and I'm a huge stupid disappointment to you..._

"Anakin, he's not dead," Qui-Gon said suddenly; Anakin blinked in confused shock as the others immediately fell silent, listening to what he had to say. "At least, he might not be," Qui-Gon conceded. "I felt his presence earlier this evening, after the shuttle crash was announced," he explained, as they all sat down in the living room. Anakin sat next to Padmé again, trying to steady himself as he listened to his father. _He's alive?_

"The shuttle crash was a cover-up," Qui-Gon told them. "I don't think the Council exactly knows where they are, but I've spoken with Master Ki-Adi, and he tried very hard not to divulge that they're actually inside Hutt Territory," Qui-Gon said, as Anakin looked up at him in surprise. _Obi-Wan's in Hutt Territory?_ Anakin blinked. _Holy crap, what's he doing there?_

"Ki-Adi believes that they have found the hidden planet of Solaris Three," Qui-Gon continued, as Anakin gaped in shock. _Solaris Three? I thought that was just a smuggler's myth..._ "He also believes that it might be the planet of the Sith; we have been specifically forbidden to go there," Qui-Gon added, as Cory grinned mischievously.

Anakin still felt shaky, but he was smiling happily now, sharing an ecstatic smile with Padmé and barely remembering not to kiss her in front of Cory. "They're really alive?" he asked hopefully.

Qui-Gon bowed his head. "I don't know for certain," he confessed quietly. "I felt Obi-Wan's presence a few hours ago; he was in pain, briefly, but then I lost him altogether; I've felt nothing since then," he told them, as Anakin fought tears once again. Leila let out an involuntary sob as well, and Jon and Kyra hugged her quietly.

"I don't know what's going on; why they've gone there, or how to find them," Qui-Gon continued. "I don't even know if they are truly in danger, or are masking their presence; perhaps they don't even want us to interfere," he warned them. "But I suggest that we go in closer to Hutt Territory; we'll have to avoid the Jedi patrol checkpoints as well as the Hutts," he said. "Anakin, I'll need your help with this," Qui-Gon said, as Anakin nodded in agreement.

"We won't make a move to enter Hutt Territory unless we sense their exact location, and are certain that they are in danger and need help," he added. "But we will not give up hope just yet," Qui-Gon told them, smiling at Leila. "We will be vigilant, and mindful of the Living Force; and if Obi-Wan needs our help, we will find him," he promised.

Anakin smiled in relief as he hugged Padmé goodbye, then Leila and the children. "Be careful, Ani," Padmé begged, giving him a pleading look. "Come back soon."

"Cory," Leila cried, hugging him in turn, just as she had Anakin and Qui-Gon; but then she smiled wistfully, tears of pride filling her eyes as she kissed him on the cheek. Cory grinned in embarrassment as Leila hugged him again; but finally she caught everyone's warning look, and let go. "Good luck," she said, as Cory nodded, smiling cheerfully.

Anakin gave Padmé one last secret kiss as Qui-Gon and Cory climbed out the window, dropping down to the streets below; then with a reassuring smile at Leila, Anakin followed them down the fire escape.

Cory was still grinning as they made their way back through the streets of Coruscant toward the Jedi Temple, and Anakin gave him a questioning look. "I thought Leila would never stop hugging me," Cory laughed, amused; then he shrugged. "I like her though; she's really nice," he confessed. "Padmé too."

Anakin laughed quietly. _You are such a cool kid... We're going to get your father back._ "Yes, Leila is really nice; I like her," Anakin agreed good-naturedly, sharing a mischievous glance with Qui-Gon. "Padmé too."


	75. Star Wars? WHAT?

**Chapter 75**

"Thank you, Janessa," Obi-Wan said, giving her a shy smile as he helped clear the dinner plates. "That was wonderful... truly," he added sincerely. Janessa had cooked them a delicious meal; the food here was unlike anything Obi-Wan had ever tasted before._ Mace is right; if the Hutts ever discovered the spices here on Solaris Three, they would indeed rule the galaxy._

"You're welcome, Obi-Wan," Janessa said, with a look of apologetic regret. "I'm sorry you're stuck here," she added gently, sensing his sadness. "But it's so wonderful to finally meet you; I've heard so much about you," she said, hugging him.

_Oh dear,_ Obi-Wan cringed worriedly, hugging Janessa; then he stepped back a pace, with a polite smile. Janessa smiled affectionately, glancing beyond him toward the living room. "Go on; you don't want to be late for your Council meeting," she told him, as Obi-Wan looked back to see Yoda and Mace sitting on the couch, talking quietly.

"Thank you," Obi-Wan nodded, taking his leave. _She thinks I'm uncomfortable with hugging because I'm a Jedi,_ he sighed, as he joined Mace and Yoda in the living room. But in truth there was another reason for Obi-Wan's discomfort; one that had been worrying him for several hours now.

_What is that smell?_ Obi-Wan wondered again, sniffing anxiously at his clothing. It was faint, but it seemed to have been growing steadily worse throughout the day, especially after all the hiking he had done in the desert. _I hope no one else has noticed it,_ Obi-Wan thought, nodding to Mace and Yoda and taking a seat in an armchair a safe distance away from them.

"Obi-Wan," Yoda nodded solemnly, with a regretful smile. "Agree with Mace, I do," he told him. "Too dangerous it would be, to call for help," he sighed, his ears drooping. "Continue to mask our presence, we must."

Obi-Wan sighed, dismayed by Yoda and Mace's decision but understanding their reasons. "Yes, Master," he replied, bowing his head. "We are truly stranded here, then?" he asked, trying to sound less miserable than he felt.

Yoda nodded regretfully. "Miss Qui-Gon and Anakin, you do," he observed, his tone a mixture of sympathy and reproach.

Obi-Wan managed a weak smile. "Yes," he admitted. "Forgive me, Master," he apologized. "I - " then he broke off suddenly, staring in confusion as Janessa walked past carrying an enormous basket of rumpled clothing. "Mace, how many clothes do you own?" he asked, blinking in utter disbelief.

Mace grinned ruefully. "A lot," he admitted, as Yoda sighed in profound annoyance. "That's another thing about Solaris Three," he told Obi-Wan. "There are bacteria everywhere; you can't escape them. They get into your hair, your clothes, everything... You have to constantly keep washing them off," he explained.

"Oh dear," Obi-Wan cringed. "Is that what that smell is?" he asked hesitantly, sniffing his shirt again.

"Well, I didn't want to say anything," Mace laughed. "Don't worry, it all comes out in the wash," he told Obi-Wan. "And we'll get you some new clothes tomorrow," he added, glancing at the stringy mess Obi-Wan had made cutting his pants.

"Yes, I am sorry about that," Obi-Wan apologized again. "So you really have to keep constantly washing your clothes?" he asked in disbelief. _You can't simply wear the same outfit your entire life? How inconvenient,_ he sighed, giving Janessa a commiserative look as she continued to do the laundry.

Mace nodded. "It's not just that they smell bad; the bacteria can actually make you sick," Mace warned him. "Some of them are extremely lethal; if they got out into the galaxy, they could wipe out whole planets," he confessed. "But the Force field created by Yoda's father holds them in; even traveling through hyperspace, they are killed the instant they pass through it."

Obi-Wan nodded, sobered to realize that he was stranded on a planet full of deadly bacteria for the rest of his life. _And I can't even show my face in public,_ he sighed. "So this _Star Wars_ business - it's even more popular than _JEDI,_ isn't it?" he asked worriedly. Obi-Wan was accustomed to being recognized everywhere he went due to his appearance on the show, but that was nothing compared to the crazed frenzy he had witnessed here in Las Vegas.

"Yes," Mace admitted. "I think it has something to do with this planet's film format. We're used to watching it on regular holo-monitors, and it all looks so ordinary. But there's something about film; it's got this magical shimmer," he explained. "Here, I'll show you," he said, pulling a little box off the shelf. "I wish you could see it on the big screen," Mace sighed. "But this will have to do," he decided, opening the box and inserting the silver disc into his living room monitor.

Yoda shook his head in disgust again, closing his eyes and drifting off into meditation. But Obi-Wan blinked in surprise as the movie began. "_'A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away...'_ My goodness, that is poetic," Obi-Wan confessed.

"You like it?" Mace asked. "Yoda came up with that; makes it seem like some kind of magical fairy tale," he explained. "Although I wonder if that's why people ended up loving it so much," he sighed, shaking his head. "We never meant for it to get so out of control."

"Wait," Obi-Wan interrupted anxiously. "This isn't one of the episodes from the future, is it?"

"No, no," Mace assured him. "This one's safe... Actually it's from the very first season of _JEDI. _We're all in it," he told Obi-Wan, as Yoda shook his head again, stubbornly ignoring the movie.

_"THE PHANTOM MENACE,"_ Obi-Wan read, as the words began to roll by. "No," he whispered, mortified. "That's actually the name of the movie?" he asked Mace. Yoda was deep in meditation now, pretending not to be here.

Mace laughed. "I'm sorry, Obi-Wan," he apologized. "They needed a title, and... I was just having some fun. Nobody knows what it really means," he assured him.

"Oh dear," Obi-Wan said. _Well as long as they don't know about the hair thing. Still, this is embarrassing,_ he cringed, watching himself enter the hallway of the Trade Federation's ship along with Qui-Gon. But then he blinked in amazement at the glittery shimmer Mace had told him about. "My goodness," he exclaimed. "We look like movie stars!"

"See what I mean?" Mace grinned excitedly. "There's something magical about film," he agreed. "It looks so much better than our own holo-broadcasts."

Obi-Wan nodded, entranced, as he continued to watch. _"Be mindful of the Living Force, my young padawan,"_ Qui-Gon was saying to him now; suddenly tears sprang to Obi-Wan's eyes as the realization hit him. "Master Qui-Gon," he whispered. _I'll never see him again... or Anakin, or Leila... or the children..._

"I'm sorry," Obi-Wan apologized, shaking his head. "I can't watch this right now... it's been a long day," he sighed, managing a weary smile at Mace. "If you don't mind, I'd like to just go to bed," he confessed.

"Of course, Obi-Wan," Mace said, nodding. "Here, I'll show you to your room," he offered, getting up.

"Good night, Obi-Wan," Yoda said, emerging momentarily from his meditation.

"Good night, Master Yoda." Obi-Wan smiled, nodding politely to him. _It's just like when we both had TPM,_ Obi-Wan realized, as he followed Mace to the little guest room. _Once again, Master Yoda's situation is far worse than mine, yet he is handling it much better than I am,_ he admitted. _At least I'm not going to get locked up in a top-secret military facility if I'm accidentally spotted._

"Thank you, Mace." Obi-Wan smiled appreciatively as Mace wished him goodnight; then he sighed, slumping wearily onto the bed and letting the tears come for the first time. _I'll never see any of them again,_ he wept, as he thought of his family. _I already miss them terribly..._ But he sniffed back his tears, reminding himself to mask his presence again. _Not that it really matters,_ he sighed, lying down in bed for the night. _Yoda is the only one strong enough for the others to feel._

* * *

><p><em>Come on... Focus,<em> Anakin chided himself, closing his eyes and reaching out with the Force in an attempt to sense Obi-Wan. He was sitting in his Jedi Starfighter at the edge of Hutt Territory, along with Qui-Gon and Cory. _Ahh,_ he sighed, shaking his head in frustration. _I can't feel anything at all,_ he admitted worriedly.

But then he heard Qui-Gon's voice over the transmitter. "I felt him!" Qui-Gon told the others. "A moment ago... Only for a minute, but I'm sure it was him," he said, as Anakin sighed in relief. _He's still alive!_

"Where was it coming from?" Cory asked.

"Straight ahead... Just past the border," Qui-Gon told him. "Anakin, you were right," he added, surprised and impressed. Anakin had heard rumors of the legendary lost planet; fairy tales and ghost stories told by both smugglers and other Jedi Knights assigned to Hutt Territory, and he had guessed that if it existed at all, it might be in this area.

"Do you think he's in trouble?" Anakin asked, worried. They still weren't certain if Obi-Wan and the others truly needed assistance, or if they were purposely masking themselves as part of their secret mission.

"I'm not sure," Qui-Gon admitted. "I sensed pain again; in fact, that's all I've sensed from him for the past several hours," he told them. "But whether it's physical pain, or sadness, I cannot tell," he confessed.

Anakin nodded; they had discussed this before, and had come up with two possible explanations for Obi-Wan's intermittent feelings of pain. Either he truly was injured, and drifting in and out of consciousness; or he was purposely trying to mask his presence, but occasionally letting down his guard, overwhelmed by feelings of grief and sadness.

"Master," Anakin said, over his transmitter. "Obi-Wan has been gone for less than two days; if everything were truly all right, he would not be feeling so upset," he pointed out. "Certainly not so unhappy that you could sense it from across the galaxy," Anakin reasoned. "Even if his pain is emotional rather than physical... Master, I think something is wrong."

He could feel Qui-Gon's sigh of regret. "Cory, what do you think?" Qui-Gon asked over the transmitter.

"I agree, Master," Cory replied. "You would not be sensing Master Obi-Wan's pain, if everything were all right."

"I agree too," Qui-Gon said. "All right then; we're going in," he told them. "I'm sending you the coordinates now... Anakin, Cory; remember, this is believed to be the planet of the Sith," he warned them. "I do not know what to expect once we find it, but we will stay together, and we will do what we can to help Obi-Wan," he resolved. "May the Force be with you."

"May the Force be with you, Master," Anakin and Cory replied over their transmitters, setting their coordinates to Qui-Gon's estimated location and blasting into hyperspace once again, not knowing where they might end up.

A few minutes later they emerged within Hutt Territory, and were amazed to see an entire star system, devoid of any kind of spaceports or refueling stations, without a single ship anywhere in sight. "There," Qui-Gon said over the transmitter. "Just ahead... the third planet," he pointed out, as they headed toward it. "Solaris Three..."

_It really exists,_ Anakin thought, blinking in surprise as they approached the planet. _And it's still inhabited,_ he noticed, seeing a few bright lights emanating from the night side of the planet. _The Sith are still there... and so is Obi-Wan,_ he realized anxiously. _He might be captured, or injured, or both..._ "Do you sense him, Master?" Anakin asked.

"No," Qui-Gon confessed. "We will wait here, until we feel him again."

"Yes, Master," Anakin and Cory replied; then Anakin let out a rueful sigh, shifting uncomfortably in the seat of his Starfighter. _Stakeouts are so boring..._ But it wasn't long before Qui-Gon sensed him again, and Anakin grinned in excited relief as they flew in closer to the Sith planet. _Obi-Wan, we're coming..._

"There," Qui-Gon told them. "That bright light, coming from the western side of that large land mass," he said, as Anakin nodded, seeing it. "Obi-Wan is there; I'm certain of it," Qui-Gon confirmed, his relief audible. "I'll go down first," he told them. "Wait for my signal; I'll let you know if it's safe to approach."

"Yes, Master," Cory and Anakin replied again, as Qui-Gon entered the planet's atmosphere.

"It's all right," Qui-Gon announced over the transmitter, a few minutes later. "I've landed just west of the city; I'm sending you my coordinates now," he instructed them, as Anakin and Cory entered the atmosphere, guiding their Starfighters quietly through the night sky and landing inside a hidden canyon in the rocky, mountainous region on the outskirts of the city.

* * *

><p><em>A Jedi Master, a Knight, and a Padawan walk into a bar...<em>

"We'll try that one," Qui-Gon said quietly, pointing to a small pub on a dimly-lit street. It was past midnight already, and so far they had escaped notice; but they were nearing the center of the Sith city, and Master Qui-Gon had decided they should try to make contact with the locals, and gather what information they could.

Cory nodded, following Anakin and Qui-Gon inside the bar. _Ahh... It's smoky in here,_ Cory cringed, blinking as his eyes instantly began to sting. _What the heck is that smell?_ Master Qui-Gon was looking around at the patrons, quietly assessing the situation, and Cory waited patiently by his side. They often visited bars such as this on Outer Rim planets; it was one of the best ways to quietly gather information without attracting too much notice.

But Cory cringed now as one of the patrons suddenly yelled at them. "Hey!" a severely drunken man said, grinning stupidly. "It's Qui-Gon Jinn! And Anakin Skywalker," he announced loudly to the entire establishment. _Crap,_ Cory blinked worriedly. _So much for anonymity... How do they know us, all the way out here?_

Qui-Gon and Anakin were sharing an anxious glance; they were obviously wondering the same thing. "How do you know us?" Qui-Gon asked the man quietly, as they approached his table.

"Ha!" the man laughed, sipping his beer. "I'm not as drunk as I look," he joked cheerfully. "Yeah, I heard there was a _Star Wars_ convention going on this week... What are you doing way out here, in this dump?" he asked them. "Sorry, Pete," he added, grinning at the pub owner. "And who is this?" he wondered, staring at Cory. "A mini-padawan Obi-Wan?"

Cory frowned, blinking uncomfortably. "No, sir," he said politely. _Why do people always say that?_ But Qui-Gon was nodding subtly toward the door, and Anakin and Cory dutifully headed back outside while Master Qui-Gon handled the cover-up.

"We must remain hidden," Qui-Gon told them, emerging from the bar a minute later. "It seems that they receive _JEDI_ broadcasts here," he sighed. "And they appear to be more fanatical about it than anyone I've ever met; my guess is that we will be recognized everywhere we go."

But then he looked at Cory, and grinned suddenly. "I think your role in this rescue mission might be the most important of all, my young padawan," Qui-Gon said proudly, patting him on the shoulder.

_Early the next morning..._

"Oh my goodness! That is so cute," a woman exclaimed, coming up to Cory in the store and admiring his Jedi outfit. "Are you here for the convention?"

"No," Cory replied, blinking. _What is this convention?_ "I... I need to buy some blue pants," he stammered. Qui-Gon had decided that their best hope of escaping the notice of the Sith would be to dress according to the local custom, and Cory had been sent on an important mission to buy some clothes.

"Oh... Clothing is down that way," the woman replied, giving him a somewhat confused look as she pointed to the other side of the gigantic store.

"Thank you," Cory said politely, continuing on down the aisle. He had asked some of the locals where he might find some blue pants and other articles of clothing, and they had pointed him toward a store called Wal-Mart, which apparently sold everything imaginable _except_ for walls.

But now he stopped in his tracks, blinking in confusion. _What the...?_ Cory stared at the shelf full of toys. _They have an Anakin doll?_ He giggled, peering closer at the little figure. _Haha! He looks silly!_ But then he frowned, realizing how incredibly weird that was. _I don't know what's going on here, but we'd better find Master Obi-Wan and get off this planet as soon as possible,_ Cory reminded himself, hurrying toward the clothing section.

He found the blue pants, and picked out some that he hoped might fit Master Qui-Gon and Anakin; then he smiled in delight as he noticed some black ones on the shelf nearby. Anakin had spotted someone wearing them this morning, and had begged Cory to look for them. _I want black pants too,_ Cory grinned, finding some his size. _This is so cool!_

He picked out some shirts that looked similar to what he had seen people wearing on the street, and even managed to find some colorful hats. Qui-Gon and Anakin were worried about being recognized, and Cory had noticed some of the locals wearing these odd little round hats with flaps on the front. _These people dress really funny,_ Cory laughed to himself, proceeding to the checkout with an armful of clothes.

"That will be one hundred and twenty-eight dollars and fifty-nine cents," the clerk told him, as Cory cringed, hoping that wasn't as much money as it sounded. "Cute costume," she added, smiling.

"Thank you," Cory said shyly. "Do you take Republic credits?" he asked hopefully.

"What?" the woman asked, startled.

_Oh, crap..._ Cory and Qui-Gon often encountered this problem on Outer Rim planets, and he had been a bit worried about this. _I can do this,_ he told himself, steadying his breathing and calming his mind. "Credits will do fine," he told the woman calmly, waving his hand at her. _Oh, please, please work..._

The woman blinked in confusion. "Credits will do - what?" she asked again, squinting at him.

_Ahh! I suck at mind tricks,_ Cory cringed. "Credits WILL do fine," he repeated nervously, waving his hand again; but his heart was racing anxiously, and he knew it hadn't worked.

"Kid," the woman said, shaking her head. "You've been watching too many _Star Wars_ movies. Do you have the money or not?" she asked him, a look of pity on her face.

"Um..." _Crap! All right... Focus..._ "I wasn't here," he told her, trying to sound confident as he waved his hand again and gathered the clothes in his arms, heading for the door.

"Hey!" the clerk exclaimed. "Stop!"

"I wasn't here!" Cory yelled, flailing his hand at her desperately on the way out the door; but now the alarm had sounded, and a security guard was running toward him. _Oh, crap!_ Bundling the clothes under one arm, Cory ran as fast as he could back to where Qui-Gon and Anakin were waiting. _Master Qui-Gon is going to kill me..._

He found them in an alley several blocks away, and handed the clothes to them, blinking worriedly as he caught his breath. "How did it go?" Qui-Gon asked, sensing his anxiety.

"Um," Cory cringed apologetically. "Not great," he confessed. "But I got the clothes," he pointed out optimistically, as Anakin grinned in delight, pulling on his new black pants and t-shirt and laughing cheerfully at his funny baseball hat.

"You did well, Cory," Qui-Gon said reassuringly, putting a hand on his shoulder. "I'm very proud of you."

* * *

><p><em>"And in news of the weird... A boy dressed as a Jedi padawan from Star Wars robbed a local Wal-Mart this morning,"<em> the TV news announcer said, as Obi-Wan watched the local news with Yoda, Mace, and Janessa over breakfast. _"After trying to pay with 'Republic Credits' and multiple attempts to use Jedi mind tricks on the cashier, the would-be Jedi fled the premises..."_

Mace and Janessa shared a worried glance, and Obi-Wan sighed regretfully. _These Star Wars fanatics are really sad,_ he thought, feeling sorry for the poor demented boy; but now he blinked in surprise as he saw the security photo of the shoplifter.

"Hey!" Mace exclaimed, as they all stared at the TV set in disbelief. "That's not some kid dressed as a Jedi padawan," he realized, as Obi-Wan felt tears of joy filling his eyes. "That's Cory!"


	76. Escape from the rabid fans

**Chapter 76**

"I feel him," Qui-Gon murmured, a distant look in his eyes. "Obi-Wan... And Yoda, and Mace... They're all right," he sighed, as Anakin and Cory shared a relieved grin. "They sense us as well; they're relieved... but anxious," Qui-Gon added, his brows furrowed in concern. "We must be wary," he warned the others, leading the way toward the center of the Sith city. "The danger isn't over yet."

_I wish I were better at sensing things,_ Cory sighed, as they continued on down the street in their newly-stolen clothing. He was still embarrassed by his pathetic failure at the Wal-Mart store, and realized that he had handled that whole situation badly. Master Qui-Gon had given him the usual _'We will discuss this later'_speech, but what was done was done, and for the moment they were grateful to be able to blend in with the crowd without being recognized.

Still, they were occasionally receiving curious glances, especially Anakin. It had been thirteen years since Master Qui-Gon's appearance on_ JEDI_, and his hair and beard had grown quite grey since then, but Anakin had been featured in nearly every episode this past season, and even wearing the local clothing, people were looking at him strangely.

They had done what they could to disguise themselves with their funny baseball hats. Cory had hidden his padawan braid and ponytail, and Qui-Gon had let his hair down in the rumpled style of a man they had seen on the street; Anakin had pulled some of his unruly locks through the back of his hat in an attempt to do_something_ different, but still Cory feared it wasn't enough.

"There," Qui-Gon said, peering inside the window of a convenience store. "Sunglasses: three dollars," he informed them; Master Qui-Gon was the only one who could read the ancient phonetic script that was still being used on this isolated planet. "Cory, how much money have you found?" he asked, as Cory reached into his pocket, pulling out the silver coins that he had picked up off the sidewalk.

"I don't know," Cory confessed, unable to decipher the strange script. "I have three of these big ones though," he told Qui-Gon, showing him the largest of the silver coins.

"Quarter dollar," Qui-Gon read aloud, examining the coins and calculating their worth. "No, it's not enough," he sighed. "Ninety-five cents..." But then he squinted curiously at one of the customers inside the convenience store, who was inserting coins into an archaic-looking slot machine. Like many planets in Hutt Territory, Solaris Three was obviously a big gambling spot; they had seen these slot machines everywhere they went.

Cory peered closer at the old-fashioned machine; it appeared to be mechanical rather than electronic, with little wheels that spun around inside it. _Ha,_ Cory laughed, amused. _That's really dumb... How do they stop people from cheating?_ Obviously Qui-Gon and Anakin had the same idea, and now Qui-Gon reached out with the Force, stopping the wheels on the machine so that they all lined up with three little cherries in a row.

Sure enough, the machine started dinging loudly as several silver coins dropped out of it, to the delight of the player. "Come on," Qui-Gon said mischievously, leading the way into the store. "I think we can afford those sunglasses after all."

"Better quit while I'm ahead," the other customer laughed, getting up from the machine with his winnings. Qui-Gon nodded to him with a friendly smile, then sat down at the slot machine. "All right, let's give it a try," Qui-Gon said hopefully, putting one of Cory's coins into the machine and pulling the lever, stopping the wheels once again on three cherries.

_Yeah!_ Cory grinned, sharing a triumphant look with Anakin as Qui-Gon collected his winnings. "Can I try?" Cory asked._ That looks like so much fun. And I'm way better at physical stuff than mind tricks..._

"You have to be over twenty-one," the convenience store owner informed them. _Aww,_ Cory shrugged, as they left the slot machine and went over to examine the rack of strange dark eyewear they had seen other people wearing.

"I think we have enough to each buy a pair," Qui-Gon told them, counting his coins; then he frowned. "No; wait a minute," he said, going back to the slot machine. "There we go," he nodded in satisfaction, lining up three cherries once again.

The store owner frowned worriedly. "I think that machine might be broken, or stuck," he said, going over to examine it. "Three times in a row..." _Ahh!_ Cory cringed, sharing an anxious glance with Anakin. _Yeah, that probably looked kind of suspicious._ The store owner inserted another coin, testing it; but the wheels stopped randomly, and he won nothing at all. "Eh, I guess it's working now," he shrugged, returning to the counter.

Cory peered at the assortment of sunglasses, trying to decide which ones to pick. Anakin had chosen a plain black pair, and Cory found another just like it. "Do you mind?" he asked hopefully, giving Anakin an apologetic cringe. _I don't want to be a copycat..._ Cory had asked Qui-Gon once if he could have a black Jedi outfit like Anakin's, but Qui-Gon had simply laughed, and told him no.

But Anakin grinned. "Sure," he agreed good-naturedly, as they proceeded to the counter. Qui-Gon had already picked out a pair for himself, and was counting out his coins to pay for their sunglasses.

"Nine sixty-eight," the store owner said; then he blinked at them in surprise. "Hey!" he exclaimed suddenly. "You're - "

"No, we're not," Qui-Gon assured him, waving his hand. "Thank you," he nodded politely as they left the store, putting on their new sunglasses. _This will be a lot better,_ Cory thought, noting that Anakin and Qui-Gon looked nothing like themselves now, between the strange clothes, the funny hats, and the dark sunglasses. _Hey,_ he realized, blinking in surprise. _The sun's not so bright with these things._ The Sith planet's sun had an annoying, almost painful glare that Cory had never experienced on any other planet. _So that's why everybody wears them..._

"Obi-Wan and the others are on the other side of that street, a few blocks away," Qui-Gon said, as they approached the busiest street in the center of the Sith city, lined with tall, fanciful buildings and swarming with people. "Las Vegas Boulevard," he added quietly, reading the sign. "My guess is that if the Sith still exist on this planet, they are here."

Cory and Anakin nodded solemnly, doing their best to escape notice as they proceeded onto the busy street.

* * *

><p>"Come on," Mace begged, turning the key in the ignition again; but Janessa's car refused to start. <em>This has not been my week.<em> "Out of gas," Mace sighed, seeing the arrow down past the red. "I guess we'll have to walk." He and Obi-Wan got out of the car, proceeding down the street on foot. "I'm sorry, Master," he apologized, carefully slinging his backpack over his shoulder.

"Hmmph," the backpack replied grumpily.

After seeing Cory on the news a few minutes ago, they had sensed his presence on the other side of Las Vegas Boulevard, along with Qui-Gon and Anakin. Mace, Yoda, and Obi-Wan had quickly agreed that it would be best to find them before they reached the busiest part of town, and that there was no reason to burden the others with the truth of Mace's secret marriage.

_Obviously Cory and Anakin shouldn't find out,_ Mace sighed, continuing on foot with Obi-Wan. _But I feel bad about Qui-Gon..._ Mace had known about Qui-Gon's marriage nearly from the beginning, yet he had never confided in him about his own wife.

Mace and Janessa had met at a _Star Wars_ convention years ago; she had been a young Psychology major studying the fan phenomenon, and had somehow managed to stumble upon the truth. After several failed attempts to mind-trick the beautiful, strong-minded young woman, Mace had finally given up and married her instead. But by then, Qui-Gon's wife Ana had already passed away, and Mace had not seen the point in telling the grieving Jedi Master about his own lovely young bride.

But now that Qui-Gon had risked his life to come save them on Solaris Three, Mace felt he deserved to know the truth. _I will tell him, the next time I get a chance,_ he resolved. At the moment, however, he had bigger concerns.

"They've already reached Las Vegas Boulevard," he sensed, sharing an anxious glance with Obi-Wan. _Damn it... Anakin will get mobbed, _he realized worriedly._And Qui-Gon too..._ "Hurry," he told Obi-Wan, as they ran toward the busy strip in a desperate attempt to head them off before the crowds saw them.

But it was too late; he could already sense Qui-Gon's surprise, and confusion. _They don't know about the doppelgangers,_ Mace sighed. _This is not going to be easy to cover up._ But a minute later he felt them coming nearer, and was surprised to see Qui-Gon and Cory running toward them, dressed in the local clothing.

"They did it," Mace exclaimed, proud of Qui-Gon for getting all the way out here without being caught. Obi-Wan was smiling ecstatically, tears of joy in his eyes, and Mace stood back respectfully as Obi-Wan greeted his father, first with a polite bow, and then with a relieved embrace. "Qui-Gon," Mace said, grinning in relief to see him. "Thank you for coming... Where's Anakin?" he asked, suddenly realizing he was nowhere to be seen_._

"I told him to wait for us, on the other side of the street," Qui-Gon explained. "People have been recognizing us, from _JEDI,_" he said. "But so far we've managed to cover it up; I think Anakin got away safely."

Mace nodded, sharing a concerned glance with Obi-Wan; they both reached out with the Force, and sensed that Anakin was indeed waiting quietly on the other side of the strip. "Good job," Mace said. "Thank you for coming... We've had all sorts of problems here; I'll explain later," he added, glancing at Cory.

Then he grinned, remembering the young padawan's Wal-Mart fiasco. "I see you managed to obtain some of the local clothing," Mace noted. "Ha," he laughed, noticing that Cory and Obi-Wan were wearing nearly identical t-shirts, baseball hats, and sunglasses. "You two look like twins!" _Especially with Obi-Wan's beard shaved off; they've got that same perky little smile..._

But his grin faded as it suddenly hit him. _Holy crap,_ Mace gasped, staring at Obi-Wan and Cory next to each other. _No way..._ But he could feel Obi-Wan's anxiety now, and Qui-Gon's as well; they were trying to mask their panic, and Cory was looking at them now in obvious confusion. Mace quickly masked his own shock, forcing himself to remain calm.

_Cory's a smart kid,_ Mace realized. _He senses something is up._ "Cory," he told the boy gently. "I need to speak with Master Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan alone for a moment; go back and wait with Anakin," he instructed him, as Cory bowed obediently, heading back toward the strip. "We'll catch up with you in a few minutes," Mace promised.

_Hopefully he'll just think we're discussing the mission,_ Mace sighed, shaking his head in profound disbelief. _Obi-Wan?_ he thought again, trying to wrap his brain around it. _He is the last person I would have expected this from._

"Master Windu," Obi-Wan began, bowing his head in apology.

"Wait," Mace warned him. _We have to do this right._ Even on a field mission to a non-existent planet, Mace and Yoda had a responsibility to the Jedi Council, and if Obi-Wan confessed to them openly, they would have to report it to the others when they returned home. "Come on," he told them quietly, leading the way toward the strip again.

Then he smiled as they reached the hokey little wedding chapel where he and Janessa had gotten married. _It's not fancy, but it will do,_ he grinned, leading the others inside. "Hello, Father," Mace nodded respectfully, as they entered the chapel.

"Mace!" the priest exclaimed in surprise, greeting him. "What brings you here? Oh my goodness," he added, recognizing Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan. Father Duke was one of the few people on Solaris Three who knew the truth of the galaxy beyond; it was a fortunate correlation that the people who were resistant to mind tricks also tended to be wise enough to understand the dire need for secrecy.

"I was hoping we could borrow your sanctuary for a moment?" Mace asked the priest.

"Of course," Father Duke told him, inviting them inside. He led them into the little wedding chapel, then took his leave, to give them some privacy.

"You can trust him," Mace assured the others quietly, letting Yoda out of his backpack. "He knows about all of us." _We named our firstborn son after him._

"It seems everyone on this planet does," Qui-Gon pointed out, frowning worriedly.

"Ah," Mace sighed. "No; they've been mistaking you for your doppelgangers," he explained.

"Doppelgangers?" Qui-Gon repeated, blinking. "What?"

Mace gave them a brief explanation of the doppelgangers, and the _Star Wars_ phenomenon; then he sighed, realizing it was time to discuss more personal matters. "I am invoking the right of sanctuary," Mace said formally, as Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon nodded in solemn understanding. "Consider this a confessional; anything that is said here will not be reported to the Council," he assured them.

"Now, Obi-Wan," Mace said, with a smile of quiet amusement. "Is there something you'd like to tell us?"

"Yes, Master," Obi-Wan replied humbly. "Cory is... my son," Obi-Wan confessed, bowing his head. "I'm sorry, Master Windu; Master Yoda," he apologized. "Master Qui-Gon did not know, when he took Cory as his padawan," he added. "His mother's name is Leila; she lives on Coruscant. She and I are unofficially married," Obi-Wan finished quietly.

"I see," Mace nodded solemnly, as Yoda sighed in profound dismay.

"Master," Obi-Wan said, his expression full of regret. "I sensed Cory's confusion, earlier, and it has grown stronger over these past several minutes," he told the others. "I fear he may have guessed the truth."

Mace sighed. "Yes," he agreed quietly. "I sense it too. I'm sorry, Obi-Wan," he apologized. _If I hadn't joked about them looking like twins... _"Go to him," he told Obi-Wan, as Yoda nodded in agreement.

"Yes, Master," Obi-Wan replied, bowing politely as he took his leave.

Qui-Gon started to get up as well, but Mace stopped him. "Qui-Gon, wait," he said, as Qui-Gon sat down again. "There's something I'd like to confess as well," he admitted, with a regretful smile.

* * *

><p><em>What was that about?<em> Cory wondered, blinking in confusion as he made his way back through the streets to where Anakin was waiting. Master Windu had joked that Cory and Obi-Wan looked like twins in their baseball hats and sunglasses; it was certainly not the first time Cory had heard such comments, but he had been surprised by the sudden feeling of anxiety and panic all around him.

_What is going on?_ he asked himself again. _Be mindful of the Living Force,_ Cory told himself, quoting Master Qui-Gon's all-purpose catch phrase as he continued along the street. _Think, Cory._

_What were they all upset about? Why was I sent away?_ Cory sighed, shaking his head; if he had learned anything on this mission, it was that there was much more going on in the galaxy than he had ever known about.

_It was the twin joke that upset them,_ Cory reminded himself, trying to work it out. _Why would Master Obi-Wan be anxious, almost to the point of panic, simply because Master Windu noticed that I look like him?_ Cory had felt Master Windu's shock as well, and seen his expression of alarm; and Master Qui-Gon had also been extremely nervous for a split second, before they had all carefully masked their feelings. _And then I was sent away..._

_Could it be true?_ Cory wondered, tears springing to his eyes as he forced himself to face his own demons. _Cory Suncatcher..._ Cory had always been painfully aware of his embarrassing last name; he'd been the only orphan child in a class full of younglings whose families were proud of their Jedi offspring. _But my parents didn't want me to have their name..._

Cory felt suddenly shaky now as the truth began to hit him. _If Master Obi-Wan..._ Cory couldn't even bring himself to imagine it. _No... Master Obi-Wan would never disobey the Code; not like that,_ Cory told himself stubbornly. _But if he did... If it were true... He couldn't have let me keep his last name,_ Cory realized, smiling as tears filled his eyes. _He would have given me to the Temple as an orphan, so that the Council wouldn't guess._

_Oh no,_ Cory blinked worriedly. _Master Windu knows! He saw us together; he guessed the truth.__ That's why they were all so anxious... And now Master Obi-Wan is in trouble, and it's my fault. He'll be expelled..._ Cory sank to the sidewalk, sitting with his back to the wall of the casino, teary-eyed with shock.

_He's my father,_ Cory realized, smiling despite his tears. _Master Obi-Wan... I really do look like him,_ Cory admitted, his heart fluttering. _I love him. I wouldn't want anyone else to be my father,_ Cory confessed, his eyes welling with tears of pride. _He's the best Jedi in the entire Order._

_But now he's going to be expelled, because of me,_ Cory realized. _Master, I'm sorry..._ He blinked unhappily, sniffing back his tears as he tried to understand it._How did this happen? Who was my mother?_

"Leila," Cory whispered, the answer coming to him almost immediately. _I knew there was something weird about how she was hugging me,_ he laughed._ Qui-Gon said he sensed Anakin was upset last night; that's why we had to be cautious, and sneak up the fire escape to her apartment,_ he remembered. _But why did we leave that way? There was no danger,_ Cory realized now.

_And why was Anakin there at all? Why would he have flown all the way back from Hutt Territory upon hearing the news of his Master's death - and immediately gone to inform Obi-Wan's 'Little Brother', Jon?_ Cory grinned now, realizing how ridiculous that was.

Then he blinked in surprise. _He's not just Obi-Wan's Little Brother,_ Cory thought suddenly. _He's MY little brother,_ he realized, smiling in disbelief. _And the little blond girl... Kyra... She's my sister? And Leila's my mom... __And Master Obi-Wan is our dad... __I have a family! _Cory realized._ Oh, this is so weird... But I can't wait to see them again,_ he thought wistfully.

_So that's why Leila's always liked me so much,_ Cory understood now. _I thought it was because I saved her from the kidnappers that one time, on my birthday,_ he laughed. _She's always looked at me like I'm some kind of hero; a real Jedi, not just a padawan,_ Cory admitted. _That's why I didn't mind when she hugged me like that; it made me feel proud, and special..._

_Oh, crap,_ Cory remembered again. _Master Obi-Wan's in trouble now. And I'm supposed to find Anakin,_ he realized, getting up and continuing on to the place where Anakin was waiting. _Gah, I'm not good at sensing people,_ Cory lamented, closing his eyes and reaching out with his feelings. _But I can sense Anakin,_ he thought, following the familiar presence.

_It's weird; I always looked up to Anakin because he was an orphan, like me,_ Cory admitted. _But I'm not an orphan,_ he realized now, tears springing to his eyes again as he entered the casino where he felt Anakin's presence. _I'm a Kenobi..._

"Hey, kid," a security guard said, stopping him. "You have to be twenty-one to enter the casino. Where are your parents?" he asked, looking around in concern.

"Um," Cory stammered, blinking. "My dad's - coming," he said, smiling as he felt Master Obi-Wan approaching from outside, and extremely amused to realize he had actually told the guard the truth.

"Wait here," the guard instructed him, his tone stern but not unkind. Cory nodded agreeably, not in the mood to cause a scene, and still too shocked to pull off any kind of mind trick. But a minute later Master Obi-Wan arrived, and Cory laughed again at how funny he looked with his silly hat and sunglasses, and no beard.

"Cory! There you are," Master Obi-Wan said, smiling gently as he came inside the casino. Cory nodded, as his heart fluttered excitedly. _He's my dad... Oh, I hope he's not in too much trouble..._

"Hey," the security guard said to Obi-Wan. "You can't leave your kid unattended."

"Yes, I'm - I'm terribly sorry," Obi-Wan nodded, blinking in surprise. "It won't happen again... I know; I'm the worst father in the entire galaxy," he apologized, with a rueful smile at Cory, who grinned in delight.

"Wait," the guard said, staring at Obi-Wan in surprise. "Are you - ?"

"No, I'm not," Obi-Wan told him, waving his hand. "Come on, Cory," he said, as they went back outside. _Ah, they recognize him too, even without the beard,_Cory realized in dismay, following Obi-Wan back onto the sidewalk.

"Cory," Obi-Wan said gently, as they sat with their backs against the wall. Cory glanced at him shyly. _Crap, it's obvious I've been crying._ "That business back there," Obi-Wan said. "Cory, I - "

"I know," Cory told him, sensing his insecurity. _He feels bad; he might already be expelled._ Cory tried to give his father a reassuring smile. _Master, you're the best father in the galaxy, not the worst._ "What's going to happen?"

"Nothing," Obi-Wan assured him, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Nothing's going to happen, Cory. And I'm so sorry, about that," he apologized, glancing back toward the street. "But I need to know; what is it exactly that you think?" he asked, gently brushing away a tear that had dried on Cory's cheek. "Because I am not technically allowed to tell you," he added regretfully.

Cory shrugged. "I think that you - " he began, tears springing to his eyes again. "You're my father?" he whispered.

Obi-Wan closed his eyes, a tear escaping from beneath his lashes; but he nodded. "Yes," he whispered, managing a teary smile. "Yes..." And then Cory felt his father's arms around him, holding him lovingly and kissing him on the temple. "I love you, Cory," he said tenderly. "And I'm very proud of you."

Cory grinned happily despite his tears. "Thank you, Master." he said, sniffing. _I love you too..._

"You win!" a lady announced ecstatically, coming up to them. _Arg, this planet is weird,_ Cory thought, not understanding the bizarre games that these people played.

"No," Master Obi-Wan said with a wave of his hand, declining her offer. Then he smiled at Cory regretfully. "I'd better find Anakin," he said, getting up. "Master Windu and Yoda and Qui-Gon are on their way," he added, sensing their presence.

Cory nodded, smiling up at his father. "All right," he agreed. "I'll wait here."

* * *

><p><em>Yes!<em> Anakin grinned, rolling snake eyes once again. _I love Vegas!_ He had wandered into the casino after Qui-Gon had told him to stay in hiding, and had been dismayed at first that he was hindering the mission rather than helping; but then someone had offered him a free Margarita, and he had discovered an endless sea of slot machines, craps tables, and roulette wheels...

_This stuff is amazing,_ Anakin realized again, admiring the pretty green color of his complimentary Margarita. _So much better than Obi-Wan's blue stuff... Which is really weird when you think about it,_ he realized, grinning goofily. _Green lightsabers are lame... sorry Qui-Gon, no offense... but green stuff is way better than blue stuff,_ Anakin decided emphatically.

_Use the Force,_ Anakin reminded himself, rolling the dice across the table again; but the green stuff made him a little dizzy, and his aim was off. _Oh, crap,_ he sighed in dismay, realizing he had lost. _Haha! Crap!_ Anakin giggled to himself. _They named a game after my favorite swear word... I love this planet,_ he sighed happily.

But now people were starting to recognize him, so Anakin realized it was time to move on. "Hey! You're - "

"No, I'm not," Anakin told them, waving his hand as he walked away. _Seriously, I'm not..._ Anakin wasn't entirely certain, but he was starting to get the feeling that people thought he was someone else. _Must be the funny clothes,_ he blinked uncertainly. _Ohh! Another roulette wheel! Yes!_ Anakin grinned excitedly, placing his bet.

"Anakin," said a man in blue pants and a baseball hat.

"No," Anakin said, waving him away impatiently. _Go away... I'm busy,_ he frowned in deep concentration, using the Force to make the wheel stop on his number. _Yeah!_

"You win!" everyone was saying now. "You win!"

_I know!_ Anakin grinned happily, collecting his winnings.

"Anakin!" the strange man said again quietly.

"No," Anakin frowned, waving him away more forcefully. _Damn it, I can't do mind tricks after all that green stuff,_ he admitted; then he blinked worriedly as he realized something else. _Ah! That guy knows my real name,_ Anakin cringed. He had found that the fans who called him 'Anakin' were the craziest of all. _I'd better get out of here..._

"You win!" the people cheered again; Anakin frowned in confusion. _What? I'm not even playing..._

"No," the man in the funny hat told them, waving his hand. "Anakin, come now," he said quietly. "We're leaving."

_Oh no!_ Anakin cringed, his heart racing anxiously. _I know that voice..._ "Yes, Master," he replied automatically. _Crap, I'm drunk... I hope he doesn't notice... Master? Master, where are you?_ Anakin blinked, looking around. He could hear Obi-Wan's voice, and felt him nearby, but he couldn't see him.

"Anakin!" the man in the baseball hat said, taking him by the arm and leading him outside. _Noooo!_ Anakin struggled to free himself, but the man's grip was stronger than he would have expected. "Anakin, come," the stranger said again quietly.

_What?_ Anakin stared at him now; he was wearing faded blue pants and a t-shirt, with a baseball hat and sunglasses; his voice was Obi-Wan's, but... "What happened to your beard?" Anakin asked stupidly.

"The Sith shaved it off," Obi-Wan replied matter-of-factly, leading Anakin outside the casino. "While you were busy getting sloshed on green stuff... How many of those have you had, Anakin?" he asked worried.

"Just this one," Anakin promised, as Obi-Wan took his little plastic cup from him, tossing it disdainfully into the trash. _Aw,_ he sighed sadly. _I didn't even finish it..._

Obi-Wan nodded regretfully. "Anakin, you must be more cautious," he chided him. "Everything on this planet is much stronger than what we're used to," he added, in a gentle tone.

"Yes, Master," Anakin nodded obediently, as they rejoined the others. _Ahh! Everybody's here,_ he realized anxiously, seeing Qui-Gon, Cory, Master Windu, and... _Haha, Yoda's in his backpack,_ Anakin sensed, grinning in amusement. Then he frowned seriously. _Okay, act normal,_ he told himself, trying very hard to walk in a straight line down the sidewalk as Obi-Wan gripped his arm. _Don't let them see that you're drunk,_ he scolded himself.

"You win!" somebody congratulated them happily, before spouting off a list of random names.

"No!" Obi-Wan, Qui-Gon, and Mace retorted simultaneously, waving them away.

"Oh!" Anakin remembered, pulling out a huge wad of green bills from his pocket. "I won!" he told the others proudly.

"Anakin... Give me that," Obi-Wan sighed in annoyance, taking his money away.

"Yes, Master," Anakin replied glumly. _You're no fun..._

"Wait," Cory pleaded, pointing across the street. "That's the Wal-Mart."

Obi-Wan followed his gaze, nodding thoughtfully. "We'll do this together," he told Cory, with a reassuring smile. Then he gave the others a meaningful look, nodding toward the mountainous ridge where their Starfighters were hidden. "Go on ahead; we'll meet you back there," Obi-Wan told them, as he and Cory proceeded toward the Wal-Mart.

_Huh?_ Anakin blinked in confusion, as Obi-Wan left with Cory. _You're not his Master,_ he frowned indignantly. _You're MY Master... Master, where are you going?_ Anakin wondered, baffled. But now Qui-Gon's hand was on his shoulder, gently herding him along down the sidewalk, and Anakin nodded, continuing on with the others.

_Don't let them see you're drunk,_ Anakin told himself stubbornly, following along. _Don't let them see you're drunk. Don't let them... Oh, crap,_ Anakin blinked, his head reeling for a moment as he walked straight into a sign post. _I think they saw that._


	77. What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas

**Chapter 77**

_I can do this,_ Cory told himself, gathering his courage as he approached the Wal-Mart Customer Service desk with Master Obi-Wan at his side. "Hello," he said cheerfully, with a polite bow.

"Hello," the lady manager greeted them, with a friendly smile. "How can I help you?"

"Well," Cory confessed shyly, "I stole some clothes this morning, and I have the money now... I'd like to pay for them," he told her, with an apologetic smile.

"Oh... You're the Jedi kid?" she asked in surprise, looking at him, then at Obi-Wan. "Is this your father?"

"Yes," Cory said. "I mean, no," he cringed, at the Jedi question. "I mean... yes." He blinked in confusion. "Here it is," he said, handing over the money he had carefully counted out with Master Obi-Wan's help. "One hundred and twenty-eight dollars and fifty-nine cents," Cory remembered. "Actually that's a little more," he confessed; they didn't have any change, and so they had decided to round up to the nearest twenty dollars. _It's not like we can really use it anyway..._

The manager nodded regretfully. "I appreciate your honesty," she said sincerely, taking his money. "And I will save this, for the police," she assured them, setting it aside in a special file. "I'm sure the judge will be more lenient with you in light of this; but I'm afraid we will still have to press charges," she informed him, with an apologetic glance at Obi-Wan.

_Okay... Focus..._ "That won't be necessary," Cory told her quietly, waving his hand.

"That won't be - " the manager broke off uncertainly, frowning at him in confusion. "What?"

_Ahh! _Cory glanced up at his father worriedly; but Master Obi-Wan gave him a reassuring nod. "Try it again," Obi-Wan said, smiling politely at the manager.

Cory nodded, calming himself. "You don't need to press charges," he told the manager, waving his hand.

The manager blinked momentarily, then nodded. "We don't need to press charges," she agreed.

_Yes! I did it! It worked!_ "Thank you," Cory said, with a polite bow. "Have a nice day."

"Have a nice day," the manager agreed cheerfully, as they turned to leave.

"Oh," Obi-Wan said, turning back to her. "You might want to check your security cameras," he told her. "I think they may have gone offline for a moment."

"Thank you," the manager nodded. "I'll check it out." But now she looked at Obi-Wan in surprise. "Oh my goodness! Are you - ?"

"No, I'm not," Obi-Wan assured her, smiling politely as they left the store. "You did well, Cory," he said, patting him on the shoulder as they continued back toward the rocky canyon to rejoin the others. "I'm very proud of you."

"Thank you, Master," Cory said, looking up at his his father; then he shrugged regretfully. "It took me two tries," he apologized. "I'm not very good at mind tricks." _You must think I'm really stupid..._

"I couldn't have done any better at your age," Obi-Wan assured him, smiling affectionately.

"Really?" Cory asked, surprised and hopeful at the same time.

"Really," Obi-Wan confessed. "Your abilities are already far beyond mine at your age," he told him. "Qui-Gon didn't take me as his padawan until I was nearly thirteen; I was about to be sent off to the Agricultural Corps," he admitted, laughing.

"No," Cory said, gaping at his father in disbelief. "You?" he asked, shocked by this revelation. "You're - you're on the Council... You're one of the best Jedi in the entire Order."

"Well, we all have to start somewhere, don't we?" Obi-Wan told him.

Cory grinned, nodding. "So... You're really not going to get in trouble?" he asked, still concerned.

Obi-Wan sighed. "No," he said, as they walked along the street. "They're not going to report it to the Council," he told him. "But what I did was wrong, Cory; you do understand that?" he asked gently.

Cory shrugged, nodding; but tears of shame stung his eyes. _I'm the one who's wrong... My existence is such a shameful secret that they don't even dare tell the Council,_ he realized unhappily.

But Master Obi-Wan sensed his dismay, and put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Cory, this is not your fault. You have done nothing wrong, and I am very proud of you," Obi-Wan assured him. "But I am sorry that you had to find out so soon; I - "

"No," Cory blurted out. "I'm glad. Truly... I'm glad to know," he insisted. "And... I wouldn't want anyone else to be my father... Really," he told Obi-Wan, with a happy, tearful smile.

Obi-Wan put an arm around him. "Thank you, Cory," he whispered, kissing him again on the temple. "I wouldn't want anyone else to be my son," he agreed, with a tender smile.

Cory grinned shyly; but then his brows furrowed. "What about Jon?" he asked. "Why wasn't he sent to the Temple?"

"What?" Obi-Wan looked at him sharply, surprised and alarmed. "Cory... Why do you say that?"

Cory shrugged. "I thought... I thought you were his father too?"

Obi-Wan laughed, shaking his head. "No... no... But you're not far off," he conceded. "Cory, I'm not allowed to tell you any of this," he apologized. "You're not supposed to know. But what have you guessed?" he asked quietly.

Cory looked down at the ground as they continued toward the mountainous ridge where their Starfighters were hidden. "I guessed that - that Leila is my mother?" he asked uncertainly, looking up at Obi-Wan.

Obi-Wan nodded, smiling wistfully. "You are a clever young padawan, Cory. Yes, Leila is your mother," he admitted. "I fell in love with her when I was a padawan, and - Cory, promise me you will never, ever - " he broke off, sighing. "No, I can't very well ask you that, can I?"

"What?" Cory asked, looking up at him. _You don't want me to fall in love, and end up like you? It's already happened,_ Cory laughed to himself. But he could see that Master Obi-Wan would be upset by that news, so he kept it to himself for the moment. _I'll tell him some other time... Maybe,_ Cory decided, looking at the ground once again.

"Nothing," Obi-Wan said. "No, Jon is not my son," he continued quietly. "I broke up with your mother the day I was knighted; I realized it was wrong... I didn't know she was pregnant with you at the time," he added. "I didn't even know you existed until you were nine years old." Obi-Wan smiled apologetically, patting Cory on the shoulder. "By that time, Leila had been married and divorced twice already, and had two more children," he explained.

"Your mother is a good person, Cory," Obi-Wan assured him. "She is kind, and loving, and sweet, and wonderful... But she has terrible judgment when it comes to men," he admitted, with a rueful grin. "Look at me."

Cory smiled, laughing quietly. "But you're still friends with her?"

"Yes, yes," Obi-Wan assured him, nodding. "We have always been very good friends; in fact... Your mother and I finally got married, just three months ago," he confessed.

"Really?" Cory asked, ecstatic. _Three months ago... Hey!_ "That's why Master Qui-Gon left me on Iridonia, to go on his secret mission... That not even the Council could know about?"

Obi-Wan laughed. "As I said: you are far too clever, Cory."

"Ha! So what about the time before that?" Cory asked, frowning. It had been just over four months ago; Cory had been visiting Malok and Tarok when they'd heard on the news that Obi-Wan and Anakin had helped to deliver Padmé's daughter. "Master Qui-Gon was there with you on Naboo?" Cory asked, confused. "Why?"

"Cory," Obi-Wan said gently. "That, I cannot tell you. I wish I could... Believe me, I do; but - Cory, you do understand that I have a responsibility to the Council, and to certain other people - Padmé included," he added pointedly. "And that when I swear an oath of secrecy, I do not do so lightly," Obi-Wan told him. "I would very much like to tell you about that, but I cannot," he apologized. "But I have a feeling that you will soon learn the truth anyway," he finished, with a regretful smile.

Cory nodded in acceptance, giving his father an understanding smile and resolving not to push him any further. _He is sworn to secrecy; he's not supposed to be telling me any of this,_ he realized. _I don't want to get him into trouble._ "So," he said cheerfully, changing the subject to something less controversial as they continued through the outskirts of the city to rejoin the others. "What were you and Master Windu and Yoda doing here anyway?"

Obi-Wan laughed again, shaking his head. "I'm afraid I can't talk about that either," he apologized. "But I am very grateful that the three of you came to rescue us," he said. "We thought we would be stranded here forever; I was missing you all terribly," he admitted, as Cory smiled up at him affectionately. _I know. Master Qui-Gon felt it._ "I love you, Cory," Obi-Wan added tenderly, putting an arm around him as they approached the rocky ridge.

Cory smiled, tears of happiness in his eyes. "I love you too, Master."

* * *

><p><em>Well this is awkward,<em> Mace sighed, as they all sat around the little campfire they had made inside the rocky canyon, waiting until after midnight to take off in their Starfighters under the cover of darkness. Qui-Gon, Anakin, and Cory had changed back into their Jedi garments, but Mace and Obi-Wan had lost theirs during the course of this mission.

They had shared a happy fireside meal of hot dogs and canned soft drinks which they had picked up at a local convenience store along the way; but after dinner the conversation had died down to an almost painful silence after Anakin - finally emerging from his drunken stupor - had innocently but curiously asked what they were doing here on Solaris Three in the first place.

_He risked his life to come save me,_ Mace lamented. _Cory too... And they don't even know why._ And now, thanks to Mace's stupid 'twins' comment, Cory had learned the truth of his parentage, ruining Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon's earnest efforts to raise him as a proper Jedi padawan. _I unveiled their secret, yet they're keeping mine,_ Mace admitted unhappily.

_And how much does Anakin know?_ he wondered again. _Does he know that Qui-Gon is his father, and Obi-Wan his brother? Does he know about Cory?_ Anakin had spotted Obi-Wan returning with Cory earlier, with his arm around the boy's shoulders; his initial reaction of surprise had quickly turned to anxious uncertainty, before he masked his emotions entirely. _He knows,_ Mace guessed. _But he keeps it to himself and says nothing, out of respect for his former Master._

Mace could feel the tension around the campfire, and sensed the unease of all six Jedi. _We are all thinking the same thing,_ he realized regretfully. _We're all just waiting to get out of here, so that we can talk about what's going on in private,_ he sighed. _Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan no doubt have things to discuss, just as Yoda and I do, and who knows what Anakin and Cory are thinking; but if we left the group and went off to speak privately, it would look as though we had something to hide,_ he realized.

_This is ridiculous,_ Mace sighed, sharing a regretful glance with Yoda. "I move that Anakin and Cory be allowed to learn the true purpose of this mission," he said quietly.

Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan nodded in solemn consent, but Yoda sighed, shaking his head. "A confessional chamber, this is not," he warned Mace, gesturing to the rocky cliffs surrounding their campfire. "The right of sanctuary, we cannot invoke," he said. "Free to tell the Council about this, they would be."

"We won't tell," Cory promised earnestly, as Anakin nodded in agreement.

Yoda sighed again, his ears drooping. _He has been thinking the same thing,_ Mace realized; Qui-Gon, Cory, and Anakin had discovered the hidden planet of Solaris Three on their own, and they were under no obligation to keep that information secret. "There is a local custom here that transcends all cultures and religions, and is as powerful as our right of sanctuary," he told them, as the others looked at him with great curiosity.

"Master Yoda; Obi-Wan; Qui-Gon," Mace continued. "With your consent, I would like to invoke the sacred right of _'What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas,'_" he proclaimed solemnly, quoting the city's famous phrase.

Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon nodded seriously, and finally Yoda sighed, bowing his head in consent. "What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas," they all murmured quietly in agreement.

"Anakin, Cory; do you consent to this sacred right?" Mace asked them.

"What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas," Anakin and Cory repeated solemnly.

"Very well," Mace said, nodding respectfully to the group. "I will begin."

* * *

><p>Cory listened in amazement as Master Windu explained about the legend of the Sith, the Force field created by Yoda's father, the doppelgangers, the <em>Star Wars<em> phenomenon, his own origins on this planet, and finally, the true reason for his recent visit. _Master Windu is married? So that's why Master Obi-Wan didn't get in trouble! And he has kids too?_ Cory grinned, grateful to realize he wasn't the only secret and forbidden Jedi child.

Anakin seemed equally stunned and shocked by this revelation, and Cory gave him an apologetic warning look as they continued around the campfire circle to Master Obi-Wan, who was next.

"As most of you know," Obi-Wan sighed regretfully, staring into the fire. "Actually, as _all_ of you now know," he corrected himself, with a rueful grin. "I'm married as well; and Cory is my son," he said simply, with a tender smile at Cory.

Anakin blinked at Cory in surprise. _He knew already!_ Somehow, Cory hadn't expected Anakin to keep secrets from him. But he shared a mischievous grin with Anakin, wondering what secrets the famous black-cloaked Jedi might be hiding.

It was Anakin's turn now, and he looked at Master Windu uncertainly. "This won't be reported to the Council?" he asked hesitantly, glancing at Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon as well.

"No," Master Windu assured him. "We have invoked the sacred right; we must adhere by it," he told him, though now he was looking at Anakin with great curiosity. "Is there something you'd like to tell us?"

Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon were giving Anakin subtle nods, so he nodded, blinking. "Yes, Master," he confessed. "I... I'm married as well," he told them, as Cory gaped at him in wide-eyed disbelief. "To Padmé Amidala," Anakin continued nervously. "We have two children; Leia and Luke... Luke Starkiller," he confessed, with an apologetic glance at Master Yoda and Windu. "We sent him to the Temple as an orphan; I'm planning to take him as my padawan, when he comes of age," Anakin finished quietly.

Master Windu's initial expression of shock had given way to quiet laughter, but now he shared a concerned glance with Yoda. "I'm afraid we can't allow that," he warned Anakin. "I have never trained any of my own sons, either," he added regretfully.

Anakin looked up at them, dismayed. "But - the right of 'What happens in Vegas'...?"

Yoda sighed deeply, shaking his head. "Strongly advise against taking Luke as your padawan, I do," he told Anakin. "But forbid you, we cannot," he conceded, with a meaningful glance at Master Windu.

Anakin nodded, blinking. "Thank you, Master," he said, staring into the fire again and trying to pretend that whole exchange had never happened.

_Anakin and Padmé?_ Cory grinned in disbelief. _Just like on JEDI! This is so weird..._ But now it was Master Qui-Gon's turn, and Cory listened eagerly to what he had to say. _Ha... This will be good,_ he guessed; Cory had always known that his Master was one of the most unorthodox Jedi in the entire Order.

Qui-Gon smiled at Cory, sighing with gentle regret as he began. "I too was married once," he admitted, as the others nodded in quiet respect; Cory sensed that he was the only one who hadn't known about this. "She died, long ago," he continued. "But I have two sons, and three grandchildren," he added, with a tender smile at Obi-Wan, Anakin and Cory.

Cory nodded, not the least bit surprised by this revelation; but then he caught the looks the others were sharing. _What?_ He looked over at his father, then Anakin, then up at Master Qui-Gon again, confused.

"Cory," Qui-Gon said gently. "Obi-Wan and Anakin are my sons."

Cory blinked in surprise. "What?" he whispered, looking up at his Master. "You're... you're my grandfather?" he asked, smiling suddenly as tears of disbelief sprang to his eyes.

Qui-Gon nodded, smiling tenderly and hugging him. "Yes," he confessed, his blue eyes sparkling with affection as he gently tousled Cory's short hair. "And Anakin is your uncle," he explained, nodding to Anakin, who was smiling at him shyly. _That's why he's an orphan too... Ha - this is so cool!_ Cory thought happily.

But now everyone was looking at him, and Cory realized it was his turn. _Oh, crap! Um..._ "I kissed a girl once," he blurted out stupidly. _Ahh! Did I say that?_ Cory blinked; then he grinned. _Hey!_ he realized. _Everyone else is married; it's all right that I'm in love with Elena..._

"Cory!" his father gasped, staring at him in horror. "You kissed a girl?" Master Windu and Yoda shared a dismayed glance, and Anakin was laughing quietly, but Master Qui-Gon frowned at him now in stern disapproval.

"When did this happen?" Qui-Gon asked, his tone gentle but firm.

_Aw, crap... Nobody else got yelled at,_ Cory sulked. _Well, Anakin sort of did,_ he admitted, sighing in dismay. _Ah, I don't want to get Elena in trouble! Okay, think quick..._ "I was seven," Cory confessed truthfully, staring at the fire as he tried to look remorseful. "Sara Kilean," he sighed. "We were younglings together... It only happened that once," he told them sincerely. "It was really stupid," he agreed, with an embarrassed shrug. _She's in the Agricultural program now..._

Cory glanced at the others apologetically, and sensed their profound relief upon hearing his story. _Okay, I'm never telling them about Elena,_ he decided, still dismayed that _they_ were all allowed to fall in love, but he wasn't.

But now it was Master Yoda's turn, and they all looked at him respectfully. _He's not married,_ Cory knew. _He's from a whole other galaxy. And he's full of secrets, but I doubt he'll tell us any,_ Cory thought, staring into the fire.

"Married, I am not," Yoda told them. "But a life-mate, I have," he confessed, to the stunned disbelief of everyone except Master Windu. "Yaddi," Master Yoda murmured, smiling. "Master Yaddle," he explained. "Sent here as an ambassador by my people she was, thirteen years ago," he told them. "Sat on the Council for a year she did, before Master Qui-Gon took her place," he added.

"Far too young for me, Yaddi was," Yoda confessed. "Only four hundred years old... A shameless cradle robber, I am," he admitted, as the others laughed in amused disbelief. "But my own people, I often miss," he sighed. "And so beautiful and sweet, Yaddi was," he added wistfully, staring into the fire.

"Tried to resist it, I did," Yoda continued. "Easy it was at first," he admitted. "TPM at that time, I had," he reminded them. "But after I was cured... Looked at me differently, Yaddi did," he confessed. "Concentrate during Council meetings, we could not," he laughed ruefully. "Fell hopelessly in love, we did; and soon after, pregnant, Yaddi became," he told them.

"Into hiding on Dagobah, Yaddi went," Yoda told them. "There she has been living these past thirteen years, with our son, Kermit," he said, smiling tenderly. "Still a newborn by my people's standards, young Kermit is," he explained. "Thirty more years we have, before decide we must, whether to send him to the Temple for training, or home to our own galaxy."

Cory smiled quietly as he stared into the fire, amazed by the things he had learned this evening. "Speaking of returning home to our own galaxy," Master Windu said now, glancing up at the night sky. "I think it's time," he admitted, as the others nodded in agreement. "Remember," Master Windu added, with a solemn look around the campfire. "What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas."

"What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas," the others agreed respectfully.

"Very well," Master Windu nodded. "This meeting is adjourned," he announced with a cheerful smile, getting up from his spot as Obi-Wan and Anakin put out the campfire. "Let's go home."

Cory sighed wistfully as he climbed into the emergency passenger seat of Master Qui-Gon's Starfighter. _This was really fun,_ he admitted, looking down at the colorful lights of Las Vegas as they took off into the night sky. _I hope we can come here again some day._

* * *

><p>Leila awoke, startled by a tapping sound on her bedroom window. <em>Obi-Wan!<em> She smiled in ecstatic relief, realizing that her husband had come home safely. _They found him..._

But then she gasped in alarm at the strange man who came in through her window; he had short hair and was dressed in odd, somewhat ragged clothes... _Ahhh! Not Obi-Wan!_ Acting on instinct, Leila quickly flipped him onto the floor and kicked him in the stomach with her bare foot, before running toward the drawer where she kept her blaster.

"Ohhhh," the intruder groaned, crawling on the floor. "Leila, wait," he protested, staggering to his feet again as Leila stared at him in guarded confusion. "It's me," the man pleaded, clutching at his stomach and wincing painfully.

"Obi-Wan!" Leila exclaimed, rushing to him and embracing him. "Oh, I'm sorry... What - what happened to you?" she asked, blinking in confusion. His hair was cropped short, and his beard was gone; he was dressed in the strangest clothes she had ever seen, but somehow he looked completely irresistable, and she hugged him again. "Are you all right?"

"Yes," Obi-Wan reassured her, kissing her lovingly. "Well, aside from - " he broke off, wincing again as he clutched at his stomach. "Force, Leila, they treated me better than that on the Sith planet," he reproached her.

"I'm sorry," she laughed softly. "Obi-Wan," she sighed, gazing at him in relief. "You look... like an overgrown padawan," she giggled, tousling his short hair playfully and kissing him on the cheek. "What happened?"

"It's a long story," Obi-Wan sighed. "But we're all back; everyone's all right," he assured her; then he smiled in delight as the bedroom door opened. "Jon! Kyra!" he exclaimed happily, as the children ran to him in their pajamas, hugging him tight. "Oh, I missed you," Obi-Wan cried, hugging them lovingly and giving them each a kiss.

"Obi-Wan... What happened to your - " Kyra blinked in confusion. "You look weird."

"I know; I'm sorry," Obi-Wan apologized, still smiling and hugging them close. "Oh!" he exclaimed, looking over at the window. "There's someone else who wanted to say hello," he told them, going over to the window and signaling down to someone below. A moment later Leila smiled in surprise to see Cory climbing through the window.

"Cory!" Leila exclaimed, hugging him. _I'm allowed to give him one quick hug, just like everybody else,_ she told herself, expecting Anakin and Qui-Gon to climb in through the window any moment now. But no one else came, and now Cory was hugging her, tears of joy in his eyes as he smiled at her shyly.

"He knows," Obi-Wan said gently, sharing a tender smile with Leila as he patted his son on the shoulder.

"What?" Leila whispered, looking at Obi-Wan in shocked disbelief, then back at Cory. "He knows?" Leila felt her own eyes welling over with tears. "Cory," she cried. "Oh, sweety, I love you," she whispered, kissing him on the temple.

"I love you too," Cory whispered, laying his head against her shoulder as he held her. But now Obi-Wan was herding the other children over to greet their brother, and Cory turned to them, grinning cheerfully as he hugged Jon, then Kyra.

Obi-Wan gave Leila another tender kiss, and she wrapped her arms around him, relieved to have him back in one piece. "What's going to happen?" she asked, concerned and ecstatic at the same.

"Nothing," Obi-Wan said. "Qui-Gon and Cory are going to make themselves scarce for the next month or so, until my beard grows back a bit," he confessed, sharing a rueful grin with Cory. _They really do look alike,_ Leila admitted worriedly. "But we're all going to try to get together on Naboo next month, for Anakin's birthday."

"That will be wonderful," Leila agreed, smiling. It was the middle of the night, and the sun would be up in another hour or so, but she knew there would be no more sleeping in this household tonight, and that the Jedi family members would soon have to leave again.

"All right," Leila announced, pulling on her bathrobe and giggling as Obi-Wan wrapped his arms around her lovingly. "Who wants pancakes?" she asked, wriggling playfully out of her husband's embrace as she followed her three children into the kitchen for their first meal at home together as a family.

* * *

><p>"Ani!" Padmé exclaimed, as he dropped into her bedroom. "You're back! Is everyone all right?" she asked, giggling in surprise as he picked her up, carrying her back to the bed again and kissing her while simultaneously attempting to pull off his clothes.<p>

"Yes," Anakin assured her, still kissing her playfully as he removed his belt. "Everyone's fine," he said, pulling off his boots. "How have you been?" he asked, glancing at Leia's crib, then gazing into Padmé's eyes lovingly, kissing her again.

"We're fine," Padmé assured him, helping him undress. "I spent the day with Leila; Chancellor Palpatine postponed the memorial service for another day," she told him. "He and Master Ki-Adi have come up with another cover story; they're saying the shuttle crash may have been a diversion, and that Yoda and the others were actually on a secret mission to Dagobah," Padmé explained. "Apparently Yoda has been there before; it's a hidden planet, just like - what?" she asked worriedly, seeing Anakin's anxious cringe.

Anakin shook his head, laughing. "Nothing," he sighed, crawling into bed next to her. "What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas," he said quietly; then he shrugged. "Eh, screw it," he said, kissing her. "Obi-Wan said it's all right to tell family," he told her. "Yoda has a family on Dagobah... Yaddi," he laughed in amusement. "And their baby, Kermit."

"Kermit?" Padmé giggled, as Anakin snuggled against her, closing his eyes. "Ani, are you serious?"

"Yes," Anakin murmured, smiling as he stroked her hair. "Master Windu's married too," he added. "They know about Luke; they're not going to tell the Council, and they say it's all right if I take him as my padawan," he told her. "Well," he added reluctantly, "they didn't exactly say it's all right, but they won't object," he conceded.

"But I don't want to think about Master Windu right now, or Yoda, or Yaddi, or Kermit," he said, kissing her playfully and gathering her in his arms as he pulled her on top of him. "I want to think about you," he whispered. "I love you, Padmé," he said, his blue eyes sparkling in the colorful lights of the city beyond.

Padmé smiled, gently stroking his curly golden-brown hair as he smiled up at her adoringly. "I love you too, Ani," she whispered, losing herself in his loving embrace. "I'm so glad you're home."


	78. Family reunions abound

**Chapter 78**

_A month later..._

"Yoda!" Yaddle exclaimed, hugging him happily as he came through the door.

"Yaddi," Yoda sighed, holding her close. "Missed you, I did," he confessed, giving her a tender kiss as he came inside their cozy little hut on Dagobah. "How is Kermit?" he asked cheerfully, hobbling over to the crib.

"Fine," Yaddi said, as Yoda picked up their infant son, cradling him proudly in his arms. "Still teething, he is," she added with a rueful smile. Kermit was nearly thirteen years old now, and had been teething for the past four years; he was breaking a new sharp little tooth right now, and Yaddi would be glad when he was finally past this stage. _Painful, it is,_ she admitted.

"Made some soup, I did," Yaddi offered, going over to the little cauldron by the fire and ladeling out a bowl for her husband. _My husband,_ Yaddi thought, smiling; she had never allowed herself to use that term before, but since learning of Anakin and Obi-Wan's unofficial Outer Rim marriages, Yaddi and Yoda had decided that the life-pledge they had sworn to each other in the tradition of their own people was no less sacred, and now they considered themselves husband and wife.

"Mmm," Yoda sighed, sitting at the table and eating his soup. "Delicious, this is," he said appreciatively. But then he sighed with heavy regret, and Yaddi sat next to him, rubbing his back gently. "What is it?" she asked. _Too much guilt, he takes upon himself,_ she lamented. _The weight of the galaxy, he carries on his shoulders._

Yoda's deep sense of guilt spanned several centuries. After becoming a Master in their own galaxy, he had been sent as an ambassador to _this_ galaxy, eventually become head of the Jedi Council. But then he had fallen in love with Yaddi; and now, in addition to his profound remorse over disobeying the Jedi Code, he also felt guilty that Yaddi had been forced to go into hiding on Dagobah.

_Happy here, I am,_ Yaddi had assured him countless times over the past thirteen years. It was a beautiful, lush planet, so peaceful and quiet, and Yaddi had truly been happy here with Kermit. _Never a city person, I was,_ she admitted.

But today Yoda's heavy guilt was not due to past transgressions; it stemmed from a more recent situation. "Visited young Mara Jade again, I did," he told Yaddi with a regretful smile as he continued to enjoy his soup, cradling Kermit on his lap.

Yaddi smiled tenderly; Yoda had questioned his decision to accept Mara Jade as an infant youngling from the very beginning, but Yaddi trusted her husband's instincts. _If the will of the Force he sensed it was, then the right decision he made._

Mara Jade had been brought to the Temple by a Coruscant social worker two months ago. Only six weeks old at the time, Mara had been taken from her drug-addicted mother due to abuse and neglect. After conducting the usual medical tests, the doctors had discovered that the child possessed an unusually high midichlorian count, and the social worker had begged Master Yoda to take Mara into the Temple as a Jedi youngling.

Yoda had at first said no. In addition to being a girl, and thus having little hope within the Jedi Order, Mara had been born addicted to death sticks, due to her mother's drug habit. "Death stick babies," as they were known, often suffered from severe emotional problems and had difficulty adjusting to society, due to a chemical imbalance in their brains.

The social worker feared that if Mara were raised in the city's foster care system, she would end up a drug addict or criminal herself, like too many others born with her condition. But perhaps in the nurturing yet disciplined atmosphere of the Jedi Temple, Mara might have a chance at a better life. In the end, Yoda had agreed to take her in, though he had questioned his decision ever since.

"Much anger in her, there is," Yoda lamented again, shaking his head. Mara had suffered from extreme neglect at the hands of her drug-addicted mother, and her first six weeks had been horribly painful, both physically and emotionally. As a newborn she had nearly died from the physical pain of drug withdrawal, and after that she had spent most of her time crying helplessly, with no one to feed her, cuddle her, change her diapers, or show her any kind of love or affection. It was not a recipe for a healthy, well-adjusted Jedi youngling, but Yoda had taken pity on the child, and accepted her into the Order.

"A wise decision, it was not," Yoda confessed now. "But the will of the Force, I still sense that it was," he told Yaddi. "No hope does she have, a Jedi to become," he admitted; it was a sad fact that girls were rarely chosen as padawans. "But perhaps a good life she will have, in the Agricultural Corps," Yoda sighed.

Yaddi smiled, patting him on the shoulder. "The right thing you did, Yoda," she told him. "A better life, she will have."

"Thank you, Yaddi," Yoda replied, smiling. "Delicious, this soup is," he added, peering into his bowl curiously. "The new spices from Janessa, did you use?"

"Yes," Yaddi told him; Janessa had sent her a gift basket of spices and other things from Solaris Three, and Yaddi had been having fun experimenting with new recipes. "Bay leaf and oregano, did I try this time."

Yoda nodded in appreciation, sighing contentedly as he continued to enjoy his dinner. "Back home to Solaris Three, Mace has gone this weekend," he told Yaddi. "Still trying to cover up our last visit, he is," Yoda added in rueful amusement; Yaddi giggled as she recalled the bizarre stories Yoda had told her of their disastrous mission a month ago.

"Glad I am, that Qui-Gon and the others have learned the truth," Yoda said. "Their help we will need, to keep Solaris Three hidden from the Hutts," he admitted, as Yaddi nodded in worried agreement; the planet's delicious spices alone would give the Hutts untold wealth and power, but if they ever discovered the illicit drugs and nuclear weapons hidden on Solaris Three, all would be lost.

"And grateful I am, to learn of Obi-Wan and Anakin's marriages," Yoda confessed, smiling wistfully at Yaddi. "Not so alone do I feel any more," he admitted, stroking her silky auburn hair. "Believe it is wrong, I do not; and perhaps one day changed, the Code might be," he sighed. "But love you, Yaddi, I do," Yoda said tenderly.

"Love you, I do as well," Yaddi replied, wrapping her arms around her husband and laying her head against his shoulder. "Wonderful to have you home again, it is."

* * *

><p><em>Meanwhile, by the lake on Naboo...<em>

"Master Zaro!" Ellie announced, coming inside from the terrace. "The Naberries are here!"

"Are they?" Zaro grinned cheerfully, getting up from his armchair and following the graceful golden protocol droid back out to the terrace. "Why, yes they are," he agreed good-naturedly, seeing Ruwee out on his own terrace, firing up his barbecue grill. "Howdy, neighbor!" Zaro called over to him, with a friendly wave. "How's it going?"

"Hey, Zaro!" Ruwee said, waving back. "We're having a birthday party for Anakin," he explained, with a cheerful smile. "Come on over," he invited his neighbor casually. Like everyone else in the galaxy, the famous young Jedi Knight had fallen in love with Naboo's beautiful lake country since filming here for _JEDI_ three years ago; Anakin had visited the Naberrie retreat just last month along with a few of his other Jedi friends, and Zaro proudly agreed that he couldn't have picked a better spot to celebrate his birthday.

"Great!" Zaro agreed. "Hey, I've got a bunch of Gooberfish filets in the freezer - caught a big one last week," he said proudly, as his long-time fishing buddy nodded, impressed. "I'll bring some over," he offered, heading back inside.

A minute later Zaro was stepping gingerly across the little gondola moored in the canal and onto the steps of the Naberries' terrace. "Wow... thank you," Ruwee said, as Zaro unwrapped several pieces of frozen fish, placing them on the barbecue grill. "Those look terrific... I really need to get back out there one of these days," Ruwee sighed, gazing out across the sparkling lake toward their favorite fishing spot.

"Eh, you've been busy with your granddaughter," Zaro said cheerfully. "They're only young once," he reminded his friend. "Is she here?" he asked hopefully, peering inside the house. "The little princess?"

"Ha!" Ruwee laughed; he and Zaro both found it amusing that the extremely ordinary, unassuming, middle-class Naberrie family was technically considered royalty, ever since Ruwee's precocious young daugher had been elected Queen of Naboo at age fourteen. "Yes, she's here... Actually we've got quite a crowd today; go on in," he told Zaro casually, nodding toward the doorway. "Thanks for the fish," he added with an appreciative grin.

"Any time," Zaro assured him, continuing on inside the house. "There she is!" he exclaimed, spotting Leia and Padmé amidst the crowd of people in the living room. _Ruwee wasn't kidding,_ Zaro realized, looking around in surprise at the strange mixture of family, Jedi, and other people gathered at the Naberrie retreat. _This is quite a party._ But he hugged Padmé now, giving Leia a kiss on the cheek. "She's grown since last month," Zaro remarked, stroking her silky baby hair as Leia looked up at him with her curious dark eyes.

"Yes, she'll be six months next week," Padmé told him, with an affectionate smile. "She's sitting up now; Sola thinks she'll be crawling soon," she added. "I'm going to have to babyproof my whole apartment now," Padmé sighed cheerfully.

"She's beautiful," Zaro said, admiring the gorgeous child. _Her hair and eyes are getting darker all the time,_ he noted, though he didn't say so aloud; the Naberries were close friends, but they had never spoken of Leia's father. _This is Typho's child,_ Zaro knew, glancing around quietly for Padmé's long-time bodyguard, and dismayed once again by his conspicuous absence. _I wish the Naberries would realize that we're all family here,_ Zaro lamented. _Padmé and Typho's secret is safe with me._

But Zaro set aside his concerns as he greeted the other guests. "Leila," he said warmly, hugging her. "It's good to see you again! How are the kids?" Zaro had met Leila just over a month ago, when she had last visited the lake retreat; she and Padmé had been close friends ever since their unfortunate kidnapping incident on Coruscant several months ago.

"Hi Zaro!" Leila said cheerfully. "They're fine; Kyra's out playing with Ryoo and Pooja, and Jon and Cory went for a hike," she told him, glancing out the window toward the hills beyond the lake. _Cory? Ah yes, Qui-Gon's young padawan,_ Zaro remembered. Then he spotted the guest of honor, and grinned.

"Anakin!" Zaro exclaimed. "Happy birthday! Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan; it's good to see you again," he added, as the Jedi guests nodded, smiling cheerfully and saying hello. Obi-Wan's hair and beard looked a bit shorter than usual, but Zaro decided the new look suited him.

"I've been enjoying _SITH_ lately; it's getting very exciting," Zaro said; he'd always been a big fan of _JEDI_ as well, and was still thrilled that his very own protocol droid had provided Anakin's original golden mechanical hand on the show, for his lakeside wedding scene three years ago. _How times have changed,_ Zaro laughed to himself, amused by the preposterous plot of this season's show. _Now Padmé is dead, and Anakin is a robotic monster._

"Wonderful job with the Bandomeer episode," he told Anakin sincerely. "Your acting was incredible; I was nearly moved to tears," he said, impressed by the young Jedi's talents.

But Anakin grinned ruefully, shaking his head. "Eh, that wasn't me; that was Rory," he told Zaro. "I haven't done anything since Mace threw me out the window across Coruscant," he laughed good-naturedly.

"Ah," Zaro nodded, surprised to learn that Anakin's stunt double had filmed that episode. "I forget; you people actually have jobs outside of filming for _SITH,_" he said. "I haven't seen you on the show for a while either," Zaro added to Obi-Wan, peering at him curiously and wondering once again if the rumors were true, that Ben Kenobi was in fact his uncle.

Obi-Wan laughed, his eyes twinkling. "Yes, I've been letting my professional stunt double handle that lately," he agreed. "Ben plays me far more convincingly than I play myself," he joked.

"He _is_ an incredible actor," Zaro agreed; Ben Kenobi was a famous stage and movie actor in his own right, and his cameo appearances on _SITH_ were mostly a joke. "But his sword fighting is pathetic," Zaro laughed, shaking his head as he recalled last week's episode. "I hope they put you back on the show before the end of the season; it's really sad to watch the man try to wield a lightsaber," Zaro chuckled good-naturedly.

Obi-Wan attempted a polite nod, thanking him; but Anakin cringed in embarrassment, and Qui-Gon shared an amused glance with someone behind Zaro, before all three Jedi erupted into hysterical laughter. _What?_ Zaro wondered, turning around; then he was horrified to find himself face-to-face with Ben Kenobi, who had been chatting with Ruwee's brother Dooku.

_Noooo! Help!_ "I'm so sorry," Zaro apologized. "I'm a huge fan... really," he assured Ben, mortified. But thankfully the famous actor was laughing as well, and didn't seem to take offense.

"Thank you," Ben Kenobi said, smiling warmly. "And I would have to agree; I'm quite hopeless with a lightsaber," he admitted. "Not like Dooku here," he conceded, nodding to the veteran _JEDI_ actor. "But Cliegg definitely wants to bring Obi-Wan back sometime soon," Ben assured him, with an amused laugh.

Zaro nodded humbly, still mortified by what he had said; but thankfully he was quickly rescued from this awkward situation as Jobal and Sola emerged from the kitchen, smiling cheerfully as they caught sight of him.

"Jobal! Sola!" Zaro exclaimed, hugging his neighbors. "It's so good to see you!" _Really, it is... Thank you for saving me from that,_ Zaro thought ruefully, giving Ben and the others a respectful nod as he continued out to the terrace with Jobal and Sola.

_The Naberries are such wonderful people,_ Zaro realized once again, as he chatted with Ruwee over the barbecue grill. _It was so kind of them to host Anakin's birthday party, and invite all of these Jedi and other guests,_ he thought, gazing across the lake at the two boys hiking in the hills, and the three little girls playing in the meadow.

_I still wish Typho could have been here though,_ Zaro admitted, feeling bad that Padmé was giving up precious quality time with her family to entertain Anakin and his Jedi friends. _I will be glad next weekend, when it's just family again,_ Zaro thought, saying goodbye to his neighbors and heading back over to his own place. _Then Ruwee and I can go fishing._

* * *

><p><em>Meanwhile, on Cerea...<em>

"It's good to be home," Ki-Adi said, giving his wife a tender smile as they washed the dishes together after dinner. "I miss Su-Lui though, he admitted. "It's so quiet around here without her." Their daughter was away studying music at college, and Ki-Adi and his wife had never imagined they would miss her incessant horn playing.

"I miss her too," Ju-Ini agreed, with a wistful smile. "What is Ma-Kio up to this weekend?"

"I'm not sure," Ki-Adi said. He and Ju-Ini had secretly given their son to the Jedi Temple years ago. Ki-Adi had taken Ma-Kio as his own padawan, and had always maintained a close relationship with him; but since passing the trials two years ago, Ma-Kio had been enjoying the freedom and independence that knighthood afforded him.

"He was on a mission to Corellia, the last I heard from him," Ki-Adi told his wife cheerfully. "He'll probably be back on Coruscant soon," he assured her; but then he frowned suddenly, sensing something. "That's odd."

"What?" Ju-Ini asked, curious.

"I'm masking my presence right now," Ki-Adi reminded her; he was always careful to do so when he visited his family on Cerea. "And usually that means I can't sense anyone else, but... I think Ma-Kio is nearby," he told Ju-Ini, blinking in surprise.

"He's here? On Cerea?" she asked, with a delighted smile.

"Yes," Ki-Adi frowned, baffled. "He's just down the street; two blocks away," he realized, grinning in disbelief. "I wonder what he's doing here...? I'm going to go find out," he decided, giving Ju-Ini a kiss and heading for the door. "I'll be back in a few minutes... I hope," he added with a good-natured grin, surprised by this turn of events.

_Whatever is he doing here?_ Ki-Adi wondered, continuing down the street and following Ma-Kio's familiar presence. It was coming from a little house, just two blocks away from his own; Ki-Adi could see the lights on in the window now. _I'll tell him that I was visiting Cerea for the weekend, and sensed his presence,_ he decided, settling on a cover story. _It's true, after all._

"Hello," Ki-Adi said, bowing politely to the young Cerean woman who opened the door. _She recognizes me,_ he sensed, not surprised; like all members of the Jedi Council, Ki-Adi was recognized nearly everywhere he went, and he rarely allowed himself to be seen in his wife's neighborhood. "I'm looking for Ma-Kio Moondancer; is he here?"

He could sense the woman's panic immediately. "No," she lied. "Who... who are you looking for?" she asked, pretending to have never heard the name before.

"Ma-Kio Moondancer," Ki-Adi repeated, masking his surprise and concern. _I feel him upstairs. And now he's panicking too,_ Ki-Adi realized, suddenly worried. "What's going on?"

"Um..." The young woman hesitated, cringing anxiously; but then Ki-Adi heard the cry of an infant, and the young woman hung her head in dismay, tears springing to her eyes. "I'm sorry," she cried. "Please... please, don't..."

"Are you all right?" Ki-Adi asked, concerned for the young woman. She was sobbing miserably, and now Ma-Kio appeared, coming down the stairs with an infant in his arms. "Ma-Kio," Ki-Adi exclaimed, relieved to see him. "What's going on?" But then he saw the anxious, remorseful look on his son's face, and he knew the truth.

"No," Ki-Adi whispered, blinking in shock at his son. "No..."

"Master," Ma-Kio apologized, handing the child to the young woman. "Master... I'm sorry," he said, hanging his head. "I have dishonored you; I'm so sorry," Ma-Kio said again, keeping his head bowed in respect.

"Ma-Kio," Ki-Adi whispered, still stunned. Then, regaining his wits, he quickly came inside the house, shutting the door. "Who is this?" he asked, looking at the young woman.

"This is... Ti-Ani," Ma-Kio said. "My wife," he confessed quietly. "And our daughter, Ni-Kia."

Ki-Adi gazed at his granddaughter, tears in his eyes. "She's beautiful," he said, smiling despite himself.

Ma-Kio blinked in confusion. "Master?" he asked uncertainly. "You're not angry?"

Ki-Adi sighed, smiling wistfully at his son. "No," he told him. "I should be, but I'm not. Ma-Kio... Can I sit down?" he asked, as Ma-Kio nodded in confusion, inviting him over to the couch. "Ma-Kio," Ki-Adi said, with a tender glance at Ti-Ani and the baby. "There is something that I must tell you."

* * *

><p><em>A few minutes later...<em>

_What?_ Ma-Kio gasped in disbelief as he listened to what his Master had to say. _I thought I was going to be expelled, but..._ "Master - you're... You're my father?" he choked, tears springing to his eyes.

"Yes," Ki-Adi replied, tears in his own eyes as he put a comforting hand on Ma-Kio's shoulder. "You're not the first one to have done this," he said, as Ma-Kio laughed despite his tears. "Ma-Kio, I'm not going to report you to the Council... How could I?" Ki-Adi sighed. "But if anyone else finds out about this, you _will_ be expelled," he warned him.

"Yes, Master; I know," Ma-Kio nodded, hanging his head. "And I _am_ sorry," he apologized again.

"I know," Ki-Adi nodded. "I'm sorry too," he sighed; then he laughed, shaking his head. "Actually, I'm not sorry at all," he confessed. "I don't believe it's wrong, Ma-Kio," he told him. "I have asked myself this question countless times, and I always arrive at the same answer," he said. "I do not believe that being in love has adversely affected my ability to do my job," Ki-Adi admitted. "If anything, it has taught me compassion, and responsibility, and has made me a _better_ Jedi."

Ma-Kio nodded in quiet agreement; he had come to the same conclusion himself, since meeting Ti-Ani two years ago. "It's because we're Cereans, isn't it?"

Ki-Adi sighed thoughtfully. "Yes," he agreed. "Cereans are different from other races, Ma-Kio; we have a strong instinct to form compassionate, loving relationships, and it goes against our nature to adhere to the Jedi Code in that respect," he admitted. "I think it is easier for other species."

Ki-Adi smiled at Ti-Ani and Ni-Kia now. "It's so nice to meet you, Ti-Ani." _Wow... Ni-Kia is his granddaughter,_ Ma-Kio realized, still trying to comprehend what was happening. _I always thought of Master Ki-Adi as my father anyway,_ he admitted, smiling. "May I?" Ki-Adi was asking now, with a hopeful look at the baby.

"Oh!" Ti-Ani nodded, carefully handing Ni-Kia over to him. "Of course."

"She's perfect," Ki-Adi whispered, holding his granddaughter. "You're planning to raise her at home, then?"

"Yes," Ma-Kio told his father, sharing a happy smile with Ti-Ani. "Her midichlorian count is high, but..." Ma-Kio broke off, not even needing to finish that sentence. Ki-Adi knew as well as he did that Cerean females had a strong need to form family bonds, and that Ti-Ani and Ni-Kia would both be miserable if they were separated from each other.

"I know," Ki-Adi said regretfully. "And I agree with your decision," he sighed. "Ma-Kio, your mother was heartbroken when we sent you to the Temple," he admitted, with a wistful smile. "But she wanted you to have a good life, and she is very proud of you; we both are," Ki-Adi assured him, his eyes sparkling with pride.

"Thank you, Master," Ma-Kio said, smiling. _My mother..._ "Master... can I meet her?"

Ki-Adi nodded, kissing Ni-Kia on the cheek and handing her back to Ti-Ani. "Yes," he said, getting up from the couch and leading the way toward the door. "It is time. But we must be cautious," he warned his son again, peering out the window at the dark, quiet street. "And in the future you must do a better job of masking your presence, young one; or next time you truly will be expelled," he chided Ma-Kio. "And I probably will be as well," he added, with a rueful grin.

"Yes, Master," Ma-Kio agreed, bowing his head in respect. "I will be more careful, Master; I promise."

"See that you are," Ki-Adi nodded, his eyes twinkling. "Now, let's go see your mother."


	79. Anakin's 25th birthday party

**Chapter 79**

_Two years later..._

"Anakin's birthday again, eh?" Zaro said, stepping into his fishing boat from the steps of his terrace.

"That's right," Ruwee nodded, once again starting up his barbecue grill. "How's the fishing been?"

"Pretty good," Zaro told him. "Haven't caught anything big in a while though; it's been - " he broke off suddenly, as they both stared across the lake at a sudden disturbance on the surface of the water. "Whoa," Zaro exclaimed, seeing a school of smaller fish jumping desperately out of the water to escape something bigger that was chasing them. "Gooberfish," he grinned, climbing into his fishing boat and grabbing the oars. "See ya," he told Ruwee cheerfully.

"Wait!" Ruwee grinned, running over and hopping into the boat. "I'm coming too!"

"Ha!" Zaro laughed, looking back at Ruwee's abandoned barbecue grill as he rowed out across the lake. "I don't think Jobal's going to be pleased about this."

Ruwee laughed. "No, probably not." But now Anakin and Obi-Wan were stepping out onto the terrace of the Naberrie retreat, frowning worriedly at the unattended grill, and Ruwee waved to them apologetically. "Eh, they're family; they'll figure it out," he said confidently, leaving the Jedi to fend for themselves.

Zaro smiled; the Naberries were such kind-hearted, welcoming people, and considered just about everyone 'family'. This was the third year in a row that Anakin had celebrated his birthday at the lake retreat, but he and Padmé's other Coruscant friends often visited for no reason at all, just to get away from the busy city. _It's nice that they have a place they can come to,_ Zaro thought, once again spotting the two boys hiking in the nearby hills, and the girls playing in the meadow. Today Leia was running around with them through the wildflowers, chasing butterflies and giggling happily.

_And finally, they're being more relaxed about Typho,_ Zaro thought quietly, seeing him join Anakin and Obi-Wan on the terrace now to rescue the meal from certain disaster; it was a well-known fact that Jedi could not cook to save their lives. _Typho is such a wonderful father, even if his daughter doesn't know it yet._ It was obvious that Leia loved him dearly, but she simply called him "Typho," and had no idea that he was anything more than just her mother's bodyguard.

_It's so kind of the Naberries to open their home to these people,_ Zaro thought, spotting Qui-Gon Jinn and Ben Kenobi perched on the rooftop, looking out over the lake. _It must be hard to be famous; to live in the city and never have a quiet moment alone,_ Zaro realized, as he rowed out to his favorite fishing spot with Ruwee. _No wonder they all love to come here._

* * *

><p><em>Meanwhile, on the rooftop...<em>

"She's been gone twenty-five years," Qui-Gon said softly, as he and Ben sat on the roof of the Naberrie retreat, looking across the lake toward the rolling hills where Cory and Jon were hiking. Leia was playing in the meadow nearby with the other girls, and Anakin and Obi-Wan were on the terrace, ruining today's meal; Qui-Gon's heart filled with warmth as he realized his family was all in one place, still happy and together after all these years. "I wish Ana could have seen this."

"So do I," Ben agreed. Ana Kenobi's little brother was the only other person in the galaxy who had known and loved her, and Qui-Gon was grateful for his presence today on the anniversary of his wife's death.

_But it's also Anakin's birthday,_ Qui-Gon reminded himself, smiling in amusement as Captain Typho appeared on the terrace below to rescue his sons from their hopeless attempt at cooking. "I can't believe he's twenty-five," Qui-Gon said; then he blinked in profound disbelief at his other son. "And I can't believe Obi-Wan is forty," he added, still stunned by the realization. _What happened to my little padawan?_

"He doesn't look it," Ben said, smiling affectionately.

"No, he doesn't," Qui-Gon agreed. "He gets that from you," he added, grinning. At fifty-three, Ben Kenobi looked at least a decade younger than he really was; most people assumed it was due to being pampered as an actor, but in truth it was just his Kenobi genes. He had a few little lines around his eyes, but there wasn't even a hint of grey in his ginger hair.

_Unlike me,_ Qui-Gon sighed with good-natured regret. He had turned sixty a couple of months ago, and now he was hard pressed to find a hair on his head that _wasn't_ grey. _Ahh, but I'm a grandfather,_ he smiled, looking across the lake at Cory, and Leia. _I'm supposed to be old._

"Cory has grown," Ben remarked thoughtfully, squinting at the two distant figures hiking in the hills.

"Finally," Qui-Gon laughed. "I was beginning to worry." At fifteen, Cory was still smaller than even his father had been at that age, but he had recently put on a growth spurt, and was now sporting a brand new brown-and-ivory Jedi outfit. He had asked for black, of course, and Qui-Gon had said no; but in the end he had allowed him to have black boots and a black belt, and now he was grateful for his decision. _He looks less like Obi-Wan this way._

"His little brother is going to catch up with him soon, though," Qui-Gon predicted. Jon was only thirteen, but Obi-Wan had mentioned once - with melodramatic jealousy which was only partially feigned - that Leila's first husband had been 'tall, dark, and handsome', and Jon definitely seemed to be following in his father's footsteps.

"It's the Kenobi curse," Ben laughed cheerfully. "We're all a bunch of redheads," he agreed. "Leia seems to have escaped it though," he pointed out. "And you say Luke is blond?"

"So far," Qui-Gon nodded,. "I don't know where he gets it from; or Anakin either, for that matter."

"Anakin's hair has gotten a bit darker, though," Ben remarked, peering down at his younger nephew on the terrace below. "He's not nearly as blond as he used to be."

"Just as well," Qui-Gon sighed; they had all been quietly watching Luke's development these past two and a half years, and were desperately hoping that the boy would not look too much like his father by the time Anakin took him as his padawan. _At least Luke is tiny,_ Qui-Gon thought, smiling tenderly; he was the smallest youngling in his class, aside from Mara Jade.

"I can't wait to meet Luke," Ben said wistfully. "You're sure you can't arrange for him to be on _SITH_ one of these days? He could visit my hovel on Tatooine, and I could instruct him in the ways of the Force," Ben suggested.

"Ha!" Qui-Gon laughed, amused by the idea. "No, I couldn't think of a better way to advertise the fact that he's Anakin's son," he sighed. "But it won't be long before he'll be joining us for family get-togethers," he assured Ben cheerfully. "Yoda and Mace have given us unofficial permission to tell Luke the truth, when Anakin takes him as his padawan. That's just seven years from now," Qui-Gon explained; nine was the youngest age that a padawan could be chosen.

Ben laughed. "I wish Ana could have known what she had started," he sighed. "A whole brood of Jedi spawn," he chuckled, looking out at his nieces and nephews scattered around the lake. "Cory's doing well though?"

"Yes," Qui-Gon said. "I'm watching him like a hawk," he added mischievously. "But in terms of learning about his family at such a young age," he mused, sighing. "We've all learned from this situation," Qui-Gon admitted. "And even Yoda and Mace agree; it hasn't affected our Master/Padawan relationship in any negative way. Cory takes his studies very seriously, and is an incredibly hard worker, because he wants to make his family proud," Qui-Gon said.

"Knowing that he has a family who loves him has been a good thing for Cory," he insisted. "He has a strong sense of identity that most padawans lack, and - " Qui-Gon chuckled regretfully. "All teenagers have a need to rebel against authority," he pointed out, as Ben nodded in amusement. "But for Cory, having a secret, illegal family seems to have fulfilled that need; I have been spared from the constant questioning of authority that I suffered with Obi-Wan," he laughed affectionately.

Ben chuckled in commiseration; Qui-Gon had come to him countless times in the past, ready to tear his hair out in frustration over Obi-Wan's undying disdain for his Master's unorthodox devotion to the Living Force. "Even Obi-Wan has admitted to it; if he had known that I was his father, he would have been proud to follow in my footsteps, instead of rebelling against me by quoting the most arcane and outdated tenets of the Jedi Code at every possible opportunity," Qui-Gon laughed fondly. _While at the same time sneaking around with Leila behind my back,_ he realized, shaking his head.

Ben smiled consolingly. "They say you tend to ruin your first child," he pointed out.

Qui-Gon nodded, peering down at Obi-Wan on the terrace below them. _It's true,_ he admitted. _There's nothing sadder than a forty-year-old man who doesn't know how to make a hamburger._ Qui-Gon watched in pained concern as his eldest son frowned uncertainly at the marshmallow jello salad, then proceeded to smear it liberally on top of his hamburger along with various other condiments, before thoughtfully handing the finished product to Anakin.

_Except perhaps for a twenty-five-year-old who eats it anyway,_ Qui-Gon laughed ruefully, as Anakin - after an initial reaction of furrowed brows at his first bite - nodded enthusiastically and continued to enjoy his birthday delicacy.

"That's why Yoda and Mace have agreed that Anakin should be allowed to tell Luke about his family," Qui-Gon continued, as he gazed out across the lake at his own padawan. "It has worked very well for Cory, and the day may come when the Jedi Code might be changed to allow marriage, and association with family," he told Ben quietly. "And perhaps future generations can be spared the burden of guilt and secrecy that we have lived with all of our lives," he finished thoughtfully.

"I look forward to that day," Ben nodded; then he smiled as he looked out at the secret band of Kenobi offspring gathered at the lake retreat today. "Ana would have been proud."

"Yes," Qui-Gon agreed, smiling wistfully as he thought of his beloved wife. "Yes, she would."

* * *

><p><em>Later that evening...<em>

"You miss her, Master, don't you?" Cory asked quietly, as they sat by their little campfire, looking up at the stars over the moonlit lake. Anakin and Obi-Wan were sleeping inside the lake retreat with their respective wives and children tonight, but Qui-Gon and Cory had decided to camp out on the little island beach. "My grandmother?"

Qui-Gon had been unusually quiet this evening, and Cory had felt his profound heartache just a moment ago; but now his Master laughed softly, his deep blue eyes sparkling in the moonlight. "Yes, I do," he admitted. "Sometimes worse than others." Cory nodded in understanding; he knew that today was the twenty-fifth anniversary of his grandmother's death. "But you make it much easier for me, Cory," Qui-Gon assured him, smiling. "I never would have hoped to hear anyone call her 'grandmother'."

Cory grinned, shrugging shyly as he looked up at the stars again. He was grateful that his Master's pain had subsided for the moment; he had felt it very strongly, and it troubled him. _I know how to cheer him up,_ he thought mischievously. "Be mindful of the Living Force, Master," he advised sagely, keeping his expression emotionless.

Cory could feel his grandfather's sudden mirth, but Qui-Gon nodded solemnly. "Yes, you are right as usual, my young padawan," he agreed, masking his fond amusement. "I must keep my concentration here, and now, where it belongs." He gave Cory an affectionate smile, and Cory grinned cheerfully in return; but he had only been half-joking, and now they both calmed their minds and closed their eyes once again, focusing their attention on the Living Force.

_It does help,_ Cory realized, smiling gratefully as he felt a sense of peace and contentment filling his heart. He had been missing Elena as well; it had been three weeks since they had visited Iridonia last, and even then he had only been able to see her for a few minutes, up on the rocky ridge behind Tarok's house. But they had escaped to their secret hidden alcove beneath the ancient, gnarled tree while Tarok stood watch, and Cory had held her close, kissing her tenderly and gazing into her beautiful dark eyes, promising once again that things would be better once he was knighted.

He had never told Qui-Gon about Elena. Tarok was the only one who knew of their secret marriage, and even Cory's best friend thought that they were being silly and childish; but among the simple fisher folk of Elena's village, it was not uncommon for girls of fourteen to marry, and Cory and Elena had pledged their love to each other one day in the manner of her people, high upon the rocky ridge where they had first met. They hadn't been quite fourteen at the time, but Cory knew that no matter what he did, their marriage could never be legally official, so he and Elena had not seen the point in waiting.

They were, however, waiting to consummate their love. Marriage was one thing, but Cory and Elena both knew that at fifteen, they were not yet ready to have children. And for the time being it wasn't possible anyway; Cory only saw Elena when he and Tarok went hiking together behind his house, and most of the time the three of them just climbed on the rocks, or practiced fighting with sticks. Elena was a decent fighter; even Tarok admitted that she wasn't bad, for a human girl.

Still, Cory wished that he could tell his Master. _I don't like keeping secrets from him,_ he sighed, looking up at the stars once again. He knew that his grandfather would understand; after all, Qui-Gon had been only nineteen and still a padawan himself when he and Cory's grandmother had gotten married. But Qui-Gon wasn't just Cory's grandfather; he was first and foremost his Master, and if he learned about Elena, it would be his duty to prevent Cory from seeing her.

_And that would only make everyone sad,_ Cory realized. _Qui-Gon would feel betrayed to learn that I've been married for over a year without telling him; Tarok would get in trouble for keeping our secret; and Elena..._ Cory smiled wistfully as he thought of his lovely young wife. _Elena would miss me terribly, just as I would miss her,_ Cory sighed. _No, we must keep it a secret for now, at least until I am knighted. I will not do anything to dishonor Master Qui-Gon._

_But once I'm knighted..._ Cory sighed peacefully, gazing at the tranquil lake. _Elena can join us for family get-togethers, and we'll be able to see each other more often... And then we can have children,_ he thought happily, dreaming of his future.

_It's not wrong,_ Cory realized once again. _It's just like the others say: being in love with Elena has made me a better Jedi. She makes me want to work twice as hard; to pass the trials, and make her proud,_ Cory thought, his heart filling with peace and joy as he shared a warm, loving smile with his grandfather. _I want to make my family proud too._


	80. Disaster strikes on Iridonia

**Chapter 80**

_A few days later..._

_Yes!_ Elena grinned excitedly as she felt a sharp tug on her fishing line. _Finally!_ The sun was lowering in the afternoon sky, and Elena had nearly resigned herself to yet another boring dinner of potato soup with her grandfather; but now she smiled as she began to carefully reel in her fish. _Grandfather will be so happy..._

Like everyone in the little coastal village where they lived, Elena was descended from a long line of fisher-folk who looked to the sea for their survival. Many of the villagers owned large fishing vessels, and spent days at a time out on the deep sea, returning each week with nets full of fish which they exported to the rest of Iridonia, and even to other planets in the galaxy.

But Elena and her grandfather were poorer than most; they could not afford a deep sea fishing boat, and so they survived from day to day on what Elena could catch near the shore in her little rowboat. While others in the village owned quaint little cottages along the coastline, Elena and her grandfather lived on the poor side of town, in a rather shoddy little cabin nestled against the rocky ridge that served as a border between her coastal village and the Zabrak town on the other side.

Elena smiled now as she gave the line a bit more slack, letting the fish wear itself out so that she would be able to reel it in without breaking the line. It felt like a pretty big one; enough for tonight's dinner, with perhaps a few extra filets to sell at the local market. _And then maybe I can buy some more yarn,_ she thought cheerfully. Elena was knitting her grandfather a new sweater for the cold winter months ahead, and had come up with a rather ambitious and complicated color scheme.

_I hope he likes it when it's done,_ Elena thought fondly; she had been working on it every night for the past week, and so far it was turning out very well. Her grandfather's arthritis had grown worse over the past several years, and the cold troubled him more than it used to; Elena had been careful to choose the thickest woolen yarns, so that his new sweater would be soft and warm.

_He won't be around much longer,_ Elena knew, fighting tears once again as she faced the painful truth that her beloved grandfather's health was slowly failing. He had raised her since she was a baby, and was the only family she had ever known; Elena's heart ached as she realized that her grandfather would not be with her for many more years.

_But then I will go to live with Cory's family,_ Elena reminded herself bravely. Cory had promised her that after her grandfather was gone, he would take care of her, and that she could go to live with his own mother, or his Aunt Padmé; his family didn't even know that she existed yet, but Elena and Cory had agreed to cross that bridge when they got there.

_But hopefully that won't happen,_ Elena told herself. _Grandfather is strong. He will make it through this winter, and the next, and the one after that... And then I'll be eighteen, and old enough to make it on my own. And one day Cory will be knighted, and we'll be able to see each other more often, and have children..._

But now Elena frowned as she noticed something strange. _That's odd,_ she thought, looking back toward the village at the row of docks and piers along the shoreline. The ramps were all sloping downwards, and the waterline was unusually low, but it was still high tide._ What is going on?_ she wondered, blinking in confusion; she had never seen anything like this before.

Then she gasped as she realized what was happening. Her grandfather had told her stories of a time decades ago when the water had receded suddenly like this... "Oh, crap," Elena muttered anxiously, quickly cutting the line and letting her fish go free as she grabbed the oars and rowed for shore as fast as she could.

Sure enough, as she reached the landing, the alarm had already been raised, and people were running through the streets, warning everyone of the impending disaster. "Tsunami!" they were yelling now. "Head for high ground!"

_Tsunami..._ Elena's heart pounded anxiously as she ran up through the streets of the village toward her home. She had heard tales of the last one; a thirty-foot wave that had destroyed the entire village, killing dozens of people. _This is not good,_ Elena knew, glancing back over her shoulder at the strangely receded coastline. _Grandfather, I'm coming..._

* * *

><p><em>The next morning...<em>

"We've finished our search of the houses," the Iridonian Emergency Relief director told Qui-Gon, glancing around in dismay at the devastated fishing village. "Do you sense any other survivors?" he asked hopefully.

Cory dutifully masked his own anxiety as Qui-Gon closed his eyes, facing toward the sea and reaching out with the Force; but a long moment later he shook his head regretfully. "No," Qui-Gon told the director quietly. "I sense no one else."

The director nodded, sobered by the sight of the covered bodies of those who had not survived; most of the villagers had escaped to higher ground, but at least a dozen were still missing and presumed dead, swept out to sea by the tsunami that had destroyed the little fishing village. "Thank you," he said, clearly overwhelmed. "Your presence here is greatly appreciated."

"You're welcome," Qui-Gon replied, managing a reassuring smile. "We'll be in the hospital tent if you need us," he told the director, as he and Cory continued through the flood-damaged streets toward the makeshift medical facility.

_Elena, where are you?_ Cory wondered again, looking around worriedly. He thought he had felt her earlier, but it was impossible to focus amidst the chaos of the devastated village. Cory and Qui-Gon had flown out here immediately upon hearing of the disaster; thankfully Malok and Tarok's home was undamaged, and the Zabraks were now running supplies from the nearby city, but the little coastal village had been hit the hardest, and Cory had not caught sight of his wife yet.

But now he breathed a sigh of relief as he spotted her inside the hospital tent, attending to an injured survivor. Elena looked up at him now, and they shared a secret relieved smile, before quickly masking their expressions again as Cory and Qui-Gon made their way through the emergency medical center, bandaging wounds and setting broken bones.

Eventually Cory reached his wife, and they smiled shyly at each other once again. "Hello," Cory said politely, glancing at the elderly man beside her; Elena was pressing a bloody rag to his head, and Cory peered at the wound in concern.

"Hello," Elena replied courteously; Cory saw a sparkle of amusement in her eyes as they pretended not to recognize each other. "I think the bleeding has almost stopped," she told him. "This is my grandfather," she added softly, a tone of pride in her voice as she smiled shyly at Cory.

Cory nodded, smiling at the old man. _So this is 'Grandfather'..._ "I'm pleased to meet you," he said. "How are you feeling?" _Elena is right... He doesn't look well,_ Cory realized worriedly. Grandfather was alarmingly thin, with wispy white hair and a scraggly beard; but his eyes were dark and piercing, just like Elena's.

"I'm fine," Grandfather insisted, though his voice sounded a bit hoarse and feeble. "Go on," he told Cory, waving a gnarled hand toward the injured people surrounding them. "Elena is taking good care of me," he insisted.

Cory nodded, smiling at Elena appreciatively; she was indeed doing as well as anyone could, given the lack of medical supplies in the makeshift hospital tent. "Yes, she is," he agreed, taking one last look at Grandfather's head wound. "It looks good," he reassured the old man, patting him gently on the shoulder. "You're going to be just fine."

Grandfather smiled, nodding in gratitude; and with one last secret loving gaze at Elena, Cory continued on to treat the other injured villagers. _He will be all right,_ Cory told himself, grateful that Elena and her grandfather had survived the disaster. Their home had been severely damaged by the tsunami, along with the rest of the village, but the Iridonian Emergency Relief system had quickly sprung into action, and Cory and Qui-Gon would be staying to assist with the rebuilding effort.

* * *

><p><em>Several days later...<em>

Elena shared a secret smile with Cory as she passed by the house he was helping to rebuild. _He looks so adorable in his new Jedi outfit,_ she sighed wistfully, admiring her husband's new black boots and belt. She had hoped that they would be able to see each other more often now that he was staying in the village to assist with the relief effort, but so far they had only managed to exchange a few secret glances each day, and had barely spoken to each other.

She could see the longing in Cory's eyes as well as he gazed at her lovingly, and now she gave him a subtle questioning look, glancing back toward their secret meeting spot nestled in the rocky ridge behind the village. Cory understood her meaning, and his blue eyes flickered worriedly for a moment; but then he gave her a quick nod, before turning back to his work.

Two hours later he joined her in their hidden alcove beneath the gnarled tree, and Elena smiled as she embraced her husband. "Cory," she whispered, kissing him and running her fingers through his short-cropped red hair. "Oh, I've missed you," she sighed, as they held each other close. "Worse than ever," she admitted softly, gazing into his sparkly blue eyes once again.

"So have I," Cory agreed, smiling wistfully as he stroked her long, silky dark hair. "I love you, Elena," he whispered, pressing his forehead against hers and gazing deep into her eyes.

"I love you too," Elena said tenderly, kissing him once again; then she closed her eyes, sighing peacefully and basking in the warmth of his loving embrace.

"How is your grandfather?" Cory asked, putting his arm around her as they sat on the little ledge together.

"He's fine," Elena said, with a grateful smile; Grandfather's head wound was healing well, and he was feeling much stronger these days, thanks to the nutritious meals provided to the disaster victims by the relief effort. "They said he was malnourished," she admitted regretfully. "Cory, we lost our fishing boat; everyone did," she sighed. "But people have been sending money, and supplies, and they think we'll get another one soon," she told him, smiling optimistically.

"I hope so," Cory said regretfully, gently pushing back a loose strand of Elena's hair. "Elena, I wish I could do more, but - " he broke off helplessly, shaking his head in frustration as tears sprang to his eyes.

"No," Elena reassured him. "We're fine," she insisted, smiling tenderly as she stroked his soft hair. "Our roof is fixed, everything has dried out now; they've even given us new blankets, and clothes, and you should see all the food," she said, still overwhelmed by the canned goods and other supplies given to them by the relief effort. "We're all right."

Cory nodded, smiling in relieved gratitude. "I'm glad," he said, kissing her tenderly. "I love you so much, Elena," he whispered. "If you can just hold on a few more years... Master Qui-Gon says I might be ready to face the trials when I'm eighteen, and then - I'll be able to see you more... and help you," he sighed, stroking her hair longingly as he lay his head against hers.

"I know," Elena agreed bravely; but then she hung her head, tears in her eyes. "Cory," she whispered quietly, looking at the ground. "I miss you all the time," she confessed, feeling a lump in her throat as Cory rubbed her back consolingly.

"I do too," Cory agreed softly, wrapping his arms around her.

"And - " Elena steadied herself, hesitant to bring up the subject. "When I see you... it's even worse," she admitted. Elena had seen the painful longing in Cory's blue eyes as well; she knew that he felt the same way.

Cory hung his head, nodding. "I know," he whispered unhappily.

"Cory... maybe if we - " Elena broke off, looking down at the ground. "Maybe it would make it easier to bear," she suggested quietly, shrugging apologetically.

Cory laughed softly despite himself. "Yes, it would," he agreed with a rueful smile, as he kissed her again. "But... Elena, what if - " he shook his head, sighing. "We're not ready to have children," he reminded her regretfully.

Elena sighed. "_You're_ not ready to have children," she countered. "Cory, I know - " she broke off bitterly as tears stung her eyes. "I know you think Grandfather and I are too poor, and that we couldn't take care of a baby, but... we _can_," Elena said stubbornly. "_I_ can," she insisted. "We've always gotten by, and we always will," she insisted proudly.

"Anyway," Elena shrugged, sighing. "We hardly ever see each other; it probably won't happen," she conceded. "But if it does... Cory, I know it wouldn't be easy, but it's _already_ not easy," she confessed. "I miss you all the time... but if I had a little baby... _Our_ little baby..." Elena smiled wistfully. "I would be so happy," she whispered, tears filling her eyes.

Cory nodded regretfully. "I know you could take care of it, Elena," he told her, with an apologetic smile. "You can do anything you put your mind to," he said proudly, kissing her on the temple. But then he sighed, hanging his head. "If this is what you really want," he whispered; then he gave her a worried look. "What about your grandfather?"

Elena shrugged. "I don't know," she confessed. But then she giggled quietly. "He'd probably be glad," she pointed out. "He thinks I'm a hopeless tomboy; everyone does," she sighed. "Except for you," Elena added appreciatively, laying her head on her husband's shoulder. _Cory loves me just the way I am,_ she realized gratefully. _He doesn't care that I'm poor, and scrawny, and a bastard orphan from the wrong side of town..._

"Ha," Cory laughed, kissing her again. "They don't know anything," he assured her, stroking her silky black hair. "You're beautiful, Elena," he whispered, smiling tenderly as he cuddled her close against him. "And if you're sure...?" Cory broke off hesitantly, his blue eyes filled with longing.

Elena smiled, her heart welling with joy. "I'm sure," she whispered happily.

Cory nodded, smiling. "I have to go," he apologized, with a worried glance back toward the village. "But..." His blue eyes sparkled as he gazed at her lovingly. "I'll come tonight," he whispered, kissing her tenderly. "I promise."


	81. And it just keeps getting worse

**Chapter 81**

"Cory... You're crazy," Tarok whispered, his eyes wide with fear as Cory silently opened his bedroom window, climbing out onto the roof. "What if Master Qui-Gon wakes up?"

Cory shook his head unhappily. "I don't know," he whispered. _But I promised Elena..._ "I have to go," he said, giving his friend one last apologetic look before jumping silently down to the ground below.

_He doesn't understand,_ Cory lamented, as he climbed across the moonlit ridge toward Elena's village. _No one understands, what it's like for Elena. __To be the one of the poorest people in an entire village full of poor people... Where it's common for girls of fourteen to marry, or to have children out of wedlock,_ he sighed regretfully.

_And who am I to judge her, or say that the ways of her people are wrong?_ Cory asked himself again. _If having a child would bring her happiness and comfort while she waits for me to pass the trials, how can I deny her that joy? Her grandfather might not be around much longer; having a child would help her to feel less alone, after he's gone._

_And she's right,_ Cory thought with tender pride, recalling the fierce sparkle in Elena's eyes this afternoon. _Elena is perfectly capable of taking care of our child,_ he admitted. _She has taken care of her grandfather for years now, and is already practically an adult by her people's standards, even though it's not legally recognized by the Republic,_ he confessed.

_Elena is my wife; I love her, and I believe in her,_ Cory told himself, as he hiked over the ridge and down toward the little fishing village._ It could be another ten years before I'm knighted, but Elena deserves happiness now._

_Not that it will happen right away,_ Cory admitted. _She might not get pregnant for years, and by then I might be knighted, and all of this anxiety will have been for nothing,_ he laughed ruefully. _But I hope it happens sooner, for Elena's sake,_ he realized, surprised at the thought. _Holy crap, I'm going to be a father?_

_It is the will of the Force,_ Cory realized, feeling a sense of peace and contentment fill his heart. _A baby would bring her joy, and comfort, while she waits for me to pass the trials,_ he truly believed.

The rocky ridge ended in a thirty-foot cliff above Elena's house, and Cory dropped down silently to the ground below, continuing on toward her little cabin. He was grateful to see that the roof had indeed been repaired, after being almost completely demolished by the tsunami. His heart fluttered now as he felt Elena's presence nearby, and he quickly climbed in through her little bedroom window, embracing her.

"Elena," he whispered, kissing her tenderly, his whole body aching for her. _Force, this feels good,_ he realized suddenly. _And I don't have to try to stop it any more..._ Cory gazed at his wife lovingly as they held each other close.

"Cory," Elena whispered, her dark eyes shining happily in the moonlight. "I was worried you wouldn't come," she said, her whole being radiating joy and relief at his presence.

"Of course I came," Cory whispered, tears in his eyes as he kissed her longingly. _I won't make the same mistake my father did, and leave Elena hanging because of some stupid Code that even Master Yoda and Windu don't believe in,_ he reminded himself. "I love you, Elena," he whispered softly, gazing into her beautiful dark eyes.

"I love you too, Cory." Elena smiled tenderly, helping him out of his new brown cloak and giggling shyly as she unclasped his new black belt. _I can't believe this is happening,_ Cory gasped, his breath quickening and a strange new excitement coursing through him as Elena continued to undress him.

_But it is the will of the Living Force,_ Cory knew without a doubt, grateful once again for his Master's wise - if unorthodox - instruction. _Trust your instincts,_ Qui-Gon was always telling him. _Feel, don't think._

_Feel, don't think..._ Cory dutifully proceeded to trust his instincts, and there was absolutely no thinking involved whatsoever as Elena took him by the hand, leading him over to her little bed and snuggling with him beneath the soft covers.

* * *

><p><em>A month later...<em>

"You're pregnant?" Cory asked, incredulous, as he met with Elena secretly in the rocky ridge behind Tarok's house. Her little village had mostly been rebuilt, and life was back to normal for Elena and her grandfather; they had even been given a new little rowboat and fishing supplies as part of the relief effort.

"I think so... maybe," Elena said, smiling ecstatically. "It's too soon to be sure, but... Cory, I think so," she cried joyfully, kissing him and wrapping her arms around him.

"Elena, that's - amazing," Cory exclaimed, grinning in disbelief. _It worked on the first try?_ "Elena... I love you so much," he said, kissing her on the forehead and stroking her long, silky black hair. "How are you feeling?" he asked, concerned for her health.

"Fine," Elena assured him. "I haven't told Grandfather yet; I want to wait until I'm sure, but... Cory?" she asked hesitantly, her dark eyes filled with anxiety. "I'm a little scared," she confessed. "I know he worries about what's going to become of me, after he's gone, and... Cory, is it all right if I tell him... about you?" she pleaded softly.

Cory smiled as he held her close. "Of course," he said, gazing into her eyes lovingly. "I really like Grandfather," he told her, with a mischievous grin. "I only met him once, but... I want him to know, about us," he agreed. "And maybe I can visit sometime," he added cheerfully.

"Cory... That would be so wonderful," Elena said, tears of joy springing to her eyes. "I want him to meet you, and know that - that I'll be all right," she cried happily, laying her head against his shoulder as he held her in his arms.

Cory nodded, hugging her tight and kissing her lovingly. "I love you, Elena. You take care of yourself, and if there's anything you need, let me know, or Tarok," he told her. "I don't want to tell my family, but - if you ever need help, they'll be there," he promised. "They'll understand," he assured her. "They'll be really, _really,_ mad at me," Cory laughed, cringing at the thought. "But they would help you," he promised her quietly.

"Thank you," Elena whispered, gazing at him in adoration. "I'll tell Grandfather, when I'm sure... Maybe in another few weeks," she said. "And then maybe next time you come, he can meet you."

"I would love that," Cory agreed, with a tender smile. But now Tarok emerged from behind the ridge, warning him that it was time to head back. "I have to go," Cory apologized, nodding gratefully to Tarok. "But I'll be back as soon as I can," he promised her. "I love you Elena," he whispered, kissing her one last time and hugging her tight. "Take care of yourself."

"I will," Elena promised, smiling. "I love you too," she added, as they said goodbye to each other.

"She's pregnant?" Tarok asked in disbelief, as he and Cory hiked back toward his house, where Malok and Qui-Gon were waiting.

"Maybe," Cory told him, with an apologetic cringe. "Tarok, if Elena ever comes to you, and needs help... It's all right to tell your dad, and have him contact Master Qui-Gon," he told him. "I'd get in a lot of trouble, but - the most important thing is to make sure that Elena is all right," he begged his friend.

Tarok nodded. "Of course," he agreed seriously. Then he sighed, shaking his head. "I hope you know what you're doing," he laughed, as they climbed down the ridge together.

"Yeah," Cory agreed, masking his emotions carefully once again as they approached Tarok's home. "So do I."

* * *

><p><em>Meanwhile, on Coruscant...<em>

"How is Leia doing?" Anakin asked, as he snuggled next to Padmé under the covers.

"She's fine," Padmé said, kissing him. "She's growing up so fast... I can't believe they'll be three in another six months."

"I know," Anakin agreed, with a wistful smile. "I can't wait."

"Neither can I," Padmé agreed. They had decided to tell Leia about her father on her third birthday; she was an extremely bright child, and Padmé had been testing her for the past several months by telling her various little secrets which Leia had dutifully kept, even under fairly strenuous interrogation by other family members. Everyone was quite confident now that by the time she was three, Leia could be safely entrusted with the truth of her father's identity.

"Six more months," Anakin sighed, stroking Padmé's dark hair. "And then I can see her again, and we can be a family." Since sending Luke to the Temple at four months, they had been careful to only let Leia see her father at group gatherings, and tonight Typho was on babysitting duty as usual, to allow Anakin and Padmé some time alone together.

Padmé smiled, nodding; but Anakin caught her look of regret, and kissed her tenderly. "I'm sorry," he apologized. "_Almost_ a family," he corrected himself, sharing a regretful smile with Padmé. It would still be nearly seven years before Anakin could take Luke as his padawan, and the four of them could finally be together again.

"We're doing it, Ani," Padmé insisted. "We're making it work. It won't be long before we really _are_ a family," she said, laying her head on his shoulder and snuggling close to him.

"I know," Anakin agreed. "Thank goodness for Cory," he laughed cheerfully.

"Yes," Padmé said, smiling fondly as she thought of their sweet little nephew. It was because of Cory's exemplary behavior over the past two years that Yoda and Mace had agreed to allow Luke to learn about his family when he became Anakin's padawan. Cory was living proof that it could work out, with no negative repercussions whatsoever.

"Thank goodness for Cory," Padmé sighed as she closed her eyes, drifting off to sleep in her husband's arms.


	82. Cory is grounded for life

**Chapter 82**

"Grandfather," Elena said, calming her nerves and smiling as she approached his chair by the fire. "I have a surprise for you," she began hesitantly. _Actually I have a couple of surprises... But I'll break this to him slowly._

"Do you?" Grandfather grinned, giving her a curious look.

Elena nodded. "I made you a new sweater," she told him, handing her grandfather the warm, elaborately-striped sweater she had finally finished knitting for him. "I hope you like it," she added, smiling shyly.

"Elena," Grandfather exclaimed. "It's beautiful," he told her, admiring it. "I'm going to wear it right now," he said cheerfully, pulling off the plain undyed sweater the relief effort had given him, and proudly wriggling into his new colorful hand-knit one. "How do I look?" he asked, his dark eyes sparkling with affection.

Elena laughed, hugging him. "You look good," she said, smiling in relief to see him looking so well. Since the tsunami, the Iridonian government had become aware of the extreme poverty of Elena's village, and had done what they could to make sure that the people received basic medical care, as well as fruits and vegetables and other imported foods that many of the villagers had never been able to afford.

"Thank you, Elena," Grandfather said, hugging her. "Oh, sweetheart... I love you."

Elena kissed him on the cheek. "I love you too, Grandfather," she said, patting his shoulder lovingly before taking a seat in her own chair by the fire. "Grandfather," she continued hesitantly. "There's something else I want to tell you," she confessed. _I'll do this slowly._ "I've met a boy," she told her grandfather, smiling.

She was dismayed as her grandfather hung his head, sighing; but he managed a tender smile. "You're a beautiful girl, Elena," he told her proudly, though he looked sad. "I always knew this day would come," he added, with quiet regret. _He thinks I'm going to leave him,_ Elena realized. _Grandfather, no..._ "Who is this boy?" he asked, curious.

"He's... Grandfather, promise me you won't tell anyone?" Elena begged, her expression pleading.

Grandfather gave her a sharp look of surprise. "All right," he agreed. "Elena, tell me... Who have you met?"

Elena smiled shyly, looking down. "Do you remember, the morning after the tsunami hit, in the hospital tent?" she asked him hopefully. "The Jedi padawan, who - "

To her surprise, her grandfather burst out laughing, shaking his head. "Elena," he laughed ruefully. "A Jedi padawan? You know they're not allowed to... Oh, Elena," he sighed, with a tender smile. "You remind me so much of your mother," he told her wistfully, his expression a mixture of pride and regret.

Elena shrugged, hanging her head apologetically. She knew that her mother had gotten pregnant out of wedlock, and that not even Grandfather knew who her father had been; it wasn't exactly something to be proud of.

"Elena," Grandfather continued gently. "There is something I must tell you as well," he said. "I have been putting this off far too long; it is not a conversation I have been looking forward to, but it is time," he nodded wearily. "Elena, I need to talk to you," he grandfather sighed, hanging his head. "About what happened... to your mother."

* * *

><p><em>A week later...<em>

"Elena!" Cory exclaimed happily, embracing his wife in their secret rocky alcove beneath the tree. But to his surprise, she resisted his embrace for a moment, before clinging to him miserably, sobbing in despair. "Elena," Cory whispered, stroking her back consolingly. "What's wrong?" _She's lost the baby..._

"I'm sorry," Elena sobbed, squirming away from him again. "I'm sorry... I didn't know... I swear, I didn't know," she choked miserably, breaking away from Cory's embrace and sitting on the rocky ledge beneath the tree, weeping uncontrollably.

"You didn't know what?" Cory asked worriedly, sitting next to his wife and doing what he could to console her. "Elena, what's happened?" He kissed her on the temple, stroking her silky black hair.

"I'm so scared," Elena whispered, shaking her head in despair. "I don't know what I'm going to do... But if you - if - you l-leave me... I'll understand," she sobbed, choking.

"Elena," Cory cried, hugging her close. "Sweetheart, I love you," he assured her. "I would never leave you," he promised, wrapping his arms around her protectively and laying his cheek atop her head. "What's wrong, sweety?"

Elena wriggled out of his embrace, putting a hand to her head and running her fingers through her hair. "Here," she whispered unhappily, her breath coming in halting gasps as she parted her long, silky hair, revealing a small, diamond-shaped scar just above her temple. "And... here," she sniffed miserably, showing him another one farther back on her head.

"Oh, sweetheart," Cory gasped in dismay, hugging her close and kissing her. "Who did this to you?" he cried, tears of anger springing to his eyes. The scars looked old; if Elena hadn't known of them, the wounds must have been inflicted on her when she was only a child, a baby... _This is why she was taken from her parents,_ Cory realized, heartbroken. _They were abusing her... Torturing her,_ he choked, grief-stricken to see the sadistic mutilation Elena had suffered.

Elena hung her head, weeping quietly. "My grandfather told me... about my parents," she began unhappily. "My mother - she died in childbirth," Elena cried. "My grandmother too... I didn't know," she whispered. "Grandfather says I must never have children... I didn't tell him," she admitted, shaking her head sadly. "I couldn't..."

"Elena," Cory whispered, kissing her tenderly. "Oh sweety... We won't let that happen," he promised her, tears springing to his eyes as he cradled her in his arms. "Do you know what went wrong?" he asked, deeply concerned.

"I don't know," Elena shrugged glumly. "They got infections, probably... It happens a lot, in my village," she told him sadly. "We've never had medicine, or doctors, or anything like that," she admitted. "That's not what I'm worried about," Elena sniffed. "Cory..." she broke off, hanging her head and weeping miserably. "I'm so scared," she whispered.

"We're going to take care of you, Elena... Don't worry," Cory promised, stroking her back reassuringly. "We'll make sure you have the baby in a hospital... I'll tell my family," he decided, tears springing to his eyes. "I don't care if they know... I just want you to be all right," Cory cried, kissing her tenderly and holding her protectively in his arms.

"I'll be all right," Elena assured him dully, as if it didn't matter. "But the baby... Cory," she said, shaking her head. "I'm so sorry," she wept again. "I didn't know... I promise, I didn't know," she cried.

"Didn't know what?" Cory asked again gently, stroking her hair.

"I'm not - " Elena broke off sadly. "After my mother died, my grandfather took me in, and raised me," she told him, sniffing back tears. "He never knew who my father was; no one ever came forward to claim me." She shrugged indifferently. "But then... When I was about five months old..." Elena sobbed, hanging her head.

"What?" Cory asked, stroking her shoulder consolingly.

"I... I... I started... growing - " Elena gasped, tears stinging her eyes as she gestured to the cruel scars on her head, hidden beneath her silky black hair. "Horns," she choked, sobbing uncontrollably.

Cory blinked in surprise. "Horns?" he asked, stunned and relieved and guiltily amused all at the same time. "What?" he asked again, trying desperately to look sympathetic and not laugh out loud. _Horns?_

"Grandfather took me to the city, to the hospital," Elena continued, sniffing. "They... they - took them off," she explained. "They said... my father - was..." she shrugged. "A Zabrak," she whispered unhappily.

"Haha!" Cory laughed suddenly. "Elena, is that what this is about?" he asked, relieved and deeply amused as he hugged his wife happily, kissing her cute little de-horned head. "You're a... half-Zabrak?"

"It's not funny," Elena insisted, her dark eyes filled with pain. "It's - it's... an abomination... It's not done," she told him, shaking her head; but Cory couldn't stop laughing to save his life, and finally Elena giggled despite herself. "It's not funny," she pouted again, giving him a look of reproach; but her eyes sparkled with relief and gratitude. "You're not mad?"

"Of course not," Cory assured her, kissing her again. "It's not your fault," he said. "Anyway, it's nothing to - " he smiled tenderly, stroking her hair and feeling her scalp gently with his fingertips. "Aww, I wish they hadn't taken them off," he sighed, examining the little scars all over her head. "I bet they were really cute."

Elena giggled. "Cory," she reproached him; then she smiled, her eyes shining with gratitude. "I love you," she whispered, wrapping her arms around him and laying her head against his shoulder.

"I love you too," Cory agreed, cuddling her close. _Haha! I'm married to a half Zabrak!_ But then he realized the implications, and sighed worriedly. _Oh... Oops..._ "Elena... you think the baby might be...?"

"I don't know," Elena whispered, shrugging. "Grandfather told me I mustn't have children... Cory, it isn't done," she reminded him, as Cory nodded in quiet understanding. Zabraks and humans on Iridonia did not intermix, and Tarok was careful never to venture past the rocky ridge into Elena's village. Cory knew that a half-Zabrak child would be considered an abomination, and treated as an outcast among Elena's people.

"I still haven't told Grandfather," Elena said. "I'm afraid... if the baby turns out - horned, and... stripey..." She cringed, laughing despite her fear. "Cory, I won't be able to keep it," she told him. "It wouldn't be fair."

Cory nodded regretfully. "I know," he sighed. Elena had always felt like a misfit amongst her own people, and a striped, horned half-breed would be ostracized by the rest of the village. "Elena, if that happens... It's different on Coruscant," he reassured her. "You should see the weirdos walking around the streets there," he said, as Elena laughed. "It's going to be all right, Elena."

Elena nodded, smiling. "Maybe it won't happen," she said optimistically. "Our baby will be three-quarters human; maybe it won't even have horns, or anything."

Cory smiled tenderly. "I hope so," he whispered. "Not that it matters to me, but... I know you want to keep this baby, Elena," he said, stroking her beautiful black hair. "But whatever happens, it's going to be all right. You could move in with my mom... Grandfather too," he assured her. _Crap... Jon and Kyra are already sharing a room._ "Or maybe my Aunt Padmé," he said uncertainly, realizing suddenly that this wasn't as simple as he'd thought. _How are we going to explain this?_

Elena shook her head. "Cory, Grandfather has lived here all his life; I can't ask him to leave," she protested. "And I won't leave him," she added with stubborn loyalty. "I'm just praying that the baby will be - more like you than me," she sighed. "But - Cory, I didn't know... how my mother and grandmother died, and - I'm afraid," she confessed, whispering. "I want to have the baby in a hospital, especially if it turns out to be - " she shook her head. "But we can't afford that," she admitted worriedly.

Cory nodded, stroking her back. "I'll tell my family," he decided, shuddering at the thought. "You need to have the baby in a hospital," he agreed. "We're going to take care of you, Elena, don't you worry," he promised her, masking his own sudden terror. _I'm her husband... I'm supposed to be the strong one,_ he scolded himself. "I'll tell my - " _Who? Master Qui-Gon? My father?_ "I'll talk to my family," Cory said bravely. "And then... We'll tell your grandfather, together."

Elena sniffed, nodding. "Thank you," she whispered. "Cory, I'm so sorry. I didn't want you to get in trouble."

"No," Cory said, kissing her reassuringly as he held her close. "It's all right. Don't worry; they'll probably be angry with me at first, but..." Cory laughed quietly in rueful amusement. "This is nothing they haven't already done themselves, when they were padawans," he pointed out, as Elena smiled, nodding in agreement. "It will be all right."

* * *

><p><em>A few days later...<em>

"Cory," Obi-Wan said, as his son entered the confessional chamber. _My goodness, he is growing,_ he thought proudly. "What brings you up this way?" he asked, giving Cory an affectionate hug.

But then he sensed Cory's guilt and anxiety, and cringed worriedly. "Oh dear," Obi-Wan sighed, hoping this wasn't anything serious. "Have a seat," he told his son, sitting on the round padded seat opposite from him. "What is it?" he asked, giving his son a reassuring smile. _I'm so glad he felt he could come to me..._

"Master," Cory began, bowing his head. "I... I need help with something," he confessed. "Not for me, but... Master, there's a girl, on Iridonia - Elena," he told him. "She's - she's pregnant, and can't afford medical care, but... she needs to have the baby in a hospital... and I promised her..." Cory broke off helplessly, his blue eyes filled with guilt and remorse.

Obi-Wan stared at his son in shock. _Tell me this isn't happening..._ "Cory," he said, steadying his racing heartbeat. "This girl... How did she get pregnant?" he inquired, not wanting to know the answer.

Cory hung his head apologetically. "We're married, Master," he confessed, looking at the floor. "We've been married for nearly two years now... I'm sorry, Master."

_Two years?_ "Cory... you're fifteen," Obi-Wan told him, blinking in horror. "How in the blazes could you possibly be married?" _For two years?_ Obi-Wan involuntarily clutched at his chest, willing away his impending heart attack.

"We... It's not official," Cory admitted, looking down.

"Well I had guessed that," Obi-Wan retorted crossly. "The last I checked, you had to be at least eighteen to marry legally within the Republic," he scolded his son. "Not to mention the fact that you're a Jedi... Cory, what were you thinking? She's pregnant?" Obi-Wan asked worriedly. _This is my fault... This is all of our faults..._

"Yes, Master," Cory cried, tears in his eyes. "I'm sorry, Master. She wanted a baby; she still does, but... Master, her mother and grandmother both died in childbirth; she needs to have the baby at a hospital," he pleaded desperately.

"Yes, yes, of course," Obi-Wan said gently. "Cory... We'll take care of her," he assured his son, as Cory nodded gratefully, his blue eyes still glistening with tears of remorse. _He knows that what he did was wrong; I don't need to tell him that. And how can I lecture him? Master Qui-Gon never lectured me, when I told him about Leila,_ he sighed. _But Cory... fifteen?_ Obi-Wan shook his head sadly. "You say she's on Iridonia?" he asked, trying to get the facts straight.

"Yes, Master," Cory replied. "She lives in the little fishing village, that got hit by the tsunami," he explained. "She lives with her grandfather; they're very poor, but... she's hoping to keep the child," Cory told him quietly, looking at the floor.

Obi-Wan sensed his son's anxiety. "Hoping to?" he asked worriedly. "Cory, what's wrong?"

Cory blinked hesitantly. "Master... Elena is half Zabrak," he explained apologetically. "But she looks human - I swear, I didn't know; Elena didn't know either," he promised, as Obi-Wan suddenly burst out laughing.

"Cory," Obi-Wan laughed ruefully despite himself. "So you're telling me... I'm going to have a grand-Zabrak?" he asked, horrified and amused at the same time. _Oh dear... Please let me be there when Qui-Gon hears about this..._

Cory cringed. "Maybe," he said. "We're hoping the baby will look human, and that she can keep it," he confessed. "If it has horns, they can be removed," he explained. "But if it's... _stripey,_" Cory sighed. "Master, the people of Elena's village would never accept a half-breed child," he told him, as Obi-Wan nodded in quiet understanding.

"Cory," he sighed, shaking his head. "I don't pretend to be in any way pleased with what you've done," he told his son quietly. "But we will make sure that Elena gets proper medical care," he assured him. "And if the child is... _stripey,_" Obi-Wan said, trying desperately not to laugh at the thought. "We will send it to the Temple, for training."

Cory nodded, grateful for his help; but then he looked up at his father hesitantly. "Master?" he asked. "Elena's grandfather is very old; he won't be around much longer," he confessed. "And Elena won't leave him... But after he's gone... Master, she's planning to come here to Coruscant," he explained. "It might only be a few years from now, and... Master, I thought maybe Mom could take the baby, if it's a Zabrak... or Padmé," he suggested hopefully. "Just until Elena can move out here... Master, she wants to keep this baby," Cory pleaded.

Obi-Wan sighed in regret. "Cory," he said gently. "This is why fifteen-year-olds can't have children," he told him. _And I can't believe we're having this discussion._ "Even if the child is human, and Elena keeps it... Cory, the infant mortality rate in villages such as Elena's is extremely high," Obi-Wan warned his son, his heart aching at the thought of losing his grandchild. "And if it's a Zabrak... Cory, if your mother took the child in, I would have to go into hiding in my own home again," Obi-Wan sighed, shaking his head. "And that wouldn't be fair to Jon, or Kyra, or your mother... And Anakin has been waiting for nearly three years to be able to spend time with Padmé and Leia, without having to hide all the time," he pointed out.

"Cory, I love you," Obi-Wan said with a tender smile, as his son shrugged apologetically. "And this doesn't change that," he told him. "I'm certain that Elena is a wonderful girl, and aside from wanting to pull all my hair out, I truly am looking forward to meeting her, and having a little grand-Zabrak," he said, as Cory laughed despite his remorse. "And I know I'm in no position to judge," he sighed. "But Cory... fifteen is ridiculously young," he chided his son. "What's done is done, and we will make certain that Elena and the child are taken care of," he promised quietly.

"But it will be up to Master Qui-Gon, as to whether you are allowed to spend time with her," Obi-Wan said. "And there will be absolutely no more sleeping together, or babies of any kind," he added, as Cory hung his head, fighting tears. "Cory, you are still only a child yourself," Obi-Wan scolded him. "You're still a padawan, and it's Master Qui-Gon's duty - and mine as well - to make sure that you obey the rules," he pointed out. "We have a duty to the Jedi Order, and we cannot allow this type of behavior to continue. By all rights you should be expelled right here and now; you do understand that, Cory, don't you?"

Cory sighed unhappily, tears in his eyes; Obi-Wan could sense his frustration and anger. "_You_ all did it," Cory grumbled, looking at the floor. "And you were only a padawan," he reproached his father sullenly.

"Yes," Obi-Wan conceded reluctantly. "And I had hoped that you would have learned from all of that, and realized what a terrible mess it creates," he sighed. "Instead of repeating our mistakes, worse than we ever thought of doing." He shook his head. "Cory, you're a smart boy... What were you thinking?" Obi-Wan asked, still trying to understand.

"Elena wanted a baby," Cory told him. "She still does."

"And your duty to the Order? To Master Qui-Gon?" Obi-Wan asked.

Cory shrugged. "I thought - I thought it was the will of the Living Force," he explained. "Trust your instincts... Feel, don't think," he told Obi-Wan uncertainly, quoting some of Qui-Gon's favorite tenets.

"Oh dear." Obi-Wan cringed in regret, shaking his head. "Cory... That wasn't the will of the Living Force," he told his son, utterly dismayed. "That was hormones," he sighed, resolving to strangle his father at the next possible opportunity.

Cory nodded unhappily. "Yes, Master," he agreed. But then tears sprang to his eyes. "Master, please... Please, let me visit Elena, even just once a month," he begged. "Not for me; for her," he pleaded desperately. "She needs me..."

Obi-Wan sighed, shaking his head. "I agree," he admitted quietly. "You have a responsibility to this girl now, and I will recommend to Master Qui-Gon that you be allowed to visit her, and make sure that she's all right," he conceded. "But your - _marriage_ - " Obi-Wan sighed in disbelief - "is on hold, until you pass the trials. Is that clear?"

Cory closed his eyes, and the tears threatened to escape from beneath his lashes; but after a long moment he nodded sadly. "Yes, Master," he agreed, his voice barely a whisper.

"Good," Obi-Wan nodded; then he sighed ruefully. "You think I'm being unfair," he observed quietly.

Cory shrugged, looking down. "No, Master," he replied dully.

"Cory... the truth," Obi-Wan chided him.

Cory sighed unhappily, tears in his eyes. "Yes, Master," he admitted, whispering.

Obi-Wan nodded. "Cory," he said quietly. "I don't deny that much of the blame for this situation lies on myself, and Master Qui-Gon... and Anakin, and Yoda, and Master Windu," he sighed. "But it's because of our mistakes, that we're going to help you get through this," he told his son. "You won't be expelled, or get into trouble; and truthfully, if you were just a few years older, and knighted, I would have been absolutely delighted by this news," he confessed, smiling.

"But you're too young, Cory," Obi-Wan told him. "Even if you weren't a Jedi padawan... Having a child at fifteen is too soon; and the fact that Elena is poor, and from a village where that sort of thing is commonplace, doesn't make it any better," he pointed out. "We will do everything in our power to help you, and Elena, and the baby. But your duty is to focus on your studies, and work towards passing the trials," he reminded his son.

"And your devotion to your studies has never been in question," Obi-Wan said proudly. "Master Qui-Gon is extremely impressed with your progress; and so am I," Obi-Wan added, with a tender smile. "You will be the youngest of the family to pass the trials, Cory," he told him. "Master Qui-Gon thinks you'll be ready at eighteen, and then," Obi-Wan sighed. "Things will be better, for you and Elena; I promise," he said gently. "And in the meantime we will make sure that she is taken care of," he promised. "Now," Obi-Wan continued, with a look of reproach. "Do you still feel you are being treated unfairly?"

This time Cory managed an apologetic smile. "No, Master," he confessed, with sincere appreciation.

Obi-Wan nodded, smiling affectionately. "Good," he said, getting up from his padded stool. "Now," he added cheerfully, patting Cory on the back as he led the way out of the Confessional chamber. "Let's go tell Master Qui-Gon that he's going to have a great-grand-Zabrak," he said, shaking his head in profound amusement.


	83. Luke and Leia's third birthday

**Chapter 83**

"There you are," Qui-Gon said cheerfully, as Cory and Obi-Wan joined him in his private quarters. Obi-Wan had been on confessional duty this evening, and Cory had wanted to do a bit of studying in the library before they regrouped to watch tonight's episode of _SITH_. _Cory is such a hard worker,_ Qui-Gon thought proudly. _It won't be long before he's ready to face the trials._

But then he felt his padawan's deep guilt and remorse, and looked up at the two of them sharply. Cory was hanging his head glumly, but Obi-Wan's expression conveyed a mixture of disdainful annoyance and barely-concealed amusement; Qui-Gon did not miss the all-too-familiar, triumphant, _I-told-you-so_ glimmer in his son's eyes.

"No," Qui-Gon protested, immediately guessing what this was about. _Already?_

"Yes," Obi-Wan replied, with a reproachful look.

"How?" Qui-Gon asked, completely baffled. _I've been so careful..._

"Iridonia. Tsunami relief effort," Obi-Wan replied cooly.

_Damn it! Yes, that was a bit chaotic..._ "I have to sleep _sometime,_" Qui-Gon pointed out, stubbornly maintaining an air of dignity and ignoring his son's accusatory glare.

"Now, Cory," Obi-Wan continued calmly. "It's time to tell Master Qui-Gon about his great-grand-Zabrak."

Qui-Gon blinked, stunned and shocked. "Cory!" he exclaimed, staring at his padawan in utter disbelief. "A Zabrak?"

Cory shrugged, looking down at the floor. "Not exactly..."

* * *

><p><em>A few days later...<em>

_Grr,_ Cory grumbled, trudging up the ridge behind Tarok's house with Master Qui-Gon at his side. _Now I have to have supervised visits with my own wife._

He was dismayed by his family's reaction to the news of his marriage to Elena. Cory had expected them to be shocked, and even angry at first; but he hadn't expected them to laugh. _They think it's funny,_ he sighed. _This is just a silly joke to them. I'm about to be a father in a few more months, and I have never been treated like such a child._

Cory had thought about leaving the Order, and coming here to live with Elena and her grandfather. _They need me,_ he had told himself._ They appreciate me, and don't think I'm a child._ But deep down he knew that his father was right. _I'm so close to passing the trials,_ he conceded reluctantly. _And it would break Master Qui-Gon's heart if I left now. He has sacrificed the past four years of his life to train me,_ Cory admitted. _I won't let it all be for nothing. I don't want to disappoint him, ever again._

_It will be all right,_ Cory told himself, as he and Qui-Gon climbed over the ridge toward Elena's house. _The important thing is that Elena and the baby will get proper medical care,_ he thought. _And in a few more years I'll be knighted, and we'll be able to see each other more often... But in the meantime, Elena has a duty to her grandfather, and I have a duty to mine._

* * *

><p>Grandfather sat by the fire, proudly wearing his new sweater that Elena had made for him, and bundled in a warm blanket given to them by the relief effort. It was mid-winter, and Elena had done what she could to insulate their little cabin against the bitter cold, but still it was a bit drafty, and Grandfather felt the familiar ache in his bones and joints.<p>

Elena had gone out for a moment, but she returned now, and Grandfather smiled as she came inside the cozy little cabin, shutting the door behind her. _She is looking happier again these days,_ he noted with relief; poor Elena had been devastated to learn the truth about her parents, and Grandfather's heart ached to think of what would become of her after he was gone.

_It is a good thing that Elena is so strong,_ he thought regretfully. _Because after I'm gone, she will truly be alone._ Elena understood now that she must never have children, and it was fortunate - though heartbreaking - that she seemed to be following in her mother's footsteps, taking no interest in the boys of the village, and pining instead after a forbidden lover that she could never have.

_A Jedi padawan,_ Grandfather smiled to himself ruefully. Elena had spoken of him only once, but Grandfather could see in her eyes that she still dreamed of him. _Sweetheart, he isn't allowed to marry, any more than you are. It can never happen._ But Grandfather didn't have the heart to say so aloud, and so he left Elena to her romantic daydreams of the young Jedi padawan, as they seemed to bring her comfort.

Elena had gone into her little bedroom a moment ago, and Grandfather frowned uncertainly now as he felt a sudden draft, followed by what sounded like hushed voices. _Must be the wind,_ he sighed, staring into the fire again. But now Elena returned, her smile conveying a mixture of pride and apology. "Grandfather," she said shyly. "There's someone I want you to meet."

Grandfather looked up in surprise as the young Jedi padawan emerged from Elena's bedroom now, followed by the tall, grey-haired Jedi Master who had come two months ago to help with the tsunami relief effort. "Elena," Grandfather said uncertainly, not wanting to be rude to his guests. "What's going on?" _They came in through the window?_

But now the young padawan stepped forward politely, giving him a formal Jedi bow. "Grandfather," he began, exchanging a nervous glance with Elena. "My name is Cory... Cory Suncatcher," he said, cringing in dismay as if embarrassed by his own name. "And... I'm in love with Elena," he continued bravely, taking her hand and squeezing it tight, as if to calm his own nerves.

Grandfather's brows furrowed, and he blinked in confusion at the young padawan, then at Elena, then at the Jedi Master standing behind them. _What is going on here?_

"I know about - " the young padawan added, smiling tenderly as he gestured to Elena's head. "It doesn't matter to me," he assured him. "Elena and I - we have been in love for two years now," he explained.

"Two years?" Grandfather asked, utterly confused. "Elena...?"

"Cory is friends with a Zabrak boy who lives on the other side of the ridge," Elena explained, still holding the young padawan's hand. "He visits often; I met him two years ago, hiking on the ridge... Grandfather," she said, looking at the floor. "We're married," she confessed, as she and the padawan shared another shy, tender look.

"Married?" Grandfather asked, stunned. "I thought that Jedi were not allowed to...?"

"We're not," Cory admitted. "Our marriage is not official, and it will always have to be a secret," he confessed. "But I love her," he told Grandfather, smiling at Elena once again.

Grandfather's eyes filled with tears as he saw the obvious love shared between the two young people. _He loves my Elena,_ Grandfather cried in grateful disbelief. _Even knowing what she is..._ "And... your Master approves of this?" he asked, looking up at the older Jedi.

The young padawan cringed. "Not exactly," he confessed. "But Master Qui-Gon is not just my Master," he explained, with an affectionate smile at the grey-haired Jedi. "He's also my grandfather."

"Your grandfather?" Grandfather asked, blinking in surprise. _I didn't realize Jedi had children, or grandchildren..._ "Oh," he murmured, suddenly understanding. _They are not so different from the rest of us,_ he realized.

"I was not aware of this marriage either," the older Jedi confessed now, with an apologetic smile. "And if Cory were a few years older, he would have my blessing," he added, as his grandson looked at the floor in humble remorse. "But he is still only a padawan, and his duty is to focus on his studies," the Jedi Master explained.

"I would like to allow Cory to visit Elena once a month," he continued, as the two young lovers shared a wistful smile. "And once he is knighted, he will be able to see her more often," he said. "With your blessing, of course," the older Jedi added, bowing formally.

Grandfather blinked, still stunned by this news. "Yes... of course," he said. _He does seem like a very nice, polite boy..._ "Elena, you're married?" he asked his granddaughter again, trying to understand.

"Yes, Grandfather," Elena said, giving him a reassuring smile; but then she looked down. "Grandfather, there's more... This is what I wanted to tell you a few weeks ago, but then I couldn't," she added. "Grandfather, I'm pregnant," she told him quietly. "Cory and Master Qui-Gon have arranged for me to have the baby in a hospital," she assured him, as Grandfather looked up at her worriedly.

"It's going to be all right, Grandfather," she promised him again. "We've talked about it, and if the child is..." Elena broke off, with an apologetic shrug. "If it's a Zabrak, Cory will take it to the Temple, to be raised as a Jedi," she explained. "But if it looks human... Grandfather, I'm hoping to raise this child myself," she told him.

_A baby?_ "Elena... That's wonderful news," Grandfather said, tears of joy springing to his eyes. "I'm so happy for you."

"Thank you, Grandfather." Elena smiled tearfully, giving him a big hug. "Cory and Master Qui-Gon are going to make sure that I get proper medical care, and that the baby is taken care of," she assured him again. "Everything is going to be all right, I promise."

Grandfather nodded, still overwhelmed. _I had never hoped for anything like this to happen,_ he confessed, smiling in gratitude at the two Jedi standing in his humble little cabin. _My Elena will be taken care of after I'm gone, and won't be left all alone..._ "Yes, everything will be all right," Grandfather agreed, tears filling his eyes as he shared a tender smile with Elena.

* * *

><p>"That went well," Qui-Gon remarked, as he and Cory headed back over the ridge toward Malok's house.<p>

"Yes," Cory agreed, looking down. "Master," he added hesitantly. "Thank you," he said, glancing at Qui-Gon in sincere appreciation before returning his gaze to the ground once again.

Qui-Gon smiled cheerfully. "You're welcome," he told his grandson. "Cory," he confessed, gazing toward the distant horizon as they continued over the ridge. "I had always hoped to live to see this day," he admitted, with a regretful smile at Cory. "But I must confess, I did not expect it to happen so soon," he added, giving him yet another reproachful look.

Cory nodded, bowing his head in humble apology as he had done for the past several days; but then he caught the glimmer of amusement in Qui-Gon's deep blue eyes, and grinned despite himself. "Be careful what you wish for, Master," he reproached his grandfather solemnly, quoting another of Qui-Gon's favorite sayings. "It might come true."

Qui-Gon laughed, shaking his head. "Yes, of course this is all my fault," he agreed, with annoyed sarcasm. "Cory, you are too much like your father," he sighed. "But we will make sure that Elena is taken care of," he promised. "And now, if you could only manage to learn the difference between the will of the Living Force and teenage hormones... We might make a decent Jedi of you yet," Qui-Gon teased his grandson, patting him on the shoulder.

* * *

><p><em>A few months later...<em>

"Wheeeee!" Leia giggled, sliding down the snow-covered hill and out onto the frozen lake in her new sled. It was her third birthday, and she had invited all of her favorite people to her sledding party at the lake retreat; Ryoo and Pooja were here along with the rest of her family, and her friends from Coruscant had come too: Kyra and Jon, and their mother, Leila. And of course she had invited all of her favorite Jedi friends as well; Qui-Gon and Cory were here, along with Obi-Wan and Anakin.

_Aw... They all went so much farther than me,_ Leia sighed, watching her Jedi friends continue all the way across the frozen lake on their sleds, and wondering how they managed to swerve and veer around each other like that. But Leia wanted to slide down the hill again, and so she grabbed the rope on her sled, pulling it behind her as she trudged up the snowy hill in her thick snow pants and heavy boots. _This is really tiring,_ she realized, panting wearily.

But now Jon caught up with her, grinning cheerfully. "Here, I'll give you a ride," he offered, taking the reins of Leia's sled and pulling her up the hill as she sat inside it, with a shy, delighted smile on her face. Leia had a secret crush on Kyra's older brother, even though she knew she shouldn't. Jon was ten years older than her, but he was just so handsome: tall and lanky, with dark hair and brown eyes... Leia gave him a little flirting smile as he stopped at the top of the hill, helping her up again.

But Jon just smiled indulgently, giving the pompom of Leia's snow hat a playful tug. _Aw... He thinks I'm a baby._ "Come on," he said cheerfully, aiming his sled down the hill once again as Ryoo, Pooja, and Kyra caught up with them. "Let's race!"

* * *

><p><em>Meanwhile, on Coruscant...<em>

"Come on, Mara!" the other younglings encouraged her. "You can do it!"

_Argh..._ Mara Jade frowned, trying once again to levitate the little tassel of string. It was Luke Starkiller's birthday party, and they were playing pin the tail on the womp rat; everyone else was already finished, and had done a pretty good job, but Mara was still struggling to get her piece of string airborne.

"Use the Force," Luke Skywalker instructed her now. The tall, black-skinned three-year-old was the oldest in her class, and he was winning so far; his little tassel was pinned almost perfectly on the womp rat's hind end.

"I know," Mara retorted, rolling her eyes at him in annoyance. _I'm not stupid,_ she pouted angrily. _Just because I'm the youngest, and the only girl..._ Mara was still only two, and it was frustrating being the smallest youngling in her class.

But now her string finally became airborne, and floated haltingly toward the target. _Hey,_ Mara blinked in confusion. _I didn't do that..._ Then she saw the look of intense concentration on Luke Starkiller's face, his hand outstretched toward her string, and Mara realized what was going on. "Stop it!" she cried angrily, stalking toward her floating string and giving the blond-haired boy a sulking glare as she grabbed her rat tail out of the air. _I don't need your help._

"Sorry," Luke Starkiller apologized with a remorseful shrug, looking at the floor.

"Come on, Mara... You can do it," the other four Lukes encouraged her again; it was another annoying fact of Mara's existence that on top of being boys, all five of her classmates were named Luke, apparently after some dumb holo-broadcast.

_Shut up,_ Mara frowned unhappily, tears of frustration stinging her eyes as she tried once again to levitate her tassel of string. _I can't concentrate with everybody yelling at me._ But the stupid piece of string wouldn't move, and Mara felt the all-too-familiar twinge of anger boiling inside her; she knew that it wouldn't be much longer before she would give in to an embarrassing fit of screaming and crying, and then get lectured again for having yet another tantrum.

_No,_ she told herself stubbornly, blinking back her tears. _I won't let that happen again._ The rage was welling inside of her, but Mara clenched her teeth, glaring at the stupid womp rat tail and focusing on it intensely. _Move, you dumb thing,_ she cried angrily, reaching out her hand; but once again, it refused to move.

"Poodoo," Mara cursed quietly in frustration, wishing she knew some better swear words. A couple of the other younglings giggled immaturely at the naughty word, but Mara just glared at them, and they quickly shut up. _I hate this game,_ she sulked, focusing on her little string again. _I hate birthday parties, and I hate these dumb hats we're wearing. I hate the whole galaxy, and everything in it,_ Mara decided angrily, tears in her eyes. _But most of all I hate this stupid piece of string..._

Mara felt the rage boiling inside of her, and knew that she couldn't hold off her temper tantrum much longer. _And then I'll have to sit in the corner, and everyone will think I'm stupid,_ she cried, unable to see the tassel of string clearly now through her tears. _No,_ she decided hotly. _I won't give in. I can do this..._

Blinking away her tears again, Mara focused all of her attention on the little string, willing it to move. _Come on, you stupid thing. Move..._ But then her rage welled up all at once, and she glared at the tassel in anger and frustration. _I hate you I hate you I hate you I hate you I HATE YOU -_ "Aaahhhhh!" Mara cried suddenly, her eyes widening in shock as blue sparks shot out from her fingertips, zapping the tassel of string and reducing it to a singed, smoldering mess.

_What happened?_ Mara blinked worriedly, gasping in fright and not resisting as Master Tyrion quickly led her away from the other younglings. _That was bad,_ Mara knew instinctively, nodding in tearful obedience as Master Tyrion told her to sit in the corner and calm down while the others continued with their party games.

Mara wept miserably, frightened by what had happened, and worried about the lecture she would receive for this; Master Tyrion had left the room, and Mara knew that he was going to tell Master Yoda what she had done. Now another Master had come in to supervise the class, and the five Lukes were sitting down at the little table for cake and ice cream.

But now Mara sensed someone approaching, and looked up, blinking back her tears. "Mara?" Luke Starkiller asked, his blue eyes filled with sympathy. "Would you like to have some cake and ice cream?" he asked hopefully. Luke Starkiller was the most thoughtful of the boys, and was the second youngest in their class, after Mara.

But his incessant niceness got on her nerves, and Mara shook her head, sulking. "No," she told him, tears stinging her eyes. "I don't want any."

Luke nodded regretfully, giving her an apologetic smile as he returned to the table for his birthday cake. _I DID want cake and ice cream,_ Mara admitted wistfully, tears filling her eyes once again. _Why did I have to be such a stupid crybaby..._

"Happy birthday, Luke," Mara whispered sadly, just quietly enough so that he couldn't hear her.

* * *

><p><em>And back on Naboo...<em>

_Aw,_ Leia sighed in disappointment, looking at the little pile of birthday gifts she had unwrapped. _I didn't get a brother._ She had asked her mom for one, but instead she had received mostly clothes and toys. _They're very nice though,_ Leia admitted, smiling graciously and remembering her manners as she thanked her guests for her presents. Leia knew that it would be rude to let them see her dismay, and that her mother would be very cross with her.

But after everyone had finished their cake and ice cream, her mother led her away to the other room, and Leia sensed they were about to have a talk. _Great,_ she sighed. _Here it comes again._ Leia's mother was always telling her that being a princess didn't make her better than other people, but Leia didn't quite understand her point.

_I AM better than other people,_ Leia knew instinctively, confused by her mother's constant lectures. _I'm smarter, and prettier, and I have better manners than most children my age; everyone says so,_ she reminded herself. But she braced herself for yet another lecture as her mother sat down with her in the little living room, away from the other party guests.

"Leia," her mother began gently, with an affectionate smile. _At least she's not cross with me,_ Leia sighed. "I know that you had asked for a brother for your birthday," her mother continued, holding Leia on her lap and tucking a stray tendril of hair back into one of the little buns over her ears.

"There's something that I've been wanting to tell you," her mother admitted. "But I've been waiting until you were old enough," she explained. "And now that you're three, you deserve to know the truth," her mother said, smiling wistfully. "Leia... You have a brother already, sweetheart."

Leia looked up at her mother in surprise; but then she nodded, accepting it. _I know,_ she realized, though she wasn't sure how._ Somehow, I've always known._

"His name is Luke; he's your twin brother, the same age as you," her mother explained. "He's being raised at the Jedi Temple," she continued, as Leia nodded in understanding, curious to learn more. "Leia... Sweetheart, I've never told you about your father," her mother apologized hesitantly, stroking her hair.

Leia had been listening quietly, but now she looked up at her mother. "He's a Jedi, isn't he?" she asked; Leia often knew things instinctively, without being told.

"Yes, sweetheart," her mother told her. "He's a Jedi... and he's here today," she added, glancing out toward the main room of the lake retreat, where the guests were gathered.

Leia smiled, knowing instantly who it was. "Obi-Wan," she exclaimed delightedly, her heart filling with warmth. _I knew it! He's so nice to me, and we see him more than the others; he's always taking Mom out to the opera,_ Leia realized. _He's such a nice man,_ Leia thought contentedly, proud to realize that Obi-Wan was her father. _I happen to like nice men._

But her mother's eyes twinkled in amusement. "No," she said, shaking her head. "Not Obi-Wan."

_Not Obi-Wan?_ Leia frowned in disappointment, trying to figure out who it could be. There were only three possibilities left, and none of them were very good. _Not Qui-Gon,_ Leia thought worriedly; she loved the grey-haired Jedi Master dearly, but he was old enough to be her grandfather. _And Cory's too young to have kids,_ she knew. There was only one person left...

"Anakin?" Leia asked, cringing worriedly and wrinkling her nose in disdain. _He's the closest to Mom's age... But... Yuck,_ Leia winced, praying it wasn't true. She liked Anakin well enough; secretly, he was her favorite of all the Jedi, though she would never admit to it openly. But the thought of him being her _father_ was disturbing.

_I'm a princess,_ Leia thought stubbornly. _And he's so... scruffy-looking,_ she cringed, embarrassed. _He never combs his hair; it's always a mess. He looks like a Nerf herder in Jedi clothes. Not even proper Jedi clothes,_ Leia realized, mortified to think she could possibly be related to the strange, black leather-clad Jedi, and even more disturbed to picture Anakin and her mother together. _Mom, what were you thinking?_ Leia blinked, horrified by the thought.

But her mother nodded, smiling. "Yes," she told Leia, glancing toward the doorway. "Anakin is your father, sweetheart."_ Noooooo!_ But Anakin was standing in the doorway now, so Leia quickly masked her horror, remembering her manners and smiling politely, though her heart pounded anxiously as he came over to hug her.

"Leia," Anakin said, smiling tenderly as he picked her up, cuddling her on his lap. "Sweetheart... I love you so much," he whispered, kissing her on the forehead and stroking her hair.

Leia was overwhelmed by the feeling of warmth and love that she felt now, and tears sprang to her eyes. _Don't cry,_ she told herself, embarrassed. _You're three years old, and a princess._ But to make matters worse, now Anakin was messing up her hair. The stray tendril fell out again, and hung in front of her face; Leia tried to tuck it back into the little bun where it belonged, but she feared it still looked messy.

_This was his fault too,_ Leia realized ruefully. Anakin had messed her hair up earlier giving her a "Jedi Starfighter" ride around the dining room; Leia had giggled ecstatically at the time, but then had nearly died of embarrassment when she realized other people had been watching. _He doesn't have proper manners,_ Leia sighed in dismay. _He's a scoundrel._ Anakin never treated her like a princess, or bowed properly in her presence; instead, he was always making up ridiculous names for her hairstyles, and embarrassing her in front of everyone else.

_These are NOT cinnamon buns,_ Leia frowned indignantly, still trying to fix her hair. _They're earmuffs._ Anakin was hugging her close now, telling her how much he loved her and how proud he was of her, and Leia smiled bravely; in truth, she appreciated his affection, and always had, but she was still getting over the shock.

_Of all the people in the world, why did HE have to be my father? I love him, in his own way, but..._ Leia sighed worriedly; she hated to admit it, but she had long suspected that Anakin was not the most intelligent person in the galaxy.

_Cinnamon buns?_ Leia asked herself again, trying to understand it. _Why would I wear cinnamon buns to a sledding party? Why would ANYONE wear cinnamon buns to a sledding party?_ It was obvious that they were earmuffs; Leia gave her father a tender, wistful, pitying smile now, realizing once again that there was something very wrong with him.

_He is a sweet person,_ Leia knew; she had always felt a special warmth and tenderness whenever Anakin held her, though she had tried to deny it, embarrassed to admit that she loved him more than her other, more proper Jedi friends. _Mom says I shouldn't judge people based on appearances,_ she reminded herself stubbornly. But now her mother was giving Anakin a tender smile, stroking his disastrous Nerf-herder hair, and Leia tried very hard to mask her revulsion.

_Mom, how could you?_ she wondered again, looking away politely and praying that none of the other party guests had seen them together. _You were Queen of Naboo... And he's -_ Leia sighed ruefully, finally admitting to the truth. _I've always thought Anakin was the most handsome one too,_ she admitted reluctantly. _Even though his hair is a perpetual mess, his clothes are ridiculous, and he's got that nasty scar on his temple... What's up with that anyway?_ Leia wondered again, blinking in confusion. _Has no one ever explained to him about Bacta treatments?_

But in spite of all that, Leia had to admit that she had always loved Anakin the best. _He's the most fun,_ she realized wistfully, giving her father a shy smile now as he pulled apart her ruined earmuff - which he still insisted on calling a cinnamon bun - and made a pathetic attempt to re-twist it himself. _Dad, you're making it worse,_ Leia cringed; but she smiled bravely, tolerating this assault on her dignity and secretly grateful for her father's loving affection.

There was a brief moment of panic and horror as Leia's mother gently explained that all of the party guests today already knew that Anakin was her father; Leia just kept nodding, grateful for her mother's lessons in manners and diplomacy as she managed to smile politely, not letting on that she was secretly mortified.

But she quickly forgot her embarrassment as her parents explained about the rest of the Jedi. _Obi-Wan is my uncle?_ Leia smiled in delight._ And Qui-Gon really is my grandfather? And Cory is my cousin..._ Leia was amazed and surprised to learn that Obi-Wan and Leila were secretly married as well, and that Jon and Kyra were technically her cousins too. _Oops,_ she cringed, realizing that she'd had a crush on her own cousin for months now. _Yeah, that's kind of embarrassing..._

But now her mother's tone became very serious as she explained to Leia that all of this was a secret, and that she must never tell anyone about her Jedi relatives. "This is very important, Leia," her mother said, looking into her eyes earnestly. "You must promise me that you'll never, ever, _ever_ tell anyone outside of the family, who your father really is."

Leia nodded, understanding; she didn't want her father to get in trouble, or the others either. But now a wave of relief washed over her as she realized something else. _I love him with all my heart,_ Leia smiled, looking up at her father. _But I am SO glad that this is going to be kept secret,_ she sighed in relief. _I would die of embarrassment if anyone ever found out that I'm related to this... this scruffy-looking Nerf herder in Jedi clothes. Not even proper Jedi clothes... This - this scoundrel..._

"I won't tell anyone," Leia assured her parents solemnly. "I promise."


	84. A Sithspawn escapes!

**Chapter 84**

_Three months later..._

"How is she doing?" Mace asked quietly, as he watched the class of three-year-old younglings practice their lightsaber techniques.

"Worse, I'm afraid," Master Tyrion confessed, with an apprehensive glance at little Mara Jade. Mace followed his gaze; the tiny red-haired toddler was executing her movements just as well as the five other boys in her class, but Mace could sense her unhappiness and frustration from across the room. "The incident at Luke Starkiller's birthday party frightened her," Master Tyrion sighed. "She feels even more alienated from the other children now."

Mace nodded regretfully; he and Master Yoda had been concerned about Mara for the past three months, ever since the girl had accidentally created Force lightning in a moment of anger and frustration over a game of Pin the Tail on the Womp Rat. "But she hasn't done it again since then?" he asked.

"No," Master Tyrion conceded. "I think she is afraid of her own abilities. Some days she can't even work up the courage to use the Force at all; she's falling behind the others in her training," he told Mace. "And her tantrums are growing worse by the day; if it weren't for Luke Starkiller, I would fear to leave her alone with the other children, even for a few minutes," he confessed.

"I see," Mace sighed thoughtfully, his gaze resting on the tiny blond-haired boy who was practicing his lightsaber movements alongside Mara and the others. Anakin Skywalker's son was already showing a great talent for the Jedi arts; but even more impressive was the youngling's instinctive compassion for Mara, whom the other boys could barely tolerate.

_It's because of his memory of Leia,_ Mace knew. The twins had been separated at only four months of age, but still, Anakin and Padmé feared that they had waited too long. Leia had cried unconsolably for a full month after Luke was sent to the Temple, looking around for her brother; Luke had been equally distraught, but the nursery attendants had quickly discovered that Mara's presence comforted him.

Now three years old, neither twin had ever openly mentioned the other, and Anakin and Padmé believed that they had forgotten any conscious memories of each other. Still, Luke was instinctively drawn to Mara, forming a closer friendship with her than with the other boys in his class, and just a few months ago Leia had innocently asked if she could have a brother; Padmé had finally told the girl about Luke at her third birthday party.

Mace's attention shifted to another of the younglings: a tall, dark-skinned boy, who was executing his moves with elegant precision. Luke Skywalker was Mace and Janessa's youngest son, three and a half years old now; Mace forced himself to mask his feelings of fatherly pride as he thanked Master Tyrion, taking his leave and continuing on to the Council chamber to prepare for this morning's session.

Then he stopped in his tracks, remembering something. _Obi-Wan's blueberry muffin,_ he grinned to himself, heading back to the docking bay where his Starfighter was parked. He had just gotten back this morning from a relaxing weekend visit with Janessa on Solaris Three, and Janessa had sent Obi-Wan one of her special homemade blueberry muffins, remembering how much he had liked them when he had stayed at their home three years ago. _I left it in the back of my Starfighter..._

_Well that's strange,_ Mace frowned, noticing that his spare blanket was rumpled carelessly in the back of his Starfighter, instead of being folded and stowed neatly away as it ought to be. _Did I do that?_ he wondered; he had slept for the entire journey through hyperspace on the way here, as he'd left Las Vegas just after midnight. _It DOES get cold in hyperspace; maybe I reached for it in my sleep,_ Mace decided, blinking in surprise as he folded it and put it away.

But then his eyes widened as he saw the empty little bag tossed to the side, with crumbs of blueberry muffin scattered on the floor in the back of his Starfighter. _I didn't do THAT,_ Mace knew instinctively, suddenly alarmed. Janessa was always grumbling about his unintentional habit of pulling the blankets off of her while he was asleep, grabbing them all for himself; but _never_ had he eaten a blueberry muffin in his sleep, or anything else for that matter.

_Oh no,_ Mace gasped, the blood draining from his face as he began to realize what had happened. _Somebody stowed aboard all the way from Vegas. Crap,_ he cursed, rushing to check the security recordings. _Whoever it was knows how to pick locks,_ he sighed unhappily; he kept his Starfighter safely hidden in the back of his beat-up old freighter truck in Las Vegas, but the lock on his truck was nothing special. _Anything fancier would make it look like I had something worth stealing,_ Mace had always rationalized. _Damn it... I was so tired when I left last night; I wasn't paying attention._

Frantically scanning through this morning's security recordings, Mace spotted the holographic image of a teenage boy emerging from his Starfighter. _Oh, this is not good,_ he realized, his heart sinking as he watched the boy look around in confusion, then sneak out past the docking bay and down the Temple steps, proceeding into the city of Coruscant. _We have a teenage Earthling on the loose._

Rewinding the recording, Mace paused it on the image of the teenager. He was a black boy, perhaps fifteen years old, with a roundish face, fairly light skin, elaborate little braids all over his head, average height, wearing blue jeans and a beat-up jacket... _Holy crap,_ Mace gasped, recognizing the boy. _It's Lando._

Mace had seen _The Empire Strikes Back,_ and knew that somehow Lando Calrissian would one day make it out into the galaxy; but he had never known how it would happen. _Last I knew he was in Reno,_ Mace thought; he had tracked down a boy named Lando Calrissian in the Nevada foster care system, and after paying a visit to his foster home years ago, had determined that the child indeed looked like a younger version of - _himself,_ Mace sighed ruefully.

_What kind of mother would name her baby after a Star Wars character?_ Mace wondered once again, shaking his head in dismay. _Obviously she was on crack... That's why Lando ended up in foster care in the first place,_ he remembered.

_And now he's loose in Coruscant,_ Mace realized worriedly. _What the hell do I do now?_ He and Yoda had always agreed never to let their knowledge of the future _Star Wars_ movies influence their actions and decisions; that's why aside from quietly watching Lando these past few years, Mace had been careful never to have any contact with the boy. _Dangerous, knowledge of the future can be,_ Yoda had warned him many times. _Focus on the present, you must._

_All right,_ Mace sighed, wishing Master Yoda were here, instead of halfway across the galaxy visiting his friends Chewbacca and Tarfful on Kashyyyk. _Regardless of what I've seen in the Star Wars movies, what would I do if a teenage kid from Earth was running loose in Coruscant?_ he asked himself.

_I'd get Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon and Anakin, and we'd try to keep this quiet,_ Mace decided, hurrying back up toward the Council chamber to find Obi-Wan and alert the others.

* * *

><p><em>Meanwhile, wandering through the streets of Coruscant...<em>

_This is the craziest dream I've ever had,_ Lando laughed to himself, looking around at the mile-high skyscrapers and strange alien creatures that seemed to be everywhere. _It's like something out of a space movie._

_Did I get high last night?_ he wondered, furrowing his brows as he tried to remember. He'd run away from his foster home in Reno - again - to have a bit of fun in Vegas; but his bus had arrived late last night, and Lando had quickly found a place to sleep, breaking into the back of a beat-up old freighter truck.

_Oh, yeah,_ Lando remembered now. _The 'Starfighter',_ he laughed to himself, amused. He'd discovered it in the back of the truck, and assumed it was some kind of military jet; after playing around in the cockpit a bit, Lando had crawled into the back to sleep for the night, joking to himself that it looked like something from _Star Wars_.

And then the crazy dreaming had begun. At first Lando had panicked, thinking it was real; his initial thought upon waking up and finding himself in a hangar full of fighter jets was that that he'd been taken to a nearby military facility, possibly even Area 51. _Crap, this is not good,_ Lando had cursed to himself, sneaking out of the docking bay to make his escape.

But the city that greeted him outside the hangar was not Las Vegas, and Lando had reeled in stunned shock when he saw the massive skyscrapers, with hovering vehicles speeding through the air in all different directions. But then he had breathed a sigh of relief, grinning in amusement as he realized what was going on. _I'm dreaming._

_I've never had a space alien dream before,_ Lando laughed, greeting the bizarre aliens cheerfully as he continued down the street. "Hi," he said, nodding to a girl who was dressed rather provocatively in black leather. "How's it going?" he asked, checking out her butt as she passed by. _Actually she'd be pretty hot if it weren't for those damned tentacles hanging off her head,_ Lando chuckled to himself._ Definitely looks like something out of Star Wars... She should be dancing for Jabba the Hutt or something._

But now he became aware of a commotion up ahead. "Hey!" yelled an angry voice, followed by surprised gasps and shrieks; and then there was gunfire. _Crap,_ Lando cursed, instinctively taking cover in a narrow alleyway. _What the hell's going on?_

A moment later a human boy ducked around the corner into the alleyway where Lando was hiding, pressing his back against the wall and taking cover. "What's going on?" Lando asked, keeping his voice low. The gunfire had stopped, but people and aliens were still milling about frantically in the street.

"Uhh... I don't know," the boy shrugged casually, pretending to be unconcerned. He looked to be a couple years younger than Lando; perhaps thirteen, but tall and lanky for his age, with floppy dark hair and brown eyes.

Suddenly several armed men appeared in the alleyway, dressed in uniforms. _Some kind of police?_ Lando wondered, trying to make sense of this crazy dream. "Hey!" one of the policemen yelled, pointing at the dark-haired boy. "There he is!"

"Damn it," the boy cursed under his breath. "Take cover," he told Lando quickly, pulling out a blaster which had been hidden under his shirt._ What the hell is he doing?_ Lando laughed, ducking behind a building as the boy stupidly charged at the policemen, yelling insanely at the top of his lungs. _He's a lunatic!_

But a moment later the boy was running back toward him, this time followed by six policemen. _Damn, he's in trouble,_ Lando realized, thinking quickly; he'd gotten into tight situations with the police often enough back in Reno, and empathized with the boy's plight. _There,_ he decided, spotting a steel grating in the back of the building and hurriedly forcing it open. The boy was running toward him now, and Lando whispered loudly, getting his attention.

"Hey!" he rasped, as the boy careened around the corner of the building, running from the policemen. "In here," Lando whispered urgently, showing him the open grating.

The boy hesitated for a split second, then nodded quickly. "Thanks," he whispered, crawling inside. Lando barely had enough time to close the grating again before the policemen appeared. _Haha, this is a fun dream._

"Hands up!" they ordered him, and Lando obeyed, blinking innocently. "No, it's not him," the leader said, as the others lowered their blasters. "Where did he go?" the policemen asked Lando, looking down the alleyway.

"That way," Lando lied, acting stunned and distraught, pointing down the narrow passageway between the buildings. "I think he may have gone up onto the roof," he added, as the policemen took off running once again.

"Thanks," the strange boy said quietly a moment later, emerging from his hiding place. "I owe you one," he sighed, deeply relieved. "Here," the boy offered, pulling out a little pink sequined purse from beneath his jacket and rifling through the contents. "Forty credits," he sighed, handing Lando a strange-looking electronic device. "Sorry, it ain't much."

_Ha,_ Lando laughed to himself, examining the bizarre device. _Some kind of outer space money, I guess,_ he decided. _Cool._ "Thanks," he said, nodding. "Nice purse," he added jokingly.

"Heh," the shaggy-haired boy laughed, tossing the stolen handbag into the nearby dumpster. "Ahh, that was a close one," he sighed. "I'd better get out of here," he admitted, peering cautiously down the alleyway toward the street beyond. "Thanks again."

"No problem," Lando said, still laughing at his own dream. "Any time." _I hope I remember this when I wake up. This is funny._

The boy nodded, turning to leave; but then he squinted at Lando critically, curious. "Are you from Haruun Kal?" he asked, with a doubtful look at Lando's blue jeans, beat-up jacket, and the little braids all over his head.

"Uh... yeah," Lando nodded, going along with it. _Sure, why not._ "How 'bout you?"

"Corellia," the boy said. "But I haven't lived there since I was a kid," he added, shrugging. "Han Solo," he said, introducing himself.

_What?_ Lando blinked in surprise, staring at the boy. He hadn't been paying attention, but the kid _did_ look like a young Han Solo, from _Star Wars_._ Haha... This is the strangest dream ever_.

"Risso," Lando replied coolly, using the name he always gave to strangers. He had learned at an early age never to tell people his real name, as it inevitably led to embarrassment and derision; Lando had never known his birth mother, but he cursed her once again for naming him after a _Star Wars_ character. _I even look like him,_ Lando cringed, remembering the teasing he had endured on the first day of kindergarten, when his previous foster parents had sent him to school with his hair an overgrown frizzy mess.

But now he laughed as he guessed what was going on. _Oh, no,_ he realized, embarrassed. _I'm dreaming that I AM Lando from Star Wars... Damn, this is the geekiest dream ever._ "Lando Calrissian," he added with an embarrassed shrug, explaining his nickname. _Wait... Shouldn't he know me?_ he wondered suddenly. _Aren't we supposed to be old buddies?_

But Han simply nodded, showing no sign of recognition. _I guess not,_ Lando shrugged, admitting that he'd never really been an expert on _Star Wars_. "You looking for work?" Han asked, peering cautiously around the next corner as they made their way through the back alleys of the strange city.

_Yeah, sure... why not,_ Lando thought, still laughing to himself. _I've got nothing better to do._ "Maybe," he told Han, giving him a questioning look. "What do you have in mind?"

Han gave him one final, suspicious look, as if deciding whether he could trust him; then he shrugged. "I work for _Trader's Luck,_" he said with an air of importance, as if the name meant something.

_Trader's Luck,_ Lando tried to remember, thinking hard. _Isn't that some kind of health food store? Yeah, there's one in Reno, near my school..._ "You're a check-out clerk?" he asked Han, blinking in surprise. _Or maybe a bag boy? This dream gets weirder by the minute,_ he laughed to himself, trying to picture Han in a little apron.

"What?" Han asked indignantly, squinting at Lando as if he were insane. "No," he frowned, ruffled by the accusation. "You've never heard of _Trader's Luck?_" he asked Lando, masking his wounded ego by acting as though _Lando_ were the stupid one. "It's a pirate ship, out of Bandomeer," he explained grudgingly.

"Pirate ship?" Lando laughed, surprised and amused. "You're a pirate?"

Han scowled. "Yeah," he replied dangerously. "You got a problem with that?"

"No, no," Lando assured him, surpressing a laugh. _I used to love playing pirates too,_ he agreed amiably. _When I was six._ "Pirates are cool," he told Han, smiling indulgently and playing along. "Sure," Lando nodded, pretending to be serious. _Um..._ "Take me to your leader," he blurted out, trying to think of something official-sounding to say.

Han stared at him blankly, as if uncertain whether he was being made fun of, or if Lando was just plain crazy; but he finally shrugged, nodding. "Captain Shrike is always looking for new recruits," Han explained casually, leading the way through the city streets. "You're pretty good in a tough situation," he added, with a nod back toward the alleyway where Lando had helped him to evade the police. "I'll put in a good word for you with Shrike," he promised.

"Thanks," Lando nodded, following along and deciding to play Han's silly pirate game for lack of anything better to do. "I appreciate it." Han was explaining now that they had to get back to the pirate ship right away, as it would soon be blasting off into 'hyperspace'.

_Damn,_ Lando laughed once again, looking around at the various species of aliens that filled the busy streets, and the hovering vehicles speeding high above their heads between the massive skyscrapers of the space city. _This has got to be the craziest dream I've ever had._

* * *

><p><em>Meanwhile, in the Jedi Council chamber...<em>

"Masters Windu, Yoda, and Kenobi are unable to be here today," Ki-Adi-Mundi explained to the other Council members matter-of-factly, as he began today's session. "But we have several matters to discuss..."

_This is not good,_ Ki-Adi sighed, masking his anxiety as the members voted on various routine Senate matters. Mace had quietly asked him to lead the Council session today, explaining that he, Yoda, and Obi-Wan had some 'urgent business' to attend to. Ki-Adi had of course agreed to take care of things, but he couldn't help but worry.

_It's some kind of trouble with Solaris Three again,_ he guessed. Mace, Yoda, and the others had never officially told him about their dealings with the hidden Sith planet, and Ki-Adi understood their reasons all too well. _If the Jedi Council ever discovered the location of Solaris Three, it would be our duty to inform the Senate,_ he realized. _And then it would only be a matter of time before the Hutts learned of its existence._

_Some things are best kept secret,_ Ki-Adi agreed, trying to focus on the discussion. He had sensed Mace and Obi-Wan's alarm growing stronger over the past hour, and now as he reached out with the Force, Ki-Adi could feel Master Yoda, Qui-Gon Jinn, Cory Suncatcher and Anakin Skywalker all racing toward opposite ends of the galaxy, as if in search of someone. Or some _thing_...

_Oh no,_ Ki-Adi realized worriedly, guessing what was going on. _We have an escaped Sith Lord on the loose._


	85. At the worst possible moment, of course

**Chapter 85**

_Meanwhile, on Iridonia..._

"Reel it in a little more," Elena instructed Kyra, resting somewhat uncomfortably in the stern of the little rowboat as Jon manned the oars. "A little more tension on the line... That's perfect," she said approvingly, as Kyra carefully began to reel in the fish that had just bit the other end of her line. "Nice and slow... let it wear itself out," she reminded her sister-in-law.

_They're doing really well, for a couple of city kids,_ Elena thought to herself. Jon and Kyra were spending their summer vacation here on Iridonia, to help Elena through the last months of her pregnancy; the baby was due in three more weeks, and Elena had been grateful for their presence this past month. Kyra was staying with Elena and her grandfather in their little cabin, and Jon had been staying with Tarok and Malok on the other side of the ridge.

"This is fun," Kyra said cheerfully, as she continued to reel in her fish. "It feels like a big one," she added, her blue eyes twinkling happily. Elena smiled, touched by the nine-year-old's infectious enthusiasm. _She's going to be a heartbreaker when she's older,_ Elena predicted, admiring the girl's naturally wavy golden-blond hair, which fell nearly to her waist in a tangled, unkempt mess at the moment. _She looks so much like her mother... Ohh!_ Suddenly Elena winced as she felt a sharp pain in her belly.

"Elena, are you all right?" Jon asked, his dark eyes filled with concern. At thirteen, Cory's little half-brother was almost as tall as Elena, with dark hair and thoughtful eyes; a quiet boy, slender of build but surprisingly strong, who had proved himself quite capable at rowing, fishing, and rock-climbing with Tarok this summer.

"Yes," Elena nodded, frowning doubtfully as she put a hand on her belly. "I think so..." _Settle down, Maia... or Zak,_ she chided the baby. _It's not quite time yet._ Elena and Cory had already picked out names for their child; Maia if it was a girl, after Elena's mother, and Zak if it was a boy, as a tribute to her mysterious Zabrak father.

They had of course considered Cory's family names as well, but had quickly decided that a child named Obi-Wan or Qui-Gon would draw too much attention, especially if it were raised at the Jedi Temple; and Leila herself had insisted that she loved the name 'Maia' for her granddaughter, and that in any case Leia had already been named after her, in an accidental sort of way.

Which left only Grandfather; but Elena and Cory had regretfully ruled out that option from the start. As dearly as Elena loved her grandfather, she did not want to name her child 'Egbert'; and so in the end they had happily settled on Maia and Zak.

_I don't care if it's a boy or a girl,_ Elena smiled, dreaming of her baby. _I only hope that it can pass for human, and that I can raise it myself._ Cory was so busy with his padawan studies these days; Elena missed him terribly, and prayed that she would be able to raise their child here in the village. _Horns can be removed, but if it has stripes..._ Elena sighed worriedly once again, praying that her baby would not have to be sent away to the Jedi Temple.

_No,_ she chided herself, pushing the thought from her mind and giving Kyra a reassuring smile as the girl continued to reel in her fish. _That won't happen. Our baby will be three-quarters human; it probably won't even have horns, as I did,_ Elena reminded herself optimistically. _Everything's going to be all right._

But now she gasped, clutching her stomach as she felt something incredibly painful... and incredibly strange. _That wasn't a kick,_ Elena realized, her eyes widening with alarm. _The baby's coming!_

"Elena?" Jon asked again, peering at her with a worried look.

"I think we should get back," Elena confessed, still holding her stomach as Jon nodded quickly, grabbing the oars and rowing back toward the docks in the village.

"What do I do?" Kyra asked doubtfully, blinking in dismay at her fishing pole, which was now bending heavily downward into the water; the fish was still fighting, and was now swimming under the boat in the opposite direction.

"Cut the line," Elena gasped with effort, managing a regretful smile at her sister-in-law, as Kyra nodded obediently, reaching for a fishing knife and severing the line. "We'll get him another time," Elena said reassuringly, shifting her position uncomfortably and focusing on her breathing, as the midwife in the village had taught her.

A few minutes later they were back on shore, and Elena was grateful for Jon and Kyra's support as they helped her walk back up to her Grandfather's cabin. "Elena!" Grandfather exclaimed worriedly, as the three of them burst through the front door.

"I think the baby's coming," Elena announced breathlessly, unable to suppress a smile of excitement despite her tears. "Grandfather, I have to go," she cried, hugging him goodbye. "I'll be back - as soon as I can," she promised him, smiling tearfully as Kyra ran to gather her travel bag.

Grandfather nodded, getting up from his chair by the hearth to say goodbye, and they shared a tearful hug as Elena headed out the door with the others. "I'll be back soon," she promised again; Grandfather nodded, but was still unable to speak, tears of pride and worry in his eyes. _He lost his wife and his daughter in childbirth,_ Elena knew all too well. _But he's not going to lose me._ "I promise," she said, hugging him tight. "I'll be back soon."

Grandfather held her close, nodding. "I know," he whispered, nodding bravely once again. "I love you, Elena," he said, gazing at her with tearful pride.

"I love you, Grandfather," Elena replied, kissing him on the cheek and giving him one last hug; and then Jon and Kyra were helping her down the steps and up the path toward the rocky ridge. "I'll see you soon," she called over her shoulder, as Grandfather waved goodbye from the doorway.

_I promise,_ Elena thought stubbornly, hiking over the ridge toward Tarok and Malok's house with Jon and Kyra's help. "How are you doing?" Jon asked, as they reached the top of the ridge and started down the narrow pathway.

"I'm all right," Elena reassured him. "As long as I go slow... Go on ahead," she told Jon, panting slightly from the effort. "Tell Tarok to call for Malok."

"Okay," Jon nodded, giving her a shy, reassuring smile as he ran on down the path to alert the others. They had been planning for this for the past month; at the first signs of labor, they were to go over the ridge to Malok and Tarok's house, and their Zabrak friends would then fly Elena to the hospital.

A few minutes later Elena and Kyra reached the Zabrak's home, and Elena collapsed gratefully onto the couch in the living room. "I tried calling my dad," Tarok was explaining anxiously now. "He didn't answer... I'll try again," he said, pressing the button on his transmitter once more. "Come on, Dad... Where are you?" he muttered worriedly to himself.

But now they all looked at each other in surprise as they heard the sound of a speeder bike outside the house, and a moment later Malok appeared in the front doorway, with a bit of gauze taped to his right temple and one eye swollen nearly shut. "Dad!" Tarok exclaimed, rushing to him. "What happened? Are you all right?"

"I'm fine," Malok sighed unhappily, plunking down on the couch and holding his aching head in his hands. "It didn't go so well today," he confessed, with a reueful smile; Malok was a professional Zabrak fighter, one of the best on Iridonia, and it wasn't often that he got beat up like this, but it happened occasionally.

But now he blinked in surprise, noticing Elena and the others. "Elena!" he exclaimed, forgetting his own injury. "Is it time?" Malok asked, grinning excitedly as he looked around at the others with hopeful anticipation.

"I think so," Elena nodded, smiling as she held a hand on her belly. "Although I'm feeling all right at the moment," she confessed, her brows furrowing. "Maybe it was just a false alarm...?"

"No, no," Malok said quickly, taking charge. "It's time. We're going to get you to Coruscant... Damn," he cursed, shaking his head in frustration.

"What?" Tarok asked, blinking worriedly at his father.

"Aaahh," Malok sighed, gesturing at the bandage on his head. "They say I have a concussion," he shrugged. "And a _really_ minor skull fracture," he admitted reluctantly. "I can't go to Coruscant," Malok apologized to Elena now. "The jump to hyperspace puts too much pressure on your brain, especially in a small ship; you're not supposed to do it with a concussion," he explained. "How are you feeling right now?" he asked worriedly. "You've had a contraction?"

"I'm - I'm not sure," Elena replied truthfully. "Malok, are you sure you're all right?"

"Yes, yes, I'm fine," he assured her. "I just can't go off-planet for a few days... But we need to get you to the hospital," he said. "I can take you to the local hospital if you think the baby is on the way," he offered; they had discussed this before, and everyone knew that a Zabrak baby born to a human mother on Iridonia would cause a huge scandal.

"But if the contractions have stopped... It's only a few hours to Coruscant; Tarok could take you," Malok suggested, with a proud smile at his son. Tarok was sixteen now, and had his pilot's license; he had made the trip to Coruscant before, though never alone. Tarok nodded agreeably, his expression serious yet hopeful.

"And if the contractions start again, there are other medical facilities on the way," Malok told them. "I'll call Qui-Gon and Cory too; hopefully they'll be able to meet you on Coruscant," he added. "Elena, I think it's time to go. Even if this was only a false alarm," Malok said gently. "It would be better if you stayed on Coruscant, until the baby comes," he said, putting a hand on her shoulder.

Elena nodded; she knew that Malok's own wife had died in childbirth, which happened all too often here in the rural regions of Iridonia, and she understood his concern. "You're right," she agreed, with an appreciative smile. They had discussed this as well; Elena hated to leave her grandfather for more than a few days, but it was better to err on the side of caution. _I can stay with Leila on Coruscant until the baby comes, and Jon and Kyra can return with Tarok to take care of Grandfather while I'm gone._ "I think it's time," she admitted, smiling gratefully at the others.

A minute later they were boarding Malok's little ship; it was a tight squeeze, but Elena and Kyra shared the little bunk in the back, while Tarok and Jon manned the cockpit. "Fly safely," Malok said, as Tarok nodded, starting up the ship. "I just fixed the hyperdrive again the other day; it should be fine," Malok added. "But if you have any problems, call for help - Jedi, local police, anybody," he instructed his son. "I'll let Qui-Gon and Cory know that you're on your way to Coruscant; hopefully they can meet you there," he said. "Have a safe trip; Elena, good luck," Malok finished, smiling at her encouragingly.

"Thank you, Malok," Elena replied gratefully. "I hope you feel better soon," she added, as Malok nodded cheerfully, waving goodbye. And then they were off, leaving Iridonia behind them as Tarok punched in the coordinates for Coruscant, making the jump to hyperspace.

"It worked," Tarok said, breathing a sigh of relief as the stars turned into a blurry streak, then disappeared altogether. Elena, Kyra, and Jon shared a relieved grin; they knew that Malok's hyperdrive could be a bit unpredictable, but typically once it started up, it was fine. "We should be on Coruscant in a few hours," Tarok assured them. "Elena, how are you fee-"

He was cut off by the sound of a hyperdrive motivator spinning down, and everything turned black for a moment; but then the emergency power system came on, and the four of them shared a rueful glance in the eerie dim light, gazing out the window at the sea of stars which once again had come to a complete stop.

"Crap," Tarok grumbled, crawling down into the tiny control room behind the cockpit. "Jon, can you hold this flashlight?" he asked, sounding mildly irritated as he handed it up to Jon.

"Sure," Jon agreed, with an apprehensive glance at the control panel. "Do you know what's wrong?"

"Yeah," Tarok sighed ruefully. "It's just this stupid - " he broke off again, and fell silent for a long moment. "Oh, crap," he cursed again, crawling back out. "Damn it... That's not a short circuit; the whole thing is completely fried," Tarok announced worriedly, sitting back down in the pilot's seat and grabbing the transmitter. "I'm calling my dad..."

But after pressing the button, nothing happened. Tarok frowned, trying again; but still, the transmitter failed to respond. "Come on," he begged worriedly, flipping the power switch on and off and pressing more buttons. "Crap!" Now Tarok looked extremely anxious; Elena could see the panic in his eyes. "We've lost communications," he informed them shakily. "The electrical system is gone; we're on emergency backup power," he explained. "Oh, this is not good..."

"Where are we?" Jon asked worriedly, peering out the window at the sea of stars beyond.

Tarok glanced at the control panel, sighing. "Somewhere between Iridonia and Coruscant," he told them vaguely.

"Can you call for help?" Kyra asked, blinking in concern.

Tarok shook his head, glancing at the dead transmitter. "No," he admitted, his voice betraying his anxiety. "No, I can't," he whispered, gulping. "There's something wrong; the transmitter should still work on reserve power, but - there's no signal; I don't know what's wrong," Tarok confessed. "The emergency backup power should last five hours; maybe longer, if we turn off the lights," he told them, forcing the words to come. "But then we'll lose life support," he finished quietly.

Kyra let out a frightened gasp, and Elena hugged her tight, stroking her hair in an attempt to comfort the child. "If we can't call for help... Will anyone find us?" Jon asked, blinking anxiously.

Tarok peered out at the sea of stars in the far distance, and the vast, empty nothingness that surrounded their tiny ship. "No," he whispered, slumping back in the pilot's seat and shaking his head in stunned disbelief. Then he blinked self-consciously, noticing Kyra's fright. "Maybe," Tarok corrected himself, managing a brave smile. "I hope so. And I'll have another look down below," he promised them, crawling back into the control room again.

Kyra sobbed quietly, clinging to Elena for comfort; Elena felt her own tears coming, and hung her head, weeping silently. _Cory..._ "Wait!" she blurted out suddenly, opening her eyes and blinking in hopeful surprise. _He senses me..._ "Cory will find us," Elena said, stroking Kyra's shoulder and smiling tearfully at the others. "I promise," she told them bravely. "Cory will come."

* * *

><p><em>Elena!<em> Cory gasped suddenly, blinking in alarm. _She's having another contraction..._ Malok had called them a few minutes ago, saying that Elena and the others were on their way to Coruscant now. Cory was concerned for his wife, and sad that he wasn't able to meet her on Coruscant right away; but he agreed whole-heartedly with Master Qui-Gon's gentle but stern admonition. _There is an Earthling loose in the galaxy, and possibly an entire ship full of pirates who now know about Solaris Three; this is no time to be abandoning my duties._ Malok had assured them that Elena was doing well, and that they were simply being cautious; Tarok was taking her to Coruscant to stay with Leila until the baby came.

_Elena is strong. She will be all right,_ Cory told himself stubbornly, remaining at his post in his Starfighter and awaiting further orders from Master Windu. He and the others were staking out all corners of the galaxy, waiting for _Trader's Luck_ to come out of hyperspace so that they could resume their hunt for Lando Calrissian.

Obi-Wan and Master Windu had managed to track down the Earthling boy on Coruscant; witnesses had seen a strange dark-skinned teenage boy boarding the merchant ship _Trader's Luck,_ but unfortunately the ship had blasted into hyperspace by the time the Jedi arrived, and they had no idea where it would emerge next.

_Probably not way the heck out here in the Unknown Regions,_ Cory sighed, knowing that he would have the farthest distance to travel when they finally did locate the ship; but he set aside his personal disappointment, admitting that he was only a sixteen-year-old padawan, and that it made sense that the others should stake out the more strategic locations. _They'll probably have caught this Lando kid by the time I even get there,_ Cory thought, wishing he could just go to Coruscant to be with Elena now. _She's frightened and anxious; I can feel it,_ he sighed unhappily.

_But my duty is to the Jedi Order,_ Cory reminded himself. _Being married doesn't change that. Elena will be fine,_ he told himself. _And even if she weren't - _he shook his head, not wanting to even go there. _There is an Earthling on the loose,_ he reminded himself again. _You do not jeopardize the safety of the entire galaxy to save one person that you love._

_Unless you're Darth Vader,_ Cory grinned in amusement, remembering Anakin's rather stupid turn to the Dark Side on _JEDI_ three years earlier. _Let that be a lesson to me,_ he sighed, cringing at the thought of his father chopping off all his arms and legs and setting him on fire as punishment.

_I'm really lucky they've been so lenient with me,_ Cory admitted. _Even Anakin thinks I'm too young to have a kid; they all quietly cringe at the thought, but aside from my dad, nobody has really chewed me out,_ he confessed. _I feel awkward, and stupid, and more of a child than ever,_ Cory lamented._ But Elena really wants this baby..._ He smiled with tender affection, recalling the sparkle of joy in Elena's eyes when he had seen her last weekend. _I just hope it looks human, and that she can keep it._

His thoughts were interrupted by an urgent voice over the transmitter. "_Trader's Luck_ just landed on Corellia," Master Windu informed them. "Obi-Wan, you and I are the closest; the rest of you, get back here as fast as you can," Master Windu instructed the others.

"Yes, Master," Cory replied obediently, as Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan, Anakin, and Yoda confirmed that they were on their way as well. Setting his coordinates for Corellia, Cory sat back in the pilot's seat, summoning his patience as he made the long journey through hyperspace.

_Please be all right, Elena,_ Cory prayed, still sensing her anxiety. The baby was coming, he guessed; he'd never felt such intense fear in Elena before. _I'm sorry I can't be there, sweety... Please, please be all right,_ he thought helplessly. Elena had been to Coruscant twice over the past six months for regular prenatal checkups; the doctors had assured them that she was doing fine, and that there was no reason to be worried, despite her family history. Cory took a deep breath now, reminding himself that they had planned for this day all along, and that Elena would be well cared for, even if he wasn't able to be there for the birth of their child.

_The doctors will do their job, and I must do mine,_ Cory resolved, closing his eyes and trying to calm himself. _If word of Solaris Three has gotten out, this is going to be a huge cover-up operation, and I will need all of my mental focus,_ he admitted, wishing that he had even half of his father's talent for Jedi mind control.

"Come on," Cory whispered in frustration, dismayed by his inability to set aside his thoughts of Elena, and focus on his work. _I promised Master Qui-Gon I wouldn't let my marriage interfere with my job,_ he reminded himself; but he shook his head, tears filling his eyes as he felt Elena's intense fear and anxiety once again.

_I'm sorry, Elena,_ he cried, praying that his wife would be all right. _Hang in there, sweety; it's going to be all right, I promise,_ Cory thought helplessly, wishing that Elena could hear him. _I'll be there as soon as I can._

But as he sped toward Corellia at light speed, ever farther and farther from his wife, Cory hung his head, closing his eyes and praying to the Iridonian god that Elena herself worshipped. _I know I'm not one of your people,_ he apologized silently, gulping back his tears. _I'm a Jedi; I'm not supposed to - _Cory broke off miserably, hanging his head. _Just - please, please, let Elena be all right._

* * *

><p><em>Meanwhile, blasting away from Kashyyyk...<em>

_Concerned for his wife, young Cory is,_ Yoda sighed, sensing the padawan's anxiety from across the galaxy. _Gone into labor, she has,_ he guessed. _Hope that she survives the delivery, I do,_ he prayed quietly, knowing that Elena's mother and grandmother had both died in childbirth.

_But loyal to his duties, Cory remains,_ Yoda noted, once again confirming his quiet conviction that personal attachments do not interfere with a Jedi's ability to do his job. _A fine Jedi Knight, one day he will be._

Yoda smiled at his Wookiee pilot now. "Thank you, Chewbacca," he said. "Greatly appreciated, your assistance on this mission is," he told his friend. Yoda had been visiting Kashyyyk when Mace had called this morning, informing him of Lando's escape. _Understand what we are doing, Chewbacca does not,_ he sighed. _But fly me to Corellia in his own ship, he insisted nonetheless,_ Yoda realized, touched by the Wookiee's fierce loyalty. "A true friend, you are," he added with sincere appreciation.

"Raaaauuuurrrrgghhh," Chewbacca replied proudly, patting Yoda affectionately on the head with his huge furry paw.

* * *

><p><em>Meanwhile, directly in their path...<em>

"Is it working?" Tarv asked his first mate, as they prepared for their attack.

"Yes, sir," Grauv replied. "Communications are jammed within a ten-mile radius, and the hyperdrive deactivator is on the lowest setting."

"Good work," Tarv nodded calmly, not betraying his anxiety to the other crew members. The technology for creating hyperspace traps was still in its infancy. The last ship that Tarv and his crew had snared was unfortunately ten times larger than their own slaving vessel, equipped with powerful weaponry; in the end they had been forced to flee from their own victims.

_But not this time,_ Tarv resolved. They had learned their lesson, and today the snare was set to disable only a small vessel, allowing the larger, more powerful ships to pass through. He had set up today's trap just outside the Interior along a popular trade route, hoping to catch a small merchant vessel; they would quickly seize the ship and cargo, then take the crew to Kessel to be sold as slaves.

_It's a brilliant plan, really,_ Tarv thought, smiling to himself. The snare itself was perfectly reliable, and virtually undetectable to nearby ships and traffic control centers; the only slight quirk that hadn't been worked out yet was its tendency to create an "echo", an identical mirror trap on the exact opposite side of the galaxy. Tarv was hoping to set up dual operations in the future to take advantage of this anomaly, thereby catching two ships at once; but he wasn't prepared to deal with any of that today._ The mirror trap would be in the middle of nowhere, somewhere off Iridonia; there's hardly any traffic out there anyway,_ he consoled himself. _Even if we were prepared today with another slaving ship in that sector, it's not likely we'd actually catch anyone._

_Ah well,_ Tarv sighed, shrugging it off. _It's best to start small anyway._

* * *

><p><em>Meanwhile, racing in from Hutt Territory...<em>

_Wow... Cory's really upset,_ Anakin noted, sensing Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon's concern as well. _I hope Elena's all right,_ he sighed. He had met Elena a few months ago on Coruscant when Leila had taken her in for a prenatal checkup, and they had all been concerned for her over these past few months. _She's a really sweet girl..._

_But right now we have other problems to deal with,_ Anakin reminded himself, preparing for the upcoming search for Lando Calrissian. _Hopefully he hasn't told the entire crew of Trader's Luck about Solaris Three by now; otherwise this could be a really big cover-up operation,_ he sighed, sitting back in his pilot's seat and summoning his focus.

_Relax,_ Anakin told himself, closing his eyes and preparing for what might be the biggest mind control operation of his life. _Feel the Force..._ But then he sighed, shaking his head. _Eh, that never works for me,_ he admitted, running a hand through his shaggy hair. _There are better ways of focusing,_ he decided, closing his eyes once again and switching to his favorite subject of meditation.

_Ahh... Padmé,_ Anakin sighed, settling back comfortably in his seat as his Starfighter raced through hyperspace toward Corellia, a dreamy smile on his face.


	86. Nobody quite knows what's going on

**Chapter 86**

_Wake up,_ Lando told himself for the hundredth time, as he and Han made their way through the busy streets of Corellia, quietly avoiding the police. _Somebody, please tell me this is just a dream._ But Han was giving him a concerned look now, and Lando shrugged, hiding his anxiety. _This is MY dream; I will not have some punk thirteen-year-old kid thinking I'm afraid_, he vowed.

"So," Han said quietly, leading the way down a smaller side street. "You're from Haruun Kal... I hear Tauntaun racing is really big there," he added casually, in an attempt to make conversation. "You ever done any of that?"

"Uh... Yeah," Lando nodded, playing along. _Sure, why not._ "Yeah, I've done it a few times; I'm not so much into it any more," he elaborated, shrugging with mild disinterest. _I'm too cool for Tauntaun racing. Whatever the hell that is._

But suddenly Han was grabbing his arm now, pulling him into a dark alleyway. "Jedi," the dark-haired boy muttered under his breath, nodding back toward the busy street. Lando peered around the corner to see a brown-robed figure speaking with two of the local policemen. _Damn, that's Obi-Wan Kenobi,_ Lando realized, blinking in surprise. _This dream just keeps getting weirder._

"Hey," Han said, keeping his voice low as he cast an apprehensive glance toward the street beyond. "You know what this is about... don't you," he asked quietly. "You're not from Haruun Kal," he added; it was not a question.

_What is this Haruun Kal place?_ Lando sighed. "No," he said, shrugging. "You got a problem with that?" he challenged the younger boy, irritated by his incessant questions.

But Han met his gaze. "I got a problem with people who claim to be from Haruun Kal, and think that Tauntauns could survive on that planet for more than ten minutes without dying of heat exhaustion," he replied, as Lando rolled his eyes. _Great. I thought Han Solo was cool, not some nit-picky Star Wars fan geek,_ he sighed. _This dream is lame... Wake up,_ he told himself again, annoyed.

"Look, buddy," Han continued. "There's something going down, and my guess is that it's something big, if they've sent a Jedi Council member out here to investigate," he pointed out, nodding toward the street where Obi-Wan Kenobi had been speaking with the police a moment earlier. "We have to get back to the ship. I know a shortcut," he said, keeping his voice low. "But you have to tell me what's going on. Where are you from?" Han asked quietly.

Lando sighed in annoyance. "Reno," he said, already irritated by Han's childish game of hide-and-seek. "Nevada. Earth," he added pointedly, as Han stared at him in sudden anxiety and shock.

"Where is that?" Han asked, glancing back at the street apprehensively. "Come on," he whispered, pulling Lando further into the shadows as two policemen walked by. "They're after you, aren't they?"

"I don't know," Lando confessed, his own anxiety beginning to mount. _If this is a dream, it's lasting way too long,_ he realized. _I've seen movies like this. Not stupid space movies; but movies where everything is WRONG, and then in the end you find out..._ "Oh, crap." Lando blinked, finally guessing what was going on. _I'm in a coma._

"What?" Han asked, glancing at him in concern.

_My bus never made it to Vegas last night. I'm lying on the side of the road somewhere, bleeding to death._ Lando shook his head, desperately forcing the thought out of his mind. "I have a bad feeling about this..."

But now he looked around in surprise, finding himself alone in the alleyway and realizing that Han had inexplicably disappeared. _Ahh!_ Lando hurried down the narrow passageway where he guessed Han had gone. _Some friend you are,_ he grumbled to himself. _Thanks a lot, buddy. This dream completely sucks._

* * *

><p><em>I'm sorry,<em> Han sighed, hiding behind a dumpster as he watched Lando sneak quietly through the alleyway, straight toward the corner where Han had spotted Mace Windu a moment earlier. _Ah... sorry,_ he cringed guiltily, as his strange new friend was quickly apprehended by the imposing Jedi Master.

_I don't know what's going on here, but this is something big,_ Han guessed, slinking back through the shadows toward the landing platform where _Trader's Luck_ was docked. Lando had finally confessed to being from a planet called _Urth;_ Han aspired to be a pilot one day, and had studied every star chart he could get his hands on. He knew that there was no such planet in this galaxy. _It must be another one of those hidden planets_.

_If the Jedi are trying to keep this Urth place a secret, I'm guessing they have their reasons,_ Han thought, still feeling guilty for having abandoned his friend. _The Jedi are a giant pain in the ass, but when it comes to hidden planets, they know what they're doing,_ he sighed. _I trust them more than I trust my own friends._

There were dozens of fanciful stories told by his pirate buddies, of hidden planets throughout the galaxy. Some of them, like Solaris Three, were merely fairy tales; but others, such as Yoda's own planet of Dagobah, were real enough, and Han knew that if word of this _Urth_ planet got out, every pirate and smuggler in the galaxy would start looking for it.

_And if the Jedi don't want it found, I ain't messing with that,_ Han sighed, shaking his head unhappily. _No way am I telling any of the others about this,_ he resolved, as he reached the main spaceport and spotted _Trader's Luck_ on the other side of the landing platform. But then he stopped, hanging his head and feeling a twinge of guilt as he remembered Lando.

_He's not a bad guy,_ Han confessed, thinking of his mysterious new friend, with his strange dark skin, the little braids all over his head, and the odd blue pants he wore. _He doesn't know a Tauntaun from a Bantha, but still... Ahh,_ Han sighed in frustration. _If he'd murdered someone, or was in some kind of local trouble, I'd help him in a heartbeat, no questions asked,_ Han admitted. _But this... This is different,_ he told himself stubbornly. _This is Jedi business, and I ain't getting involved._

_So why am I not getting back on that ship?_ Han asked himself ruefully, as he watched his pirate buddies quietly returning to _Trader's Luck_, abandoning today's pillaging mission in order to escape the local authorities. _They'll be blasting out of here any minute now; I don't have time for this,_ Han sighed, hiding in the shadows and blinking anxiously as he watched his ship - his home for these past six years - retract its gangplank in preparation for takeoff.

_This is really stupid, _Han told himself, turning back and heading quickly through the city toward where Lando had been apprehended by the Jedi. _Those who fall behind, get left behind; it's the pirate code,_ he reminded himself stubbornly. _Everybody knows that. Except Lando,_ he sighed in annoyance.

_But he saved my ass back on Coruscant,_ Han admitted. _The local police would have caught me for sure,_ he confessed, vowing to be more cautious in the future. _And then I let him get captured,_ Han scolded himself. _The Jedi were waiting just around the corner, and I let him walk straight into them..._ "Ooof," Han grunted, plowing into someone as he turned around the corner.

"Hello there," said a cheerful voice, as Han felt a gentle but firm hand on his shoulder. _Aw, crap. I know that voice..._

Sighing unhappily, Han looked up to meet the amused gaze of Obi-Wan Kenobi, of _JEDI_ fame.

* * *

><p>"So," Mace began quietly, as he sat across from Lando in an interrogation room at the police station on Corellia. "Who else have you told... about Earth?" he asked, hoping that the clueless teenager hadn't caused too much damage. "The truth," he warned the boy sternly.<p>

Lando scowled unhappily, shaking his head and looking away. "Just my luck," he muttered under his breath. "To get interrogated by - this dream sucks," he broke off, grumbling in frustration. "No one," he told Mace stubbornly, refusing to meet his gaze.

_Ah... So he thinks he's dreaming. This might be easier than I thought,_ Mace sighed. _The kid's so confused, he'll believe anything._ "Good," Mace nodded seriously. "Yes, this is just a dream; you'll wake up soon, and everything will be back to normal," he assured him. _But if I take him home to Solaris Three, how will he end up back here twenty years from now?_ Mace wondered, wishing Yoda were here. _Is he meant to stay here in the galaxy? No,_ he thought stubbornly. _We promised never to let our knowledge of the future affect our actions or decisions at any point,_ Mace reminded himself. _If this were any other kid, I'd just brainwash him and send him back home, end of story._

"You'll wake up soon," Mace told the boy again, playing along with the dream scenario; then he gave him a hard stare, realizing that he had been lying before. "Who have you told?" he asked again quietly.

Lando shrugged uncomfortably. "Just Han," he confessed, looking at the floor and absently kicking the leg of the table with his foot.

Mace nodded; Obi-Wan was dealing with Han Solo right now, and the younger boy would undoubtedly soon forget whatever Lando had told him about Earth. "Good," he said again, giving Lando a reassuring smile. "Now," he continued, trying to determine the easiest story with which to brainwash the boy. "What were you doing in Vegas?"

Lando shrugged. "Running away," he mumbled, still kicking at the table leg.

"From your foster home?" Mace asked, concerned for the boy; Lando had been staying with a foster family in Reno these past few years, but had been bounced around to several different homes throughout his childhood.

"Yeah," Lando replied indifferently; then he sighed, shaking his head. "Crap," he muttered under his breath.

"What?" Mace asked, curious. _I need to get the facts straight before I can brainwash him._

"I can't go back," Lando protested, as if remembering something. "The cops are after me... That's what this dream is about," he realized, frustrated. "I can't go back to Reno; that's why I came to Vegas," he added, mostly to himself.

"The cops are after you?" Mace asked. "What's going on?"

Lando shook his head, sighing. "I've been making deliveries for a friend of mine... Mostly weed at first; a little crack," he shrugged. "But the real money is in heroin, and - " he shook his head again, his dark eyes betraying his anxiety. "I messed up," he confessed unhappily. "The cops were after me, and - " Lando gulped. "If they don't catch up with me, the guys I work for _will_," he admitted.

"You've been dealing drugs?" Mace asked, concerned. _He's only fifteen... And now he's got a drug lord after him? _"What exactly happened?"

"I was making a delivery... Heroin, this time," Lando confessed. "But then the cops were all over the place, and I had to dump it, and - oh," he sighed in annoyance. "Damn, I didn't think I was such a _Star Wars_ geek," he grumbled. "But that's exactly what happened to Han Solo in _Star Wars_, isn't it...? So now I'm in this dream, only it's the Jedi chasing me instead of the cops," he sighed. "Ah, I hate _Star Wars_," he muttered. "With a name like 'Lando Calrissian', it's all I ever hear," he explained morosely. "The jokes never end; people even tell me I look like what's-his-face," he sighed, rolling his eyes.

_You DO look like what's-his-face,_ Mace agreed quietly. _Though the braids make you look a bit different. Ahh, what do I do now?_ Mace sighed. _If I send him home, he'll be in trouble with the cops - that is, if the drug dealers don't get to him first,_ he realized, concerned for the boy's safety. _He's not a bad kid; he's just had a tough life..._

"Excuse me... sir?" Lando asked now, looking up at Mace, his expression uncertain. "This dream," he said, blinking worriedly. "It's lasted too long... I'm - I'm in a coma, aren't I?" he asked, a pleading look in his eyes. Then he shook his head unhappily, looking at the floor again. "The drug dealers caught up with me," he mused to himself. "I've been shot; I'm bleeding to death..."

_No,_ Mace sighed. _But you might end up that way if I send you back._ "No, you're not in a coma," he told Lando, improvising until he could discuss the matter with Yoda. "This is just a bad dream," he assured him. "Now, these drug dealers," he said, concerned. "Tell me about - " Mace broke off, blinking in alarm. _Yoda! What's happening?_

Lando looked up at him now, obviously confused by Mace's sudden reaction. "Sir?"

_Not good..._ A moment later Obi-Wan appeared in the doorway; he had been dealing with Han Solo in the adjacent interrogation chamber, and Mace could tell by his anxious expression that he had felt it too. _Something's wrong._ "We will continue this discussion later," he told Lando, masking his deep alarm as he gave Obi-Wan a subtle nod, getting up to leave.

"Keep an eye on these two," Mace instructed the security guard. "Don't let them talk to each other," he added pointedly. "We'll be back as soon as we can," he promised, as he and Obi-Wan headed quickly for the exit.

"Sure thing," the guard nodded, looking up from the holo-broadcast he had been watching out of sheer boredom. "Don't worry, they're not going anywhere."

* * *

><p><em>I don't know what the big deal is<em>, the security guard thought, ambling off to the break room to get another cup of coffee and a donut._ Or why the Jedi had to get involved. This is nothing we couldn't have handled on our own,_ he sighed. _Our detention cells are completely secure; those kids aren't going anywhere,_ he knew, turning back to his holo-broadcast.

* * *

><p>"What's going on?" Qui-Gon asked urgently, into his transmitter. He had felt Master Yoda's deep alarm a moment earlier, and had come out of hyperspace in order to communicate with the others. "I felt a disturbance... Master Yoda?"<p>

His question was met by ominous silence; but a moment later another familiar voice crackled over the transmitter. "I felt it too," Anakin agreed worriedly.

"So did I," Cory chimed in; Qui-Gon smiled proudly despite his anxiety. _Well done, Cory._ They had all sensed Master Yoda's sudden alarm, and had dutifully come out of hyperspace for further instructions, following protocol. "Master, what's going on?" Cory asked.

"I don't know," Qui-Gon said. "Master Yoda?" he asked again; but again there was no answer. "I sense his presence just outside the Interior."

"I sense it too, Master," Anakin agreed. He had been on his way back from Hutt Territory, and was the closest to Yoda's location. "He's in the Mid Rim, not far from me; I'm on my way there now," he said, sending Qui-Gon and Cory the coordinates before blasting into hyperspace once again.

"Have you got that, Cory?" Qui-Gon asked, setting his coordinates to make the jump to lightspeed. He could sense his padawan's anxiety, and shook his head in dismay. _Cory, you must set aside your personal feelings._ "Cory?" he asked again worriedly.

* * *

><p><em>Elena!<em> Cory gasped, feeling her intense pain and fear. He had been sensing her anxiety this past half hour, and had almost missed Master Yoda's signal a moment ago. _No,_ he reproached himself. _Elena is being taken care of; I must do my duty._ "Yes, Master," Cory replied into his transmitter, setting the coordinates to go to Yoda's aid. "I'm on my way too."

* * *

><p>"Aaaaaaaaarrrrgggghhhh!" Chewbacca roared angrily, rapid-firing on the slaving vessel that had somehow managed to disable his little fighter. He had been escorting Master Yoda to Corellia on an important secret mission, when his hyperdrive had suddenly and inexplicably failed; they had lost communications and were now on emergency reserve power, but thankfully the main engine and weapons were still functioning.<p>

_Slavers! Hate them I do,_ Chewbacca frowned; then he squinted, puzzled. _No... Them, hate I do...? Them, I do hate?_ Since his election as Second Chief of the Wookiees four years ago, Chewbacca had been trying to improve his fluency in Basic; Yoda had been kind enough to help him with that, but still he found the word order confusing. _Why so many words people need, makes no sense,_ he grumbled to himself. _Much easier, in Wookiee to say it._ "Rrrrraaaaaauuuuggghh!" he yelled again, raining fire upon the slaving vessel as Yoda took over the piloting, spinning the little ship around expertly in order to evade the enemy's fire.

_Very good pilot, Yoda is,_ Chewbacca realized in surprise. _Even though fly in silly little pod he prefers,_ he sighed in confusion, not understanding his little Jedi friend; but at the moment he was extremely grateful for his passenger's expertise. "Aaaarrrrrggggghhhh!" he yelled, trying to shoot out the slaving vessel's shields.

But now he lurched forward as their little fighter came to an abrupt stop. Yoda slammed mercilessly against the windshield, groggily picking himself up a moment later; thankfully he did not appear to be seriously injured. "Raaauuugghhh?" Chewbacca asked, wondering what was going on; but suddenly he felt another lurching movement, and realized they were being pulled toward the larger ship by some type of tractor beam. "Aaaaggghhhh!" he roared angrily, firing upon the slaving vessel once again as they were helplessly pulled aboard.

* * *

><p>"We got 'em," Tarv nodded in satisfaction, as his first mate shot out the smaller ship's guns. "Hold your fire," he instructed his crew, as they pulled the disabled fighter into their docking bay. The little spacecraft appeared to be in decent condition; it would need a new hyperdrive and weapons system, but hopefully Tarv could get a good price for it.<p>

"Set your blasters to stun," he advised the others, as the cockpit hatch began to open. _Slaves aren't worth anything dead,_ he reminded himself. He knew there were at least two passengers; the pilot and gunman were obviously both extremely skilled.

But he stared in surprise as he saw a large, extremely furry arm opening the hatch, followed by a fierce, shaggy head a moment later._ A Wookiee?_ Wookiees rarely left their home planet of Kashyyyk, and Tarv had never seen one up close before. _Crap, he's huge..._ "Stun him!" he warned the others, as they suddenly found themselves under attack by the Wookiee's bowcaster.

"Rrrrraaaauuurrrrggghhh!" the Wookiee roared now, shooting two of Tarv's men before they could even take a shot. But now Tarv gasped as the second passenger emerged, wielding a tiny green lightsaber and twirling and flipping around as he defended the Wookiee from the onslaught of laser fire.

_Oh, crap!_ Tarv gasped in alarm, his heart racing now. _We snagged a Jedi... I have the worst luck,_ he cursed angrily, as he and his crew continued to fire upon their victims. _Damn it, I can't sell the head of the Jedi Council as a slave,_ Tarv realized. _But that stupid hairball should fetch a good price,_ he decided, vowing to cut his losses.

"Good job," Tarv told his men, as the Wookiee finally succumbed to their stun lasers, collapsing unconscious to the floor. Yoda was still deflecting their fire with his lightsaber, but Tarv advanced upon him now, realizing the Jedi Master couldn't shoot at him with only a lightsaber. _Really, these guys have to get with the times,_ he scoffed, annoyed by the Jedi's insistence on using only the most ancient of weapons. _What can he do to me?_ Tarv realized suddenly, laughing in amusement as he walked right up to the little Jedi, blaster drawn.

_Oh,_ Tarv realized too late, as he found himself violently thrown backward against the wall. _That,_ he admitted, as his vision turned blurry, then faded to black.

* * *

><p><em>Ahh!<em> Grauv blinked worriedly, seeing Captain Tarv lying in an unconscious heap on the floor. _What now?_ They had managed to sedate the Wookiee, but the Jedi Master continued to deflect their fire.

A moment later their problems suddenly became worse as they found themselves under attack by another enemy fighter. "Damn it!" Grauv cursed, rushing back to man the ship's guns._ A Jedi Starfighter... of course,_ he sighed unhappily, as he and the others began shooting at the elusive little craft. _These guys are impossible to hit._ The Starfighter was swooping past his windshield right now, and Grauv got a good close look at its yellow and white markings. _Oh, no. No no no..._

Grauv and the other slavers were no strangers to the Jedi fighters who patrolled the outskirts of Hutt Territory, and he had been lucky enough never to encounter the dreaded yellow-striped Starfighter before; but he knew all too well who it was. _Skywalker... Crap, _Grauv blinked worriedly, as the infamous Jedi made one final pass straight across their windshield, then disappeared altogether.

"Where did he go?" Grauv asked the others, looking around helplessly for the vanished Starfighter.

"I don't know," the second mate answered, equally worried. "He's not showing up on any of our - " The man was cut short as suddenly four more Starfighters emerged from hyperspace, attacking them from all sides.

_Damn it,_ Grauv thought, glancing once again at his unconscious captain, and his other shipmates who were still shooting at Yoda in the docking bay, taking cover behind doorways and other stable structures and not daring to approach the Jedi Master. _We are so screwed._

_There's only one way out of this,_ Grauv sighed, preparing for the jump to lightspeed. "Code Nine," he whispered to the others, as his second mate nodded quietly, making the necessary preparations. _I hope this works,_ Grauv prayed, as he and the others continued to fire upon the four Jedi Starfighters that were swooping all over the place. Yoda was still in the docking bay, and - _who knows where Skywalker is,_ Grauv admitted; the yellow-striped Starfighter had not reappeared for several minutes now.

_At least we've got the Wookiee,_ he consoled himself, as three of the other men dragged the unconscious beast into the main hallway. _And we can get rid of Yoda... along with the entire docking bay,_ Grauv sighed; Tarv's brilliant Code Nine tactic involved detaching the rear end of the ship and blowing it up, then blasting into hyperspace and escaping unnoticed in the ensuing explosion.

_I'm sorry,_ Grauv cringed, with one last glance at the little green Jedi Master in the docking bay. _I didn't want it to be this way... Though I can't say I'm sorry about Skywalker,_ he decided, glancing around apprehensively.

"All right," Grauv nodded quietly to his second mate, giving the order for the Code Nine. A moment later the ship's alarm system was set off as the docking bay detached and exploded in a dazzling ball of flame, sending its contents, including Yoda - and hopefully Skywalker, Grauv prayed - spewing in all directions.

"Good job," Grauv told his crew, sighing in relief as they blasted safely into hyperspace, their escape masked by the explosion. "We did it." He smiled ruefully at the others, eyeing the sedated, furry heap of Wookiee in the hallway; but then his gaze shifted to his unconscious captain, and Grauv shook his head, letting out a regretful sigh. _Tarv is not going to be happy when he wakes up._

* * *

><p>"Anakin!" Obi-Wan gasped in alarm, as the entire slaving vessel suddenly exploded in fiery inferno, sending pieces flying in all directions. <em>Master Yoda...<em> He had sensed his brother aboard the ship when he and the others first arrived, though local transmissions had been jammed; but a minute ago Anakin had finally radioed the others, saying that he thought he could get Master Yoda out, but that he would need help rescuing Chewbacca.

_Anakin,_ Obi-Wan blinked anxiously, scanning the wreckage for any sign of life. The fires were dissipating now, and Obi-Wan choked back tears as he saw a charred, crumpled, yellow-striped Starfighter wing drift past his cockpit, twirling aimlessly through space. _No..._

But a moment later he heard Cory's voice crackling over the transmitter. "I see him!" the boy announced eagerly. "He's all right... Mostly," Cory added, sounding a bit worried.

"Where is he?" Qui-Gon asked with obvious relief, circling back toward his padawan's Starfighter, as Obi-Wan and Mace joined them, veering expertly through the wreckage of the slaving vessel.

"There," Mace said, as Obi-Wan spotted him a moment later. _Oh dear..._ "Anakin," Mace asked. "Are you all right?"

"Um... Yeah," Anakin replied, as Obi-Wan smiled in relief. "Yes, Master," he corrected himself, remembering protocal. "And I've got Master Yoda," he assured them. "But... I might need a little help here," Anakin admitted, as his one-winged Starfighter spun helplessly in little circles, chasing its own tail.

Obi-Wan laughed at his brother's predicament, sensing his profound dismay. _It's only a Starfighter, Anakin,_ he sighed._ Marriage is one thing, but this silly obsession of yours has become an attachment as well as a possession._

But then his heart sank as he felt Yoda's grief as well._ Oh dear,_ Obi-Wan realized suddenly, bowing his head sadly and closing his eyes in mourning. _Chewbacca didn't make it._

* * *

><p><em>A few minutes later...<em>

_This sucks,_ Cory thought, still sensing Elena's intense pain and anxiety as they waited for help to arrive. Master Windu had taken Yoda aboard his own Starfighter, and they were already on their way back to Corellia to deal with Lando, leaving Obi-Wan, Anakin, Qui-Gon, and Cory to clean up the wreckage. Anakin was now squeezed in the back of Obi-Wan's Starfighter; his own had been almost completely disabled, and would need to be taken back to the Temple aboard a freighter. _Anakin's upset about that..._

_And now Chewbacca's dead,_ Cory realized, sensing everyone's quiet sorrow; Master Yoda's grief had been terrible._ Come on,_ Cory sighed, using the Force to pull in a stray piece of wreckage as they began their cleanup operation._ Let's get this mess contained and get back to Coruscant,_ he pleaded, praying that Elena would be all right until he could get there.

_This is stupid. It doesn't take four Jedi to clean up a bunch of junk._ "Master?" Cory asked over his transmitter, knowing that his father and Anakin were listening as well, and would be disappointed in him for what he was about to ask.

But to his surprise, his grandfather's reply was gentle and reassuring, without a hint of his usual stern reproach. "Yes, Cory," Qui-Gon agreed quietly. "Go on ahead," he instructed him. "We'll meet you back on Coruscant."

Cory nodded, tears of relief springing to his eyes. "Thank you, Master," he replied, setting his coordinates for the jump to lightspeed. _Please be all right,_ he prayed, as he raced toward Coruscant. _Hang in there, Elena..._

But as he emerged just outside Coruscant and prepared for his descent, Cory stopped suddenly, blinking in surprise. _She's not on Coruscant,_ he realized, sensing Elena's presence farther away, closer to Iridonia. _Malok called hours ago; they should be here by now,_ Cory worried, uncertain what to do next.

_I can't call anyone from here; it's too risky,_ he knew, realizing that transmissions so close to Coruscant could easily be overheard. _I can't call my mom,_ Cory admitted, setting his coordinates for Iridonia. _Once I get closer, I can contact Malok, and find out what's going on,_ he decided, hoping that Qui-Gon wouldn't be too upset with him for not obeying orders.

_Something's wrong,_ Cory realized now, sensing Elena's mounting panic as he blasted toward Iridonia. _The baby's coming... They had to turn around and go back to Iridonia,_ he guessed, blinking back tears. _Oh, Elena, I'm so sorry sweety..._

_What?_ Cory wondered, suddenly confused; he had been feeling Elena's presence growing closer and closer as he approached Iridonia, but now he sensed she was getting farther away, and behind him. _Elena?_ Cory blinked worriedly, coming out of hyperspace once again and following his instincts. _We're far enough from Coruscant now; I can risk calling..._

"Tarok?" Cory asked hopefully into his transmitter, trying to contact Malok's ship. "Tarok?" But there was no answer; only eerie silence. _I have a bad feeling about this,_ Cory sighed, setting his transmitter down and reaching out with the Force in an attempt to locate his wife. _Elena, I'm coming..._

* * *

><p>"Aaaahhhhhhh!" Elena cried again, gasping in pain as another contraction came. Kyra was holding her hand, and Jon and Tarok were peering at her anxiously in the dim light, doing what they could to comfort her; but the baby was coming now, and Elena bit her lip in fright, knowing that they would never make it to a hospital in time.<p>

"It's coming," Elena gasped, squeezing Kyra's hand as Jon nodded anxiously, and Tarok blinked momentarily, then quickly opened the little supply cabinet, pulling out the first aid kit. _Tarok, what do you have in mind?_ Elena laughed despite her pain, as the Zabrak boy pulled out a tiny roll of gauze along with some white tape and little scissors, blinking at the contents in obvious dismay.

"I don't know what to do," Tarok admitted helplessly, a look of pained regret in his eyes as he peered at Elena in concern.

_They're more frightened than I am,_ Elena realized, managing a tender smile at the others. "It's all right," she told them again, gasping as she felt another contraction coming. "Cory will be here... Aaaaaahhhhh!" she cried out again, tears filling her eyes. _Cory... Please come... Please..._

"Cory will come," Elena sobbed weakly, gasping in pain as the others did what they could to comfort her. "Cory will come..."

* * *

><p><em>Meanwhile, on Corellia...<em>

"Hey."

Lando blinked, lifting his head off the table. _What the...?_ "Thought you might want something to eat." The uniformed guard shrugged indifferently, plunking a plate of unidentifiable food down in front of him.

_Ugh... prison food,_ Lando sighed, still blinking sleepily and finding himself in some kind of interrogation room. _How did I get here?_ he frowned, still a bit disoriented from his crazy _Star Wars_ dream; it had been so vivid and disturbing, it felt almost real._ At least it's over,_ he consoled himself, wondering how much trouble he was in this time.

"Thanks," he told the guard, shrugging; then he picked at his food a little bit, deciding that it wasn't too bad, whatever it was. _Chicken soup... I guess, _Lando decided, taking another spoonful. _All I've had to eat today was a blueberry muffin..._

_Crap, no... That was just in my stupid dream,_ he sighed, rubbing his eyes. _I can't even remember how I got here. I don't remember getting arrested,_ Lando admitted, furrowing his brows._ Am I back in Reno, or still in Vegas? Damn it,_ he cursed, realizing what had happened._ I DID get high last night... or something,_ he thought worriedly. _That weird hippie on the bus to Vegas was offering me acid; I said no... Didn't I?_ Lando frowned, suddenly uncertain.

But now he looked up as he heard a faint scrabbling sound above him. "Hey," came a quiet whisper from the grating in the ceiling. "Can you give me a hand with this?"_ What the...? Heh, somebody's trying to escape,_ Lando realized, amused.

"Sure," he agreed, standing on the table and reaching up to hold the grating as the stranger opened it from the inside. "Man, am I glad you came along," Lando confessed, keeping his voice low. _Whoever you are..._ "Got it," he said, catching the metal grating before it could clatter to the floor.

"Come on," the stranger whispered from the shadowy recess above. "Let's get out of here." Nodding quietly, Lando pulled himself up into the dark ceiling passageway, following the stranger through the ventilation system. They didn't speak for the next minute while they crawled silently across the length of the police station; but as they emerged outside the building, Lando blinked in the bright sunlight, turning to face his mysterious accomplice.

"Thanks," Lando nodded. "I owe you one - " But now he gasped in shock as he saw the other boy's face. _Hell, no..._

"No problem," Han Solo replied, glancing around as he led the way into a nearby alleyway. _No no no,_ Lando protested, finding himself once again surrounded by hovercrafts and aliens. _This is a dream... This is a dream... This is a dream,_ he told himself, as he followed Han through the narrow alleyways of Corellia.

But now the truth began to hit him, and tears of fright stung his eyes as his heart began to race wildly. _This isn't a dream. This isn't a coma. I didn't get high last night, and this isn't some acid trip. This is real. Somehow, this is real._

"Hey," Han said, stopping and peering at him worriedly. "You all right?"

Lando nodded, gulping back his tears; but then he closed his eyes, shaking his head. "No," he confessed. "No, I'm not all right."

Han nodded, his eyes betraying his concern; but he shrugged, managing a smile. "Hey, don't worry," he reassured Lando, nodding toward the busy spaceport. "By the time the Jedi come back we'll be long gone. It's all right," he told Lando. "Come on," he said, nodding toward a nearby passenger ship. "We can sneak in the back door." Han grinned mischievously, leading the way around the landing platform as Lando followed, for lack of a better plan.

A moment later they were aboard their new escape vessel, and Han plunked down on the floor of the machine room with his back against the wall. "Ahh, I thought they'd never stop interrogating us," he sighed. "And I was sure Kenobi would try to do some kind of mind trick on me. But all he wanted to know was where you were from," Han shrugged. "So I told him: Haruun Kal... About a million times." He laughed, shaking his head. "He's not too bright."

But suddenly Han stopped, squinting at Lando curiously. "You _are_ from Haruun Kal... right?" he asked. "'Cause you don't - you don't really look like them," he admitted. "You don't dress like them," he added, with a meaningful look.

Lando hung his head, at a loss. _What in the hell is going on?_ he wondered. _Where am I, and what am I doing here?_ "No," he confessed. "I'm not from Haruun Kal. I've never even heard of Haruun Kal. I'm from Nevada; Earth," he told Han for the second time. _And you've been brainwashed by Obi-Wan Kenobi._

Han looked at him sharply, his expression anxious. "Earth? Where's that?" he asked, glancing around in concern.

Lando shrugged. "I don't know," he sighed dismally. "But apparently it's not here."

But Han was, if possible, even more worried about this revelation than Lando himself. "Look... buddy," the younger boy said. "I don't know what's going on, but if the Jedi are involved... it's something big," he told Lando. "I've studied every star chart there is - I'm going to be a pilot one day," he explained, with a self-important shrug - "and I ain't ever heard of a planet called Earth," he said emphatically. "It's one of those planets the Jedi keep hidden, isn't it?" he asked, peering at Lando with curiosity.

"I don't know," Lando said, shaking his head. "I don't know." _Oh, crap... What's happening?_ "I'm in _Star Wars_," he whispered in shock, mostly to himself.

"Your planet's at war?" Han asked, his brows furrowing. "That must be why the Jedi are keeping it hidden... Hey," the younger boy said, with a reassuring glance. "Don't worry, I won't let them find you again," he promised, glancing back toward the Corellian spaceport as they felt the ship's engines firing up, preparing for takeoff. "I won't let them send you back to this Earth place, or this... war." He shrugged, not entirely understanding it.

"But I'm telling you... This is something big," Han said quietly. "Hidden planets are not something you want to mess with, and there are people out there who would - " Han broke off, shaking his head. "Don't tell anyone about this... all right?"

Lando nodded. "Yeah," he agreed. "No, I won't tell anyone." _Who would believe me?_

"Good," Han said. "Don't worry; stick with me, and you'll be all right." Then he reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a clumsily-wrapped package. "You like Nerf rolls?" he asked, handing Lando a chunk of the strange food. "I grabbed it off a stand downtown, earlier... Sorry, it's kind of squished."

_Nerf rolls?_ Lando laughed, sniffing at it hesitantly. _That actually smells pretty good..._ "Thanks," he nodded, taking a cautious bite and deciding it wasn't so bad. _There's a first time for everything,_ he realized. _I've never had a Nerf roll... Never knew aliens existed... Or spaceships... Or Star Wars,_ he sighed, still unable to comprehend it.

_And there's something else I've never known,_ Lando confessed, suppressing an amused smile as Han hungrily wolfed down his Nerf roll.

_I've never known what it was like to have a friend._


	87. But it turns out okay in the end, mostly

**Chapter 87**

"I'm sorry, Master," Mace said, as he and Yoda approached Corellia. He could feel his Master's pain and grief over the loss of his friend Chewbacca; but now he sensed feelings of guilt as well. _He blames himself..._ "Master Yoda, it wasn't your fault," Mace assured him. "There was nothing you could have done."

Yoda didn't answer for a long moment; but Mace could feel his quiet gratitude at his words. "Bravely, Chewbacca fought," Yoda said quietly. "Proud of him, his people will be," he added, forcibly pushing away his grief. "Go to them soon with this sad news, I must," he said, sighing unhappily. "But deal with young Calrissian first, we will," he resolved, focusing on the matter at hand.

Mace nodded, grateful to feel his Master's grief subsiding momentarily, replaced by a mood of curiosity. But then Yoda chuckled to himself softly, obviously amused. "Master?" Mace asked, blinking in surprise. _What is it now..._

"Wish to send Lando back to Solaris Three, you do not," Yoda reproached him, guessing his thoughts. "Too much of a _SITH_ fan you have become, my young padawan."

Mace laughed apologetically. _True... Ah, I love that show._ "It's my business to be a _SITH_ fan," he reminded Yoda. "Who else is going to keep all those crazy Earthling _Star Wars_ fanatics under control? You?" he teased him, recalling Yoda's two previous incarcerations in Area 51. "Or maybe Obi-Wan _'You Win'_Kenobi?" he laughed. _Cory's the only one who's any help at all,_ Mace sighed. "This is all your father's fault," he added, with a reproachful look at his Master.

"Hmmph," Yoda replied grumpily.

"So what are we going to do about Lando?" Mace asked. He had explained to Yoda about the boy's predicament with the police and drug dealers on Solaris Three, and the fact that Lando seemed to think he was dreaming. _At least, that's what he thought before I left him sitting in an interrogation room for three hours,_ Mace sighed worriedly. _Who knows what he's thinking now._

"Send him home, we must," Yoda said. "But change his name, and set him up in a new city, you will," he conceded; Yoda and Mace were both genuinely concerned for the boy's well-being if he were to be sent back to Reno. _He'll spend the rest of his childhood in juvie,_ Mace sighed. _And when he gets out in three years, the drug dealers will still be after him._

"I agree," Mace nodded. _Either way, the kid's going to have to start his life all over again._ "Master," he said quietly. "This wouldn't be the first time we've allowed someone to stay," he pointed out.

Yoda sighed. "True," he conceded; over the years Mace had brought a few Earthlings into the galaxy for various reasons, and thus far no one had ever suspected their true origins.

"Han Solo immediately guessed that Lando was from Haruun Kal," Mace pointed out. "If he kept his hair in braids - "

"Better, as a Nabooan, to pass him off," Yoda said; they both admitted it had been a mistake to claim that Mace had been born on Haruun Kal. Although relatively dark-skinned, the Haruun Kal had - without exception - straight hair; Mace had been careful to keep his head shaved since the day he was knighted, in an effort to avoid the confused looks he had received as a padawan.

"A Nabooan," Mace mused. "Yeah, that probably makes the most sense." Mace's own Jedi sons claimed Nabooan heritage; their skin was a bit too dark, but at least people didn't question their curly hair.

_Especially with Panaka as head of royal security,_ Mace thought, amused. Captain Panaka was one of the handful of black Earthlings that Mace had brought into the galaxy, and he had managed to blend in quite well as the Queen's royal bodyguard. True, he was noticeably darker than the people of Naboo's southern hemisphere - such as Padmé's bodyguard, Typho, and his cousins Jango and Boba Fett - but Panaka's high rank helped him to avoid prying questions, and his prominent appearances on _JEDI_ had contributed to the galaxy's ever-increasing attitude that black humans were not so unusual.

"You would consider it, then?" Mace asked Yoda now, returning to the subject of Lando's fate. "Master, perhaps he was meant to stay here," he suggested. "It's not like I brought him here on purpose," he pointed out. "And no matter what we do, the boy will have to start all over again, and make a new life for himself."

Yoda nodded quietly, then bowed his head, closing his eyes. "Agree with you, I do," he said finally. "Tell young Calrissian the truth, we will," he decided. "Upon his own fate, the boy must decide."

"Thank you, Master," Mace replied, grateful for Yoda's counsel. _We'll tell Lando what's going on, and that he isn't dreaming,_ he agreed, as they touched down on the landing platform outside the Corellian police station where Lando was being held. _And then he can decide... Though why he would WANT to stay here, I don't know,_ Mace laughed ruefully. _The kid hates Star Wars._

But as he and Yoda entered the police station and caught sight of the security guard anxiously hurrying to greet them, Mace realized something was wrong. "What's going on?"

"They're gone," the officer said. "I don't know what happened; somehow they got out through the ceiling panels," he told them. "We've been searching the whole city," he added. "We have one witness who claims to have seen them boarding a passenger ship to Alderaan, and we've alerted the local authorities there; but we're still looking for them," he promised.

Mace and Yoda shared a private look; but Mace nodded seriously. "Thank you," he told the officer. "Keep up your search," he agreed. "I'll go on ahead to Alderaan, and Master Yoda will remain here," he proposed.

Bowing to the others, Mace turned to take his leave; but then he turned back, sensing Yoda's grief once again. "If I find them on Alderaan," he told the officer quietly, "Master Yoda will need an escort to Kashyyyk. He has business there to attend to," he explained, as Yoda gave him a subtle nod of gratitude.

"Yes, sir," the police officer assured him, nodding in agreement. "We'll see to it."

* * *

><p><em>Meanwhile...<em>

_Elena, where are you?_ Cory wondered, racing in his Starfighter toward her elusive presence. _Ahh, don't panic, Elena,_ he pleaded, unable to pinpoint her exact location from the widespread fear and chaos he was sensing. _Your feelings get splattered all over the place when you do that, sweety,_ he lamented. _Come on, focus,_ Cory told himself stubbornly, closing his eyes and flying blind for a while.

_Okay, this is better,_ Cory realized, keeping his eyes shut as he flew through space, trusting his instincts. _I'm getting closer... I still can't tell exactly where she is, but -_ "Ahhhh!" Cory exclaimed suddenly, opening his eyes to find himself nose-to-nose with another vessel. _Crap!_ he cursed, veering instantly to the side to avoid collision. _Sorry!_ But as he came around, he recognized the disabled spacecraft, and realized who it was.

"Elena!" Cory exclaimed, grabbing his transmitter. "Tarok! Tarok, can you hear me?"

* * *

><p><em>What the...?<em> Tarok blinked in surprise, hearing Cory's voice over the transmitter. _How is that working all of a sudden?_ "Cory!" he replied, yelling to be heard above Elena's screaming. "Cory, the baby's coming... Right now," he told his friend, relieved beyond words for his sudden - though somewhat violent - arrival. "Cory, what do I do?"

"Elena!" Cory exclaimed worriedly over the transmitter, as he brought his Starfighter face-to-face with the cockpit of Tarok's little ship. "Why are you guys on emergency power?" Cory asked, peering anxiously at the dim light aboard their vessel.

"I don't know; everything broke down," Tarok explained quickly. "Hang on, let me try it again," he said, crawling down into the control closet and switching the main power on again. Suddenly, the lights came back on, and the engine hummed to life. "It's working!" Tarok announced to the others in profound relief. _I don't understand what happened, but it's working now._ "Cory, the baby's coming now... She's - " Tarok broke off, not wanting to tell his friend what he had been shielding Jon and Kyra from for several minutes now. _How do you tell your best friend that you've seen parts of his wife you have no business looking at... And that whatever's coming out of her has horns... _"Cory, what do I do?" he pleaded again helplessly.

He could see Cory's anxious expression, his blue eyes filled with alarm and concern; but then a determined look crossed his face, and the Jedi padawan began pushing buttons on his Starfighter console. "I'm coming aboard," Cory announced, pulling off his seatbelt and sticking his little Jedi breathing device in his mouth.

"Cory! No... Are you insane?" Tarok asked, blinking. But Elena was screaming again, begging for Cory to come, and Tarok gulped back his fear. "Cory... We're not Jedi," he reminded his friend. "We can't - " _We can't do THAT,_ Tarok sighed, as Cory ejected from his Starfighter, using the Force to counteract the vaccuum of space and pull himself toward Tarok's ship. _Crap,_ he thought anxiously, nodding quickly as Cory signaled for him to open the hatch. _Cory, I hope you know what you're doing._

* * *

><p><em>Ahhh,<em> Cory cringed worriedly, closing his eyes and summoning all his concentration. _This had better work..._ He had heard Elena's agonized screaming over the transmitter, and had acted on instinct._ Ahh, come on,_ he gasped, trying to calm himself. _You can't mess this up... Do, or do not... There is no try,_ Cory told himself, focusing all his concentration to create a pressure shield around Tarok's ship while he opened the hatch. _I wish Master Qui-Gon were here..._

But somehow, several panicked moments later, Cory found himself being hauled into the little ship, as Tarok quickly closed the hatch again, sealing their cabin safely against the perilous vaccuum of outer space. _I did it..._ "Elena!" Cory gasped, picking himself up off the floor and crawling back toward the bunk where she lay, screaming and writhing in agony. "Elena, I'm here," he cried, smiling tearfully as he held her hand, kissing her forehead. "Sweetheart, you're doing great, it's going to be okay," Cory assured her.

"Cory," Elena gasped, with a grateful smile. "I'm so glad you're here," she cried weakly. "Aaahhhhhhh!" she screamed again.

"Hold her hand," Cory instructed Kyra and Jon quickly. "Keep petting her... like this," he demonstrated, stroking her forearm and calming his wife. "That's good," he nodded, giving his little brother and sister a reassuring smile as he crawled toward the foot of the bunk to deal with things on that end. _Holy crap,_ he gasped, blinking in stunned shock as he saw what was happening in there. _The baby's crowning... Ahh, what are those knobby things?_ he cringed worriedly._That's got to hurt..._

Cory had been through emergency medical training as a Jedi padawan, and basically knew what needed to be done; but he'd never actually delivered a child before, much less for his own wife. "You're doing good, Elena," he assured her again. "It's coming... Come on, push," he told her, grabbing the blanket that Tarok was handing to him now. "Push, sweety..."

"Aaaahhhhhhhhhhh!" Elena screamed, crying out in agony; but a moment later Cory found himself holding his child, wrapping it in the soft blanket and cradling it against his chest as it let out a tiny scream. _Oh my goodness..._

"Shhh..." Cory smiled tearfully, kissing the baby's forehead and gazing into its iridescent blue eyes, staring in wonder at the brilliant orange and peach striped markings on its face, and the little knobby bumps already forming on its skull. _You're beautiful..._ "Elena, you did it," Cory said ecstatically, placing the baby in her arms. "Shh, it's okay," he whispered to the child again. "This is your mommy..."

"Ohh," Elena gasped, smiling in tearful disbelief; then she squeezed her eyes shut bitterly as the reality hit her. _She won't be able to keep it,_ Cory realized unhappily, stroking Elena's hair and kissing her on the cheek again.

"It's okay," Cory reassured her, with an apologetic look. _I'm sorry, Elena... I know you wanted to keep him... or her...?_ Cory blinked in surprise, realizing he hadn't really taken a good look. "What is it?" he asked now, as he and Elena both laughed at their own stupidity. _I was too busy looking at the stripes..._

Elena giggled quietly, pulling back the blanket and peeking inside. "It's a - a boy," she said, kissing her son on his tiny, striped, knobby forehead. "Zak," she sniffed happily, sharing a proud smile with Cory. "Cory, we did it."

"No, _you_ did it," Cory told her. "I just - " he broke off, grinning. _I'm not sure what I did, besides nearly plowing into your ship and letting you all get sucked out into space,_ he admitted. _But... I'm a father,_ Cory realized, blinking in shocked disbelief.

Then he realized Jon, Kyra, and Tarok were all staring at the tiny Zabrak baby cradled in Elena's arms, their expressions relieved and extremely curious. "Hey everybody," Cory said happily, hugging his little brother and sister. "Say hello to Zak!"

* * *

><p><em>Meanwhile, on Alderaan...<em>

_Not again,_ Lando sighed, as he and Han were led into separate detention cells in yet another police station. _In the past twenty-four hours I've been chased by the police on four different planets,_ he realized, laughing to himself in utter disbelief.

He was actually relieved to look up and see Mace Windu entering his cell. _Finally... Someone who knows what is going on here,_ Lando realized, though he didn't expect the Jedi Master to share that knowledge with him. "Hi," Lando said, with an apologetic glance as Master Windu took a seat across from him. "I'm sorry, about... before," he said, sincerely remorseful. _You really are the good guy in all of this... Even Han says so,_ he admitted now. _I won't get in your way again._

Windu smiled regretfully. "So, I take you've figured out this isn't a dream."

Lando shrugged. "Yeah," he confessed. "But I still don't understand."

Windu nodded, sighing. "I'm giving you a choice, Lando," he said quietly. "I can take you back home - I can even get you set up with a new foster family, in a different city, but this drug dealing business will have to stop," he admonished him, as Lando nodded in quiet agreement. _Yeah, I get it. Trust me._ "Or," Windu continued, "You can stay here, if you want," he offered. "The choice is yours."

_What? _"You - you'd let me stay here?" Lando asked, blinking in disbelief as Windu nodded. "Wow... um - yeah," Lando stammered, hardly believing what he was saying. _After all this, I WANT to stay? Not that I have much to go home to, but still... Star Wars...?_ "Sir," Lando asked hesitantly. "Is it true... that you're keeping Earth hidden from the rest of the galaxy?"

"Yes," Windu replied. "And I'll explain it all to you... _If_ you decide to stay," he added. "If you go back home, I'll have to brainwash you into forgetting that any of this happened," he warned him.

_Oh._ Lando blinked, nodding. "And if I stay? Will you make me forget about Earth?"

Windu shook his head regretfully. "I can't do that," he confessed; then he grinned. "Well, I _could,_" he corrected himself. "But there wouldn't be much left of your brain afterward," he explained. "I can't make you forget your entire life on Earth, but it's something you would have to keep secret. No one can know. This is very important, Lando," he told him seriously.

"Yes, I know," Lando agreed. "Trust me... I'm not telling anybody," he promised. "But... Where do I say I'm from?" he asked worriedly. _Everybody seems to think I'm from this Haruun Kal place..._ "Hey," Lando blinked suddenly, realizing something. "Are you - you're - holy crap," he blurted out. "You're - "

"No," Windu assured him quickly. "No, I'm not." He smiled in fond amusement. "But I _am_ from Earth..." Lando listened in silent amazement as Windu explained to him about Solaris Three, the doppelganger phenomenon, _Star Wars_, and finally, the extremely precarious political situation, given that Earth was located inside Hutt Territory. "So you understand why no one can know about this?" Master Windu asked seriously. "If word of Solaris Three reached the Hutts, it would be..."

"Galactic war," Lando whispered, feeling the blood drain from his face. _Jesus Christ..._ "Yeah," he gulped weakly, nodding and feeling a knot in the pit of his stomach. "Don't worry," he promised the Jedi Master. "I won't tell anyone."

"Good," Master Windu nodded; then he gave Lando a hard stare. "Not even Han?"

Lando sighed unhappily, but shrugged, nodding. "Not even Han," he agreed reluctantly. Then he furrowed his brows. "So... Everything I've seen in _Star Wars_... All of that's going to happen, for sure?" he asked, blinking in confusion.

Mace sighed. "Yes... I think so," he admitted quietly. "At least on the surface... But like I said, a lot of it isn't real," he reminded Lando. "Darth Vader; the Evil Emperor Palpatine..." He grinned, his dark eyes twinkling. "None of that is real," he assured him. "But yes... I would guess that you and Han will become close friends, and that at some point you'll appear on _SITH_ together," he said. "But Lando... Don't tell Han," Windu pleaded again. "Knowing your own future is a heavy burden."

"No kidding," Lando agreed, sighing; then he wrinkled his nose in disdain. "So - do I really have to wear that... that ridiculous blue cape - suit - thing?" he asked, horrified by the idea. "And that - that nasty _moustache..._" He cringed. "Tell me I don't have to dress like that?"

Windu laughed, shaking his head. "That's twenty years down the road, Lando," he said. "People change... And in case you haven't noticed, no one else in this galaxy dresses in jeans and gym shoes," he pointed out, nodding at Lando's clothing.

"Yeah," Lando sighed. "I guess not." _Too bad... And yeah, you gotta blend in, and keep up with the trends,_ he admitted. _But no way am I ever going to believe that that damned blue caped outfit is cool,_ Lando vowed, still horrified by the thought.

"And as to your other question," Windu continued, sighing. "We're going to say that you're from Naboo," he explained. "Not Haruun Kal..." Lando nodded as Master Windu explained the situation, trusting that the Jedi knew what he was doing. "So," Master Windu continued. "The first thing we have to do is find you a new foster family, and get you enrolled in a school on Naboo - "

_"School?"_ Lando blurted out, blinking in dismay. "I have to go to school?" _And I have to get another foster family? Ahh, this sucks.._.

"Lando, you're fifteen," Windu said. "You're a minor. Yes, you have to go to school, and you will need a legal guardian until you're eighteen," he told him. _Aw, crap..._ "Unless," Windu mused, suddenly thoughtful. "There are schools on Coruscant, for orphans; mostly military training academies," he said. "If you'd prefer, I can get you enrolled there. We can say you're from Naboo; it might even be easier to blend in that way," he confessed.

"A military academy," Lando sighed, not liking that idea any better than the thought of a new foster home. But then he gave the Jedi Master a hopeful, questioning look. "Could you get Han enrolled as well?" he asked. "He was talking about it before, on the way here," Lando explained. "The kid talks about nothing but wanting to become a pilot," he said, laughing.

"All right," Windu said. "I can get you both enrolled... as long as Han's family agrees to it."

"Han has a family?" Lando asked, surprised. _He didn't mention that... I figured he was an orphan kid too._

Windu chuckled. "Yes, he has a family. A _big_ family," he said. "The Solos are the royal family of Corellia; Han is nineteenth in line for the throne," he explained, as Lando gaped in amazement. "I looked into it once," Windu confessed, shrugging. "Master Yoda and I have made it a rule not to interfere with anything based on what we've seen in the _Star Wars_ films, but... Yes, I've been quietly keeping tabs on Han... and you," he admitted, with a regretful smile.

"Anyway, Han's family... They're a bit eccentric," Windu explained. "Like most royal families, the crown is passed down to the eldest male among the pureborn heirs, with royal blood on both sides," he continued matter-of-factly. "But the problem with the Solos is... " Windu shrugged, laughing. "They're crazy," he said, shaking his head. "That's all there is to it: they're all crazy... Every last one of them. And they breed like rabbits," he sighed.

"Yes, Han has parents," Windu confirmed. "His father is thirteenth in line for the throne, and his mother is an Alderaanian princess; but they divorced years ago," he explained. "Han's father grew bored of life at the palace, and decided to take up Nerf herding on Dantooine; Han's mother wanted nothing to do with that, and ended up marrying _another_ Solo, and now _they've_ had more kids together - it's very confusing," Windu admitted.

"Anyway, exactly how Han got involved with the pirates, I'm not sure," Windu confessed. "I questioned his father about it once... Found him way out in the middle of nowhere on Dantooine, dressed in full Nerf-herding garb," he laughed in amusement. "I asked him where his son was, and he just shrugged cheerfully, explaining that the boy was off 'playing pirate'... He's not the least bit concerned, and fully expects Han will come home one day, when he gets bored of pirating," Windu sighed.

"So yes, Han's family will have to be notified," he said. "But I imagine they would agree to allow him to attend a military academy; and to be honest, I would be glad to see that happen," Windu admitted quietly. "I'll talk to Han now; I'm going to have to brainwash him again," he sighed. "I'll tell him you're from Naboo this time; but - " Windu broke off, giving Lando a pleading look. "You _do_ understand why Han can't know about Earth?" he asked. "Mental illness runs in his family," Windu pointed out. "Even the sanest of the Solos are not known for having a shred of common sense. Han isn't a bad kid, but..." He shook his head anxiously. "The fewer people that know about Earth, the better."

Lando nodded, sobered by all of this. "I told him about Earth - twice," he confessed. "And both times he completely freaked out; he told me never to tell anyone else," Lando said, in his friend's defense. _Yeah, Han is crazy. I knew that the second I met him. But he's not THAT crazy,_ Lando fervently hoped.

"Good," Windu replied. "And based on what we've seen in the _Star Wars_ films, it seems that Han might escape his family's affliction, at least into his thirties," he pointed out. "And my guess is that the galaxy will remain safe for at least the next twenty years," he added. "In some ways, seeing that glimpse of the future has been a blessing," Windu conceded.

"But after that... Twenty years from now, after the events we've seen in _Return of the Jedi,_" he sighed, shaking his head. "We just don't know," Windu said quietly. "There is always a danger that thirty, forty years down the line, word of Solaris Three might reach the Hutts," he confessed. "And as for Han... Lando, mental illness often worsens with age; the Solos tend to experience early senility, and I don't want Han to start babbling about Solaris Three when he's sixty years old and his mind starts slipping," Windu sighed. "You understand now, why you can't tell him?"

_Damn,_ Lando sighed unhappily; but he nodded, agreeing with the Jedi Master's reasons. "Yes," he agreed. "I understand." _Han will be all right, at least through his thirties. But after that..._ Lando hung his head, realizing that Windu was right. "Really... I get it," he said. "Don't worry," he sighed. "I won't tell him again."

Windu nodded, satisfied by his promise. "Good," he said, getting up. "Now I'll go explain to Han how you're actually from Naboo, and that I'm offering you both enrollment at a military training academy on Coruscant in lieu of punishment," he told Lando. "Don't make me mess with his brain again," he added, with a stern glare.

"I won't," Lando promised again, nodding. "I'm sorry... Thank you, sir," he added sincerely.

The Jedi Master gave him a reassuring smile as he left the detention cell, and Lando spent the next several minutes in quiet contemplation, letting the day's events and revelations sink in. _This is the start of a whole new life,_ Lando realized. _With a friend who doesn't laugh at my name, and a Jedi Master who trusts me with the safety of the entire galaxy,_ he thought in amazement. _He could have just brainwashed me and sent me home; or had me killed,_ Lando realized now._No one has ever trusted me before; not my foster parents, or my teachers, or any of my friends..._

_I am not going to screw this up,_ Lando vowed, feeling a newfound sense of pride, and excitement about his future. _I'm still not happy about that stupid blue cape though,_ he laughed, gazing ruefully as at his beloved faded blue jeans. _Goodbye, Levis; goodbye, Nikes,_ he sighed. _Hello, crazy new life._

A few minutes later the door to his detention cell opened again, and Lando looked up, expecting to see Master Windu again; but instead it was just one of the local policemen. "Come on," the officer said, nodding for him to get up. "Time to go." Surprised, Lando got up and followed the man out into the hallway, where he met Han, who was grinning in obvious delight.

"Can you believe it?" the younger boy asked, as they were led out of the police station to board a transport to Coruscant. "They're letting us go to a military academy," Han said, his eyes sparkling with excitement. "We're going to be pilots!"

* * *

><p><em>The next day, on Kashyyyk...<em>

Mallatobuck wept silently, as Master Yoda spoke solemnly of Chewbacca's final heroic moments. Malla had been so proud when Chewbacca had volunteered for this important mission, escorting Master Yoda to Corellia; but she had never dreamed that it would end like this. "Aaaahhhh," she moaned softly, not caring if the others heard her.

_He was so brave,_ Malla cried, heartbroken. _So noble... and strong..._ "Arrrrgghhh," she sobbed again. _I never told him how much I loved him,_ she wept. _And now it's too late,_ Malla lamented, tears of grief stinging her eyes as she forced herself to remain silent through the rest of Master Yoda's eulogy.

But when the Jedi Master was finished, Malla joined the other Wookiees in a collective roar of grief and anguish over the loss of their brave and noble Second Chief. "RRRRRAAAAAUUUuuuuggghhhh!" Malla wailed, sobbing for the loss of her beloved Chewie.

* * *

><p><em>Meanwhile, in the spice mines of Kessel...<em>

"Rrrrraaaauuurrrrrggghh!" Chewbacca roared angrily, swiping a giant furry paw at the pesky slave driver who had smacked him with his little whip. _Don't do that again, that's annoying!_ "Aaaaaaarrrrggghhhh!" he added emphatically, showing his fangs.

_Find a way out of here, I will,_ Chewbacca resolved stubbornly, as he chipped away at the cavern wall with his little pickaxe, deep underground in the mines of Kessel. He was chained to the other slaves by the neck and both ankles, and the heavy chain ran for miles through the underground tunnel, but somehow, he would find a way out. _For all of us, hopefully,_ he sighed with regret, eyeing his pale, sickly comrades; Chewbacca knew all too well that the life expectancy of slaves on Kessel was dismally short.

_But Wookiees are strong,_ he told himself. _I will not grow sick and weak like the others,_ he resolved. _Find a way out, I will,_ he vowed. _And then when I go home..._ Chewbacca hung his head, sighing with regret.

_The courage I will find, to tell Malla I love her._


	88. Anakin visits Padmé and Leia

**Chapter 88**

_Four months later..._

"J is for...?"

"Jedi," Leia said cheerfully, squirming under the covers in her pajamas and laying her head against the pillow. "And Jar Jar," she added. "And Jawa juice!"

"That's right." Padmé smiled, stroking her daughter's long, silky hair. "All right; K is for...?"

"Um... Kyra!" Leia exclaimed. "Oh! I forgot Jon," she added, cringing apologetically.

"Ah, we can't forget Jon," Padmé nodded. "L is for...?"

"Lightsaber! - And Leila," the girl added quickly, not wanting to forget anyone. "And Leia!" she said, beaming in delight. "And Luke," she finished quietly, a faraway look in her brown eyes.

"That's right." Padmé smiled. "And M is for...?"

"Mommy," Leia replied sleepily, snuggling against her pillow again.

"N is for...?"

"Daddy," Leia murmured, her eyes closing groggily.

_Ha,_ Padmé smiled to herself, kissing her daughter on the forehead. _I'm going to let that one slip. As long as she finally gets to sleep, I'm happy_. But now Leia opened her eyes again, an expression of surprised delight crossing her face. "Daddy!" she squealed, hopping out of bed and running into Padmé's bedroom. "He's coming!"

Sure enough, a moment later the ventilation grating opened, and a black-cloaked figure dropped down from the ceiling. "Anakin!" Padmé exclaimed, embracing him and giving him a kiss. "What are you doing here?" she asked, delighted._ It's not the weekend..._

"I had to see how my two favorite girls were doing," Anakin said, scooping Leia up in his arms. "Aw, cute pajamas... How have you been, sweety?" he asked, kissing her on the forehead.

"Fine," Leia said, wrapping her arms around her father's neck. "How have you been?"

"Heh," Anakin laughed good-naturedly. "Good," he said, sharing a delighted grin with Padmé. They were both enchanted with Leia's perfect manners, at just three and a half years old.

_Thank goodness she's outgrown the terrible twos,_ Padmé thought. "So what are you doing here?" she asked, concerned. The last time Anakin had come home on a weeknight, he'd gotten his Starfighter blown up and had nearly been killed, in the tragic explosion that had claimed Chewbacca's life.

"Oh," Anakin said, shrugging. "Cliegg asked me to shoot a couple scenes tomorrow," he explained. "I guess Rory threw his back out today doing some kind of stunt," he said, plunking down on the couch and holding Leia on his lap; the child was getting drowsy again, and was only half-listening to their conversation.

"Oh no," Padmé exclaimed, sitting next to him. "Is he all right?" Rory was Anakin's stunt double, who played the part of Darth Vader on _SITH_ when Anakin was busy doing his _real_ Jedi work.

"Yeah, yeah, he's fine," Anakin assured her. "He just needs a couple days off... And apparently this scene was supposed to be finished yesterday; you know how it is with Cliegg," he said, grinning. Then he looked around, surprised. "Where's Typho?"

"It's his Sabacc night," Padmé told him. Anakin nodded, stroking Leia's dark hair with a quiet, admiring smile. "Oh!" Padmé exclaimed suddenly. "We have new pictures," she remembered, going to get her little datapad. "Look," she said proudly, showing Anakin the latest holo images of Luke in his youngling class.

Anakin grinned in delight, as Leia looked at the pictures again with eager curiosity. "My little padawan," he sighed, admiring Luke's stance as he practiced his lightsaber techniques. Anakin couldn't wait until Luke turned nine, when he could take him as his padawan; he was already planning all sorts of adventures, and making a list of exotic planets to explore with his son.

"Can I see Zak again?" Leia asked; then her little brows furrowed. "I mean - may I please see Zak again?" she corrected herself, frowning as she made a mental note to remember her manners.

"Certainly," Padmé nodded, with an approving smile. "Here he is," she said, showing Anakin and Leia the latest pictures.

Anakin peered closer at the Zabrak baby. "Aw, he's so cute... His stripes are getting darker; and look at those horns," he remarked, enchanted by his grand-nephew. "Where did you get all these pictures?"

"Qui-Gon and Cory took them, just this morning," Padmé told him. "Obi-Wan brought them by earlier."

"Qui-Gon and Cory?" Anakin blinked in surprise. "Last I heard, they were off on some secret mission."

"Haha... Yes, this was it," Padmé explained. "They crawled through about a mile of ventilation ducts in the Jedi Temple to get above the nursery," she said, perpetually amused by her father-in-law's astounding immaturity.

Anakin laughed, shaking his head. "Qui-Gon... And we wonder why Cory turned out the way he did," he sighed. In light of Cory's sudden and utterly disturbing foray into teen fatherhood, Anakin and Padmé had reluctantly agreed not to tell Luke about his family until he became a Master. _I didn't give him up to have him turn out like that, _Padmé sighed regretfully. _Luke deserves a chance to become a proper Jedi, and not be corrupted by his crazy family. Speaking of which..._

"How's the studying going?" Padmé asked, as Anakin cuddled Leia against his chest, patting her back gently as she dozed off to sleep again.

"Eh," Anakin shrugged. "I haven't really been doing anything lately... Don't tell Obi-Wan," he added mischievously, though there was a glimmer of apology in his blue eyes. _Ani's never been good at studying, but he doesn't even try any more,_ Padmé admitted. Anakin was nearly twenty-six now, and had been knighted over five years ago; but as of yet he had made absolutely no progress whatsoever toward becoming a Master.

_It's because he spends all his free time with Leia and me,_ Padmé realized. _Or hanging out with Obi-Wan and the others, instead of studying and meditating. _Padmé was less concerned with her husband's lack of progress in itself, than she was with the larger implications. The six secretly married Jedi had all been keeping close watch over each other these past three years, quietly considering the possibility of one day legalizing marriage amongst the Jedi; no one wanted to admit it out loud, but they were all beginning to feel that perhaps personal attachments had a detrimental effect on the Order after all.

Even a year ago, they had naively believed that marriage ought to be legalized, and had been working on a plan to introduce the concept to the rest of the Jedi Council; but that was before they learned of Cory's secret marriage at the age of fourteen, just months after discovering the truth about his family. Even Cory admitted that he would never have gotten married so young, much less had a child with Elena, if he hadn't believed on some level that it was all right, and that he wouldn't get in any real trouble for it.

Anakin shrugged uncomfortably now; they had fallen silent once again over the subject of his studying. "I'm going to tuck Leia in bed," he said, attempting a cheery smile as he got up from the couch, taking his sleeping daughter back to her room.

Padmé nodded, then bowed her head, realizing that she had hurt his feelings. _He thinks we're all disappointed in him, and that he's stupid; but he's not,_ she sighed, with a tender smile. _Ani can do anything he puts his mind to. He works so hard; he's the best star pilot in the entire Order,_ Padmé realized wistfully. _I'm so proud of him..._

"Padmé, I'm sorry," Anakin apologized, re-emerging from Leia's bedroom and closing the door softly behind him. "I know I should study more," he confessed, hanging his head. "I just - " he broke off helplessly. "I'm sorry, Padmé."

"No." Padmé smiled, wrapping her arms around him. "Ani, it's not you that I'm worried about," she assured him. "I'm the only Senator who knows about any of this. It's my job to worry," she pointed out. "And I'm glad you're here," Padmé said, kissing him. "But if we had to take a vote in the Senate, today..." She sighed. "Ani, I would vote against allowing the Jedi to marry."

Anakin nodded, stroking her back. "So would I."

Padmé smiled tenderly. "I love you, Ani."

"Love you too," Anakin murmured, kissing her. "Come on," he said, taking her by the hand. "Let's go to bed," he whispered playfully, leading her toward the bedroom.


	89. Obi-Wan visits Leila, and Siri?

**Chapter 89**

_A few months later..._

"Obi-Wan," Leila exclaimed, greeting him as he climbed in through the window. "How was your day?"

"It was good," Obi-Wan replied, kissing her. "How was yours? Sorry I'm late; I got called in for Confessional duty."

"That's all right," Leila said. "I just sent the kids to bed, but I'm sure they're still awake; they've both been waiting up for you," she admitted. "Jon had a question about his math homework... A plus B, and X squared - or something like that; I have no idea," Leila confessed, laughing. "And Kyra... she'll have to explain it," Leila said, running her fingers through Obi-Wan's hair and pushing his floppy bangs off his forehead. "And you need a haircut," she added matter-of-factly. _It's so cute all overgrown like that, but he says it flops in his eyes when he's trying to fight._

Obi-Wan grinned, nodding as he took in all of that; then he headed into the living room, knocking on Jon and Kyra's door. "Hello, young ones," he said cheerfully.

"Obi-Wan!" Kyra exclaimed, coming out in her nightgown and hugging him, as Jon followed. "I was waiting up for you! Tarok sent a message from Elena," she began in breathless ten-year-old fashion. "So, Elena asked Tarok if he could ask me, to ask you - " she blinked - "to tell Cory that she says hi. Oh! And also that her grandfather is doing better, and he says thank you for helping to fix the roof; well not you, but Cory," Kyra clarified, "and Qui-Gon too," she finished, letting out a dramatic sigh.

"Ah," Obi-Wan nodded. "Yes, I will be sure to pass along the message," he promised, his eyes twinkling with affection. "Was that all?"

"Haha," Kyra giggled. "I think so... yes, that was all."

"Okay, back to bed," Leila ordered her daughter, herding her back toward the bedroom after Obi-Wan kissed her goodnight. "Jon, you wanted to show Obi-Wan your math problem?" Leila reminded him; unlike Kyra, Jon was very quiet and undemanding, and often needed to be prodded in order to ask for help.

"All right," Jon agreed, nodding as he went to get his math homework. Leila sat on the couch with them as Obi-Wan helped Jon with his homework; she had dropped out of school at Jon's age, and at thirteen her son was already far ahead of her in his education. But to her surprise, she found she was able to follow along with what Obi-Wan was saying now, and it actually made sense, the way he explained it.

"Ohh," Jon nodded, running his fingers absently through his shaggy dark hair as he frowned in concentration. "So if it's - " he broke off, puzzled. "Why did it say that?" he asked, blinking in confusion as he re-read the instructions.

"I don't know," Obi-Wan sighed, shaking his head. "That would confuse me too; sometimes I wonder who writes these things," he admitted. "But you're doing very well, Jon; I'm proud of you." He smiled affectionately, hugging him goodnight. "Sleep well," he said, as Jon nodded, giving him an appreciative smile as he headed back to bed.

"Wow," Leila said, as she and Obi-Wan went back to their bedroom. "I actually understood that. You are a really good teacher." She blinked in surprise, in awe of her husband's talents.

"It's what I do," Obi-Wan reminded her, his eyes twinkling in amusement. "So, how have you been, Leila?" he asked, kissing her as she began her grueling Jedi belt-removal ritual. _Obi-Wan, why THREE belts? WHY?_ she wondered for the billionth time, diligently unclasping the little outer buckle.

"Oh, I'm fine," Leila replied cheerfully, as she pulled off his _second_ utility belt, then began unwinding the mile-long cloth wrap around his waist. _Round and round it goes... _"Just a little tired," she confessed, finally finishing her task. "Mmm... I love you, Obi-Wan," she sighed, wrapping her arms around him.

"I love you too," Obi-Wan said, tenderly stroking her sandy-blonde hair. "Siri."

_What?_ "Hey!" Leila pouted indignantly, smacking him on the shoulder. "My name's Leila."

"What?" Obi-Wan blinked in confusion, baffled by her sudden attack. "No... Yes; yes, I know," he stammered; but then he cocked his head, frowning. "Siri," he said again, his expression concerned. "She's here... on Coruscant."

"She's here?" Leila asked, blinking in surprise. _This is the one place I wouldn't have expected her._

"Yes." Obi-Wan nodded, his brows furrowed. "She's very upset; something must be terribly wrong, if she's come back here." He cringed, sensing her pain. "Leila, I - I have to go... I'm sorry," Obi-Wan apologized, with a pleading look.

Leila nodded, smiling in understanding. "Of course," she agreed, once again beginning the arduous task of bundling him back up in his Jedi garments. _Just when I was getting to the good part, _Leila sighed; but she gave him a reassuring smile, hugging him once again as she kissed him goodbye. "Will you be back later?"

"Yes," Obi-Wan promised, kissing her one last time as he climbed out the bedroom window. "I'll be back as soon as I can."

* * *

><p><em>A few minutes later...<em>

"Siri," Obi-Wan called softly, knocking on the hotel room door. "Siri, it's me."

A moment later the door opened, and Obi-Wan smiled as Siri gasped in relieved gratitude, wrapping her arms around him and weeping quietly as he gently stroked her soft, blond hair. "Obi-Wan," Siri cried, laying her head against his shoulder. "I'm so glad you're here," she confessed, her blue eyes glistening with anguish as she looked up at him. "Come in," she sniffed, remembering her manners. "Would you like some tea?" she offered, as Obi-Wan stepped inside the little living room of the modest hotel suite.

"Yes, thank you," Obi-Wan nodded with a shy smile, as Siri went into the kitchen area, starting the water boiling.

"I'm sorry," Siri apologized, pulling her bathrobe tighter around herself as she returned to the living room, sitting on the couch next to Obi-Wan. "I know I shouldn't have done that," she confessed, nodding toward the little balcony from whence she had sent her psychic distress signal a few minutes earlier. "But - I couldn't sleep, and I had to talk to someone... Did I wake you up?"

Obi-Wan laughed gently, shaking his head. "No," he assured her. _You would be surprised, what you interrupted me from._ "No, I couldn't sleep either," he said, with a cheerful smile. _I am such a terrible liar. No, I'm a very GOOD liar; that's my problem._ "Siri, what's wrong? What are you doing here?" Obi-Wan asked. "It's good to see you," he added, giving her a playful nudge with his shoulder. Siri was Obi-Wan's oldest friend in the entire galaxy; they had been raised together as younglings, and were like brother and sister.

"It's good to see you too," Siri agreed, giggling as she nudged him back; they had been playing this game since they were five. _Actually, since I was five,_ Obi-Wan reminded himself. _And SHE was only three_. Siri had been a child prodigy even among the Jedi, and had skipped two grades to join Obi-Wan's youngling class; the others had been somewhat jealous of her talents, but she and Obi-Wan had bonded instantly, becoming lifelong friends.

"Actually," Siri confessed regretfully, "you'll be seeing a lot of me, for the next four years." She nodded toward the bedroom doorway. "Marco's been elected to the Senate."

"Marco? Really?" Obi-Wan blinked, glancing toward the closed door where Siri's husband was sleeping. Prince Marco Solo of Corellia was arguably one of the sanest of his family, and second in line for the throne; but he had never shown any interest whatsoever in politics.

"Yes," Siri said. "He's completely miserable. But his father wouldn't take no for an answer, and - " she shrugged helplessly. "Here we are, for four long years." She sighed, shaking her head. The water was boiling now, and Obi-Wan followed Siri to the kitchen as she got up to make the tea. "So what have you been up to?" Siri asked, with a tender smile.

_You'd be surprised._ "Oh, the usual," Obi-Wan said. "Teaching younglings, sitting through endless Council sessions, listening to Confessionals." _Raising three kids and a grand-Zabrak without having to leave the Order, as you did._ "How's Dorian?"

"Ahh," Siri sighed. "He'll be all right," she said, handing Obi-Wan a cup of tea as they returned to the living room, sitting back down on the couch. "He's used to moving around a lot; he makes friends quickly." Siri smiled fondly, a glimmer of motherly pride in her eyes. "He's eleven now; it will be good for him to have some stability for a while," she confessed. "We're looking into schools for him tomorrow... and we still have to find an apartment." Siri sighed, a bit overwhelmed by the prospect of spending four years on Coruscant.

Obi-Wan nodded. "Have you tried Padmé's apartment building?"

"Ah, we could never afford that," Siri admitted; the Solos were notoriously terrible with money, and aside from having a lavish palace on Corellia, they were basically penniless.

"Well you don't have to live in the penthouse," Obi-Wan said, amused. _You can't, anyway; Padmé and Anakin have that._ "The lower levels are much more affordable," he assured her. "Padmé's a nice girl, Siri. You would like her."

"I know," Siri said, with an appreciative smile. "Thanks, we'll look into it," she agreed. "I'm just - I'm not used to being around royalty, Obi-Wan," she laughed. "I didn't marry Marco for his title."

"No, I didn't imagine you did," Obi-Wan replied.

"Hey!" Siri retorted, smacking him on the shoulder as Obi-Wan giggled; whenever the two of them were together, they inevitably ended up acting like a pair of younglings. "Don't you start," she scolded him, feigning offense; but then she smiled, her blue eyes conveying her sincere gratitude. "Ah, Obi-Wan... you were the only one who never judged me," she confessed.

Obi-Wan managed an encouraging smile._ Yes, I'm a saint._ "How is Marco?" he asked, changing the subject.

"Aside from being completely miserable, you mean?" Siri asked. Marco Solo had left home at seventeen to explore the galaxy, and had never lived in any one place longer than a few months; he typically stayed just long enough to find some kind of local work and save up enough money to move on to his next destination, which he often chose at random by pinning a map of the galaxy onto his dart board.

"He's fine," Siri nodded. "Well, aside from - " she cringed. "We took Dorian to the zoo today. Marco got bitten by the Krayt dragon," she confessed. "You know Marco; it's always something with him," Siri laughed with affection. Prince Marco was hopelessly accident prone; Obi-Wan had always made a point to stop by and visit the Tachi-Solos whenever he happened to be in their part of the galaxy, and he had never seen Marco without some type of bruise, scrape, sprain, or other minor injury.

"The Krayt dragon?" Obi-Wan blinked, surprised. _That's the tamest dragon in the entire galaxy; how in the blazes did Marco manage to get bitten?_ Then he frowned worriedly, remembering. "You know, you can get - "

"TPM, I know." Siri nodded, with an amused smile. "We're keeping an eye on it," she assured him. Siri had made a lifelong career of looking after the hapless prince; years ago, Marco had accidentally blundered into an extremely dangerous situation, inadvertently becoming involved with a death-stick smuggling ring in the course of his travels, and Siri - newly knighted at the time - had been assigned as his Jedi protector, keeping him safe until the drug dealers could be apprehended. But after the danger had passed, Siri had shocked the entire Jedi Council by announcing her resignation, leaving the Order to marry the young prince.

Siri had fallen silent now, and Obi-Wan sensed her profound dismay. She had not dared to return to Coruscant since the day she abandoned the Order, out of shame and regret for having dishonored her former Master. Adi Gallia was a Council member, and the two of them had not spoken since.

"Do you think I should talk to her?" Siri asked quietly, finally coming to the subject she had been avoiding.

Obi-Wan sighed, hanging his head. "I don't know," he confessed. "Siri, she will probably never understand your reasons for leaving the Order," he admitted. "But she is a Jedi," he pointed out, with a rueful smile. "She's not allowed to harbor feelings of anger, or hold a grudge."

Siri shook her head. "Sometimes I really hate the Order," she whispered, tears of frustration springing to her eyes, as Obi-Wan gently rubbed the back of her neck, massaging her tense muscles. _Yes, you and Leila both,_ he agreed, with a sad smile. "I'm allowed to hate, you know." She gestured toward the base of her skull, where her Force inhibitor chip had been implanted. "I'm not a Jedi anymore." Then she sighed. "How do you do it, Obi-Wan?" she asked, an almost pitying look in her blue eyes as she brushed his floppy bangs off his forehead.

Obi-Wan sighed, hanging his head. "You don't want to know."

Siri looked at him, startled; it was not the answer she had expected. "So it's true then?" she asked, blinking in stunned concern as she guessed at his meaning. "About you... and Anakin?"

"What?" Obi-Wan blinked, alarmed. "No," he protested quickly. "Force, no... Siri." He laughed, cringing in horror. "You have to stop reading the _Galactic Enquirer_," he chided her, with a reproachful look.

"Sorry." She gave him an apologetic smile; despite her affectionate teasing, Siri had always held a deep respect for Obi-Wan, and was extremely proud of his accomplishments and his success within the Jedi Order. "So... how do you do it?" she asked again, peering at him curiously. "I _do_ want to know," she insisted.

Obi-Wan sighed regretfully. _And I have wanted to tell you,_ he agreed, feeling guilty once again. _But I only thought it would make things worse. And you've always seemed so happy, until now..._ "Siri," he said hesitantly, giving her an apologetic look. "Can you keep a secret?"

* * *

><p><em>Hours later...<em>

"How did she take it?" Leila asked, snuggling with Obi-Wan under the covers.

"As well as can be expected, I suppose," Obi-Wan replied, managing a smile as he stroked Leila's hair, his blue eyes filled with tender regret. "She doesn't completely hate me," he sighed ruefully.

"Well that's a good start." Leila smiled in tender amusement. _There was a time when I hated you too, Obi-Wan,_ she admitted. _You've done some pretty dumb things in your time._ "She'll come around," Leila assured him. "It's impossible to stay mad at you," she said, kissing Obi-Wan playfully on the nose and stroking his silky ginger hair. _You're too cute for your own good._ "I'm glad you told her."

"So am I," Obi-Wan agreed, giving Leila a look of apology; they didn't speak of it often, but Leila knew he felt terrible for having left her, so many years ago when she had been pregnant with Cory. _It's all right, Obi-Wan. I have two beautiful, NORMAL children that I never would have had, if you had stayed._ Leila was grateful to have been spared the guilt and regret that Padmé now felt, knowing that she had deprived her daughter the chance to develop her full talents.

"She's looking forward to meeting you," Obi-Wan added. "And Padmé as well... Siri's feeling very alone right now," he confessed. "It's hard for her, being back here on Coruscant. She's a sweet girl, Leila. You will like her."

"I know," Leila said cheerfully, kissing him again. "I can't wait to meet her." _I bet she has all sorts of fascinating stories to tell, of your youngling days. _"I love you, Obi-Wan," Leila murmured sleepily, snuggling closer to him and closing her eyes.

"I love you too," Obi-Wan said, kissing her tenderly. "Leila."


	90. Many thoughts, Yoda has

**Chapter 90  
><strong>

_A few months later..._

"She's still only three," Master Tyrion pointed out, glancing at his younglings, who were gathered around the table doing arts and crafts this morning. "The others have all turned four already; Mara is the youngest in the class. She's falling farther and farther behind every day in her training; and emotionally - " he broke off, shaking his head. "She just doesn't have the maturity or the social skills to interact with the other boys," he confessed. "Luke Starkiller is the only one she will even talk to any more. I think she would do better if she were held back a year, and transferred to a younger class."

Yoda sighed, bowing his head. "Already burdened by anger and frustration, young Mara is," he said. "The shame of being held back, and the bitterness of failure, she does not need," he countered. "And without young Starkiller's presence," Yoda added worriedly, "a danger to the other younglings, she could be." Mara Jade had a fiery temper to match her hair, and Luke Starkiller was the only one who could talk any sense into her, when she was in the midst of one of her violent fits of rage.

"I agree, Master," Tyrion said; but then he glanced anxiously at the little red-headed girl again. "But what happens when she's older?" he asked. "What happens when she turns seven, and trades her training saber in for a real one? Master Yoda... She attacked Luke Osilian in the cafeteria the other day, with a fork," Tyrion reminded him. "Luke claims he felt sparks; I sensed he was lying, and that he provoked her, but..." he sighed, shaking his head.

"She was a death stick baby," Tyrion pointed out. "I've read the studies; they tend to have violent mood swings, and extreme difficulties socializing." Mara Jade had been born with a physical addiction to death sticks, thanks to her mother's dangerous habit, and her brain chemistry had been permanently affected. "Most of them end up criminals, and drug addicts; or dead," he confessed. Yoda nodded in regret; Mara's mother - a Coruscant prostitute with the street name of 'Jade' - had been found in a dark alleyway just a few months ago, dead from an accidental overdose.

"And even if that weren't the case," Master Tyrion continued. "Master, she's a girl, and a human," he pointed out. "There are two Tholothian girls in the class ahead of her; Mara will never be chosen as a padawan." It was extremely rare for a human girl to be chosen; unfortunately rarer still since Siri Tachi had left the Order fourteen years ago, throwing away a lifetime of training to marry the young Corellian prince she had been assigned to protect. "Mara will never be a Jedi," Tyrion argued, his brows furrowed in concern.

"And after thirteen years of - _this_," Tyrion sighed, as they watched the Arts and Crafts Master attempt to disentangle Mara from Luke Fireno, who had made the mistake of borrowing her blue crayon. "She will be sent to the Agricultural Corps. Mara simply does not possess the patience for healing diseased crops; she will be miserable. Master, what chance does she have, within the Order?" Tyrion asked. "She is destined for a life of misery in the Agricultural Corps," he said. "Would it not be better to put her in an orphanage here in Coruscant, or perhaps on another planet, where she might have a chance to find a happier path in life?"

Yoda hung his head. _Perhaps right, Master Tyrion is,_ he confessed. _Clouded, my judgment in this matter is._ He wished once again that he had never watched the future _SITH_ episodes that had been captured on Solaris Three. At the end of one of those mysterious film reels had been a teaser advertisement, promoting an upcoming episode which featured Mara Jade - a red-haired assassin who bore an uncanny resemblance to this youngling.

This brief glimpse had lived on in the memory of [Censored] as well, and had been the basis of several _Star Wars_ books published on Solaris Three. These novels were purely fictional, written by various authors; but they all contained a hint of truth, and featured several other characters who had also been glimpsed in brief teaser advertisements.

_Appear on SITH one day, it seems young Mara will,_ Yoda realized, wondering once again if he had allowed his knowledge of the future to influence his decision in accepting Mara as a youngling. _Could it be, that her destiny is to become an actress, rather than a Jedi?_ With her lustrous red hair and emerald eyes, Mara certainly had the looks to make it as an actress - which could also explain her appearance on _SITH_, twenty years from now.

_No,_ Yoda reproached himself, trusting his instincts. "Meditated upon this many times I have," he told Master Tirion. "And always at the same answer, do I arrive," he said. "Mysterious, the ways of the Force often are," Yoda confessed, wishing that he could ignore his feelings, and trust in logic instead. _A better chance as an actress young Mara would have, than as a Jedi, _Yoda sighed; but that didn't change what he had sensed with unwavering conviction for these past three years.

"Little chance within the Jedi Order, it would seem young Mara has," Yoda conceded. "But nevertheless, trained as a Jedi youngling, she will be," he informed Master Tyrion, a tone of unquestioning finality in his voice. _The will of the Force, it is. Felt it, I have._

"Yes, Master," Tyrion replied, masking his dismay. "I appreciate your counsel," he added humbly, with a polite bow.

_I hope that right about this, I am, _Yoda sighed, casting a final concerned glance at Mara as he headed back up to the Council chamber for today's session. _Trust in my feelings, I must,_ he reminded himself. _Too confident in my knowledge of the future, have I become,_ he confessed with a heavy heart, remembering Chewbacca.

Yoda had been so certain that the Wookiee he had seen in the future _SITH_ episodes was in fact his own dear friend; but 'Chewbacca' - which meant 'Brave Adventurer' - was a common name among Wookiees, and he realized now that he had been mistaken. _Tell one Wookiee from another, I cannot,_ Yoda confessed, with a sad, tender smile. And it wasn't just that they _looked_ the same; they also sounded the same, smelled the same, _felt_ the same... Yoda's visits to Kashyyyk were often amusing, as he couldn't even tell their Force signatures apart._ A different Chewbacca on SITH, it will be, _he sighed, grieving over his friend's death.

But he still took comfort in many other friends that he had seen alive and well, in future _SITH_ episodes. Yoda and Mace had come to believe that these episodes - though fictional - _would_ in fact happen, exactly as they appeared in the mysterious film reels. They had already tested this theory while filming for _JEDI_, and had actually tried to deviate from the version they had already seen. But any time they tried to ad-lib their lines, Cliegg or Owen would call for them to cut, and would not be satisfied until they delivered the exact performance that they'd watched decades ago, when the footage had first been captured on Solaris Three.

_A crazy old hermit on Dagobah, I will become,_ Yoda laughed to himself, recalling his own role in the future episodes. There had been a time when he and Mace had worried that the footage was real; that he would be exiled to Dagobah, and that the galaxy would in fact be in the hands of the Sith. But now they were relieved to know that Darth Sidious and Vader were only fictional characters, and even Yoda's secret home on Dagobah was actually part of a sound stage on Geonosis.

_Take any of this seriously, I must not,_ Yoda reminded himself once again. Ninety percent of the _JEDI_ footage had turned out to be fictional, and _SITH_ was even more wildly preposterous. And as for the books that had been written on Solaris Three - based on a few brief glimpses of upcoming episodes, which lived on in [Censored]'s memory... Yoda chuckled to himself quietly as he entered the Council chamber, admitting that there was barely any truth to those novels at all.

"What is it, Master?" Obi-Wan asked, seeing his amused smile.

"Nothing; only a book I read," Yoda replied mysteriously. _About you and Siri, it was..._ He shared a knowing look with Mace now; they had both agreed that Obi-Wan would die of embarrassment if he knew that several fictional novels had been written about him on Solaris Three, claiming that he and Siri Tachi were romantically involved.

_Married, they both are; though not to each other,_ Yoda laughed to himself, amused by the irony. _Like brother and sister, Obi-Wan and Siri have always been._

_Just like young Luke and Mara now,_ Yoda mused, thinking again of the Jedi Order's newest class of younglings. He and Mace had of course read the novels depicting _their_ future love affair; but Yoda had learned long ago not to believe anything that was published in a fictional novel on Solaris Three - written by an author who had not even the vaguest idea of the truth.

_Good for a laugh, the Star Wars books can be,_ Yoda chuckled, as today's Council session began. _But any truth to them, there is not._

* * *

><p><em>Meanwhile, back in the youngling classroom...<em>

"Thank you, Luke," Mara sniffed, wiping away her tears and continuing to color her picture with his blue crayon, since her own had been broken in the struggle against Luke Fireno. The other Lukes had all laughed at her plight; but Luke Starkiller - _her_ Luke - had thoughtfully offered to share his own crayons with her.

_He's the nicest one,_ Mara thought again, filling in the blue sky on her picture._ I love him._

* * *

><p><em>Meanwhile, somewhere along the Kessel Run...<em>

_Gotcha!_ Tarv grinned in satisfaction as a tiny ship suddenly appeared outside his windshield, caught in his hyperspace snare. It had been over a year since his unfortunate mishap in snaring Master Yoda and Chewbacca - who at least had fetched a decent price - and Tarv had made several improvements to his slaving vessel since then. _This one's not getting away._

_Let's see who you are,_ Tarv thought, bringing up the disabled vessel's identification on his viewscreen. _Slave I,_ he noted, amused to have caught a fellow slaver._The hunter becomes the hunted._ He grinned, delighted by the irony.

But now he noticed his first mate, Grauv, furrowing his brows in concern. "_Slave I_," Grauv said, frowning. "Now why does that sound familiar...? Oh, crap!" Grauv exclaimed, his eyes widening in alarm. "It's a bounty hunter!" he yelled, as the tiny oval-shaped ship suddenly came to life again, switching to reserve power and turning to face Tarv's vessel.

_Damn it,_ Tarv cursed, falling heavily to the floor and splitting his chin open as his ship was hit by a sonic blast, then another. _Oww,_ he winced, picking himself up and trying to regain some of his dignity as he dabbed his chin with the back of his sleeve, wiping away the blood. _Why did it have to be a bounty hunter?_Tarv grumbled, ignoring the pain and immediately springing to action, barking orders at his crew. _I have the worst luck..._


	91. Boba is sold into slavery

**Chapter 91**

"Oh, crap!" Boba Fett muttered to himself, flipping a switch to activate _Slave I's_ torpedos. He had already tried two sonic blasts against the attacking slaving vessel, hoping to disable it and get away; but unfortunately the enemy ship had withstood the assault, and so now Boba was forced to resort to more deadly tactics. _Dad will kill me,_ Boba cringed, targeting the enemy ship and launching a torpedo straight at its hull.

He wasn't supposed to be here in the first place. His father had sent him on a rather dull assignment to deliver some electrical parts from Coruscant to Kubindi, warning him to stay clear of Hutt Territory and take the long way around, sticking to the well-traveled trade route known as the Kessel Run. Boba had dutifully followed his father's instructions, delivering the parts to Kubindi as promised; but being seventeen years old, and having an insanely fast ship at his command, Boba had been unable to resist the temptation to take a shortcut on his return trip.

He had done it several times before with his father. Kessel - like its nearest neighbor, Kubindi - was located at the very edge of the Outer Rim, beyond Hutt Territory. The official route of the Kessel Run required pilots to fly all the way around Hutt Territory in order to return to the Interior. There were several reasons for this longer route: it avoided the danger of being captured by the Hutts, and also diverted traffic away from the Jedi checkpoints, allowing the Jedi to focus their attention on illegal smugglers rather than law-abiding merchant vessels.

But the main reason for the roundabout route was to avoid the Maw. The Maw was by far the most unpredictable area of space in the entire galaxy; some believed that it was a black hole, as ships entering that area often disappeared, never to be heard from again. Others claimed that it was in fact the secret location of Solaris Three; Boba knew that the fabled hidden planet was only a smuggler's ghost story, but he had to admit that strange things happened in the Maw.

The straight-line distance from Kessel to Coruscant was only eleven parsecs, but the Kessel Run itself - with its officially designated detour around Hutt Territory - covered nearly fifteen parsecs. By cutting through Hutt Territory and the Maw, pilots were able to shave a parsec or two off their total distance. No one had ever attempted the straight, eleven-parsec route and lived to tell about it; the unofficial record was thirteen parsecs, avoiding the Maw by a dangerously narrow margin. Jango and Boba had done it once in just under fourteen parsecs; but it had been a close call, and _Slave I's_ navigational instruments had been irreparably damaged by the mysterious Force anomaly located within the Maw.

Only the fastest ships could pass close to the Maw without suffering damage; typically these were illegally-built smuggling vessels, with hyperdrives that exceeded the legal speed limit for civilians. _Slave I_ had been designed just within the legal limits, but it could not quite attain the rate of speed necessary to avoid being sucked into the Maw's deadly grasp. So today Boba had wisely decided to give the Maw a wide berth, shaving off only one parsec on his journey home.

He had breathed a sigh of relief as his instruments came back online, indicating that he had safely emerged beyond Hutt Territory and the Maw; but then a few minutes later he had blinked in surprise and alarm as his ship had come to an abrupt, lurching halt, losing all power and communications. Finding himself suddenly under attack by a large slaving vessel, Boba had quickly switched on his reserve power and fired two rounds of sonic charges.

But now he was forced to use a torpedo, and Boba cringed worriedly as it hit the enemy ship, exploding against the hull. His father had taught him how to use _Slave I's_ weapons, but Boba had never been in a real-life encounter before, and as the cargo hold exploded and detached from the rest of the slaving vessel, Boba felt a sense of profound regret that he had undoubtedly killed several of the men aboard.

_They're slavers,_ he reminded himself, preparing to fire another torpedo. _But what if they already had a shipment of slaves aboard?_ Boba worried, trying to put the thought out of his head. He had been dismayed to hear on the news recently that the Ewoks had become the latest victims in the slave trade; Boba had helped his father deliver an army of Ewok clones from Kamino to the forest moon of Endor years ago at Master Kenobi's request, and he had become very fond of the little furry creatures. _I hope I didn't just blow up a family of Ewoks,_ Boba cringed, targeting the enemy ship's cockpit this time.

But suddenly Boba found himself lurching violently against his seat restraints as _Slave I_ was hit by a sonic charge from the enemy vessel. "Owww," Boba groaned, ignoring the sharp pain in his ribs as he engaged in evasive maneuvers, avoiding the second blast. _All right; don't miss..._ Pressing the button to launch the second torpedo, Boba blinked anxiously as he realized nothing had happened. Then his heart sank as he read the warning on his navcomputer: _Weapons System Failure,_ the screen alerted him in large, blinking red letters.

_Crap,_ Boba winced, clutching at his broken ribs as he reached for the overhead emergency switch, diverting all power to the shielding system. But now he lurched against his restraints once again as _Slave I_ was caught in the larger ship's tractor beam, and suddenly Boba forgot the searing pain in his ribs as he found himself being pulled helplessly toward the enemy vessel's docking bay.

_No no no..._ Boba's mind raced as he desperately tried to think of a way out of this predicament. His ship was completely disabled, with no weapons or communications; but as he drew closer to the slaving vessel, Boba remembered that he had one last resource available to him. _My dad's armor..._ Gulping back his fear, Boba winced painfully as he stumbled toward the back of the ship, quickly strapping on his father's bounty hunter suit.

_What the heck is all this stuff?_ Boba wondered helplessly, glancing at the dozens of little buttons and switches on his metal wristbands. Jango was immensely proud of Boba for following in his footsteps as a freighter pilot, but he had stubbornly refused to allow Boba to take part in any of his bounty hunting activities, insisting that it was too dangerous, and making it very clear that he didn't want his son involved in that business. Boba had absolutely no idea how to operate any of the custom weapons on his father's armor, but he steeled his resolve as _Slave I_ was pulled aboard the enemy vessel's docking bay. _I'll just keep pushing buttons, and hope that something works._

* * *

><p><em>Damn it,<em> Tarv cursed, dabbing the blood from his chin as he stumbled into the docking bay to inspect his latest acquisition. He had been forced to once again detach and abandon half his ship, as the cargo hold had been destroyed by the enemy's torpedo; but Tarv's eyes glimmered triumphantly as he saw the state-of-the-art bounty hunting vessel he had captured. _That will more than pay for the damage to my ship..._ And bounty hunters were in great demand by the Hutts; if this one could be captured alive, he would fetch a tremendous price.

Predictably, the bounty hunter emerged from the cockpit dressed in full armor, his blaster blazing in rapid fire against Tarv's crew. Several of the men fell under the attack, but Tarv was surprised to note amidst the chaos that some of them were still moving groggily; bizarrely enough, the bounty hunter's blaster was set to stun rather than kill. The stranger's armor easily withstood the laser fire of Tarv's men, but finally one of the crewmen hit his blaster, knocking it from his hand and sending it clattering across the floor of the docking bay.

_Now you're mine,_ Tarv grinned wickedly as his men advanced upon the bounty hunter, blasters drawn. The stranger was now pushing a button on his wristband; Tarv frowned suspiciously, wondering what he was up to. _I've knocked out communications; he won't be able to contact anyone,_ Tarv reassured himself. _But surely he would have figured that out by now...?_

A moment later Tarv gasped in shock and pain as a three-pronged hook embedded itself into his thigh, attached to a cable that had suddenly and inexplicably shot from the bounty hunter's forearm. "AAAAAHHHHHhhhh!" Tarv groaned, blinking away the stars that danced around his blackened vision, his heart pounding with rage. _I don't care how much he's worth._ "Kill him!" Tarv roared at his men, clutching his bleeding thigh as he limped angrily toward them.

Grauv and the others obediently set their blasters to kill, raining fire on the bounty hunter; but still his armor withstood their fire, and now he was pressing another button on his wristband. _Damn it, what now...?_ Tarv wondered, dropping to the floor in an attempt to evade yet another grappling hook.

But instead of a cable, this time the bounty hunter's backpack flared momentarily as his rocket booster activated, sending him flying backwards into the air. _What the hell is he doing?_ Tarv blinked in confusion, as the stranger careened toward the wall. _He's going to kill himself..._ But then Tarv gasped in agony as the cable reached its limit, dragging him helplessly along by the hook embedded in his thigh. "Ohhhhhh," Tarv moaned, finally coming to a halt near the opposite wall of the docking bay, as the armored man clattered to the floor beside him.

The bounty hunter tried to stand, but he was obviously hurt, hunching forward and limping heavily as he clutched at his ribs with one arm. He was reaching for his wristband yet again, but this time Grauv and the others charged at him, physically tackling him to the floor and prying off his chestplate before finally shooting him point blank with a blaster.

"Captain," Grauv exclaimed worriedly, hurrying to Tarv's side and inspecting the bloody, torn flesh of his leg. "Are you all right?"

"Fine," Tarv spat, gritting his teeth as he sat up, glaring at his opponent. "Is he dead?"

Grauv bowed his head apologetically. "No, sir," he replied quietly. "Forgive me, Captain; we will need the money, to pay for the damage..."

"AAAaaaaaAAAAAHHH!" Tarv yelled angrily; but then he sighed in defeat, knowing that Grauv was right. "Put a slave device in his head," he instructed Grauv, struggling to his feet as another of his crew cut the cable that was still embedded in his thigh. "See to his injuries - but no anaesthetics!" he insisted angrily. _I want him to suffer,_ Tarv resolved, limping away from the others. "I'm all right," he told Grauv grumpily, shaking off his first mate's attempt to assist him. _This bounty hunter should fetch a good price... And at least we've got his ship,_ Tarv consoled himself, making his way slowly and painfully to the medical ward.

But a few minutes later, lying on a cot while three surgical droids stitched up his mangled thigh and split chin, Tarv sighed in annoyance as Grauv brought him the latest bad news. "The bounty hunter's vessel has been installed with a voice activation system," Grauv reported apologetically. "It will only respond to his voice; it's useless to us, without him," he informed Tarv.

"Aaaahhh," Tarv sighed in frustration, running a hand through his hair. "We'll sell the ship along with him," he decided. _A package deal..._ "Jabba will buy them," he assured Grauv, quietly grateful for his first mate's wisdom in not killing the man outright. _If he had followed my orders, we'd be left with a dead bounty hunter and a ship that won't fly,_ Tarv admitted to himself, though he would never say so aloud. "Set a course for Tatooine," he instructed Grauv, leaning back wearily on his cot and closing his eyes as the surgical droids finished their work.

* * *

><p>"What is this?" Jabba frowned doubtfully, as Tarv staggered before him, leading an armored man who was also limping heavily. <em>I don't pay you to bring me cripples,<em> Jabba sighed in annoyance. But judging by Tarv's own sorry condition, Jabba deduced that the armored man was more dangerous than he appeared. _If he got the best of Tarv, perhaps he might be useful after all..._

"A bounty hunter, your Excellency," Tarv replied, bowing his head politely. "I captured him along with his ship earlier this morning. They are both for sale," he said. "As you can see, he is a skilled warrior," Tarv added glumly, gesturing to the fresh scar on his own chin, and his bandaged leg.

"Hahaha," Jabba laughed. _Tarv, you are an idiot, but you amuse me._ "How much?"

"Ten thousand," Tarv replied. "His ship is in excellent condition," he pointed out, bringing up a holo image of an oval-shaped vessel on his portable transmitter. "_Slave I,_" he informed Jabba.

"Hmmm," Jabba mused, nodding. "And the bounty hunter? Is _he_ in excellent condition?" he chided Tarv. "Let me see him."

Tarv nodded, gesturing to the armored man, who grudgingly pulled off his helmet. "Hahahaaa," Jabba laughed again. "He is only a boy!" Tarv's newly-acquired slave glared back at Jabba, his dark eyes blazing with defiance. He was of average height, but slender and wiry, with copper skin and curly dark hair; a Nabooan, by the looks of him. "How old are you, boy?"

"Seventeen," the bounty hunter replied defensively, in the accent of southern Naboo. Jabba took in the dark circles under his eyes, his pained stance and shallow breathing, and his obvious limp. _Tarv, you let this scrawny child beat you?_

"I have no use for an untried boy," Jabba told Tarv dismissively. "He is damaged," he pointed out.

"He will heal," Tarv assured him. "And he will be eighteen in a few months," he added helpfully, stating the obvious.

Jabba sighed; in truth, he was in desperate need of a skilled bounty hunter capable of capturing Anakin Skywalker, who had become an insufferable nuisance lately. And _Slave I_ appeared to be a fast, state-of-the-art ship... "I will give you five thousand for the ship," Jabba said, knowing that this boy was no match for Skywalker. _But perhaps I can find another pilot..._

"Your Excellency," Tarv replied hesitantly. "The vessel has been installed with a voice recognition system; it responds only to his voice," he explained. "But he is an excellent fighter pilot," he assured Jabba. "He destroyed half my ship," he admitted unhappily.

"Haha," Jabba laughed, amused. "Perhaps he is more talented than he appears," he agreed, nodding thoughtfully. "Seven thousand, for the boy and the ship," he offered.

Tarv was visibly dismayed; but he nodded, glad to be rid of the boy. "Thank you, your Excellency," he replied. "I have taken the liberty to install a slave device in his head; this is the remote control," he informed Jabba, handing over the device.

"Ahh," Jabba nodded appreciatively, fondling the destruct button with his thumb. _No. I need him to capture Skywalker,_ he reminded himself, resisting the temptation. "My assistant will see to your payment," Jabba told Tarv, as Bib Fortuna nodded obediently, accompanying Tarv on the way out of the audience chamber.

"So, boy," Jabba said to his newest employee. "What is your name?"

"Boba Fett," the boy replied, his eyes still glimmering with resentful defiance.

"Boba Fett," Jabba repeated thoughtfully. "You will bring me Anakin Skywalker. Dead or alive... preferably dead," Jabba chuckled. "But I want to see the body," he instructed him sternly. "No disintegrations!"

But the boy continued to glare at him contemptuously. "No," Boba replied quietly, refusing the assignment.

"What?" Jabba roared; he was accustomed to his orders being met by _"Yes, your Excellency"_ or _"Right away, your Excellency"_... But this boy - who stood before him with a slave device in his head, with Jabba fondling the remote control - had said _"No."_

"I won't do it," Boba protested, his dark eyes glinting defiantly.

"Why not?" Jabba asked, his eyes narrowing as he forced himself to hold his temper in check.

"I don't hunt Jedi," the boy informed him.

"Aaaaahhhh!" Jabba roared in frustration, tempted to push the button and detonate the boy's slave device right now; but again he restrained himself. _I paid seven thousand for him. He will make the money back for me, and then I will kill him__._ But this boy had defied Jabba in his own audience chamber, in front of all his servants...

"Hahahahaaa," Jabba laughed heartily, feigning amusement so as not to look weak. "You are a bold one, bounty hunter," he conceded magnanimously. "Very well; I'm sure we will find another use for you," he said dismissively, waving to his Gamorrean guards.

"In the meantime I trust that you will enjoy the hospitality of my palace," Jabba said, as his courtiers laughed wickedly. "My humble servants will show you to your new quarters now," he added, as the Gamorrean guards forcibly hauled Boba down to the dungeons.

* * *

><p><em>Don't cry,<em> Boba told himself stubbornly, steeling his nerves as the Gamorreans led him through the winding dungeon passageways. It had all happened so fast; Boba had only regained consciousness an hour ago, after being stunned by Grauv's blaster, and now he had been sold into slavery - to Jabba the Hutt, of all people. _Dad is going to kill me... If I ever get out of here,_ Boba realized suddenly, as the guards threw him into a dark, grimy prison cell, the iron gate slamming loudly behind him.

_Ohhhhh..._ Shuddering weakly, Boba slumped to the floor, hanging his head and finally giving in to the tears. _How am I going to get out of this?_ he thought helplessly. _I should have been home hours ago... Mom and Dad will be worried,_ Boba realized. _And my sisters..._ Boba had five sisters, all older than him; as the baby of the family, he had always been embarrassed by their coddling, and had joined his father on freighter assignments as often as possible just to get away from them. But right now he would give anything for a bowl of his mom's delicious Nerf stew, and his sisters' affectionate teasing. _Please, please, just let me go home..._

But now Boba gasped in surprise as he heard a faint shuffling noise inside his dark cell. _Oh great... Womp rats,_ Boba thought miserably, huddling in the corner and pulling his knees up to his chest, wincing in pain from his aching body. But the creature that now approached him was much larger than a Womp rat. _Crap... What the hell is that?_ Boba wondered, making out the faint shadowy outline of a huge, furry beast in the dim light of the prison cell.

Finally the creature stopped a few paces away from him, standing in a faint pool of light which filtered in from one of the dungeon's few windows. It was eight feet tall and covered in thick white fur, with a grey face and four perfectly round, shiny dark eyes. "Blipblip?" the creature said hesitantly, wiggling a little stick-like thing underneath its chin with its furry paw. "Blipple blipple blip?" It seemed friendly enough, and there was a gentle, innocent look to it, despite its massive size.

"Hi," Boba said cautiously, peering up at the huge furry beast. "Who are you?"

"Blipblip," his new cellmate said again, wiggling the thing under his chin. "Blipple blipblipblipblipple blipblipblip!"

"I don't understand you, mate," Boba apologized, blinking in confusion. "Do you speak Basic?" But the poor creature slumped its shoulders sadly, shaking its head. _Well of course not... You don't have a mouth,_ Boba realized now, peering closer at his strange cellmate. "What about radio code, do you know that?" Boba asked hopefully.

Now the creature nodded enthusiastically, reaching a furry paw once again to his chin. _"My name is Snowball,"_ he blipped happily, obviously excited that Boba understood radio code as well. _"I'm one of Jabba's chefs,"_ he added, shrugging modestly; then he hung his head. _"He didn't like my Gooberfish casserole,"_ Snowball confessed ruefully, explaining his presence in the dungeon.

_Well for once I have to agree with Jabba,_ Boba sighed ruefully, giving Snowball a sympathetic smile. _My mom tries to make Gooberfish casserole sometimes... it's really nasty._ But tears sprang to his eyes again at the thought of his mother, and Boba blinked them back quickly, not wanting to be seen crying. _They think I'm some kind of fearsome bounty hunter, and I don't even know how to work the controls to my dad's armor_. "Nice to meet you," Boba said appreciatively, truly glad to meet someone friendly, even if he was one of Jabba's employees. "I'm Boba."

_"What are you in for?"_ Snowball asked, his four dark eyes glimmering with concern.

_Good question..._ "I don't know," Boba shrugged. "I'm a bounty hunter," he explained. "And... I got caught by slavers this morning, and sold to Jabba... Now I have a slave device in my head," Boba added miserably. "My parents were expecting me home hours ago," he blurted out, feeling stupid. "I don't know what to do... Jabba wanted me to hunt down Anakin Skywalker, and I told him no; so then he threw me down here," Boba confessed.

At this, Snowball's eyes widened in alarm. _"You said no to Jabba?"_ he blipped worriedly. _"Oh dear... You could be down here for quite a while,"_ Snowball sighed, scratching his head with a furry white paw. _"I'll probably be out of here before dinner time,"_ he added thoughtfully, with a regretful shrug. _"Jabba's bound to get hungry again soon,"_ he explained. _"If you like, I could try to contact your parents... Maybe they could buy you back?"_ Snowball offered helpfully.

"Would you?" Boba asked, blinking in surprise as he looked up at his new friend. "Thank you," he said, overwhelmed by the creature's generosity. "They don't have much money, but..." _Seven thousand credits,_ Boba sighed. "They will come up with it somehow," he said hesitantly, cringing at the thought. _And then my dad really WILL kill me..._

"They're on Naboo," Boba told Snowball, giving him his father's contact information. "Tell them - tell them I'm all right, and... I'm sorry," he pleaded. "Tell them I promise, I'll make it up to them... I'll do anything," he cried, biting his lip. _And I'll never try that stupid Maw shortcut, ever again. I'll be good... I'll make my dad proud of me..._

Boba was grateful to feel a warm, furry paw on his shoulder, and he blinked back his tears, managing a smile. _"I'll tell them,"_ Snowball assured him gently. _"Don't worry, little one,"_ the big fluffy creature told him, ruffling Boba's hair. _"It's going to be all right."_


	92. Jango begs Anakin for help

**Chapter 92**

_The next morning..._

"Jango Fett has requested an audience, your Excellency," Bib Fortuna announced, with an overly dramatic sweep of his hand as he introduced the dark-haired man who stood before them now, flanked by armed guards. Jabba frowned, catching Fortuna's strange look; his Twi'lek assistant was doing that thing with his eyes again, as if trying to convey some type of secret message.

"Jango Fett," Jabba repeated; then he blinked in surprise as he understood Fortuna's meaningful look. _My poetry!_ Jabba realized, his heart pounding with excitement. He had submitted a collection of his very best erotic poems to a publishing company just last week; obviously they must have been impressed with his work, to have sent someone here so quickly. "Welcome," Jabba said graciously, waving the armed guards away. "How may I help you?" he asked innocently, not wanting to seem presumptuous.

"Your Excellency," the man said, his expression somber. _Oh... They didn't like my work,_ Jabba worried, disappointment stabbing through his heart. "I am here on behalf of my son, Boba," Jango explained hesitantly. "He was captured by slavers yesterday, and sold to you; I would like to buy him back," he finished, with a respectful bow.

_Oh. He's not from the publishing company,_ Jabba sighed. Then his eyes narrowed. _Boba..._ "The bounty hunter?" Jabba asked, frowning as he remembered the scrappy-looking boy in his dungeon. "No," he said stubbornly, already bored with this matter. "He is not for sale."

"Your Excellency, I can pay ten thousand now," Jango pleaded. "And if you require more - please, your Excellency; he is my only son," the man begged, struggling to maintain his dignity. "Tell me your terms, and I will do whatever I can," he promised, boldly fixing his gaze on Jabba.

"Ahhhh!" Jabba sighed in annoyance. _I thought you were from the publishing company._ He reached for the lever to send the man down into the Rancor pit; but then he caught Fortuna's strange look again, and rolled his eyes. _What?_ Jabba wondered, reluctantly letting go of the lever. "No," he said again. "He is not for sale." Jabba's men had inspected _Slave I_ yesterday, and had assured him that the ship alone was worth at least twenty thousand, and that the boy was the only one who could fly it.

"Your Excellency, please," the man protested; but Jabba was at the end of his patience, and so ignoring Fortuna's warning look, he pulled the lever to the trap door beneath his feet. But now Jabba sighed in frustration as he finally understood what the Twi'lek had been trying to tell him all along: the trap door was stuck again, and the man still stood there, irritatingly alive.

_What now...?_ Jabba wondered, sighing unhappily. _This is embarrassing._ "Go," Jabba grumbled, waving the stranger away. "And don't come back!" he warned him. "Next time you will not be so lucky," he growled, as his armed guards escorted the protesting man out of the audience chamber.

"Aaaaahh!" Jabba roared angrily after the stranger was out of earshot, smacking Bib Fortuna to the floor. "Why didn't you tell me the trap door wasn't working?" he asked his assistant, frustrated and embarrassed.

"Your Excellency, I didn't know," Fortuna protested, picking himself up again.

Jabba's eyes narrowed. "Then why were you making those strange faces?" he asked, frowning.

"Because," Fortuna explained, "That was Jango Fett... from _JEDI,_ " he told Jabba. "Years ago, before you started watching the show," he added apologetically. "He had a fight with Master Kenobi... Your new ship, _Slave I_ - it was on the show," Fortuna told him now.

"It was?" Jabba asked, surprised.

"Yes," Fortuna said, nodding excitedly. "I didn't realize who your new bounty hunter was until just this morning," he continued. "Young Boba was on the show as well; he was only about ten at the time."

"_My_ ship was on _JEDI?_ " Jabba asked again, delighted; this was the ultimate collector's item, a real-life bounty hunting vessel that had appeared on the show, complete with its own pilot! _Seven thousand, for all of that... I got a really good deal,_ Jabba realized now, immensely pleased with himself. "Bring me Boba Fett," he commanded Fortuna now, eager to play with his newest toy.

* * *

><p><em>Later that afternoon...<em>

"Anakin," Master Chi'nala said, greeting him at the Jedi base on Lannik. "I thought you were on Coruscant?" he asked casually, indicating for Anakin to take a seat in his office, as he returned to his desk. Master Chi'nala was in charge of Jedi operations on the border of Hutt Territory, and Anakin was his star employee, having gained an impressive reputation for himself in just six short years.

"I was, Master," Anakin nodded respectfully, taking a seat; Chi'nala suppressed an amused smile as Anakin sat there nervously with his black cloak wrapped around him like a blanket, staring uncomfortably at the floor. Anakin was by far the most talented fighter pilot in the entire Order, a fierce warrior, and - most unusual of all - a galactic superstar, playing Darth Vader on _SITH;_ but whenever he came before Master Chi'nala with any kind of special request, he was always incredibly shy and apologetic, which Chi'nala found rather endearing.

"What can I do for you?" Chi'nala asked now. Most likely Anakin was requesting some more time off to film for _SITH,_ though Chi'nala found it odd that he had flown all the way back here from Coruscant on a Saturday for such a routine request; Anakin always visited his old Master Obi-Wan on the weekends, as he had done faithfully for the past six years.

"Master," Anakin said, with an apologetic glance. "I'm sorry to bother you, but I have a request... from the Lady Amidala," he explained, as Chi'nala nodded; he knew that Padmé and Anakin were good friends, having worked together on _JEDI._ "Master, I'm sure you've heard of her bodyguard, Captain Typho?" Anakin continued hesitantly, obviously uncomfortable to be bringing this up.

"Yes," Chi'nala replied evenly, masking his surprise; it was quietly believed that Typho was Lady Amidala's secret lover, and that Leia was his child. But he was impressed to observe Anakin's sincere discomfort with this delicate topic; he was a true Jedi, and obviously took no pleasure in spreading gossip, or even hinting at such matters.

"The matter concerns Typho's cousin, Jango," Anakin continued, carefully veering away from the topic of Lady Amidala. "His son Boba was captured by slavers yesterday, and has been sold to Jabba," he explained. "He has a slave device in his head; Jango tried to buy him back this morning, but Jabba is refusing to sell him," he added, as Chi'nala nodded, disturbed by this news.

"Master, Jabba will probably want to use him as a bounty hunter, or a smuggler... or both," Anakin continued. "Boba has refused to hunt down any of the Jedi, and so far Jabba has accepted his refusal," he explained. "Master, most likely Boba will be hunting other smugglers and criminals who owe Jabba money," Anakin told him. "I'm truly sorry, Master, but... the Lady Amidala begged me to ask if we could possibly..." he broke off, shaking his head. "I'm sorry Master," he said again quietly. "But she has asked us to not harm the boy," he admitted, finally getting to his request. "He's only seventeen; Padmé says he's a good kid."

Chi'nala nodded, sighing. "You have never come to me with such a request before," he said quietly. _You are the most upstanding of all the Jedi here in Hutt Territory, and you have turned a blind eye to our indiscretions as well,_ he admitted to himself. While Anakin spent his weekends on Coruscant in the company of his old Master, volunteering as a mentor for disadvantaged children, his Jedi comrades engaged in far less noble activities here on Lannik. The life of a Jedi Knight on the Hutt border was rife with danger, and Chi'nala could not fault his men for finding release and comfort in Lannik's famous pubs, casinos, and even brothels. _What you do on your time off is your business,_ Chi'nala had always told his Knights; they were a loyal brotherhood here on the Outer Rim, far beyond the eye of the Jedi Council.

But Anakin had never partaken of any of their guilty pleasures, aside from occasional gambling and drinking when he wasn't on Coruscant. The other Knights had even taken him to one of Lannik's best brothels once, when he had first come to work here in Hutt Territory; but Anakin had been clearly horrified by the idea, and had nervously declined their offer, though out of loyalty he had kept their secrets from the Council. _Either he is the truest Jedi Knight I've ever met,_ Chi'nala had often pondered; _or what the Galactic Enquirer reports is true._ Chi'nala had never known another Knight so utterly devoted to his former Master, and Anakin always returned from his weekends on Coruscant noticeably refreshed and contented; Chi'nala had quietly come to suspect that the rumors about Anakin and Obi-Wan were indeed true.

_What you do on your own time is your business,_ Chi'nala reminded himself again; being a Twi'lek, he did not find the thought of two men together - or three, or four, for that matter - in any way unnatural, but still... _He was your Master,_ Chi'nala sighed regretfully, realizing that this had been going on since Anakin was underage, perhaps only a child. _Obi-Wan had a responsibility to protect you, to nurture you, to teach you, not to -_ Chi'nala shook his head, pushing the thought away once again. What was done was done, and Anakin was an adult now; as long as he was happy, Master Chi'nala was content to leave the situation alone.

But now Anakin was sitting before him with his head bowed, and Chi'nala returned to the matter at hand. "Very well," he conceded quietly, nodding. "I will instruct the others not to harm the boy," he promised Anakin. "But we will continue to do our job," he warned him. "If we are able to safely capture and board his ship, we will confiscate any illegal cargo he might be carrying," Chi'nala insisted, as Anakin nodded agreeably. "But as long as he takes no aggressive action against the Jedi, we will not shoot him down," he promised.

"Thank you, Master," Anakin replied humbly. "His ship is registered as _Slave I,_ " he added; then he looked at the floor again. "Master," Anakin said hesitantly. "The slaver who sold Boba... his name is Tarv," he explained. "Lady Amidala will be filing a formal grievance with the courts, but..." he broke off, giving Master Chi'nala an apologetic, hopeful look.

Chi'nala chuckled, nodding good-naturedly as he got up from his desk, seeing Anakin to the door. "It's the weekend, Anakin," he reminded him simply, patting him on the shoulder with an amused smile. "What you do on your own time is your business."

Anakin grinned shyly, nodding in gratitude. "Thank you, Master," he said, with a respectful bow. "May the Force be with you."

"May the Force be with you, Anakin," Chi'nala said warmly, bowing in return; it was the one formality that Chi'nala and his Knights kept up, as here on the edge of Hutt Territory they could never be certain if each goodbye might be their last. "I'll see you on Monday."

* * *

><p><em>Ha,<em> Tarv noted triumphantly, inspecting the damage to his ship as he and Grauv returned to the scene of yesterday's skirmish, to see if their detached cargo hold could be salvaged. _It's not nearly as bad as I expected._ Aside from a few singed wires and two gaping holes in the hull, it was still mostly intact. _The torpedo passed straight through..._

"Grauv," he said over his comlink. "The damage isn't bad," Tarv informed his first mate with relief. "Go ahead and re-attach the ship; I'll meet you back on the command deck," he told him, clipping his comlink back on his belt and limping back to join his crew.

_Finally, a bit of good luck,_ Tarv sighed, pulling off his pressure suit as he rejoined the others on the command deck. This slaving ship was his pride and joy; Tarv had spent years perfecting the hyperspace snare technology - a secret he and Grauv guarded carefully for themselves, as it gave them a huge advantage over other slavers.

Tarv was also immensely proud of his detachable cargo hold, as well as his top-secret Code Nine evasive maneuver, which allowed him to escape in an emergency by blowing up his cargo hold while simultaneously blasting into hyperspace, leaving his attackers to believe that the entire ship had been destroyed, and that all aboard had been killed. _It's even worked against a swarm of Jedi Starfighters,_ Tarv reminded himself. _Master Yoda was there last time, and Skywalker too, _he realized gleefully.

_I am a genius, _Tarv decided, suppressing a smug smile as he gazed out the window of the command deck toward the stars beyond. _We'll get the cargo hold fixed up again, and then..._

"Hi everybody," said a voice behind him, as Tarv whipped around in surprise. _Holy crap..._ "Are you Tarv?" the black-clad Jedi asked amiably, holding a slave implanting device casually in his hand and peering at it curiously. "I've always wondered how these things work..."

* * *

><p><em>The next morning...<em>

"ANNNNIIIIIIEEEEEE!" Jar Jar exclaimed, jumping up and down in delight and hugging his Jedi friend. "Whatsa yousa doing here?" he asked, thrilled that Anakin had paid him a visit here on Naboo.

"Hi Jar Jar," Anakin said cheerfully. "I've found some new volunteers for your forestry clean-up project," he told him, gesturing to the dozen or so strangers he had brought with him. "They've heard about the terrible Nuck-Nuck poodoo problem you guys have been having, and insisted on coming here personally to help out," he explained, as his companions managed to nod and smile.

"Ohhhh!" Jar Jar grinned, nodding. "Mesa so happy yousa come here!" he exclaimed. "Yes, wesa having mooie mooie problems with da icky poo," he agreed ruefully, casting his gaze to the forest beyond. "Yousa so nice to be helping ussin out," he told them gratefully. "Come! Mesa show you," he smiled, tromping out toward the forest.

"Actually," Anakin apologized. "I can't stay; I have to go," he told Jar Jar, his blue eyes conveying his sincere disappointment. "But I'm sure these nice folks will want to get started right away," he said, introducing his friends. "This is Tarv, and this one's Grauv, and... ahh, I'm sure you'll all get to know each other really well," Anakin said, as Jar Jar enthusiastically shook Tarv's hand.

"Thank you, Ani," Jar Jar said. "Yousa a real friend," he added, hugging him once again. "Yousa sure yousa can't be staying?" he asked. "Wifey makesa tasty froggy yum yum, and da kidsa be back from da schoolsa soon," he added; Jar Jar had fallen madly in love with a beautiful Gungan girl a few years ago, and they now had fourteen precious children, whom Anakin clearly adored.

"Aw, thank you, Jar Jar," Anakin said appreciatively. "But I really have to be going. I'm sure Tarv and his friends would love some of that tasty froggy yum yum though," he said. "I mean, before they get started with their work," he suggested subtly.

"Ohhh!" Jar Jar exclaimed, smacking himself on the forehead. "Wheresa mesa manners? Of coursa! Follow mesa," he nodded to his new friends. "Yousa have a tasty morning munching, and then I show yousa da scooping of da Nuck-Nuck poodoo."

"Goodbye, Jar Jar," Anakin said. "If these guys give you any trouble, you just call me, okay?" he added, gazing thoughtfully at Tarv and absently fingering an odd little device clipped to his belt. "I'll be back to see how things are going when I get a chance."

"Nosa problem, Ani," Jar Jar assured him. "Next time yousa come for dinner, okey day?"

"Okey day," Anakin agreed, nodding appreciatively. "Have fun, you guys," he wished his friends cheerfully, waving goodbye.

"Bye Ani!" Jar Jar waved happily. "Okey day," he said, turning to his new volunteers. "Come!" he told them, inviting them into his little cottage. "Yousa so wonderful to help with da icky poo," Jar Jar said, serving them each a delicious pickled frog from the kettle on the stove. "Wesa being besta friends," he added, giving Tarv and Grauv a great big hug.

* * *

><p><em>What a weekend,<em> Anakin sighed as he blasted away in his Starfighter from the disintegrated remains of Tarv's slaving vessel. _But I still have time for a quick visit with Padmé and Leia before -_ Anakin blinked suddenly as a silvery disc zipped past his windshield. _What the... HEY!_ He frowned indignantly, quickly looping around and chasing after the offending vessel. _Great. Another flying saucer..._

Flying saucers had been banned decades ago. With their sleek, lightweight design, these one-man vessels could attain incredibly high rates of speed, and saucer racing had always been a popular sport amongst the people of Kubindi. Kubindians were willowy and slender, with hairless grey skin, large oval heads, pointy chins, and big, black, almond-shaped eyes; they were famous for their piloting skills.

_A little too famous,_ Anakin sighed worriedly, chasing after the wayward ship. Kubindian saucers were among the only vessels fast enough to evade the Maw's deadly grasp; decades ago Master Yoda had been alarmed to discover that these mysterious "grey aliens" with their flying saucers had been sighted several times by the inhabitants of Solaris Three.

But fast as they were, Kubindian saucers were still no match for a Jedi Starfighter, and minutes later Anakin circled back around to apprehend the owner of the disabled vessel. _He's probably just a racing pilot,_ Anakin thought; saucer racing had always been a huge part of Kubindian culture, and ironically they had designed these ridiculously fast vessels specifically so that they _could_ pass through the Maw, which separated Kubindi from the rest of the galaxy. Master Yoda felt terrible for having to ban their innovative little saucers, especially since it was his own father who had created the Maw in the first place.

Anakin brought his Starfighter around face-to-face with the disabled saucer, having a look at its owner. _It's either some daredevil kid trying for the cross-galaxy record, or an old geezer reliving his glory days..._ But the pilot of the vessel wasn't a Kubindian at all, Anakin noted with surprise. He had the same oval-shaped head and black eyes, but his skin was green, with little ears on the top of his head; a Rodian. And not just any Rodian... "Greedo?" Anakin asked over his transmitter, blinking in disbelief.

"Hi Ani," Greedo replied glumly, his little ears drooping.

"Greedo, what the hell are you doing?" Anakin reproached him sternly. "You know those things are illegal... And it's _Skywalker,_ " he reminded his old friend grumpily. "Where did you find that thing?" he asked, baffled. _I thought we'd confiscated the last of them..._

"Kitster got it, in trade for some work he did - "

"Aaaaahhh!" Anakin exclaimed, covering his ears. "Don't tell me that," he scolded Greedo. Anakin had met Kitster and Greedo years ago while filming his pod racing episode on Tatooine, and they had spent a lovely afternoon together making Japor necklaces; he did not enjoy being put in the position of having to arrest his old arts and crafts buddies. "How is Kitster?" Anakin asked thoughtfully.

"He's fine," Greedo nodded; Kitster ran a mechanic's shop in Mos Espa, and thanks to the local pod racing business, he was never out of work. "He and his wife are expecting another baby," Greedo added, beaming.

_Aw, that's sweet..._ "Tell them congratulations for me," Anakin said cheerfully; but then his brows furrowed as remembered his duty. "Greedo, what are you doing with that thing?" he asked again, peering at the little flying saucer.

"I was - I was trying for the cross-galaxy record," Greedo apologized. "I'm sorry, Ani; I - my mother got a lung infection, she had to go to the hospital... She's okay now, but... we're still trying to pay off the medical bills," he explained. "And when Kitster got this flying saucer, I thought - I thought maybe if I made a new record, we could share the prize money," Greedo confessed; then he hung his head. "Are you going to arrest me?"

"Ahh," Anakin sighed wearily. "No," he reassured Greedo, thankful that he wasn't officially on duty today. "But I do have to destroy the saucer," he told him. "Come on," Anakin offered, nudging closer to the disabled saucer and creating a Force seal to transfer Greedo aboard his Starfighter. Open-space transfers were not terribly difficult for a Jedi, but civilians invariably found them terrifying, and Greedo sighed in obvious relief as Anakin closed the cockpit once again, slumping back in the emergency passenger seat behind him.

"You know this isn't fun for me either," Anakin reproached Greedo, pushing the button to disintegrate the little saucer.

"I know," Greedo sighed, as they watched the silvery disc implode upon itself, leaving only tiny bits of dust behind. "I'm sorry, Ani," he apologized again helplessly.

"It's all right," Anakin said, turning back toward Tatooine. "Come on, I'll take you home." But now he frowned in surprise as a message alert blinked on his screen. It was an encrypted radio transmission, sent over a secure frequency. _Boba,_ Anakin remembered again; he had left a message earlier, asking the boy to contact him. "Sorry, I have to answer this," Anakin apologized. _What a crazy weekend... This is supposed to be my day off_. "Hello," he said into his headset microphone.

"Hello... Master Skywalker?" Boba asked hesitantly; Anakin smiled at the boy's well-meaning but nonetheless incorrect choice of title. "This is Boba Fett," he continued apologetically. "You asked me to contact you?"

"Hi Boba," Anakin replied. "Yes, thanks for calling me back... Your father asked me to make sure you're all right; I'd like to meet with you sometime, just to talk," he said. "Where are you now? Are you all right?" he asked, concerned.

"Yes, I'm all right," Boba assured him. "I'm really sorry about this, Master Skywalker; of course, I would - I would like to meet with you, if you're not too busy. I'm near Lannik now; Jabba just sent me out on my first assignment," he explained ruefully.

_I don't even want to know,_ Anakin sighed, trying not to guess what Jabba might be using the boy for. _Knowing Jabba, it's nothing legal..._ "All right," Anakin agreed. "Send me your coordinates; I'll meet up with you in a few minutes," he told Boba. "But I'm going to have to search your ship for illegal cargo," he warned him. _Please don't have anything aboard... It won't go well with Jabba if I have to confiscate your first smuggling shipment._

"Yes, I understand," Boba replied; there was remorse in his voice, but no fear. _He's a smart kid,_ Anakin sighed with relief. _He wouldn't contact me if he had a shipment of spices aboard._ "Here are my coordinates..."

"Who was that?" Greedo asked curiously from the back seat, after Anakin ended the transmission.

"Boba," Anakin sighed regretfully. "He's - a friend of a friend," he said, as they continued back to meet up with the boy. "He was sold into slavery, and now he's being forced to work for Jabba," Anakin explained. "Sorry, this shouldn't take long..."

A few minutes later Anakin and Greedo boarded _Slave I,_ and Anakin was relieved to note that Boba looked well, aside from being visibly dismayed by his predicament. "I'm sorry, Boba," Anakin apologized quietly. "Your father did everything he could, and Typho and Senator Amidala tried to buy you back, but..." he shook his head, sighing. "Jabba is stubborn, and unpredictable," Anakin told the boy regretfully. "The best thing you can do now is to try to stay on his good side."

Boba nodded unhappily. "I understand," he replied. "Thank you, Master Skywalker," he added sincerely, with an apologetic look. "It was very kind of you, to..." he broke off, shrugging. Anakin nodded, giving him a reassuring smile; he had explained to Boba that the Jedi would turn a blind eye to his activities, as long as Boba stayed out of their way.

"You're welcome," Anakin said simply, getting up to leave. "Well I'd better get going; I'll let you - " he sighed, not wanting to ask what Boba's business was. "Take care of yourself," he said, heading for the emergency hatch, as Greedo followed.

"I will," Boba promised; then he cringed. "Master Skywalker, actually - my assignment," he stammered, giving Anakin a pleading look. "I needed to find you anyway," he confessed. "Jabba wanted me to - to get your autograph."

Anakin stared at him blankly. "Jabba wants my autograph?" he asked, blinking in disbelief.

"Yes... well, no," Boba cringed apologetically. "That's my assignment; he thinks this ship is some kind of collector's item," Boba sighed, shaking his head. "He wants me to get it autographed, by the whole cast of _JEDI,_ " he explained, with a rueful shrug.

"Oh." Anakin frowned; it was an odd request, but Jabba had always been a bit eccentric. _Fine, if it makes him happy..._ "Sure," Anakin agreed, taking the permanent marker that Boba offered him now, and climbing quickly out the emergency hatch to autograph _Slave I's_ hull.

"Um - " Boba called after him worriedly. "Master Skywalker, I'm sorry, but - Jabba didn't want you to - " he broke off, cringing again. "He wants you to sign it 'Darth Vader'."

"Ha," Anakin laughed, shaking his head. "I bet he does... All right, no problem," he assured Boba, with an amused grin.

A minute later he climbed back inside the cockpit, to find Boba smiling in shy appreciation as Greedo admired _Slave I's_ impressive, state-of-the-art controls. Greedo had grown up in the squalor of Mos Espa, and the only space vessels he had ever flown were dilapidated wrecks that Kitster had managed to fix up in his mechanic's shop. "What does all this do?" Greedo was asking now, peering in curiosity at the control panel.

"That's the remote tracking system, and that's the sonic charge activator; this is the ion cannon," Boba said cheerfully, showing him _Slave I's_ impressive weaponry. But his grin instantly faded as Anakin returned, and he bowed his head respectfully. "Thank you, Master Skywalker," he said politely, avoiding his gaze.

Anakin gave him a sad smile; in the ongoing power struggle between the Republic and the Hutts, Anakin and Boba were now playing on opposite sides, and already the boy regarded him with a mixture of apologetic respect and nervous unease. "You're welcome," Anakin said; but now he blinked in concern as Boba reluctantly handed him another instrument: a laser marking pen, similar to those used in tattoo parlors. "No," he protested, shaking his head in dismay. "Boba, no..." _You're a person, not a collector's item._

"It's all right," Boba told him quietly, shrugging. "I said I wouldn't do it at first, but... Jabba says if I get everyone's autograph I can have a week off each year, to visit my family," he gulped, looking away in embarrassment as tears stung his eyes. "Please," he begged Anakin miserably, offering him the laser tattoo pen and pulling up the sleeve of his shirt to expose his bare arm and shoulder.

Anakin sighed; but then he nodded quietly. "All right," he agreed reluctantly, taking the laser pen from Boba._ Great. Now this kid has to go around for the rest of his life with 'Darth Vader' tattooed on his arm_. "Sorry," he sighed, beginning his work; Boba nodded stoically and didn't flinch, though Anakin knew that this process was quite painful. "There," he said, giving Boba an encouraging smile as he gently pulled his sleeve back down over his newly-branded flesh. "All done."

"Thank you," Boba gulped again, casting an apologetic glance at Anakin; but there was a sparkle of amusement in the boy's dark eyes at this ridiculous situation, and he and Anakin shared a rueful grin, laughing momentarily at the absurdity of it all. _He'll be all right,_ Anakin hoped, grateful to see that the boy was maintaining a sense of humor despite the gravity of his predicament.

"Take care," Anakin said again, patting Boba gently on the back. "Contact me over my private frequency if you're ever in trouble, all right?"

"I will," Boba promised, as Anakin once again headed for the exit. Greedo began to follow him; but then he turned back uncertainly, giving Boba a concerned look.

"If you'd like, I could come with you," Greedo suggested to the boy. "I've never flown in anything like this before," he confessed, his eyes sparkling with boyish enthusiasm. "And then when we get back to Tatooine..." he shrugged apologetically. "I grew up there," he explained to Boba. "I can show you around the place... Show you how to stay out of trouble," he offered, casting a hopeful glance at Anakin.

Anakin nodded in quiet gratitude. "Greedo's an old friend of mine; we go way back," he reassured Boba, patting his Rodian friend on the shoulder. "There aren't many people out here that I'd trust farther than I can throw them," he added, as Greedo nodded in unhappy agreement. "But Greedo knows who's all right, and who to stay away from," Anakin told Boba quietly. "You're in good hands with him."

Boba nodded gratefully. "Thank you, Master Skywalker," he said again, as Anakin took his leave.

"Take good care of him, Greedo," Anakin said. "And whatever you do, stay away from the Maw," he reproached Boba. "I'm very serious about that," he insisted. _Very, very serious_. "It's not something you want to mess with... You either," he warned Greedo, suddenly taking on an unyielding, dangerous air; Anakin had picked up the habit from playing Darth Vader on _SITH,_ and had found it to be extremely useful in real-life situations as well.

Boba and Greedo nodded, their expressions remorseful; but Greedo regained his composure first, managing a friendly smile. "Don't worry, Ani," he promised, putting a hand on Boba's shoulder. "I'll take good care of him."

* * *

><p><em>Several hours later...<em>

"Aaaahh!" Padmé gasped, waking up suddenly as a shadowy figure dropped from the ceiling vent onto the bed next to her. It was well past midnight here on Coruscant; she had given up on the hope of Anakin coming home this weekend.

"Ani," she said, kissing him on the temple as he lay beside her, fully clothed and face-down in his pillow. "You're home! Did you get a chance to talk to Master Chi'nala?" she asked, rubbing his back gently.

"Mmm hmmm," Anakin mumbled vaguely, utterly exhausted.

"How did it go?" Padmé asked, stroking his long, curly hair. "Is Boba going to be all right?"

"Unnngggghhh," Anakin replied incoherently, turning away from her and pulling the pillow over his head in a stubborn attempt to sleep. A moment later Padmé heard the quiet, familiar snuffling sound of his breathing, and she smiled tenderly, letting him get his rest. _He has to leave for work in a few hours, but he came all the way back here just to sleep next to me..._

"I love you, Ani," Padmé whispered, kissing him tenderly on the cheek and settling down beside him, wrapping an arm lovingly around him. But a moment later Anakin turned around to face her, sighing peacefully as he snuggled closer.

"Mmm lvmm too, Pdmmm," Anakin mumbled as he drifted off to sleep, a contented smile on his face.


	93. Cory has a slight problem, AGAIN

**Chapter 93  
><strong>

_A few months later..._

"Ow!"

Qui-Gon sighed in dismay as he heard yet another telltale thud in the darkness; he and Cory had been exploring the deep, winding passageways of Tandor's underground caverns for the past week on a mission to study the planet's rare crystal formations, and this was the third time today that his padawan had literally hit the wall. "Cory, are you all right?" he asked worriedly.

"Yeah," came Cory's unhappy reply in the pitch blackness. "It's not bleeding... I'll live," he assured his Master.

"I'm glad to hear it," Qui-Gon replied, masking his amusement. "But that's not what I meant," he reproached his padawan. _Cory, you're seventeen; a youngling could navigate these tunnels better than you're doing today._

"I'm sorry, Master," Cory apologized, as they continued through the dark passageway, using the Force to guide their steps. "I'm just..." he broke off, sighing unhappily.

"Distracted?" Qui-Gon asked, a hint of reproach in his voice.

"Yes, Master," Cory confessed. "I'm sorry, Master."

Qui-Gon could feel his grandson's intense misery, and sent him a reassuring feeling now. "You're doing well, Cory," he said. "I know this is difficult for you." Two months ago he had spoken harshly with his padawan about his lack of focus, and had imposed this trial both as a disciplinary action, and to test his strength: Cory was not to see Elena, or even so much as speak of her, for three full months. "One more month," he reminded his padawan encouragingly. _You've made it this far; don't give up now._

"Yes, Master," Cory replied obediently, following along in the darkness.

"Focus," Qui-Gon continued. "Keep your thoughts here, and now, where they belong," he instructed him. "Be mindful of the Living - " Qui-Gon broke off, sighing in dismay as he heard yet another thud behind him. "Cory, what is going on?" he asked, exasperated.

"I'm sorry, Master," Cory apologized miserably. "I can't do this..."

"You _can,_" Qui-Gon told him. "Cory, you must," he said, quickening his pace through the dark tunnel and forcing his padawan to keep up with his long strides. _This is serious. You must learn to control your feelings for Elena, if you are to become a Jedi Knight._

"No... I can't," Cory protested, struggling to keep up. "Master, something's wrong... She's in pain, she's frightened - "

"Cory!" Qui-Gon warned him; he had come dangerously close to crossing the line, and breaking his two-month long silence on the subject of Elena. "Not one more word," he reproached his padawan sternly.

"Yes, Master," Cory replied morosely; but a moment later Qui-Gon heard a despairing sigh behind him. "Master," Cory said miserably. "Master... Elena's pregnant."

_THUD!_ Qui-Gon reeled in pain as he suddenly collided with an unseen stalactite; then, turning around dizzily, he instinctively activated his lightsaber to regain his bearings. "What?" he asked, ignoring the stars that danced in his vision as he stared at his padawan in the soft green glow of his saber. "She's pregnant?" he stammered, blinking in utter disbelief. _AGAIN?_

"I'm sorry Master," Cory said, a look of barely-concealed terror in his eyes as he glanced warily at Qui-Gon's humming lightsaber.

Qui-Gon sighed in utter annoyance. "I'm not going to kill you," he told his grandson, irritated. _Though I might have to castrate you..._ "How in the blazes did she get pregnant?" Qui-Gon asked, deactivating his saber and continuing on, frustrated. _I mean, seriously... HOW?_ he wondered, blinking in astonishment. _In the five seconds they were alone together, while I was talking to Egbert? I've been watching him like a hawk,_ Qui-Gon sighed in utter defeat, his heart sinking. _Obi-Wan will never let me live this one down._

"I'm sorry, Master," Cory apologized again miserably. "I'm sorry..."

But Qui-Gon's thoughts had already turned to the safety of his newest great-grand-Zabrak, and he quickly pulled his flashlight off his belt, turning it on and tossing it back to his stumbling padawan as he doubled his pace, abandoning their mission and storming toward the exit of the cavern. "How far along is she?" he asked Cory.

"Four months," Cory told him, hurrying after him with the flashlight. "I'm sorry Master; that's what I was so distracted about, two months ago; we'd just found out about it, and I was trying to tell you, but - " he broke off helplessly. "Then you said I wasn't allowed to speak of her at all, for three whole months..."

"AaaaaAAAAAH!" Qui-Gon groaned, exasperated. "Cory..." _What in the blazes is wrong with you?_ "She'll need a neonatal exam right away," he scolded his padawan, focusing on the matter at hand. "You know the doctor said it was sheer dumb luck that she didn't bleed to death with Zak," he reminded Cory, frustrated. Zak was only a year and a half old now; it wasn't healthy for Elena to be having another child again so soon. _Cory, have you no common sense?_ Qui-Gon sighed, sincerely worried about his grandson's mental capacity.

"I know," Cory agreed. "Master, I'm sorry... I - " he stopped momentarily, hanging his head. "I've failed you," he admitted, his eyes glinting with tears of remorse in the glow of the flashlight. "I've disobeyed you, I've lied to you..."

"Yes, you have," Qui-Gon agreed, cursing himself for allowing this to happen yet again; but then he sighed, shaking his head and setting his anger aside. "Cory, I trusted you," he chided his padawan. _Just as I trusted your father when he was a padawan... The only difference was that Obi-Wan was smart enough not to get caught,_ Qui-Gon admitted to himself, sighing.

"I'm sorry, Master," Cory apologized again, hanging his head.

_Ahhhh..._ "What's done is done," Qui-Gon told him regretfully. "And if I hadn't done the very same thing behind my own Master's back when I was a padawan," he continued, with a weary sigh. "_You_ wouldn't be here today, and we wouldn't be having this conversation," he said, with a rueful smile at his grandson.

Cory was unable to hide his amused smile, but he kept his head bowed in respect. "Yes, Master," he agreed humbly.

"Now," Qui-Gon continued gently, returning to the matter at hand. "You say she's in pain? What have you felt?" he asked, genuinely concerned for Elena's safety.

"Yes, Master; she's frightened, and hurting," Cory said worriedly, sensing her now. "Master, I think something's wrong," he confessed. "But... I'm sure Tarok and Malok will take care of her," he said bravely, trying to set aside his personal feelings. "I'm sorry, Master; our mission..."

"Our mission can wait for a day or two," Qui-Gon said. "And if Elena is having problems with her pregnancy, she might not be well enough to hike across the ridge, and get Malok's help," he pointed out. "Focus, Cory. What do your feelings tell you?"

Cory closed his eyes, steadying his breathing and reaching out with the Force to sense Elena. Then he shook his head, his expression pained. "She's frightened, Master," he confessed. "I sense pain, and... grief," Cory added, blinking unhappily. "Master, I think - I think she's lost the baby," he gulped, tears springing to his eyes. "She's heartbroken... it's too late."

Qui-Gon bowed his head, feeling his grandson's intense grief and dismay. "I'm sorry, Cory," he said gently. "But if Elena has suffered a miscarriage, that's all the more reason that she needs to see a doctor right away," he said, leading the way through the cavern's winding tunnels toward the exit where their Starfighters were parked. "If she's hurting badly, she might not be able to go to Malok for help."

"Yes, Master," Cory said, following along with the flashlight. They were silent for several minutes as they made their way through the underground passageways; but as they emerged into the daylight of the forest and returned to their Starfighters, Cory bowed his head once again. "Master, I'm sorry," he apologized, his blue eyes filled with pain and regret.

Qui-Gon nodded. "I'm sorry too, Cory," he said, with a regretful smile. "And I'm sure your father will have some choice words to say on the matter when we return to Coruscant, about how - aside from being a Jedi padawan - you are not of legal consensual age according to the laws of the Republic, regardless of whatever the primitive custom might be amongst the fisher folk of Iridonia," he added pointedly, as Cory cringed at the thought of another lecture from his father.

_Obi-Wan is the biggest hypocrite of us all,_ Qui-Gon laughed to himself ruefully, knowing that he would be on the receiving end of his son's indignant reproach as well. _No one can pour on the snobbish disdain quite like he can._

"Come on," Qui-Gon told his padawan now, opening the hatch to his Starfighter and climbing inside. "Let's go take care of Elena."

* * *

><p><em>Meanwhile, on Iridonia...<em>

"Elena," the priest said gently, putting a hand on her shoulder. "I have to go now."

Elena nodded, choking back her tears. "Thank you, Father," she replied, blinking as she realized the other villagers had all gone home; they had gathered at the gravesite this morning to pay their final respects, and had left Elena alone, weeping quietly.

"I'm sorry, Elena," the priest said, with sincere regret. "Would you like me to walk you home?"

_Home... Where is that now?_ Elena wondered, still numb from the shock and pain. "No," she sniffed, not ready to leave just yet. "I'll be all right," she assured the priest, managing a grateful smile.

"All right," the priest nodded respectfully. "Take care of yourself, Elena," he said gently. "If there's anything I can do to help, please let me know."

"Thank you, Father." Elena smiled bravely as the priest took his leave; then she turned back to the little grave, the tears flowing once again. _Grandfather..._

She wasn't aware of the time passing; but presently she looked up, shuddering involuntarily in the chill winter wind. The sun was low in the afternoon sky, and Elena realized with surprise that she must have been kneeling here in the snow for hours; her fingers and toes felt icy and numb inside her gloves and boots. Reluctantly, Elena got to her feet, sniffing back the tears that had half-frozen against her cheeks. "Goodbye, Grandfather," she whispered, kneeling down one last time to carefully arrange the sprigs of winter berries that the villagers had left for him. "I love you."

The wind blew bitterly as she walked back through the village and up the hill to her grandfather's little cabin, and Elena pulled her coat tighter around herself, protecting her child. She was four months along now, and just starting to show; but thankfully, bundled up as she was in her thick winter clothes, none of the villagers had guessed at her pregnancy yet.

_But they will soon,_ Elena knew, fighting tears once again as she made her way up the hill. She had told her grandfather the news two months ago, and he had been overjoyed by the prospect of another great-grandchild; they had both been praying fervently that this one might look human, so that Elena would be able to raise it here in the village. But now Grandfather was gone, and Elena fought a lump in her throat as she entered the little cabin, shutting the door behind her against the chill winter wind.

_So cold..._ Shivering, Elena knelt by the fireplace, arranging the kindling and fumbling with the little box of matches; but then she caught sight of her grandfather's empty chair by the hearth, and tears filled her eyes once again as she broke down, sobbing.

_No,_ Elena resolved suddenly, setting the box of matches aside. _There will be no more fires._ Getting slowly to her feet, Elena looked around the cabin, taking in the wooden kitchen table and chairs her grandfather had made, the cheery curtains that hung over the window, looking out past the village to the sea beyond; and finally Grandfather's bed against the wall, where she had found him this morning, his expression so peaceful... Their little cabin, once so cozy and full of warmth, was now cold, and empty, and dead.

_This isn't my home any more,_ Elena realized now, her heart aching with grief. _Not without Grandfather._ Tears blurred her vision as she stumbled toward her bedroom, gathering her belongings and stuffing them haphazardly into her knapsack. _I'll go to Malok; he'll take me to Coruscant, to stay with Leila,_ Elena told herself, sniffing back her tears. She and Cory had discussed it before, but Elena had never expected it to happen so soon; she still had trouble believing that Grandfather was truly gone.

_At least he wasn't in pain,_ Elena consoled herself, returning to the doorway with her packed bag. Grandfather had been strong and healthy right up to the end, and had passed quietly in his sleep. But the pain in her own heart was terrible, and Elena took a last look around the cabin through tear-filled eyes, saying goodbye to the only home she had ever known.

_No one will miss me,_ Elena admitted regretfully, slipping out of the cabin and closing the door behind her. _They will surely gossip about it, and wonder where I went... But no one will miss me,_ she sighed, climbing up the pathway to the rocky ridge. _Malok will take me to Coruscant, and then I will be able to see Cory more often... It's going to be all right,_ Elena told herself stubbornly as she fought the icy winter wind, climbing up to the top of the ridge and beginning her trek toward Malok and Tarok's house.

But her grief was still too close, and as Elena trudged pace by pace through the deep snowdrifts, ever farther from the village that had been her home, she couldn't stop the tears from flowing once again. _Grandfather,_ she wept, her tears freezing against her cheeks as she struggled against the fierce bitter wind high atop the rocky ridge. _Grandfather, I miss you..._

"Elena!" Elena looked up in surprise as she heard a voice in the distance. Quickly blinking away her tears, she made out two familiar brown-cloaked figures approaching from the other side of the ridge, a hundred yards away. _Cory..._

"Cory!" Elena yelled in relief, the tears flowing again as she ran to him. A moment later she was in his arms, sobbing against his shoulder as he held her. "Cory, you're here," she wept gratefully; then her heart sank as she remembered. _He wasn't supposed to see me or even speak of me for three months..._ "I'm sorry," she blurted out tearfully, realizing that he had broken his two-month silence.

"Elena," Cory cried, hugging her close and kissing her tenderly. "It's all right, sweety," he reassured her, pulling her hood tighter around her face and wiping away her frozen tears with a soft glove. "Elena, are you all right?"

"Yes," Elena choked bravely; but then the tears came again. "Cory... Grandfather's gone," she cried bitterly, her throat searing with pain. "He's gone..."

"What?" Cory looked at her, blinking in alarm; then his face fell, and he bowed his head sadly. "Elena, I'm sorry... I'm so sorry, sweetheart," he whispered, his blue eyes filled with tears of grief as he held her close. Cory had been raised by his own grandfather too, and he of all people understood how deeply she felt Grandfather's loss; Elena knew he would be devastated if anything ever happened to Master Qui-Gon.

"But you're all right?" Cory asked now, peering at her with anxious concern. "The baby...?"

Elena nodded, blinking worriedly; Qui-Gon was standing only a few paces away, and Elena realized that Cory had told his Master. "Yes, the baby's fine," she assured Cory, as he nodded, managing a relieved smile despite his sorrow. "Cory... I'm leaving," Elena told him tearfully, glancing back toward the village. "I can't go back..."

"I know," Cory agreed, quietly regretful. "It's all right, Elena. It's going to be all right," he assured her. "Come on," he said gently, putting an arm around her and helping her through the snowdrift back to where Qui-Gon was standing.

"We'll take you to Coruscant," Qui-Gon told Elena a few minutes later, dismayed to hear of the loss of her grandfather. "Leila has agreed to act as your legal guardian until you come of age," he said, leading the way back over the ridge toward Malok's house. Elena was just a month younger than Cory, and would turn eighteen in four months' time; the thought of _anyone_ besides her grandfather being her legal guardian brought tears to her eyes. But she nodded, grateful for Master Qui-Gon's help.

"Don't worry, Elena," Cory reassured her, keeping an arm around her shoulders as they trudged through the deep snow over the ridge. "My mom will take good care of you," he promised, managing a cheerful smile in an attempt to console her. "And Kyra will be ecstatic," he added; his little sister practically worshipped Elena, and had been begging for months to come visit her on Iridonia again.

Elena gave Cory a smile of wistful appreciation, grateful for his family's kindness; but now she cringed apologetically as she remembered Jon. Their plan in case of emergency had always been for Elena to stay with Leila on Coruscant, joining Kyra in the children's room, with Jon moving out to the living room couch. "Oh... I feel so bad for Jon," Elena lamented, as they trudged through the snow toward Malok's house.

* * *

><p><em>Later that evening...<em>

_Thank you,_ Jon sighed, gathering his blankets and pillows in his arms and dumping them onto the living room couch, flopping down on top of them and closing his eyes in weary relief. _Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you..._

_No more fairy tales,_ Jon smiled blissfully, listening to the wonderful, magical sound of nothing at all. _No more girly talk, no more incessant giggling, no more kiddie posters and nightlights, no more plushy toys winding up in my bed... _

Cory and Qui-Gon had gone back to the Temple for the night, and Jon had graciously offered Elena his own bunk bed, though secretly he felt sorry for his sister-in-law. _It's bad enough that she's just lost her grandfather,_ he sighed. _But to have to listen to Kyra's dumb fairy tales..._ Jon shook his head, straightening his blankets and settling down for the night. Kyra was obsessed with castles, and dragons, and unicorns, and such things; she dreamed of growing up and marrying a handsome prince someday. _As if she isn't already a little princess,_ he thought ruefully, admitting that he had only fed into her ridiculous fantasies by listening to them every night.

The muffled, girlish voices from the bedroom seemed to have finally died down for the night, and Jon smiled blissfully once again, closing his eyes and enjoying the peace and quiet. But a few minutes later he opened his eyes again, frowning uncertainly as he heard something else: heavy breathing coming from his mom and Obi-Wan's room, followed by soft moans...

_Ahhhh!_ Jon gasped, wide-eyed with alarm, pulling his blanket over his head and covering his ears. _Old people, having sex!_ Jon shuddered in disgust and horror, suddenly wishing he were back in his own room with Kyra's giggling. _Is it even still possible, at their age?_ Obi-Wan and his mother were forty-two, practically geriatric; just the thought of it was disturbing._ Kill me now,_ Jon sighed miserably, burrowing underneath the safety of his pillow and squeezing his eyes shut against the offending noises, praying that sleep would take him quickly.

* * *

><p><em>Meanwhile, at the Jedi Temple...<em>

"Thank you, Master," Cory said humbly once again, retiring to his chamber for the night. They had decided to stay here on Coruscant for one more day to make sure that Elena was all right; Qui-Gon had expertly covered for their presence here before the Council this afternoon, explaining that they needed to do some additional research in the library before returning to their cavern exploration mission on Tandor.

But amidst today's confusion - and out of respect for Elena's grief - they had decided to wait until tomorrow to tell Obi-Wan and Leila about Elena's pregnancy, and Cory's anxiety was palpable. "It will be all right, Cory," Qui-Gon reassured him gently. "It's doubtful that your father will be completely shocked by the news," he pointed out with a look of reproach. "And as I seem to recall, the last time this happened, he was far more disappointed with me, than he ever was with you," Qui-Gon added, sighing. _Not that Obi-Wan has a leg to stand on either... But that's never stopped him from being an impossible know-it-all,_ he laughed in tender regret.

"I'm sorry, Master," Cory apologized for the thousandth time today. In the wake of Elena's grandfather's death, Qui-Gon sensed that his padawan was feeling even more guilty than before, for having been disobedient and lied to him over the past several months. _Some lessons are learned the hard way,_ Qui-Gon sighed, realizing that Egbert's death had probably made more of an impression on Cory than anything he or Obi-Wan had ever said to him. _He's not likely to take his family for granted again._

"Master," Cory said, bowing his head in regret. "I'll start over, with the three months," he offered, blinking sadly at the thought of not seeing Elena through the next several months of her pregnancy. "My mom will take good care of her," Cory said. "I won't speak of her, not even once... I want to do this right, Master," he insisted, though he was clearly dismayed by the prospect.

Qui-Gon sighed. "No," he said quietly. "Cory, when I devised that test before, it was because I sensed your thoughts of Elena were distracting you from your work," he explained. "I would not have imposed the trial, had I known she was pregnant," Qui-Gon admitted. "Right or wrong, Elena needs you now," he told Cory gently. "She's grieving; she's adjusting to a whole new life, on a new planet," he pointed out, shaking his head. "The trial is over... And you did _not_ pass," Qui-Gon finished quietly.

"Yes, Master," Cory replied; Qui-Gon sensed his painful feelings of shame. Their agreement had been that if Cory passed this final test and learned to control his feelings for Elena, he would be allowed to face the trials to become a Jedi Knight on his eighteenth birthday.

"But you _will_ face the trials, as planned," Qui-Gon added matter-of-factly, as Cory blinked in surprise.

"Master," he protested. "Our agreement... I failed," Cory pointed out; but then he hung his head, guessing at Qui-Gon's motive. "Yes, Master," he said dully. "I'll study really hard," he agreed, fighting tears. "And in three months, I'll be out of your way."

Qui-Gon laughed. "Good," he agreed, giving his padawan a reproachful look. "Believe me, no one could possibly be happier than me to see you come of age, and knighted," he said, with an amused smile. "And once you and Elena are legally adults, the two of you can make little Zabraks to your heart's content," he added wryly, as Cory cringed in embarrassment.

"But I'm not trying to get rid of you, Cory," Qui-Gon insisted. "It will be red tide season again on Kilaui in five months' time, and for purely selfish reasons, I should love to have you there with me," he said, as Cory nodded in quiet understanding. He and Qui-Gon had always visited Kilaui every year during red tide season, continuing Master Sifo-Dyas' life's work by studying the mating habits of the iridescent plankton, which literally glowed with the Living Force. And since Kilaui was also the home planet - and burial site - of Qui-Gon's beloved wife Ana, having Cory by his side had always been a great comfort to him during their yearly visits.

"But - as I hope you have learned by now," Qui-Gon continued, sighing. "A Jedi does not do things out of selfish motives," he reminded his padawan. _I learned that lesson the hard way too, by holding Obi-Wan back until he was twenty-five._ "Cory, you know there is another reason why we have all been pushing you to face the trials when you turn eighteen," he reminded him gently.

Cory nodded, his expression serious. "I know, Master," he replied. "I won't let you down." Of the six Jedi who knew about Solaris Three, Cory was the only one able to quietly blend in on the planet, and Master Windu had requested Cory's ongoing assistance in keeping the _Star Wars_ situation under control once he was knighted.

"Actually," Qui-Gon mused. "In light of recent events, I am more confident than ever that you are perfect for the job," he admitted, with a rueful laugh. "Sneaking around, lying to people, breaking rules, engaging in elaborate deceptions of massive proportions, all the while charming everyone with your innocent blue eyes and adorable little smile," Qui-Gon chided his padawan. "Cory, you are very good at what you do," he said. "You have your father's talent for mind control, and then some; to have kept Elena's pregnancy hidden from me - twice," Qui-Gon sighed, shaking his head. "I must admit, I had absolutely no idea what you were up to."

"I'm sorry, Master," Cory apologized again quietly, his remorse painfully clear.

"Yes, I believe you are," Qui-Gon nodded, finally satisfied that he had gotten through to his grandson. _And Obi-Wan is sure to give him another lecture tomorrow..._ "Now, in the future, promise me that you will save your lies and deceptions for the poor deluded _Star Wars_ fans on Solaris Three, and not the people who love and trust you?" he reproached him.

"Yes, Master," Cory agreed, nodding humbly.

"Good," Qui-Gon nodded. "I have every confidence that you will pass the trials, Cory; you have worked very hard, and I am proud of your abilities," he said, as Cory managed an appreciative smile, his blue eyes twinkling in excitement at the thought of becoming a Jedi Knight. "Have you given any thought to what assignment you will request?" he asked; Cory's involvement on Solaris Three would be strictly covert, and he would need an official Jedi assignment in addition to his secret operations on the hidden Sith planet.

"Yes, Master," Cory replied. "I've been thinking..." Qui-Gon listened to Cory's proposal, smiling in amusement at his grandson's career ambitions. _He could have done anything,_ Qui-Gon sighed. _He's inherited his father's talent for mind control, and of all of us he is the only one who can even come close to Anakin's flying ability,_ he admitted.

_Plus he's got his grandfather's saber techniques,_ Qui-Gon thought proudly; Obi-Wan and Anakin had always done well enough with the flashy swordsmanship, but when it came to shoving a lightsaber straight through a durasteel wall, only Cory could match Qui-Gon's impressive talent. _And he is strong in the Living Force,_ Qui-Gon confessed, wishing that his grandson might have chosen to follow in his own footsteps, and continue with his specialized studies.

_But his choice is his own,_ Qui-Gon reminded himself, smiling tenderly and nodding with grandfatherly approval as Cory told him of his dreams for the future: simple dreams that centered around Elena and their children, rather than a Jedi's quest for adventure and glory. "And then in a few more years, I can take Zak as my padawan," Cory finished, his eyes sparkling with hopeful anticipation.

"It's a good plan, Cory," Qui-Gon agreed, nodding. "You can do anything you put your mind to; I'm sure you will be very good at it," he assured his grandson, putting a hand on his shoulder. "I'm very proud of you, Cory."

Cory smiled appreciatively, though he cast his gaze downward, still feeling guilty over his recent transgressions. "Thank you," he said. "Goodnight, Master," he added, bowing respectfully and turning toward his bedroom chamber once again.

"Goodnight, Cory," Qui-Gon said, with a tender smile. "Sleep well." But then he frowned as another thought occurred to him. "And _alone,_" he specified sternly. "Do I have to nail the window shut?"

Cory grinned, shaking his head. "No, Master," he promised. "That won't be necessary."

"Good," Qui-Gon nodded. "Now, get some sleep," he reminded Cory gently. "We have a busy day tomorrow." _A rather awkward confession, followed by one of Obi-Wan's insufferable lectures... With at least three hours of study in the library to justify our presence here,_ Qui-Gon sighed wearily, turning toward his own bedroom. "Goodnight, Cory."

"Goodnight, Master," Cory said, smiling apologetically as he headed off to bed.


	94. A Tale of Two Solos

**Chapter 94**

_Three months later..._

"Happy Birthday, Cory," Anakin said. "And congratulations," he added with a respectful nod. "I hardly recognize you any more, without the braid." He grinned, tousling Cory's red hair.

"Thank you, Anakin," Cory said appreciatively. "I'm glad you could make it."

"Yeah, sorry I missed the knighting ceremony," Anakin apologized. "Things have been kind of crazy lately," he confessed. "Jabba and Gardulla are fighting again... Ahh, it's a mess," he sighed. But then he smiled at Cory again. "So, Arts and Crafts, eh?" he asked cheerfully, as Cory told him about his first official Jedi assignment.

Dorian Solo blinked in disbelief. _What is the deal with Arts and Crafts?_ There was an eager gleam in Anakin's eyes now as he listened to the details of Cory's new job. _He studied for eighteen years to become a Jedi Knight, just so that he could teach a bunch of five-year-olds how to paint? Mom is right,_ Dorian agreed. _The Jedi Order is a really screwy place to grow up in. I'm glad my parents didn't send me -_ Dorian sighed, shaking his head.

_No, I'm not,_ Dorian admitted wistfully, glancing around Dex's Diner at the other Jedi who were congregated here tonight: Qui-Gon Jinn, Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi... _I wouldn't have minded turning out like one of THEM,_ Dorian confessed. His mother, Siri, had been a Jedi once, and Dorian's own midichlorian count was unusually high; lately he had found himself wondering what it might have been like to grow up within the Order.

_It couldn't be worse than the school I'm going to now,_ Dorian sighed glumly. Dorian had spent his entire life traveling around the galaxy with his parents, and had been enrolled in elementary schools on at least a dozen different planets; normally he enjoyed the opportunity to make new friends and learn about different cultures, but his school here on Coruscant was by far the worst ever.

Dorian's father - Prince Marco Solo of Corellia - had been assigned to the Senate here on Coruscant for four years, and Dorian's grandfather (who happened to be King of Corellia) had insisted that Dorian attend a prestigious all-boys preparatory school for the duration of his father's term. And so instead of just going to a _normal_ school and making _normal_ friends, Dorian was now forced to associate with ridiculously overprivileged children who were all either some type of royalty, or the sons of other Senators. And as a Corellian prince of the notoriously eccentric Solo family, Dorian never heard the end of his classmates' incessant - and sometimes cruel - jokes.

_They say my dad's crazy,_ Dorian sighed, casting his gaze toward his father, who was speaking with Master Kenobi now. Prince Marco was hopelessly accident-prone, and tonight he sported a fresh plaster cast on his arm, having fallen out of his levitating Senator box while giving an impassioned speech during this morning's session.

"Is it a bad break?" Obi-Wan was asking now, peering at Marco's cast with concern.

"No, no," Marco assured him cheerfully. "I only fell about ten feet... Landed in Bail Organa's box; he did a good job of catching me," Marco told him, as Dorian sighed in embarrassment. Master Kenobi and his mother were childhood friends, and Obi-Wan had often stopped by to visit them over the years; he and Marco went through this same conversation every time. _I wish my dad could go for one week without getting himself beat up,_ Dorian sighed, grateful to have inherited his mother's far superior coordination.

But now he looked up, spotting some more familiar faces coming into Dex's Diner: his friends Jon and Kyra, along with their mother Leila and her cousin Elena, who had recently moved here from Iridonia. Dorian smiled at Jon, waiting patiently as they paid their regards to Cory, wishing him a happy birthday and congratulating him on his knighthood. "Cory, you've met Elena, right?" Leila was asking now, introducing her cousin amidst the bustle of all the other guests.

"Oh! Yes, of course," Cory said, nodding politely to the young pregnant lady. "How are you?"

"Fine, thank you," Elena replied, smiling appreciatively. "Congratulations," she added, gazing at the young Jedi Knight in shy admiration. "And happy birthday," she added cheerfully. Elena was a really sweet girl, and pretty too; Dorian found it hard to believe that her boyfriend back on Iridonia had dumped her after getting her pregnant. _What a jerk,_ Dorian thought regretfully.

"Hi Jon," Dorian said, as they approached the table. Jon was Master Kenobi's 'Little Brother' from the mentoring program; Obi-Wan had invited Dorian to come along on one of their outings a few months ago, and Jon and Dorian had become good friends. _He's not a spoiled brat like most of my classmates,_ Dorian thought, glad to have a chance to chat with him again. _And he doesn't look down on me for being a Solo, and only twelve..._ Jon was nearly fifteen, but he had always treated Dorian as an equal, not as a child.

"Hi Dorian," Jon replied cheerfully, as they all took their seats around the table for dinner. Senator Amidala had just arrived with Captain Typho and Leia, and all the guests were here now.

"Can I sit next to Anakin?" Leia asked her mother politely, with a hopeful look.

"Sure, sweety," Senator Amidala agreed, sharing an indulgent smile with the black-clad Jedi Knight as her daughter proudly sat next to him. Leia had a glaringly obvious but adorable crush on Anakin; whenever they all got together, she always insisted on sitting on his lap, and she beamed in delight now as he playfully admired her fancy hairstyle and party dress.

Dorian took a seat with his own parents, as Dex handed out the menus, greeting his customers warmly. "Congratulations," Dex said, delighted by the news of Cory's knighthood. "I remember the first time you came here; Qui-Gon had just taken you as his padawan... You were such a tiny little thing," he teased him. "And look at you now: a Jedi Knight," Dex grinned broadly, thumping Cory heartily on the back. "Don't tell me; barbecued Nylog, and mashed potatoes?" he guessed, remembering Cory's usual order.

"Yes," Cory laughed, nodding appreciatively. "Thank you, Dex."

"And for you, miss?" Dex asked, turning to Elena next as he went around the table, taking everyone's order. Dorian ordered a Bantha burger and fries, grateful for a chance to eat regular food instead of the posh gourmet cuisine served to him at his school. _One fork, one knife, one spoon, a paper napkin, and I even get to drink with a straw,_ he thought happily.

"So how was your soccer game?" Dorian asked Jon now, curious.

"Eh... We lost," Jon shrugged. "But it was a good game," he said, grinning. "We just need to practice more... How's the unicorn polo going?" he asked Dorian.

At this, Kyra's head did an abrupt one-eighty, her perky blond curls bouncing in mid-air as she abandoned her conversation with Leia to gape at Dorian now. "You play unicorn polo?" Kyra asked, her blue eyes wide with amazement. _Oh, right,_ Dorian laughed to himself fondly, remembering Jon's little sister's passion for castles and dragons and other fairy-tale creatures.

"Yeah," Dorian said modestly; then he sighed. "Well, no," he confessed. It had been a great honor to be chosen for his school's team at the age of twelve; Dorian had inherited his mother's Jedi reflexes, and had always been a natural at sports. But unicorns were noble creatures, meant to roam free and wild; they were miserable in captivity here on Coruscant, and Dorian had quickly lost heart in the sport. "I quit the team," he told Jon and Kyra now, shrugging.

"Oh," Jon nodded, as Kyra's face fell in disappointment. But then Jon looked at him worriedly. "I thought you needed the credit?" All the boys at Dorian's school were required to take some type of sporting activity as part of their studies.

"I do," Dorian agreed, nodding morosely. "I thought I could transfer to a different sport, but all the teams are full now," he told Jon. "So now..." Dorian broke off, cringing.

"What?" Jon asked, concerned.

Dorian gulped, hanging his head. "I have to take ballroom dancing," he confessed dejectedly.

"No," Jon gasped, horrified by the thought.

"Yes," Dorian groaned, utterly miserable.

"Dorian... I'm sorry," Jon apologized, his brown filled with sympathy. "That really sucks."

"No kidding," Dorian agreed. "So now I have to find some girl from another school to be my dance partner," he sighed.

"You do?" Kyra asked with obvious concern, joining in the conversation. She was blinking a bit, and fluttering her eyelashes; Dorian gave her a sympathetic smile now. _Poor kid, she must have allergies..._

"Yeah," Dorian nodded. "I don't know how I'll find anyone, this late in the semester," he added, sighing. Kyra's allergies continued to worsen; the poor girl kept blinking rapidly, but she maintained her adorable little smile, ignoring her affliction.

But now Jon kicked him from under the table, and Dorian looked across at his friend, puzzled. Jon was subtly nodding his head with a cryptic look, gesturing toward his sister beside him. _What?_ Dorian wondered, confused. Then he understood Jon's meaning. _Oh..._ Dorian blinked, feeling terrible. _When I said I needed to find a girl from another school, I meant another snobby elite school, not..._ But he smiled at Jon, nodding. _I'm a Solo. They EXPECT me to do weird things, like ask a commoner from the wrong side of town to be my dance partner. _

_Besides, Kyra's so much nicer than the stupid princesses at the girls' prep school,_ Dorian admitted, giving her a hopeful smile now. "Kyra," he asked, feeling a little embarrassed. "Would you be interested? We meet every Wednesday, after school."

Kyra was suddenly all smiles, her blue eyes twinkling. "I'd love to," she said shyly; but now Leia was tugging on her sleeve, demanding her attention again, and Kyra gave Dorian an apologetic cringe.

"Kyra," Leia scolded her indignantly. "I was _talking_ to you," she said, frowning at Dorian for interrupting their prior conversation. Dorian returned Kyra's rueful grin, then nodded respectfully to Leia in apology. Dorian and his family had moved into Senator Amidala's apartment building a few months ago, and Dorian babysat for Leia frequently; she was a delightful little girl most of the time, but you didn't want to get on her bad side.

_That kid has a temper,_ Dorian laughed, sharing an amused look with Jon. _She can be incredibly sweet and thoughtful, but if she doesn't get her way_... Dorian shook his head, realizing that at four years old, Leia was already quite the little princess. _And she's absolutely gorgeous,_ he admitted, admiring Leia's beautiful dark hair and eyes, and her delicate features.

But now Dorian's gaze fell once again on Jon's little sister, and he smiled despite himself. _Kyra's a bit of a princess herself__,_ he observed with amusement, noting his new dance partner's genuine fascination as Leia showed Kyra her little jeweled necklace on its delicate silver chain. _Still, she's no match for Leia.._. The other princes at his school were always talking about which princesses they would marry when they grew up, and Leia's name had come up on more than one occasion; but Dorian had always just smiled quietly, keeping his thoughts to himself.

_They don't know what they're getting themselves into,_ Dorian thought, as Leia gave Anakin an angry glare now for having messed up her twirly hair design in the process of admiring it._ I feel sorry for the poor shmuck who ends up with that one._

* * *

><p><em>Speaking of which...<em>

_Ohhhhh,_ Han groaned painfully, stumbling into his room and carefully lying down on his cot. _I feel terrible._

It had started out as a perfect afternoon. After finishing school for the day, Han had joined some of his other classmates here at the academy in a friendly flying competition, racing high above the streets of Coruscant in their military-class fighters. Han had been in the lead at first; but then, hearing Jared Krull's warning over the transmitter of an approaching passenger ship, he had immediately slowed his speed, following safety protocol.

But a moment later, Jared had shot past him at full speed, laughing into his transmitter, and Han had realized he'd been tricked. _"Sorry, Your Highness,"_ Jared had apologized sarcastically, taking the lead. _"Better luck next time."_

_Your Highness..._ Han sighed, closing his eyes and ignoring the pain that throbbed in his ribcage now. A year and a half ago he had been thrilled when Master Windu had arranged for Han and Lando to attend a school for orphans here on Coruscant, a military training academy where Han could fulfill his lifelong dream of becoming a pilot one day.

The only problem was that Han wasn't technically an orphan, a slight detail which had become glaringly obvious to his other classmates the moment they had learned his last name. And so for nearly two years now he had endured their constant teasing, both for being distantly royal and a member of the crazy Solo family. It didn't help that Han had turned out to be a naturally gifted pilot; he was always receiving glowing praise from his teachers, which only made the other boys more jealous of his abilities.

_I didn't ask to be born a Solo,_ Han thought. _And it's not my fault that I'm a good pilot, and that I know the name of every planet in every star system in the entire galaxy._ Han had spent most of his childhood aboard the pirate ship Trader's Luck, and had spent his free time poring over maps of the galaxy and asking questions of the other pirates, learning all that he could. _But now everybody just thinks I'm some kind of spoiled little prince, and a teacher's pet,_ he grumbled.

So today, after Jared Krull's stupid racing stunt, Han had fought back in the only way he knew how. _They think I'm crazy; I'll show them crazy,_ he had decided, surging all his power thrusters and quickly overtaking Jared's fighter, then suddenly spinning around rapidly as he cut dangerously in front of him, forcing Jared to slow down and veer away in order to avoid getting them both killed. Han had been in complete control the whole time, prepared to pull up at the last second if Jared failed to react; but _Jared_ didn't know that, and he had been deeply shaken by their near fatal collision.

_"You stupid idiot,"_ Jared had fumed afterwards, jumping out of his cockpit and storming angrily toward Han in the docking bay. _"Crazy Solo..."_ And then the fistfight had begun, right there in the docking bay in front of the other boys and two flight instructors. At first Han had tried merely to defend himself, not wanting to get into any more trouble than he was already in; but after Jared's fist connected with his left eye socket, Han had reacted instinctively, and the two of them had gone down in a flurry of fighting.

In the end they had both been dragged to the Headmaster's office, whereupon Han had been severely reprimanded for his unsafe flying maneuver as well as the bloody nose he had inflicted on Jared Krull. Han's eye had not begun to swell too badly at that point, and he had been too proud to admit to his painfully bruised ribs; and so in the end Han had been given a week's suspension from flying, while Jared was herded off to the medical ward with a slap on the wrist for his part in the incident.

Han touched a finger to his eye now, assessing the damage; it felt a bit swollen, and he couldn't quite open it all the way, but at least the throbbing seemed to have stopped for the moment. But now he sighed wearily as he heard a knock on his dorm room door. _Ugh.. I'm not in the mood to talk to anyone right now..._ "Go away," he mumbled, not bothering to get up from his cot.

"Han," came a familiar voice from the other side of the door. "Han, it's me. You okay, buddy?" _Lando..._ Wincing from the pain in his ribs, Han got up, opening the door to greet his friend. Lando was seventeen now, two years ahead of Han, and would be graduating from the academy at the end of this year. He was Han's only true friend in this whole school, and Han was grateful for his presence now.

"Hey." Han smiled ruefully, inviting Lando inside, then sat back down on his cot. "How's it going?"

"You tell me," Lando replied worriedly, sitting next to him. "I heard about what happened," he added, peering at Han's swollen eye with concern. "You should get that checked out."

"Nah... it's all right," Han shrugged. "So how was your day?"

"My day was fine," Lando told him. "At least it _was_, until I heard about this," he sighed. "Han, what the hell happened?" he asked. "They're saying Jared's nose is broken," he added, with a look of reproach.

"Good," Han replied, sulking. Then he shook his head, recounting today's incident to Lando.

"Han," Lando said. "You have to stop fighting like this," he told him. "If this keeps up, you're going to get expelled."

"I know," Han sighed. "I'll try not to... It's just so hard," he admitted, frustrated. "You don't know what it's like, to be made fun of everywhere you turn, just because of your stupid name," he sighed miserably. _It's not fair..._

But to his surprise, Lando nodded in quiet commiseration. "Yeah," he agreed, sighing. "I _do_ know what it's like," he admitted, with a rueful smile. "It completely sucks."

_What?_ Han gave Lando a surprised look. 'Lando Calrissian' was a very normal, average-sounding name, especially for someone from Naboo. "They used to make fun of your name?"

Lando laughed quietly. "Yeah," he nodded, dismissing it. "It's a long story," he apologized. Lando didn't often talk about his life back on Naboo, before he started attending the academy. _He's an orphan, like all the others,_ Han reminded himself, giving Lando a commiserative smile. _No wonder he doesn't like to talk about his childhood._

But Lando had become like an older brother to him over the past year and a half, and Han nodded now, respecting his advice. "All right," he agreed. "I'll try to stay out of trouble." But then he shrugged, looking down at the floor. "It's not going to be the same around here, after you graduate," he confessed quietly.

But Lando just smiled good-naturedly, putting an arm around Han's shoulders. "Nah, I'll be around," he promised, with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes; Lando had never had any real ambition to join the military, and had confessed to Han all along that he was only attending this school so that he wouldn't have to be put in another stupid foster home back on Naboo.

"Don't worry, buddy, I'm not going anywhere," Lando assured him, as Han managed a grateful smile. "Hey, somebody's got to look out for your crazy ass," he pointed out, grinning affectionately.

Han laughed ruefully. Normally jokes about his family's insanity stung a bit, somehow Han had never minded Lando's friendly teasing. _He knows I'm not really crazy,_ Han thought, smiling in amusement. _Lando's a real friend._


	95. And a tale of two Skywalkers!

**Chapter 95**

_Two months later..._

_Heehee!_ Leia giggled, hiding underneath the kitchen table with Kyra. _Surprise parties are fun!_ Kyra's mom was bringing Elena home from the hospital this morning, along with baby Maia; they would be arriving in a few minutes, and everyone was gathered here to welcome her home.

_Elena will be so surprised,_ Leia thought excitedly, looking around the tiny apartment. A week ago Leila had learned of this vacant apartment for rent in her own building, two floors down from her own, and they had all worked very hard to get it ready in time for Elena to come home from the hospital. Even Malok and Tarok were here this morning; they had brought all of Elena's old furniture and things from her grandfather's cabin on Iridonia, and Leia smiled as she admired the cheery curtains on the window, the rustic country furniture, and the handmade knickknacks and decorations that she and Kyra had carefully arranged throughout the apartment.

_It's not fancy,_ Leia confessed, taking in the simple decor of the place; it reminded her more of her grandparents' modest home on Naboo, than her mother's lavish penthouse apartment here on Coruscant. _But hopefully Elena will feel at home here_. Elena's grandfather had built most of the furniture, including the little wooden table and chairs under which Leia and Kyra were hiding now; Leia peered curiously at the inscription he had carved on the underside: _Egbert Fisher._

_Egbert,_ Leia giggled again. Even Elena agreed that it was a funny name, and had been deeply relieved when Maia had turned out to be a girl. She and Cory had been unable to think of a boy's name they liked, and had almost been considering naming the baby Egbert, if it had been a boy. _Elena misses her grandfather terribly,_ Leia knew, sighing with regret. _I would be sad too, if anything happened to Master Qui-Gon, or Grandfather Ruwee,_ she agreed sympathetically. _Or Grandmother Jobal..._

Leia had never known her _other_ grandmother, Grandmother Ana; she thought of her now, with a twinge of regret. _But Elena never even knew her own mother,_ Leia admitted. _Maia is named after her... Maia Fisher,_ Leia sighed, proud of her newest baby cousin. _Fisher... Haha, that's a funny name too,_ she giggled, amused. Elena had explained that it was actually a very common last name in her little village on Iridonia, where for centuries people had been named after their professions.

_If we did that here, I would be 'Leia Senator',_ she laughed to herself. _And Mommy would be 'Senator Senator!'_ she giggled, realizing how ridiculous that would sound. _But 'Maia Fisher' is a nice name,_ she decided. _I like it... Although REALLY she's a Suncatcher._ Leia looked over at Cory now, who was hiding behind the couch with Jon and Tarok. _And Cory's really a Kenobi... And Obi-Wan is really a Jinn... So is Daddy,_ Leia realized, peering at Anakin and Obi-Wan now. _My family is so confusing,_ she confessed. _But I love that it's all a big secret._

But now Leia shared an excited grin with Kyra as they heard a quiet knock on the door. _Elena's here!_ Then she frowned, remembering. _No, Leila has the key; she wouldn't be knocking on the door..._ A moment later they heard a quiet voice from the hallway, and Obi-Wan emerged from his hiding place to let Siri and Marco inside, followed by Dorian.

Kyra could barely conceal her delight, and Leia smiled at her friend now; Kyra was madly in love with Dorian and planned to marry him one day, though Dorian didn't seem to know it yet. _Boys,_ Leia sighed, shaking her head. Leia was almost five now, and had realized years ago that boys were just plain _stupider_ than girls, in so many ways. _But hopefully Dorian will figure it out soon,_ Leia thought optimistically, waving to him from across the room.

_Oh! Secret mode,_ Leia reminded herself now, guarding her thoughts; Siri was an old friend of Obi-Wan's, and knew about their secret family, but unfortunately Marco and Dorian could never know. _They're Solos,_ Leia remembered, with a twinge of pity. _Solos are crazy, and mentally deficient; they can't be trusted with important secrets,_ she agreed, recalling what her mother had explained to her. Leia peered curiously at Marco now; his arm had recovered from his fall two months ago, and the plaster cast was gone, but today he had a black-and-blue mark just over his eyebrow... _What the heck happened THIS time?_ Leia wondered.

But now she shared another excited grin with Kyra as they heard other voices in the hallway: it was Leila, returning from the hospital with Elena and Maia. "I'm sorry, Elena," Leila was apologizing now, tricking her into coming into the apartment. "I promised Mrs. Tweedle that I'd feed her goldfish while she's away on vacation, and I didn't get a chance this morning," she explained, as Leia grinned in delight. "This will only take a minute..."

A moment later the three of them entered the apartment, and Leia grinned ecstatically as she and Kyra jumped out from under the table. "Surprise!" Leia yelled along with everybody else, as Elena clutched Maia protectively against her chest, blinking at them all in surprise and alarm. But then tears sprang to Elena's eyes as she recognized her old things, and Leia ran to her now, hugging her happily as everyone congratulated her, welcoming her into her new home.

"Do you like the decorations?" Leia asked; she and Kyra had worked hard to decorate Elena's new apartment, and she beamed in delight as Elena smiled tearfully now, nodding and thanking them for their thoughtfulness. "You're welcome!" Leia grinned proudly, happy that Elena was pleased with their efforts. _I like doing nice things for people,_ Leia decided. Her mother was always volunteering for charity work to help needy people, and a few weeks ago Leia had complained that it was boring to always be dragged along; but Padmé had gently reprimanded her, saying that being a princess was not just about wearing fancy clothes and jewelry.

_'It's our job to help people who are less fortunate,'_ her mother had explained. Leia thought she was beginning to understand it now; she had to admit it had been fun decorating Elena's new apartment with all of her favorite things from Iridonia, and it was wonderful to see the look of happiness in her eyes now as she admired Leia and Kyra's work.

"Oh, you put everything in just the right place; I love it," Elena assured them, giving them a big hug. "I can't believe you brought all of this stuff here," she added to Malok and Tarok, smiling in gratitude. "Thank you so much..." But then Elena blinked worriedly, turning to Leila. "Leila... How did you pay for all of this?" she asked, looking around her new apartment with concern.

"I didn't," Leila said, nodding to another of the surprise guests. "The apartment is a gift from Ben," she explained, as Ben Kenobi nodded now, smiling at Elena modestly. "He's paying the rent, until you're able to find a job," Leila told Elena, who hugged Ben now in tearful gratitude. Leia smiled happily; her great-uncle Ben was a famous actor, and made even more money than Leia's mother. _He likes to help people too,_ Leia realized, as Ben gave Elena an encouraging smile now, assuring her that it was no trouble at all.

"Actually," Padmé added now, smiling tenderly as she held baby Maia. "I have some good news as well..." Leia beamed proudly as her mother told Elena about a job opening she'd found, through her own charity work at a local orphanage. "They're looking for someone to work in the nursery, with the babies and toddlers," Padmé explained to Elena. "You could bring Maia to work with you; the pay isn't much, but it should be enough to cover the rent for your apartment, and living expenses," she told her. "If you're interested, I'll let the director know; she's a nice lady, I really think you'd enjoy working there," Padmé offered.

"Thank you, Padmé," Elena said gratefully, nodding. "Yes, of course... I would love to do it," she agreed, her dark eyes shining with sincere appreciation. _Elena is so pretty,_ Leia thought, admiring her long, straight, jet-black hair. _And Maia looks so much like her..._ Baby Maia had black hair and eyes like her mother, though her cheeks and forehead were etched with a delicate pattern of silver and blue, and a circlet of knobby bumps adorned the top of her head, where her horns would begin to appear in a few more months.

_She's beautiful,_ Leia thought, peering up at her newborn cousin in her mother's arms. Maia had a lot of hair for a newborn, though it was short and baby-fine; Leia giggled as she thought of Zak in the Jedi Temple nursery. Zak was nearly two years old now, and his hair had grown in fiery-red, almost maroon in color. Leia had seen the most recent pictures of him, and thought he looked cute with his horns sticking out in all directions from his short-cropped hair. Maia only had a few tiny nubs in comparison, adorning her head like a tiara.

"Can I hold her?" Leia asked her mother now.

Padmé smiled, nodding; but then a concerned look crossed her face as she remembered the others. "Let's let the others have a turn first," she suggested, as Leia nodded in understanding. _I have to learn to wait my turn,_ she reminded herself; it was difficult to remember, but Leia prided herself on her manners, and was slightly disturbed by her parents' subtle hints lately that perhaps she was growing a bit spoiled. _I don't want to be spoiled,_ Leia frowned, blinking worriedly.

"Here," Padmé said, passing the baby along. "Cory, would you like to hold her?" _Oh!_ Leia realized now. _Cory hasn't had a chance to meet his own daughter yet..._ Leia and Padmé had visited Elena and Maia in the hospital yesterday, along with Leila, Jon and Kyra; but the Jedi family members hadn't been able to come along, for obvious reasons.

Cory smiled gratefully, unable to hide his tears of joy as he held his daughter for the first time, gazing at her in wonder. _Come on, Cory,_ Leia thought worriedly, looking anxiously around at Marco and Dorian. _Could you at least TRY to be a little more subtle?_ Cory was quietly regarded as the family idiot, having fathered two children by age seventeen, and gotten Elena into this predicament in the first place. But Leia sighed in relief now as she observed Dorian and Marco's obvious cluelessness; thankfully they were even stupider than Cory, and were not likely to guess the truth.

Finally Cory handed Maia over to Obi-Wan, who - being a Jedi Master - did a much better job of masking his emotions as he smiled tenderly at the child, admiring her delicate stripes and nubbly little head. "She's beautiful," Obi-Wan told Elena, a glimmer of pride in his eyes as he gazed at his granddaughter. Then it was Qui-Gon's turn to hold her, and then Anakin's; but finally Leia smiled excitedly as her father placed Maia carefully in her arms, reminding her to keep her head supported.

"I know," Leia assured her father, nodding confidently as she held her baby cousin. "Hello, Maia," she whispered softly, gazing into her onyx eyes and smiling tenderly as she traced a delicate silvery-blue stripe along her forehead. _Welcome to the family._

* * *

><p><em>Later that afternoon...<em>

"Younglings," Master Tyrion announced, getting their attention. "Younglings, we have a visitor..."

_Aw... _Luke had been playing air marbles with Mara, but he obediently looked up now, keeping his marbles afloat with one hand as he turned to greet their visitor. But then he gasped in surprise and alarm, his eyes widening as he saw the tall, fierce-looking Jedi Knight, dressed all in black with wild, unruly hair and a creepy red scar along his temple. _Ahhh!_ Suddenly Luke's marbles came tumbling down on top of him, and he cowered helplessly as several of them pelted him on the head and shoulders.

The strange Jedi was staring at him now, his expression confused and slightly worried; Luke managed a rueful smile, doing his best to mask his embarrassment. _That was impressive..._ Mara was giving him one of her scornful _what-in-the-heck-is-WRONG-with-you_ looks, and Luke cringed apologetically, realizing that he'd probably hit her too. _Sorry Mara!_

"Younglings," Master Tyrion continued, introducing their special guest. "This is Anakin Skywalker; he works with the Border Patrol Division, just outside Hutt Territory," he explained. "He's come today to tell us about his job."

_"Hello, Master Skywalker,"_ Luke intoned along with Mara and the other younglings; they had been taught to call their elders 'Master', whether they were really Jedi Masters or not. _Skywalker..._ Curious, he cast his glance toward Luke Skywalker now; the tall, dark-skinned boy was beaming with delight to meet another Jedi with the same name. _Wait a minute,_ Luke blinked, remembering. _Is that the same one from the SITH holo...?_

"Actually," Master Tyrion nodded, with a delighted smile. "Master Skywalker has another job as well; who here remembers the _SITH_ holo-broadcast, that we talked about a while ago?" Luke raised his hand along with Mara and the others, nodding seriously; they had learned about the show a few months ago, and Master Tyrion had showed them a few short scenes. It was because of _SITH_ that Luke and his classmates all had the same first name; apparently there had been a fictional Jedi baby named Luke on the show five years ago, and virtually all of the parents who had sent their babies to the Jedi Temple that year had named their sons Luke, thinking themselves original and clever.

_But it's really just a pain in the butt,_ Luke sighed ruefully; it was confusing having the same name as all his other classmates, and as a result they had to use their full names on a regular basis. And of all the younglings in his class, Luke hated his own last name most of all. _Starkiller... It sounds so violent,_ he lamented. _It's not like I go around killing stars,_ he grumbled to himself unhappily.

"Excellent," Master Tyrion nodded, pleased that they all remembered the _SITH_ show. "Master Skywalker plays the part of Darth Vader..."

_Aaaahhh!_ Luke gasped in alarm, glancing at the others worriedly; he remembered the monstrous, black robotic villain from the show they had watched, and judging by his classmates' expressions, they were all thinking the same thing.

"Are you really a Sith Lord?" Luke Osilian was asking now, his hand high in the air.

"No, no," Master Tyrion assured him, laughing in gentle amusement. "It's only make-believe," he reminded the younglings.

"He _looks_ scary," Luke whispered to Mara now, as Master Tyrion and the newcomer continued to field his classmates' other questions. Even without the Darth Vader costume, the strange black-clad Jedi Knight had a fierce, wild look about him; the scar on his temple was unnerving, and he looked as though he hadn't combed his hair in weeks. _Maybe never,_ Luke considered, blinking at the thought.

"I think he looks cool," Mara whispered, a glimmer of approval in her green eyes.

"Why do you wear all black?" Luke Fireno asked now, curious.

"Because..." The strange Jedi frowned slightly, blinking in surprise, as if he hadn't expected the question. "It matches... space," he explained tentatively. _Ohh,_ Luke nodded along with the others, feeling stupid. _Of course... camouflage,_ he realized. _Ahh, he must think we're really dumb now... Especially after my disaster with the marbles,_ Luke lamented. He and his classmates always tried to be on their best behavior when guests stopped by; Master Tyrion had explained to them that often these visitors were scouting for future padawans, and so they all tried to make a good impression.

_Not that I would want to be HIS padawan,_ Luke blinked, disturbed by the thought. _I still think he looks scary..._ The black-clad Jedi was explaining to them about his work on the Outer Rim now, and he was acting nice enough; but still, Luke sensed something that troubled him. _He's nervous,_ he realized suddenly, feeling the strange Knight's unease. _He's smiling on the outside, but inside he's hiding something... I don't like him,_ Luke decided warily, trusting in his Jedi instincts. _And why does he keep LOOKING at me?_ Luke wondered, squirming uneasily.

"Master Skywalker is considered by many to be the most talented fighter pilot in the entire Order," Master Tyrion was telling them proudly now, as their guest bowed his head modestly; Luke sensed that the Knight's shy self-consciousness was genuine, and for the first time he found himself identifying with the strange Jedi. _I'm the best pilot in my class too,_ Luke admitted quietly. _And I always get embarrassed when Master Tyrion points that out in front of everyone else._

"Would you mind showing the younglings your Starfighter?" Master Tyrion asked their guest hopefully, as the strange man nodded in agreement. The other Lukes got to their feet excitedly, following him out to the docking bay, with Luke and Mara bringing up the rear. _Come on, Mara,_ Luke sighed, wishing she would be less obstinate. _At least TRY to show a little enthusiasm..._ As the only girl in their class, Mara had long ago given up on trying to fit in with the other boys, and with each passing month she became more and more aloof, rolling her eyes and only grudgingly participating in the required class activities.

_You'll never be chosen as a padawan at this rate,_ Luke thought, sincerely worried for his best friend. But then he shook his head sadly, tears stinging his eyes again as he faced the truth. _She'll never be chosen as a padawan, period,_ Luke knew. Human girls were simply never chosen; and besides that, Mara was at the very bottom of their class... _And then there's the whole Force lightning thing,_ Luke admitted, recalling Mara's disturbing tendency to zap people with blue sparks when she was angry, which seemed to be happening more frequently these days. _Mara..._ Luke sighed, his heart aching as he wondered what would become of her.

_She knows,_ Luke noted regretfully as they stood in the docking bay now, admiring Master Skywalker's yellow-striped Jedi Starfighter. The other Lukes were all clamoring to get a closer look, eagerly climbing into the cockpit and crowding around to examine the controls; but Mara stood aloof, barely paying attention. _She knows she'll never be a Jedi,_ Luke realized. _She knows all of this is pointless, and she'll just be sent off to the Agricultural Corps when she turns thirteen,_ he sighed, giving her a sad smile now. _It isn't fair..._

"Can I have a ride?" the other Lukes were all asking now, begging for a chance to ride in Master Skywalker's specially-equipped Starfighter. "Please...?" Mara and Luke shared an amused smile as they stood back quietly, letting their classmates have their fun.

"Actually," Master Skywalker confessed, with an apologetic cringe, "I need to leave soon, and get back to work... But I have time for one quick flight," he offered. At this, the other Lukes raised their hands excitedly, begging to be chosen, and Master Skywalker grinned good-naturedly, trying to decide who to pick; Luke squirmed uncomfortably as the Jedi's gaze fell on him once again. _Ah!_ Blinking worriedly, he reluctantly raised his hand too, not wanting to appear rude. _Wait... why am I raising my hand?_ he wondered suddenly, feeling ridiculous. _He didn't actually ask us a question... Ah, please don't pick me,_ he cringed, realizing that Mara had the right idea: she was simply rolling her eyes in barely-concealed disgust at her classmates' undignified groveling.

But now he felt a knot in the pit of his stomach as the strange Jedi turned to Master Tyrion, with an apologetic smile. "I can't decide," he confessed good-naturedly. "Who's the best pilot in the class?" he asked, as Luke's heart sank; the Jedi's expression was innocent, but Luke had seen the look in his intense, murky blue eyes, in the split-second that he had stared at him... _He knows,_ Luke gulped anxiously, his heart suddenly racing. _Somehow, he knows it's me..._

"Oh!" Master Tyrion nodded, beaming at Luke. "That would be Luke Starkiller," he told the black-clad Jedi. "He's the youngest of the boys, and the smallest, but he's a natural pilot," Master Tyrion said proudly. "Not even five yet, and already flying solo."

"Really?" Master Skywalker asked, feigning innocent surprise; but Luke could sense he was lying again. _Or at least he's hiding something,_ he thought, trying desperately to mask his panic. _Please Master Tyrion, don't make me go flying with him..._

But Master Tyrion ignored his silent plea, giving Luke an encouraging nod now. "Come on, Luke," he instructed him cheerfully, as the other boys sighed in disappointment and Mara rolled her eyes in annoyance. "Up you go," his teacher said, hoisting Luke up onto the strange yellow Starfighter. _Ahh! I can do it myself,_ Luke cringed in embarrassment, squirming out of Master Tyrion's grasp and climbing up into the cockpit by himself, not wanting to seem a baby. _I've been flying since I was three._

Resigning himself to his fate, Luke strapped himself into the emergency passenger seat behind Master Skywalker, waving ruefully to Mara and the other Lukes and managing a brave smile. _Please just let this be over soon,_ he prayed; it wasn't the flying itself that worried him, but rather the strange, unsettling feeling he couldn't shake, that Master Skywalker was hiding something.

But the moment the cockpit closed, Luke blinked in surprise as the unnerving tension suddenly and inexplicably vanished. "You got your seatbelt on?" Master Skywalker asked, turning back to look at Luke with an approving smile, his eyes twinkling cheerfully.

_What the...?_ "Yes," Luke nodded, managing an embarrassed smile; surely the Jedi had sensed his nervousness, and he cringed once again as he remembered the incident with the marbles. _He must think I'm a complete idiot..._

"Good," Master Skywalker said, starting the engine. "All right, here we go..." They waved once again to Master Tyrion and the other younglings in the docking bay, and then they were up and off, ascending rapidly into the clouds high above Coruscant.

"So, Luke," Master Skywalker said casually, as they headed toward the flight training course just outside the planet's atmosphere. "You've got a birthday coming up?" he asked, making conversation.

"Yes, Master," Luke nodded, feeling a bit easier with the strange Jedi now. "I'll be five next month."

"Well happy birthday, next month," Master Skywalker nodded. "Ah; here we are," he said, as Luke blinked in profound astonishment, realizing they had already emerged from Coruscant's atmosphere and were up in space, looking out at the stars beyond. _How in the heck did we get up here so fast?_ Luke wondered, realizing that the specially-modified yellow Starfighter was much faster than anything he'd ever flown in before. _Normally it takes at least a couple of minutes... That was like twenty seconds,_ Luke realized in amazement.

"I have three sets of turbo thrusters in the back," Master Skywalker explained with a modest shrug, guessing Luke's thoughts. "We need the extra speed out in Hutt Territory; a lot of the smuggling ships have illegal modifications, and we have to be able to catch up with them," he confessed, with a rueful grin. "So do you like flying?" Master Skywalker asked, as they reached the flight training course.

"Yes, Master," Luke nodded shyly; in truth it was his favorite school activity, and he always loved coming up here to the training course and practicing his flight maneuvers.

"So do I," the black-clad Jedi agreed. _So that's it,_ Luke understood now, his earlier suspicions dissipating. _He's a pilot, not a teacher; he was nervous getting up in front of a class of younglings,_ Luke realized, laughing to think that this fierce-looking Jedi Knight - who hunted down dangerous smugglers in Hutt Territory every day - had been terrified by the prospect of talking to a room full of five-year-olds. _I can't blame him,_ Luke agreed ruefully. _I hate having to talk in front of the class too. Flying is much more fun,_ he thought happily, as Master Skywalker contacted the command center, requesting permission to run the flight course.

"You ready, Luke?" he asked, turning back to look at him. Luke nodded, and Master Skywalker gave him a mischievous look. "You want me to go _really_ fast, or just _sort of_ fast?" he asked gently; his manner was reassuring, and Luke felt completely safe with him.

"Um... _Really_ fast," Luke decided, grinning. _They say he's the best pilot in the entire Order; I'll probably never have a chance to do this again,_ he realized, suddenly understanding what a great honor it had been to be chosen.

"Okay," Master Skywalker agreed, with an approving nod. "Hang on; here we go," he said mischievously. A moment later Luke found himself lurching violently as the Starfighter suddenly shot forward; then everything was a blur of spinning stars, as the strange Jedi Knight took the course at an insane rate of speed, veering and spinning his way through a series of obstacles that normally took several minutes to navigate around, cutting some of the corners by mere inches.

_Whoa, _Luke blinked, trying to get his bearings as the stars spun around in a dizzying blur. _This is intense._ "You all right, Luke?" Master Skywalker asked, slowing momentarily and glancing back with concern as he sensed Luke's disorientation.

"Yeah," Luke gulped, grateful for a moment of respite; then he remembered his manners. "Yes, Master," he assured the Jedi, stubbornly willing his lunch to stay down in his stomach where it belonged. _Okay, I'm better now..._ But now he blinked in surprise as he realized they were already back at the beginning of the course. _He's already DONE? With the whole course?_ "How long did that take?" Luke asked, his eyes wide with disbelief.

"Uh... Twenty-seven seconds," Master Skywalker shrugged, checking his time; he sounded a bit disappointed. _Twenty-seven seconds?_ Luke blinked in astonishment. _Crap, it takes me five minutes..._ "Do you want to give it a try?" Master Skywalker asked now.

"Um... Yes," Luke nodded shyly; he'd flown in a full-sized Starfighter before with Master Tyrion, but at four years old he couldn't quite see over the dashboard, and had no hope of reaching the foot controls.

"Come on," Master Skywalker said encouragingly, as Luke crawled forward into the cockpit, settling onto Master Skywalker's lap. _Ahh... This is embarrassing,_ Luke cringed, wishing he were at least a little bit taller. _I feel like a baby._ But Master Skywalker smiled in approval, showing him the controls, and Luke nodded shyly as he began his flight.

"Whoa," Luke exclaimed, blinking as he shot forward twice as fast as he'd expected. _Oops..._

"Yeah, it's got a pretty sensitive response, doesn't it," Master Skywalker agreed casually. "There you go; you're getting the hang of it," he nodded in approval, as Luke carefully navigated his way around the first obstacle on the flight course. "Now let's try a spin..." Luke grinned, but then focused seriously, following Master Skywalker's instructions as he made his way through the rest of the course.

"Hey, look at that: three minutes and forty-nine seconds," Master Skywalker announced, checking Luke's time when they were done. "That's really good, Luke," he said, sincerely impressed. "I don't think I ever did it much faster than that, at your age," he added modestly, although Luke suspected he was lying. "You're a good little pilot," he said, scruffing Luke's hair affectionately.

Luke grinned shyly, embarrassed by the kiddie treatment, but at the same time he felt a happy warmth in his heart... _I like Master Skywalker,_ he decided wistfully, saddened to realize that the visiting Jedi Knight had to go back to his job in Hutt Territory now, and Luke might never see him again. "Thank you, Master," he said, giving him an appreciative smile.

"You're welcome," Master Skywalker said cheerfully. "All right, back you go," he urged Luke, patting him on the shoulder as he crawled back into the passenger seat, strapping himself in. "You know, Luke," Master Skywalker added thoughtfully, as they descended through the clouds into the city of Coruscant again, heading back toward the Jedi Temple. "I'm thinking of taking on a padawan in a few more years," he confessed, attempting a casual shrug. "If you're interested, I'll definitely keep you in mind," he told Luke.

At this, Luke's heart leapt in excitement; he wasn't even five years old yet, and already a Jedi Knight was offering to train him? And not just _any_ Jedi Knight, but the best star pilot in the entire Order? "Um... yes," Luke stammered, wide-eyed in disbelief. "I mean - thank you, Master," he gulped, remembering his manners. _Ahh! He might actually take me as his padawan when I'm older?_ Luke could hardly believe his good luck.

"No problem," Master Skywalker assured him. "You did a good job today Luke; I'm very impressed." He smiled warmly, his deep blue eyes twinkling with approval. "It was really nice meeting you," he added, as they returned to the docking bay in the Jedi Temple; Master Tyrion and the others were still gathered there, waving to them now.

"Thank you, Master," Luke said appreciatively, feeling a stab of regret as he realized today's flight was over. "It was really nice meeting you too," he confessed, as they came to a stop and unstrapped their seatbelts.

Master Skywalker nodded; there was an affectionate twinkle in his eyes, and Luke sensed something... _Something..._ But he wasn't sure what it was, and so he nodded in return, smiling shyly. "Thank you, Master," he said again, as he climbed down from the cockpit, jumping the last several feet to the ground below.

And then it was over, and Luke found himself saying goodbye to the strange black-clad Jedi Knight along with the other younglings, his heart fluttering in quiet excitement as he remembered Master Skywalker's promise. _I'll definitely keep you in mind,_ he had said; those had been his exact words. Luke waved to Master Skywalker now along with the rest of his classmates, as their Jedi visitor hopped back into the cockpit of his Starfighter, nodding cheerfully in return. His gaze rested momentarily on Luke one last time, and Luke thought he saw a flicker of fond affection in his deep blue eyes; but then he was gone, his yellow Starfighter disappearing once more into the clouds high above Coruscant.

_Goodbye, Master Skywalker,_ Luke sighed, feeling a twinge of longing in his heart as he returned to his classroom along with Mara and the others, back to his youngling life of Arts and Crafts, of Boys' Choir and air marbles.

_Please don't forget me._


	96. And why not a Kenobi, while we're at it?

**Chapter 96**

_A year and a half later..._

Zak smiled as he sat at the table with the other younglings, drawing pictures. They were doing self-portraits today, and Zak carefully followed Master Cory's instructions, drawing a circle for his head, with two blue eyes and a big happy smile. _I love Arts and Crafts._

"That's very good," Master Cory praised them, nodding in approval. "All right, now let's do the hair..." Zak nodded obediently, reaching for the red crayon and drawing a bunch of little lines around his head, just the way Master Cory was showing them with his own orange crayon. _Haha! Master Cory's hair is almost as red as mine,_ he thought, pleased to know another redhead.

"Hey," Jinni giggled, seeing Master Cory's picture. "Master Cory, your hair is longer than that!" she protested, as Zak blinked seriously, nodding in agreement. Master Cory's reddish hair hung nearly to his shoulders, but he had only drawn a few short little lines, in the style of a youngling.

"Oh! You're right," Master Cory nodded amiably, randomly scribbling more hair onto his self-portrait. _Haha, he doesn't draw much better than we do, _Zak laughed, amused by his teacher's haphazard technique. _But I like him,_ Zak decided. _Master Cory is fun._

_Okay... I need orange now,_ Zak reminded himself, carefully drawing the stripes for his face. _Ha! Nobody else has stripes... Just me,_ he thought cheerfully. _That's because I'm a Zabrak,_ he smiled proudly. _And now for the horns..._

"Wow," Master Cory said now, coming around to inspect their work. "Zak, that is really good," he nodded, obviously impressed. "You guys are all such great little artists," he said, playfully poking at Zak's horns and ruffling his hair. Zak beamed as Master Cory gave him an affectionate pat on the shoulder, then continued around the table, admiring the other younglings' drawings.

But now he heard another familiar voice. "Hello there, young ones!" _Aw..._ Zak sighed as he realized their Arts and Crafts lesson was over, but he smiled good-naturedly, getting up from the table and bowing respectfully to his normal daytime Master.

"Helloooo, Maaaaster Oooobi-Waaaan," Zak replied politely along with his classmates, remembering to stretch his vowels out properly, as his teacher beamed happily at their efforts, nodding in approval. Master Obi-Wan was incredibly nice, and lots of fun too, but he was very strict about manners, and insisted that his younglings learn to speak in the refined, dignified accent of Coruscant politicians.

"I hope they were well behaved?" Master Obi-Wan asked their Arts and Crafts teacher now.

"Yes, Master," Master Cory nodded. "They did a terrific job; look at this," he added with obvious pride, showing Master Obi-Wan the younglings' self-portraits.

"Well, I would expect so," Master Obi-Wan nodded, not surprised. "Having learned from a master artisan of your renowned brilliance," he added with a respectful bow, gesturing toward Master Cory's own blue-and-orange smiley face. _Huh,_ Zak blinked in surprise; _I didn't think it was that good... _

But then Zak remembered their field trip to Coruscant's Museum of Fine Arts a few weeks ago. They had seen a huge, sloppy mess of gunky brown paint on canvas, and Zak had frowned, pointing out that _he_ could have done better than that; but Master Cory had explained that it had been done by a famous artist, and was worth millions of credits._ Wow,_ Zak realized suddenly, eyeing Master Cory's self-portrait with newfound appreciation. _Master Cory really is a genius... That's probably worth about a billion credits,_ he blinked, sincerely impressed.

_And he's so modest about it,_ Zak noted now, as Master Cory bowed humbly, thanking Master Obi-Wan for the compliment.

"So, young ones," Master Obi-Wan continued, his eyes twinkling. "Are you ready for lightsaber practice?"

"Yippee!" Zak cheered enthusiastically along with the others, jumping up and down; but now Master Obi-Wan was giving them a stern look._ Oops,_ Zak cringed, embarrassed._ Ahh, he doesn't like it when we do that.._. "Yes, Master." Zak and his classmates bowed politely, remembering their manners. They were three now, and had only recently graduated from the crèche to begin their _real_ training as Jedi younglings.

"Now, that's better," Master Obi-Wan nodded approvingly. "All right, young ones; come along," he instructed them, giving Master Cory a cheerful nod as they said goodbye, then headed down the hallway toward the training room.

_I love lightsaber practice,_ Zak thought happily, carefully mimicking Master Obi-Wan's movements as they practiced their saber techniques. _Okay... Step to the left, and then spin around... Lightsaber twirl... Ahh!_ Zak blinked, looking down at his leg as he felt a sudden tingling sensation. _Oops... I guess that's why we start out with practice sabers,_ he admitted. _Hopefully Master Obi-Wan didn't see that..._

But now Zak blinked in surprise as he noticed a strange man standing in the doorway, watching them. "Cliegg," Master Obi-Wan greeted their visitor, nodding in cheerful surprise. "Younglings, this is Cliegg Lars," he introduced the man politely.

"Hello, Mr. Lars," Zak intoned along with his classmates, bowing respectfully.

"Hello, younglings," the older man nodded, beaming happily. "So, this is the new class, eh?" he asked Master Obi-Wan, his eyes twinkling affectionately at the children. "Obi-Wan, I'm sorry to bother you, but I've got a bit of an emergency with this week's show," he apologized, as Zak and the others listened quietly. "We filmed the whole episode with Ben already, but then as I was editing it last night I realized we need to explain _why_ he's on Dantooine to begin with, and... Ahh, it's complicated," Cliegg apologized, shaking his head. "But Ben is booked solid, working on two other movies at the moment, and I was hoping I might be able to film a couple of quick scenes with you? It should only take a minute," he promised, his expression pleading yet respectful.

"Oh," Master Obi-Wan blinked uncertainly, noticing the cameraman in the doorway. "Yes, of course," he nodded, managing a polite smile, though Zak sensed that he was feeling... _Embarrassed,_ Zak frowned, surprised. _What is this all about?_ he wondered, as the cameraman entered the training room, followed by another man carrying a huge fan.

"Thank you," Cliegg nodded gratefully. "All right, you're out in the desert on Tatooine; there's a bad sandstorm," he explained, as his assistant turned on the giant fan, causing Master Obi-Wan's hair and cloak to flap around wildly. _Ha! This is funny,_ Zak grinned, sitting down cross-legged on the floor along with his classmates, watching the show. "We'll add the scenery later," Cliegg assured him, as Master Obi-Wan nodded politely, blinking slightly against the wind of the fan.

"All right, now you see something in the distance," Cliegg continued, as Master Obi-Wan squinted vaguely toward the other side of the room, his expression curious. "Great, that's perfect," Cliegg nodded in approval. "And then we need some kind of dialogue; 'Looks like a bad storm, we'd better get inside'... Something like that," he instructed Master Obi-Wan.

Master Obi-Wan nodded; but now he squinted at Cliegg, puzzled. "We?" he asked hesitantly. "I'm talking to myself, and I say '_we'?_"

"Oh," Cliegg grinned, amused. "Sorry, I forgot. You're talking to Anakin," he explained.

"Anakin?" Master Obi-Wan blinked. "Oh dear, I'm sorry; I haven't been watching lately... Anakin's with me on Tatooine now?" _Huh? Who's Anakin?_ Zak wondered, trying to figure out what this was all about.

Cliegg laughed. "No, I guess you _haven't_ been watching," he chuckled good-naturedly. "Anakin's your pet Eopie," he told him now, nodding. "Ben came up with the idea actually, a few weeks ago; it's been six years since Mustafar, and you were feeling a bit sentimental..." _Oh,_ Zak nodded. _Anakin's an Eopie... Cool,_ he grinned, enjoying the show.

"Oh dear," Master Obi-Wan cringed; but then he sighed, nodding. "All right," he agreed, composing himself. "It looks like a bad sandstorm," he observed solemnly. "Come on, Anakin; we'd better get inside," he said, patting his imaginary pet with gentle affection, then trudging several paces across the training room. _Wow... Master Obi-Wan is really good at play-acting,_ Zak thought, impressed.

"Perfect!" Cliegg said, nodding. "Great, now I just need a quick scene with you talking to Qui-Gon..."

At this, Master Obi-Wan cringed worriedly. "And dare I ask who Qui-Gon is?" he inquired, wincing in apprehension.

Cliegg looked confused for a moment; then he laughed, shaking his head. "No, no, it's just Master Qui-Gon," he assured him. "Don't worry, you haven't named a pet after him... yet," he said, his eyes twinkling mischievously. "Actually, he's already filmed his part; I've got the holo right here..." Zak watched in fascination as Cliegg played back a shimmering blue holo recording of Master Qui-Gon, warning Obi-Wan of some kind of danger. _Hey, I know him,_ Zak grinned, recognizing the tall, grey-haired Jedi. _He stops by to visit our class sometimes! He's really nice, too..._

"Yes, Master," Master Obi-Wan was saying now, nodding solemnly. "I shall go there right away."

"And that's a wrap," Cliegg said cheerfully. "Obi-Wan, thank you so much; I'm sorry for interrupting your class," he apologized, smiling respectfully to the younglings who had been sitting cross-legged on the floor, watching in fascination. But now the older man squinted thoughtfully as his gaze rested on Zak. "A Zabrak, eh?" he asked Master Obi-Wan in surprise, as Zak grinned in shy appreciation.

"Oh! Yes," Master Obi-Wan nodded, giving Zak an affectionate smile. "This is Zak Stormchaser; we don't get many younglings from Iridonia," he agreed, his eyes twinkling fondly. Zak smiled; he was the only Zabrak youngling in the entire Order, and it was fun to be special.

"Hi Zak," Cliegg nodded, as Zak beamed proudly in return, bowing his head politely. "Actually," Cliegg said thoughtfully, turning to Master Obi-Wan. "I've been thinking about starting a new plot line for Mace; instead of just being a lone Jedi vigilante, I'm thinking of having him search the galaxy for new younglings to train," he explained, eyeing Zak appreciatively. "I'd love to have Zak on the show, if you could spare him now and then," Cliegg asked Master Obi-Wan. "We'd probably need him about once a month or so."

_Really?_ Zak wondered, his eyes wide in excited disbelief. _I get to be on this show too?_ He still wasn't certain what it was all about, but it sure looked like fun... _Maybe I can have an imaginary pet Eopie too,_ he thought hopefully. _Oh please, please, please, pick me..._

Master Obi-Wan was blinking uncertainly; but now he caught Zak's hopeful look and smiled, an amused twinkle in his eyes. "Well, I suppose if it doesn't interfere with his studies, I can allow it," he agreed, nodding to Cliegg. _Yes! Thank you, Master Obi-Wan!_ Zak grinned ecstatically as his Master beckoned him forward to talk to Cliegg.

"Zak," Cliegg asked gently, with an appreciative smile. "Would you like to do some play acting? It's for a holo-broadcast called _SITH;_ you would play the part of a Jedi youngling, and Master Windu would be your teacher," he explained, as Master Obi-Wan turned back to the other younglings now, continuing with their lightsaber practice.

"Yes!" Zak nodded excitedly; but then his smiled faded as he realized what Cliegg was saying. _Master Windu would be my teacher..._ "Wait... So - I couldn't be in Master Obi-Wan's class any more?" he asked, his heart sinking. _No, I won't do it then,_ Zak decided regretfully. _Master Windu is nice... Well, as long as you're good,_ he cringed, remembering Master Windu's stern glare when he had caught Zak and his classmates running in the hallway last week._ But I love Master Obi-Wan,_ Zak admitted wistfully, making his decision. _I don't want a different teacher._

But Cliegg shook his head now, with a reassuring smile. "No, you'd still be in Master Obi-Wan's class," he assured Zak. "We would just borrow you about once a month, to _make believe_ that Master Windu is your teacher, and you would pretend to go on exciting adventures with him, along with a few other younglings," he explained.

"Ohh," Zak nodded seriously, following along; then he grinned, nodding his head in agreement. "What sort of adventures?" he asked the director. _Can I have a pet Eopie?_

Cliegg laughed, patting him on the shoulder. "Well, I haven't quite thought that far ahead yet," he admitted, with a cheerful grin. "But I'm sure we'll figure out something fun for you to do," he promised, his eyes twinkling affectionately. "All right, you'd better get back to your practice," he added now, nodding toward the other side of the training room, where Zak's classmates were practicing their somersaults. "Go on," he said encouragingly, giving him a little pat on the back. "Let's see what you can do."

"Thank you, sir," Zak said, bowing politely and returning to join the others, who were taking turns trying to evade Master Obi-Wan's practice saber with mid-air somersaults. _All right... I can do this,_ Zak told himself seriously, taking a deep breath and focusing his concentration. When it was his turn he ran toward his Master, then sprang high into the air, somersaulting over the blue arc of Master Obi-Wan's lightsaber and landing on the soft training mat, rolling to his feet again.

"Very good, Zak," Master Obi-Wan praised him, with a quick nod of approval as he turned to face the next youngling.

"Thank you, Master," Zak said, bowing politely and hopping down from the training mat. Cliegg was heading out the door now, and Zak returned his friendly wave from across the training room, grinning proudly as the director nodded goodbye, obviously impressed. _I love lightsaber practice,_ Zak thought happily, getting back in line to try another somersault. _And arts and crafts... And play-acting,_ he sighed, running toward Master Obi-Wan again and flipping even higher over his attacking lightsaber this time.

_I'm so glad I'm not in the crèche any more,_ Zak decided emphatically as he flopped onto the soft padded training mat, landing on his back and relaxing for a blissful moment with his arms and legs outstretched. _Being a youngling is fun._


	97. Luke gets his first lightsaber

**Chapter 97**

_A year later..._

_I am so bored,_ Mara Jade sighed, half-heartedly going through the motions of her lightsaber exercises along with her class. _Why do we have to do these dumb exercises? Why can't we just hack at each other?_ she wondered for the thousandth time. _This sucks..._

But finally Master Tyrion put an end to it, and Mara let out an audible sigh of relief. _That was painful... I thought my head was going to explode from the boredom,_ she grumbled to herself. _Come on, let's do some real fighting. I need to hack at something... NOW,_ Mara pleaded silently, forcing herself to stand perfectly still and wait for Master Tyrion's next instructions.

"Excellent," Master Tyrion nodded in approval. "Now, let's move on to some dueling..." _YES!_ Mara's eyes sparkled, though she stubbornly refused to smile, remembering that she was still holding a grudge against Master Tyrion for_ - so many things,_ she sighed, shaking her head. The Lukes were all cheering excitedly now, and Mara scowled in annoyance, forcing away her own childish enthusiasm. _Dueling practice IS the coolest part of our training,_ she agreed, wondering who she would fight against today. _But that's no reason to jump up and down and scream 'Yippee' like a bunch of idiots, _she sighed in disgust, rolling her eyes.

"All right, Luke Skywalker and Luke Osilian - you take that corner," Master Tyrion instructed them, as the boys nodded obediently, heading over to the corner of the training room to proceed with their dueling practice. _Ah, crap,_ Mara sighed; Luke Osilian had looked at her funny during lunch, and she had been hoping to be pitted against him today. _I'll get him tomorrow... But I'm still mad at stupid Luke Krychek for pulling my hair yesterday,_ she reminded herself optimistically, as Master Tyrion announced the next dueling partners.

"Luke Fireno and Luke Starkiller - " _YEAH!_ Mara forced back a triumphant smile; there were only six younglings in her class, and if Fireno and Luke were together, then that left Krychek for her... _He's going down,_ she vowed, her heartbeat quickening in anticipation.

" - you will both be practicing _left-handed_, against Luke Krychek," Master Tyrion finished, as Mara scowled in surprise, blinking. _What? What about me? Oh crap, I'm getting another lecture,_ she realized suddenly, tears of frustration filling her eyes. But she stubbornly willed them back, refusing to give Master Tyrion the satisfaction of seeing her cry. "Mara, can I speak with you for a moment?" he asked gently, summoning her to the far corner of the training room as the five Lukes began their dueling practice.

_Ahh, what is it this time?_ Mara rolled her eyes, grudgingly following Master Tyrion to the other side of the room.

"Mara," Master Tyrion began hesitantly, attempting a smile. _Don't bother,_ Mara wanted to tell him, sighing as she braced herself for the lecture. _What's the point of pretending? I don't like you either._ "You've been doing a fantastic job lately, both with your studies and your lightsaber training," he continued, as Mara frowned suspiciously, wondering where he was going with this. "I have something for you," Master Tyrion said, a hint of apology in his voice as he unclipped a small pocket utility knife from his belt, offering it to her.

_What?_ Mara scowled at the knife, blinking in confusion. _He's letting me have a knife like the others now?_ They had all been given one two years ago, when they were five; but Mara had promptly used hers against Luke Fireno, and it had been immediately confiscated. "Take it," Master Tyrion told her, as Mara nodded hesitantly, reaching for the knife and feeling the cool, solid weight of it in her hand. _Wow..._

"I'm trusting you, Mara," Master Tyrion said; Mara could sense the heaviness in his heart, and felt a momentary twinge of guilt. _I know I'm difficult,_ she admitted. _And this knife is really cool... But I still don't like him,_ she scowled, avoiding his gaze. "This is a tool, not a weapon," he added pointedly, his tone gentle but firm. _Yeah, I know._ "Do I have your word, that you will use it responsibly?"

Mara gulped silently, fighting tears. _Why is he trusting me all of a sudden? _She was accustomed to Master Tyrion's constant lectures and disapproval; but this... _Ahh, don't cry,_ Mara scolded herself, frowning. But she nodded obediently, looking at the floor. "Yes, Master," she replied, still avoiding his gaze. _I promise. I won't attack anyone with it this time; that was wrong,_ Mara realized now, recalling the gash she had sliced in Luke Fireno's arm two years ago. _If I'd cut any deeper it could have done some real damage,_ she admitted remorsefully. _I didn't mean to hurt him, I was just so angry..._

"Good," Master Tyrion nodded, sensing her sincerity; but then he cast his gaze downward, his expression regretful. "Mara," he continued, as she frowned at him suspiciously. _He IS giving me a lecture... I knew it,_ Mara realized hotly, feeling the resentment welling up inside of her. _Fine... Say what you want to say; let's get this over with_.

"Mara, now that you're all seven, it's time - " Master Tyrion broke off, at a loss. "It's time for the class to begin training with real lightsabers," he told her, his tone apologetic. _'The class,'_ Mara realized, her heart stabbing painfully as she understood his meaning. _But not me._ "Mara, you've done well with your training exercises," Master Tyrion assured her. "And you are a natural at dueling," he said; Mara caught a glimmer of sadness in his eyes, in the split second before she stubbornly cast her gaze down at the floor again.

"But I don't feel you're ready for a real saber yet," he told her, as Mara bit her lip, desperately trying to hide her disappointment. _Why do I have to be the stupidest one in my whole class,_ she reproached herself, fighting tears of anger and frustration. "This isn't your fault, Mara," Master Tyrion added gently. "You remember what Master Yoda told you, about your condition?"

_What,_ Mara cried silently, fighting tears. _That's supposed to make me feel better?_ But she nodded; she understood what Master Yoda had explained to her, about being a death stick baby. _It's not my fault that I'm like this,_ Mara reminded herself, her heart aching painfully. _It's harder for me to control my emotions, than it is for other people. But it's still not fair..._

"You're doing very well, Mara," Master Tyrion told her. "And perhaps in another year or so you will be ready," he added, with an encouraging smile. "But today I have to give the others their lightsabers, and I wanted to speak with you privately first."

_Yeah, thanks a lot,_ Mara sulked, still willing her tears away. _That was real nice of you, to call me aside in front of the whole class and treat me like an idiot, while the others get to practice dueling... And then you give me a dumb kiddie knife - like that somehow makes it better,_ she scowled. _I hate you... You're a stupid moron,_ Mara decided, rolling her eyes.

"But you _are_ ready for a bigger practice saber," Master Tyrion told her now, pulling down a box from the supply closet. "You like green, right?" he asked hopefully, attempting a cheerful smile.

_Crap._ Mara's brows furrowed; in truth she _did_ like green, mainly because all the Lukes liked blue, and she wanted to be different. Besides, green matched her eyes, _and_ her last name... _But I can't let him think I'm happy about this,_ Mara reminded herself, still seething with resentment. "No," she replied, giving him an angry glare. "I like blue," she lied, beating him at his own game. _You think you know me, but you don't._

Master Tyrion sighed in dismay, but nodded, putting the green lightsaber hilt back in the box and handing her a blue one. "This one has a mild stun setting," he said, showing her the additional switch position, as Mara scowled, blinking in surprise. _Well that IS cooler than the last one,_ she had to admit, turning it on and feeling the extra weight and power with wary appreciation.

"Are you sure you don't want green?" Master Tyrion asked once more, sensing her thoughts.

_Argh... _Mara shook her head, frowning unhappily. "No," she replied stubbornly, deactivating her saber and clipping it onto her belt, then handing her old green one back to him. "I like blue," she informed him coolly, keeping her chin up and meeting his gaze for a moment with an icy stare.

"All right," Master Tyrion sighed, nodding in defeat. "Go on," he urged her gently, nodding toward the other younglings. "Looks like Luke Krychek could use some help," he observed, as Mara scowled unhappily, seeing him struggling against his two opponents. _Ahh! Now I have to be on stupid Krychek's side? This sucks..._ But she managed an obedient bow, grateful for the chance to try out her new lightsaber.

Luke Krychek was backed up against the wall, defending himself against Luke Fireno and Luke Starkiller, who were practicing their left-handed fighting techniques. Krychek was the best lightsaber fighter in their class; Mara smiled wickedly to see him struggling against the other two. _But now I'm supposed to help him,_ she reminded herself glumly, watching for an opening amidst the swirl of blue lightsabers.

_Should I take Fireno, or Luke?_ Mara wondered, studying her opponents. Luke Starkiller was the better fighter, and Mara was itching to try out her new saber against someone who was actually _good_; but the annoying thing about Luke was that it was impossible to be mad at him for very long, and fighting him just wasn't any fun. _All right, Fireno,_ she decided, seeing her opening. _You're going down._

Mara had been standing innocently a few paces away, simply observing the other three boys fighting; but now, without warning, she joined the fray, activating her new lightsaber and quickly blocking Fireno's attack against Krychek, then driving him away from the other two. _Whoa,_ she blinked, as Fireno frantically switched his saber to his right hand, defending against her surprise attack. _This thing is really powerful..._ Mara smiled in satisfaction, enjoying the advantage she now had over Fireno's kiddie saber.

But then she remembered, and her heart sank. _In a few minutes they're all going to get REAL lightsabers, and then I'll be the one with the dumb kiddie saber,_ Mara realized, blinking away tears of injustice. _Ahh!_ she cried angrily, hacking against Luke Fireno with all her frustration, as the boy attempted valiantly to defend himself from Mara's more powerful weapon. _I hate you..._ Scowling with grim determination, Mara fought mercilessly, deflecting Fireno's saber thrust and then kicking him squarely in the chest, knocking him to the ground. A moment later she was on top of him, straddling his chest and wrestling his saber from his hand. Then she got to her feet, holding both blue lightsabers crossed in a deadly pose, as her opponent looked up at her helplessly from where he lay.

Mara's eyes sparkled triumphantly, but she resisted the urge to smile. _Haha,_ she laughed quietly to herself, her breathing gradually returning to normal after the exhilaration of the fight. _Lightsaber dueling is awesome._ Mara almost always won; it was the only part of their training that she was actually good at. _I can't concentrate on all the stupid exercises we do, but it doesn't matter; Master Tyrion says I'm a natural at fighting._

_I just have to learn to control my temper,_ Mara reminded herself, proud of her restraint as she deactivated both lightsabers, handing Fireno's back to him and accepting his acknowledgment of defeat. In the past, Mara's duels had often ended in biting, kicking, and heated name-calling; but she was seven now, and was learning to curb her impulses and adhere to proper Jedi dueling etiquette.

"Very good, Mara," Master Tyrion praised her, smiling in approval. "All right, younglings," he continued, getting their attention, as the other boys stopped their dueling for a moment. "We're going to do another round of exercises," he told them; the five Lukes sighed in obvious disappointment, but nodded obediently, as Mara fought tears, knowing what was coming next.

"But this time," Master Tyrion continued, with a proud smile. "You will be using _real _lightsabers," he informed them, as the boys gaped in wide-eyed disbelief. "Come on," Master Tyrion said cheerfully, pulling out a box of lightsabers from the supply closet. "You can choose blue or green..."

Mara stood back, tears in her eyes and a lump in her throat as the five boys rushed excitedly to Master Tyrion, choosing their new lightsabers. _They don't even notice I'm not getting one,_ she realized tearfully. _Not even Luke..._ Luke Starkiller had chosen his already, and was activating it now, his eyes wide with amazement as he admired the intense blue glow and dangerous hum of the weapon. _It's not fair..._

But now Luke looked over at Mara, his expression surprised and concerned. Deactivating his saber, he came over to join her, a questioning look on his face. "Mara?" he asked, blinking in confusion. "Don't you want to get one?"

Mara gulped, fighting tears. "No," she said quietly, attempting a brave smile but failing. "Master Tyrion said I'm not ready," she confessed lamely, her voice sounding weak and pathetic.

"Oh, Mara," Luke apologized, his blue eyes filled with compassion. "I'm sorry..."

_Don't be,_ Mara wanted to tell him, feeling the frustration and resentment boiling up again. _I don't need your pity._ But she simply shrugged, looking away and blinking back her tears. "It's all right," she said quietly, as the other Lukes took their places once again to go through their exercises. Luke nodded regretfully, giving her an apologetic smile as they both assumed their opening stance.

_Ahh,_ Mara cried, tears stinging her eyes as she went through the painfully boring exercises, while the boys carefully practiced with their real sabers for the first time, in awe of the deadly power they now wielded. _This completely sucks..._ Mara was grateful that the others were too busy concentrating on their own exercises to notice the tear that escaped down her cheek; she wiped it away now with her white tunic sleeve, sniffing dejectedly.

But now Master Tyrion was instructing them to practice against each other - not a true duel, but following one of their familiar, choreographed routines. Mara nodded gratefully as Luke offered to practice with her; she hated when the other boys saw her crying, but Luke was so much nicer than the others... Mara sniffed back her tears now as she and Luke focused on their routine, carefully parrying and blocking each other's blows as they circled around each other.

"Hey," Luke said now, finally noticing her new saber. "You got a blue one too?"

_Ahh! Stop reminding me!_" Yeah," Mara said as she blocked his blow. "This one has a stun setting," she added, rolling her eyes. _It's really stupid... And I hate blue,_ she grumbled, the resentment welling up inside her again. _I wanted green, but stupid Master Tyrion had to go and ASSUME that's what I wanted..._ Mara fought tears again, stubbornly forcing herself to focus on their routine.

_So now I have this dumb blue thing, and it doesn't even work,_ she sulked, frustration coursing through her as she realized she now had to use even more force to deflect Luke's powerful, deadly blows. _Ahh, this is tiring,_ Mara cried, feeling her strength begin to flag. _I'm the smallest one, and a girl... And now I have to work twice as hard as the others, just to keep up with my stupid toy lightsaber..._

_This is so unfair,_ Mara blinked tearfully, instinctively stepping backwards and breaking their routine in self-defense. _I can't do this..._

"Mara?" Luke asked, his blue eyes filled with concern. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Mara insisted, fighting tears and bravely resuming their practice routine. "It's just... harder," she grunted, deflecting Luke's next blow. "It's not as powerful as the real ones."

"Oh," Luke nodded apologetically, backing off and softening his blows momentarily; but then he caught the look of resentment in her eyes, and nodded quickly in understanding, resuming his usual intensity. _Thank you, Luke,_ Mara gulped in tearful gratitude, meeting his blows with stubborn determination. _He knows I hate being treated differently..._

But soon her strength began to fail again, and finally Mara let out a gasping sob, stepping back from Luke's deadly thrust. "I can't do this," she whispered miserably, tears filling her eyes as she deactivated her lightsaber. "It's too hard..." _How am I ever supposed to learn to fight, when I'm already the youngest, and the smallest, and the only girl, and now all of their sabers are twice as strong as mine..._

Mara felt Luke's comforting touch now as he put a hand on her shoulder, deactivating his saber. "You _can,_ Mara," he reassured her, a pleading look in his blue eyes as he glanced worriedly toward Master Tyrion, who was busy attending to Luke Skywalker and Krychek at the moment. _He doesn't want me to get in trouble..._ Luke was always quietly helping Mara along in her struggles to keep up with the rest of the class, and she was both grateful for - and resentful of - his constant assistance. "You _can,_" he repeated gently.

_Ahh!_ Mara cried, frustrated. "Easy for you to say," she sulked, with a resentful look at Luke's powerful lightsaber. _You have no idea what it's like to be me. You think you understand, but you don't._

Luke looked down at the floor, nodding; Mara was surprised to sense his pain, and conflict. Glancing worriedly at Master Tyrion again, Luke moved casually in front of Mara, his body blocking their teacher's view. Then, to Mara's complete disbelief, he gently took her lightsaber hilt from her, pressing his own weapon into her hand. "You can," Luke told her once again, softly.

_Luke, no..._ Mara's eyes filled with tears at the gesture. _He trusts me, even though he shouldn't..._ But Master Tyrion was coming toward them now, and so Mara nodded quickly, igniting Luke's deadly blue lightsaber as they resumed their practice routine.

_Ahhh! Okay, don't mess up,_ Mara told herself, her heart racing nervously as she realized how dangerous this was. _I didn't even get a chance to practice with one of these... What if I accidentally do something wrong, and chop off his -_ Mara swallowed anxiously, not wanting to finish that thought. _Come on... Focus,_ she told herself, frowning in concentration as she tried to remember the steps to their saber routine.

"Excellent form, both of you," Master Tyrion nodded, stopping by to observe their practice. _Please, just go away,_ Mara begged silently, her heart in her throat as she blocked Luke's blows, carefully aiming her own thrusts and desperately hoping that he could defend himself if she messed up. _Luke has good reflexes,_ Mara reassured herself stubbornly, trying to mask her fear as Master Tyrion watched. _Ahh, don't panic..._

Finally Master Tyrion moved on, and Mara sighed in relief, tears stinging her eyes. _Oh, crap,_ she shuddered, deactivating her saber and quietly handing it back to Luke, shaking her head. _Luke, don't ever do that to me again..._ Luke nodded regretfully, trading lightsabers again and resuming their practice. _Ahhh,_ Mara wept, tears blurring her vision as she fought against Luke, trusting that he would be careful and not hurt her. _Master Tyrion was right,_ she realized now, choking back her tears. _I'm not ready... I really am stupider than all the others,_ she cried bitterly.

_Luke trusts me... But I don't trust myself,_ Mara confessed, managing to compose herself as they continued their practice. _I'm a good fighter - TOO good, _she blinked worriedly, suddenly understanding the danger of that reality. _I act on instinct; I catch people off-guard, because I can never remember all the stupid rules,_ she admitted, recalling the countless times she had struck her opponents during practice, both in anger and by accidental error. _I'm the smallest in the class, and the weakest, and my saber techniques completely suck... but if Master Tyrion gave me a real lightsaber, I would probably kill someone._

_And out of everything we do, this is the only thing I'm even a little bit good at,_ Mara cried now, tears of bitterness stinging her eyes again. _I'm a slow learner, and get the worst grades in the whole class... I suck at Arts and Crafts... I can't sing in Boys' Choir - for obvious reasons,_ she sniffed, blinking away her tears as she valiantly continued to practice against Luke; then she scowled, remembering.

_Luke is good at all those things,_ Mara realized now, feeling her anger and frustration well up again. _He's the smartest one in our class, and the best pilot, and Master Cory is always praising him in Arts and Crafts; it's disgusting,_ she grumbled, seething with jealousy. _And he's getting a solo in the next Boys' Choir concert,_ she remembered, recalling Luke's innocent but annoying enthusiasm when he had told her the happy news. _It's not fair,_ Mara cried bitterly. _I wanted to sing the Yah Yah song too,_ she sniffed._ But I can't, because I'm a stupid girl..._

_I hate you,_ Mara decided suddenly, turning on Luke and charging at him with her new lightsaber, abandoning their practice routine. _Hahaha,_ she laughed mischievously, seeing his wide-eyed confusion as he backed cautiously away, carefully defending himself against her angry stun-blows with his oh-so-scary _real_ saber. _You think you're better than me, with your stupid singing and your stupid perfect grades and your stupid flying and your stupid lightsaber and being stupid Master Tyrion's stupid teacher's pet... __I hate you, I hate you, I hate you, I hate you, I hate you..._  
><em><br>Ha!_ Mara grinned triumphantly as her lightsaber connected with Luke's sword arm, stunning his hand and causing him to drop his own deadly saber. _This is awesome... I can stun the crap out of people, just for fun,_ Mara realized gleefully._ I couldn't do any of this if I had a REAL saber,_ she admitted now. _Thank you, Master Tyrion... Ahh, but it still sucks that it's blue,_ she scowled, swinging at Luke's left leg next.

But a moment later she gasped in surprise, stumbling backwards as she felt a sharp blow to her chest. _What the... HEY!_ Mara frowned indignantly, seeing Luke's left hand outstretched as he sat helplessly against the wall with two stunned appendages. _Did you Force-shove me? You can't do that, _she glared angrily, redoubling her attack. _That's against the rules! Ahhh, you stupid -_

"Mara, stop," Luke pleaded, his blue eyes wide with anxiety. "Master Tyrion - " he gasped pathetically, as Mara hacked angrily at his left arm; but now tears of bitterness welled up in her eyes. _He called the teacher on me,_ she realized suddenly, her heart stabbing with pain at his betrayal. _Thanks a lot, Luke,_ Mara cried angrily, glaring at him. _Some friend you are..._

"Aaahh!" Luke gasped, cowering against her attack. "Mara, please," he begged again. "Master Tyrion - "

"Shut up!" Mara wept, tears of betrayal filling her eyes. Luke was her only friend in the entire galaxy; he was supposed to help her stay out of trouble, and now he was telling on her? _I hate you,_ she sobbed miserably, unable to control her emotions any longer. _It's coming,_ she knew, feeling the familiar rage and bitterness well up inside her. _I can't stop it now..._

_See, this is what happens when you hurt my feelings, _Mara sobbed, as blue sparks suddenly shot from her fingertips, zapping Luke in the chest. _When you pretend to be my friend, and then call the teacher on me, and get me in trouble... I hope you're happy now,_ she wept bitterly, as Luke gasped in pain, cringing from the shock and struggling not to cry out.

"Mara, stop... Please," he gasped again, a pleading look in his eyes. "Master Tyrion... is... coming," Luke warned her desperately, wincing in pain as he bravely tried to steady his breathing.

_What?_ Mara blinked suddenly. _Oh, crap,_ she realized in dismay, tears filling her eyes._ He wasn't telling on me... He was warning me._

"Luke!" Master Tyrion exclaimed now, rushing to his side. "Are you all right?" he asked. "What happened?"

"Yes," Luke nodded, struggling to get to his feet, despite his stunned leg and hands. "I'm sorry, Master Tyrion," he apologized, limping pathetically as he tried to walk off the numbness. "I don't know what happened," he lied vaguely, covering for Mara. "I was nervous; I must have made a wrong move, and then..." Luke shrugged apologetically, attempting a rueful smile.

"Oh dear," Master Tyrion said, as all the other Lukes gathered around, their eyes wide with anxiety. "Younglings," Master Tyrion said solemnly, using this as a teaching opportunity. "You see now, why it is so important that we learn our routines to perfection," he impressed upon them, as the four boys nodded in agreement, dismayed by Luke's mishap. "If Mara had been using a real saber..."

* * *

><p><em>...I wouldn't have done what I did,<em> Mara wept quietly later that night, still heartsick over the incident. _Master Tyrion trusted me... Luke trusted me... And I -_ Mara choked back her tears, stifling a sob. It was past midnight, and the other boys were asleep; but Mara had shut herself in the bathroom, not wanting to wake them with her muffled crying.

_He was trying to warn me,_ she cried again, heartbroken to realize that she had repaid Luke's unwavering loyalty by cruelly hurting him. _Why do I have to be so stupid?_ Mara wept bitterly, hanging her head. _I'm sorry, Luke..._

Mara looked down at the little pocket knife in her hand now, sniffing back her tears. _Use it responsibly,_ Master Tyrion had admonished her; and after lying awake all night, unable to sleep from the guilt of what she had done, Mara couldn't help but contemplate once again whether ridding the galaxy of her useless existence might qualify as 'using it responsibly'. _And then I wouldn't be a problem for anyone any more,_ she sniffed dejectedly, gazing at the sharp steel blade.

But she shook her head, gulping back tears as she retracted the blade now. _No,_ she decided once again. This wasn't the first time she had entertained such thoughts, and she knew it wouldn't be the last... _But not tonight,_ Mara told herself, wiping away her tears.

_I will be good,_ she vowed. _I'll show Master Tyrion that I can be trusted with a real lightsaber... I'll study harder, and concentrate on all the training exercises,_ Mara decided bravely, getting to her feet and heading back to the bedroom. _I'll pay attention, I'll work hard, I'll control my emotions, and be just like all the other boys,_ she resolved. But as she reached for the light switch, Mara caught a glimpse of her reflection in the mirror, and frowned thoughtfully. _Just like all the other boys..._

* * *

><p>"Mara?" Luke whispered, tapping softly on the door. He had woken up a moment ago, sensing her distress, and had heard muffled sobs coming from inside the bathroom. "Mara, are you all right?"<p>

But the only reply was a pathetic gulping, sniffling sound, and Luke bowed his head regretfully. _She feels terrible about what happened today... _It had only taken a couple of hours for the effects of her stun saber to completely wear off, and the fleeting agony of her Force lightning attack had been over almost as soon as it began; but Luke knew that Mara's own pain ran much deeper. "I'm coming in," he whispered, opening the door and stepping inside, keeping his eyes politely averted.

But then he frowned, blinking in surprise as he noticed something odd: long tresses of wavy red hair, scattered all over the bathroom floor. "Mara?" he asked worriedly, staring at her in confusion. She sat on the floor in her pajamas with her back against the wall, knees drawn up to her chest, her face buried in her hands; but her hair was chopped short and spiky, in a rather mangled version of Luke's own youngling hairstyle. "Mara... What did you do?" he asked stupidly, though the answer was glaringly obvious.

"I - I..." Mara sobbed quietly, gasping for air; then she held out her hand, showing him the little pocket utility knife that Master Tyrion had given her today. "I - " she choked again, shuddering involuntarily from the nighttime cold, and the shock of what she had done. "I look like a boy," she finally managed to blurt out, weeping miserably.

_Oh, Mara..._ "Yes," he agreed, managing a rueful smile. "You do," he admitted honestly, sitting down next to her. Mara gave him an indignant glare; but now the corners of her mouth threatened to turn upward in an unbidden smile, and Luke caught a brief sparkle of amusement in her emerald eyes before she shrugged dejectedly.

"I'm sorry, Luke," she apologized again, her eyes glistening with tears. "I'm really sorry..."

"I know," Luke nodded, with a sympathetic smile. "I'm all right, Mara," he assured her once again; he gave her a little amused grin, and Mara's eyes sparkled momentarily with humor and gratitude, before she blinked sadly, shaking her head.

"Luke," she said softly, staring at the floor. "If I'd had a real lightsaber, I would never have - " she broke off, tears springing to her eyes. "Not to you... Not to anyone," she whispered emphatically, her eyes burning with intense horror at the thought.

"I know," Luke said gently. "I know, Mara." _You're not a monster. You have to let off steam now and then, but you would never go that far... I know that, Mara._ "You're a good person," he reassured her, with an affectionate smile. _You're my best friend._

Mara let out a rueful laugh, shaking her head. "Yeah," she sighed dismally; but she gave Luke a grateful smile now, her green eyes once again tranquil, without a hint of the intense rage they had reflected earlier today. "I'm going to try really hard, Luke," she said quietly, shrugging with remorse. "I'm going to try to do better."

Luke smiled, nodding; but now he squinted at her hair critically, assessing the damage. "Here," he said gently, taking her utility knife from her and pulling out the little scissor attachment, then snipping off an unruly red curl in an attempt to make it a bit more even.

"How bad is it?" Mara asked, cringing in dismay.

"Well," Luke sighed thoughtfully, as he proceeded to snip off the worst of her uneven locks, one piece at a time. "It looks sort of like a bird nested on your head... And then it caught on fire," he said mischievously, teasing her; Mara smacked him on the shoulder, giving him an indignant glare, but then she laughed ruefully, letting him continue with his work. "There," Luke nodded finally, satisfied with his efforts. "That's better."

Mara nodded, getting to her feet to inspect the results; she attempted an appreciative smile, but Luke could sense her dismay. "I look stupid," she sighed, gazing at her reflection in the mirror.

_Yeah,_ Luke admitted regretfully, gathering Mara's long, thick red tresses from the floor and reluctantly putting them in the trash bin. _Your hair was so pretty, all long and wavy..._ But now he caught his own reflection in the mirror as he stood up next to Mara, noting their identical haircuts. "Welcome to the club," he said, as Mara managed an amused smile. Luke reached out shyly now, running his fingers through her short-cropped, silky red hair. "It's not so bad," he reassured her, as Mara nodded in gratitude. _You're still beautiful..._ "It'll grow back," he promised.

"Thanks," Mara said, a look of shy apology in her green eyes. Luke nodded, giving her an encouraging smile; then he shrugged, glancing toward the door.

"Come on," he said, patting her reassuringly on the shoulder as he led the way back toward the bedroom, where the other younglings were still sleeping soundly. "We'd better get back to bed."


	98. Han gets expelled from school

**Chapter 98**

_A month later..._

Han flopped wearily onto his bed, relaxing for a moment after a long day of classes. He was meeting some of the others later this afternoon for flight practice, but now he closed his eyes, sighing in gratitude that the weekend was finally here.  
><em><br>A little flight practice this afternoon, and then I'm meeting Lando at six,_ Han reminded himself. Lando had graduated from the academy last year, but he'd found a job here on Coruscant working security for a local warehouse, and they had made plans to meet for dinner tonight. Han was looking forward to catching up with his buddy, and hearing about what he'd been up to this week.

_I can't wait until I graduate too,_ Han admitted. He was seventeen now, and had another year of school after this; but then he and Lando were hoping to get whatever odd jobs they could find here on Coruscant, until they could save up enough credits to buy their own ship. _And then we can travel all over the galaxy, and get paid for it,_ Han thought, dreaming of his future as an independent freighter pilot.

Most of the other boys here at the academy were planning to either go into law enforcement, or work for various planetary military organizations; at first Han had been intrigued by the idea, but after four years of military school he had finally come to realize that he wasn't cut out for the strict discipline of those occupations, and he yearned instead for the freedom and independence of working odd jobs as a freighter pilot. But in the meantime he was doing well in school, working toward earning his diploma and biding his time until his _real_ career could begin.

_First thing we're going to do when we get our ship is to visit my dad,_ Han resolved, remembering his promise to his father. He'd had no contact with either of his parents during the six years that he had been working aboard the pirate ship, _Trader's Luck;_ but four years ago, when Master Windu had sent him here to the academy on Coruscant, Han had re-established a relationship with his father, and the two of them exchanged letters on a regular basis.

_Maybe I should write to him again,_ Han thought, getting up from his bed and pulling out some writing paper and a pen. He had to send handwritten letters to his father; his dad worked as a Nerf herder, way out in the hills of Dantooine, and he had no access to electronic transmissions or modern conveniences of any kind. _My dad is a nut,_ Han laughed ruefully, sitting back down on his bed to compose his letter. _But I love him_.

He hadn't heard from his father for three weeks now; Han was beginning to worry, and hoped that he had simply forgotten to write. _He's very forgetful,_ Han reminded himself stubbornly, refusing to give in to the nagging anxiety that had been plaguing him recently, that perhaps something might have happened to him. _He probably forgot my address again,_ Han sighed, writing it now in bold letters on the outside of his envelope.

Then he began his letter. _Dear Dad,_ he wrote neatly at the top of the page. _How are you? I'm fine. School is going well..._ But now he paused momentarily, startled by a knock on his door. "Mail," a young boy's voice announced from the hallway.

Han blinked in surprise. _Must be a letter from Dad. Nice timing,_ he laughed, setting aside his own letter and answering the door. "Thanks," he nodded to the young first-year student, taking the letter from him and closing his door again. But then he frowned, noticing the handwriting on the envelope; instead of his father's familiar, haphazard scrawling, the address was written in an exquisite, flourishing script... _Oh, great,_ Han sighed, reading the address on the envelope. _It's Mom._

_What does SHE want?_ Han wondered, tearing the envelope open. It was a thick letter, from the feel of it; Han blinked in confusion, wondering what his mother could possibly have to say to him, that would take so many sheets of paper. His parents had divorced when he was three, and his mother had remarried _another_ Solo, who was farther up in the royal hierarchy; she had other children by her second husband, and she normally treated Han with profound disinterest. _This can't be good,_ Han sighed apprehensively, sitting back down on his bed to read her letter.

_'Dearest Hannibal,'_ the letter began; Han rolled his eyes, shaking his head wearily. _It's Han, Mom,_ he wanted to tell her, for the hundredth time. _H-A-N... Han. Check my birth certificate._ Han's parents had originally intended to name him after his great-great-grandfather, King Hannibal Solo XVI of Corellia; but his father had gotten distracted while filling out his birth certificate, and had absent-mindedly wandered off after writing the first three letters. But his mother insisted on calling him "Hannibal" anyway, on the rare occasions that she actually remembered him.

_'Dearest Hannibal,_' Han read again, continuing with the letter. _'I hope you are well'... Yeah, yeah,_ Han sighed impatiently, skimming over the formalities. _'I'm enclosing a letter from your father; h__e sent it to me because he'd forgotten your address'..._

_Yes!_ Han grinned, quickly skimming over the rest of his mother's letter before tossing it aside, then opening the smaller, plainer envelope she had enclosed. _I knew it,_ Han sighed with deep relief, grateful that his father was all right. _He just forgot my address again, that's all..._

_'Dear Han,'_ his father had written. _'First off, before I forget - CONGRATULATIONS on passing your combat flight test! Hang on - Shep's begging for a doggy treat - he says hello by the way - Oh! Han, you're not going to believe this - a man from the GNHA came by the other day, and I was showing him some of Jojo's tricks, and - well, long story but Jojo and I are going to the Annual Galactic Nerf Herding Festival next week! Can you believe it?_

Han grinned in amusement; Jojo was a young Nerf, a yearling that his father had lovingly raised since birth, and he had been boasting of Jojo's talents for months now. _I guess he really IS something,_ Han realized, impressed. Nerfs were by nature impossibly capricious, which is why Nerf herding was such a challenging profession; but Jojo had learned to sit, stay, fetch, and even heel...

But now Han cringed apprehensively, remembering his father's phobia. _He can't deal with big crowds..._ That's why he had taken up Nerf herding to begin with, to escape the bustle of Corellia's busy royal capital._ Oh, this is a bad idea,_ Han worried, reading the rest of the letter.

_'I know what you're thinking,'_ his father continued. _''The old man hates crowds' - yeah yeah but Han, this is really something... The GNHA fellow was really impressed with Jojo, said he'd never seen anything like it. So we're off to Naboo for the big festival next week...'_

_Naboo... _Han gasped suddenly, his smile instantly fading. It had been all over the news this past week: Naboo had been hit by a series of devastating earthquakes, centered around the city of Jakili, in the southern hemisphere. Thankfully Lando's home city of Hareno - or 'Reno' as he called it - had been spared, but Jakili had been completely leveled, and several of the surrounding villages had been destroyed as well. Emergency relief crews had been working round the clock this past week, desperately trying to rescue the injured survivors from amidst the rubble_._

_Dad..._ Han held his breath anxiously, tears of dismay filling his eyes as he read the rest of his father's letter. He was on his way to the Annual Nerf Herding Festival in Jakili, Naboo, and was scheduled to arrive... _Nine days ago,_ Han realized, his heart sinking. _No..._

Instantly Han was on his feet, pacing around his room as he tried to think what to do. _If he was in Jakili when the earthquake hit..._ Han had seen the news footage of widespread fires and rampant looting in the streets of Jakili, and he knew his father would completely lose his mind under such chaotic conditions. _That is, if he survived at all..._

_No,_ Han told himself stubbornly, fighting back his tears. _Of course he survived._ But where was he now? Han reasoned that if his father had been injured, he would be in one of the impossibly crowded makeshift hospitals he had seen on the news; and if not... _He's wandering the streets, amidst the fires and looting..._ Han shook his head in disbelief, tears springing to his eyes.

But now his eyes widened as the realization hit him. _Wherever he is, he's frightened, and upset... And when Dad gets upset... Oh no,_ Han blinked worriedly. _This is not good..._ Realizing the dire situation his father was now in, Han made his decision.

_I have to go there,_ Han decided quickly, knowing that there was no other way out of this. _I have to help him... _A moment later he was out the door and on his way to the docking bay, his mind racing as he made his plans.

_I'll say I'm going for a practice flight; we do it all the time, and nobody will notice if one of the X-wings is out for a day or so, especially on the weekend,_ he thought, hoping he could pull this off. _And if anyone comes looking for me, or misses me at mealtime, they'll figure I'm out with Lando,_ he reassured himself. _Lando!_ he remembered now. _I'd better call him..._

A few minutes later, Han was blasting away from Coruscant in one of the military academy's X-wing fighters, setting his coordinates for Naboo. "Lando," he said over his radio transmitter, contacting his friend's work number. "I can't make it for dinner tonight..."

_Yeah, I know,_ Han sighed a minute later, after hanging up with Lando. _This is a crazy idea... But I have to get Dad out of there, before -_ Han shook his head, hoping he wasn't too late. _Hang on, Dad,_ he pleaded, making the jump to lightspeed. _I'm coming..._

_Please, let him be all right,_ Han prayed, sitting back in his pilot's seat and closing his eyes, forcing himself to get some rest as he made the long journey through hyperspace. It wasn't his father's physical safety that concerned him so much, though admittedly he was worried about that too. Han's father was physically strong and healthy, thanks to his active lifestyle as a Nerf herder; if he had been injured in the earthquake, he would have been treated at one of the makeshift medical facilities, and would hopefully recover quickly.

But his mental health was a different story. Arthur Solo's paralyzing fear of crowds had started when he was about Han's age. He'd been given the lead role in his school play, an epic historical drama by Corellia's most revered classical playwright; Arthur had played the part of Maximilian Quintillius, an ancient Corellian warrior-prince who was in love with the beautiful Liriana. Their romance ended tragically, of course; but it was a brilliant story, and Arthur had been honored to win the lead role.

Unfortunately, he had been plagued by stage fright on opening night; seeing the huge audience in front of him, he had panicked and quickly run off stage. But then his drama teacher had instructed him to forget that he was Arthur Solo, and lose himself in the role. _'You ARE Maximilian Quintillius,'_ the teacher had told Arthur, sending him back out onto the stage.

Arthur had heeded his teacher's advice, and the performance had been a smashing success; but unfortunately Arthur's fear of crowds had worsened over time, and now, if he became too stressed and overwhelmed, surrounded by large crowds of people, he had a tendency to slip into his role of Maximilian Quintillius, challenging total strangers to mock duels and loudly proclaiming his love for Liriana for all to hear.

_If he starts doing that stuff in Jakili, they'll send him to the loony bin,_ Han worried. _If the looters don't shoot him first, out of sheer annoyance..._ Han had seen the news reports, and knew that _everyone_ in Jakili was on edge during this chaotic time; the Jedi and local security forces were doing their best to keep things under control, but Han knew they would have little patience for a delusional nutcase like his father.

_Where do I land? _Han wondered several hours later, as he made his descent toward Jakili in southern Naboo, blinking anxiously at the widespread devastation and fires burning throughout the city. If there had ever been a spaceport, it had been completely destroyed by the earthquake; Han had been unable to contact anyone over his transmitter, and so he finally touched down in an area that seemed to be relatively under control.

_It's a war zone,_ Han realized in shock and dismay, hearing the sound of blaster fire several blocks away as he emerged from the cockpit of his X-wing. He was docked outside what appeared to be a makeshift hospital; there were people wandering about in obvious shock, and many others simply sitting or lying amidst the rubble, too weak or injured to move. _This is a nightmare..._

Han was grateful to glimpse a police officer outside the hospital tent, and began to approach him; but suddenly he heard blaster fire coming from nearby, and instinctively he dropped to the ground, crawling behind a ruined wall and wishing he'd brought a blaster too. A moment later he heard the unmistakable hum of a lightsaber, and Han blinked in surprise to see a tall, grey-haired Jedi deflecting the blaster fire, his lightsaber a deadly green blur as he put a quick end to the would-be looters.

_Was that...?_ Han wondered momentarily, thinking he recognized Qui-Gon Jinn from _SITH;_ but the Jedi had already disappeared around the corner, and Han shook his head, sighing with regret. _People are injured and dying everywhere, and still these looters are trying to rob them..._ But the danger was over for the moment, and now he approached the police officer, hoping for advice in locating his father.

"Excuse me," Han asked politely. "I'm trying to find my father," he began; but the officer quickly cut him off, pointing him toward another tent beyond the mobile hospital.

"Ask for Captain Panaka," the police officer told him. "He's in charge here; he's got a list of the known survivors... and the ones who didn't make it," he added, with a solemn nod toward the column of black smoke in the distance, where the bodies of the deceased were being incinerated in an effort to prevent the spread of disease.

Han's heart sank as he realized his father might be amongst those who didn't survive; but he nodded bravely, thanking the officer and continuing on quickly in search of Captain Panaka. He was directed to the far side the large tent that served as Jakili's temporary security headquarters, and Han waited anxiously for the captain to finish speaking with some of his other officers.

"All right... Who are you looking for?" Captain Panaka asked Han now, as he went back to his makeshift desk, where a portable computer terminal was connected to an emergency power generator.

"Arthur Solo," Han replied hopefully, for once grateful for his famous last name.

"Solo?" Panaka asked sharply, looking at Han with surprise. "No, we haven't had any Solos," he said, checking his records just to be sure. "I'm sorry," he apologized, shaking his head; but now he blinked, reconsidering. "Solo," he mused again, furrowing his brows. "That wouldn't be the fruitcake with the Nerf?" he asked hesitantly, giving Han a quizzical look.

"Yes!" Han nodded eagerly, too relieved to be offended. "You've seen him?"

"Yeah," Panaka sighed, nodding. "He's been around for a few days now... Said his name was - Quintillian, wasn't it?" the captain asked the other officers now, who nodded in agreement. "Yeah," Panaka continued, "You might want to check the old clock tower... what's left of it," he added regretfully, pointing toward a half-demolished structure several blocks away. "Last I knew, he was up there."

"Thank you, Captain," Han nodded in relieved gratitude, quickly taking his leave of the security tent and breaking into a run as he made his way through the rubble toward the dilapidated tower. _Please, let him be all right..._

The clock tower was the tallest structure that still remained standing amidst the destruction of Jakili, though the outer stonework had mostly crumbled away, exposing the skeletal durasteel supports. Miraculously, the face of the old clock was still up there; but the minute hand was hopelessly bent, and the hour hand was missing completely...

_No,_ Han laughed despite himself, a wave of relief washing over him. _There it is._ Suddenly the clock's hour hand appeared, not on the clock face itself, but brandished as a sword in the hand of a ragged figure high atop the tower.

"I am Maximilian Quintillius!" the man proclaimed proudly, in a deep, booming, theatrical voice. "I have avenged my people! See, my enemies flee before me! All hail the noble warrior prince!"

_Well,_ Han thought optimistically, as he climbed carefully up the ruined tower to rescue his father. _At least he still remembers his lines._ But as he neared the top, Arthur abandoned his soliloquy in mid-sentence, spinning around and pointing the clock hand threateningly at Han.

"Hark, anon! Who goes there?" he demanded, brandishing his makeshift weapon in one hand, while clutching a young Nerf protectively against his chest with the other. His face was smudged with ashes, and his clothes were tattered and singed; his dark hair was just starting to go grey at the temples, but otherwise he looked just as Han remembered him. _Dad..._ Tears filled his eyes as he saw his father for the first time in ten years.

"Dad," Han cried in profound relief, smiling ecstatically despite his tears. "Dad, it's me..."

"Stay back!" his father warned him sharply; Han blinked worriedly, looking down at the steel beam he was standing on, wondering if it was unstable. But now his father was advancing upon him, sword hand outstretched. "O worthy adversary! O noble Knight! I challenge you to a duel!"

"Dad," Han protested. "Dad, it's me... Han," he explained hopefully, keeping a wary eye on his father's weapon. "I don't want to duel..."

"You have come to steal away my beloved Liriana!" Arthur retorted accusingly. "But I shall fight to the death for the one I love," he vowed. "For in life or in death, we shall never be - "

"Dad!" Han interrupted him. "Dad! It's me, Han... Han Solo," he explained again patiently, with a hopeful look at his father. "Your son... I've come to take you home," he told him gently.

At this, Arthur blinked uncertainly; then he slowly lowered his weapon. "Han?" he asked hesitantly, his expression puzzled. "Han, is that you?" Then tears sprang to his eyes as he recognized him. "Han!" he exclaimed, dropping the clock hand and embracing his son in relieved gratitute. "Oh," he cried in obvious surprise, "You've gotten so big..."

Han hugged his father, tears of relief filling his eyes. "Yeah," he said with an amused grin. "That's what I keep telling you, Dad; I'm not seven any more," he explained once again, hoping that maybe now his father would finally believe him, seeing him in person.

"I know," Arthur nodded apologetically. "Oh, Han, I'm so glad you're here," he confessed, his relief obvious. "The Nerf Herding Festival was cancelled," he told him, shaking his head in dismay.

"You don't say?" Han asked, feigning surprise. But now he grinned, peering at the young Nerf in his father's arms. "Is this Jojo?"

"Yes," Arthur beamed, scratching Jojo's head affectionately. "Isn't he something?"

"Yeah, he's... something," Han agreed amiably, admiring the Nerf's golden eyes, perfect little spiral horns, and delicate cloven hoofs. Jojo blinked at him now, and Han couldn't help smiling as he stroked his soft grey fur. _It's been a long time since I've seen one of these,_ he realized wistfully. _Too long..._"Come on," he told his father now, nodding toward the half-destroyed stairway. "Let's go home."

A few minutes later they were back at the emergency compound, and Han returned Captain Panaka's wave, giving him the thumbs up sign as he escorted his father toward his X-wing fighter. "Here you go, Dad," he said, opening the cockpit as his father placed Jojo in the back, then began to climb in after him; but now Han became aware of a child's voice behind him, and he turned, frowning in surprise.

"Wait!" A young girl yelled urgently, hurrying toward him with a smaller child in her arms. "Her burns are infected, and she has a bad fever; she needs to get to a hospital right away," the girl explained quickly, trying to pass the injured child to him. "All the hospitals on Naboo are full; but you can take her to Cerea..."

Han's heart sank at the sight of the burned child. She was deathly pale, and moaning weakly in the older girl's arms. But Cerea was several parsecs away, in the opposite direction from Dantooine and Coruscant; Han would barely make it back to school in time as it was. And to make matters worse, his father was now glancing around nervously at the surrounding chaos, mumbling pathetically about Liriana. _Oh, this is not good..._

"I'm sorry," Han apologized. "I'm not going to Cerea."

"You _have _to," the girl protested. "She'll die, if she doesn't get - "

"I am Maximilian Quintillius," his father declared importantly, adopting a proud, theatrical stance. _Dad, not now..._ The older girl was glaring at them now, her dark eyes burning with contempt.

"Sorry, kid," Han apologized again, shaking his head; then he quickly helped his father into the back of his X-wing, strapping him into the emergency passenger seat before hopping into the pilot's seat himself, starting the engine and taking off from the ruins of Jakili as fast as he could. _Ahh, this completely sucks,_ he lamented, tears filling his eyes as he thought of the burned child again; but he had come to rescue his father, not the entire population of Jakili...

_I'm not even supposed to be here,_ Han reminded himself stubbornly, setting his coordinates for Dantooine and making the jump to lightspeed. _I'm late as it is..._ Han had seen the massive funeral pyres in Jakili; he knew that many people had already died of burns and injuries. _Saving one more wouldn't make much of a difference,_ he confessed, though his heart ached as the severity of the disaster hit him. _All those people have lost their homes, and many have lost their families..._ Han shook his head, forcing his thoughts away.

_Focus on the mission,_ he reminded himself, falling back on the combat training he had received in school. _The mission is what matters._ And Han's mission was to rescue his father from the horrors of Jakili, and escort him safely back home to Dantooine, where his Nerfs were certainly running wild in his absence.

"I wonder how Shep is doing with the herd," his father mused, holding Jojo on his lap and scratching his pointy little ears as they made the long journey through hyperspace.

Han smiled regretfully, setting his other thoughts aside as he focused on the matter at hand. "I'm sure he's doing fine, Dad," he told his father. Shep was their trusty Nerf hound; Han had many fond memories from when he was just a pup. _It will be good to see him again, _he sighed wistfully, grateful for the chance to spend a little time with his father, despite the unfortunate circumstances.

It was wonderful catching up with him, as they made their way back toward Dantooine. They talked for hours, about Nerf herding, military school, and Han's dreams for the future; his father listened with wistful pride, nodding affectionately as Han told him of his plans to become a freighter pilot, and have his own ship.

But several hours later, Han blinked in sleepy surprise as his navicomputer beeped, indicating that they were approaching Dantooine. _I must have fallen asleep..._ "Dad," Han said gently, rousing his father in the back seat. "Dad, wake up... We're home," he announced cheerfully.

A few minutes later they were touching down in the rolling hill country of Dantooine, and Han grinned ecstatically as Shep bounded toward him, wagging his tail and barking in happy greeting as he jumped up, licking Han's face. "Hey, Shep!" Han grinned, scruffing his fur affectionately. "You old mutt... You haven't changed a bit," he realized, delighted.

But now he cringed worriedly at the sight before him: dozens of Nerfs frolicking in the hills, all scampering off in opposite directions, taking advantage of the few short seconds that Shep had abandoned his duties. Han looked over at his father now, and they shared a knowing nod.

"AAAAAaaaaahhhhhhh!" Han yelled at the top of his lungs, charging at the herd from one side while his father took the other, with Shep barking happily, covering the gap between them. Startled by the two insane humans and barking hound, the Nerfs sprang wildly in random directions; but eventually Han, Arthur, and Shep managed to herd them all back into their pen outside the little cabin.

"You haven't lost your touch," Arthur congratulated Han proudly, patting him on the back. "Come on; let's make some dinner," he said cheerfully, leading the way into the cabin.

But Han hung his head, sighing. "I can't," he admitted reluctantly, nodding toward his borrowed X-wing. "I have to get back to school, before someone notices I'm gone," he told his father, with an apologetic smile.

"All right," his father agreed, nodding quietly. "It was good seeing you, Han," he said wistfully, hugging him goodbye.

"It's good to see you too, Dad," Han agreed, with a regretful smile. "Another year, and then I'll be done," he reminded his father. "And then I'll be able to spend more time here," he promised, climbing back into his X-wing.

"Good luck back at school," his father said, waving goodbye. "Study hard," he added cheerfully.

"I will," Han promised, nodding; and then with a final wave, he was off, leaving the rolling hills of Dantooine behind him and setting his coordinates once again for Coruscant. _Hopefully no one has missed me... or the X-wing, _he cringed, making the jump to lightspeed and praying that his absence had gone unnoticed. Lando had promised to cover for him, and would say they were out together, in case anyone asked.

But as he emerged from hyperspace and made his descent toward Coruscant, Han was dismayed to find himself suddenly flanked by two traffic control officers, their red and blue lights flashing. "X-wing 3226, you are operating a stolen vessel," an authoritative voice informed him over the transmitter. "You are required to land immediately. We will escort you to Coruscant's main spaceport, dock nineteen..."

* * *

><p><em>Later that evening...<em>

"I'm sorry, Han," Lando said, as they half-heartedly watched this week's _SITH _broadcast together in Lando's apartment. It had been a busy afternoon: after bailing Han out of jail, Lando had returned with him to the military academy, pleading his friend's case and begging the headmaster for leniency; but in the end Han had been expelled from the academy, and since he was still underage, tomorrow he would be taking a transport back to his father's home on Dantooine.

Han sighed unhappily, slumping forward as he sat on Lando's couch. "It's not your fault," he said. "You _told_ me it was a crazy idea," he admitted, managing a rueful smile.

"Yeah," Lando agreed ruefully. "I did." He grinned, and Han gave him an indignant look, then shook his head, laughing dejectedly. "You know, you should listen to me more often," Lando added, with a meaningful look. _I've seen the future. YOUR future. I know things that no one else in this galaxy has any idea about. _"It's going to be all right, Han," he reassured him. "It's not the end of the world."

"I know," Han nodded dully. "Thanks," he added. "Well, at least I get to spend some time with my dad," he pointed out, trying to look on the bright side; but then he sighed. "I don't know, Lando," he confessed. "Maybe I should just stick with Nerf herding... it's what I'm good at," he admitted, holding his head in his hands.

"Nah," Lando said, giving Han an encouraging smile. "Don't give up, buddy," he counseled his friend. "You're the best damned pilot I've ever met," he insisted, as Han smiled weakly, grateful for his reassurance. "You'll get your ship one day," he told Han, patting him on the back. _The Millennium Falcon; the fastest ship in the galaxy..._

"It's going to be all right, Han," Lando reassured him, with a knowing smile. "I promise."


	99. Leia begins her humanitarian work

**Chapter 99**

"She's gone, Leia," Qui-Gon said gently, putting a hand on her shoulder.

Leia stared in numb shock at the burned child, her eyes welling with tears. The little girl had been alive just moments ago; but _now_... "Sweetheart, she's gone," Qui-Gon repeated softly, wrapping his arms around Leia and pulling her close.

But Leia still gazed in anguished disbelief at the young girl lying on the makeshift hospital cot. _Tania..._ Like most of the earthquake victims, she was a southern Nabooan, with black hair, dark eyes, and sun-bronzed skin; her name meant "hope" in the language of her ancestors, and tears of dismay filled Leia's eyes as she finally turned away from the child, clinging desperately to her grandfather and weeping bitterly.

"I'm sorry, Leia," Qui-Gon said gently, stroking her hair; amidst the chaos of this past week, Leia had stopped bothering to do her hair properly days ago, and now it hung straight and limp, nearly to her waist. She was dressed in baggy red pants and a teal-blue tunic that Captain Typho had found for her amidst the rubble; her own clothes had been ruined on her first day here.

_So much has changed, in just a few days,_ Leia realized sadly, looking around the hospital tent at the other injured survivors. Only a week ago, Leia had been safely at home in her mother's apartment on Coruscant, watching an old re-run of _JEDI _with Captain Typho; it was actually her parents' very first appearance on the show, and Leia had giggled to see how tiny her father had been, and how silly Obi-Wan looked without his beard.

But then her mother had received an emergency holo transmission from the Queen of Naboo; Leia and Typho had listened worriedly as the Queen informed Padmé of the terrible earthquake that had struck Jakili. Padmé had agreed to ask for emergency aid from the Galactic Senate, and the Queen had already mobilized Naboo's disaster relief forces; Leia had nodded obediently as her mother assured her that the situation was under control, and that they were doing everything they could to help the earthquake survivors.

Leia had reluctantly gone back to the living room, half-heartedly watching the rest of the _JEDI_ re-run; but her heart ached as she thought of the people of Jakili, whose city was now destroyed. Leia had been to Jakili a few times; it was a beautiful tropical city, sunny and warm year round, and it had always been one of Naboo's most popular vacation spots. _But not any more,_ Leia had realized in dismay, seeing the first images of the destruction on the news during a commercial break in her _JEDI_ broadcast.

Leia hadn't been able to shake the terrible, aching feeling deep inside as she continued to watch her show; but then she had received unexpected counsel, from the most unlikely of sources. _"Mom, you say the biggest problem in this universe is that nobody helps each other,"_ her father had said with all of his nine-year-old wisdom, playing the part of a little slave boy. His words had had a profound impact on Leia, and she had taken them to heart, begging her mother to allow her to come to Jakili in person, to help with the relief effort.

At first her mother had been opposed to the idea; but finally she had relented, on the condition that Qui-Gon and Captain Typho come along to act as Leia's personal bodyguards. Padmé herself was busy dealing with the political repercussions of the disaster, appealing to the Galactic Senate and working with Naboo's parliament in Theed to administrate the rescue and rebuilding effort; but Leia had been working here in the trenches of Jakili for the past week, tending to the injured survivors and doing whatever she could to help the victims of this terrible disaster.

For the past three days she had been taking care of little Tania; the girl's parents had been killed in the fire that left Tania badly burned, and Leia had sat for hours beside her cot, telling her stories and singing to her softly in an effort to ease her pain. But now Tania was dead; Leia averted her gaze helplessly, a tear escaping down her cheek as another volunteer took the little girl away, to the funeral pyres outside the city.

Sensing her grief, Qui-Gon put a comforting hand on her shoulder now, his blue eyes filled with sympathy. "Do you want me to take you home?" he asked, with a tender, apologetic smile. Leia was grateful for her grandfather's comforting presence, and remembered for a moment that she was only seven years old, and just a child herself; but she shook her head bravely, sniffing back her tears.

"No," she told him, blinking unhappily. "I want to stay." _I am a princess of Naboo; these are my people, and they need my help._

Qui-Gon nodded, a glimmer of pride in his eyes as he gave her a subtle, approving smile. "All right, then," he agreed, patting her on the shoulder as they continued on their rounds. "Let's see if we can't make ourselves useful," he said, smiling to the woman in the next cot. "Hello, Mika," Qui-Gon nodded, as the woman smiled back at them gratefully. "How is your hand feeling?" he asked, kneeling beside her to check her bandages.

Mika managed a brave smile, but Leia could tell she was in a lot of pain. "It really hurts," she confessed reluctantly, as Qui-Gon nodded seriously, sensing her intense discomfort.

"Let me take a look," he said gently, carefully unwrapping the gauze bandages from her burned hand. Leia watched, trying to learn all that she could about emergency medical care; but now she gasped anxiously, her heart sinking as she saw Mika's badly swollen hand. _It looks like Tania's burns, after they got infected,_ she realized with dismay.

"The wound is infected," Qui-Gon informed her quietly. "You'll need a Bacta treatment right away; I'll try to get you on the next transport to Cerea," he promised; but Leia knew that the hospitals in Cerea were nearly as overcrowded as the ones on Naboo, and that Mika's life was now in serious danger. _She'll die if she doesn't get to a hospital... Just like Tania, and so many of the others..._

Mika nodded, understanding; but now Captain Panaka came into the hospital tent to speak with Qui-Gon. "Cerea's hospitals are full; they can't take any more patients," Panaka informed him. The burn units on Coruscant, Alderaan, and Corellia had been filled up days ago, after accepting the first wave of disaster victims. "Senator Amidala is making a request before the Senate today, pleading for other humanoid planets to donate their medical services and facilities; we're hoping to hear word from her later this afternoon."

Qui-Gon nodded calmly, but Leia saw a flicker of disturbance in his blue eyes as he finished speaking with Panaka. _Mika needs help NOW..._ Tears stung Leia's eyes as she realized she might lose yet another friend. Mika had been helping Leia to care for the others this past week; her own injuries had been relatively minor, and her hand had been healing well, until last night, when she had come down with a mild fever.

"Mika," Qui-Gon said gently, as Captain Panaka returned to the security headquarters. "It's likely the infection will spread, before we're able to get you to a hospital," he told her, his voice filled with regret. "Mika, we can save your life... but you'll lose your hand," he informed her quietly, as Mika nodded in tearful understanding. She had watched far too many others die this past week, and understood that in the absence of any other choices, amputation in the early stages of infection could mean the difference between life and death.

Leia shuddered, tears filling her eyes; but she reached out to hold Mika's good hand now, sensing her friend's fear and doing what she could to comfort her. "Don't worry, Mika," Leia sniffed, choking back a frightened sob. "It's going to be all right... We'll get you a - a mechanical hand, and you'll be just as good as new... You're going to be okay, Mika; I promise," she vowed tearfully.

But as the surgical droid was brought in and Mika was put under anaesthesia, Qui-Gon pulled Leia gently aside. "Leia," he said quietly, his expression regretful. "Don't make promises that you can't keep. Disaster relief provides for basic medical treatment, but..." He shook his head in regret. "Leia, mechanical appendages are expensive; only the very wealthy can afford them," Qui-Gon explained, as Leia blinked tearfully, nodding.

"I'm sorry," Leia apologized, still choking back tears of horror, and dismayed that she had made things worse.

"I know, sweetheart," Qui-Gon said tenderly, patting her on the shoulder. "You've been a wonderful help. Don't worry," he assured her. "But we can't make false promises to these people," he chided her. "Mika understands; she knows she's not likely to get a mechanical replacement," he told Leia regretfully. "But Force willing, she will survive, and make the best of it."

Leia nodded, accepting her grandfather's counsel; but then she shook her head in dismay. "I _promised_ her," she lamented. "What if - what if I sell all my jewelry?" she asked. _They're REAL jewels; they should be worth a lot..._ "And all my fancy dresses?" After spending a week in Jakili, suddenly none of those things mattered any more.

Qui-Gon smiled wistfully. "It still wouldn't be enough for a custom-built mechanical limb, and the related medical expenses," he told her. "But it would be _something_," he agreed, with a fond smile.

"Well... What if I got other people to sell _their _fancy things too? My mom has lots of stuff she never wears," Leia pointed out; but now Qui-Gon was giving her one of his indulgent, grandfatherly smiles, and Leia's heart sank as she realized it was just a stupid childish idea.

"You have a good heart, Leia," Qui-Gon told her, smiling. "And you have friends in the right places," he confessed, his eyes twinkling with affection. "If you can find enough people who are willing to help your cause... It's possible," he agreed, nodding.

"Thank you, Master," Leia sniffed. "I want to try," she confessed. _Even if I can only help one person..._

Qui-Gon nodded cheerfully; but now he stood up, looking out past the tent toward the decimated streets beyond, where Leia could now hear the sound of blaster fire in the distance. "I think it's time I made my presence noticed again," Qui-Gon remarked wryly, sharing an amused smile with Leia as he headed for the exit. "Stay inside the tent; I'll be back in a few minutes," he promised, as always.

Leia smiled appreciatively, nodding as her grandfather went out to do battle with the looters; but after he was gone she hung her head, tears stinging her eyes once again as she was overwhelmed by the magnitude of this disaster. _If I sell everything I own, and get everyone I know to help, maybe - MAYBE - I can keep my promise to Mika,_ Leia hoped. _But what about the hundreds of other people?_ she wondered, looking around the hospital tent helplessly.

_These people are not wealthy,_ Leia realized._ Most of them are either farmers, or make their living through tourism... because everyone wants to visit their unspoiled country and their quaint, old-fashioned cities,_ Leia sighed. _But when they're in trouble and desperately need help, their lives suddenly aren't worth as much as other people's,_ Leia thought indignantly, remembering once again the young pilot who had flown all the way out here to rescue an important dignitary - Maximilian something-or-other - at the expense of an innocent child's life. _Tania would have survived, if that stupid pilot had taken her to Cerea yesterday,_ Leia cried bitterly, tears stinging her eyes. _The man he rescued wasn't even injured..._

But she set aside her anger and grief now as she got up to make her rounds through the hospital tent, checking on patients to see if they needed help, but mostly just smiling bravely and talking with them. Many of them were injured much more severely than Mika; Leia's heart ached as she realized that aside from receiving emergency medical care, these people would have to live the rest of their lives with terrible scars and disabling injuries. _How can they be expected to rebuild Jakili, when they are just as broken as their city?_ Leia wondered helplessly.

_I WILL keep my promise to Mika,_ Leia told herself stubbornly. _But it's not enough,_ she lamented, fighting tears of dismay as she continued to make her rounds through the hospital tent. _There has to be something more I can do..._

* * *

><p>Mika stirred, regaining consciousness as the effects of the anaesthesia wore off. <em>Where am I?<em> she wondered vaguely, surprised to find herself in some type of tent, with people coming and going everywhere; but then she remembered. _Oh. _Drowsily blinking away her disorientation, she managed to lift her head, glancing down at where her right hand should have been. Tears filled her eyes as she saw the bandaged stump of her arm, and she closed her eyes again, laying her head back weakly against the cot.

_It's gone,_ she realized, still numb from the events of this past week. Mika had lost her family as well; her parents and two brothers ran a hotel here in Jakili, and had been killed instantly in the first quake. But Mika had left the family business years ago, pursuing her dream of becoming an artist. She had been outside the city when the earthquake hit, painting a landscape scene of the surrounding hills to sell on consignment in one of Jakili's many tourist gift shops; she had immediately rushed back home to her parents' hotel, only to find the entire city block reduced to burning ashes.

Mika didn't even remember how she had burned her hand. Everything had been so chaotic that first day; Mika had done what she could to help rescue the other injured survivors from amidst the fire and rubble, and she had been shocked and surprised later that evening, when an emergency relief volunteer had finally noticed with concern that her own hand was badly burned and blistering.

_I didn't think it was that serious,_ Mika blinked tearfully, daring to look at it again. _And now it's gone..._ Mika's passion was for painting, and fine craftwork; but without her right hand... _I don't know what I'm going to do,_ she confessed hopelessly, still shocked by the horrifying devastation of her city, and the even more painful loss of her parents and brothers. _I don't know what any of us are going to do._

But now she became aware of a young girl approaching her hospital cot, and Mika managed a brave smile. "Hi, Leia," she mumbled, surprised by how slurred her voice sounded. _I guess the anaesthesia is still wearing off._

"Hi Mika." Leia smiled tenderly, her brown eyes filled with concern and regret. "How are you feeling?"

"All right," Mika nodded, smiling weakly. "Mostly," she confessed quietly, struggling to hold back her tears. _Don't cry in front of the Princess._ Like all of Jakili's survivors, Mika had found comfort this week in the fact that at least _someone_ from Theed had cared enough to come down here in person. _Leia is a sweet girl,_ Mika thought fondly now, grateful for her presence. _She has a big heart._

Leia nodded now, smiling apologetically; Mika saw the deep compassion and empathy in her eyes, and remembered once again that this disaster touched the young princess closer to heart than she let on. _She's one of us,_ Mika realized quietly, noting Leia's dark hair and eyes. She had the fair complexion of northern Naboo, but everyone on the planet knew that Leia was Captain Typho's child, and that southern blood ran through her veins as well. _We are her people,_ Mika smiled proudly, tears in her eyes. _And she cares for us._

"Mika," Leia continued hesitantly. "What I said earlier... I didn't know," she apologized, looking down. "I didn't know, how expensive mechanical replacements were," she confessed sadly, with a helpless shrug.

"I know, sweetheart," Mika said, smiling. "It's all right."

"No... It isn't," Leia protested, frowning. "Mika, I'm going to do everything I can, to raise the money - and not just for you, but - " she broke off uncertainly, giving Mika a pleading look. "If I tell you something... Will you promise not to laugh?" she asked softly.

Mika smiled tenderly at the girl. "All right," she agreed solemnly. "I promise."

"All right," Leia nodded appreciatively. "I've been thinking... There's only so much money that the Senate and Parliament can send down here, to help the people of Jakili," she admitted, as Mika nodded in quiet understanding. "And it's not enough, to help everybody who needs - " she broke off, blinking tearfully at Mika's bandaged arm. "But I know _so_ many people, who have more money than they know what to do with," Leia protested, her brows furrowing. "Mika, I have so much jewelry, and so many fancy dresses - most of them I've already outgrown," she confessed. "I don't need all of that stuff," she insisted stubbornly. "If I sold some of my fancy things... It wouldn't be much, but it would be _something_," Leia suggested, with a hopeful look at Mika.

Mika smiled appreciatively. "That's very kind of you, Leia," she told her. "I think it's a wonderful idea, especially for some of the things you've outgrown," she agreed, nodding in approval. "And if you want to sell some of your jewelry," Mika sighed. "You have a good heart," she told Leia. "And every little bit helps," she agreed quietly, with an encouraging smile.

Leia nodded, grateful for Mika's input; but now she blinked tearfully, hanging her head. "Mika, Tania's dead."

"I know," Mika replied gently; she had seen it coming since yesterday. "I'm sorry, Leia."

Leia nodded absently, still grief-stricken. "I was thinking," she confessed softly, her brown eyes filled with sadness. "Her name meant _hope_... and - " Leia broke off hesitantly. "This is probably really dumb," she sniffed, wiping away a stray tear. "But I made up a name, for - I don't know... _Something,_" Leia sighed, shaking her head regretfully. "Don't laugh?" she asked Mika again.

"All right," Mika said, smiling encouragingly.

"I was thinking about it, and - _Tania... Hope..._ It could stand for - " Leia shrugged shyly, clearly self-conscious. "Helping Other People... Everywhere... maybe?" She cringed in embarrassment. "I know, that's probably really stupid, but - if I could get other people to donate _their_ fancy jewelry and things they don't need too, maybe all together, if everybody helped a little bit - "

"There could be HOPE," Mika whispered, tears springing to her eyes. _Only a child would think up something so naive, yet so perfect._ "Leia, I think it's a wonderful idea," she told her, smiling in proud approval.

"Thank you," Leia nodded, though her expression was still apologetic. "Mika, I want to try," she confessed. "But I'm afraid - people will laugh at me," she admitted, tears springing to her eyes. Then she looked up at Mika, pleading. "Will you help me?"

Mika smiled tenderly, her own eyes welling with tears. _Why not. I've got nothing better to do. _"Of course," she promised the young princess. "I would be honored," she assured her, playfully reaching out her left hand to seal the agreement.

Leia grinned, sighing in relief as they shook hands rather awkwardly. "Thank you, Mika." She smiled gratefully, her eyes sparkling with anticipation as her dream of HOPE started to become a reality. But now Mika looked up as another figure approached: Captain Typho, who had just returned from his last hospital run to Cerea, bringing food and other supplies back to Jakili.

"Leia!" the captain exclaimed in obvious relief, coming quickly toward her. "Where is Master Qui-Gon?" he asked, concerned for her safety.

"He's out dealing with the looters," Leia told him. "It's all right; don't worry," she assured Typho, with an affectionate smile. "Captain Panaka's men are patrolling this whole area."

_What a nightmare,_ Mika laughed to herself secretly, observing Leia's princessy attitude toward her father. _To have to play the servant to your own daughter._ But Leia was a sweet girl, and Typho had a good sense of humor; they made it all work out somehow.

"I'm heading off to Cerea again," Typho said regretfully, nodding toward the silver Nubian vessel docked outside the tent. "Their hospitals are all full; we can't bring them any more patients, but they're giving us some more supplies," he informed her. "Will you be all right?" he asked Leia with fatherly concern, placing a hand gently on her shoulder.

Leia nodded confidently. "I'll be fine," she assured him, managing a cheery smile. "Mika here is looking after me," she added, sharing a secret grin with Mika now.

"Ah." Typho grinned as he gave Mika a look of heartfelt appreciation. "Mika," he nodded respectfully as he offered his left hand, shaking hers. "Take good care of her," he said, stroking Leia's scraggly hair.

"I will," Mika promised, sharing an amused smile with the tall, handsome captain. After everything that had happened this week, it felt so good to laugh, even if just for a moment... But then, with a quick appreciative nod, Typho was gone, leaving Mika and Leia alone once again.

Leia was still smiling, a fond twinkle in her brown eyes as Captain Typho climbed up the gangplank onto his ship once again. Mika watched him thoughtfully, admiring his strong, sure-footed strides... Then she blinked in concern, disturbed by her own feelings. _Don't look at him like that,_ she chided herself, vaguely horrified. _He's Senator Amidala's husband, and Leia's father,_ she reminded herself. _Ahh, the anaesthesia is making me loopy, _Mika realized, hoping that Captain Typho hadn't noticed the way she'd looked at him.

_Of course not,_ Mika reassured herself, blinking in embarrassment. _He has far more important things to worry about right now..._ But Leia had caught her admiring glance, and gave Mika a secret smile now. "He's really nice," Leia offered shyly, shrugging. _Aw,_ Mika realized regretfully. _She's trying to make excuses for their obvious closeness, to cover up for the fact that he's her father._

"Yes," Mika agreed wistfully, with a tender smile. "He is."


	100. And brings HOPE to the galaxy!

**Chapter 100**

_Six months later..._

"Dex!" Leia exclaimed happily, hurrying to the door to greet him.

"Leia!" Dex grinned, setting down the big box he had been carrying and embracing the princess in an affectionate bear hug. "So, this the new store, eh?" he asked, looking around at the displays of fancy clothing, jewelry, and artwork, obviously impressed.

"Yes!" Leia grinned, delighted. Tonight was the grand opening of the first HOPE store on Coruscant, and she had been working very hard to get everything ready. "Oh!" Leia exclaimed, remembering her manners. "This is Mika," she told Dex, as Mika smiled shyly at the big, burly alien. "Mika, this is Dex; he runs the best diner on Coruscant."

"Hello, Dex," Mika nodded politely, instinctively offering her left hand in greeting; but now she quickly withdrew it, remembering. _Ah! I actually HAVE a right hand..._ Cringing in apology, she reached out her new mechanical hand now, still feeling rather self-conscious and awkward about it.

But alas, amidst the confusion Dex was now having equal difficulty deciding which of _his_ hands to extend in greeting, and finally he gave up, raising all four arms in an attitude of helpless defeat and chuckling in amusement as he embraced Mika good-naturedly. "Mika," he said, smiling. "It's nice to meet you... Welcome to Coruscant."

"Thank you." Mika smiled in shy appreciation; she had only just arrived on Coruscant today, and was still feeling rather overwhelmed by the vast city, with its hundred-storey skyscrapers, busy traffic, and aliens of every species imaginable wandering the streets.

She had wanted to come here a week ago, when Leia and Typho had first discovered the vacant store location; Mika had been busy managing their original HOPE store in Theed for the past three months, and had been excited by the prospect of opening another store on Coruscant. But Leia had stubbornly reminded her of her promise: once the Theed store was up and running, with money coming in to "Help Other People Everywhere," Mika had agreed to have her own needs looked after. And so just four days ago she had been fitted with a brand-new robotic hand; Master Qui-Gon had come to personally escort her to Coruscant this morning, just in time for the grand opening.

Dex had been looking around curiously at the items for sale, admiring some of Leia's dresses. "Aw, this one's adorable," he remarked, holding up a little white satin dress embroidered with colorful sequins, with a delicate chiffon skirt. "I don't think it would fit me though," he sighed, holding it up to himself experimentally before putting it reluctantly back on the rack, shaking his head.

"Haha," Leia giggled, amused. "You and me both," she admitted, nodding in commiseration; Leia had just turned eight, and was growing like a weed these days.

"Oh!" Dex remembered. "I brought you a cake," he said cheerfully, opening the box and showing it to them. _'Grand Opening - HOPE - Helping Other People Everywhere,'_ he had written neatly in white frosting, with colorful little planets adorning the sky-blue background, each planet inhabited by a cute little plastic toy figure.

"Oh! Dex, it's beautiful," Leia exclaimed in delight, admiring his work. "There's Naboo; and Cerea," she said, seeing the cone-headed alien figure. "Mon Calamari... Iridonia," she noted, spotting a Zabrak. "Cato Neimoidia... Kashyyyk... Hey," Leia pouted worriedly. "What about Ojom?" she asked, noticing that Dex had forgotten to include his own home planet.

"Ahh." Dex grinned, shaking his head. "I used up all the Besalisks last week, for my son's birthday cake," he apologized cheerfully. "Oh!" he remembered, pulling out an envelope that had been tucked inside the cake box. "Here are some gift certificates, for your raffle tonight," he said good-naturedly, handing them to Leia.

"Thank you, Dex." Leia smiled with heartfelt appreciation, hugging him again. "I really appreciate all of your help... Can you make it tonight?" she asked, as Dex headed for the door again.

"Wouldn't miss it for the world," Dex nodded cheerfully. "Although it'll probably only be for a few minutes; Saturday nights are my busiest," he confessed. "Good luck, to both of you," he said, heading out the door. "I'll see you tonight."

"Thanks, Dex!" Leia called after him again; then she smiled, admiring his cake once again. "Can you believe it, Mika?" she asked, her brown eyes sparkling excitedly. "It's working... It's really working," she said, hardly daring to believe it herself. "Everyone has been so helpful," she added in quiet amazement, overwhelmed by the outpouring of donations they had received.

Mika smiled, nodding in agreement; over the past six months they had already raised thousands of credits to help the people of Jakili. She and Leia had started out small, going door to door in Theed and asking people to donate things that they didn't need; at first they had sold them through HoloNet auctions, packaging everything up in little boxes and mailing them all over the galaxy.

But three months ago they had decided to open a little gift shop in Theed, and business had skyrocketed since then. Some of the most popular items in their Theed store were handmade crafts, made by the children of Jakili themselves. The rebuilding effort in Jakili was going well, and with the opening of their Coruscant store today, HOPE would begin to raise money for people in need all over the galaxy.

"It really is HOPE now," Leia sighed happily, looking around their new store in wonder. "Not just 'HOP'," she giggled, sharing an amused grin with Mika. Until today, they had been focusing their efforts on helping the people of Jakili, and Leia had felt a bit self-conscious about the name.

"Yes, it is," Mika agreed, laughing. But now she looked up as several more visitors arrived: Qui-Gon Jinn, accompanied by both of his ex-padawans, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Cory Suncatcher, along with Obi-Wan's ex-padawan, Anakin Skywalker. _They all came for the opening of the Theed store too,_ Mika remembered, smiling in appreciation as she and Leia greeted the Jedi visitors. _Master Qui-Gon has been so kind, to get some of his other Jedi friends involved in our cause._

Cory was carrying a big box, which he set down on a nearby table, as Leia peered inside excitedly. "I had all the younglings make jewelry this week," Cory said cheerfully, as Mika came over to admire their work. "They did pretty well, eh?"

"They're beautiful!" Leia agreed, pulling out handfuls of colorful little bead bracelets and necklaces that the Jedi younglings had made, nodding in admiration. "Thank you, Cory," she said, giving him a big hug.

Cory grinned affectionately, hugging her back; then he pulled something else out of the box. "I made this today," he offered, handing Leia a rather large, asymmetrical blob of clay pottery, painted and glazed in a multicolor abstract pattern.

"Oh," Leia blinked, peering at it in surprise. "What is it?" she asked, frowning doubtfully and giving Cory a skeptical look.

_Oh dear,_ Mika cringed worriedly. _Leia doesn't know..._ Mika had been managing their Theed store on her own for this past month, while Leia had been here on Coruscant, busy with school and working toward opening the new store; she didn't realize that Cory wasn't simply an Arts and Crafts teacher, but was a brilliant abstract artist in his own right. He had donated a few of his other works to the Theed store, and they had sold for hundreds of credits each. People from all over the galaxy clamored for the chance to own a Cory Suncatcher original.

"Um," Cory shrugged modestly, with an apologetic grin. "It's, uh..."

"It's lovely," Mika broke in quickly, giving him an appreciative smile and taking the masterpiece sculpture from Leia now, setting it carefully on a display table. "Cory, thank you so much," she told the young artist with heartfelt gratitude, embarrassed by Leia's lack of tact. _Most of the time she has such perfect manners, but once in a while she can be a real little snot,_ she sighed worriedly. "It's... amazing," Mika assured Cory now, as the young Jedi grinned in appreciation, nodding cheerfully.

"I'm sorry," Mika added in a low voice, as Leia continued to show Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan, and Anakin around the store. "She doesn't understand," Mika apologized to Cory; but now she smiled shyly. "Not that I'm an expert either," she confessed, with an admiring glance at his latest sculpture. Before she had lost her hand, Mika had been quite good at painting landscapes and nature scenes; but the very best of her works had sold for around fifty credits, whereas Cory's brilliant abstract masterpieces - which he had so generously donated to HOPE over the past few months - typically went for ten times as much.

"It's all right," Cory assured her, his blue eyes twinkling in fond amusement as he gazed across the room at the little princess. "Actually, between you and me?" he whispered conspiratorially, casting a bemused glance at his latest sculpture. "I don't know what it is either," he confessed with a mischievous grin.

_He's so modest about his work,_ Mika sighed, smiling fondly at the talented young Jedi artist. Cory was only twenty-one, and looked even younger; but he had already been knighted for three years now, and was generously sharing his talents with the younglings at the Jedi Temple, where he worked as a humble Arts and Crafts teacher. "Well," Mika said. "It's very kind of you, Cory; I'm sure someone will treasure it - " _whatever it is,_ she wondered once again - "and the money will go to help someone who needs it desperately," Mika assured him.

The other three Jedi approached them now, having admired the rest of the store, and Anakin stopped suddenly, blinking in dismay as he saw Leia's white satin dress for sale. "Aw," he sighed, picking it up and admiring it wistfully. "This one doesn't fit you any more?" he asked the princess, with a sad little pout; Mika smiled, amused to see the fierce young Jedi Knight's sentimental side.

"No," Leia admitted, with an apologetic look. But Obi-Wan had caught Mika's glimmer of amusement, and was now giving his ex-padawan a stern warning look. Anakin shrugged, hanging the little dress back on the rack. _Haha_, Mika laughed quietly to herself. _These Jedi act so serious most of the time, but sometimes they amuse the heck out of me,_ she had to admit.

But now she looked up to see some more newcomers in the doorway: Senator Amidala was here, along with Captain Typho. "Mom!" Leia exclaimed happily, hugging her; the four Jedi smiled in greeting, with murmurs of _'Milady'_ as they nodded politely. Leia proudly showed her mother around the store, pointing out the latest acquisitions, and Mika realized with surprise that it was already five o'clock; other people would soon be arriving for the grand opening.

She smiled now as Captain Typho came over to greet her. "Mika," he nodded, with a cheerful grin. "It's so good to see you." Mika couldn't help smiling at the lovely sound of his voice, with his soft, familiar southern Naboo accent. _He sounds like home,_ she realized wistfully, feeling a momentary twinge of homesickness. Mika had been staying with Leia's grandparents in Theed for most of these past six months, and it had been comforting to talk with Typho from time to time, when he and Padmé visited.

"I hear the surgery went well?" Typho asked hopefully, with a politely curious glance at her new mechanical hand.

"Oh! Yes," Mika nodded, experimentally flexing her robotic fingers; then she cringed in embarrassment, crossing her arms to hide her new mechanical hand. "Ah, that's really creepy, isn't it?" she laughed nervously, self-conscious.

"No," Typho assured her, with an encouraging smile. "Actually, I'm jealous; I'm still waiting for them to invent a mechanical eye," he joked, his good eye twinkling with amusement.

"Ha," Mika laughed, grateful for his sense of humor. Typho had lost his eye many years ago, during Padmé's final year as Queen of Naboo; she had received a death threat from an escaped mental patient who threatened to blow up the royal palace, and Typho had chased the man deep inside the palace's central reactor core, where he had finally apprehended him. But Typho had been badly injured in the struggle; his left eye had been grazed by blaster fire at close range, and he had been exposed to dangerous levels of radiation inside the reactor core.

He had nearly died of radiation poisoning in the days that followed, and sadly the surgeons had been unable to save his eye; in the end Typho had received an official discharge from the royal security service, due to permanent disability. But Padmé - sensing his wounded pride - had stepped in and pleaded his case, insisting that he still be kept on active duty; and a year later, when she was elected to the Senate, Padmé had specifically asked for Captain Typho to serve as her personal bodyguard.

_He saved her life, and she loves him for it,_ Mika realized, smiling wistfully. _It's so romantic..._ She caught Typho's look of fond affection now as he watched Leia greeting new visitors at the door; Senator Bail Organa of Alderaan had just arrived for the grand opening. "She's done an amazing job with all of this," Mika said quietly, truly inspired by Leia's unwavering devotion to help other people.

"Yes, she has." Typho smiled fondly, gazing at the young princess. "I wouldn't be surprised if that one ends up being our next Queen," he added, with a glimmer of fatherly pride.

"No, I wouldn't either," Mika agreed; the idea had been whispered around Theed over these past few months, since the opening of their first HOPE store, though Leia herself had not yet expressed any interest in politics. _Or has she?_ Mika wondered suddenly. _Typho would know..._ "You must be very proud of her," she said, with an affectionate gaze at the young princess.

At this, Typho blinked nervously, looking at the floor. "Yes," he admitted uncomfortably; Mika's heart sank as she realized what she had just implied. _Oh no..._ But Typho recovered quickly, managing a smile. "Excuse me," he said politely, with a respectful nod. "I need to - the Senator," he stammered helplessly, with a desperate glance at Padmé. The Senator was in fact perfectly safe at the moment, surrounded by four armed Jedi; but Mika nodded, smiling in apology and trying to hide her own embarrassment.

"Of course," Mika assured him, as Typho gave her one last awkward look of apology, before quickly escaping to rejoin Senator Amidala on the other side of the store. _Ah,_ Mika cursed herself, fighting tears of dismay. _Why do I have to be so stupid? _But Leia was coming toward her now, beaming happily as she introduced the latest newcomers, and Mika quickly blinked away her tears.

"This is Leila," Leia said cheerfully. "And this is Jon, and Kyra," she continued. "Jon is Obi-Wan's adopted Little Brother; it's kind of complicated." Leia grinned, shrugging apologetically. "He just graduated from school last month," she added, as Mika smiled, congratulating the tall, dark-haired boy. "And this is their neighbor Elena... and this is Maia," Leia finished, with an affectionate smile as she stroked the little girl's silky black hair; Mika quickly hid her surprise as she saw the child's little tiara of horns, and the delicate silver-blue stripes on her face.

"It's nice to meet you." Mika smiled warmly, greeting them all. She was starting to feel less self-conscious about her hand, realizing that here on Coruscant, _everyone _looked a little bit different from what she was accustomed to back on Naboo.

"Oh!" Leia exclaimed, sharing an excited grin with Kyra now as three more people came through the door. "Dorian's here," Leia said cheerfully. "He's Kyra's boyfriend," she whispered to Mika now, with a mischievous glance at the sandy-haired teenage boy in the doorway. "But he doesn't know it yet," she sighed, as Kyra shyly pushed a stray lock of curly blond hair behind her shoulder, smiling adorably as they all greeted the newcomers.

"This is Dorian," Leia said now, officially introducing him to Mika. "And this is Siri, and Marco," she added, as Mika smiled in greeting, welcoming them to the grand opening.

"Thank you for coming," Mika said appreciatively, shaking Marco's hand now and worriedly noticing his black eye; it looked as though it had happened a few days ago, and the bruises had faded to a ghastly purplish-yellow color.

"It's an honor," Marco assured her, with a gracious bow. He was dressed richly, in a deep blue tunic and lighter blue cape; aside from the black eye, he was actually very handsome. _He's probably a king or something,_ Mika realized now; Leia had an unfortunate habit of forgetting to include people's titles in her introductions, but it was obvious that Marco was a man of some importance.

"You've done an incredible job," Marco was telling Leia now, looking around the store in obvious appreciation; then his eyes widened as he noticed something. "Oh! What's this?" he asked, striding quickly over to the nearby display table and picking up Cory's latest sculpture, admiring it with fascination.

_Good question..._ "Cory made it," Mika told him, nodding toward the young red-haired Jedi Knight across the room. "It's... modern," she explained, blinking tentatively and wishing she knew more about abstract art. "Cory's an incredible sculptor and painter; his works have been selling for hundreds of credits in our Theed store," she added, with a proud smile.

"Really?" Marco blinked in surprise. "It's beautiful," he murmured, still staring at the sculpture in awe. "Sweety, wouldn't this look perfect on our dining room table?" he asked his wife now, with a hopeful smile.

Siri had been exchanging a look of amused disbelief with Leia, but she smiled indulgently now, nodding. "Yes, it's perfect," she agreed, stifling a laugh. "I love it," she assured her husband, with an approving nod.

"Excellent." Marco beamed happily. "We'll take this one," he told Mika now, obviously proud of his acquisition.

"_I'll_ take it," Siri said quickly, as Marco reached for his wallet, nearly dropping the fragile sculpture. Marco frowned in protest, but then he shrugged agreeably, letting his wife look after their precious sculpture.

"How much is it?" Marco asked politely.

Mika cringed inwardly; they hadn't actually set a price, but Marco was obviously wealthy... "Five hundred credits," she told him now, smiling and hoping she looked somewhat confident.

"Ohh," Marco exclaimed, his eyes widening in appreciation at the sculpture. "Well, you can't say I don't have good taste." He grinned cheerfully, giving his wife an apologetic look as he began to count out his money._ He pays in cash?_ Mika wondered, blinking in surprise; most people used electronic credit devices, especially for large purchases.

"Three hundred and fifty... Four hundred," Marco counted, as he handed the money over to Mika. "Four hundred and fifty... seventy... eighty... uh oh." Marco blinked, realizing his wallet was empty. "Oh dear," he apologized. "I'm twenty credits short; can I get it to you next week?" he asked. "I get paid on Friday," he explained, with a rueful cringe.

"Oh." Mika blinked, suddenly realizing that maybe he _wasn't _a king after all. "Of course," she assured him.

"Thank you," Marco said, with a respectful nod. "This is why they won't let me have a bank account," he admitted, as Siri rolled her eyes in affectionate dismay. "Ah, but that's what money is for," Marco insisted cheerfully, putting an arm around his wife. "Come on, honey, let's - oh my, look at that cake," he exclaimed, suddenly abandoning his conversation with Mika to check out Dex's creation.

Siri gave Mika an apologetic smile, and Mika nodded, amused by her eccentric husband; but now more people were coming through the door, and suddenly Mika found herself very busy, greeting visitors and handling sales along with Leia for the remainder of the evening.

"Four thousand credits," Leia announced in amazement three hours later, as they closed up shop for the night. "We raised _four thousand _credits on the first day." She grinned ecstatically, hardly believing it. Mika smiled in proud affection as the young princess continued to chatter happily, all the way back home to her mother's apartment. Mika was staying in their guest room tonight, but would be returning to Theed tomorrow.

"All right," Padmé laughed, patting her daughter on the head as they entered the penthouse apartment. "It's way past your bedtime," she reminded the young princess; Leia pouted momentarily in protest, but then she shrugged, nodding.

"Can I give Mika her present?" Leia asked, with a pleading look at her mother.

"All right," Padmé said, smiling; Leia grinned, running back to her bedroom and returning a moment later with a mysterious package, lovingly wrapped in colorful paper and tied with a purple ribbon.

"Leia," Mika exclaimed in surprise, taking her present and sitting down on the couch to open it. "Oh, that's so sweet of you... What's the occasion?" she asked, touched by the girl's thoughtfulness.

"Nothing," Leia said cheerfully, sitting next to Mika and watching in gleeful anticipation as Mika untied the ribbon, then carefully unwrapped the paper. _Wow,_ Mika realized quietly, for the tenth time this evening. _I'd forgotten how much easier it is to do things with two hands..._ It was nice to not have to constantly ask people for help with even the simplest of tasks.

But now she gasped, tears springing to her eyes as she saw her present. "Oh Leia... Thank you," she said, pulling out the artists' sketch pad and package of brand-new colored pencils. "I can't wait to try it," she said, hugging Leia gratefully.

Leia smiled, hugging her back; but now Padmé reminded her that it was bedtime, and Leia reluctantly said goodnight, giving Mika and Typho a hug before grudgingly allowing her mother to tuck her in bed.

Mika smiled awkwardly at Captain Typho now, as they were left alone together in the living room; she still felt embarrassed about her comment earlier this evening, and it was a bit uncomfortable staying here in their apartment. _They probably want to be alone together,_ she realized. "I should go to bed too," she told the Captain shyly. "I'm really tired," she confessed, with an apologetic smile.

"Of course," Typho agreed, standing up politely as Mika took her leave. "Sleep well," he said; Mika sensed that he was feeling a bit awkward too. _He knows that I know what's really going on here..._

"Thank you," Mika said, smiling. "Good night," she added shyly, as Typho nodded respectfully in return.

_Ah... That was awkward,_ Mika sighed, closing the guest room door behind her and setting her new sketch pad and pencils on the little table. _But thankfully it's just for one night,_ she told herself, changing into her nightgown before crawling gratefully into bed, closing her eyes in exhaustion. Mika would probably be visiting Coruscant from time to time in the future, to help Leia with the HOPE store; she sighed now, realizing that it would probably be even _more_ awkward to request to stay somewhere else when she was in town.

_I'll just make the best of it,_ Mika decided, pulling the covers up over herself and trying to go to sleep. But her heart still ached painfully as she faced the reality that had been nagging at her for months now. Mika had been staying with Padmé's parents in Theed for the past six months, and they had been incredibly kind to her, treating her like family; but still there had been absolutely no mention of Padmé and Typho's relationship, and the silence was becoming more and more awkward.

_They don't trust me,_ Mika realized once again, tears filling her eyes. _They're not REALLY my family,_ she confessed, her heart aching with loneliness. _They have their secrets, and I'm on the outside,_ she admitted. _And the more time I spend with them, the worse it feels,_ Mika confessed now, choking back her tears as she finally faced the truth.

_My family is dead,_ Mika sobbed quietly into her pillow, crying herself to sleep as she had done every night for the past six months.

* * *

><p>Padmé smiled at Typho as she returned to the living room, closing Leia's door behind her. But now she blinked in surprise, realizing that he was alone. "Where's Mika?"<p>

"She went to bed," Typho told her, with a respectful smile. "She said she was tired."

"Oh." Padmé nodded, dismayed that she hadn't had a chance to say goodnight to Mika, and thank her personally for coming here. _She's been such a wonderful influence on Leia,_ she admitted, proud to see her daughter growing into such a responsible young lady.

It was still only nine o'clock; Anakin wouldn't be here for at least two more hours, and Padmé sat on the couch next to Captain Typho, picking up the remote control and flipping through the Holo channels, looking for something good to watch. "Ah!" she giggled, stumbling onto an old _JEDI_ rerun, in which she and Anakin were having a completely inane conversation about tunafish sandwiches. "We're not watching that," she told Typho, quickly changing the channel.

"Good," Typho agreed, grinning mischievously; then he looked down. "Actually, Milady," he confessed, suddenly seeming a bit nervous. "I was hoping I could talk to you about something," he admitted hesitantly.

_Oh dear..._ Typho only called her 'Milady' in public, or when he was discussing official business; Padmé felt suddenly apprehensive, but she nodded, encouraging him to go on. "Of course."

Typho nodded gratefully, still looking at the floor. "It's about Mika," he began quietly. "She's - she's lonely," he told Padmé hesitantly. "I think she's homesick... How could she _not_ be," Typho sighed, with a regretful smile.

Padmé nodded seriously, wondering what this was about. "Has she said anything?" she asked Typho. _Maybe she wants to go back home, and quit working for HOPE... But she's afraid to tell Leia..._

"No, no, she hasn't," Typho assured her, shaking his head. "I just..." He broke off helplessly, sighing. "Padmé... Mika's such a sweet girl," he continued, his attitude apologetic. "So kind-hearted, and selfless... and strong," he added. "And beautiful," he admitted quietly, self-conscious.

Padmé smiled in disbelief, letting out a quiet laugh. "You like her!" she realized suddenly, feeling like a schoolgirl sharing locker room secrets. _Ha! I never would have guessed it, _she thought, delighted.

Typho grinned sheepishly, nodding. "Yes," he admitted. "I do. I really do," he confessed, giving Padmé a regretful glance.

Suddenly Padmé's smile faded to dismay as she realized what he was getting at. _Oh._ "Typho," she said gently, nodding in understanding. "It's all right," she assured him. "Don't worry..." But tears sprang to her eyes unbidden at the thought of the media fiasco this news would certainly cause. Typho had willingly played the role of Padmé's mysterious lover these past eight years, but if he were to be seen dating other women, it would certainly make the front page of the _Galactic Enquirer._

"Typho, I'm so sorry," Padmé apologized now, realizing the terrible position he was in as well. _His honor is everything to him,_ she realized once again. And until now, he had considered it an honor to protect Padmé and Anakin's secret, as part of his duty. _But if people think he has dumped me, and abandoned Leia... _"Oh, Typho," she cried. "I'm sorry."

Typho shook his head. "Don't be," he assured her. "I certainly never expected this to happen," he reminded her, with a quiet smile. Years ago, when Typho had first agreed to play the scapegoat in Padmé's mysterious pregnancy, they had tentatively planned to stage a public falling out, with Typho leaving her service if he ever decided to get married himself. But that had been eight years ago; and now, the thought of losing him after all this time brought tears to Padmé's eyes.

"Will you be leaving, then?" Padmé asked, heartbroken at the thought.

Typho smiled gently, shaking his head. "I hope not," he told her. "Padmé... I don't even know, if Mika - " he broke off, shrugging helplessly. "I'm not exactly a great catch," he sighed ruefully; Typho had always been self-conscious about his eye, and there were other reasons why he had long ago given up on the possibility of marriage. "Mika is so much younger than me," he pointed out with a regretful sigh. "She's so beautiful, and sweet, and - "

"And she would be lucky to have a man like you," Padmé broke in, with a reassuring smile. "Seriously, Typho, if I weren't a married woman..." Padmé giggled, as Typho laughed quietly, nodding in appreciation.

"Thank you, Milady." He grinned in amusement; but now he looked down seriously. "Padmé... I would like your permission, to tell Mika the truth."

Padmé nodded. "I trust Mika," she assured the captain. "She's been staying with my parents for six months now; she's already like family," Padmé added, realizing they probably should have spoken with her months ago. _But how do you bring that up? 'Hi, Mika; oh, and by the way, Leia's father is a Jedi'..._ Padmé smiled at Typho now, nodding in agreement. "Of course."

"Thank you," Typho nodded. "I'll talk to her tomorrow," he told Padmé. "And Padmé... If Mika - " he broke off helplessly. "If she does feel the same way," he sighed uncertainly. "Padmé, I will try to work it out so that this stays quiet," he promised her.

Padmé nodded. "Thank you, Typho," she said, with heartfelt gratitude. "And good luck, talking to her tomorrow," she added gently, giving the Captain an encouraging smile. "I hope it goes well."

"So do I," Typho cringed worriedly; then he grinned, shaking his head. "I haven't done this since I was a kid," he admitted ruefully.

Padmé laughed gently. "Well," she told him, glancing thoughtfully at the holo monitor, where they had caught a glimpse of her old _JEDI_ broadcast a few minutes earlier. "If you get flustered - just start babbling about sand, and tunafish sandwiches... Girls like that," she giggled mischievously. "Don't worry, Typho," Padmé assured him. "You'll do fine."

* * *

><p>Mika shivered as she sat out on the terrace, pulling her robe closer around herself. She hadn't been able to sleep, and after the hushed voices had died down in the living room, she had finally brought her new drawing pad and pencils out to the terrace, hoping to draw a cityscape of Coruscant.<p>

_It's been six months since I've done any artwork,_ she realized, sitting on the little bench and pulling out one of her new colored pencils as she opened her sketch pad on her lap. _I've really missed it,_ Mika confessed, hoping that she could learn to draw and paint again with her new mechanical hand. _The doctors said I should be able to,_ she reminded herself optimistically, experimentally grasping the pencil and drawing her first line, beginning with the tallest skyscraper in the foreground.

But as she continued to pencil in the details, tears sprang to Mika's eyes, and somehow the skyscraper became the old familiar clock tower in Jakili; instead of Coruscant's impressive skyline, Mika found herself drawing a scene from memory of her own home city, before it had been destroyed. She stifled a sob as she drew her parents' old hotel; but now she blinked worriedly as she heard footsteps approaching on the terrace.

"I'm sorry," Mika blurted out tearfully, feeling stupid as Captain Typho joined her; she realized she had probably tripped some kind of silent alarm, sending him out here to check for intruders. "I couldn't sleep," she apologized, sniffing back her tears.

"No, it's all right," Typho assured her, with a regretful smile; Mika was grateful to see his look of understanding and compassion. _I feel really stupid crying out here, but there's no way to hide it now,_ she sighed. But now Typho was looking at her sketch pad with curiosity; Mika handed it to him, grateful to talk about _anything _besides her own idiotic behavior, ever since she had arrived here today.

Typho smiled wistfully at Mika's drawing, nodding in quiet understanding; but now she caught a mischievous twinkle in his eye. "Well that is the worst Coruscant cityscape I've seen in my entire life," he teased her affectionately, with an apologetic grin. Mika laughed despite herself, grateful for the captain's sense of humor. _I hope he's not too mad at me, for what I said before..._

"I'm sorry," Mika apologized again, cringing. "I didn't even think... Did I set off the alarm?" she asked him now.

"No, no," Typho assured her gently. "This is beautiful, by the way," he added shyly, with an admiring look at Mika's drawing. "You're very talented," he sighed, as if somehow dismayed by the realization.

"Thank you," Mika replied uncertainly; the captain was giving her a strange look now, wistful and appreciative and sad and hopeful all at once. _What is this about?_ she wondered, suddenly nervous.

"Mika," Typho continued hesitantly. "I was hoping I could talk to you?"

"Oh," Mika blinked, nodding. "Of course," she agreed, sitting back down on the bench with him; but now her heart was racing. _This is about what I said earlier,_ she realized, tears of dismay springing to her eyes.

Typho nodded appreciatively. "This is really wonderful," he said again, smiling as he handed the sketch pad back to her.

"Thanks," Mika nodded shyly. "You can keep it, if you like," she offered, tearing it carefully off the pad and handing it to him. _Something to remember me by... After you tell me it's best that I never come here again,_ she sighed, guessing what this was about.

"Oh," Typho blinked in surprise, taking her drawing; but he nodded, smiling gratefully. "Thank you," he said. "It's really lovely... I had no idea you were so talented," he confessed. "Now I'm even _more_ nervous," Typho admitted, looking down at his new drawing in obvious admiration.

_He doesn't want to reprimand me, for what I said,_ Mika realized. _He's too nice..._ "Captain... I'm sorry," she apologized now, getting it out of the way. "I'm sorry, for what I said before... about Leia," she said, making it easier for him.

"What?" Typho asked, momentarily confused. "Oh," he sighed, remembering. "That... Yes, I'm sorry too," he sighed ruefully. "Mika, that's what I wanted to talk to you about."

Mika nodded, bracing herself for the lecture; but now she blinked, puzzled. _He's going to tell me the truth, that he's married to Senator Amidala?_ she wondered. _Well, I guess he has to now,_ she admitted, realizing that there was no use pretending any longer.

"I know," Mika nodded, smiling apologetically. "Or, I've guessed," she conceded. _Do they seriously not realize that the entire galaxy knows they're married, and that he's Leia's father? _Mika wondered suddenly.

But Typho just smiled, a twinkle of amusement in his eye. "Yes, I thought you had," he nodded in agreement. "You guessed wrong," he told her quietly.

Mika looked up at him, startled. "What?" she asked. "You're not - you're not Leia's father?" she blurted out, blinking in confusion.

"No." Typho shook his head, smiling shyly. "But I have played the part of Senator Amidala's secret lover these past ten years, to keep people from guessing the truth," he told her now. "Mika... Leia's father is a Jedi," Typho explained quietly.

_What?_ Mika gasped in astonishment; but she nodded quickly, realizing that this was much more serious than she had ever imagined. _No wonder they're all so secretive about it..._ "A Jedi?" she asked in disbelief; but now she remembered Padmé's famous romance on _JEDI_ years ago. "Anakin," Mika whispered, realizing suddenly that Leia _did_ look a bit like the young Jedi Knight... _And nothing at all like Typho,_ she admitted, wondering how she had never seen it before.

"Yes," Typho nodded regretfully. "Mika, that took you all of five seconds to work out," he told her. "And if I were to leave Senator Amidala's service," he sighed, hanging his head. "It wouldn't take the rest of the galaxy long, to figure out the truth."

Mika blinked in concern, realizing what he was saying. "You're... You're leaving your job?" she asked; Typho had always seemed so happy with his work, despite whatever secrets he had been keeping.

"I don't want to," Typho admitted. "And I never thought it would come to this," he confessed. "Mika, the irony of this whole cover-up is that I can't have children," he told her quietly. "Or at least, I shouldn't," he conceded. "I was exposed to toxic levels of radiation years ago, and - " he shrugged, self-conscious. "The doctors have advised me against having children," he said. "And with my - " he broke off, gesturing to his eyepatch. "I just figured I wasn't the sort of guy that most women were looking for," he admitted, sighing. "So I never thought it was a big deal, to pretend to be Leia's father," he finished quietly.

Mika blinked, trying to follow what he was saying; but her heart ached as she realized that Typho had sacrificed his own personal life to protect Anakin and Padmé's secret marriage. "Typho," she whispered, tears springing to her eyes. _That is so unfair... And he thinks that women don't want him, just because he can't have children, _she realized in dismay.

"It's all right." Typho smiled gently. "At least, it _has_ been, until now," he confessed, looking at the ground. "Mika, I... I've met a girl," he admitted, with a shy smile. "I didn't think it would ever happen, but - she's so beautiful, and kind, and wonderful," he sighed, as tears filled Mika's eyes, realizing what he was saying.

"She's very brave, and strong," Typho said, gazing at her with shy admiration. "And she's an incredible artist," he added with a wistful smile, looking down at Mika's drawing of Jakili. "Mika, I don't want to leave my job," Typho told her with quiet regret. "But I would... if you would have me," he confessed, with a tender smile.

Mika smiled, tears of happiness springing to her eyes. "Yes," she cried, nodding; and then Typho's arms were around her, holding her gently as the tears continued to flow. Mika wept for what felt like an eternity, feeling truly safe for the first time since the terrible disaster; she wrapped her arms around Typho now, laying her head against his shoulder.

Eventually her tears were spent, and they sat for a while on the terrace, looking out across the city and holding each other close; but then reality began to sink in, and Mika sniffed back her tears, her brows furrowing. "Typho," she protested, in quiet dismay. "I don't want to make you leave your job," she told him, blinking unhappily. _This is such a mess..._

Typho smiled reassuringly, kissing her on the temple. "I don't want to leave either," he confessed; but now Mika caught a mischievous twinkle in his eye. "Mika," Typho said hesitantly. "Padmé and Anakin celebrated their tenth anniversary last month," he told her, a wistful tone in his voice. "I've watched them all this time, and I've never seen two people more in love," he confessed, with a fond smile. "Mika, if they can make it work..."

"So can we," Mika agreed, sharing his mischievous grin and giggling conspiratorially. _This is hilarious,_ she thought, laughing in quiet amusement. _Typho and I will keep our marriage a secret, so that he can still pretend to be Padmé's secret lover._

Typho grinned in heartfelt gratitude, hugging her close. "I love you, Mika," he confessed with obvious adoration, as Mika returned his amused smile, her eyes shining with tears of joy. "Welcome to the family."

* * *

><p><em>The next day...<em>

"Anakin?" Father Luke blinked in surprise, greeting him at the back door of his wedding chapel.

"Hello, Father," Anakin nodded politely as he stepped inside the little chapel, followed by three other Jedi and an assortment of men, women, and children, plus a... _What is that?_ Father Luke wondered, blinking in surprise at the little horned child.

"Oh, good Lord," he sighed in disbelief, running a hand wearily through his greying hair, but grinning good-naturedly. "Who is it this time?"


	101. Mara has all sorts of trouble

**Chapter 101**

_Several months later..._

"And the average annual snowfall on Hoth is... Mara?" Master Tyrion asked, calling on her.

_Oh, crap!_ Mara blinked; she had zoned out during their boring discussion of planetary climates, and had instead been playing with the little twirls of hair that fell nearly to her shoulders now, wondering how long it would take before they reached her waist again. _My hair grows so slowly,_ she sighed. _Probably because it's so curly..._ But Master Tyrion had asked her a question... _Something about snow?_ Mara tried to remember.

"Um..." _Ahh, it's probably a trick question! He's always doing that to me, to see if I'm paying attention..._ "There's no snow on Hoth," Mara replied confidently, meeting her teacher's questioning gaze with a defiant glare. _Ha! I'm not stupid, you know._

"No." Master Tyrion frowned; but now Luke Osilian was raising his hand hopefully, and Master Tyrion nodded to him.

"Seventy-five inches, Master," Luke Osilian replied, with a polite smile.

"Excellent," Master Tyrion said, nodding in approval. _Know-it-all,_ Mara sulked, glaring at Luke Osilian. _Why do I even have to learn this stuff? I'm going into the Agricultural Corps anyway; I doubt we'll be growing crops on a planet that's full of snow_.

But thankfully the lesson was over now, and Mara sighed in relief as Master Tyrion led the younglings up to the rooftop of the Jedi Temple for gardening class. _At least we get to be outside,_ she thought optimistically. It was a beautiful day today, with a gentle breeze and clear blue skies; a nice change from the seemingly endless grey cloudy season.

_I wonder how my strawberries are doing?_ Mara thought, as they emerged onto the rooftop and made their way over to their little gardening plot. They had planted the seeds over a month ago; as usual, Mara's had taken longer than the others to sprout, but finally the first tiny leaves had decided to show themselves last week.

_They're just a little slow, that's all,_ Mara reassured herself, sighing as she peered at the other younglings' full-grown strawberry plants; most of them were covered in cute little white flowers, and Luke Starkiller's were already beginning to produce berries.

_He's the best at gardening,_ Mara admitted, admiring his lovely, healthy strawberry plants. But now she gasped in dismay as she saw her own. _Oh no!_ Mara's little strawberry seedlings were a sickly pale green color, drooping pathetically and covered in black spots. _No no no..._ Tears of disappointment and frustration sprang to her eyes as she realized she had managed to kill yet _another_ plant.

_I'm the one that's going into the Agricultural Corps, and I can't even - _ Mara blinked tearfully, sniffing. But now she scowled as she noticed something else: tiny white flies, almost microscopic, crawling all over her little seedlings...

_Oh, no you don't,_ Mara frowned indignantly, glaring at the offending pests. _All right, focus..._ Master Tyrion had taught them how to heal diseased crops using the Force; that was the whole point of the Agricultural Corps, so that food could be grown organically without the use of harmful pesticides.

_Go away, you little buggers,_ Mara frowned, scolding them sternly with a wave of her fingers. It was a subtle Jedi mind trick, and usually Mara was pretty good at discouraging insects. _It's a lot easier than trying to heal diseases,_ she admitted ruefully, wondering how she was going to get rid of the black spots.

_Maybe I can still save them,_ Mara hoped, peering at her sick little strawberry seedlings with concern. _Hey!_ she pouted, noticing that the white flies were continuing to crawl all over the leaves, greedily sucking out all the juices. _I told you to go away!_ Mara reminded them, waving her fingers again. But still they continued to crawl around...

_Go away! You're not hungry,_ Mara tried to convince them, waving her fingers insistently. _These aren't the strawberries you're looking for..._ But it was no use. _Ahh! I hate you stupid things,_ Mara cried, tears of anger springing to her eyes.

_All right,_ she decided hotly. _If you won't go away, then you will DIE!_ Focusing all of her frustration and anger on the offending insects, Mara glared at them defiantly, reaching out with her left hand..._ Hahaha,_ Mara grinned wickedly, watching in satisfaction as blue sparks shot from her fingertips, zapping the bugs instantly... along with _all_ of her strawberry plants. _Oh._ Mara blinked in dismay at the charred remains of her tiny seedlings, laying pathetically in the dirt.

_Crap,_ Mara cried, tears stinging her eyes. _Why do I have to kill everything I try to grow? I suck at gardening,_ she choked, realizing how completely pointless her life was. _Four more years of this, and then I'll be sent off to the Agricultural Corps, where it will be even worse... With no lightsaber practice at ALL..._

_No way,_ Mara decided. _This is stupid. I'm not doing this any more. I'm getting out of here._ Master Tyrion was busy admiring Luke Starkiller's bright red, juicy strawberries now; and so with one last defiant glare, Mara slipped quietly away, leaving the rooftop garden and taking the elevator back down to the main floor of the Jedi Temple.

* * *

><p>"Excellent job, Luke," Tyrion praised his student, smiling in approval as he continued down the row to check on the other younglings' strawberries; but now he frowned worriedly, noticing that Mara was missing. <em>Great,<em> he sighed, shaking his head as he saw the charred remains of Mara's strawberry plants. _This again..._

"Luke," Tyrion asked quietly, nodding toward the elevator. "Would you mind?" Tyrion had long ago accepted that Luke did a much better job of handling Mara's upheavals than he himself could possibly do. _If I tried to chase after her, she'd only be more angry with me, and sulk for days,_ he admitted.

"Yes, Master," Luke replied, bowing respectfully before quickly heading off in pursuit of Mara.

_This is getting out of control,_ Tyrion admitted. _But Luke will find her,_ he reassured himself, turning back to the other younglings. _He always does..._

But twenty minutes later, Luke returned to the rooftop garden, his blue eyes wide with concern. "I couldn't find her anywhere, Master," he confessed. "She's not in our quarters, or in any of her usual hiding places," Luke said; but now the boy squinted, his expression curious as he gazed absently into the distance. "Master," he said, blinking in alarm. "I don't think she's in the Temple..."

_Oh dear,_ Tyrion sighed, following Luke's gaze beyond the rooftop and out toward the massive city of Coruscant. _I have a bad feeling about this._

* * *

><p><em>Now, THIS is more like it,<em> Mara grinned in satisfaction, feeling quite pleased with herself as she emerged from the clothing store in her trendy new outfit. It had been ridiculously easy stealing it, and she smiled mischievously now, tossing her stupid white Jedi outfit into the nearby trash bin.

_Good riddance,_ Mara sighed, continuing down the sidewalk. Her trusty utility knife was clipped safely inside her waistband; but she had decided not to keep her lightsaber, reluctantly admitting that nothing screamed 'runaway Jedi youngling' more loudly than a blazing kiddie saber. _It doesn't work anyway,_ Mara reminded herself, though she felt strangely naked and uncomfortable without it. _Besides, it was blue..._

But as she continued on through the endless streets of Coruscant, farther and farther away from the Jedi Temple, the reality of her actions slowly began to sink in. _I'm never going back,_ Mara realized, feeling a lump in her throat as she thought of Luke. _I didn't even get to say goodbye..._

_No,_ Mara told herself stubbornly, fighting tears as she continued on. _It's best this way..._ Luke would be leaving soon in any case; his ninth birthday was coming up in two weeks, and Mara knew that it would not be long before he would leave their youngling class to continue his training as a padawan learner.

_Luke Skywalker is already a padawan,_ Mara reminded herself; Master Windu had visited their class during his ninth birthday party last month, offering to take Skywalker as his padawan that very day. The tall, dark-skinned youngling had been acting with Master Windu on _SITH_ these past three years as part of his secret band of exiled Jedi stragglers; he had been ecstatic when Master Windu had offered to train him as his padawan in real life.

_And Luke's already had an offer... sort of,_ Mara sighed, recalling the strange, black-clad Jedi Knight who had visited their class a few years earlier; Luke didn't speak of it often, but Mara knew that deep down he was still hoping that Master Skywalker would remember his promise, and take him as his padawan when he came of age.

_He'll be gone soon anyway,_ Mara realized, fighting tears of loneliness and dismay as she continued on through the streets of Coruscant. Luke was the only reason she'd stayed at the Temple as long as she had to begin with; if it weren't for his friendship, she'd have run away years ago.

_I miss him already,_ Mara confessed tearfully, turning onto a side alley and letting out a stifled sob. _I wish I'd gotten a chance to say goodbye,_ she cried, stumbling blindly through the narrow alleyway and weeping bitterly.

_But it's for the best,_ she tried to convince herself once again, sniffing back her tears. _It will be easier for him to leave, if I'm already gone,_ Mara realized, knowing that Luke felt terrible about the whole situation too. _It's not his fault that I'm so stupid, and a girl,_ she cried. _It's not his fault that I'll never be taken as a padawan..._

But now she blinked in surprise as she became aware of a stranger's voice. "Hello, little girl," a middle-aged, balding man said, smiling as he approached her in the dark, empty alleyway. "Would you like some candy?"

Mara scowled; something about the man seemed _wrong_... "Or maybe some ice cream?" the man asked, still smiling.

_Ice cream..._ Mara raised her eyebrows thoughtfully, tempted by the idea. They hardly ever had ice cream at the Jedi Temple; Mara had only had it a few times in her life, and she remembered that it had been delicious. Besides, she _was_ a little hungry, and feeling depressed about leaving Luke...

"All right," Mara agreed, shrugging indifferently; the man seemed like a bit of an idiot, but it was kind of him to offer. "Thank you," she added, remembering her manners.

"Wonderful," the man said. "Come this way, little girl," he added, leading the way through the dark alleys. "I've got lots of ice cream, in the back of my spaceship," he promised her, with a cheerful smile.

_Ahh! I'm not a little girl,_ Mara grumbled, following him. But she managed a polite smile, knowing that rude remarks would not improve her chances of getting free ice cream. _I wonder if he has mint chocolate chip..._

"Here we are." The man smiled pleasantly, nodding toward a small, rather run-down spacecraft parked in a dark, empty lot. "Come on in," he told Mara, leading the way up the gangplank.

Mara frowned doubtfully; something about the man still felt _wrong_, and she sensed that he was somehow mentally deficient. _Nobody smiles like that all the time._ But if he was dumb enough to give her free ice cream, then Mara had no qualms about taking it from him. _I'll just get my ice cream, and be on my way._

"This way," the man instructed her, as they boarded the ship; Mara followed, blinking in surprise as he retracted the gangplank, closing the hatch. But presently the man stopped, sitting in his big comfy pilot's seat and beckoning Mara to join him. "Closer," he said quietly, his breathing suddenly shallow and excited. "Closer..."

"Uh... Where's my ice cream?" Mara asked uncomfortably; she didn't want to be rude, but the man had said he had ice cream in the _back_ of his ship, and now they were in the cockpit.

"It's in the back," he assured her. "We'll get it in a minute," he promised, gazing at her dreamily. "You have the most beautiful green eyes," he murmured softly.

"Thank you," Mara blinked, self-conscious; something about this man gave her the creeps. But she hadn't come all the way here for nothing... _Just smile, and be polite,_ she reminded herself, trying to be patient.

"We'll get your ice cream in a minute," the man assured her. "But first, there's something I'd like you to do for me..."

"Oh," Mara shrugged, nodding agreeably. _That's only fair,_ she admitted. _Especially if he has mint chocolate chip..._

"Good," the man said, beckoning her closer. "I'd like you to - " he cupped his fingers to his mouth, whispering into her ear.

_What?_ Mara's eyes widened in shock as she listened to what the man wanted her to do. _Ahh! No! Yuck! Gross!_ she cringed in disgust, suddenly pulling away from him. "No way," she retorted hotly, glaring at him. _Pervert..._ "I don't want any ice cream," she decided, storming toward the exit and hitting the switch to lower the gangplank. _Ahh, I'm not hungry any more, after THAT,_ she cringed, suddenly feeling a bit sick to her stomach.

But now the man was grabbing her, trying to pull her back onto the ship. "Let go of me!" Mara yelled indignantly, struggling against him and elbowing him in the ribs; the man let out a yelp of pain, but continued to chase after her, grabbing her hair in his fist.

_All right... NOW you're making me mad,_ Mara decided, turning around and glaring at him dangerously. "LET... GO," she warned him one last time, seething with hatred; but still the man continued to grope at her, and Mara clenched her teeth angrily, wriggling out of his grasp and kicking him to the floor. _I warned you..._

"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!" the man screamed, writhing in agony as blue lightning bolts coursed through his body. "AAAAAAAHHHHHHH! Make it stop! Make it stop!" he begged, crying pathetically. "AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Mara rolled her eyes, annoyed by the man's girlish shrieking; but she was having too much fun to stop. _That's for pulling my hair,_ she frowned indignantly, still feeling the sting of where he had yanked on it. _And that's for not giving me any ice cream!_ Mara sulked, focusing all of her anger in one final, magnificent zap.

_Whoa..._ Mara reeled dizzily, exhausted from the effort. _I'd better get out of here..._ Stumbling down the gangplank, Mara failed to notice the surrounding police officers until too late. _Oh, crap..._

"What's going on here?" a policeman demanded, frowning as he looked at Mara, then at the other man, who was still lying on the deck of his ship, moaning weakly.

"He wouldn't give me any ice cream," Mara blurted out accusingly, trying to tell her side of the story; but tears stung her eyes as she realized the trouble she was in. _It's no use,_ she cried bitterly. _Everything is always my fault..._

"She zapped me," the man gasped now, as several of the officers hurried aboard to help him. "She... zapped me... Evil child," he moaned, sinking back onto the floor again.

_Damn it,_ Mara cried bitterly, trying desperately to blink away her tears as two other officers put her in binders, then led her back to the Jedi Temple. _My life completely sucks._

* * *

><p>"Well, the <em>good<em> news," Master Tyrion began, attempting an optimistic smile as he addressed the Jedi Council. "Is that she apprehended a known sex offender," he informed them, as the Council members nodded thoughtfully, sobered by these tidings. "But the bad news..." Tyrion sighed, filling them in on the details of Mara's latest runaway escapade.

"Hmmm," Yoda mused, after Tyrion had finished. "Unfortunate, this is," he said, shaking his head in regret.

"Master Yoda," Tyrion pleaded helplessly. "Mara's behavior is becoming more and more erratic," he admitted. "Meanwhile, her powers continue to grow stronger," he pointed out. "I'm afraid of what might happen, if we continue to instruct her in the ways of the Force."

Yoda sighed heavily, shaking his head. "Trained as a Jedi youngling, _she will be,_" he insisted once again, as he had done for the past eight years. "The will of the Force, it is," he said, though his tone was regretful. "But agree with you, I do: a potential danger to others, young Mara has become," he admitted, sharing a knowing look with Master Windu, who nodded solemnly.

"It is time," Windu agreed quietly. "We will have a Force inhibitor chip implanted in her brain," he informed Tyrion now, as the other Council members nodded in agreement. "You will have a remote control to deactivate the device as needed, so that Mara can continue with her training," he explained. "But outside of classes, the inhibitor chip is to remain on at all times," Mace instructed him.

"Thank you, Masters," Tyrion replied with humble gratitude, bowing respectfully as he took his leave from the Council chamber.

* * *

><p><em>Later that evening...<em>

"Mara, I'm sorry," Luke said softly, examining the little scar in the back of her neck, just beneath her hairline. "Does it hurt?" he asked, blinking in dismay. _Poor Mara..._

"No," Mara told him dully; but her eyes were filled with tears, and she looked away from him now, ashamed. "It doesn't matter," she whispered dejectedly, shrugging.

Luke nodded, knowing there was nothing he could say that would make it any better; so he just sat beside her now, quietly sharing in her misery. It was play time for the younglings here in the Room of a Thousand Fountains, and soon they would be sent to bed; but Luke and Mara were not in the mood for playing tonight, and so they sat together on the little stone bench, staring absently into the fountain.

_What's going to happen to her after I'm gone?_ Luke wondered once again, his heart aching painfully at the thought. Mara didn't have any other friends; if Luke were to leave the class to begin his padawan training, Mara would be all alone. His ninth birthday was coming up in two weeks, and Luke had been eagerly awaiting this day for as long as he could remember; but now that it was upon him, he felt only dismay and regret.

_I can't leave her,_ Luke thought, feeling Mara's intense unhappiness, and knowing that so many things had been left unspoken between them. _I love her, more than anything in the world... More than being a Jedi,_ he confessed; but the thought made his heart ache.

_Maybe I won't have to decide about this anytime soon,_ Luke consoled himself. _Just because Luke Skywalker was taken on his ninth birthday doesn't mean it will happen to me,_ he admitted, realizing how silly it was to think that Master Skywalker would fly all the way in from the Outer Rim just for his birthday party.

_'I'll definitely keep you in mind,'_ the black-clad Jedi Knight had promised him; but that had been over four years ago, and Luke had not seen or heard from him since. _That wasn't really a promise,_ he admitted, sighing at his own naive childishness. _He was nervous that day; he probably just said that to make conversation. He doesn't even like being around kids,_ Luke confessed, remembering the Jedi's discomfort when he had visited their class years ago.

_He's probably forgotten about me by now,_ Luke admitted, feeling simultaneously dismayed and relieved. _But it's for the best,_ he thought, sharing a quiet smile with Mara now as they continued to gaze into the fountain. _I'm not ready to leave yet anyway._


	102. Anakin asks Luke to be his padawan

**Chapter 102**

_Two weeks later..._

_Ahh!_ Anakin cursed himself, storming through the hallways of the Jedi Temple and using all of his willpower to not break into a run. _Late again..._

He had meant to be here five hours ago. His plan had been to surprise Luke by showing up just after lunch, joining the younglings for some birthday cake before asking Luke to be his padawan. Then, after spending a blissful afternoon with his son, making a padawan braid and doing all sorts of fun bonding activities together, Anakin would casually mention that he'd been invited to Princess Leia's birthday party that evening; and Luke - being the obedient little padawan that he surely was - would of course agree to come along, never suspecting anything out of the ordinary.

Anakin had been anticipating this day for years, and it had always seemed so perfect and relaxed in his dreams; but now he realized he only had half an hour to accomplish all of that. _I promised Padmé and Leia we'd be there at six,_ Anakin reminded himself, gathering his courage as he strode quickly toward Luke's classroom.

_I can still do this,_ Anakin resolved, though his nerves were on edge. It had been a stressful day; the reason why he was five hours late was because he'd spent far too long chasing after a spice smuggler out in Hutt Territory this morning. He'd finally managed to identify the smuggler's ship: the _Millennium Falcon,_ which had been reported stolen by its rightful owner a month earlier.

But Anakin had been unable to identify or apprehend the pilot of the stolen vessel. _Whoever he is, he's good,_ Anakin admitted, still frustrated that he hadn't been able to catch him. Especially on his last day out there; after eleven years of working in Hutt Territory, it had all come to a rather disappointing end. _But the others will get him,_ Anakin tried to console himself. _Eventually,_ he admitted reluctantly; he was certain that the _Millennium Falcon_ had been outfitted with some illegal - and highly dangerous - modifications, making it faster than even Anakin's Jedi Starfighter. And Anakin's was the fastest in the whole fleet...

_They'll deal with it,_ he scowled, focusing on the matter at hand as he approached the door to Luke's classroom. _Okay... Breathe,_ he reminded himself, fighting his anxiety. _What if he guesses?_ Anakin wondered again, his heart racing. _Oh, this was a bad idea..._

_No,_ Anakin reproached himself, taking a deep breath and gathering his courage. _I've been waiting nine years for this,_ he reminded himself stubbornly. _It will be all right._ Steeling his resolve, Anakin opened the door and stepped inside the classroom.

_There he is,_ Anakin thought excitedly, spotting Luke sitting at his desk along with the other younglings, as Master Tyrion instructed them in their math studies. _Cory was right... He's still so tiny,_ Anakin sighed wistfully, grateful that he hadn't _completely_ missed watching his son grow up.

"Anakin," Master Tyrion smiled in surprise. "Younglings, you remember Master Skywalker," he reminded them, as the five children nodded obediently. "He came to visit us a few years ago... What brings you here today, Anakin?" Tyrion asked politely.

"Actually, Master," Anakin said, bowing respectfully. "I was hoping I could speak with Luke... Luke Starkiller," he specified, grinning in amusement as he remembered that all of the boys in Luke's class had the same name.

"Oh! Yes, of course," Tyrion nodded, beckoning Luke forward. "Why do I get the feeling my class is about to become even smaller," he laughed; visitors who stopped by on a youngling's ninth birthday typically came for only one reason.

Anakin smiled apologetically; he knew that Luke was the best student in the class, and that Master Tyrion would surely miss him when he was gone. But now Anakin blinked, sensing intense anger and frustration emanating from one of the other younglings. _Mara Jade,_ he realized, trying not to stare at her now. He had heard horror stories of the little red-haired girl, and he was sobered to feel the raw intensity of her jealousy and resentment as Luke came forward.

_Thank goodness I'm getting Luke out of here,_ Anakin sighed, sensing his son's anxiety as well. He smiled at him now, and Luke bowed politely; Anakin sensed the boy's genuine happiness at seeing him again, though beneath it was a nagging sense of... _Aw, he's nervous,_ Anakin realized, giving Luke an encouraging smile as he led the way into the adjacent private conference chamber.

"Have a seat, Luke," Anakin said cheerfully, shutting the door behind them. "So," he continued, sitting down on the little padded stool across from Luke. _Aw, he's so cute and tiny!_ "I bet you can't guess why I'm here," he joked mischievously, seeing the shy twinkle in his son's blue eyes as well.

"No, Master," Luke said, not wanting to presume; but then he grinned despite himself. "Well... Maybe," he confessed shyly, shrugging. "I didn't think you'd remember me," he told Anakin, with an adorable little smile.

_Aww..._ Anakin's heart melted into a puddle of mush, but he managed to nod cheerfully. "Well of course I remember you," he assured Luke. "You're the best little pilot I've ever met," he told his son. "And I hear you've gotten a lot better since the last time I saw you," he added, impressed.

"Yes, Master," Luke nodded politely. "I'm not five anymore," he added, with a cheeky little smile. _Aw! This is exactly how I always dreamed it would be,_ Anakin thought happily, his heart fluttering.

"Good," Anakin nodded approvingly, returning Luke's mischievous grin. "So, what do you say," he continued casually, getting to the point. _Padmé's expecting us in half an hour..._ "Luke, would you like to be my padawan?"

In his dreams, he had expected anything from a valiantly restrained _'Yes Master'_ to an ecstatic _'Yippee!'_; but Anakin blinked in surprise now as Luke looked at the floor uncomfortably. "Master," Luke said reluctantly, obviously trying to hide something. "I'm sorry... I can't," he apologized, his blue eyes filled with sincere regret.

_What?_ Anakin stared at him blankly, unable to comprehend that he'd just been rejected by his own son. "You can't?" Anakin repeated, blinking in stunned disbelief. "Why not?" he asked, suddenly concerned.

"I..." Luke shrugged, shaking his head. "I'd rather not say, Master," he apologized quietly; Anakin sensed his regret, and guilt. _He's turning me down?_ Anakin was still trying to wrap his brain around it. _Why?_

But then his heart sank as he understood the reason. _It's the stupid black Jedi outfit,_ Anakin realized, remembering the younglings' suspicious stares the last time he had visited Luke's class. _They didn't even think I was a real Jedi..._ "Luke," he said now, trying to explain himself. "I know that I'm not..." Anakin broke off helplessly, gesturing toward his black cloak.

But Luke caught his meaning, and shook his head quickly, smiling in apology. "No, Master," he told him shyly. "It's not that," he assured him. "I understand... about the camouflage," Luke insisted, with an appreciative glance at Anakin's black cloak.

Anakin blinked in momentary confusion, not certain what he meant; but now Luke was giving him a regretful look, and Anakin sensed very strongly that he didn't want to say what was on his mind. _It's not the black outfit...? Oh, no,_ Anakin sighed in dismay, his heart sinking as he finally understood.

_Leia is right,_ he realized suddenly, fighting tears. _I look like a Nerf herder._ Anakin had never taken his daughter's teasing seriously, but now he ran a hand through his long, shaggy hair, realizing that he'd completely forgotten to comb his hair this morning. _Again..._

_Why do I have to be such an idiot?_ Anakin cursed himself. These younglings were brought up idolizing the proud tradition of Jedi Knights which dated back over a millennium, with their undyed white tunics and traditional brown cloaks; Anakin had always thought it was fun to be different, but he knew that most Jedi actually preferred to dress in the usual boring brown and cream colors.

_And my hair is a disaster on top of that..._ "Luke," Anakin sighed. "Are you sure about this?" he asked, with a pleading look at his son. "If there's anything I can do..." _I'll get Leila to give me a proper haircut like Obi-Wan's, and I'll dress all in brown and white... I'll even get this stupid scar fixed,_ he lamented, cursing himself for putting it off for so long.

"No, Master," Luke replied uncomfortably, looking at the floor. "I'm sorry, Master," he apologized again; Anakin could feel his guilt and regret in having to turn him down. "I can't," Luke told him, a tone of unyielding finality in his voice.

_Ahh..._ Anakin valiantly tried to mask his dismay, nodding bravely and managing an apologetic smile. "I understand," he assured Luke, though his heart was breaking. "It's all right, Luke; don't worry." _This is awful..._ Anakin felt the tears threatening now, and knew he had to get out of there quickly. _If he sees me crying, he's sure to suspect something is up,_ he realized anxiously.

"Well," Anakin said bravely, trying to clear the lump from his throat as he got up from his padded stool. "It was good seeing you, Luke," he added, somehow managing a cheerful smile as they headed for the door.

"It was good to see you too, Master," Luke replied, with a respectful bow; Anakin saw the apologetic look in his eyes, and smiled reassuringly. _It's all right, Luke. You're the best student in your class; you deserve a better Master than me anyway,_ Anakin confessed. _What was I thinking...?_

But he masked his dismay, nodding his head politely in return. "May the Force be with you," Anakin wished his son formally, falling back on the official Jedi farewell, not knowing what else to say. _I love you, Luke, and I'm proud of you._

"May the Force be with you, Master," Luke replied; and managing a final smile, Anakin turned, striding quickly from the classroom with tears in his eyes.

_Ohh... This completely sucks..._

* * *

><p>"Anakin!" Obi-Wan exclaimed in alarm, surprised to see him in the doorway. <em>I thought you were with Luke...<em> "Come in," he added politely, though Anakin was already staggering inside his chamber, clearly distraught. "Anakin, what's wrong?"

"Blue stuff," Anakin gasped, nearly hyperventilating. "I need blue stuff..."

"Oh dear... Here, sit down," Obi-Wan said quickly, taking him by the arm and leading him over to the giant floating spoon, where Anakin immediately collapsed, slumping forward with his head in his hands.

"Anakin, what's wrong... Where's Luke?" Obi-Wan asked worriedly. _Don't tell me you've misplaced your padawan on your first day,_ he blinked in disbelief, remembering Anakin's difficulty in holding onto his lightsaber, and every other thing he was supposed to keep attached to his body. _Honestly, Anakin..._

"He said no," Anakin gasped pathetically, still in shock. "I was late, and he said no..."

_What? Oh dear..._ "Anakin, I'm sorry," Obi-Wan said gently, putting a hand on his brother's shoulder. "Did he say why?"

"No," Anakin replied, sitting up again. "But it's pretty obvious," he shrugged dejectedly, settling back in the giant spoon and closing his eyes. "Obi-Wan... What am I going to tell Padmé and Leia?" he asked miserably.

"They will understand," Obi-Wan assured him, sitting down on the edge of his bed. "Anakin, this isn't your fault," he added. "You're only thirty-one; most Jedi don't become Masters until at least forty," Obi-Wan pointed out, trying to console his little brother.

But now Anakin frowned, his brows furrowed. "What?" he asked, obviously confused.

_Oh dear; he doesn't know..._ "Anakin, I hadn't expected this to happen either, but the most talented younglings _do_ sometimes turn down offers from Jedi Knights, in the hope of training with a more experienced Master," Obi-Wan explained gently.

"Ohhh..." At this, Anakin slumped forward again, holding his shaggy head in his hands.

"Anakin, I'm sorry," Obi-Wan said again. "I hadn't thought Luke would make that discrimination, but it's true; he does get the best marks in his class," he pointed out.

"Yeah... He gets that from Padmé," Anakin sighed glumly, still staring at the floor. "Ohh," he moaned pathetically. "Obi-Wan, why do I have to be so stupid?" he asked, miserable.

"Anakin, you're not stupid," Obi-Wan reassured him. "You're a slow learner, and that's not your fault," he reminded his little brother gently. Anakin had suffered a traumatic delivery as a baby, and had nearly died along with their mother; he had gone too long without oxygen to his brain, and in some ways he had never been quite right. _We're lucky you're here at all,_ Obi-Wan smiled tenderly, grateful that the brain damage hadn't been worse.

"Perhaps there's still time," Obi-Wan told him optimistically. "Luke is only just nine; you can ask him again in another year or two, if no one else has taken him by then," he suggested. "Have you been studying lately?" Obi-Wan asked gently.

"Yeah," Anakin sighed wearily, shrugging. "I spent a couple hours in the library, doing research," he told Obi-Wan, running a hand absently through his hair.

"Really?" Obi-Wan asked, surprised and proud of his brother's initiative. "When was that?"

"Um... About a year ago," Anakin confessed. "I'm sorry," he apologized. "Maybe if I study really hard for the next three years, and nobody else asks Luke until he's twelve..." Anakin sighed, shaking his head. "I can't do it, Obi-Wan," he admitted unhappily. "There's no way."

_No, there isn't,_ Obi-Wan agreed quietly, though he did not say so out loud. _It takes more than three years of study to become a Master._

"Obi-Wan," Anakin continued hesitantly, his expression pleading. "Will you ask him?"

"Me?" Obi-Wan blinked, surprised by the thought. "No, Anakin," he said gently, shaking his head. "I've got my own younglings to train," he reminded him. "Though the thought _is_ tempting," he admitted with a wistful smile, thinking of his nephew. "If only to keep me from strangling Zak," Obi-Wan laughed; Zak was the ringleader of his class, and was constantly leading the other younglings into mischief.

Anakin grinned despite himself, nodding ruefully; but then another thought came to him. "Well, maybe Qui-Gon could take him?"

Obi-Wan laughed, amused. "Yes, by all means, ask Qui-Gon," he agreed. "He did such a smashing job with Cory... With any luck, you and Padmé will have a couple of grand-Zabraks by the time Luke is knighted," Obi-Wan suggested, nodding thoughtfully. "Or perhaps Twi'leks, or even Cereans..."

Anakin laughed, shaking his head. "Ahh... You're right," he agreed ruefully. Then his brows furrowed in concern as he looked at the clock. "Where is Qui-Gon?" he asked, suddenly remembering Leia's party.

"Reliving his youngling days," Obi-Wan informed him, rolling his eyes at his father's latest antics. "Cory's teaching Force-painting today," he explained.

At this, Anakin lifted his head, blinking in dismay. "Aw... I love Force-painting," he said, with another regretful look at the clock.

_Yes, I know you do, Anakin. You'd still be singing in Boys' Choir if you had the choice._ "Perhaps next time," Obi-Wan told his brother gently. "They should be here soon; and then we'll be on our way," he reminded him.

Anakin nodded, giving him a sad, grateful smile; then Obi-Wan got up from his bed, patting him encouragingly on the shoulder. "It will be all right, Anakin," he promised, pulling on his brown cloak. "Padmé and Leia will understand."

* * *

><p><em>Later that evening...<em>

"I'm sorry, sweetheart," Anakin apologized again, kissing Leia on the forehead as he tucked her into bed. "I'm sorry I couldn't bring Luke today." He smiled sadly, stroking her long, silky hair.

"It's all right," Leia assured him, her brown eyes filled with concern as she managed a brave smile. "It's not your fault."

"Eh," Anakin shrugged helplessly. "Well, at least I can come to your party tomorrow," he pointed out cheerfully; they were having a little family celebration on Naboo tomorrow with Padmé's parents, and Anakin would not have been able to attend, had Luke been with him.

Leia smiled, nodding. "I'm glad," she said simply.

"Me too," Anakin agreed, smiling in gratitude. _At least one of my kids wants me around._ "Goodnight, sweety," he said, giving her another little kiss. "Sleep well," he added, patting her on the shoulder as he turned to leave.

"Daddy?" Leia called after him. Anakin stopped, turning around, with a questioning look at his daughter. "It's not your fault," she said again, a compassionate look in her dark eyes. "Luke's just not ready... that's all," she insisted.

"Not ready?" Anakin frowned, surprised by Leia's comment. "He's the best pilot in his class, and his grades are perfect," he reminded his daughter, troubled to think that Leia had such little faith in her brother's abilities.

"I know," Leia nodded. "I meant... He's not ready, to give up being a youngling," she said quietly, with a reluctant shrug.

_Oh._ Anakin blinked in surprise as he realized what Leia was saying. _She's right... She usually is,_ he admitted, suddenly breaking into a relieved smile. "Leia, sweetheart," he said happily, hugging her again. "I think you might be right," Anakin agreed. "He loves Boys' Choir, and Arts and Crafts, and - how could I not see this?" He grinned, his dismay instantly vanishing. _He's just not ready; that's all. But I can ask him again next year..._ "My little genius," Anakin said proudly, stroking Leia's hair and kissing her on the forehead.

Leia grinned happily, giggling; but then Anakin remembered her own situation. "And what about you," he asked gently, with a tender smile. "Are you ready?"

Leia attempted a smile, but her eyes glistened with tears. "I don't know," she confessed. "I think so..." Naboo was holding elections next year, and everyone was pressuring Leia to run for Queen; she needed to make a decision about that soon. Leia was only nine, and the thought of becoming Queen was a bit terrifying; but unfortunately the other contenders were all in favor of lowering taxes for the wealthy citizens of Theed, and cutting off aid to the people who needed it the most, such as the survivors of the Jakili disaster.

_She's not ready either,_ Anakin realized, wishing for selfish reasons that Leia would say no; but he knew his daughter all too well, and smiled proudly at her now.

"Yes," Leia nodded, a sparkle of determination in her eyes. "I'm going to try," she told him bravely, sniffing back her tears.

Anakin nodded; then he grinned mischievously. "Do, or do not," he scolded her with mock sternness, pointing his finger and poking her playfully on the nose. "There is no try." _If you run for Queen, you WILL be elected, sweety._

Leia giggled, her brown eyes twinkling; but she nodded agreeably, as Anakin gave her one last goodnight kiss. "Get some sleep," he said gently, patting her on the shoulder as he headed for the door. "We've got a busy day tomorrow."

* * *

><p><em>"Ahh!"<em>

Padmé looked up to see Anakin standing in the doorway, his blue eyes wide with startled surprise; but now he grinned, coming over to her dresser, where she was doing her hair for the night, and tugged playfully on one of her braids.

"Aww, you're doing 'Waterfall' for tomorrow," he guessed, smiling happily and giving her a tender kiss as he wrapped his arms around her, sighing. "I love 'Waterfall'," he murmured, holding her close.

Padmé giggled, surprised by his sudden change in mood; he had been so depressed all evening at Leia's birthday party. "Yes," she nodded, tying the last of her eight braids, which she would remove in the morning, letting her hair fall loose in cascading waves. "What's gotten into you?" she asked, laughing again as Anakin continued to pester her with playful little kisses all over.

"Ahh," Anakin sighed, flopping onto the bed; Padmé automatically began pulling off his boots, smiling in quiet amusement. _Leila is right,_ she giggled to herself. _They DO get lazier with age._ "Padmé," Anakin murmured happily, as she rolled him over, helping him out of his black cloak. "We were wrong," he told her, a dreamy look in his eyes. "It's not because I'm not a Master..."

"What?" Padmé asked, surprised. "Really?" she added hopefully, continuing to undress him. _At least Ani only has one belt,_ Padmé consoled herself as she pulled it off, wondering how Leila had managed to cope all these years.

"Yeah," Anakin said, still blinking in disbelief. "Leia figured it out... Luke's not ready, that's all," he told Padmé, grinning cheerfully and managing to sit up slightly as she pulled off his black tunic; then he flopped down again, apparently exhausted from the effort. "He doesn't want to give up Boys' Choir, or Arts and Crafts," Anakin explained happily. "It makes perfect sense!"

Padmé blinked in surprise; then she broke into a relieved smile, tears of joy filling her eyes. "Ani, this is great!" she exclaimed, hugging him as they shared an ecstatic kiss; Padmé hadn't wanted to believe that her son was such a snob, turning Anakin down because he wasn't a Master. "You can ask him again next year," she realized.

"Yes," Anakin sighed dreamily, laying back down as Padmé continued to pull off his pants. _Uh... A little help here,_ she grumbled, tugging on them insistently until Anakin got the point, lifting his butt a little bit so she could get them off. "I can't wait," Anakin confessed, already planning things to do with his ten-year-old padawan.

"I can." Padmé smiled tenderly, finally finishing her work and climbing into bed beside him. "Ani, of course I had hoped Luke would say yes today, but... I'm glad you're here," she confessed, kissing him softly on the lips.

"So am I," Anakin admitted, his blue eyes sparkling as he gazed at her, a peaceful smile on his face. But suddenly his brows furrowed. "Padmé," he asked uncertainly, blinking. "Do I look like a Nerf herder?"

Padmé giggled, caught off guard by the question. "No," she assured her husband, stroking his beautiful, curly, golden-brown locks. "Well, maybe a little," she conceded, finding a tangle and proceeding to pull it apart with her fingers now. "But you're in luck," she assured him, with a tender smile. "I happen to like Nerf herders," she said, kissing him.

"Ha," Anakin laughed, giving her a shy smile. "Thank you," he said, as Padmé continued to stroke his lovely golden hair. "Mrs. Octopus Head," he added with a mischievous grin, tugging playfully on one of her braids.

"Hey!" Padmé retorted, smacking him away. "Don't touch the braids," she pouted; but then she broke into a happy smile, kissing him again and cuddling closer. "Another year, Ani," Padmé sighed, laying her head on his shoulder. "We have another year, before - " she broke off wistfully; they both knew that once Anakin took Luke as his padawan, they wouldn't be able to see each other as often.

"I know," Anakin said gently; then he smiled, kissing her again. "I'm glad," he admitted, gently stroking one of her braids. "I'm not ready to give this up yet," he confessed, his blue eyes full of longing as he gazed at her in adoration.

Padmé smiled, kissing him tenderly. "Neither am I."


	103. Lando wins the Millennium Falcon!

**Chapter 103**

_Meanwhile, also on Coruscant..._

_I am so screwed,_ Tarv sighed dismally, sitting at the bar and sipping his Alderaanian ale as he absently played with his solitary gold credit, the only money he had left to his name.

Everything had been so perfect, just this morning. Tarv and his mates had set out from Hutt Territory on a smuggling assignment for Jabba, delivering a shipment of spices to Balmorra in their newly-acquired ship, the _Millennium Falcon_.

But unfortunately, he had run into trouble getting past the Jedi checkpoint outside Hutt Territory. Tarv had picked an empty region of space between two customs checkpoints, hoping as always to pass through without being noticed; but then a Jedi Starfighter had swooped in out of nowhere, ordering him to stop. And not just _any_ Jedi Starfighter, of course; Tarv had felt his heart sink as he recognized the distinct yellow and white pattern of Anakin Skywalker's fighter.

He had spent hours fleeing from Skywalker, as the accursed Jedi Knight chased him relentlessly through the neutral zone. This area of space was riddled with deadly roadblocks, and not even Tarv dared to risk hyperspace travel before safely navigating past the Jedi checkpoint region; but every time Tarv had nearly reached the border, Skywalker would position himself directly in the _Falcon's_ path, making the jump to lightspeed impossible.

And so they had been forced into point-blank combat for several hours. Grauv had expertly maneuvered the _Falcon_ through the neutral zone while Tarv and the other men shot at the yellow-striped Starfighter desperately with every weapon they had; but in the end, only the _Falcon's_ extensive shielding system had saved them from Skywalker's relentless attack.

Finally, though, Grauv had managed to break past the border, and Tarv had made the jump to lightspeed, testing his experimental dual hyperdrive for the first time. It had worked beautifully; the _Falcon_ had emerged just off Togoria in half the usual time, giving Tarv ample opportunity to remove the Jedi tracking device from the _Falcon's_ hull before Skywalker was able to catch up with him again.

Having successfully eluded the Jedi, Tarv and the others had continued on to Balmorra, delivering their spice shipment as promised. Tarv had collected fifty thousand credits to bring back to Jabba; but then he had remembered his trouble with Skywalker, and had reluctantly decided to stop here on Coruscant on the return journey, to take care of some unfinished personal business.

_Why did it have to be Skywalker?_ Tarv lamented, sighing dejectedly as he sipped his drink. He thought he had finally gotten the black-clad Jedi Knight off his back, having served three years as a 'volunteer' for Jar Jar's forestry clean-up project, and another two years in Jakili after that, helping with the rebuilding effort. Skywalker had finally released Tarv and his crewmates on good behavior just over a month ago, temporarily disabling the slave devices in their heads on the condition that they find honest work, and never return to the slaving profession.

_And look what a great job we've done of that,_ Tarv sighed. They had _tried_ to find honest work; but with their prior criminal records, it was easier said than done, and before they knew it, Tarv and his friends had stolen the _Millennium Falcon_ and refitted it with a brand new custom-built hyperdrive and weapons system, making it even faster and more deadly than a Jedi Starfighter.

_I'm good at fixing things,_ Tarv scowled resentfully. _Always was._ And you'd think that Skywalker of all people would appreciate that; Tarv had seen his famous episode on _JEDI_ years ago, and had always wondered if perhaps the young Jedi Knight was a kindred spirit, and fellow genius mechanic. He had thought Skywalker was only bluffing five years ago when he had threatened to destroy Tarv's slaving vessel; but when Tarv refused to divulge the details of his top secret hyperspace snare, Skywalker had actually carried out his threat, disintegrating the entire vessel.

_And now he's onto us again,_ Tarv sighed. After this morning's skirmish, Skywalker would surely have identified the _Millennium Falcon_ as a stolen vessel, and soon all systems would be on the alert; Tarv had been lucky to land here on Coruscant tonight without being immediately arrested.

_I had to come here,_ Tarv admitted regretfully. He had worked so hard to build his dual hyperdrive this past month; it was his pride and joy, and it made the _Millennium Falcon_ the fastest ship in the galaxy. Tarv had thought it over on the way to Balmorra today, and had reluctantly decided that the only way to keep the _Falcon_ and avoid imprisonment (or worse, volunteer work for Jar Jar) would be to find the man they'd stolen it from a month earlier, and get him to transfer the title and drop the charges against them. And so they had made a quick stop here on Coruscant tonight, hoping to settle the matter for a reasonable price.

_I thought he'd take twenty thousand for it,_ Tarv lamented. Before Tarv had upgraded the hyperdrive and weapons system, the _Falcon_ had truly only been worth about fifteen thousand; but the original owner had capitalized on Tarv's predicament, blackmailing him for every penny he had in return for his silence. _He knew we couldn't just shoot him, or we'd be in even worse trouble,_ Tarv sighed.

In the end Tarv and his mates had coughed up sixty thousand credits, including the fifty thousand they had collected from today's smuggling job, which Jabba would be expecting tomorrow. So now Tarv was left with one measly credit to his name, along with an illegally modified ship that was worth precisely nothing on the legal market.

_Plus a Hutt Lord who's expecting fifty thousand credits in the morning, and three less-than-happy crewmates,_ Tarv sighed, eyeing Grauv and the others at a table across the cantina. Most of their original crew members had chosen to go their separate ways after Skywalker had freed them last month; Tarv sensed that Grauv and the last two loyal men were seriously considering leaving him as well at this point.

_I can't fly half as well as Grauv,_ Tarv admitted. _And I can't operate the _Falcon's_ weapons by myself,_ he confessed; the _Millennium Falcon_ was designed for a crew of four, with two pilots plus two gunmen manning the turrets. _I have to fix this,_ Tarv resolved, eyeing his solitary gold credit wistfully.

And on Coruscant, as in the rest of the galaxy, there was only one way that a man could start the evening with one credit to his name, and end up with fifty thousand: _Sabacc._ Taking a last swig of his Alderaanian ale, Tarv got up from the bar and headed over to the gambling tables.

* * *

><p>Lando looked up from his game as he saw a stranger approaching their table. "Hello," the man said politely, with a friendly smile. "Mind if I join you?"<p>

"Sure," Lando nodded agreeably along with the others, as the newcomer sat down with them.

"Thanks," the man nodded appreciatively. "Name's Tarv," he introduced himself casually, tossing his gold credit in the center of the table as they began a new game.

_Damn,_ Lando blinked in surprise, as Tarv immediately won the first round, collecting a credit from each of them. _He's really good._ But Lando was happy to keep playing; he loved Sabacc, and playing with an expert such as Tarv was a good way to learn new strategies and tricks.

Tarv continued to win most of the next several rounds, quickly stockpiling a hundred credits for himself; Lando and the others did not begrudge his good fortune at first, as Tarv had admitted to having lost everything earlier this evening. _Easy come, easy go,_ Lando agreed sympathetically, staying in the game despite his own losing streak, and hoping to get lucky one of these rounds.

But now the stakes were getting higher, as Tarv used his stockpile of credits to outbid the others, hand after hand. Sometimes he won, sometimes he lost; but on the whole, Tarv was growing steadily richer as the evening progressed.

_Maybe I should quit for the night,_ Lando sighed, as he lost another twenty credits in a single hand. He was now down over a hundred credits for the evening; he hated to give up after losing so much money, but on the other hand it was obvious that Tarv was a much better Sabacc player, and that Lando would probably continue to lose if he stayed in the game any longer.

Against his better judgment, Lando stayed in for another round; the stakes became ridiculously high, with Tarv betting everything he had - _again_ - forcing the others to throw in two hundred credits each. _This is crazy,_ Lando thought, putting his money in the middle of the table along with the others; but his cards were good, and there was a chance he might actually win this one...

_Yes!_ Lando grinned in disbelief as he won the round, collecting over a thousand credits. _This is great! Wait 'til I tell Han..._ He would have to send him a hand-written letter, of course, as his friend was still on Dantooine, Nerf herding with his father. _He won't believe this... A thousand credits in one round!_

_Maybe he'll come back to Coruscant, now that the weather is getting nicer,_ Lando hoped. Han was nineteen now, and free to do what he liked; but he had chosen to stay with his father on Dantooine thus far, not having the heart to leave him all alone, especially in the winter. But even Han admitted quietly in his letters that he was growing a bit bored of Nerf herding, and longed to fly again, and explore the galaxy with Lando.

In the meantime Lando had been working here on Coruscant, saving up money to buy their own ship. He had nearly ten thousand credits saved up so far; in truth it was enough to buy a used junker ship, but Lando had been holding out, for reasons he hadn't shared with Han. _I'm not just looking for ANY ship,_ he realized quietly. _I'm supposed to get the Millennium Falcon._ And Lando guessed that the _Falcon_ was worth about twenty thousand; so he had been biding his time, waiting until he could afford the ship that he seemed destined to own.

_At least for a little while,_ Lando laughed to himself; he had seen _The Empire Strikes Back,_ and knew that eventually he would lose the ship to Han, apparently in a Sabacc game. _I don't even want to know how I manage to do that,_ Lando grinned ruefully; Han was a terrible Sabacc player. _Besides, what sort of idiot bets a spaceship on a round of Sabacc?_

But now he turned his attention back to the game; it seemed _everyone_ had a good hand this time around, and the stakes were getting ridiculously high. The pot was already at three thousand, and rapidly growing; Lando blinked in disbelief as he looked at his cards, realizing he nearly had a perfect hand. _If I get just the right card, I could win this thing..._ Hoping for the best, Lando put another five hundred credits into the pot, raising the bet once again.

"Ah, I'm out," the man beside him sighed, folding his cards on the table.

"Me too," the next three players agreed; but Tarv was eyeing his cards thoughtfully, not ready to give in just yet.

"Well, I don't quite have five hundred," Tarv admitted, pushing his remaining pile of credits into the center of the table; the pot was now at four thousand credits. "But I'm feeling good about this hand," Tarv said, pulling out a piece of paper from his breast pocket. "I'm raising you ten thousand credits," he told Lando, adding the paper to the pot. "That's the title to my ship; the parts alone are worth more than that," assured him confidently.

_Ten thousand?_ Lando blinked in disbelief; people only bet that much when they were certain they had an unbeatable hand. _And unless I get just the right card this time, I have nothing,_ he admitted, with a last regretful look at his _nearly_ perfect hand. _Tarv must have something really good,_ he knew.

_No, I can't do this; it would be crazy,_ Lando chided himself. _I can't bet my entire bank account on... Wait a minute,_ Lando blinked, reading the name on the title. _The Millennium Falcon?_ Lando quickly hid his surprise, though his heart was suddenly racing. _This is it,_ he realized in stunned disbelief. _This is how I get the Falcon!_

"Ahh," Lando sighed, shaking his head. "I really shouldn't," he laughed, pulling out his electronic credit device and showing Tarv his bank account balance. "There's your ten thousand," he sighed, tossing it onto the pile.

Tarv nodded, with a respectful but somewhat pitying smile. _What cards does he have?_ Lando wondered anxiously. _I hope I'm right about this,_ he prayed, as the dealer handed him his final card. _Please, let it be the one I need..._

_Yes!_ Lando grinned in amazement, realizing he now held the perfect Sabacc hand. The round was over, and he laid his cards on the table. "Sorry," he apologized, as Tarv gaped in disbelief. _Hey, YOU were the one who wanted to raise the stakes, buddy._

But Tarv was a man of honor, and managed to mask his dismay, giving Lando a respectful nod. "Like I said... Easy come, easy go," Tarv said, shrugging. "There you go," he sighed, handing over the title of his ship to Lando. "The _Millennium Falcon_... She's all yours; you'll find her in dock fifty-eight," Tarv informed him, managing a brave smile as he got up from the table.

"Well," Tarv nodded respectfully to Lando and the others. "I guess I'm done for the night," he admitted. "Better luck tomorrow night, eh?" he said, as the others nodded in agreement, also getting up from the table. "Congratulations," Tarv said to Lando now, shaking his hand. "It was a good game."

"Thank you," Lando nodded respectfully, trying valiantly to appear neither pitying nor giddily ecstatic over his own good fortune. "It was an honor playing with you, truly," he added, as Tarv nodded appreciatively; Lando didn't need to tell him that he was the best he'd ever been up against.

_That guy is a genius,_ Lando admitted now, as he left the cantina with his earnings. _He's the best card player I've ever seen in my life; he'll win it all back again tomorrow night,_ Lando consoled himself, to ease his own guilt. _And he really didn't seem too upset about losing the Falcon,_ he realized, cringing worriedly as he wondered what that meant. _Haha, it's probably completely trashed,_ Lando guessed; based on its performance in the _Star Wars_ movies, it wouldn't surprise him.

_But Han and I can fix it up,_ Lando thought to himself, already making plans. _Han is not going to believe this,_ he laughed again, incredulous. _Five thousand credits in one night, PLUS the Millennium Falcon..._ Lando shook his head in utter disbelief, hardly believing his good fortune as he made his way back to his apartment.

* * *

><p>"There he is," Tarv said in a low voice, as Grauv and the others nodded. They had followed the young man out of the cantina, moving on to Plan B of this evening's strategy. Tarv had hoped to win the fifty thousand credits he needed legitimately at the Sabacc tables, but it had been a rather disappointing evening, and now they would have to resort to less peaceful measures.<p>

_It will be all right,_ Tarv reassured himself, quickly thinking through the consequences of this plan. If the _Falcon's_ original owner had suddenly and mysteriously turned up dead, Skywalker would surely have grown suspicious; but nobody would make the connection if this young man disappeared. _We have to kill him, though,_ Tarv decided; it was the only way to ensure his silence on the matter.

Following the him onto a dark, relatively quiet street, Tarv nodded to Grauv and the others. "Now," he whispered, as they quickly closed in on him, cutting off his escape. Of the four of them, Grauv was the biggest and strongest, and he grabbed the young man now, clamping a hand over his mouth and quickly dragging him into the adjacent alleyway.

"Hello again." Tarv smiled pleasantly, with a respectful nod. "I'm sorry to be a bad sport, but if you wouldn't mind, I'd like the title to my ship back," he told him, as one of his crewmates reached into the young man's jacket pocket while the others held his arms and legs. The dark-skinned youth - a Nabooan, Tarv guessed - was struggling valiantly, his eyes blazing with anger; but he was woefully outnumbered, and Tarv gave him an apologetic shrug as Grauv put a blaster to his head now.

"Thank you," Tarv nodded politely, taking the title to the _Falcon_ from his crew mate. "And I really am sorry about this," he added to the young man. "You're an excellent card player, but I'm afraid - "

"Hold it right there," came an authoritative voice from the end of the alleyway. "Hands up!"

_No, no, no..._ Tarv's heart sank as several police officers advanced upon them, blasters drawn. "Put it down!" one of the policemen ordered Grauv now. _No, don't put it down,_ Tarv frowned worriedly, as Grauv obediently set his blaster on the ground, raising his hands in the air. _Grauv, you idiot..._

_Crap,_ Tarv sighed in utter annoyance and dismay, as the police officers put the four of them in binders, hauling them off to the station for what was certain to be a lengthy prison stay. _I have the worst luck in the galaxy._

* * *

><p><em>The next day...<em>

Han sighed wistfully, gazing across the endless hill country of Dantooine as he and Shep kept an eye on the herd. It was a beautiful day; the sun was shining brightly, and the Nerfs were frolicking happily amidst the wildflowers in the rolling meadows. But Han felt an aching sensation in his heart, knowing that he would soon be leaving.

_It's time,_ he admitted regretfully. Han had been staying here on Dantooine these past two years since being expelled from the military academy; it had been wonderful spending time with his father again, and he hadn't been in any hurry to leave at first. But it had been a long, cold, boring winter out here in the middle of nowhere; and one evening as they huddled together by the fireplace in their little cabin, Han had finally told his father that he would be returning to Coruscant once the winter was over.

His dad had taken the news well, and had smiled, a proud twinkle in his eyes as he told Han that it was the right decision; but still Han felt sad about leaving him here once again, all alone. _He managed things for ten years by himself, before I got kicked out of school,_ Han told himself. _He'll be all right. Besides, he's not completely alone,_ Han realized gratefully, waving to his father over on the next hill, where he was chatting with one of the neighboring Nerf herders.

_I'll leave tomorrow,_ Han resolved. _We'll have dinner tonight, and then I'll tell him. I can hike down to the village in the morning, and catch a transport..._ But now Han squinted in surprise as he saw the telltale glimmer of a spacecraft entering the atmosphere high above.

_What the...?_ Han blinked in disbelief as the vessel rapidly approached, making its descent toward the little clearing outside Han and Arthur's cabin. In all the time Han had spent out here in the hills of Dantooine, _no one_ had ever flown directly to their doorstep. It appeared to be a mid-sized vessel, with a round, sleek design; possibly a freighter ship of some type...

_No,_ Han grinned in disbelief, his eyes widening in amazement as he realized who it must be. _Lando...?_ Instantly, Han was running full-tilt toward the ship, leaving Shep behind to watch over the herd.

_She's beautiful,_ Han thought, starry-eyed with wonder as the magnificent ship touched down in front of him. The freighter appeared to be in pristine condition; not the dilapidated junker that he and Lando had expected to start out with. Han could see Lando in the cockpit now, and waved to him, still grinning in stunned disbelief.

"Haha," Lando laughed happily, climbing down the gangplank and hopping to the ground before it had completely lowered, then grabbing Han in an ecstatic embrace. "What do you think?" Lando said cheerfully, gesturing dramatically toward his new ship.

"Ha!" Han laughed, still awestruck. "She's beautiful," he told Lando. "How in the world... She's really yours?" he asked, walking hesitantly up to the ship and reaching out a hand out to touch the sleek durasteel hull.

"Yeah," Lando nodded happily, obviously still in shock himself. "The _Millennium Falcon,_" he said proudly. "I won her in a Sabacc game, last night."

"No way!" Han grinned, shaking his head. _Crazy gambler..._ "Lando... Ahh!" he exclaimed, giddy with excitement and at a complete loss for words. "I can't believe it." He grinned idiotically, still staring at the ship in amazement.

"Come on," Lando told him, leading the way back up the gangplank. "Have a look inside." Han followed him aboard, grinning in amazement at the _Falcon's_ luxurious interior. "This is the lounge," Lando told him, gesturing toward the circular sofa in the center. "Check this out," Lando said, pushing a button as a holo chess board materialized on the coffee table.

"Wow," Han laughed, nodding. _This is awesome..._

"This is my bunk; and there's your bunk," Lando continued, showing him the small but comfortable sleeping quarters. "Lots of storage space," he added, opening up one of the gigantic cabinets that lined the hallway. "Two gun turrets," Lando pointed out casually, as Han peered in disbelief at the gigantic cannons attached to either end. _Lando, what do you have in mind?_ he laughed, amused by his friend's nonchalant acceptance of the fact that he now owned a luxury class freighter complete with battle stations.

_He always said we'd get a decent ship,_ Han admitted, grinning; Lando had an uncanny way of knowing things sometimes, and had an unwavering faith in his own good fortune. _Look at these storage cabinets,_ Han blinked in amazement, opening another one up.

"Ahh!" Han exclaimed in surprise, as a gigantic pile of clothes and other random items spilled out of the cabinet and onto his feet.

"Oops... I didn't quite finish packing," Lando apologized now, shoving his stuff unceremoniously back into the closet and forcing the door shut again.

"You moved out of your apartment?" Han asked, surprised.

"Yeah," Lando nodded. "I gave notice at my job this morning, but they said it was all right if I leave right away, so... here I am," he said cheerfully, leading the way toward the front of the ship. "Here, check out the cockpit, you're going to love this."

"Wow," Han grinned, admiring the control panel. "Haha, you hung the dice up there," he noticed, amused; Lando had picked them up at a Coruscant pawn shop years ago, and they had always hung on his apartment wall. Han had always thought they were strange, and completely random; but that was Lando for you.

"Yeah," Lando shrugged apologetically. "They don't have to be there, if you don't like them."

"No, no, they're great," Han said, flopping down in the pilot's seat and swiveling around, admiring the comfy feel of it. But now he frowned, noticing something odd. "What's this?" he asked, seeing that there were two parallel hyperdrive levers instead of just one. _That's strange..._ "And - whoa," Han exclaimed, blinking in surprise at another button labeled 'Concussion Missile'. _Those aren't legal, are they?_

"Uh... yeah," Lando said, with an apprehensive cringe. "It's kind of a long story," he began hesitantly; but now he looked up in surprise, and Han swiveled around in his pilot's seat as his father came aboard, grinning in amazement. "I'll tell you later," Lando said under his breath, as Han nodded, masking his concern. _Lando, what the hell kind of ship did you win?_

"What's this?" Arthur Solo asked, grinning cheerfully as he peered curiously around the cockpit. "Ah!" he exclaimed, suddenly noticing Lando in the copilot's seat.

"Hey Dad, this is Lando," Han said, introducing his friend. "And _this,_" he added, gesturing dramatically around the cockpit. "Is Lando's ship... The _Millennium Falcon,_" he told his father proudly. _That is such a cool name..._

"Lando," Arthur said, shaking his hand. "It's great to meet you; Han's told me so much about you," he nodded cheerfully. "Nice ship you've got here," he added, genuinely impressed.

"Thank you," Lando said, nodding humbly. "It's nice to meet you too."

"So," Arthur sighed, with a cheerful smile. "I guess this means you'll be leaving then, eh?" he asked Han, patting him on the back.

Han hung his head regretfully, but nodded. "Yeah... I guess so," he agreed, managing an apologetic smile. "I'm going to miss this place," he added, with an apologetic shrug. _I'm going to miss you, Dad..._

"Now, now, none of that," Arthur scolded him, as Han grinned with fond gratitude. "Besides, you're not leaving before dinner," he insisted, leading Han and Lando back down the gangplank and toward his little cabin. "Anyway," he added confidently, nodding toward the _Falcon._ "I'll be expecting regular visits," he said. "A ship that size has a pretty fast hyperdrive, I imagine?" Arthur asked hopefully, glancing back over his shoulder at Lando.

"Yes, sir," Lando replied, with a good-natured grin; but Han caught the sparkle of mischief in his friend's eyes now, and gave him another questioning look after his father turned away. _Two hyperdrive levers... and a concussion missile?_ Han wondered again, blinking worriedly. But Lando just shook his head quietly, with a mysterious smile.

"It's fast," Lando agreed politely, as he and Han followed Arthur inside the cabin for dinner.


	104. Unfortunately, Jabba wants it back

**Chapter 104**

_A week later..._

_There he is,_ Boba scowled dangerously, starting up _Slave I_ and quietly taking off after the _Millennium Falcon_. He had been hunting down Tarv for the past five days, under Jabba's orders; Tarv had failed to return from his smuggling trip to Balmorra last week, and Jabba wanted his fifty thousand credits back.

In the five years that Boba had been working for Jabba as a bounty hunter, he had never been given an assignment that he enjoyed quite as much as this one. It was Tarv who had sold him to Jabba in the first place, implanting a slave device in his head to ensure his continued loyalty.

_But now you'll learn that Jabba doesn't appreciate smugglers who take off with fifty thousand credits, and try to go into business for themselves,_ Boba thought fiercely, quietly catching up with the _Falcon_ as they both emerged from Zolan's atmosphere. Boba had received a tip that the _Millennium Falcon_ had landed here on Zolan earlier today, apparently on an independent trading mission; he shook his head now, laughing at Tarv's stupidity.

_Did you really think Jabba wouldn't find you?_ Boba wondered; in truth, Jabba was furious with Tarv, and had threatened to feed him to the Rancor after Boba captured him. _He won't do it though,_ Boba sighed; Tarv was a genius inventor, and Jabba needed him to outfit more smuggling ships with dual hyperdrive systems, as he had done with the _Millennium Falcon_.

_This isn't going to be easy,_ Boba admitted, preparing _Slave I's_ weapons and steeling himself for battle. _Who knows what kind of crazy weapons he's installed on that thing..._ But thankfully, Boba had an arsenal of crazy weapons himself.

_I'm going to try out my new stun cannon,_ Boba decided, pleased to finally have an opportunity to see how it worked. His dad had helped him build it during his last visit home to Naboo; theoretically, it was supposed to stun everyone aboard the ship, but there was a slight chance that it might actually _kill_ them, and so Boba had been hesitant to test it thus far.

But Jabba hadn't _specifically_ forbidden Boba from killing Tarv and his crew, which meant that if it happened by accident, Boba wouldn't be in any real trouble. _He DOES want the Falcon back though,_ Boba reminded himself, planning his strategy. _No disintegrations._

_Better start with a sonic blast, to take out his communications... Ha!_ Boba grinned, as the _Falcon_ suddenly shuddered in the wake of the sonic pulse. _Heya Tarv... Guess who?_ Boba laughed, immediately clobbering him with another one.

_All right... Communications should be down by now,_ he thought, preparing his ion cannon. _And now for..._ "Oh, crap!" Boba muttered, as the _Falcon_ suddenly started up again, flipping over and engaging in evasive maneuvers. Now it was coming around; Boba saw a bright flash emanating from the _Falcon's_ gun turret, and a moment later _Slave I_ shuddered under the impact of Tarv's cannon.

Thankfully his shields held; but now Boba's eyes narrowed, his face set in an expression of grim determination as he came around to face the enemy ship again. _All right, Tarv,_ Boba thought, steeling himself for battle. _If you want to do this the hard way, I have no objections._

* * *

><p>"What the hell's going on?" Han yelled from the cockpit, bringing the <em>Falcon<em> around as Lando continued to shoot at the attacking vessel.

"I don't know!" Lando yelled down to him from the gun turret. "Call for help!"

"Okay!" Han yelled; the attack had been so sudden, they hadn't had a chance to think. "Mayday, Mayday!" Han said urgently over the transmitter. "This is the _Millennium Falcon;_ we're under attack, requesting immediate assistance, coordinates 6-49-13... Crap!" Han cursed suddenly. "Communications are down!"

"Never mind!" Lando yelled, as the enemy ship came around again. "You see that 'Concussion Missile' button?" he reminded Han. "Now would be a good time!"

"All right!" Han yelled in agreement. "Did that do anything?" he asked hopefully.

_Crap..._ "No!" Lando yelled, still firing with his laser cannon. "Forget it - just keep flying!" he told Han now.

A moment later he let out a sigh of relief as Han expertly maneuvered the _Falcon_ out of the path of the oncoming torpedo; it missed them by just a few meters, though the _Falcon_ shuddered as the torpedo detonated in mid-flight.

_At least the shields are holding..._ But something had been nagging at the back of his mind, and now Lando's eyes widened as he recognized the enemy ship. _Boba Fett!_ he realized suddenly, remembering the fearsome bounty hunter from _Star Wars_. _That's that bastard who's always chasing after Han!_

_Well you're not getting us this time,_ Lando vowed stubbornly, firing on him again. Lando's faith in the accuracy of the movies had grown even stronger since winning the _Millennium Falcon_ a week ago; but even he had to admit that the details behind the scenes were not quite what he'd expected. _I never thought Tarv would come after me in the alleyway,_ Lando admitted. _And I definitely didn't expect THIS asshole to show up so soon..._ Lando frowned fiercely, rapid-firing upon the bounty hunter.

But a moment later Lando was thrown to the floor as they were hit by a tremendous blast, and Lando's heart sank as he heard - for the first time in real life - the piteous sound of the _Millennium Falcon's_ engine spinning down. _Crap,_ he thought anxiously, as they came to an abrupt halt. _That has got to be the worst sound in the entire galaxy._

"Lando?" Han asked worriedly, as the emergency life support system came on, bathing the ship in an eerie dim glow. "You all right?"

"Yeah," Lando assured him, climbing down from the gun turret. _We're still alive, anyway..._

"What's going on?" Han asked apprehensively, as they heard an ominous clunking sound. A moment later they felt themselves being pulled backward by an unseen force.

"I don't know... I think we're being towed," Lando told him quietly; he could see the anxiety in Han's eyes, and his heart ached for his friend. _It's going to be all right, Han... More or less, anyway,_ he sighed, guessing that Han's lifelong dream of running his own independent freighter service was about to come to an abrupt end. _I'm sorry, buddy. I never thought this would happen so soon._

"Han," Lando said, putting a hand on his shoulder. "It's going to be all right," he promised, as he had so many times in the past. "If he were trying to kill us, he would have done it already," Lando pointed out, managing a rueful smile.

Han nodded, still blinking nervously as he sat down in the pilot's seat next to Lando. "I hope you're right," he said, trusting Lando as he always had. "I have a bad feeling about this."

* * *

><p><em>Many hours later...<em>

_Finally,_ Boba sighed wearily, as the desert planet of Tatooine came into view before him. He had been forced to travel slowly, towing the _Millennium Falcon_ behind him; thankfully, the _Falcon's_ emergency lights were still glowing, indicating that the life support system had held throughout the journey.

_And now to test Dad's stun cannon,_ Boba decided, hoping that it would work. Tarv and his crew were not ones to give up easily, and Boba didn't want them to emerge from the _Falcon_ with guns blazing the moment they landed. Momentarily detaching from the _Falcon,_ Boba maneuvered into position.

_Let's hope this works,_ he sighed, targeting the _Millennium Falcon_ with his stun cannon and pressing the trigger. There was a brief pulse of blue, but it quickly dissipated; the _Falcon's_ emergency lights remained on, and Boba cringed apprehensively, wondering if it had done anything at all.

_I guess I'll find out soon enough,_ Boba decided, coming around and reattaching his tow cable to the disabled vessel. But he reached for his transmitter now, deciding to call for backup just in case.

"This is _Slave I,_ returning with the _Millennium Falcon,_" he informed Jabba's security team, making his descent toward Tatooine. "I have Tarv and his crew in custody; but I may require additional security upon landing," he warned them.

"Understood, _Slave I,_" Jabba's controller agreed. "You're cleared to land."

A few minutes later Boba touched down on Jabba's personal landing platform outside the palace, pulling on his helmet and drawing his blaster as he climbed down the gangplank, preparing for the worst. Nodding to Jabba's security guards, he opened the _Falcon's_ emergency release hatch and cautiously led the team aboard, blasters drawn.

But as Boba reached the cockpit, he gasped in surprise at the two figures crumpled on the floor. _That's not Tarv,_ he realized suddenly, quickly searching the rest of the ship for passengers. "Damn it," Boba cursed under his breath, returning to the cockpit; Tarv and his men weren't aboard the _Falcon_ at all.

The two young pilots were beginning to regain consciousness, moaning slightly as they attempted to crawl around on the floor; Boba felt a wave of relief to realize that his father's stun cannon had worked properly. Jabba's guards were already putting the two pilots in binders, roughly hauling them to their feet and dragging them off the ship.

_They're even younger than me,_ Boba noted regretfully, wondering if these two boys had been forced to work for Tarv, and perhaps had slave devices in their heads as well. But then he recalled the fierce battle they had waged against him outside Zolan, and realized that they were seasoned pilots, trained in naval warfare.

_No, they're Tarv's men all right,_ Boba decided, escorting them into Jabba's audience chamber to face their sentencing. _He probably recruited them in Jakili._ One of the pilots appeared to be a southern Nabooan; the other was possibly a northerner.

"What's this?" Jabba frowned, as Boba hauled the two half-stunned pilots before him.

"They were piloting the _Millennium Falcon,_ Your Excellency," Boba informed him, with a respectful bow. "I've captured the _Falcon;_ it's on your private landing platform," he added, deciding to begin with the good news. "Tarv was not on board," Boba confessed regretfully. _But I'm not done looking for him..._

"Where is Tarv?" Jabba demanded of the two young pilots, as his protocol droid translated.

"He's in a Coruscant prison," the darker one replied dangerously, a glimmer of fierce resentment in his eyes. The other one was beginning to regain his senses too, and they both faced Jabba with brave defiance. "He lost the _Falcon_ to me in a Sabacc match last week; he tried to assault me afterwards, but was arrested."

Jabba's eyes narrowed. "You don't work for him?"

"No," the young man insisted, as his friend shook his head as well. "We're freighter pilots; we just delivered a shipment of electrical parts to Zolan this morning, when your bounty hunter attacked us. I'm sorry, Your Excellency," he apologized, with a polite nod. "You got the wrong guys."

"Ahhhhh!" Jabba cursed in frustration. "Boba, you will go to Coruscant, and track down Tarv," he ordered in Huttese.

"With pleasure," Boba replied, bowing respectfully.

"Now," Jabba mused, turning back to the two young pilots. "What am I going to do with you?"

"We don't want any trouble, Your Excellency," the dark-skinned one assured him, as the other nodded in agreement. He appeared to have been more severely affected by the stun cannon, and had lost his balance a few times during their conversation; but his friend grasped him firmly by the arm, and he had valiantly managed to stay standing.

"It was an honest mistake; no hard feelings," the young man insisted graciously, as his friend nodded vigorously. "We're not interested in pressing charges; we'll just take our ship and be on our way," he promised.

Boba's eyes widened anxiously beneath his mask. _Oh, crap,_ he blinked worriedly. _He's telling the truth! They don't work for Tarv; they really ARE just honest freighter pilots... Like my dad,_ Boba realized suddenly, his heart sinking.

"Hahahaa," Jabba laughed, deeply amused. "It's my ship now," he informed the young pilots, as everyone in the audience chamber laughed gleefully. "These boys are young, and scrawny," Jabba added with a dramatic shrug, for the benefit of his court's entertainment. "But perhaps the two of them together will make a decent meal," he conceded with amusement, reaching for the lever to the Rancor pit.

_Oh, crap..._ "Wait!" Boba protested. Jabba hesitated, his eyes narrowing as he stared at Boba now. "Your Excellency," Boba continued quickly. "You will need someone to pilot the _Falcon,_" he pointed out. "These two put up a hell of a fight," Boba admitted, with a respectful nod to the young pilots. "They might make better spice smugglers, than Rancor fodder."

"Hmmmm," Jabba mused, staring at them. "Where did you boys learn to fly?"

"Coruscant Military Academy," the young man replied proudly, though there was still a glimmer of defiance in his eyes.

"I see," Jabba nodded thoughtfully. "Very well. I will make a deal with you then," he agreed. "Tarv owes me fifty thousand credits; if you can pay off his debt to me, plus fifty percent interest, you can have the title to the _Millennium Falcon_ back," he offered, gesturing toward Bib Fortuna, who held the title now.

"In the meantime, you will take over Tarv's spice smuggling operations," Jabba continued. "He is already late on two shipments; you will leave for Myomar as soon as the _Falcon_ is ready," he informed them.

Boba sighed in relief; it seemed that Jabba was in a magnanimous mood today. _Fifty thousand plus interest... They can pay that off in a few months, get their ship back, and be on their way,_ he consoled himself, still feeling guilty for having dragged two innocent young freighter pilots into this mess. _They're getting off easy,_ Boba admitted, truly grateful for Jabba's uncharacteristic good mood.

But nothing could prepare him for what came next.

"We won't," the darker youth informed Jabba abruptly.

_What?_ Boba gasped in disbelief, his heart sinking. _No, no, no..._

* * *

><p><em>What?<em> Han blinked worriedly; things had just been starting to go well for them, but now... _Lando, no... This is serious..._

"WHAT?" Jabba roared, outraged.

"Your Excellency," Lando continued, managing a polite bow. "We appreciate the offer, and I'm sure we can come to an agreement over the fifty thousand credits that Tarv owes you," he assured him. "But we will not smuggle spices," he repeated, a tone of unwavering finality in his voice.

_Lando..._ Han's heart sank as he realized what his friend was trying to do. _He's always been nutty about that,_ Han admitted. Lando's mother had been a drug addict, which was why Lando was raised in foster care as an orphan. _Promise me you'll never take any spice smuggling jobs,_ Lando had always begged Han, whenever they spoke of their plans for the freighter business. _I don't care what else you smuggle; but no drugs,_ he had insisted. Han had never intended to smuggle _anything,_ and thought his friend was a bit paranoid to think that he ever would; but he had always nodded agreeably, understanding Lando's deep abhorrence of the illegal spice trade.

_But this is serious,_ Han cringed, seeing Jabba's obvious rage. _Lando, I appreciate your morals, but now is not the time..._

"Hahahahaa," Jabba laughed suddenly, understanding Lando's position. "The boy doesn't like spices." He grinned broadly, as his courtiers chuckled in amusement. "Very well," Jabba agreed. "Let it not be said that Jabba the Hutt ever forced anyone to smuggle spices against his will," he conceded magnanimously.

"You can mine for them instead," Jabba said, gesturing for his Gamorrean guards to come forward. "Take him to Kessel!"

"No," Han protested, his heart pounding in horror as Lando was dragged out of the audience chamber, off to the spice mines of Kessel. _This isn't happening... Lando..._

"And what about about you?" Jabba asked now, turning to Han. "Would you prefer mining, or smuggling?" he offered, with a gracious wave of his hand.

_Crap..._ Han was still numb from shock, and dazed from the bounty hunter's stun cannon, but he tried to think quickly. _No one ever gets out of Kessel,_ he knew; the slaves were chained in a long line through the deep cavern tunnels, and only death could release them. _But they can be bought, for a price..._

"Your Excellency," Han said nervously. "I apologize for my friend's - insolence," he cringed, forcing the words out. "I accept your generous offer, and will be happy to cooperate," he assured the Hutt lord.

Jabba's eyes narrowed, but he nodded in satisfaction. "Good," he said quietly. "I see you have more sense than your unfortunate friend," he added. "What is your name?"

_Crap..._ Han thought about lying, but Jabba's guards had already taken his identification; he realized it was no use. "Han Solo," he told Jabba bravely, meeting the Hutt's yellow gaze.

"Hahahaa," Jabba laughed, deeply amused. "Solo," he repeated, bowing dramatically as his little rodent-like pet shrieked in a fit of giggles. _Laugh it up, rat face..._ Han glared defiantly at Jabba now, willing the Hutt to make a jab at his family.

But Jabba nodded quietly, impressed by Han's cool restraint. "It is an honor," he said, with a respectful nod. "And my offer still stands: take over Tarv's operations until you can repay the fifty thousand credits he owes me - plus interest," he reminded him, as Han nodded in understanding. "And the _Falcon_ is yours," he conceded.

"Thank you, Your Excellency," Han replied; but now he looked around nervously, wondering what to do. _Do I just leave?_ He blinked uncertainly, still completely in shock. _I guess so..._ Han managed a few cautious steps, still weak and shaky from the bounty hunter's stun cannon; but somehow he made it out of the audience chamber, and continued down the wide corridor, his heart racing.

_What now?_ Han wondered, keeping his eyes averted as he kept walking past Jabba's other minions in the hallway. The _Falcon_ needed repairs, and apparently Jabba was expecting Han to load up a shipment of spices as soon as possible, but Han had no idea how to go about doing any of that. _I guess I'll find a cantina, and ask one of the locals,_ he decided, quickly coming up with a plan.

Exiting Jabba's palace, Han made his way down to the city of Mos Eisley, looking for a suitable place to ask for help; but now he sensed someone following him. Casually looking back over his shoulder as he crossed the next street, he caught a glimpse of blue armor. _The bounty hunter! Crap,_ Han blinked, quickening his pace and ducking into a side alley, trying to lose him. _He's still after me?_

_Damn it,_ Han cursed, realizing what was going on. _This is just like what happened to Lando, with Tarv... Of course Jabba wasn't going to just let me go; he's sent his bounty hunter to finish me off,_ Han realized suddenly. He saw a flash of armor now as the bounty hunter turned onto the narrow alleyway.

_Crap..._ Han's blaster was still aboard the _Falcon,_ where he had dropped it upon being hit by the stun cannon; he had no way to defend himself. And his muscles were still feeling too weak and wobbly to run... Turning onto the next alley, Han slipped quietly inside the doorway of a dimly lit cantina, holding his breath.

The bounty hunter peered inside the doorway as he walked by; but Han stayed hidden in the shadows, and the armored man continued on past the cantina. Letting out a sigh of relief, Han walked over toward the bar. _I'll lay low for a few minutes, and try to find someone who might be able to help..._

"Hi," Han nodded casually to the bartender, taking a seat at the counter. "I'll have an Alderaanian ale."

The bartender nodded, filling a pint glass and setting it on the counter. "Pilot, eh?" he asked courteously, seeing Han's neat black and white uniform; he had bought it only a few days ago, giddy with excitement to finally be working as a freighter pilot.

Han nodded. "I need to make a few repairs to my ship before I head out again," he said casually, taking a sip of his ale. "Do you know a good mechanic you could recommend?"

"Sure do," the bartender nodded, grinning. "You're in luck; my cousin has a shop, just a block over..." But now he frowned abruptly, looking at someone over Han's shoulder.

"Come with me, Solo," said a quiet voice behind him. "I don't want any trouble."

_Oh, crap._ Han sighed unhappily, knowing there was no way to escape Jabba's bounty hunter this time. _The best thing to do is cooperate at this point,_ he decided, nodding. Taking one last sip of his ale, Han set a couple of credits on the counter for the bartender and walked bravely out of the cantina, followed closely by the armored figure.

"This way," the bounty hunter told him, leading him through the streets of Mos Eisley toward a small public landing platform. Han spotted the bounty hunter's oval-shaped ship docked outside; the hatch was opening now, and a green, black-eyed Rodian appeared in the doorway.

_This isn't good,_ Han thought; but he felt the sharp jab of a blaster in his back now, and nodded quietly, climbing up the ramp and onto the vessel.

A moment later the hatch closed, and the bounty hunter nodded respectfully to his Rodian friend. "Thanks, Greedo," he said, as the Rodian returned to the cockpit, taking off again. But then to Han's surprise, the bounty hunter casually pulled off his helmet and gloves, tossing them aside.

"Boba Fett," he introduced himself, nodding. "I'm sorry about all that," he added with an apologetic smile, running a hand through his shaggy black hair. He was a southern Nabooan, not much older than Lando; Han tried not to blink idiotically as the bounty hunter continued to casually pull off the rest of his armor.

"Don't worry," Boba added, tossing his chestplate and gauntlets aside. "We'll get your ship back... And your friend," he added ruefully. "I'm sorry," he apologized again, leading the way into the cockpit and flopping down in the copilot's seat next to Greedo. "I thought you guys were Tarv," Boba sighed, as if that explained everything.

_A half hour later..._

"Here you go, sweethearts," Greedo's mom said with an affectionate smile, bringing over a tray full of milk and cookies as Boba and Han sat at her kitchen table, plotting their strategy.

They had already dropped the _Millennium Falcon_ off at Kitster's mechanic shop here in Mos Espa; Boba had casually explained to Han that the bartender he had been talking with earlier was a member of the Nar Shadaa mafia. "They work for Gardulla the Hutt; you don't want to get involved with them," he had explained to Han.

And so now they were sitting in Greedo's cozy little kitchen, munching on cookies and milk while Greedo and Kitster worked on the _Falcon_ a few blocks away.

"They'll get it fixed by morning," Boba assured Han now, smiling sweetly at Greedo's mom as he washed down his cookie with a swig of milk. "Kitster's one of the best," he promised again. "Maybe not a crazy genius like _Tarv,_" he conceded; then he broke into a mischievous grin. "But at least he has enough sense not to put big red labels on all his illegal weapons," Boba laughed, shaking his head in amusement.

"Don't worry, he'll get everything fixed up so that if you ever get boarded, it won't look like anything's amiss," Boba promised Han. Kitster had even offered to install some secret floor panels in the _Falcon_, for smuggling spices.

Han nodded gratefully, still blinking in disbelief at this turn of events. _A few hours ago he was trying to kill me, and now he's serving me milk and cookies...?_ But strange as it seemed, Boba was actually a genuinely nice guy, and had insisted on helping Han to sort out 'this mess', as he casually put it.

"So I'll need ten thousand to buy Lando back from the Kessel mines," Han repeated, wanting to make sure he got it straight. "And I eventually have to pay Jabba... seventy-five thousand?" he asked uncertainly.

"At least," Boba nodded. "And you'll need to keep up with Tarv's spice deliveries in the meantime," he reminded Han. "But once you pay Jabba off... you're free to go," he said, with a sad little smile.

Han nodded; but catching Boba's fleeting look of regret, he peered at him questioningly. "So why do you keep working for him?" he asked, trying to understand; Boba obviously had no great love for Jabba.

"Eh," Boba sighed; Greedo's mom gave him a sad smile from across the room, where she was cooking dinner for tonight. "It's a long story," he confessed. "My dad's a freighter pilot like you, and I used to work for him," he explained. "But then Tarv came along... Ahh, boring story," Boba said. "But anyway, I ended up with a slave device in my head, and Jabba holds the remote detonator," he confessed. "Which makes me his most loyal employee," he explained, managing a rueful grin.

_Crap..._ Han's heart sank to realize that Boba was effectively a slave. "Boba... I'm sorry," he said quietly.

"Nah," Boba shrugged matter-of-factly. "It's all right," he assured Han. "Jabba's not so bad; he can be quirky, and unpredictable... But as long as you keep him happy, he's a pussycat," he confessed. "And he's a Hutt of his word," Boba said. "He keeps his promises... Here, have a look at this." He grinned in amusement, pulling up his shirt sleeve.

Han blinked in surprise at the tattooed names all over Boba's arm: Qui-Gon Jinn, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Mace Windu, Padmé Amidala, Chancellor Palpatine, _Darth Vader...?_ "I was on _JEDI_ for about five minutes, when I was a kid," Boba explained. "Jabba's nuts about the show; when he found out I knew some of the cast members, he decided I was some kind of collector's item," he laughed. "Said if I could get everyone to autograph me, I could have a week off to visit my family every year," he told Han, pulling his shirt sleeve back down again. "He's been good to his word," he finished quietly.

Han managed a sympathetic smile, touched by Boba's brave acceptance of his fate. _He must have been just a kid when Jabba got a hold of him, if he's been doing this for five years..._ But now he looked up as Greedo came through the kitchen door, smiling cheerfully.

"The repairs are coming along well," the young Rodian assured Han, joining them at the table and helping himself to one of his mom's cookies. "Kitster says he'll have the _Falcon_ ready by morning."

"Thanks, Greedo," Han said appreciatively, giving his new friends a smile of heartfelt gratitude. "I don't know what I'd have done without you guys," he confessed.

Boba nodded, as Greedo gave him an encouraging smile. "Just stay on Jabba's good side, and you'll do all right," Boba advised him. "Don't worry, Han," Boba said, smiling reassuringly. "You'll get your friend back soon."


	105. Han comes to the rescue, slowly

**Chapter 105**

_Three months later..._

"Thank you, Captain Solo," the Neimoidian spice lord nodded respectfully, as his assistants loaded the last of the money onto the _Millennium Falcon._ "Please, give my best regards to Jabba," he added graciously.

"I will," Han promised, maintaining his professional composure. "It's been a pleasure," he added, nodding politely to the Neimoidian and his security guards as he took his leave, walking stiffly up the ramp and onto the _Falcon._ But as he closed the hatch and sat down in the pilot's seat to prepare for take-off, Han winced involuntarily at the sharp, stabbing pain in his ribs. _Damn,_ he realized once again, shifting his position gingerly as he tried to get comfortable. _I think I broke something._

Smuggling spices for Jabba was incredibly easy, most of the time. Jabba's clients treated him with the utmost respect, handling all of the the loading and unloading of spices and money; Han was usually invited into the spice lord's mansion, where he was typically offered exotic delicacies and other refreshments. Spice lords across the galaxy went out of their way to try to impress Jabba's employees, in a shameless endeavor to remain within the Hutt's good graces.

The pay was pretty good too; Han's cut of the profits was certainly enough to cover his living expenses, and he could even afford to rent a small apartment on Tatooine if he chose to. But Han had been saving every penny he could these past three months, in a desperate effort to save up enough money to buy Lando back from the spice mines of Kessel.

Even so, his paycheck from Jabba had only allowed him to put away a few hundred credits each month, and at that rate, it would have taken a year or more to amass the ten thousand credits he needed to buy back Lando. The mines of Kessel were not a hospitable place; slaves rarely survived their first year, often succumbing to respiratory infections and other illnesses from working in the dirty, dusty conditions.

And so Han had been working relentlessly these past three months, taking on independent smuggling jobs in addition to his work for Jabba, to make whatever extra money he could. These side jobs typically paid better, but he was not given the royal treatment that Jabba's clients showed him; instead, he was usually lucky to get away from each transaction without being killed, as his own underworld clients invariably tried to double-cross him.

Just yesterday Han had been assaulted on his own ship by a large, burly Quarren who had stowed aboard the _Falcon,_ hoping to take back the money he'd paid Han for his latest shipment of death sticks. Han had been forced to shoot the drug dealer, dumping his body back into the dark alleyway in front of his own gang members as a warning. It was an ugly business, but Han was quickly hardening to the grim reality of underworld life, and was even starting to making a name for himself in this kill-or-be-killed world.

_Better him than me,_ Han told himself stubbornly, forcing away his guilt as he took off from Neimoidia now. Settling back gingerly in his pilot's seat, Han winced once again at the stabbing pain of his broken ribs. The Quarren had been nearly twice his size, and had attacked with sheer brute force; Han had been grateful for the trusty blaster that he kept holstered by his side these days, as he knew he'd have had no chance against the creature otherwise. _Hopefully whoever takes over for him will think twice before messing with me._

_And now there's one less drug dealer in the galaxy,_ Han consoled himself, trying to justify his actions. _Lando would approve.. maybe,_ Han sighed, thinking once again of his friend's abhorrence of the spice trade. _He's not going to be too happy when he finds out I bought him back with money I made smuggling death sticks,_ Han admitted. _Then again, he's been mining for glitterstim for three months. That stuff is a hundred times worse than death sticks,_ Han rationalized. _He's not exactly in any position to judge._

_Besides, I'm saving his life... I hope,_ Han thought anxiously, realizing that Lando might very well be dead already. Even with all the side jobs he'd been doing, it had taken Han three full months to save up the ten thousand credits he needed to buy Lando back; but after yesterday's transaction with the Quarren, he finally had the money, and was now on his way to Kessel to rescue his friend from the spice mines.

_Please, let him be all right,_ Han prayed, closing his eyes and resting for a moment in pain and exhaustion as he made the journey through hyperspace. Jabba was expecting Han to return to Tatooine this evening with his latest payment from the Neimoidia delivery; but Han had just enough time to stop by Kessel and pick up Lando before returning home.

_Home,_ Han realized in surprise. Three months ago, _home_ had been the rolling hills of Dantooine, with his father and Shep and Jojo; but now, Han's idea of home was the tiny guest bedroom in Greedo's mom's house, where she had graciously allowed him to stay for free whenever he was on Tatooine.

_They've been really wonderful to me,_ Han admitted, touched by Greedo's hospitality, and the kindness that Boba and Kitster had shown him as well. Kitster had refused to accept payment for the work he had done on the _Falcon_ until Lando was safely rescued, and Boba had been instrumental in helping Han to learn the ropes of the Tatooine underworld. They had all been teaching him Huttese as well in their spare time, and Han was beginning to get a grasp for the language.

_It took me three months to save up ten thousand credits,_ Han calculated now, trying to figure out how long he would be stuck working for Jabba. He owed the Hutt at least seventy-five thousand to cover for Tarv's previous debt; at the rate he'd been going, it would take at least another two years to pay off the Hutt, before he could leave this life of crime and return to honest freighter work once again. Han had seen enough over these past three months to realize that any attempt to break his deal with Jabba would only result in his own certain death, and so he had wisely chosen to heed Boba's advice, doing his best to keep the Hutt happy at all times.

_Jabba says I'm already one of his best smugglers,_ Han reminded himself, feeling a twinge of pride as he recalled the lavish words of praise and approval that the Hutt had bestowed upon him a few days ago; but now he frowned worriedly, uncertain whether that was really something he ought to be proud of. _Two years,_ Han told himself stubbornly. _Two years, and then I'm out of here._

But now the _Falcon's_ navicomputer was beeping, warning him that he was about to come out of hyperspace. Han sat up, trying to ignore the pain in his ribs as he took over the controls once again. _Ahh,_ he gasped, reaching for the shield switch with his right arm; he suspected that he may have cracked his collarbone as well, and had been trying not to use that arm too much. _I can't waste money on seeing a doctor right now,_ he reminded himself, gritting his teeth against the pain. _Getting Lando back is more important._

_I just have to get past the Jedi checkpoint, and then I'll zip through the Maw,_ Han resolved, deciding to take the quickest route to Kessel. Thanks to Tarv's ingenious dual hyperdrive system, the _Millennium Falcon_ was probably the fastest ship in the entire galaxy; Han had done the Kessel run in less than thirteen parsecs just two weeks ago, passing dangerously close to the Maw with no damage to his ship whatsoever, though the instruments had gone a bit batty for a few minutes.

Flying through the Maw didn't concern Han; but getting past the Jedi checkpoint was a bit tricky. It was impossible - or at least crazy - to try to run the Jedi blockade at lightspeed, as the entire neutral zone was riddled with mobile space mines; these deadly flying droids patrolled the border constantly, and were programmed to detonate if they sensed any hyperspace activity within the range of their devastating explosives. Very few pilots had ever run the Jedi blockade at lightspeed and lived to tell about it; Han had long ago decided that he didn't wish to become another statistic.

Thankfully, the _Falcon_ was incredibly fast even at normal speeds, and Han was a talented pilot; most of the time he managed to slip past the border completely unnoticed. He'd been chased by the Jedi a few times over the past three months, but had never been boarded. Han had always managed to evade capture, successfully reaching the edge of the border before blasting safely into hyperspace once again.

Choosing a spot between two of the smaller checkpoint stations, Han entered the neutral zone now, switching on the _Falcon's_ radar system to warn him of any approaching vessels. _Relax,_ he reminded himself, trying to fly as casually as possible; it was a well-known fact that the Jedi could sense intense emotions of anxiety and fear, and Han took a deep breath now, calming himself.

But a minute later he sighed unhappily as his radar system warned him of a small vessel approaching. _Damn it,_ Han cursed, quickly adjusting his route and steering away from the smaller craft; but moments later his transmitter crackled ominously, and Han sighed in dismay and annoyance. _I'm really not feeling up to this today,_ he admitted glumly, absently clutching a hand to his injured ribs.

"YT-1300 freighter," an authoritative voice broke in over his transmitter now. "This is Jedi Border Patrol. Please state your license number, cargo and destination," the Jedi requested, according to protocol.

Han shook his head, sighing. He had no illegal cargo aboard at the moment, and his business on Kessel today was also perfectly legal; but with all the spice smuggling he'd been doing over the past three months - not to mention the drug dealer he'd killed just yesterday - there was a chance that the Jedi might finally have a warrant out for his arrest.

_I can't give him my license number,_ Han decided. The past few times that he'd been chased by the Jedi, the decision to flee had been an easy one, as he'd been carrying a shipment of illegal spices aboard; but until now, Han had usually cooperated with the Jedi in between smuggling runs, attempting to maintain the appearance of running a legitimate freighter business.

_I have to get Lando out,_ Han resolved quickly, preparing for the chase that was to come. _If I end up in jail, he could die..._ Ignoring the Jedi's request, Han launched into full speed, abruptly flipping over and evading the Jedi Starfighter that was quickly approaching.

* * *

><p><em>Ah, so you want to do this the hard way,<em> Anakin grinned evilly, chasing after the _Millennium Falcon_ as it continued to spin around. He had first encountered the smuggling freighter just over three months ago, when he had chased it through the neutral zone, engaging in heated ship-to-ship combat for several hours, before the _Falcon_ had finally reached the border and blasted into hyperspace. _You're the reason I was late that day, when I asked Luke to be my padawan,_ Anakin scowled. _You made me miss my kid's birthday party._

But now his heart ached as he remembered Luke's refusal that day. _I wish he had said yes,_ Anakin confessed, as he continued to chase after the smuggler. _We could have been exploring some exotic planet together today, and having fun... Instead of me being stuck out here, chasing after THIS loser,_ Anakin frowned, returning to the task at hand.

"YT-1300 freighter," Anakin announced over his transmitter again. "You are under arrest, for evading customs," he informed him calmly, following procedure. "Pull over and prepare to be boarded."

But of course the freighter did _not_ pull over; and so now Anakin fired a warning shot, letting the pilot know that he meant business. The _Falcon_ quickly engaged in evasive maneuvers, and Anakin gave chase, raining fire on the smuggling vessel.

_That's strange,_ Anakin thought, surprised. _He's not firing back..._ During their last encounter, the crew of the _Falcon_ had bombarded Anakin with laser cannon fire from both gun turrets, as well as a highly illegal concussion missile; but today the pilot was simply fleeing, without attempting to fight back. _Maybe it's a different ship?_ Anakin wondered; he hadn't heard of another YT-1300 freighter working out here in Hutt Territory, but he had to admit it was possible.

_Damn it,_ Anakin cursed, swooping closer and trying to read the identification numbers on the ship's hull. _I'll need a positive ID in order to issue an arrest warrant, in case this guy gets away from me again,_ he reminded himself. Several of the other Border Patrol Jedi had chased after a freighter matching this description over the past three months, but none of them had been able to positively identify the vessel.

_N... 6... 1... Argghh!_ Anakin sighed in exasperation, as the ship continued to rapidly spin around. _I can't read the numbers with him flipping all over the place like that,_ he grumbled, frustrated. _All right, let's try an ion cannon,_ Anakin decided, targeting the freighter and launching his most powerful weapon. Most law-abiding, freighter-class vessels would have been instantly disintegrated by such an attack; but the _Falcon's_ shields held, though it shuddered under the impact of the ion cannon.

_Yeah,_ Anakin was certain now, without a shadow of a doubt. _It's the Falcon all right._ But he still couldn't report this incident without making a positive identification, so now he swooped down again, staying close on the freighter's tail as he mimicked its flight patterns, spinning around until the galaxy was a dizzying blur. _N-6-0-1... No,_ Anakin frowned in frustration. _Ahh! Stupid dyslexia,_ he cursed, trying again. _N-6-1-0..._ Finally he managed to read the identification numbers on the freighter's hull; and after relaying the information to the Jedi command base, Anakin contacted the pilot of the _Falcon_.

* * *

><p>"<em>Millennium Falcon, <em>license number N610015J," the Jedi's voice came over the loudspeaker once again. "You are under arrest for evading customs. Pull over and prepare to be boarded."

_Crap._ Han's heart sank as he realized the Jedi had successfully identified his ship, despite his constant flips and spins. _This is a whole different deal now,_ he admitted. _If he issues an arrest warrant, I could get picked up and thrown in jail the moment I land on Kessel,_ he knew. _They'll impound the Falcon, and seize all my money; I'll never get Lando out that way,_ Han realized anxiously, still fleeing from the Jedi and evading his laser fire as he tried to decide what to do.

_What has he got on me?_ Han asked himself. _Evading customs... That's no big deal, as long as I don't have anything illegal aboard,_ he realized. _Fleeing the Jedi and resisting arrest... If I cooperate and pull over now, I can argue that one in court; they might hold me for a week or two, and I'll probably get fined for traffic violations, but it's better than fleeing the scene at this point,_ Han decided. Besides, Boba had instructed him in the subtleties of dealing with the Jedi Border Patrol Knights, and Han knew that in situations such as this, it might even be possible to buy his way out of trouble.

_I hope Boba is right about this,_ Han cringed worriedly, finally pulling over and coming to a stop. It was a well-known fact that the Jedi Knights stationed here on the Outer Rim spent their free time on Lannik, a neutral planet famous for its night life. Han had heard rumors that the members of the Jedi Border Patrol were often seen frequenting Lannik's high-class brothels; surely the Jedi High Council knew of this practice as well, but they conveniently chose to turn a blind eye to the Knights' activities.

_Boba says they all have prostitutes on Lannik,_ Han recalled, thinking quickly. _And prostitutes require money..._ It was rumored that the Border Patrol Jedi could sometimes be persuaded to overlook a minor offense in return for a small bribe, and Han gathered his courage now, hoping that this would work. _He doesn't really have me on anything,_ Han convinced himself once again. _Even if he arrests me, the charges would never stick..._ Taking a deep breath, Han prepared to meet with the Jedi.

But as the Starfighter came around to board the _Falcon,_ Han caught sight of its markings for the first time, and his eyes widened anxiously as he saw the infamous yellow stripes. _Oh, crap,_ Han realized suddenly, his heart racing. _It's Skywalker._

Han had never met Skywalker, and had been praying that he never would. Anakin Skywalker was easily the most feared and hated of the Jedi Knights here on the Outer Rim among Jabba's other employees; in addition to being the best pilot in the entire Jedi Order, Skywalker was also a straight shooter, and could not be bribed. _He hardly sets foot on Lannik,_ Han had heard. _Skywalker isn't interested in prostitutes, the way the others are._

To make matters even more complicated, "Ani" also happened to be a good friend of Boba, Greedo, and Kitster, from their glory days of filming for _JEDI_ together. _Don't tell Ani I did all this work on the Falcon,_ Kitster had begged Han, after installing floor panels for smuggling purposes. _It would break his heart,_ his new friend had sighed unhappily, clearly regretting his work.

_Don't worry,_ Han wanted to tell Kitster now, as he reluctantly opened the _Falcon's_ hatch to allow Skywalker to board his ship. _I don't plan on telling 'Ani' anything._

But now he blinked suddenly, remembering something he'd overheard recently in Mos Eisley. Another smuggler who worked for Jabba had boasted that he'd managed to bribe Skywalker, with a donation to the Jedi Knight's favorite charity: _PEACE,_ or _JOY,_ or some such inane thing. The charity was headed by Padmé Amidala's daughter, Princess Leia of Naboo; oddly enough, Leia was in fact Boba's second cousin - though it wasn't admitted openly - and Boba had proudly told Han about Leia's charity work.

_Was it PEACE? Or JOY?_ Han tried to remember now, wishing he'd paid more attention to what Boba had told him. Poor Boba was all starry-eyed over his royal cousin's charity work, as well as her recent announcement that she would be running for Queen of Naboo. Han had quietly put two and two together, and suspected that the charity had only been a means to an end, a brilliant strategic move that had gained the young princess tremendous popularity, as well as a firm foothold in Naboo's political system.

But Han didn't care about any of that. _As long as it gets me out of trouble, I'm more than happy to make a donation to some stupid charity, and help Boba's princessy little cousin rise to power,_ he resolved quickly. But what was the name? It wasn't _JOY,_ he decided; something about that sounded wrong. And _PEACE_ wasn't quite right either...

_LOVE,_ Han remembered suddenly, a wave of relief washing over him; the charity was called _LOVE_. But now Skywalker was dropping down through his emergency hatch, and Han found himself suddenly in awe of the fearsome black-cloaked Jedi. He had seen him as Darth Vader plenty of times on the holo; but somehow, Skywalker was even more terrifying in real life.

_He has eyes that see straight through you,_ the other smugglers had all said; and as Han faced the Jedi Knight now, all thoughts of "Ani" instantly fled from his mind. Trying to hide his discomfort, Han forced himself to meet the Jedi's unnerving gaze, doing his best to appear calm and desperately hoping that he would be able to smooth talk his way out of this one.

* * *

><p>Anakin stared at the young man before him, trying not to show his surprise. <em>He's just a kid...<em> But this 'kid' had launched a concussion missile at him the last time they had met, and so Anakin frowned now, determined to arrest him on... _Something, _he sighed ruefully, realizing he had no real proof.

_I wasn't able to ID the pilot the last time,_ Anakin admitted; the assault charges would never hold up in court. Besides, the _Falcon_ had changed ownership since then; Anakin had looked into it, and knew that he couldn't simply impound the vessel. _And he's obviously not transporting anything illegal today,_ he guessed, judging by the pilot's sudden compliance in allowing him to board.

"What is your name?" Anakin demanded. _Is he piloting this thing alone?_ Anakin sensed no other life forms on board, and tried desperately to mask his confusion. _I guess that explains why he didn't try to fight back this time..._

"Han Solo," the pilot replied, boldly meeting Anakin's gaze.

_What?_ Anakin failed to conceal his surprise, and he furrowed his brows now. "Solo?" he asked sharply, taking in the young man's dark hair and eyes; he _did_ bear a strong resemblance to the famous Corellian royal family. _They're all insane... But so far none of them have been criminally insane,_ Anakin thought worriedly.

"Yes," the pilot replied calmly. "Is that a crime?" he asked, playing innocent.

_No,_ Anakin scowled, instantly disliking him. _This one is sneaky..._ "I'll need to see your license and registration," he informed him. The pilot handed him the official documents, and Anakin frowned as he realized everything checked out. _He is who he says he is... And this title is real enough,_ he admitted. Anakin had researched the _Falcon's_ background after their first encounter three months ago, and knew that it had been reported stolen at the time; but a few days later, the original owner had inexplicably dropped the charges.

_Something fishy is going on here,_ Anakin knew; he could sense the young pilot's barely-concealed anxiety beneath his calm exterior. But aside from evading arrest, he had nothing to book him on today. "I'm going to have to search your ship," Anakin informed him, as the young pilot nodded in agreement. _Ahh, I hate this part,_ Anakin sighed, opening up all the ship's compartments and peeking inside. _I don't like playing hide and seek when there's nothing to find; it's embarrassing._

Predictably, there was nothing at all aboard the ship, aside from the pilot's own personal belongings; Anakin returned to the cockpit now, sighing unhappily as he tried to think of something - anything - he could hold him on. _He's hiding something. I can feel it,_ Anakin knew; but unfortunately Jedi senses were not considered proper evidence by the Republic's court systems.

"I'm booking you for evading customs," Anakin informed the young pilot, for lack of anything more serious to charge him with. _I can't even take him into custody for that; I'll just report the incident, but if he disputes it in court, he probably won't even have to pay a fine,_ Anakin realized, pulling out his datapad and entering the information.

"Wait," Solo protested suddenly; Anakin looked up sharply, sensing his intense unease. "I'll give you a thousand credits... for love," he said quietly.

_What?_ Anakin stared at him in stunned disbelief. _I've met some crazy Solos in my day, but this one..._ "What did you say?" Anakin asked him carefully, barely concealing his disturbance.

"I've heard - " Solo explained apologetically. "I've heard some of the other pilots say that you accept money... for love," he repeated hopefully, a subtly suggestive look on his face.

_Force, what kind of rumors are going around these days?_ Anakin wondered, trying not to show his sudden terror. _Crap, Qui-Gon and Cory are going to have a field day with this one_. "Well you heard wrong," Anakin informed the pilot curtly. But now he realized he actually had something to book him on... "You're under arrest for solicitation," he informed Solo brusquely, pulling out his binders and clamping them onto the pilot's wrists.

"Solicitation? What?" Solo asked, blinking in confusion.

"Propositioning a Jedi," Anakin informed him. "Prostitution," he clarified, spelling it out for him. "It's illegal," he added, in case Solo wasn't aware.

"What?" Solo protested, eyes wide. "No..." Anakin could sense his sudden embarrassment, and sighed unhappily. _This is going to be all over the tabloids,_ he realized, sensing that the young Corellian royal didn't want the publicity any more than he did. _Poor guy, he's probably still in the closet..._

"No," Solo protested again, obviously mortified. "That's not what I meant! _Love,_" he explained desperately. "The charity... I heard you were helping to collect donations," he said, blinking in profound disturbance as he slowly realized what he had said before.

Anakin frowned in confusion; did he mean HOPE? _Ahh,_ he sighed. _I should never have accepted that stupid bribe._ All of the other Jedi Knights regularly accepted cash from smugglers, when they knew they had nothing solid to book them on, but Anakin had only tried it for the first time a month ago, in an attempt to help Leia's cause. Obviously the word had gotten out... Though not the _right_ word, Anakin realized in dismay.

"HOPE," he corrected Solo now, annoyed. "It's called HOPE. Not love. HOPE," Anakin stated emphatically, scowling at the young pilot. _Don't say that stuff to me again._

"HOPE," Solo agreed, nodding vigorously. "Yes, I - I'd like to make a donation... for HOPE," he offered, with a pleading look.

_Ahhh... I shouldn't,_ Anakin frowned, disturbed. _I'm not really supposed to take bribes,_ he admitted. But the only other options would be to either book him for evading arrest - which would undoubtedly get thrown out, wasting court time and taxpayers' money. _Or to bring him in on prostitution charges,_ Anakin considered, shuddering at the outcome of that course of action. _But if I accept a donation for HOPE, at least something good can come from all this,_ he decided regretfully; years of working in Hutt Territory had taught him that situations were rarely black and white, and that life on the Outer Rim dealt in shades of grey.

"All right," Anakin said, nodding to Solo now. "Five thousand credits," he demanded, raising the price. _I would have accepted a thousand, if you'd gotten the name right,_ he sulked, still resentful that this idiot didn't even know the name of his daughter's charity.

Solo was visibly dismayed by this amount; but he nodded in reluctant agreement, opening the _Falcon's_ safe. Ten minutes later, Anakin was back inside his own yellow Starfighter, watching the _Millennium Falcon_ take off once again toward destinations unknown. _Catch you later,_ Anakin sighed ruefully; but now he managed a regretful smile, glancing at the money that the young pilot had given him.

_At least Leia will be happy,_ Anakin thought optimistically. _Whatever happened here, that's five thousand credits that will go to someone who needs it, instead of... whatever the heck it is that Solo is doing,_ Anakin sighed in confusion, letting his frustration go for the time being as he headed back to base.

* * *

><p>Han gasped in agony, clutching at the searing pain in his broken ribs as he retched once again into the <em>Falcon's <em>toilet. He wasn't sure if his sudden nausea was brought on by his injuries in and of themselves; by the stress of being boarded by the Jedi; by the realization that he'd lost five thousand credits that Jabba would be expecting later that evening; or by the sheer horror of what he'd said to Skywalker only a few minutes earlier... But whatever the cause, Han was now feeling extremely ill.

_Please, don't let me ever meet that guy again,_ Han prayed miserably, collapsing back in his pilot's seat and closing his eyes in exhaustion as he made his way through hyperspace, continuing on toward Kessel. _Hang on, Lando,_ he sighed, moaning pathetically at the fresh waves of pain that now coursed through his lungs and rib cage. _I'm coming..._


	106. Operation Snowball!

**Chapter 106**

_An hour later..._

"I'd like to buy a slave," Han informed the administrator.

"Ten thousand credits," the man replied curtly, as Han handed over the money; then he nodded, satisfied. "All right," he agreed, scribbling something on a piece of paper and handing it to Han. "Take your pick," he told him, nodding toward the entrance to the spice mines.

Han nodded, heading toward the mouth of the great cavern. _I'm not the first one to do this,_ he guessed, reading the hastily-scribbled receipt the administrator had given him. _1 slave. 10k pd,_ it said, along with the man's initials. But as he began to walk past the first of the slaves, chained in a long line throughout the cavern's dark, winding tunnels, Han felt a sinking sensation in his stomach.

_How long have these people been here?_ he wondered, fighting tears as he realized that none of _their_ friends had come to buy them back. _This is terrible,_ he confessed, trying not to look at their hollow, sunken faces, dead eyes, and weak, skeletal bodies as they toiled away at their one and only task: mining glitterstim from the cavern walls.

No lights were allowed in the glitterstim mines, but the spice itself gave off an eerie orange glow, and Han continued to make his way through the shadowy tunnels, scanning the ghastly pale faces for one that might be... _Less ghastly and pale,_ Han fervently hoped. The tunnels stretched for miles in all directions; coming to a fork in the passageway, Han began with the tunnel on the right, for lack of a better plan.

But ten minutes later, the passage came to an abrupt end; frustrated, Han turned around, heading quickly back to the previous fork. _Please, let him be in the next one,_ he prayed, gasping; his ribs were hurting again, and it was becoming painful to breathe as he hiked quickly through the rocky tunnels, taking the pathway to the left this time.

Han hurried down the next winding tunnel, glancing only briefly at each slave he passed as he continued to look for Lando. _Ahh, this sucks..._ Twenty minutes later, Han was beginning to think that he might be here for days; but suddenly he stopped in his tracks, turning back to examine the ragged-looking slave he had just passed.

He knelt weakly on the cavern floor, his painfully-thin body slumped pathetically against the wall as he chipped feebly at a piece of glitterstim, completely oblivious to Han's presence. His new blue captain's outfit, which he had so proudly bought just three months ago, was dusty and ragged, and his dark hair hung clung to his forehead in sweaty ringlets. His eyes, normally sparkling with humor and life, were dull and listless, and Han felt his own eyes well over with tears to see his friend like this.

"Lando," he whispered, choking back tears. "Lando, buddy, I'm here," Han said quickly, kneeling down and taking the little pick-axe from his friend. "Are you all right?" he asked, peering hopefully into his haunted eyes.

"Ha... Han?" Lando asked weakly, blinking in confusion.

"Yes, I'm here," Han reassured him, putting a hand on his bony shoulder. _Crap, he looks awful..._ "It's going to be all right; I've bought you back," he told Lando, managing an encouraging smile as he gave him a gentle hug.

Lando was smiling weakly now, and hugged Han back, collapsing against him in exhaustion. "Han," he gasped. "You came..."

"Yes," Han nodded, grinning happily as he realized his friend was all right. "Hang on, I'll get a guard," he told Lando, who nodded in understanding as Han quickly headed back to the spot where he had last seen one.

A minute later Lando was free of the terrible chains, and Han put an arm around him as they made their way back toward the entrance of the mine. Lando was weak, and could only make his way slowly; but after only a few paces he collapsed to his knees, coughing pathetically. _He'll never make it,_ Han realized; it was over a mile to the entrance, and uphill all the way.

"Come on," Han said gently, hefting his friend over his shoulder and trying not to gasp at the pain he felt in his own collarbone and ribs. "I've got you," he reassured Lando, getting to his feet and carrying him back through the cavern tunnels.

"Uhh," Lando moaned weakly, grateful for his assistance. He'd been feverish for quite some time, Han guessed; his skin was cold and clammy to the touch, and his hair and clothes were drenched with sweat. _He'll need to get to a hospital..._

_And so will I,_ Han admitted reluctantly, wincing painfully at the sharp, stabbing pain in his own lungs. _This isn't good..._ The air inside the cavern was dusty and acrid; Han was breathing harder now as he made his way back up through the tunnel, carrying Lando over his shoulder. But suddenly he took a bad step in the darkness, and fell hard to the rocky ground, skinning his right knee, and the palm of his hand. "Ahh," he gasped, feeling whole new waves of pain coursing through his body.

But now he realized Lando had fallen along with him, and was lying on the cavern floor, moaning feebly. "Ohhh," Lando breathed, struggling to get up again; but then he collapsed weakly, laying his head on the floor and closing his eyes.

_Crap!_ "Lando," Han said, shaking him gently. "Lando!" But he just continued to moan pathetically, and so Han gritted his teeth, lifting his friend over his shoulder once again and staggering to his feet. _Ohh,_ he groaned, as his collarbone went out again. _Yeah, that's definitely broken..._ Gasping in pain, Han continued to make his way up through the tunnel.

But a minute later, the edges of his vision were getting dark and fuzzy, and Han knew that he would never make it like this. Every breath was painful, as he felt the shards of his broken ribs stabbing into his lungs; feeling his head begin to swim, Han wisely sank carefully to the floor to rest for bit, before he fell down again. _I can't do this,_ he admitted, catching his breath. _I'll have to find another way..._

_I can't leave Lando here,_ Han decided, thinking quickly. _And it's almost a mile to the entrance; I can't carry him that far without passing out, or tripping again,_ he confessed reluctantly. "Hang on," he whispered to Lando. "I'm going to go talk to the guard," he said, hoping maybe the man could help him.

"Ha," the guard laughed a minute later, as Han staggered up to him, battered and bleeding, explaining his situation. "Sorry, kid," he chuckled, amused by Han's plight. "You should have bought one that could walk," he chided him. "I could have told you that one was a goner," he added. "I give him a few more days, tops," he informed Han, offering his professional opinion.

_Ahh..._ Burning with anger, Han reached for his blaster now; but he stopped himself, knowing that it would only make things worse. _If I shoot this guy, I'll probably end up in chains too,_ he admitted.

But the guard caught his dangerous glare, and saw Han's hand on his blaster now. "Tell you what," the man conceded. "That one's no good to me," he shrugged, glancing toward where Lando lay. "I'd just be hauling his sorry carcass off to the dumps in a couple days anyway," he confessed. "If you want to pick a different one to carry him out of here," he suggested, nodding toward the other slaves, "I'll give you a discount, on your friend," he offered with casual indifference.

Han blinked; on top of his own ten thousand credits, he'd already spent five thousand of Jabba's money bribing Skywalker. But he _did_ have more cash aboard the _Falcon..._ "How much?" he asked cautiously.

"Eh," the guard shrugged, scratching his beard. "Two thousand," he told Han. "A thousand for me, and a thousand for Wally," he added, with a nod toward the administrator's office at the entrance of the mines. "Everybody comes out ahead, eh?" he suggested.

_Two thousand... That's seven thousand credits that I'll owe Jabba._ Han cringed apprehensively; thus far he had never disappointed the Hutt, but at this point he realized he didn't have much of a choice. _I've already lost five thousand; he'll be mad at me either way,_ Han admitted. _And I have to get Lando out of here today..._ "All right," he nodded. "I've got two thousand aboard my ship; I can get it to you in a few minutes."

The man nodded, satisfied. "Try to pick a better one this time," he advised Han, chuckling with amusement.

_I will,_ Han agreed, quickly scanning the line of slaves in search of one that wasn't half dead. There had been some healthier-looking ones closer to the entrance, he recalled; but he didn't feel up to walking another half mile, and back... _And then back AGAIN,_ he realized, clutching at his injured ribs as he continued to breathe carefully. _And I don't want to leave Lando for too long..._

_All right,_ he decided quickly, examining the slaves carefully. _I'll pick the first one that looks like he could carry Lando._ But they all looked so weak, and sickly; many of them were in no better shape than Lando himself. _Or me,_ Han confessed ruefully, blinking away the light-headed weakness brought on by his own injuries and trying not to pass out. _I can't go much farther either..._

But now he stopped, spotting a large, furry creature chained amidst the long line of humanoids. _A Wookiee...?_ Han had never seen one in person; they rarely left their home planet of Kashyyyk. _How did this one end up here?_ he wondered. He didn't know much about them, and this one appeared to be just skin and bones beneath the thick, shaggy fur; but as Han looked further down the line of chained slaves, he didn't see anyone else who looked even remotely capable of carrying Lando. _All right, the Wookiee it is,_ he decided quickly, returning to get the guard.

"I'll take the Wookiee," Han informed the man.

"Ha," the guard chuckled, nodding as he followed Han back toward where the Wookiee was chained. "Good luck with this one," he added, unchaining the big furry creature. "He has a temper," he warned Han. "You don't want to - " The man was cut off mid-sentence as the Wookiee suddenly rose to his full height, strangling the guard in his big furry paws and roaring angrily. "Ahh..." the guard choked pathetically, his eyes bulging.

_Crap..._ "No!" Han warned the Wookiee desperately. "Let go of him!" The creature continued to strangle the guard, roaring in outrage; but suddenly he let go of the man, clamping his paws to his ears and hunching over in pain, wailing pathetically.

"As I was saying," the guard continued, blinking as he regained his composure. "This one's got a bad temper. But you're in luck," he told Han, handing him a small remote control device. "He's got a slave chip in his head," he explained. "If he gives you any trouble, push this button," he instructed Han, pushing it now as the Wookiee howled in pain once again. "And if you _really_ get sick of him," the guard grinned, showing Han the red button on the remote. "This will shut him up... permanently," he said. "Believe me, I've been tempted," the guard added with a weary laugh. "Here ya go; all yours," he told Han agreeably, handing him the remote.

Han nodded, taking it from him and carefully keeping his thumb on the "pain" button for safety. _He's right,_ Han blinked worriedly. _This thing DOES have a temper,_ he realized. _Crap, what was I thinking?_ But he tried not to show his fear, nodding to the Wookiee now and indicating for him to follow. _Does he understand Basic?_ Han wondered suddenly. Thankfully, the Wookiee seemed to understand his pantomimed request, and followed him to where Lando was lying.

"Lando," Han said quietly, kneeling down and putting a hand on his shoulder. "We're getting out of here now, all right, buddy?"

"Uhhh," Lando groaned weakly, his eyelids fluttering open briefly. "This wasn't in the movie," he moaned deliriously. _Crap, he's really sick,_ Han realized, deeply concerned for his friend.

"All right," Han said quickly, turning to the Wookiee. "I need to you to carry him... _Carry him,_" he enunciated clearly, pantomiming his request once more; but then he winced, feeling a sharp stabbing pain in his lungs from the movement. Once again, the Wookiee seemed to understand, and stooped down to pick up Lando. "Careful," Han warned him worriedly; but the Wookiee was being surprisingly gentle, holding Lando in his arms like a child as he nodded to Han in understanding.

"You understand Basic?" Han asked, with a hopeful glance at the creature. The Wookiee nodded; his blue eyes looked uncannily human, and Han realized suddenly that he had been making a fool of himself with all of his pantomimed instructions. "All right... Come on," Han instructed him, leading the way out of the mines. It was nearly three-quarters of a mile to the entrance, and Han was grateful for the Wookiee's assistance, realizing that it was all he could do to walk out of there himself. He had felt his injured collarbone snap when he had attempted to heft Lando over his shoulder earlier, and his lungs seared painfully with each gasping breath now; Han let out a sigh of weary relief when they emerged from the mines and reached the administrator's office once again.

"Two thousand credits," the administrator informed Han gruffly, unlocking a holding pen and ushering the Wookiee inside with Lando. "I'll hold onto these two until they're paid for," he told him. Han nodded, returning quickly to the _Falcon_ to get the money; and a few minutes later, the deal was done, and the three of them boarded the _Falcon_, the Wookiee still carrying Lando.

_I can't just leave him here,_ Han thought, uncertain of what to do with his new Wookiee slave. _I guess he's coming with us, then,_ he sighed, closing the hatch. "Here," he instructed the Wookiee, showing him Lando's bunk. The creature nodded, laying him gently on the bed, and Han did what he could to make his friend comfortable.

"We're getting you out of here," he told Lando. "I have to fly the ship; hang in there, buddy," he pleaded. "You're going to be all right," he assured him, as Lando managed a soft moan. _I hope..._ "Stay with him," Han ordered the Wookiee, returning to the cockpit and preparing for takeoff.

_Crap,_ Han blinked anxiously as he sped away from Kessel, suddenly realizing how late it was. _Jabba's expecting me back in two hours. I don't have time to find a hospital,_ he admitted. _I'm already seven thousand credits short on Jabba's payment; if I'm late on top of that..._ Han hung his head, sighing unhappily as he tried to plan his next move.

_I'll take Lando to Greedo's house,_ Han decided. _Greedo can call for a doctor, while I go talk to Jabba..._ But now Han looked up as the Wookiee entered the cockpit, ducking his head as he came through the doorway. "What is it?" Han asked worriedly; he was about to make the jump to lightspeed, and couldn't leave the cockpit unattended right now, but clearly the Wookiee was anxious about something. _Lando..._ "Is he all right?" Han asked urgently.

The creature nodded vigorously; but now he pointed a big furry paw toward the navicomputer, taking a few hesitant steps forward. _What the...?_ Reaching the console, the Wookiee pressed some buttons, bringing up a chart of the nearby systems and pointing to a planet nearby. "Raaaauuuuggghh," he announced meaningfully.

Han squinted at the chart, confused. "Kashyyyk," he nodded, recognizing the Wookiee's home planet. "You're from Kashyyyk. Yes, I know," he assured the creature. "Don't worry, we'll get you back home," he told him brusquely. _I don't have time for this..._

But the Wookiee shook its head vigorously, pointing to Kashyyyk again. "Raaauuugghh!" he repeated insistently. He pointed toward Lando's bunk, then toward the star chart again. "Raaauuuggghhh."

Han blinked in surprise, realizing what he was saying; the Wookiee was clearly suggesting that they take Lando there now, for emergency treatment. "No," Han shook his head. "Thank you," he added appreciatively, still surprised by the Wookiee's offer. "We're going to Tatooine," Han told him, setting his coordinates. "Strap yourself in; I'm making the jump to lightspeed," he added quickly, as the Wookiee nodded, taking a seat beside him.

A moment later the stars turned to streaks, then disappeared entirely; Han sighed, getting up to check on Lando again. "Come on," he ordered the Wookiee, not wanting to leave him alone in the cockpit. Obediently, the Wookiee followed him back to Lando's bunk.

Lando was sleeping fitfully now, and Han didn't want to wake him. "He needs to rest," Han said quietly, as the Wookiee nodded in agreement. Sighing wearily, Han sat on the edge of Lando's bed, wincing at the pain in his ribs.

"Raauugghh?" the Wookiee asked softly, his expression concerned as he peered at Han.

"I'm all right," Han assured him, nodding. "Had a little run-in with a Quarren yesterday," he admitted. "Anyway, I've got friends on Tatooine; they'll take care of Lando," he explained to the Wookiee, seeing his curious look. "And I have some business with Jabba tonight," he added; he hoped that Jabba would be in a good mood, and not send him straight to the Rancor pit. "But don't worry, we'll make sure you get back home."

The creature nodded with quiet appreciation; but then he pointed to the remote slave device clipped to Han's belt. "Raaauuugghh?" he asked uncertainly, cocking his head.

_Oh._ Han nodded, unclipping it from his belt and quickly opening it up, removing the battery and disabling the device. "No," he assured the Wookiee, tossing it quickly into the garbage chute. "You're not my slave; I just needed help getting Lando out of there," he explained. "You can go home now," he promised him. "You're free," he added, making it clear.

The Wookiee stared at him blankly, obviously numb with shock. He looked at Han, then at the garbage chute into which his slave remote had just been unceremoniously tossed, then back at Han again; but finally a flicker of understanding came to his eyes, and he bowed his head appreciatively. "Raaaauuughhh," he said quietly, putting a furry hand to his chest in a gesture of respect. "Raaauuugghh."

"It's all right, buddy," Han assured him, feeling a bit uncomfortable as the Wookiee continued to stare at him. _I don't even know his name,_ Han realized. _And I never told him mine..._ "Han Solo," he said now, introducing himself. "And this is my friend, Lando Calrissian."

"Haaaaaaannn," the Wookiee managed to say, nodding appreciatively. Then he pointed to himself, making a series of barking noises.

Han just laughed in apologetic defeat, shaking his head. "Sorry, pal," he apologized, shrugging; then a thought occurred to him. "Can you write?" he asked the Wookiee.

At this, the creature shook his head sadly. Han nodded in understanding; he didn't know much about Wookiees, but he was under the impression that most of them didn't understand Basic to begin with. _At least this one understands what I'm saying,_ he thought, giving the Wookiee an encouraging smile. _Ah, this is awkward..._

"Wanna play some holo-chess?" Han blurted out inanely; then he cringed, realizing how stupid that must sound.

"Rrrrrr?" the Wookiee asked, cocking his head, puzzled.

"Holo-chess," Han explained, showing him out to the _Falcon's_ lounge area and pressing the button on the coffee table. The Wookiee blinked in surprise as the chess board appeared, complete with little animated aliens. He sat down on the couch now, nodding vigorously and touching one experimentally with his paw.

Han couldn't help laughing as he and the Wookiee engaged in the most pathetic game of chess ever; neither of them was very good, and in the end they each had one alien left, chasing each other around the board stupidly. "Finally, somebody who's worse at this than me," Han laughed, as the Wookiee chuckled in delighted agreement. "Lando beats me every time," Han confessed.

"Aaauuuugh," the Wookiee sympathized, reaching over and scruffing Han's hair with his big furry paw. Han grinned, shying away from him in embarrassment. _He acts as if I'm some kind of Wookiee pup,_ Han realized, amused. But now the navicomputer was beeping, indicating that they were coming up on Tatooine, and Han got up, checking on Lando once more before heading into the cockpit. The Wookiee followed him good-naturedly, for lack of anything better to do.

"We're landing in Mos Espa," Han explained to the Wookiee, absently clutching a hand to his ribs as they made their descent. "I'm gonna drop you and Lando off with some friends of mine; but I'll be back later tonight, if everything goes well," he told him. _If I'm not Rancor fodder by then._ "And then tomorrow hopefully we'll get you back home to Kashyyyk," he promised the Wookiee once more.

"Aaauuughh," the Wookiee replied, nodding in agreement.

Fifteen minutes later Greedo's mother was greeting them at her front door, immediately fussing over Lando with motherly concern. "He needs to see a doctor," Han explained, wishing he didn't have to leave to see Jabba right away.

"Of course; I'll call for one right away," Greedo's mom agreed, as the Wookiee laid Lando carefully onto Han's bed. He was still asleep, and dreaming fitfully; once in a while he would moan out something that made very little sense, and Han was very worried for his friend.

"Thank you," Han said appreciatively. "Oh," he added, remembering. "This is - a friend of mine," he explained, realizing once again that he didn't know the Wookiee's name. "I'll be back in an hour or so... hopefully," he promised, heading for the door. But now the Wookiee followed him outside, obviously wanting to come along.

"No, pal," Han told him, shaking his head. "This is something I gotta take care of," he apologized. "Trust me, you don't want to come," he added emphatically.

"Rrraaauuuggghh," the Wookiee insisted stubbornly, refusing to go back.

_Ahh,_ Han sighed, exasperated. "Look, pal; I've got business with Jabba. You don't want to get involved," he said, spelling it out for him. But the Wookiee nodded insistently, with another stubborn roar; Han could see the fierce determination in his eyes. _I don't have time to argue about this._ "I'm serious," Han continued. "I appreciate your help - I really do - but..." Han sighed. _There's no sense getting him killed too._ "This is something I need to do alone."

The Wookiee was clearly upset by this; but he finally nodded, moaning sadly. "Aaaauuugghh," he cried, suddenly grabbing Han in a giant bear hug and scruffing his hair affectionately, though he was careful not to squeeze his injured ribs.

Han laughed, shaking his head. "I'll be all right, pal," he told the Wookiee, with a reassuring grin. "I'll be back in a few minutes," he promised, patting the Wookiee on the shoulder as he turned to leave, continuing on down the dusty narrow street.

"Aaauuugghhh," the Wookiee howled sadly, reluctantly remaining behind.

* * *

><p><em>A few minutes later...<em>

"Is he going to be all right?" Greedo asked the doctor worriedly, as they all stood around Lando's bed. He had fetched the local doctor after his mother had called him at Kitster's shop, and had brought him straight here.

"Yes, I think so," the doctor replied, nodding as he examined the feverish young man. "He's got a bad fever, and possibly a lung infection; but hopefully the antibiotics will clear it up," he told Greedo, continuing with his checkup.

Greedo nodded gratefully, relieved by the news. But now he blinked in surprise. "Where's Han?" he asked his mother now.

"At Jabba's palace," she told him. "He said he had to go right away; it sounded like something went wrong with his last job," she confessed. "He said something about not having all the money he owed Jabba..."

"Poodoo!" Greedo cursed suddenly, his eyes widening anxiously. "Sorry," he added quickly, as his mother gave him a disapproving look. "When did he leave?" he asked her urgently.

"Just a few minutes ago," his mother told him, blinking in concern. "Is something wrong?"

"Yes," Greedo nodded, not having time to explain; obviously she hadn't read today's _Galactic Herald._ "I'm calling Boba," he decided quickly, running to the transmitter.

* * *

><p>"Boba!" Greedo's voice broke in over his transmitter. "Boba, are you still here?" he asked urgently.<p>

"Yeah," Boba replied; he was just about to take off on another bounty hunting assignment, but he switched off _Slave I's_ engine now, hearing the panic in Greedo's voice. "What's wrong?"

"Han doesn't have all the money Jabba's expecting today," Greedo told him. "He's on his way to the palace now..."

"Crap!" Boba cursed, instantly on his feet and running for the door; then, remembering Greedo, he turned back quickly. "All right, I'm on it," he assured his friend hastily, ending the transmission.

_Damn it,_ Boba blinked worriedly, running full-tilt back toward the palace as he tried to think what to do. Han had been doing such a great job with his assignments so far; why did he have to choose _today_ to screw up for the first time? _He'll be Rancor fodder for sure,_ Boba knew, bowling over several people in his path as he charged through the hallways.

Jabba had been in an extremely good mood lately, as his first book of love poetry had finally been published last week; but today one of the top literary critics from the _Galactic Herald_ had printed a new book review, completely trashing Jabba's work. Jabba had been in a foul mood all day; he'd already sent four of his own employees down to the Rancor, and two to the Sarlaac. Boba himself had nearly fallen victim to the Hutt's wrath before he had finally been sent out to capture the literary critic who had written the article.

_Han doesn't know,_ Boba guessed, realizing that his friend was walking right into the dragon's den. And Boba couldn't show himself in Jabba's audience chamber again; he was supposed to be out capturing the unfortunate critic. Thinking quickly, Boba ran toward the palace kitchens.

"Snowball!" Boba gasped, skidding to a halt in the kitchen. "Han's in trouble," he explained quickly to his furry white alien friend. "He doesn't have all of Jabba's money this time... Have you got anything good?" he asked frantically, pacing around the large kitchen and peering anxiously into the oven, then the refrigerator. _Food... We need food..._

_"Blipple-blipple Blip!"_ Snowball blipped worriedly, his dark eyes registering concern as he wiggled his little proboscis._ "Blip blip blipblip BLIP!"_ he assured Boba, showing him the gelatin sculpture he had been planning to serve Jabba later that evening.

"Holy crap!" Boba gasped, blinking at the sculpture in disbelief. But he grinned in relief, nodding. "It's - it's... it's hideous," he assured Snowball happily, sighing with heartfelt gratitude. "Jabba will love it!"

* * *

><p>"WHAT?" Jabba roared angrily, as Solo stood before him, his clothes a disaster, with foul red blood oozing from his right knee. "You don't have my money?" he demanded, outraged.<p>

"Jabba, I can explain," Solo began to protest; but Jabba had heard enough explanations for one day. _Damn it, you were one of my best smugglers,_ he scowled, reaching for the switch to activate the trap door beneath Solo's feet.

But now he looked up in surprise, hearing a loud clanging commotion coming from the hallway. A moment later his favorite chef entered the chamber, followed by his entire kitchen staff, who were all parading behind Snowball and clanging on pots and pans while singing Jabba's favorite song. _Yah yah yah... Yah yah yah... Yah yah yah yah yah..._

"Ohhhhh?" Jabba's eyes widened in amazement as he saw Snowball's latest creation: a nearly life-sized gelatin sculpture of the magnificent Hutt himself, constructed entirely from blobs of jiggly green gelatin. _Yummy!_ Jabba clapped his hands gleefully, instantly forgetting the matter with Solo as Snowball presented the sculpture to him, bowing dramatically.

Jabba had already shoveled down half of the gelatin sculpture before he finally remembered Solo, who was still standing before him, blinking worriedly. _Ahh... I've lost enough smugglers today,_ he confessed. _My therapist is right; I need to learn to control my temper._ "You will get the rest of the money to me next time," he ordered Solo sternly, dismissing him.

_Mmmmmm,_ Jabba sighed, shoveling more of the delicious gelatin sculpture into his face and smiling gleefully. _It's not such a bad day after all,_ he decided, wobbling happily along with the music. _Yah yah yah... Yah yah yah... Yah yah yah yah yah..._

* * *

><p>"What the heck was that all about?" Han asked, wide-eyed with disbelief, as Boba caught up with him in the hallway.<p>

"I'll tell you later." Boba grinned, shaking his head; but now he looked at Han worriedly, noticing his beat-up appearance. "You all right?"

Han managed an rueful shrug. "I'll live."

"Yeah," Boba agreed, with a relieved smile. "About that," he added pointedly, giving Han a reproachful look. "You'll live longer if you call ahead next time you're coming here with bad news," he told his friend. "You got lucky this time; usually it takes at _least_ an hour to pull off an Operation Snowball," Boba chided him, a mischievous gleam in his eyes.

"Operation Snowball?" Han laughed; Boba had mentioned the emergency code word to him once, but hadn't gotten around to explaining it properly. "Is _that_ what that was?" he asked, his grin suddenly fading as he realized that Boba had just saved his life.

"Yeah," Boba shrugged. "Well, he'd been planning the gelatin sculpture for later anyway," he conceded. "But... the pots and pans, and the singing... yeah," Boba nodded, patting Han on the back as they exited Jabba's palace. "_That,_ my friend, was an Operation Snowball."


	107. The Wookiee Life Debt

**Chapter 107**

_The next morning..._

"Rrrrraaaaauuggghh!" the Wookiee roared stubbornly, wrestling a case of death sticks out of Han's arms and glaring at him sternly. "Rrraaauuugghh," he scolded him again, taking the case and loping up the ramp of the _Millennium Falcon,_ loading it beneath one of the secret floor panels.

Han followed, amused and grateful all at once. The doctor had taken a look at his injured collarbone and ribs last night, and had told him not to do any heavy lifting for a while; clearly the Wookiee had taken his advice to heart, and was stubbornly refusing to let Han do anything at all this morning. _I'm going to miss him,_ Han admitted with an amused smile as he finally gave in, taking a seat on a large crate in Jabba's warehouse as he allowed the Wookiee to finish loading the _Falcon_ for today's smuggling run.

"Thank you," Han nodded appreciatively, following the Wookiee back aboard as he loaded the last of the boxes. "All right," he said, as they took their seats in the cockpit and prepared for take-off. "First stop: Kashyyyk," he assured the Wookiee again. "But I want to check on Lando one last time, before we leave," he said, as the Wookiee nodded in agreement.

A few minutes later they landed in Mos Espa, and Han smiled gratefully as Greedo's mother greeted them at the door. "How's he doing?" Han asked, as they continued on to the guest room, where Lando was still sleeping.

"Better." Greedo's mother smiled gently, putting a delicate green hand on Lando's forehead to feel his temperature. "His fever has broken," she told Han. "But the doctor says he'll need a lot of rest, and sleep," she added, stroking Lando's hair tenderly.

"Thank you, Prunella," Han said, with heartfelt appreciation. "Hopefully I'll be back sometime tomorrow," he promised her, as he and the Wookiee took their leave once again.

"You're welcome," Greedo's mother said, hugging Han goodbye. "Don't worry; I'll take good care of him," she reassured him. "It was so nice to meet you," Prunella added to the Wookiee, giving him a big hug as well. The Wookiee returned her affectionate embrace, roaring softly in appreciation as he wrapped his furry arms around the little Rodian woman. Greedo's mother had cooked up some delicious Bantha steaks for dinner last night, and the Wookiee had eaten enough for three grown men.

_He probably hasn't had a decent meal in months,_ Han realized once again, as he and the Wookiee headed back to the ship. _And neither has Lando,_ he sighed. Lando had been drifting in and out of consciousness since yesterday, delirious with fever; Han had managed to feed him a few spoonfuls of soup last night, but Lando had protested weakly that it was "chewy," staring in dazed surprise at the Wookiee beside him before passing out in exhaustion once again.

Han had hoped to speak with Lando before leaving this morning; but as he and the Wookiee boarded the _Falcon_ now, Han thought of the shipment of death sticks hidden beneath the floor panels, and admitted that he was grateful to put off that discussion for another day. Although Jabba had seized temporary ownership of the _Falcon_, the ship rightfully belonged to Lando, and Han knew that his friend would not be happy to learn that he'd been using his ship to smuggle spices for the past three months.

_I'll tell him about it when I get back tomorrow,_ Han sighed, managing an appreciative smile at the Wookiee now as they prepared for takeoff. He had been surprised by the Wookiee's obvious familiarity with the cockpit's controls; Han guessed that he'd been a pilot himself, before he'd ended up in the spice mines.

A minute later they were blasting away from Tatooine, and Han nodded toward the navicomputer. "You wanna set the coordinates?" he offered, trusting that the Wookiee knew what he was doing. "Raauugghh," he nodded agreeably, punching some buttons and bringing up a star chart. But now he cocked his head, pointing to the Belgaroth system, where Han would be delivering his shipment of death sticks later today. "Rrrouuff?" he asked politely, offering to go there first.

Han grinned, shaking his head. "No," he said, shrugging casually, though he winced slightly from the pain in his collarbone. "We're going to get you home first," he promised the Wookiee.

But the Wookiee had seen his momentary grimace of pain, and gave him a concerned look now. "Aaauuugghh," he protested unhappily, pointing to the floor panels where he had loaded the heavy boxes this morning.

"It's all right, pal," Han grinned, slightly embarrassed. "I won't have to unload anything; they take care of all that," he promised him. "They're not expecting me until this afternoon anyway," he added. "Besides, I've never been to Kashyyyk," Han confessed good-naturedly. "I've always wanted to see what it's like," he admitted, truly curious.

"Aaaauuuggghh," the Wookiee nodded in agreement, punching in the coordinates for Kashyyyk. A minute later the stars turned to streaks as they made the jump to lightspeed; Han leaned back in his seat, relaxing for a moment, but now the Wookiee gave him a curious look. "Rrraaugh?" he asked hopefully, pointing toward the lounge area where they had played holo-chess yesterday.

Han grinned despite himself. "You wanna play some more holo-chess?" The Wookiee nodded his head vigorously, and they headed into the lounge for another match. This time they did no better than before, once again chasing each other pointlessly around the board; the Wookiee's laughter was infectious, and Han clutched at his aching ribs as he tried desperately not to laugh too hard. But the Wookiee insisted on trying again, and _again_; and after the third game he roared in frustration, baring his fangs at Han's last remaining holo chess figure in a gesture of intimidation.

"Whoa, pal," Han said nervously, observing the creature's heightened rage. "It's just a game," he chided him gently; but the Wookiee roared once again in frustration, determined to win. _Wow, he's taking this very seriously,_ Han realized, quickly making a stupid move and allowing his Wookiee friend to win. _I wouldn't want to be on his bad side,_ Han confessed, recalling the Wookiee's sudden and brutal attack on the guard in the Kessel mines yesterday.

But now the Wookiee was chuckling in satisfaction, having decimated Han's last holo alien, and Han grinned sheepishly. "Eh, I told you I suck at this," he confessed good-naturedly, allowing the Wookiee to revel in his victory. _I'm gonna miss him,_ Han admitted, giving his new friend a rueful smile. They would be arriving outside Kashyyyk soon, and Han returned to the cockpit now, followed by the Wookiee.

"There it is," Han said quietly as they emerged from hyperspace and saw the green, forested planet before them. The Wookiee let out a soft roar, and Han sensed the pain and homesickness in his voice. "How long has it been?" he asked, letting the Wookiee pilot the ship as they made their descent toward Kashyyyk. "Months?" he guessed, with a questioning look.

The Wookiee nodded, shrugging; then he held up five fingers plus one thumb. "Six months?" Han asked; but the Wookiee shook his head vigorously. Han's brows furrowed as he felt his heart sink; he couldn't possibly mean... "Six years?" he asked, dismayed to realize just how long the Wookiee had been down in the mines.

"Aaauugghhh," the Wookiee nodded regretfully, as he piloted the _Falcon_ toward a small village at the edge of a forest, built entirely of tree houses. A minute later they touched down on a small landing platform suspended high in the treetops, and Han blinked in amazement as he came down the ramp, awestruck by the natural beauty of the forest around him.

_This place is incredible,_ Han realized, giving the Wookiee an appreciative smile. But now the Wookiee roared in ecstatic greeting as another Wookiee approached, running up and embracing him in relieved gratitude. "Rouffrraauuggh," Han's Wookiee friend cried now, hugging the other Wookiee fiercely. "Rouff ruff aaauurrrghh rrauuff rrrroouuufff!" he barked happily.

_All right, this is a little awkward,_ Han admitted, finding himself suddenly surrounded by a whole village full of Wookiees, all hugging each other and roaring jubilantly as they welcomed their long-lost friend home.

* * *

><p><em>"Chewbacca,"<em> Tarfful barked happily, embracing his friend. _"You're alive,"_ he cried, howling with emotion. _"Where have you been?"_

_"Kessel,"_ Chewbacca told him, hugging his old friend with ecstatic relief. _"I was in the spice mines for six years, but the human pup rescued me,"_ he explained, nodding toward Han.

_"Rescued you?"_ Tarfful asked, blinking in surprise as the rest of the village eagerly gathered around to listen. _"So you...?"_

_"Yes,"_ Chewbacca nodded seriously, confirming his question. _"I owe him a life debt."_

"Aaaauugghh," Tarfful nodded in solemn understanding, as the others murmured their respectful regret at this news. _"You won't be staying long, then?"_ Tarfful moaned wistfully, looking at Han, then at the _Falcon._

_"No,"_ Chewbacca confessed. _"We're expected on Belgaroth this afternoon,"_ he explained regretfully; but seeing Tarfful's obvious dismay, Chewbacca gave him a reassuring pat on the shoulder. _"Hey,"_ he told his friend cheerfully. _"It's all right,"_ he promised him. _"Even if I didn't owe him a life debt..."_ he shrugged good-naturedly. _"The pup needs me,"_ he chuckled softly. _"I've only known him for a day now, but from what I can tell, he seems to get himself into a lot of trouble,"_ he laughed affectionately, tousling Han's hair; the little human pup grinned in shy embarrassment, clearly not understanding a word they were saying.

_"Ahh,"_ Tarfful nodded, chuckling quietly as he appraised the human pup now. _"What is his name?"_ he asked, curious.

_"Han Solo,"_ Chewbacca replied, introducing his friend; but now, catching sight of his parents and little sister, he let out a happy yell, running to his family and embracing them with relief. _"Mom, Dad! Laralla,"_ he cried, hugging them close. _"I'm all right,"_ he assured them, quickly explaining what had happened. _"It's good to be home,"_ he confessed wistfully, basking in the warmth of his family's embrace. _"And happy centennial,"_ Chewbacca added, beaming at his baby sister proudly; Laralla had turned one hundred a few months ago, and Chewbacca had been deeply saddened that he couldn't make it to her centennial party.

_"Thank you,"_ Laralla replied happily, hugging him again. _"And happy bicentennial to you,"_ she added affectionately; Chewbacca nodded in shy appreciation as his parents congratulated him on his two hundredth birthday as well, which had come and gone three years back, while he was enslaved in the spice mines.

_"A feast!"_ Tarfful proclaimed loudly, as the Wookiees roared in happy agreement. Chewbacca and Han were herded toward the center of the village, sharing looks of good-natured embarrassment at the attention. Tarfful gave a long speech lauding Han's bravery, and presented the human pup with a shiny bronze medal for his heroism. Han accepted it graciously, nodding and smiling in humble appreciation; he seemed to understand the general idea of what was going on, despite not speaking a word of Wookiee.

But as they sat down to eat, Chewbacca noted with dismay that one face was conspicuously absent from the festivities. He dared not bring it up at first, both out of shyness and a sinking feeling of anxiety that something may have happened to her; but finally he got up his courage, leaning close to Tarfful and whispering in his ear. _"Where is Malla?"_ he asked quietly, stubbornly forcing away the fear and apprehension that gripped his chest. _Has something happened to her...?_

_"Oh!"_ Tarfful blinked, looking around in surprise as he realized Mallatobuck was missing from the group. _"She went out hunting this morning,"_ he told Chewbacca. _"She should be back soon,"_ he assured him, as Chewbacca smiled in relieved gratitude, nodding appreciatively. _"She will be glad to see you,"_ Tarfful added with a knowing smile, as Chewbacca grinned shyly.

_Six years,_ Chewbacca thought happily, keeping a watchful eye on the edge of the forest as they continued their feast, hoping that Malla would return before he had to leave again with Han. _Six years, she waited for me..._ But alas, an hour later the feast was over, with no sign of Malla, and now Han whispered politely to Chewbacca that he needed to be leaving soon.

Chewbacca nodded in understanding, and Tarfful gave a final speech, toasting their health and welcoming Chewbacca home once again. Han smiled in shy gratitude, thanking the Wookiees for their hospitality as Chewbacca translated; then, saying their goodbyes, they headed back toward the landing platform where the _Falcon_ was docked.

_"Wait,"_ Chewbacca roared to Han, stopping by the command center first; Han didn't entirely understand what he meant, but nodded agreeably, as Chewbacca outfitted himself with a new bowcaster and bandoleer. _That's better,_ Chewbacca sighed in relief; he felt naked without them, and it was good to have a trusty bowcaster at his side once again.

_And now to contact Master Yoda,_ he decided, turning to the holo transmitter as Han continued to wait politely, uncertain of what was going on. _I hope he's there,_ Chewbacca sighed, contacting his old Jedi friend; Master Yoda was one of the only people in the entire galaxy who spoke Wookiee, and could finally tell Han his name, and explain about the life debt. But alas, Master Yoda did not answer, and so Chewbacca shrugged regretfully, nodding to Han and indicating that he was ready to leave. _Hopefully I can talk to him soon._

But now his heart skipped a beat as Mallatobuck appeared in the doorway of the command center, her soft, furry features set in an expression of tearful disbelief. _"Malla!"_ Chewbacca exclaimed, his voice rough with emotion. And then they were in each other's arms, holding each other close. _"Malla,"_ Chewbacca cried softly, stroking her soft brown fur. _"I love you,"_ he confessed tenderly, as he had promised to do, if he ever saw her again. _"I'm sorry I never had the courage to tell you before,"_ he apologized shyly.

_"Chewie,"_ Malla cried, hugging him close and resting her forehead lovingly against his. _"I love you too..."_ They began to touch noses in a tender Wookiee kiss; but now Chewbacca stopped, hearing an awkward, nervous coughing sound behind him.

"I have to go," Han apologized, cringing. "I'll let you two - " he broke off, with a mischievous grin. "It was really nice meeting you," he added, managing a cheerful smile at Chewbacca, though there was a look of wistful regret in his brown eyes. "Thank you, for the feast, and the - " Han shrugged appreciatively, with a somewhat embarrassed glance at the bronze medal around his neck. "I have to get going," he apologized again, heading back toward the _Falcon._

_"No, wait,"_ Chewbacca called after him; but Han just smiled, turning around to wave goodbye once again. _"Han!"_ Chewie roared; then he sighed in frustration, turning back to Malla. _"Malla, I'm sorry... I have to go,"_ he said quietly, hoping the others had explained to her about the life debt.

_"I know,"_ Malla smiled tenderly, kissing him goodbye. _"I'm proud of you, Chewbacca,"_ she added, with shy appreciation. Chewbacca nodded quietly; the fulfillment of a Wookiee life debt was a matter of honor, and to abandon his duty for selfish reasons would be unspeakably shameful.

_"I don't know when I'll be back,"_ Chewbacca continued quickly, knowing that he didn't have much time. _"And I won't blame you, if - "_ he broke off sadly, hanging his head. _"But I love you, Malla,"_ he told her softly. _"I can't leave again without you knowing that."_

_"I love you too, Chewie,"_ Malla replied, with a tender smile. _"I'll wait for you,"_ she promised as she kissed him goodbye, her eyes glistening with affection. _"Go,"_ she told him softly, nodding toward the landing platform where Han was now boarding the _Falcon._

Chewbacca nodded; and with one last adoring look at Malla, he turned, grabbing a long rope and swinging quickly across to the landing platform. _"Han!"_ he yelled, running to catch up with him.

Han grinned, turning around to face him. "Sorry," he apologized, a mischievous twinkle in his eyes as he glanced toward the command center. "I didn't mean to interrupt... You guys probably have a lot of catching up to do," he added, with a suggestive grin.

"Ha ha ha," Chewbacca laughed shyly, nodding in rueful agreement; there was so much he longed to tell Malla, but it could not be today. _"I'm coming with you,"_ he told Han now, pointing toward himself, then the Falcon.

Finally understanding his meaning, Han shook his head. "No, pal," he said appreciatively, patting him on the shoulder. "I'd love to have you along; really I would," he told him. "But you don't want to get messed up in all this," he said again, nodding toward the _Falcon's_ hold where the death sticks were stored. "Stay here," Han told him. "You only just got back... But maybe I can come and visit you again, sometime?" he suggested.

_"You can visit any time you like,"_ Chewbacca agreed; _"But I'm coming with you now,"_ he insisted, pointing to the _Falcon_ again and loping toward the ramp.

"No," Han insisted again, grabbing him by the arm and gently but forcibly pushing him away. "I'm serious, pal," he added. "I appreciate your help, but..." He shook his head regretfully. "No," he said quietly, his eyes unflinching.

_Ahh,_ Chewbacca sighed unhappily, his heart sinking as he realized half the village was watching them. _This is embarrassing..._

* * *

><p><em>Crap,<em> Tarfful blinked in alarm, as he saw what was going on. _The human pup doesn't understand..._ The fulfillment of a Wookiee life debt was a matter of pride, and honor; but for the debt to be rejected outright, as if it meant nothing... _Oh no,_ Tarfful cringed, pacing around the command center anxiously. _I have to do something..._

Master Yoda wasn't answering his transmissions at the moment, and Tarfful didn't know anyone else who spoke Wookiee; cringing apprehensively, he rifled through his personal effects, grabbing the festively-colored educational children's toy that Yoda had given him, and swinging quickly over to where Han and Chewbacca were arguing.

_"Chewie,"_ Tarfful interrupted breathlessly, saving his friend from certain embarrassment.

_"Tarfful!"_ Chewbacca roared gratefully, with a pleading look; then he frowned, staring at the bright red datapad covered in popular children's cartoon characters. _"What's that?"_ he asked, curious, as Han noticed it too, frowning at the toy in surprise.

_"Master Yoda gave it to me,"_ Tarfful explained quickly. _"He's been trying to teach me how to write in Basic,"_ he told Chewbacca, switching on the kiddie datapad and praying that he could remember how to use it. _"I'll try to explain about the life debt,"_ Tarfful promised, taking a deep breath and trying to guess how that might be spelled. _L-Y-Y-Y-F D-E-T,_ he typed into the little datapad, praying he was somewhat close.

_"Lyyyf det,"_ the computer stated in a happy puppet's voice, though the pronunciation was a bit off. _"Sorry, that isn't spelled quite right!"_ the jovial voice apologized. _"Better try again!"_

"Rrrrrraaaaauuuggghhh!" Tarfful growled, frustrated; he hardly ever got it right.

But Han looked at the datapad now, startled. "Life debt?" he asked, his eyes widening in surprise. Chewbacca and Tarfful nodded vigorously, relieved that he understood. "No, no," Han protested, blinking worriedly. "It's all right, really," he assured Chewbacca. "You don't owe me anything..."

"Aaaaahhhhh!" Chewbacca wailed, cringing in embarrassment at the insult.

_"Hang on, I'll try to explain,"_ Tarfful told him, typing some more letters. _Lyyyf det, mater of onor is,_ he typed, remembering Yoda's lessons in Basic word order. _If Chubaka not go, shaymful wood bee._

_"I'm sorry,"_ the datapad's puppet voice apologized cheerfully. _"That wasn't quite right; better try again!"_

"Rrraauughhh!" Tarfful cursed angrily, tempted to throw the stupid thing into the woods; but he held his temper, hoping that Han could decipher what he had written.

"Chewbacca," Han repeated, blinking in surprise. "That's your name?" he asked hopefully; Chewbacca nodded vigorously, grateful that he finally understood.

Han nodded, his brows furrowed as he read what Tarfful had typed. "A life debt, huh?" he said quietly, glancing surreptitiously at the other Wookiees who were watching. "All right," he agreed quickly, nodding in understanding. "Thank you," he said loudly, for the benefit of the onlookers. "It's an honor," he assured Chewbacca now, bowing his head respectfully.

"Aaauuugghh!" Chewbacca agreed proudly; then, with a cheerful nod to Tarfful, he headed onto the _Falcon_ with Han.

_"Wait!"_ Tarfful called after him. _"Take this,"_ he told his friend, giving him the educational children's datapad. _"You're going to need it more than me,"_ he pointed out. _I've had no luck with the stupid thing anyway,_ he admitted glumly.

Chewbacca frowned at it doubtfully; but then he nodded in agreement, taking it from Tarfful. _"Goodbye,"_ he roared once again, waving to the others as he climbed up the ramp of the _Falcon_, the hatch closing securely behind him.

_Goodbye, Chewbacca,_ Tarfful thought wistfully, waving as the _Falcon_ took off once again. _Come back soon, my friend._

* * *

><p><em>A few hours later...<em>

_"Master Yoda,"_ Tarfful's holographic image roared politely, contacting him.

"Tarfful." Yoda smiled in surprise, nodding in affectionate greeting. "News from Kashyyyk, have you?"

_"Yes, Master Yoda,"_ Tarfful nodded excitedly. _"Chewbacca is alive,"_ he announced happily, filling the Jedi Master in on the details of Chewbacca's return.

_Alive,_ Yoda sighed, slumping back in his chair after the transmission ended, tears of relief and gratitude filling his eyes. _And well..._ But now he shook his head sadly, understanding what Tarfful had not wanted to tell him. _A life debt to Han Solo, he owes,_ Tarfful had explained, mentioning that Chewbacca had left Kashyyyk with the 'human pup' this afternoon. _Saved him from the Kessel mines, Han did,_ Tarfful had insisted happily.

But Yoda knew that there was only one way to save a person from the spice mines of Kessel. _Bought Chewbacca as a slave, Solo did,_ Yoda knew, though out of pride Tarfful had not admitted to that fact openly. _And understand his reasons, I do,_ Yoda sighed regretfully.

Just yesterday the Council had received confirmation from Master Chi'nala that the _Millennium Falcon_ was indeed being piloted by Han Solo, the young Corellian royal whom Mace had enrolled in Coruscant's military academy six years ago, along with Lando Calrissian. Solo had been expelled from the academy a year short of graduation for stealing a spacecraft, and Yoda and Mace had been dismayed - though admittedly not surprised - to learn that he had now turned to a life of crime, allegedly smuggling spices for Jabba the Hutt.

_Know that this would happen, we did,_ Yoda sighed, recalling once again the future _SITH_ episodes that only he and Mace had seen. _And grateful I am, that Chewbacca is alive,_ he confessed, though that fact in itself brought up even more questions. _Speak with Chewbacca about this, I must,_ he decided, unable to guess how his friend could possibly have survived the explosion six years ago.

But as for Solo's motives in "rescuing" Chewbacca from Kessel, Yoda guessed at the truth, which not even Tarfful seemed to suspect. _Know that Chewbacca is a friend of mine, Solo does,_ Yoda admitted; it was common knowledge, especially after the final episode of _JEDI_ that they had filmed together on Kashyyyk, nearly ten years ago. _Boarded by Anakin Skywalker yesterday, Solo was,_ Yoda mused; apparently Anakin had shot at the _Millennium Falcon_ with every weapon he possessed, to no avail.

_Next time not so lucky, Solo might be,_ Yoda admitted, realizing that the young smuggler had obviously come to the same conclusion. _But with Chewbacca on board - a personal friend of the head of the Jedi Council... Reluctant the Jedi would be, to shoot him down,_ Yoda confessed. _Bought himself a Wookiee life insurance policy, young Solo has._

_Inform Master Chi'nala of this, I must,_ Yoda sighed regretfully, contacting the Master on Lannik.

* * *

><p><em>Later that evening...<em>

"Thank you all for coming," Master Chi'nala said to the Border Patrol Knights who had managed to show up for tonight's special briefing concerning Han Solo and the _Millennium Falcon_. "As you know, the YT-1300 freighter that we have been monitoring these past three months is indeed the _Millennium Falcon,_ piloted by Han Solo," he began, with an appreciative nod to Anakin, as the others nodded in understanding.

"I just received word from Master Yoda this afternoon," Master Chi'nala continued, as Anakin frowned, wondering again what this might be about. "It seems that after his run-in with Anakin yesterday, Solo headed straight for the spice mines of Kessel, and immediately bought a slave who had been down there for six years," Chi'nala informed them. "We have received confirmation from Tarfful, Chieftain of the Wookiees, that this slave was none other than Master Yoda's personal friend, Chewbacca," he told the Knights.

There was a murmur of surprise all around, and Anakin blinked in surprise. _Chewbacca? He's alive?_

"Yes," Master Chi'nala nodded, answering the question they were all asking. "Chewbacca is alive, but has been enslaved in the mines of Kessel these past six years," he informed them. "My guess is that Solo has known of this fact for some time; but only after his confrontation with Anakin yesterday did he finally decide to buy Chewbacca for himself, knowing that we would be reluctant to shoot at the _Falcon_ with Master Yoda's personal friend aboard," Chi'nala explained, as the Knights shook their heads in disgust.

_What a creep,_ Anakin frowned, incensed by the smuggler's lack of humanity.

"Now, Solo's official story is that he 'rescued' Chewbacca and freed him from slavery; and according to Wookiee custom, Chewbacca now owes Solo a life debt," Chi'nala explained. "Legally we must regard Chewbacca's position as voluntary servitude, so we cannot arrest Solo on slavery charges," he continued, sighing with frustration. "And, as you know, it is against protocol to use deadly force against a vessel that is carrying a diplomat of the Galactic Republic," Chi'nala added. "Chewbacca was Second Chieftain at the time of his capture six years ago, and he is still considered an important and much beloved leader of Kashyyyk," he informed them.

"In short, we cannot arrest Solo on slavery charges, nor can we use deadly force against the _Falcon,_" Chi'nala explained to the Knights. "We will continue to monitor his activities, and if we can safely bring Solo into custody without endangering Chewbacca, we will do so," he told them. "If Solo goes to prison, Chewbacca will be free of the life debt for the period of his incarceration, and will be able to return home to his family on Kashyyyk," Chi'nala finished, as the Jedi Knights nodded in understanding.

Anakin sighed unhappily, getting up as the meeting adjourned. _In other words, our hands are tied,_ he realized glumly. _We can't shoot at the Falcon, and Tatooine is outside our jurisdiction,_ he admitted. _All we can do is ask him to pull over, and allow us to board,_ he realized. _And if he ever DOES pull over, that means he's not carrying anything illegal..._

_This completely sucks,_ Anakin sighed in frustration, returning to his Starfighter and going back to work. _I hope Luke says yes next time I ask him to be my padawan,_ he prayed once again. _I'm getting really tired of this._

* * *

><p><em>Meanwhile, aboard the Falcon...<em>

_"I'm sorry, that isn't spelled quite right!"_ the stupid puppet voice announced for the billionth time. _"Better try again!"_

"RRRRAAAAAUUUUUGGGGHHHHH!" Chewie yelled, grabbing the kiddie datapad and slamming it violently against the floor, proceeding to smash it to bits with his furry fist.

"Thank you," Han sighed in grateful relief, running a hand through his shaggy dark hair and flopping back wearily against the leather sofa as Chewbacca let out a self-satisfied roar.

"Well," Han said with a rueful grin, eyeing the decimated remains of Yoda's educational datapad. "Looks like I'm just going to have to learn to speak Wookiee," he said, as Chewbacca gazed at him in heartfelt appreciation. "Wanna play some holo-chess?"

* * *

><p><em>Meanwhile, elsewhere in the galaxy...<em>

_Finally,_ Boba sighed wearily, as he arrived at the apartment of Joran Molner, renowned literary critic. It had taken him over twenty-four hours to track the man down; apparently he was a bit of a recluse, as no one seemed to know who he was, or where he lived. But Boba had finally gotten a lead on his residential address, and blinked away his fatigue now as he activated his retractor cable, pulling himself up to the rooftop of Molner's penthouse apartment.

_Poor bastard,_ Boba sighed, not enjoying this assignment. _He was only giving his honest opinion..._ But Joran Molner had made the mistake of criticizing Jabba's poetry; and for that, Boba had been sent to capture him to bring before the Hutt.

_This is all too easy,_ Boba thought, pulling out his lock-picking kit and quietly breaking in through the skylight. Despite his heavy armor, Boba managed to drop silently into Molner's bedroom, drawing his blaster as he quietly approached the sleeping figure on the bed.

_I'm sorry about this,_ Boba sighed regretfully, reaching out a gloved hand and clamping it over Molner's mouth before he had a chance to scream. But now his eyes widened in surprise behind his helmet as he stared at his victim in stunned shock.

Joran Molner was a woman.

A southern Nabooan woman, to be exact.

A young, impossibly beautiful southern Nabooan woman, with long, gorgeous, curly dark hair, perfectly sun-bronzed skin, a body to die for, and a pair of the most amazing dark eyes, which were now glaring at Boba in brave defiance...

_I am so screwed,_ Boba sighed in dismay, reluctantly lowering his blaster.

* * *

><p><em>Meanwhile, back on Tatooine...<em>

"I'm sorry, Greedo," his boss apologized, putting a hand on his shoulder. "You've done a great job all these years, and I appreciate your hard work more than I can say, but... I'm going to have to let you go," he told him regretfully.

Greedo nodded unhappily. "I understand," he assured his boss, managing a rueful smile. Business had been getting worse and worse for the past several years, as Tatooine's one and only Tibanna gas mine had slowly been depleted of its precious fuel; but over the past month production had ceased entirely, and Greedo nodded in regretful understanding as he headed for the exit, thanking his boss for keeping him on for a full year after most of the other workers had already been laid off.

_What am I going to do now?_ Greedo wondered unhappily as he made his way home to his mother's house for dinner. Finding honest work on Tatooine was not easy, and Greedo's mother would be heartbroken if he were forced to seek employment with Jabba. _But if I don't find another job soon, we could lose our home,_ Greedo realized, attempting a brave smile as he greeted his mother at the doorway of their little hovel, bearing the news that they had been dreading these past two years.

* * *

><p><em>Meanwhile, at Jabba's palace...<em>

_Shall I feed him to the Rancor?_ Jabba wondered, munching hungrily on the latest delicacy Snowball had brought him. _Or the Sarlaac?_ he mused, as he waited impatiently for Boba to return with the accursed literary critic.

* * *

><p><em>Speaking of which...<em>

"Why did you do it?" Boba asked softly, stroking her silky black hair as they lay beneath the covers, their naked bodies entwined.

"Because someone had to," Sydney sighed. "He really is a terrible poet," she added, wrinkling her nose in distaste.

"Yeah, I know," Boba agreed, grinning in amusement at her righteous indignance. "I meant, why did you pretend... to be a man?" he asked, giving her a puzzled look.

Sydney shook her head, sighing. "It's a man's world," she said quietly, stroking Boba's muscular chest.

"Is it?" Boba laughed, with a rueful glance at his tattooed arm. "I hadn't noticed," he said, giving her a playful kiss.

Sydney smiled in quiet apology; but then she sighed, laying her head back on her pillow and gazing into his beautiful eyes with wistful adoration. "Boba, what are we going to do?" she asked softly.

"Well," Boba sighed, glancing thoughtfully at his armor, which now lay strewn on the floor beside the bed. "I'm thinking a couple of grenades; maybe a rocket launcher..."

* * *

><p><em>Several hours later...<em>

"I'm sorry, Your Excellency," Boba apologized humbly, bowing before him in his audience chamber. "I tried to capture him alive, but... I'm afraid I was forced to eliminate the target," he reported regretfully.

"Aaaaaahhh!" Jabba cursed in frustration; he had already seen the news footage on the holo, with images of Joran Molner's apartment reduced to a blazing inferno. It was being reported all over the galaxy that the renowned critic himself had been killed in the fire, just one day after publishing his scathing critique of Jabba's poetry; but Jabba had hoped that the reports were untrue, and that Boba would bring him back to Tatooine alive.

_I wanted to feed him to the Sarlaac... And THEN to the Rancor,_ Jabba pouted, sighing in disappointment. "You are certain?" he asked, giving Boba a sharp look. "You saw the body?"

"Yes, Your Excellency," Boba replied, nodding respectfully. "I saw the body," he murmured softly, a dreamy glimmer in his eyes; it was obvious that he had taken great pleasure in this assignment. "Joran Molner is dead," he assured him.

"Very well," Jabba nodded, sensing that the bounty hunter was telling the truth. "Good work."

* * *

><p><em>A few minutes later...<em>

"Well," Boba cringed in embarrassment, as he led Sydney into his little apartment in Mos Eisley. "Here we are," he sighed apologetically, looking around at the clothes strewn all over the floor, and the dirty dishes on the kitchen counter. "Sorry, it's kind of a mess."

Sydney smiled, wrapping her arms around him and giving him a tender kiss. "This place could definitely use a woman's touch," she admitted, looking around the bachelor pad with an amused smile.

Boba grinned shyly. "Yeah, I've got some other places that could use a woman's touch," he confessed, a mischievous twinkle in his dark eyes as he showed her into the bedroom.

* * *

><p><em>The next morning...<em>

"Han!" Lando grinned cheerfully, as his friend appeared in the bedroom doorway, followed by a large Wookiee. "And Chewbacca!" he exclaimed, delighted to finally meet him. _Holy crap, he's huge!_

"Lando," Han grinned in happy relief as he came over to the bed, hugging him; but then he blinked in surprise. "How did you know his name?" he asked, momentarily startled.

_Uh oh,_ Lando blinked worriedly. _Come on, think fast..._ "_JEDI,_" Lando blurted out, trying to act casual. "He was on _JEDI,_ the last season before it was cancelled... Right, Chewie?" he asked, breathing a sigh of relief as the Wookiee roared in agreement, nodding proudly.

"Chewie?" Han laughed, amused; but now he looked up at the Wookiee in surprise. "Really?" he asked his new friend, who nodded cheerfully. "Chewie," Han repeated, blinking at the strange nickname. "All right," he shrugged amiably; then he grinned at Lando again. "So, you're feeling better?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Lando assured him; he still wasn't feeling quite well enough to get out of bed, but Prunella had brought him a delicious breakfast this morning, and he was beginning to feel like himself again. "Thanks to you," he added, with a smile of heartfelt gratitude. "So, what have you two been up to?"

Han's grin suddenly faded, and he bowed his head. "Lando," he said, taking a seat on the edge of his bed. "There's something I have to talk to you about," he admitted, as he proceeded to explain to Lando about his spice smuggling activities. "I'm sorry, Lando," Han finished quietly, with an apologetic shrug. "I didn't have much choice."

_I know,_ Lando wanted to tell his friend. _I've always known you'd end up smuggling spices. I just didn't think it would happen so soon,_ he sighed, realizing that their childhood dreams of operating their own freighter service would never come true. "I understand," Lando said, not wanting to make this any harder on him. "But you know I can't join you on this one, Han," he apologized, as Han nodded in understanding. "And I can't allow you to smuggle spices with _my_ ship," Lando added pointedly, with a look of affectionate regret. _So this is how it happens..._

"I understand," Han nodded. "I'm sorry, Lando; Jabba's seized the _Falcon_ for now, but I'll - I'll find another ship, until I can make the money back... I'll get her back to you," he promised, though he was already blinking worriedly at the concept, realizing that it was far more difficult than it sounded.

"No," Lando said, shaking his head. "Take her," he told his friend gently. "The _Falcon._ She's yours," he insisted. "She's the fastest ship in the galaxy; I don't want you risking your life out there in some piece of junk freighter that doesn't work," he confessed quietly. "Please, take her."

Han's brows furrowed at the thought, but he shook his head stubbornly. "No," he protested. "She's _your_ ship; I can't just - " he broke off, sighing. "I can't," he apologized, with a regretful shrug. "I'll find another way."

Lando looked at him, suddenly thoughtful. _Hey,_ came a familiar voice in his head, one that he had first heard a lifetime ago. _Remember, you lost her to me fair and square..._ "All right," Lando said, knowing what he must do. "Sabacc," he proposed, giving Han a mischievous smile. "One hand, winner takes all."

Han grinned, understanding exactly what Lando was trying to do; but he shook his head again. "I can't," he told Lando, sighing regretfully. "Prunella doesn't allow that sort of thing in her house," he added in a low voice, glancing apprehensively toward the hallway, where Greedo's mother was sweeping the floor.

"That's right," Prunella echoed sternly, poking her head into the doorway and giving the two of them a reproachful look, before continuing with her housework. Lando grinned at her apologetically, then returned his gaze to Han, shrugging amiably. "All right," he conceded. "What sort of games _does_ she allow?" he asked loudly, so that Prunella could overhear.

"Oh!" Prunella exclaimed brightly, coming back into the guest bedroom and opening up a large trunk. "I've kept all of Greedo's games, from when he was a little boy." She smiled tenderly, showing them an assortment of children's games. "This one was his favorite," she added with a nostalgic smile, bringing over a simple board game in a brightly-colored box.

"Aliens," Lando said, reading the box cover; he vaguely knew of the game, having seen advertisements for it on the holo, though obviously he'd never played it as a child. _But I don't have to know how to play,_ he reminded himself, deeply amused by the prospect of losing a spaceship over a children's game. _I just have to know how to lose._ "All right," he agreed, as Han set up the playing pieces; obviously he'd done this before. "You ready for this?" Lando asked his friend.

"I'm ready if you are," Han nodded, a look of regretful amusement in his brown eyes as they began to play. Lando had absolutely no idea what he was doing; but he didn't bother asking about the rules, as it didn't really matter. But three minutes later they both blinked worriedly as Lando accidentally captured the last of Han's aliens, winning the game.

"Uh... Best two out of three?" Lando asked hopefully, as Han nodded quickly in agreement, trying to hide his embarrassment as Chewbacca laughed heartily. This time Lando was careful to lose, and a few minutes later the deal was done, as Han captured all of Lando's aliens for the second time. "Good game," Lando congratulated his friend, smiling affectionately. "The _Falcon_ is yours."

"You sure about this?" Han asked, with a look of regretful appreciation.

"Yeah," Lando assured him, nodding. "Take good care of her," he admonished his friend sternly. "I don't want her getting damaged," he warned Han. "Not a scratch," he insisted, with a mischievous smile.

"All right," Han nodded seriously. "Not a scratch," he promised; but now he gave Lando a questioning look. "What about you?" he asked quietly, with a regretful look. "What are you going to do?"

"Ah," Lando grinned cheerfully, leaning back against his pillows once again. "Greedo and I are going into business together," he announced importantly.

"Really?" Han asked, blinking in surprise; he hadn't yet heard the news of Greedo's layoff from the local Tibanna gas mine.

"Yeah," Lando nodded. "He was laid off from his job last night," he added, as Han's face fell in dismay. "But it's going to be all right," Lando assured him. "We're going to set up gas mines on another planet, and import the fuel here to Tatooine," he explained, as Han blinked in surprise at their plan. "I'm going to administrate the mining facility, and Greedo's going to deal with things on this end," he continued. "Greedo's talking to his old boss now; they're working out the details, but he thinks that if I can manage to find a new source of Tibanna gas, his boss will set up his equipment there, and help us get started."

"Wow," Han blinked, overwhelmed by all of this. "That's...great," he said, feigning enthusiasm. "But... Tibanna gas," he said, frowning. "It's very rare; doesn't it take people years of searching just to find one new source?"

"Yes, it usually does," Lando agreed. "But I think I have an idea where to start looking," he said, giving his friend a cryptic look. "Bespin," he announced proudly.

"Ha!" Han laughed, clutching absently at his injured ribs. "Bespin?" he asked, shaking his head in amusement. Back at the academy, they had both been assigned to write an in-depth report on an uninhabited planet as part of their studies; Lando had chosen Bespin, for reasons he had never fully explained, and Han had always been amused by Lando's bizarre obsession with the cloudy planet. "Well, you would know," Han admitted, with a smile of genuine respect despite his amusement. "You're the expert," he conceded, nodding seriously. "I hope you can find some Tibanna gas there," Han added with quiet sincerity, giving Lando an encouraging smile.

"Thanks," Lando replied. "And if I do, there will be plenty of freighter business for you two," he added, with a meaningful glance at Han and Chewie. "Trust me; there's Tibanna gas there," Lando promised them quietly, smiling confidently as Han nodded in tacit acceptance, trusting his friend's extraordinary instincts as he always had. "I know it."


	108. Luke says no, but Zak says yes!

**Chapter 108**

_Three years later..._

"Welcome, Master Jedi," the Queen of Naboo droned in a dull monotone, sitting in her throne room surrounded by her handmaidens and other advisors. "We are honored by your presence."

"Your Highness." Anakin bowed respectfully, valiantly masking his amusement as he saw his daughter wearing a garish blue-and-gold velvet robe, her hair plastered in a giant hoop-like sculpture, and her face painted white, with a red dot on each cheek and a bright red line down the center of her lower lip. _Leia, sweetheart, you look ridiculous. But I'm so proud of you._

"I have collected some more donations, for HOPE," Anakin said, approaching the queen and handing her a small electronic credit device. As their hands touched for a brief second, he sent his daughter a reassuring feeling of warmth and love; a moment later he felt a happy, tingling sensation in his own heart as Leia returned the sentiment. Despite her total lack of instruction in the ways of the Force, there were a few things that Leia had always been able to do instinctively; Anakin met her gaze now, seeing a momentary sparkle of fond affection in his daughter's eyes. _Hi, sweety. I love you too._

"Thank you, Sir Knight," Leia said with genuine appreciation, though her demeanor was dignified and subdued. "We are grateful for your continuing efforts to support our cause," she assured him. "Would you be so kind as to join us for lunch?"

"It would be an honor, Milady," Anakin replied, bowing politely before the queen. He had business on Coruscant later that afternoon; but he smiled quietly now, enjoying an hour of peace and relaxation in the company of his daughter.

* * *

><p><em>Several hours later...<em>

_All right, Luke,_ Anakin decided resolutely, heading for his son's classroom. _Time's up._

He had asked Luke to be his padawan three times already; first on his ninth birthday, then his tenth, then shortly after his eleventh... But now his son was twelve - twelve and three months to be precise - and _this_ time Anakin would not take no for an answer.

_You've had your fun with kiddie stuff, for a lot longer than I ever did,_ Anakin frowned. _Meanwhile, your sister's been running an entire planet for two years now. Come on, Luke,_ Anakin sighed wearily, as he entered the classroom. _This is getting old._

* * *

><p><em>Crap!<em> Luke blinked anxiously, as Master Skywalker appeared in the doorway. _He's back!_

It had been a bad day. Mara was in one of her moods; she had informed Luke during lunch today that she was no longer speaking to him, for reasons he couldn't even begin to guess. Luke had tried to apologize for whatever he had done wrong, but Mara had stubbornly ignored him, treating him with icy indifference. This sort of thing happened on a regular basis; Luke usually just waited it out, and eventually Mara would tell him what the matter was, and things would be better again.

But he had been suffering her angry glares for three hours now, and Luke had to admit there was a part of him that was genuinely relieved and grateful to see Master Skywalker now. _Mara SAID she hates me,_ he sighed, smiling politely as he got up from his desk and followed the black-clad Jedi Knight into the private conference chamber for their yearly chat. _She'd probably be happy if I left._

"Hi, Luke," Master Skywalker said cheerfully, closing the door behind them. "How have you been?"

"Fine, thank you, Master Skywalker," Luke replied shyly, with a polite bow. It was truly good to see him again; it had been over a year since his last visit, and Luke was beginning to worry that he'd finally given up on him. _Not that I'm going to say yes anyway,_ he sighed. _But still..._ It had always comforted Luke to know that Master Skywalker cared, and remembered him.

Still, it was harder to say no to Master Skywalker, than to the dozens of other Masters who had asked him to be their padawan over the past three years. _If I were to say yes to anyone, it would be Master Skywalker,_ Luke thought, his heart filling with the familiar, comforting warmth he always felt in the strange Knight's presence. _There's something about him,_ he admitted. _He's special,_ Luke sensed instinctively. _No,_ he corrected himself. _He makes me feel like I'M special,_ he realized, with wistful regret.

"So," Master Skywalker continued, giving Luke a conspiratorial grin. "I don't suppose I have to tell you why I'm here?" he asked, his dark blue eyes glinting with mischievous humor.

Luke tried to suppress an amused grin, but failed; they went through this every time. "No, Master," he agreed politely; but he gave the Jedi an apologetic look now, warning him. _I'm going to say no again._

Master Skywalker caught his look, and his brows furrowed momentarily; but he quickly masked his concern as he sat back, gazing at Luke thoughtfully. "Remind me, Luke," he asked, feigning innocent curiosity. "How old are you now?"

_Crap._ "Twelve, Master," Luke replied meekly, not happy with where this was going.

"And how long is it, until your thirteenth birthday?" Master Skywalker inquired, a tone of gentle reproach in his voice.

"Nine months, Master," Luke confessed reluctantly. _Nine months before I REALLY have to decide whether I'm going to throw away my chance to be a Jedi Knight... So that I can get sent to the Agricultural Corps, and spend the rest of my life with a girl who tells me she hates me on a regular basis,_ he sighed. _I must be crazy._

"I see," Master Skywalker nodded thoughtfully, still gazing at him quietly. Luke squirmed uncomfortably under his unnerving blue gaze; he could feel the Jedi probing him, trying to sense his feelings. But now Master Skywalker let out a regretful sigh, nodding in quiet understanding. "You've got a Boys' Choir concert coming up, haven't you?" he asked, with a sad smile.

_Ahh! This again..._ "Yes, Master," Luke nodded; it was true, after all. "I'm sorry, Master," he said quietly. "I just don't feel ready yet," he confessed, giving the same vague excuse that he'd been telling all the other Masters for years now.

Master Skywalker nodded, with a sympathetic smile. "All right," he agreed reluctantly. "And I didn't actually _ask_ you to be my padawan today, so this one doesn't count," he added pointedly, a playful twinkle in his eyes; Luke nodded, grinning appreciatively. "I'll be back in - eight and half months," Master Skywalker informed him, getting up from his padded stool.

"Thank you, Master," Luke nodded in heartfelt appreciation, bowing respectfully to the Jedi Knight. He gave Master Skywalker a grateful smile, truly relieved to have a few more months to make his decision. "Master," he added hesitantly, remembering the Knight's worried question the last time. "I... I don't want anyone else, to be my Master," Luke assured him, sensing his concern once again. "I'll wait for you," he promised, blinking apologetically as he realized how presumptuous that sounded.

But thankfully Master Skywalker just grinned, nodding appreciatively. "Good," he agreed, laughing. "I'll wait for you too," he conceded, with a barely-concealed conspiratorial grin. "I won't ask any other younglings to be my padawan for nine whole months; I promise," he vowed solemnly, though there was a look of teasing mischief in his blue eyes.

Luke grinned, nodding in shy appreciation. "Thank you, Master," he said quietly, feeling a pang of regret in his heart as he realized the Jedi Knight would be leaving once again, returning to his post outside Hutt Territory.

Master Skywalker gave Luke a reassuring smile, a glimmer of proud approval in his blue eyes. "May the Force be with you, Luke," he finished simply, as he always did.

"May the Force be with you, Master," Luke replied, with a respectful bow; and then the strange Jedi Knight was gone once again, disappearing around the doorway as his black cloak trailed gracefully behind him.

Luke smiled with wistful regret, his heart aching momentarily; but then he returned to his classroom, rejoining the other nine-to-twelve year olds who had not yet been chosen as padawans. He and Mara were the oldest of the group now, and the only younglings from their original class who had not yet been chosen; Luke smiled at her regretfully now as he returned to his desk.

But Mara's gaze was filled with bitterness and contempt as she glared back at him, her green eyes blazing with anger. _Crap,_ Luke sighed unhappily, giving her an apologetic look as he sank back into his desk chair. _Now she's even MORE mad at me..._ Mara had guessed at the reason behind Luke's refusal to become a padawan over these past three years, and the bitter truth of it was far more painful to her, than it ever had been for Luke. _She probably won't speak to me for days,_ he sighed glumly, ignoring her resentful glare as he tried to focus on today's lesson once again.

* * *

><p><em>Meanwhile, just down the hallway...<em>

"You asked him _today?_" Obi-Wan blinked in surprise, speaking quietly with Anakin at the edge of his classroom while the younglings continued with their games.

"I thought it was worth a try," Anakin confessed, shrugging. "And I didn't _officially_ ask him," he conceded; then he shook his head, laughing with regret. "He told me to come back in nine months."

Obi-Wan managed a smile, though secretly he was becoming very concerned for his younger brother. _He's on the edge of burnout,_ Obi-Wan noted worriedly, sensing an exhausted tension that he did not like. The harsh reality of life outside Hutt Territory was beginning to take its toll on Anakin, and Padmé and Qui-Gon had expressed their concerns as well.

_It's a frustrating job,_ Obi-Wan admitted regretfully. As a member of the Council, he kept abreast of the news from the Outer Rim, and knew that the Border Patrol Knights were charged with one of the most difficult - yet crucial - tasks of anyone in the entire Order. But most heartbreaking of all, in order to do their jobs effectively, they had to quietly disregard the law in some cases, while being forced to adhere to it rigidly in others, to the advantage of the very criminals they were trying to apprehend. It was fast-paced, exhilarating work, which was no doubt why Anakin had chosen it in the first place; but the Knights on the Outer Rim had the highest rate of burnout in the entire Order, and Obi-Wan prayed that Anakin would soon be able to take an extended break from his job in Hutt Territory, to train Luke as his padawan.

But he masked his concern now, teasing his little brother affectionately as he always did. "Luke has a performance in three weeks," Obi-Wan informed him sagely, putting on an air of superior wisdom in the hope of lightening Anakin's mood. "You would do well to check the Boys' Choir concert schedule, before you ask him the next time."

Anakin laughed quietly, unable to suppress a rueful grin. "Yes, Master," he replied, a mischievous twinkle in his dark blue eyes. _Yes, the spark is still there,_ Obi-Wan noted with gratitude. _It hasn't completely gone out yet. Hold on, Anakin,_ he smiled reassuringly, returning his brother's look of regretful amusement. _Nine more months, and things will be better._

* * *

><p><em>I can't believe it!<em> Zak grinned excitedly, his heart pounding with anticipation as he glanced surreptitiously toward the edge of the classroom, where Master Obi-Wan was talking with Master Skywalker. _They're talking about me... I know it,_ he realized nervously. Today was Zak's ninth birthday, and he had secretly been hoping that a Jedi Knight or Master might come today, to choose him as a padawan; but he had never imagined that it would be Master Skywalker himself.

_He's the coolest Knight in the entire Order,_ Zak thought, giddy with excitement. _He looks so awesome, dressed all in black... I wonder if he'll let me wear black too,_ he hoped. _He's the best starpilot in the whole galaxy, and he's great at lightsaber fighting too,_ Zak knew; he had seen Darth Vader on _SITH_ many times, and was in awe of Master Skywalker's talents.

_I like him even better than Master Windu,_ Zak realized suddenly. He'd been working closely with the great Jedi Master for the past six years, as part of his band of exiled younglings on _SITH_, and Zak admired his fierce demeanor, as well as his unique fighting style. Master Windu had chosen Luke Skywalker - the eldest of their group - to be his padawan three years ago, and Zak had to admit he was a bit envious of his older friend's good fortune.

_But Master Skywalker is even better,_ Zak decided, his heart fluttering at the thought of training with Darth Vader himself. _This is so cool!_ Master Skywalker was looking over at him now, with a cheery grin; Zak squirmed in delight, grinning back shyly. Master Skywalker visited their classroom now and then, to chat with Master Obi-Wan; he had been Master Obi-Wan's padawan, and they had always remained close. _Just like Master Obi-Wan and Master Jinn,_ Zak remembered; the older Jedi Master stopped by frequently to visit Master Obi-Wan, even though it had been ages and ages since he'd been _his_ padawan. Zak smiled happily, realizing once again that the Master/Padawan relationship was a lifetime bond.

_And now I'll be a part of it too,_ Zak grinned in delight. The best part was that Master Skywalker and Master Obi-Wan were good friends; Zak's only regret in becoming a padawan was that he would miss his old teacher, but now he realized that he would still get to see Master Obi-Wan on a regular basis. _And Master Jinn, and Master Cory too,_ he hoped; it seemed that they were all close friends, and Zak could barely conceal his happiness at the thought of becoming the next addition to their Master/Padawan legacy.

_I'm not the least bit jealous of Luke Skywalker any more,_ Zak laughed to himself. _This is a billion times better._ Master Skywalker was coming toward him now, and Zak felt as though his heart would burst with pride and happiness. _Holy crap, he's going to ask me now... Ahh, try to act casual..._ "Hi, Master Skywalker," Zak said, managing a respectful bow.

"Hi Zak," Master Skywalker replied cheerfully, greeting the other younglings as well. "Happy birthday," he added, his eyes twinkling as he saw their little party hats. "Nine years old, eh?" he asked, poking playfully at Zak's horns. _Ahh! Why does everybody do that? They're not cute; they're supposed to be scary..._ But Zak was used to it, and smiled shyly, nodding in agreement.

"Thank you, Master," he said politely, giving Master Skywalker an appreciative, hopeful look. _He's going to ask me now, I know it!_ But now the door opened once again, and Zak looked up in surprise to see Master Jinn arriving with a birthday cake, followed by Master Cory, who brought a carton of ice cream. _Yay!_ Zak grinned happily as Master Obi-Wan called them all over to the table for snack time.

_I'm so glad they came,_ Zak thought appreciatively, basking in the attention as he enjoyed his birthday cake and ice cream along with the other younglings. He would miss his classmates too, of course; but somehow Zak had always felt closer to his teachers, and to his acting group from _SITH_, than to the younglings in his own class.

_Kind of strange, when you think about it,_ Zak grinned mischievously. _It's not like I'm the teacher's pet or anything..._ Zak had always been a bit of a troublemaker, and Master Obi-Wan was constantly chasing him through the hallways, and into the elevators... _Up the spires, out the windows, and sometimes across the rooftop,_ Zak admitted; those had been some good times. No, Zak was not anything even close to a teacher's pet, but ironically he realized that he would miss Master Obi-Wan most of all.

_And Master Cory too,_ Zak admitted, smiling regretfully. He'd always hated Boys' Choir, and didn't really have the patience for Arts and Crafts either; but somehow Master Cory managed to make it fun, and always praised Zak's efforts, even though he was by far the worst artist in his class. _It's not that I'm bad at it, it's just... kind of boring,_ Zak confessed. _I'm not going to miss Arts and Crafts. But I AM going to miss Master Cory,_ he realized, feeling a pang of sadness at the thought. _And Master Jinn too..._

_But Master Skywalker is good friends with all of them,_ Zak reminded himself, observing the four Jedi chatting amongst themselves now, as they joined the younglings for cake and ice cream. _Haha, they're so funny,_ Zak giggled; Master Jinn, Master Cory, and Master Skywalker had all put on little children's party hats, but Master Obi-Wan stubbornly refused to wear one, and they were teasing him now. _Yes, I will still get to see them,_ Zak reassured himself happily. _They've always been very close friends._

But now Master Skywalker got up from the table, pulling off his party hat, and Zak's heart skipped a beat as he realized this was the moment he had been waiting for. "Happy birthday, Zak," Master Skywalker said cheerfully, as Zak grinned shyly, nodding. "I'm sorry I can't stay longer," Master Skywalker apologized, smiling at the younglings. "But I need to get back to work," he explained, nodding respectfully to Master Obi-Wan and the others as he turned and headed for the doorway.

_What?_ Zak blinked in stunned disbelief. _Nooooo... Come back!_ But Master Skywalker was already gone, the door closing once again behind him. _No..._ Zak blinked away tears of disappointment, staring sadly down at his empty dish.

"Zak?" Master Obi-Wan asked gently, sensing his dismay. "Would you like some more ice cream? There's plenty more, for everyone," he added, his kindly blue eyes twinkling with affectionate reassurance.

_Um..._ "Thank you, Master." Zak handed him his empty dish, feeling slightly foolish that Master Obi-Wan had misinterpreted the reason for his sudden disappointment. Still, it was less embarrassing than the truth, so he managed an appreciative smile as Master Jinn scooped out another serving of ice cream for him. _Master Skywalker didn't come here to take me as his padawan. He was only visiting his friends, like he always does,_ Zak realized now, suddenly feeling a bit stupid.

_Not everyone gets chosen on their ninth birthday,_ Zak admitted, though so far it had already happened to two other younglings from his class. _And their grades were a lot better than mine,_ he confessed reluctantly. Zak was the best lightsaber fighter in his class, and he was practically famous for his role on _SITH_; but he wasn't much of a scholar, and had a tendency toward behavior problems. _I'd better watch it,_ Zak realized worriedly. _Master Obi-Wan is right; if I want to be a Jedi, I must learn patience, and discipline..._

But at the moment Zak was fighting a bit of a sugar high after his birthday cake and ice cream, and he was grateful when Master Obi-Wan dismissed the younglings from the table to resume their party games, while Master Jinn and Master Cory helped to clean up. Master Jinn took his leave a few minutes later, and Zak bowed to him respectfully along with the others as they said goodbye; but to his surprise, Master Cory stayed behind.

"Zak," Master Cory asked politely, nodding toward the little private conference chamber adjacent to their classroom. "Could I speak with you for a moment?"

_Oh, crap!_ Zak blinked anxiously, nodding politely and following Master Cory inside. _I'm in trouble..._ Zak had Force-glued his popsicle stick sculpture to the ceiling of the Arts and Crafts room yesterday afternoon, and he bowed his head now as he took a seat across from Master Cory on one of the little round padded stools. "Master Cory, I'm sorry, about yesterday," he began, bracing himself for the lecture and trying to soften the blow. _Maybe if I apologize first he'll go easy on me..._

"Ha," Master Cory laughed in obvious surprise. "You should be," he scolded Zak sternly, though his blue eyes were twinkling with amusement; Zak cringed, wondering what else this could be about. "But that's not why I wanted to talk to you," Master Cory conceded, with a gentle smile. "Zak, I was wondering if you'd like to be my padawan?" he asked, giving him a hopeful look.

_What?_ Zak stared at him in stunned surprise. _Ahh! Noooo!_ he blinked anxiously, sensing Master Cory's sincerity. _He's the Arts and Crafts teacher!_ Zak knew that Master Cory was some kind of genius abstract artist, but... _Is he even a real Jedi?_ he wondered uncertainly, glancing at his shiny black boots and belt, his spotless, neatly-ironed cream tunic, and his straight, shiny red-gold hair which fell almost to his shoulders. _Has he ever even been outside of the Jedi Temple?_ Zak wondered suddenly. Master Cory was impossibly young to be a Knight, and a teacher; Zak remembered his very first Arts and Crafts lesson years ago, when Master Cory had cheerfully admitted to the younglings that he was nineteen years old, in answer to their curious questions.

_He must have gone straight into teaching after being a padawan,_ Zak knew. _He's never actually DONE anything; he's not - _ Zak blinked in dismay at the young Knight now, wondering if he even knew how to use the lightsaber which hung neatly from his belt. Master Cory was barely of average height for a human man, and slender of build... _He's really nice, and he's a total genius artist, but he can't be much of a fighter,_ Zak guessed, feeling a horrible knot in his stomach as he realized the position he was now in.

_Ahh,_ Zak lamented, bravely managing an appreciative smile at Master Cory's question. _It was so thoughtful of him to ask me, and I feel terrible, having to say no to him,_ he admitted. _But I want to be trained by someone who's actually good at lightsaber fighting; not an Arts and Crafts teacher_. "Thank you, Master," Zak began politely, trying to think of a gentle way to let him down. _Ahh, I don't want to hurt his feelings..._

"Great!" Master Cory beamed in delight, nodding happily as he got up from his stool. "Come on, Zak," he said with an encouraging grin, his blue eyes twinkling affectionately as he patted Zak on the shoulder. "Let's get you settled into your new room, and then we can make you a padawan braid," he suggested cheerfully, already planning their next Arts and Crafts project.

"Um..." _What?_ Zak blinked in confusion, getting up from his stool and following Master Cory out of the conference chamber. _Crap! He thinks I said yes..._

"Congratulations, Zak," Master Obi-Wan said now, smiling with fond affection. "I'm so very proud of you," he told him; Zak sensed the wistfulness in his voice, and found himself suddenly fighting tears. "I shall be expecting regular visits," he admonished him sternly, as Zak nodded vigorously, feeling a knot in his stomach. _No... I didn't actually say yes,_ he blinked in protest, still stunned by what was happening. _I don't want to be his padawan... Master Obi-Wan, help!_

But for once, Master Obi-Wan failed to sense his panic, and was instead beaming happily at Master Cory, congratulating him on his decision and wishing him luck with his new padawan. _Nooooooo!_ It all happened too quickly; suddenly Zak found himself saying goodbye to his classmates and Master Obi-Wan, and then somehow he was following Master Cory out the door and into the hallway, a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. _Holy crap, what just happened there? Am I really his padawan now?_ Zak blinked, still numb from shock.

"Here we are," Master Cory announced cheerfully a few minutes later, showing Zak into their new Master-and-Padawan quarters. "It looks a little empty, doesn't it?" Master Cory sighed ruefully. "I didn't get a chance to set things up before, but look!" He grinned, opening up his pack and pulling out a rather pathetic-looking model of a Jedi Starfighter, constructed entirely from popsicle sticks.

"My Starfighter!" Zak blinked in surprise, recognizing his art project from the day before.

"Yeah." Master Cory grinned, tossing it to him, along with a little bottle of glue, as Zak caught them instinctively. "Would you like to do the honors?" Master Cory asked, a mischievous twinkle in his blue eyes as he cast a glance toward the ceiling of their little living area.

Zak laughed despite himself. "Are you serious?"

"Yeah," Master Cory shrugged amiably, with a conspiratorial grin. "Go for it," he encouraged him.

"Ahh!" Zak laughed, looking up at the ceiling as he tried to choose a good spot. "Where should I put it?" A minute later he and Master Cory beamed happily as their very first decoration was glued firmly to the ceiling, right over the living room couch.

"Now, that's better," Master Cory nodded in satisfaction. "It's starting to look more like a home now, eh?" He tousled Zak's hair affectionately, in between his horns. "Oh!" he exclaimed, remembering. "I guess we'd better make you a padawan braid," he said, pulling out his utility knife and sitting down on the couch, indicating for Zak to sit next to him. "Here we go," Master Cory continued, cutting off a long strand of his own red-gold hair. "It's not quite as red as yours," he confessed, tying the end of it onto Zak's short hair, just behind his right ear. "But it will have to do, until yours grows out," he said, braiding the rest of the strand and tying it off with another bit of string. "There you go," he said proudly, a sparkle of approval in his eyes. "It looks great!"

Zak grinned excitedly, getting up and going over to the mirror to examine his new braid. "Wow," he said, admiring the long, shiny red-gold braid that fell just to his shoulder. _I'm really a padawan now,_ he blinked in amazement, the realization finally starting to sink in. _And Master Cory is fun!_ he confessed, still laughing over his decorating techniques. _Weird, but fun..._

"So," Master Cory said, getting up from the couch. "What would you like to do next, Zak? I was thinking maybe we could go to the Political History museum," he suggested, grabbing his pack and heading for the doorway. "I never took your class there before, but there are some incredible sculptures in the main hallway, of all the past Chancellors of the Republic; truly amazing," he said, a dreamy glimmer in his blue eyes.

_Oh, holy crap..._ "Um... Yes, Master," Zak nodded obediently, following him out the door. _This is a nightmare... Nine years of looking at sculptures, and art museums,_ he cringed, calculating the shortest possible length of time that he would be apprenticed to Master Cory. _I'll talk to Master Obi-Wan during confessional hours tonight,_ he decided, sighing regretfully. _I'll tell him it was all a misunderstanding, I made a mistake... I can't do this,_ he realized, a feeling of misery and doom gripping his heart.

"Unless there's something else you'd rather do?" Master Cory asked, giving Zak a curious, slightly hurt look as he sensed his reluctance.

_Crap..._ "No," Zak said, blinking uncomfortably as they got onto the elevator. "I like political history," he insisted. _What am I saying?_ But Master Cory clearly wasn't buying it, and Zak bowed his head apologetically. "Truly, Master, I would like to see the museum," he said with humble sincerity. Boring or not, the Political History museum was a part of the galaxy, and Zak intended to see _every_ part of the galaxy at some point or another in his life. "But maybe after that... Do you think we could do some lightsaber practice?" he asked tentatively, giving Master Cory a hopeful look. _Do you even know HOW to use a lightsaber?_ he wondered again.

Master Cory nodded amiably. "Yes, I've heard you're quite good with a lightsaber," he conceded, giving Zak a proud smile. "All right, I'll tell you what: since it's your birthday," he said cheerfully, as Zak shrugged in shy appreciation. "How about we skip the museum, and go straight to the training room?" Master Cory suggested, a playful twinkle in his blue eyes as the elevator came to a stop. "Here we are," Master Cory added casually, as Zak stepped out into the hallway, right across from the lightsaber training room.

"Hey!" Zak exclaimed in confusion, his brows furrowing as he realized the elevator had gone straight past the main exit and continued down to the lower level, where the training rooms were located. "How did you... You tricked me!" he realized, seeing Master Cory's mischievous grin. _He knew I didn't want to go to some boring museum... Ha! __Master Cory is sneaky,_ Zak realized in delight, sharing a conspiratorial grin with his new Master as they entered the training room. _Even sneakier than me,_ he admitted, sincerely impressed.

"All right," Master Cory said cheerfully, taking a seat on one of the long, padded benches that lined the walls of the empty training room. "Let's see what you can do." He nodded to Zak encouragingly, settling back against the wall and making himself comfortable.

_Crap! He really DOESN'T do lightsaber stuff,_ Zak realized, his suspicions confirmed. _Ahh, I feel stupid doing this all by myself..._ But he nodded politely, giving Master Cory an apologetic smile as he went through his exercises, practicing all of the saber techniques that Master Obi-Wan had taught him over the years.

"That's very good, Zak." Master Cory grinned proudly, obviously impressed.

"Thank you, Master." Zak bowed politely. "Oh!" he exclaimed, remembering. "Master Obi-Wan taught me a Zabrak technique," he said, holding his lightsaber in his right hand and bringing it back it parallel to his shoulder, while extending his left hand forward, two fingers outstretched. Master Obi-Wan said he had learned the pose from the top Zabrak-style fighter in the entire Jedi Order, though he had never told Zak who it was. _I wish I could have had HIM as my Master,_ Zak sighed ruefully, momentarily dismayed.

Master Cory nodded in approval, his blue eyes twinkling. "That's great!" he praised Zak again.

"Thank you," Zak said again politely. _Ahh, this is a really weird way to learn lightsaber fighting... Does he even know ANYTHING?_ Zak resolved to speak with Master Obi-Wan later this evening; but if it was truly too late to change Masters, at least he still spent a good deal of time with Master Windu, filming for _SITH_... "Oh," he added shyly. "I also know a couple of Vaapad techniques." He shrugged self-consciously; he didn't like to brag about his work on _SITH_. "Master Windu taught all of us, for a show we did last year."

"Yes, I saw that," Master Cory said, nodding. "It was incredible," he added, genuinely impressed. "All right, let's see what you've got," he encouraged Zak now. Zak nodded obediently, then focused his energy, his face set in a fierce scowl as he went through the movements, just as Master Windu had taught him. _Ha! I still remember how,_ he realized proudly. He had always been careful not to practice his Vaapad techniques in front of the other younglings in his class, not wanting to be too much of a show-off.

"Zak, that's - " Master Cory blinked in astonishment at the speed at which Zak had executed his moves. "That's _amazing,_" he murmured quietly, a proud grin crossing his face. "Incredible," he sighed, shaking his head in disbelief.

_Um..._ "Thank you, Master," Zak replied humbly once again; but now he realized how completely pointless it was, to keep going over techniques that he already knew perfectly well, while Master Cory sat there doing nothing. "Well, that's all I know," he confessed, shrugging. "If you want, we can go to the Political History museum now," he offered. Zak was starting to feel uncomfortable with this situation; at least if they went to look at the sculptures, Master Cory could teach him _something._

"Actually, there's something I've been wanting to try out," Master Cory said, finally getting up from the bench. He unclipped the shiny silver hilt of his lightsaber from his belt; but to Zak's surprise, he set it back down on the bench, reaching into his pack and pulling out a practice saber, then grinning as he joined Zak in the center of the floor. _Holy crap,_ Zak blinked in utter dismay. _He still trains with a practice saber._

Zak tried valiantly not to cringe as Master Cory stood before him, activating his kiddie saber and smiling in delight, obviously proud of himself as it hissed pathetically to life, giving off a wimpy green glow. _Oh, Force, I can't watch... This is too sad..._ He wasn't even holding it correctly; his balance was all wrong, and...

_Oh?_ Zak blinked in surprise as Master Cory pressed another button, activating a second green blade. _What the...?_ Zak stared in stunned disbelief at the double-ended lightsaber.

_Whoa,_ Zak realized suddenly. _It's a Zabrak blade._ Zak had heard stories of a red one that had been used on _JEDI_ about a thousand years ago, in an episode featuring Master Obi-Wan when he was just a padawan; but he had never actually seen one.

"You like it?" Master Cory asked hopefully, with a cheerful grin.

"Yes," Zak whispered longingly, staring at the beautiful double-ended saber. _Please, can I have one... Please, please, please..._

"Here you go," Master Cory said, pulling out a second, slightly smaller one from his pack and tossing it to Zak. "These are just practice sabers," he explained with an apologetic shrug, as Zak activated one end, then the other, grinning ecstatically as he discovered that his was blue. _Yes! I love blue..._ "But if we can figure out how to do this without chopping each other's heads off, maybe we can make a couple of real ones later, eh?" Master Cory suggested cheerfully.

Zak nodded vigorously, too stunned to speak. But then the realization began to dawn on him, and he stared at Master Cory now in open disbelief. "You're... You're - you're the one who taught Master Obi-Wan the - " he broke off, raising his practice saber now and extending his left hand tentatively, showing Master Cory his one and only Zabrak pose.

"Ha," Master Cory laughed quietly, with a modest shrug. "Yeah, that was me," he admitted, his blue eyes twinkling fondly. "My best friend is a Zabrak," he explained. "I've been training with him since I was eleven," he added, with a cheerful grin. "He lives on Iridonia; maybe we can visit him sometime," Master Cory suggested, as Zak nodded in teary-eyed agreement. _Holy crap,_ he realized suddenly, gazing at his new Master in awestruck adoration. _YOU'RE the Zabrak fighter... The best one in the entire order..._

"Come on," Master Cory said good-naturedly, twirling his double-ended lightsaber experimentally in one hand as he hopped into position, facing Zak. "Let's give this a try, huh?" Zak nodded, raising his smaller blue practice saber and mimicking Master Cory's movements as they began to fight, blocking each other's blows and slowly moving on to more complicated spins and kicks.

_Hahaha!_ Zak grinned ecstatically, executing a daring no-handed cartwheel and hopping back up to meet Master Cory's next blow, their lightsabers a swirling blur of blue and green. _I. Have. The. Coolest. Master. EVER._

* * *

><p><em>Later that evening...<em>

"Have you seen Mara?" Luke asked hopefully, questioning the other younglings in the recreation wing. She had been stubbornly refusing to speak with him all day, and Luke had regretfully decided to give her some space; but he hadn't seen her at all since dinner, and was beginning to grow worried.

_No,_ the others all told him, shrugging indifferently as they returned to their games; but finally Luke found someone who had seen her. "She went to the Confessional chamber," a younger girl informed him. "She seemed really upset about something."

_Crap..._ "Okay, thanks," Luke nodded, trying to act calm as he headed toward the fourth tower. But once he was out of sight, he broke into a run, taking the winding staircase two steps at a time as he made his way to the top of the spire.

_Mara never goes to the Confessional chamber,_ Luke realized, his heart racing anxiously as he reached the familiar doorway near the top of the turret. _She marches right past it, and keeps on going,_ he sighed, continuing up one last flight of winding stairs to the very top of the spire, then slipping out the little window and onto the tiny ledge, high above the main rooftop.

Sure enough, Mara was there, sitting with her back to the wall, her feet dangling over the edge of the precipice as she slumped forward with her face in her hands, sobbing miserably. _Ahh! Mara, don't do that,_ Luke cringed, carefully climbing across the tiny ledge to join her. Mara's Force inhibitor chip was activated at the moment, as it always was outside of designated classes, and it made Luke nervous to see her perched atop the precarious ledge, hundreds of meters above the unyielding duracrete rooftop below.

"Mara," Luke said softly, sitting down beside her.

"Go away," Mara cried bitterly; they went through this every time. _No, I'm not going to go away. And you're not going to jump,_ he smiled with tender regret. Thankfully, Mara's tears seemed to have been mostly spent already, along with her rage, and she didn't try to resist now as Luke patted her shoulder consolingly. "You should have said yes," Mara cried, a tone of dismay in her voice.

"No, Mara," Luke said gently, stroking her soft red-gold hair. "I won't leave you."

"Well if this keeps up, you won't be able to," Mara protested, sitting up and blinking worriedly. "Luke... It's bad enough, that I have to - " she broke off, tears springing to her eyes again. "I won't let you throw it all away," she cried, her chin trembling. "Luke, I want you to be a Jedi," she choked, tears in her eyes. "More than anything in the world... I just want you to be happy," she insisted, a tear escaping down her cheek. "And I know I make you miserable," she whispered, hanging her head and closing her eyes bitterly.

"No, you don't... You don't make me miserable," Luke insisted, brushing a tear from her cheek. "Mara, you're my best friend - my _only_ friend," he told her. "And I love you," he whispered, tears springing to his own eyes. _There... I said it..._

"What?" Mara blinked, her brows furrowing. "Luke... what?" They had never spoken of it before; but since Master Skywalker's visit today, Luke had realized that time was quickly running out, and that ready or not, they needed to talk about this.

"I love you, Mara," he repeated softly. "I can't explain it," he apologized, shaking his head. "I - I just feel like... like I'm half a person," he blurted out helplessly, blinking in embarrassment as he realized how idiotic that sounded. _There was someone else, once. I can almost remember._ "And there's an empty hole, right here," he he confessed quietly, putting a hand to his heart. _I wasn't supposed to be alone like this._ "But you make it better," Luke admitted shyly, with an apologetic smile.

"I just want to be with you, Mara," he said quietly. "I've made my decision," he told her, feeling a sense of peace in his heart as he realized he was making the right choice. "And if that means we both end up going into the Agricultural Corps..." Luke shrugged, managing a cheerful grin. "I like gardening, Mara," he said, as Mara laughed softly despite herself, shaking her head. "It's so peaceful, and nice, and you get to be outside, in the sun... It's not so bad," Luke insisted, looking shyly into her emerald green eyes, which now gazed back at him in quiet adoration.

"We'll make it work, Mara," Luke reassured her. "I've been thinking about it... a lot," he confessed. "It'll only be for five more years," he pointed out. "And then when we're eighteen, we can leave the Agricultural Corps, and be free of all this... We can go anywhere we like," he promised. "Make a home somewhere, just the two of us; find some kind of normal work, with no one telling us what to do..." _Maybe raise a family some day,_ he sighed. Luke and Mara were only twelve, and far too young to be making these kinds of decisions; but the decisions had been forced upon them nonetheless, and Luke had made his choice.

Mara smiled back at him now, her emerald eyes filled with tears; tears of gratitude, and relief, and hope. "I would like that," she whispered, a hint of longing in her voice; but now she blinked, her gaze resting unhappily on the lightsaber which hung from his belt. "Luke, are you sure?" she asked, giving him a look of pained regret.

"Yes," Luke nodded, with an encouraging smile. "I'm sure."


	109. And so do Obi-Wan and Yoda

**Chapter 109**

_Nine months later..._

"Happy birthday, sweetheart," Anakin said, hugging his daughter warmly as he wished her goodnight. "I'm sorry I can't make it for the celebration," he apologized again. Leia's thirteenth birthday was officially the day after tomorrow, and there would be many festivities at the Royal Palace; but she had spent this evening here at the Naberrie home in Theed, enjoying a quiet celebration with her family.

"It's all right, Dad," Leia assured him, smiling as she returned her father's embrace. "I'm glad you could come today," she added, a sparkle of affection in her brown eyes. "Good luck tomorrow," she said, with a hopeful smile; Anakin would finally be taking Luke as his padawan tomorrow, and he was feeling excited and nervous all at once.

"Goodnight, Mom," Leia said, as Padmé hugged her goodbye. "'Night Grandma; 'night Grandpa," she added with a cheerful smile, giving Ruwee and Jobal a warm hug. "Goodnight, Mika; goodnight Shoko." Leia smiled warmly, hugging the younger girl. Mika and Typho had adopted an orphan from Jakili a few years ago, though their marriage still remained a secret; Shoko was ten now.

Padmé and Anakin embraced their daughter one last time, smiling with proud affection as they wished her a happy birthday; and then Leia headed out the door with Captain Typho, who was escorting her back to the Royal Palace this evening.

"Thirteen years old," Padmé murmured in disbelief a half hour later, as she and Anakin retired to her childhood bedroom upstairs. "Ani, can you believe we have teenagers?" she asked, giggling at the thought.

"Ha," Anakin laughed cheerfully, his blue eyes twinkling. "No, we have a queen and a youngling," he corrected her, kissing her playfully as he pulled off his belt. At nearly thirteen years old, Luke and Leia could not possibly be more unlike each other; Leia had been practically an adult for years now, whereas Luke was still clinging desperately to his last few days of childhood. "Aw, we're missing his Boys' Choir concert tonight," Anakin remembered with a wistful smile, tossing his tunic onto the bedside chair. Anakin had been careful to check Luke's concert schedule before meeting with him this time, realizing that there was no more room for error.

Padmé smiled tenderly, crawling into bed next to her husband. "The next time I see him, it's going to be in person," she realized, her heart fluttering excitedly; until now, Padmé had only caught glimpses of her son when she had attended his Boys' Choir performances. "I can't wait," she confessed, snuggling closer to Anakin and laying her head against his shoulder.

"I'll try to bring him by the HOPE store sometime next week," Anakin promised, stroking Padmé's hair as he kissed her lovingly. Since Leia's election as Queen of Naboo, Padmé had been helping Mika with the Coruscant store whenever she wasn't too busy with her Senate work. It was also no secret that Anakin had become a champion of their cause; collecting donations for HOPE had given him a convenient excuse to see his wife and daughter in public over the years.

But now, ironically, it was their private meetings that would be more difficult to arrange, once Anakin took Luke as his padawan. "I'm going to miss you," Padmé said wistfully, running her fingers through Anakin's soft, curly hair.

Anakin wrapped his arms around her. "So am I," he admitted, gently stroking the back of her silky nightgown; but then he grinned despite himself. "Well, I'm going to miss _you_, not _me_," he clarified, an impish twinkle in his blue eyes. Padmé giggled; after fifteen years of marriage, Anakin's adorably pathetic attempts at pillow talk had not improved much since their days of filming together for _JEDI_, so many years ago.

_Thank goodness some things never change,_ Padmé smiled wistfully; but now she gave him a questioning look, seeing his concerned expression. "What is it, Ani?" she asked; Anakin had a tendency to hold things inside, and it troubled her that he tried to protect her from the stresses that he dealt with in his job.

"Nothing, I just..." Anakin sighed hesitantly. "There might be a way, that I can get away to see you once in a while," he confessed. "Code Orange," he mused, quietly thoughtful.

"Code Orange?" Padmé asked, curious. "What's that?"

"It's... It's a secret code, used by the Council," he told her. "When they need to send the Master - or Knight," Anakin clarified with a rueful grin - "on an assignment that's too dangerous for a padawan to come along, the Council calls it a Code Orange," he explained. "They try to pass it off as some kind of boring political negotiation, but..." Anakin sighed unhappily. "Padawans aren't stupid, Padmé," he said. "Obi-Wan was sent out on a couple of Code Oranges each year when I was a padawan, and... I always knew it was something dangerous," Anakin confessed. "I was worried to death about him, and could never sleep until he returned from his assignment."

Padmé nodded, concerned; Anakin had never spoken of this before. "And what does this have to do with Luke?" she asked, trying to understand.

Anakin shook his head. "Cory's been faking Code Oranges for months now," he laughed ruefully. "He gets Qui-Gon to babysit Zak for a day or two, so he can sneak off to see Elena and Maia."

"No," Padmé gasped, shocked and amused all at once. "And the Council knows about this?"

Anakin shrugged, nodding. "The Council turns a blind eye to a lot of things." Yoda and Windu knew of Cory's secret marriage, and apparently were helping to cover for him. Padmé smiled, kissing Anakin tenderly on the temple; after dealing with the discouraging complexity of his job with the Border Patrol Division for so many years, Padmé knew that Anakin had been desperately looking forward to a happier, simpler life once he took Luke as his padawan.

"I'll talk to Obi-Wan about it," Anakin told her, smiling tenderly as he looked into her eyes. "Maybe Qui-Gon can take Luke now and then, so I can get away," he suggested. Since Cory's knighting, Qui-Gon had resumed his lifetime passion of studying the Living Force, but he was always delighted at any excuse to spend time with his children, grandchildren, and great-grand-Zabraks.

"But I won't be able to do it that often," Anakin warned her. "Zak hasn't figured it out yet, but... Padmé, Luke's a smart kid," Anakin sighed ruefully. "And padawans talk to each other; it's only a matter of time before Luke figures out what a Code Orange really is," he admitted. "And Zak too," he added regretfully. "I don't want to make him worry," he insisted; then he sighed unhappily. "And I really don't feel right - " Anakin broke off, shaking his head in dismay.

"I know," Padmé said gently, stroking his hair. Anakin had spoken of this often over the past several months: once he left Hutt Territory and took Luke as his padawan, he was determined to follow the Code as faithfully as possible, no longer taking bribes from smugglers on a regular basis, or quietly bending the rules while on the job. "You have a good heart, Anakin," Padmé reassured him. "I don't want you to do anything that doesn't feel right. And I don't want Luke to worry either," she agreed. "Ani, we've always known this time would come," Padmé reminded him. "It's going to be all right," she insisted. "Whatever happens, we'll get through it."

Anakin smiled, grateful for her reassurance. "I'll talk to Obi-Wan tomorrow," he promised; Anakin had always looked up to his older brother, and trusted his judgment on matters that were less than black and white. But now he sighed contentedly, shrugging away his worries once again as he pulled Padmé on top of him, kissing her tenderly.

Padmé smiled, returning his playful kisses as she ran her fingers through his curly golden-brown locks. _I hope Obi-Wan says yes to this Code Orange idea,_ she confessed; but even so, Anakin's secret nighttime visits would not be nearly as frequent as they had been these past fifteen years. "I love you, Ani," Padmé whispered softly, bravely fighting tears as she realized this might be their last night together for a very long time.

* * *

><p><em>The next day...<em>

"Code Orange?" Obi-Wan asked, frowning at Anakin's plan to 'fake' a Code Orange in order to spend time with Padmé. _How does one fake a Code Orange?_ "Anakin, that's what a Code Orange _is_," he explained. _Oh dear, I thought he knew..._

"What?" Anakin blinked in surprise, obviously stunned by this revelation. "No," he protested, his brows furrowed. "You used to get sent on them all the time when I was a padawan..." Then he gaped at Obi-Wan. "You were visiting Leila?"

Obi-Wan shook his head. "No, Anakin; Leila and I were never together during that time," he reminded him, feeling a twinge of regret. "I was off fishing with Qui-Gon," he confessed, smiling with nostalgia at the memory.

"You were?" Anakin pouted, obviously hurt.

"Yes, Anakin," Obi-Wan sighed, amused and exasperated by Anakin's profound naivete. _Smugglers on the Outer Rim quake in fear at the mere mention of your name, but you don't know what a Code Orange is._ "It's reverse psychology," he explained to his brother. "The padawans are led to believe that it's a boring political negotiation; but they sense the lie, and guess that they've been left behind because the assignment is too dangerous," he told Anakin. "Meanwhile, the Master gets a much-needed break from the annoying little brat," Obi-Wan finished equably, masking his amusement at Anakin's resentful glare. "Anakin, it's a time-honored tradition; Qui-Gon did the same thing to me, when I was a padawan," Obi-Wan insisted. "No doubt you were conceived during a Code Orange," he pointed out matter-of-factly.

"Really?" Anakin asked, blinking in surprise at the thought. Then he grinned, delighted. "So it's all right if I do it?" But then he frowned suddenly. "I don't want to - I don't want to make Luke worry," he protested, giving Obi-Wan another reproachful look.

Obi-Wan smiled, amused. "Trust me, Anakin. By the time you feel the need for a Code Orange, you'll jump at the chance to make Luke worry a bit. And then when you return, he'll suddenly be on his very best behavior, for at least a few days."

"Ahh!" Anakin exclaimed in annoyance, as Obi-Wan laughed, quietly amused.

"Anakin, I thought you knew," he told him, giving his brother an apologetic smile. "But while we're on the topic; you _do_ know about the rite of initiation?"

"Yeah, yeah," Anakin assured him cheerfully. "Ice cream at Dex's," he nodded. "That's going to be our first stop," he assured Obi-Wan; obviously he'd been planning this for years.

_Oh dear..._ "You're right, I forgot about that," Obi-Wan admitted, smiling fondly at the memory of their first evening together as Master and padawan. "But the next day... Do you remember what we did?"

Anakin frowned. "Lightsaber practice?" he asked uncertainly.

"No, Anakin... though that's what usually ends up happening," Obi-Wan conceded, nodding in agreement. "No, first you suggest to Luke that the two of you explore the Political History museum together, to judge his reaction," Obi-Wan explained. "Make him sweat a bit; show him that you're the one in charge, so that there's no confusion," he coached Anakin. "But then you relent, and ask him what _he'd_ like to do instead; that way he sees you as strict, but fair," Obi-Wan instructed his brother.

Anakin gave him another resentful glare at this new knowledge; but then he nodded, shrugging. "All right," he agreed reluctantly, trusting Obi-Wan's judgment as always. "I'll do it... Thanks, Obi-Wan," he added, with an appreciative smile.

"You're welcome," Obi-Wan replied cheerfully, getting up from his bed as Anakin hauled himself out of the giant spoon. "So, are you ready for this?" he asked Anakin, patting him encouragingly on the back as they headed for the door. Today's Council session would begin in a few minutes, and Anakin needed to officially ask permission to train Luke, for the fifth time.

"Yes," Anakin said, slightly embarrassed. "You explained to them, about last time?"

"Yes," Obi-Wan assured him, as they headed out into the hallway. "They understand that you didn't actually _ask_ Luke the last time," he grinned; Knights and Masters were technically only allowed to approach any particular youngling once per year, in an effort to prevent potential bidding wars over the most desirable younglings.

"Not to worry, Anakin," Obi-Wan reassured his brother, as they got onto the elevator together. "Luke turns thirteen tomorrow," he reminded him, with a cheerful smile. "And _this_ time, he will say yes," Obi-Wan nodded confidently, feeling a twinge of pride as he realized that he would soon be a Grand-Master himself. _Goodness, I'm getting old._

* * *

><p>"Masters," Anakin said, bowing respectfully before the Council. "I request permission to take Luke Starkiller as my padawan learner."<p>

There was a murmur of consent around the Council chamber as the twelve members nodded sagely, barely concealing their smiles of amusement; this was the fifth time that Anakin had come before them with this same request, though others had tried as well over the past few years. Yoda shared a subtle, knowing smile with Mace now, nodding in agreement with his fellow Council members.

_A much-needed break for Anakin, this will be,_ Yoda admitted, sincerely grateful that Luke was finally turning thirteen, and could not possibly refuse his father this time. _Too stressful, Anakin's work in Hutt Territory has been of late_. Yoda could sense Anakin's weariness as he stood before the Council now, and he smiled in reassurance as Mace nodded solemnly, granting Anakin's request.

"This Council hereby grants you permission to train young Starkiller," Mace consented; then he broke into an impish grin. "Let's hope he says yes this time," he added under his breath, as the other Council members chuckled quietly.

"Thank you, Masters," Anakin nodded humbly, failing to suppress an amused grin at the situation. Yoda caught the sparkle of sincere gratitude in the young Knight's eyes as Anakin glanced at him momentarily; then he turned to leave, absently pulling his black cloak higher over his shoulders as he quickly continued down to the younglings' classroom, to finally take his son as his padawan.

* * *

><p><em>There he is,<em> Anakin smiled to himself, spotting Luke amongst the other ten-to-twelve year old younglings. _And he's the only boy left,_ he noted regretfully, realizing that his other classmates were all girls, undoubtedly destined for the Agricultural Corps.

"Hi, Luke," Anakin said cheerfully as always, as his son obediently got up from his little desk, approaching the front of the classroom. _He's grown,_ Anakin thought; it wasn't that Luke was so much taller than the last time, but Anakin sensed a new attitude of maturity and acceptance, where before there had been indecision. _He's going to say yes this time,_ Anakin realized, grateful that Luke had finally come to terms with the fact that he had to give up Boys' Choir, and move forward with his life.

"Hi, Master Skywalker," Luke appreciatively, as Anakin showed him into the little private conference chamber once again. But as they took their usual seats on the little padded cushions, Anakin sensed his son's conflict and dismay once more. _He's still sad about giving it all up,_ he realized. _Luke, I promise, it's going to be okay. There's nothing to be afraid of. I'm going to threaten you with some kind of Political History crap for a few minutes, but then we'll end up at Dex's for ice cream; you'll see._

"Happy birthday tomorrow, by the way," Anakin said with an encouraging smile, in an attempt to reassure his son.

"Thank you, Master." Luke smiled shyly, his blue eyes twinkling with genuine appreciation. _He's still only twelve,_ Anakin remembered, grateful to have at least one day with his little boy before he officially turned into a teenager.

"How was your Boys' Choir concert last night?" Anakin asked thoughtfully. _I'm sorry I couldn't make it; I don't get many chances to see Leia these days, when she's not at the Royal Palace surrounded by handmaidens_.

"It was good," Luke said, with a little apologetic shrug; Anakin sensed his embarrassment at the question. _I'm not teasing you, Luke; __I was just curious. But if it embarrasses you, I won't bring it up again, I promise._ Obi-Wan had always been merciless regarding Anakin's own childish obsession with Arts and Crafts, and Anakin resolved never to make Luke suffer as he had. _You're only young once,_ he reminded himself stubbornly. _It's nothing to be ashamed of._

"So, what do you say, Luke?" Anakin asked, tactfully changing the subject and getting to the point. "Would you like to be my padawan?"

"I..." Luke broke off, shaking his head. "No, Master," he said quietly, tears springing to his eyes; Anakin could sense his intense dismay at having to turn him down once again. _Oh, crap! He's gotten another offer,_ Anakin realized suddenly, fighting tears himself. _But Obi-Wan would have said something, if the Council knew about this..._

"It's - it's all right," Anakin stammered, valiantly trying to mask his dismay. _It's not all right. Crap, this totally sucks._ "Luke, are you sure?" he asked, peering into his son's eyes as he tried to understand. _He deserves a real Master,_ Anakin confessed. _He's already ten times smarter than I ever was._ "Are you sure, that another Master is coming to ask you today?" Anakin asked, truly concerned for his son. _Because if this falls through, you're going to get sent to the Agricultural Corps,_ he realized anxiously.

"No, Master," Luke protested, his blue eyes conveying his innocent apology; clearly he had sensed Anakin's dismay as well. "Master, if I were to say yes to anyone, it would be you," he promised again; then he hung his head. "I've been thinking about it a lot, and... Master, I don't think I was meant to be a Jedi," he confessed, looking at the floor.

_What?_ "What?" _What?_ Anakin blinked at his son in utter disbelief. "Luke, you're - you're the best youngling in your whole class - probably in the entire Order," Anakin protested. "You're the best pilot, and you get perfect grades, and your saber skills - " he broke off, staring at him in confusion. "Luke, what's going on?" Anakin asked, trying to understand.

"I... I'm sorry, Master," Luke apologized again, still fighting tears. "It just doesn't feel right," he insisted quietly.

_It just doesn't feel right?_ Anakin blinked in confusion. "And the Agricultural Corps," he reminded his son carefully. "Does _that_ feel right?" he asked, hardly daring to know the answer.

"Yes, Master," Luke nodded, though Anakin sensed no great joy at that prospect either. "I'm sorry, Master."

"Luke..." Anakin gave his son a pleading look. "Is there anything I can do?" he asked. "Anything at all... you can trust me, Luke," he reassured him, looking into his sad blue eyes. _Something is wrong here..._ "Please, talk to me."

Luke blinked uncomfortably, looking at the floor again; then he shrugged reluctantly. "There is one thing," he confessed. "I wrote a letter, to send to the Council, after - " he broke off, blinking unhappily. "I wanted to speak to them in person, but... I haven't had the courage," he admitted, his voice faltering slightly.

"A letter?" Anakin asked worriedly. _Force, what is this about?_ "Can I see it?"

Luke nodded, pulling out a folded-up piece of paper from inside his tunic, then handing it to Anakin. _To the members of the Jedi Council, from Luke Starkiller..._ Anakin read the letter quickly, blinking in disbelief. "You're - you're protesting women's rights?" he asked his son, incredulous. _Your mother would be so proud... But this is really stupid, Luke..._

"Yes," Luke nodded. "I'm sorry, Master; I should have told you a long time ago," he confessed. "But I can't... I can't agree to be anyone's padawan, while there are still girls in my age group who have been passed over," he insisted stubbornly.

"Luke," Anakin protested. "Luke, this is - this is really sweet of you," he said, truly touched by his son's compassion; it was true that the Jedi Order held little opportunity for girls, which was why Anakin and Padmé had wisely decided not to send Leia to the Temple. "But - " he stammered, his mind still reeling at this revelation. "Luke, there's only one girl in your age group," Anakin pointed out. _Mara Jade..._ "And she - " Anakin sighed; Obi-Wan had told him about Luke's wayward classmate.

"Luke, Mara has a Force inhibitor device in her head," Anakin explained to his son gently; perhaps Luke wasn't fully aware of Mara's situation. "She can never be a Jedi," he told him. _She won't even be able to do much for the Agricultural Corps,_ he admitted; the girl was too strong in the Dark Side of the Force, and did not possess the ability to heal diseased crops, even if she wanted to.

"Then why was she trained as a youngling all these years?" Luke countered; Anakin sensed his son's barely-concealed anger and frustration. "Why wasn't she sent to a normal school somewhere, where she'd actually have a chance of succeeding?"

Anakin hung his head, sighing. _Good question..._ This wasn't just about Mara Jade, he knew; for the past three years Luke had been surrounded by a class full of girls, none of whom had the same chances he'd been given in life, simply because of their gender. His classmates had served as a constant reminder of the injustice within the Order, and Anakin couldn't help but be proud of his son for trying to take a stand.

_But it won't help,_ Anakin sighed. "Luke," he said gently. "I appreciate what you're trying to do, and I admire you... Really, I do," he told his son sincerely. "But... Luke, getting yourself sent to the Agricultural Corps won't change anything," he pleaded. "You're one of the most talented younglings in the entire Order," he argued. "And you - you have a sense of compassion, and wisdom, that I've never seen in anyone your age..." _Except for Leia,_ Anakin confessed, his heart sinking as he realized he had misjudged his son all these years. _Force, Luke. I thought you were just being childish._ "Why didn't you say anything, before now?"

"I... I wanted to, Master," Luke apologized, still looking at the floor. "But - " he shrugged unhappily. "I never had the courage... until now," he confessed; Anakin could see the look of regret in his son's eyes.

Anakin nodded, giving his son a look of profound admiration. _Whatever happens, Luke, your mother and sister will be so proud of you,_ he thought wistfully. _And so will I._ "Is there anything I can say, that would change your mind?" he asked, sensing his son's unwavering sense of purpose. Anakin had witnessed this kind of stubbornness more times than he could count in Padmé and Leia; he knew all too well that once an Amidala got a lofty idea into their head, nothing in the galaxy could stop them from carrying it through.

As predicted, Luke shook his head, an appreciative look in his soft blue eyes. "No, Master," he insisted respectfully. His previous sense of conflict and dismay had passed, giving way to a calm resoluteness; Anakin smiled proudly at his son, tears stinging his eyes as he nodded, accepting his decision. _I'm proud of you, Luke. This completely sucks, but I am so proud of you._

But now his son was giving him a questioning look. "Master?" he asked hesitantly.

"Yes?" Anakin replied, not daring to hope. _Maybe he'll still change his mind... He's only HALF Amidala, after all..._

"Could you... would - " Luke stammered nervously. "I'd like to read my letter to the Council, in person," he gulped, clearly terrified by the idea.

_Aww._ "Of course," Anakin assured him, with a smile of gentle encouragement. "I'm proud of you, Luke," he said, getting up from his stool and putting a hand on his shoulder. _You are so incredible; just like your sister, and your mom..._ "Come on," Anakin said, as Luke nodded, gathering his courage and following him out of the little chamber. _Let's go show the High Council what you're made of._

* * *

><p>Obi-Wan looked up in surprise as Anakin suddenly entered the Council chamber again, this time with Luke at his side. "Masters," Anakin said with a polite bow, as Luke did the same. Obi-Wan suppressed a wistful smile to see the two of them finally together; but then he quickly frowned, sensing his brother's dismay.<p>

"I apologize for the interruption," Anakin continued; Obi-Wan could now sense Luke's intense panic as well. _What in the blazes is going on?_ "But there is an important matter, that I would like you to hear," Anakin said, giving Luke a reassuring smile, as the boy pulled out a folded-up piece of paper from inside his tunic.

Yoda and Mace exchanged a look of surprise; but then Mace nodded, indicating for Luke to continue. Anakin smiled encouragingly to Luke once again, and the boy stepped forward, unfolding his letter.

"To - " Luke gulped nervously, as he began to read. "To the members of the Jedi Council," he continued bravely. "From Luke Starkiller," he added, his brows furrowing anxiously; clearly he hadn't entirely thought this through. _Oh dear,_ Obi-Wan sighed worriedly, wondering what this could possibly be about. He still sensed Anakin's profound regret; but also a strong sense of pride, and unwavering support for his son.

"When you get this letter," Luke read, cringing apologetically as he realized that wasn't quite accurate. "I will have been sent to the Agricultural Corps," he continued, bravely plowing forward. "But I wanted you to know the reason why I have refused to be trained as a Jedi padawan..." Obi-Wan listened in stunned disbelief as his nephew proceeded to inform the Council that he was leaving the Jedi Order and entering the Agricultural Corps as an act of protest against the inequality that female younglings faced within the Order.

_Luke,_ Obi-Wan blinked, stunned. _Force, he's serious..._ Suddenly Obi-Wan's heart sank, and tears sprang to his eyes as he realized the boy was giving up his own deepest personal desires, in order to stand up for his convictions. _He's his mother's son,_ Obi-Wan realized, tears of admiration filling his eyes as he sensed Luke's unwavering moral conviction. _And the truest Jedi of us all,_ Obi-Wan confessed quietly, his heart aching as he finally understood Anakin's mixture of profound pride and regret.

_Luke, no,_ Obi-Wan thought sadly, as the boy finished reading his letter. _The Order needs you..._ But now Luke was bowing respectfully before the Council, thanking them for their time; and a moment later he left the Council chamber once again, with Anakin remaining proudly at his son's side, escorting him back to his classroom.

"Unfortunate, this is," Yoda sighed, bowing his head in profound regret. "A great Jedi, the Order has lost today," he admitted, looking around at the dismayed faces of the other Council members. "Take young Starkiller's letter lightly, we will not," Yoda admonished them. "Too long, have we turned a blind eye to the plight of our female younglings." Obi-Wan nodded in heartfelt agreement, as the Council moved to discuss this matter in greater depth at tomorrow's meeting.

"Adjourned, this Council session is," Yoda announced with a weary sigh, as the other members nodded in quiet respect, getting up from their seats. Obi-Wan bowed politely to the others, taking his leave; he could feel Anakin's intense dismay now, coming from the direction of their living quarters, and made his way quickly down toward their private chambers.

"Anakin," Obi-Wan said gently, knocking on his door. A moment later it opened, and Obi-Wan entered Anakin's chamber, as his brother continued to pace around the room, clearly distraught. "Anakin, I'm sorry," Obi-Wan said gently, taking a seat on his brother's bed.

"Obi-Wan," Anakin began, his brows furrowed as he continued his pacing. "Obi-Wan, Luke wants to be a Jedi; I can _feel_ it," he insisted stubbornly. "When I left his classroom just now; when I said goodb-" Anakin broke off, blinking back tears. "Obi-Wan, I have an idea; it's crazy, I know, but - " Anakin stopped suddenly, giving him a pleading look. "Obi-Wan, there's only one girl in Luke's age group," he reminded him. "If I can find someone to train her, then maybe Luke would - "

"Anakin," Obi-Wan cut him off, shaking his head in regret. "The girl you speak of is Mara Jade."

"Yes, I know," Anakin frowned stubbornly. "But if I could find someone to take her, _today..._ Obi-Wan, I think Luke would say yes," Anakin pleaded, still fighting tears. "He wants to be a Jedi; he _should_ be," Anakin insisted.

"Anakin, I agree with you," Obi-Wan said gently. "Based on what I saw in there just now, I would say that Luke would make a far better Jedi than the rest of us put together," he confessed. "But Anakin... You will not find anyone willing to train Mara Jade," he cautioned his brother. "And if you make an even bigger deal of this," Obi-Wan added painfully. "Anakin, you're lucky that no one has become suspicious of the fact that you've asked Luke to be your padawan five times," he pointed out. "If you suddenly go running around the Temple begging everyone in sight to take Mara as their padawan... It won't work anyway," Obi-Wan sighed.

"I know," Anakin said, hanging his head. But then he looked at Obi-Wan, a pleading look in his dark blue eyes. "Obi-Wan," he said hesitantly, his voice barely a whisper. "Would you - "

"Anakin, please don't ask me that," Obi-Wan protested, tears stinging his eyes. _Don't ask me to train Mara._ "Anakin, I love you with all my heart, and Luke as well," he promised him. "But Mara _cannot_ be a Jedi," he told his brother regretfully. "Aside from the fact that she has a Force inhibitor chip in her head," he pointed out, sighing. "She's been failing all of her classes for years," he admitted. "Mara has severe attention span problems, and learning disabilities. Anakin, you remember how hard it was to study for the trials," Obi-Wan reminded him gently. "Mara's problems are a thousand times worse than yours ever were," he confessed. "Even if she were to be taken as a padawan, she would never be able to pass the trials, or become a Jedi Knight," he said, hanging his head with regret. _And Luke is absolutely right,_ Obi-Wan realized. _We've all known about this for years, and have simply been waiting for the problem to go away, the day Mara turns thirteen and is sent off to the Agricultural Corps._

Anakin had slumped down in defeat during Obi-Wan's lecture, and now sat cross-legged on the floor with his head in his hands. "I understand," he said morosely, staring at the floor. "So you won't train her, then?" he asked one last time, looking up at Obi-Wan sadly. "Even if it meant that Luke would be sent off to the Agricultural Corps?"

"No, Anakin," Obi-Wan told his brother quietly. "I won't train her." _It would be a cruelty to the poor girl, forcing her to study for another ten years, for something that she has no hope of ever achieving._

Anakin nodded regretfully, accepting it. "Maybe Qui-Gon...?" But then he shook his head, blinking unhappily. "No," he sighed. Qui-Gon was seventy years old now; even Anakin had enough sense to realize that training Mara Jade was no way for their father to spend what could very well be the last decade of his life.

"I'll train her," Anakin whispered, tears filling his eyes. "I'll do it, Obi-Wan," he choked, looking up at his brother desperately. "For Luke..."

"Anakin, no," Obi-Wan told him gently. "The Council will never allow it."

But Anakin got to his feet, his expression resolute. "I'm going to ask anyway," he announced, stubbornly blinking away his tears and straightening his black cloak as he headed for the door; then he stopped, turning back. "Obi-Wan; if they say yes..." Anakin broke off hesitantly, giving him a pleading look. "Will you train Luke?" he asked, his blue eyes conveying his deep apology and sincere respect.

Obi-Wan sighed heavily, bowing his head. _I'm fifty years old,_ he realized once again. _I hadn't planned on taking another padawan, ever,_ he confessed. _Leila and Kyra will not be happy about this,_ he thought regretfully; the children had both graduated from school now, though Kyra still lived at home with her mother. _But if Luke is sent to the Agricultural Corps, we may never see him again,_ he admitted. It was obvious that Anakin was willing to do anything to save his son from that fate; even train a girl who had no hope of ever passing the trials...

"Anakin," Obi-Wan said quietly. "If I felt in my heart that Mara should be trained, I would take her myself, so that you could have Luke," he told his brother truthfully. "But I cannot in good conscience go before the Council and ask to train her; they would sense my conflicted feelings on the matter, and deny my request," he admitted. "As they will probably do for you as well," he warned Anakin. "But," he sighed, with an affectionate smile at his brother. "In the unlikely event that the Council _completely_ take leave of their senses, and approve your request," he smiled ruefully. "Yes, Anakin, I will ask to take Luke as my padawan," he promised.

Anakin nodded, gazing at him in heartfelt gratitude. "Thank you, Obi-Wan."

"You're welcome." Obi-Wan smiled encouragingly, getting up from Anakin's bed and patting him fondly on the shoulder as they continued out to the hallway. "But I'm not doing this for you, Anakin," he confessed, as they headed onto the elevator and back up to the Council chamber. _You will be getting the worst part of this deal, if it is approved,_ he realized. "This is for Luke," Obi-Wan said, as Anakin smiled, nodding in agreement. _And perhaps Mara, too,_ Obi-Wan mused, admitting that his nephew's argument was disturbingly valid. _If there were truly no hope for Mara to become a Jedi, then why have we been forcing her to study all these years..._

"We shall defer to Master Yoda's decision on this matter," he advised Anakin, as they arrived at the Council chamber to make their request.

* * *

><p>Yoda sat alone in the Council chamber, deep in meditation. <em>Wrong about this, I am not,<em> he sensed once again, as he had these past twelve years. _The will of the Force it has been, to train Mara as a Jedi youngling,_ he felt now, as strongly as ever. _Though unfortunate, this outcome is,_ Yoda admitted, with a heavy sigh. _A difficult lesson for all of us, this has proven to be._

_My decision alone it was, to train Mara Jade as a youngling,_ he confessed. _And take her as my own padawan, I would,_ he sighed with regret. _Believe she has a chance, I do,_ he thought stubbornly; but of the three head Council members, only one was permitted to have a padawan at any given time. _And training his own son right now, Mace is,_ Yoda reminded himself, admitting in dismay that he himself had been quietly endorsing nepotism within the Jedi Order, in addition to gender discrimination.

_A wake-up call, this has been,_ Yoda confessed. _The plight of our female younglings, for centuries we have overlooked,_ he admitted. _Serious changes to our policies, we must make,_ Yoda resolved, planning to bring a motion before the Council tomorrow.

But now he looked up as two cloaked figures entered the Council chamber. "Anakin," Yoda nodded, as the Jedi bowed before him. "And Obi-Wan," he said respectfully. _Asking for a special favor, they are,_ he sensed. _But grant Anakin's request, I will not_. Anakin had already approached Luke twice this year, which was technically against the rules; and in addition to that, Yoda was now seriously reconsidering whether the handful of secretly-married Jedi should be allowed to train their own sons at all.

"To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?" Yoda asked them, managing a commiserative smile. _A hard day for Anakin, this has been,_ he realized. _Go easy on him, I will._

"Master Yoda." Anakin bowed politely once again. "I apologize for the intrusion," he said respectfully. "But I would like to request permission to take Mara Jade as my padawan learner," he stated calmly, his expression serene.

_Mara Jade?_ Suddenly Yoda felt a sensation of deep relief washing over him as he realized this was the answer to the mystery that had eluded him these past twelve years. _Believe that Mara should be trained, I always have,_ he confessed. _And if Anakin's padawan she becomes, easily explained, her future appearance on SITH is,_ Yoda realized. He and Mace had seen the brief teaser advertisement featuring Mara Jade, dressed all in black and serving as an assassin to the evil Emperor Palpatine.

But now Yoda returned to the present, resolving as always not to let his vision of the future cloud his judgment. "Mara Jade," he murmured, gazing thoughtfully at Anakin. Then he turned to Obi-Wan. "And right, am I, in assuming that you are requesting to train young Starkiller?" he challenged the Jedi Master.

"Yes, Master Yoda," Obi-Wan confirmed, with a respectful nod.

"Hmmm," Yoda mused, nodding quietly. "Granted, your request is," he said to Obi-Wan. "No doubts of your abilities I have, Obi-Wan," he said, as the Jedi Master bowed his head in humble appreciation. "A fine Master for young Starkiller, you would make," Yoda agreed wholeheartedly. After Luke's presentation before the Council today, Yoda realized that the boy possessed extraordinary wisdom and maturity for his young age, and deserved a more experienced Jedi Master who could help him achieve his full potential.

But now he turned back to Anakin, his gaze resting on the black-cloaked Knight. "And as for your request, young Skywalker," Yoda continued. "Expressed an interest in Mara Jade before today, you have not," he pointed out. "Tell me, Anakin, why Mara Jade as your padawan learner, you suddenly wish to take," Yoda challenged him, a tone of reproach in his voice.

"I _don't_ want to take her, Master Yoda," Anakin replied humbly. "In truth, I know very little about the girl; and from what I have heard, she has no hope of ever passing the trials," he admitted. "It is not my personal desire to train Mara Jade," he said. "But I request permission nonetheless, because my conscience will not allow me to do otherwise," he confessed.

"As Luke pointed out, female younglings are too often overlooked," Anakin continued. "And I would have to agree with him: to be honest, the idea of training a girl never once crossed my mind, until Luke brought the issue up today," he admitted. "It is for Luke's sake that I make this request; both because I wish to support his cause, and also because I believe that he can achieve far more in his quest for gender equality if he remains within the Order, than if he is forced to leave in protest," Anakin stated with brutal honesty.

"And as for Mara Jade," Anakin added. "All I can say is that if I am allowed to take her as my padawan, I will do everything in my power to be a good Master to her, to train her in the ways of the Force, and help her with her studies," he promised; Yoda could sense the young Knight's sudden insecurity now. "They say that Mara is a slow learner," Anakin continued hesitantly. "And that is something that I understand, and can perhaps help her with," he pointed out. "In some ways, I think I might be an even better Master for Mara Jade, than I ever would have been for Luke," he admitted quietly, bowing his head in respect.

"Hmmm," Yoda murmured, nodding thoughtfully. _Honest about his intentions, young Skywalker has been,_ he admitted. _And a good Master for Mara Jade, he might be,_ Yoda confessed, realizing that they had more in common than he had considered. But there was another matter which Anakin _hadn't_ mentioned. _Thirteen years of experience in raising a young human girl, Anakin has already had,_ Yoda realized, smiling at the thought. _The same age as his own daughter, young Mara Jade is._

"Agree with you, I do," Yoda told Anakin solemnly. "An excellent Master for young Mara Jade, I believe you could be," he said, nodding in approval. "Granted, your request is, to take Mara Jade as your padawan learner."

Anakin blinked in obvious disbelief for a brief moment; but he quickly masked his expression, bowing his head humbly. "Thank you, Master Yoda," he said, failing to suppress a smile of profound appreciation; and then with a final polite bow, Anakin and Obi-Wan left the Council chamber once again, heading down to the younglings' classroom to take Luke and Mara as their padawans.


	110. Rite of Initiation

**Chapter 110**

Mara smiled wistfully at Luke, sharing a secret loving glance as their teacher droned on endlessly about... _Something,_ Mara blinked uncertainly, realizing she hadn't been paying attention. _Who cares,_ she sighed, as Luke smiled back at her, his soft blue eyes twinkling adorably. _I'm going to miss him SO much,_ Mara admitted, tears springing to her eyes as she realized Luke would be leaving for the Agricultural Corps tomorrow.

_But I'll be joining him in three more months, when I turn thirteen,_ Mara reminded herself, determined to remain optimistic. They had it all planned out: five years of boring farm work, and then they would be eighteen, and free to leave the Agricultural Corps to do whatever they wanted. Of course, they would both have Force inhibitor implants when they left; but Mara had gotten used to hers over the past few years, and Luke had promised that it didn't matter to him, as long as they were together.

_I love him,_ Mara confessed, feeling a warmth in her heart as she realized how much Luke meant to her. He was so sweet, and caring, and adorably shy; they hadn't spoken of it, but Mara hoped to marry him one day. _And maybe have children together,_ she thought wistfully. _We can have a normal life, and a nice home, and be happy,_ she reassured herself. _Five more years, and then we'll be free... _

But now she looked up, startled, as the door to their classroom opened, and Master Skywalker came back in, this time with Master Kenobi. _Oh no,_ Mara blinked worriedly. _He's going to ask Luke again?_ Master Skywalker had brought a Jedi Council member with him this time; clearly they were going to try to persuade Luke to stay with the Order.

_Leave him alone,_ Mara scowled, feeling the rage well up inside her as she glared at the annoying black-cloaked Jedi. _He doesn't want to be your stupid padawan._ Luke had read his letter to the Jedi Council today; he'd been nervous about it for weeks, and Mara was so proud of him for finally getting up the courage to face the Council, and tell them what was wrong with their stupid Order, and why he was leaving.

_But now they want to keep him,_ she realized anxiously. Luke had always been the top student in their class, and at least a dozen different Masters had been trying to take him as their padawan for years now; obviously they were making one last desperate attempt to convince him to stay. _Crap,_ Mara sulked. _He said no, you stupid morons. Go away, and leave him alone._

Master Skywalker and Master Kenobi were talking to their teacher now; Mara glared at them indignantly. But now Master Daeron looked over at her, and she quickly cast her eyes downward, staring at her desktop. "Mara," he said, summoning her to the front of the classroom. _What?_ Mara scowled, reluctantly getting up from her desk and coming forward. _I didn't DO anything,_ she frowned, blinking as she tried to figure out what she was in trouble for this time.

But to her surprise, it was Master Skywalker who addressed her. "Mara," he said quietly; he seemed uncomfortable. "I was hoping I could speak with you?"

Mara scowled; what was this about? But she shrugged indifferently, following him into the private conference chamber.

"Have a seat," Master Skywalker said, attempting a smile as he shut the door behind them. Mara sat on one of the padded stools across from him, keeping her face set in a resentful frown to mask her sudden uneasiness at this situation. _Crap! Why does he want to talk to ME?_ "Mara," Master Skywalker said; she could feel his eyes on her, but she stubbornly kept her gaze cast downward. "Mara, I'd like to take you as my padawan learner."

_What?_ Mara blinked in stunned disbelief, her brows furrowing as she continued to avoid his gaze. _He wants to - WHAT?_ Clearly this had something to do with Luke's letter to the Council... _They actually listened to him, and want to take girls all of a sudden?_ she wondered momentarily, blinking in surprise. _But why me?_ There were plenty of other girls in their ten-to-twelve year old group, all of whom got better grades, and _didn't_ have Force inhibitor implants in their brains; why wasn't he choosing one of them?

_Because I'm the oldest, and... Oh crap,_ Mara realized suddenly, tears of bitterness stinging her eyes. _They're doing this to get Luke to stay! They want him so bad, they'll even take ME... Damn it,_ she cried, biting her lip. _That's why Master Kenobi is here; he's going to ask Luke, if I say yes,_ Mara realized. _But I won't,_ she scowled, insulted that she was only a pawn in the Council's scheme to keep Luke.

"No," Mara replied coldly, fixing her icy glare upon Master Skywalker. "I don't want to be your padawan," she informed him. _Luke and I are going to the Agricultural Corps for five more stupid years, and then we'll be free of all this. Luke doesn't want to be a part of your stupid Order either._ But then she blinked uncertainly as another thought occurred to her.

_If I say yes, then Luke can still be a Jedi. __It's what I always wanted for him,_ Mara confessed, realizing that Luke's fate rested in her hands. _He was willing to leave the Order for me... but now he doesn't have to,_ she admitted, a little frightened by the thought. _We can both stay, and be padawans; and if we still hate it, we can leave when we're eighteen..._

"Wait," Mara said uncertainly, thinking it over. _It will be five years before we get out of here, whatever I decide,_ she reasoned. _And being a padawan has GOT to be more interesting than the Agricultural Corps,_ she admitted, suddenly intrigued by the idea. _This way, Luke will get to be a Jedi, at least for five more years, before he has to give it all up... And so will I,_ she realized, a bit stunned by the thought.

"I - " Mara stammered. _I don't even know Master Skywalker,_ she blinked worriedly, suddenly frightened by the idea of being his padawan. _What if he's a creep?_ Mara's thoughts turned to the man who had lured her onto his spaceship, with promises of ice cream...

_No,_ she frowned stubbornly, forcing the thought away. _He's a Jedi. And Luke always liked him the best,_ Mara reminded herself. Since the incident with the man on the spaceship, Mara had been forced to live without the benefit of her Jedi powers, and she come to trust Luke's instincts more than her own; Master Skywalker's strange black attire was setting off all sorts of warning signals in her own mind, but if Luke thought this guy was okay, then Mara would trust him.

"All right," Mara conceded cautiously, forcing herself to meet the strange Jedi's gaze. _He DOES look like a creep,_ Mara thought once again; but she stubbornly pushed her fears aside, her expression resolute. "Yes," she informed him calmly, a tone of challenge in her voice. "I'll be your padawan." _But I know exactly why you're doing this. Don't think I'm going to make it easy for you._

* * *

><p>Anakin blinked in momentary surprise. "Yes?" he asked cautiously; a moment earlier the girl had stubbornly refused his offer, but now... "All right," he nodded quickly, accepting her answer and getting up from his little stool before she could change her mind again. "Great," Anakin smiled bravely, opening the door and politely motioning for her to go out. Mara got up, frowning, but obediently left the chamber, refusing to look at him as they returned to the younglings' classroom.<p>

Obi-Wan was still talking with Master Daeron, and he gave Anakin a hopeful glance now; Anakin could barely conceal his smile of profound relief as he nodded to his brother. _She said yes!_ But now he sensed Mara's sudden resentment, and quickly masked his expression, realizing that he needed to take Mara away before Obi-Wan approached Luke.

_She knows what's going on,_ Anakin had sensed; thankfully Mara hadn't openly challenged him on the matter, but Anakin knew that he was already treading on thin ice with his new padawan. "Thank you, Master," he said politely, bowing to Master Daeron as he turned to leave.

"Wait," Master Daeron said, coming over to join him. "You'll need this," he said, unclipping a remote control device from his belt and handing it to Anakin. _Oh crap. I forgot._ "This is the on/off switch," Master Daeron showed him. "And if you lose the remote, her implant can also be controlled from the Temple's main computer," he explained. _Ahh! Don't say this stuff with Mara standing right here!_ But Anakin nodded, blinking uncomfortably as Master Daeron continued. "She's allowed to carry a training saber; it has a mild stun setting," Daeron warned him, "and she's got a utility knife - "

"Excuse me," Anakin interrupted him. "Mara," he said gently, turning to his padawan. "Can you wait here, with Master Kenobi? I need to speak with your teacher for a moment," he told her quietly. Mara nodded, still scowling in resentment; but Anakin could feel the girl's relief and gratitude at being excused from this conversation.

_I'd be pissed off too,_ Anakin frowned indignantly, leading Master Daeron out into the hallway. _Nobody talks to my padawan like that._ "You were saying?" he asked the Master, with a look of challenging reproach.

"Ahh... Yes," Master Daeron blinked nervously, caving under Anakin's dark glare. "She has a utility knife, which she has used - or threatened to use - on numerous occasions, against the other younglings," he continued.

"So I've heard," Anakin replied calmly. _Yes, she's sent my kid to the hospital wing, four times that I know of._ "But as you can see, I'm not a youngling," Anakin pointed out reassuringly. _Where did they get this guy?_ "Anything else?"

Master Daeron blinked uncomfortably, looking at the floor. "No... Just - keep your senses attuned at all times, when her inhibitor chip is turned off," he warned Anakin. "If you start to feel her rage building up, turn it back on," he instructed him.

"Wait... Wouldn't I turn it off?" Anakin asked, frowning.

"No," Daeron shook his head, showing him the switch. "_On_ means the device is activated, inhibiting her Force powers," he explained. "_Off_ means that she's likely to fling lightning at you if she gets upset," he warned Anakin.

_Yeah,_ Anakin thought indignantly. _Like if you embarrass her in front of her new Master, and her entire youngling class. So on is off, and off is on... Crap, that's kind of confusing,_ Anakin sighed; it had been a long day already. "All right," he nodded, clipping the device onto his belt. "So... I keep it on most of the time, except for lightsaber practice?" he asked. "And flying?"

"Yes," Master Daeron nodded. "And if you lose it - or _her,_" he added ruefully, "her implant can be controlled by the Temple's main computer, and they can track her location from there as well," he explained.

_Wait a minute..._ "What do you mean, if I lose _her?_" he asked cautiously.

Master Daeron sighed. "Mara has a tendency to run away, at every chance she gets," he admitted. "You have to keep an eye on her at all times. Never leave her alone, for even a minute," he coached Anakin.

_What?_ Anakin blinked worriedly. "What about... What about flying?" he asked. "Do you think she would - "

"Yes," Daeron nodded vigorously. "_Never_ allow her to fly solo; she'll be halfway across the galaxy before you know it," he warned him.

"What? So - " Anakin blinked at him in disbelief. "She can't fly solo? How are we going to - ?"

"She can fly one of the training Starfighters, as long as you're with her," Daeron told him. "She's not a bad pilot; but she doesn't take direction well, and she gets angry if you try to correct her," he warned Anakin. "So it's very important to monitor her emotions closely at all times while she's flying, and always keep the remote close at hand," he cautioned.

_This completely sucks,_ Anakin realized, his heart sinking. _She can't have her own Starfighter... Which means that I can't have my own Starfighter either,_ he blinked in dismay. _My yellow Starfighter..._

"And... Anakin?" Master Daeron continued hesitantly. "Don't push her too hard," he warned him. "It's not just that she could lash out at you, or an innocent bystander," he said, gazing downward uncomfortably. "Her rage sometimes turns inward, as well," Daeron confessed.

"You mean she's... She's suicidal?" Anakin asked quietly, feeling a knot in his stomach.

"Officially, no," Daeron told him. "She has never made an actual attempt," he conceded. "But Anakin, she was a death stick baby; statistically, they have a very high rate of suicide," he reminded him gently. "And honestly, if she ever - " he broke off, shaking his head unhappily. "It wouldn't surprise me," he admitted with quiet regret.

__Oh, crap...__ Anakin nodded, choosing not to respond to that; he'd had enough of this conversation. "Thank you, Master, for the advice," he said respectfully, giving Master Daeron a polite nod as they returned to the younglings' classroom.

"...And _this,_" Obi-Wan continued, beaming happily as the younglings giggled in delight, "is the mating call of the Krayt - " he broke off as Anakin and Daeron entered the classroom. "Oh, hello there," Obi-Wan nodded cheerfully. "Sorry, I was just - " he apologized vaguely. "As you were," he instructed the younglings, waving them back to their desks.

Anakin couldn't help but smile; Luke was grinning idiotically, a happy twinkle in his blue eyes, and even Mara was unable to suppress an embarrassed smile at Obi-Wan's dragon impersonations, though she quickly masked her amusement, her green eyes flashing with contempt once again as Anakin and Master Daeron returned to the classroom. _I hope that was aimed at Daeron, and not me..._

"Are you ready, Mara?" Anakin asked hopefully, smiling gently at his new padawan. _It can't be as bad as he's saying... She's so tiny, and cute..._ Mara nodded, still frowning resolutely as she followed Anakin out of the classroom. Anakin managed one last glance at Luke; his son was looking back at him with an expression of sincere regret and apology. _Aw, it's all right, Luke,_ Anakin smiled reassuringly, nodding to his son; Luke returned his smile, a look of relieved gratitude crossing his face as Anakin finally turned to leave, following his padawan out into the hallway.

"So," Anakin said cheerfully, sensing the girl's sudden discomfort. _Aw, she's scared..._ "Let's get you settled in your new room," he suggested gently, leading the way toward their quarters. Since his own knighting, Anakin had taken up residence in the Master/Padawan suite adjacent to the one he and Obi-Wan used to share; he smiled happily to himself now, realizing that they would still be neighbors, and that Luke would be right next door too, at least when they were all on Coruscant together.

"We have a whole week, before we get sent on any official assignments," Anakin explained to Mara, as the girl nodded obediently; he sensed her genuine curiosity now, and took that as a good sign. _She doesn't completely hate me,_ he realized gratefully.

"What sort of assignments?" Mara asked cautiously, frowning.

"Well," Anakin said, as they got onto the elevator. "Usually they'll start us out with something easy; some kind of official function, maybe a planetary holiday, where they want the Jedi to put in an appearance," he explained. "And our job is to stand there looking important," he said, as Mara stifled a giggle, then valiantly tried to frown again. "Yes, just like that," Anakin told her, nodding in approval. Mara scowled at the trick, but Anakin caught the brief glimmer of amusement in her green eyes before she masked her expression once again.

"See, you're a natural." Anakin grinned approvingly, as they got off the elevator. _Aw, she's not so bad,_ he realized suddenly. _She's a cute kid, and she's got a sense of humor, even if she won't admit to it... Obi-Wan always used to do that trick to me too,_ Anakin smiled to himself. It was a fun game that he and Obi-Wan had always played, each trying to get the other to lose their proper Jedi composure.

"Here we are," he announced, showing her into their quarters. _I had the little padawan room all set up for Luke,_ Anakin thought wistfully, as Mara followed him obediently inside. "This is your room," he told her, showing her the smaller room, where the little bed was neatly made up with fresh sheets and blankets, the pillow lovingly fluffed up as much as a pathetic Jedi-issue pillow could be.

Mara nodded solemnly, obediently looking at the little bed; and suddenly it occurred to Anakin that there really wasn't anything else of interest to show her, in their sparse quarters. _Crap, I don't even have a holo-monitor,_ he realized in dismay; he'd always either watched Obi-Wan's or Qui-Gon's when he was on Coruscant, waiting for a reasonably dark hour to sneak off to Padmé's apartment. _Ahh! Maybe we can get one..._

"Oh!" Anakin remembered. "We'll need to make you a padawan braid," he told Mara, pulling out the little hair ties that he'd already prepared for Luke. "Come on," he said cheerfully, leading her over to his bed and sitting down next to her. _Ahh! She's a little girl! Am I supposed to be touching her hair?_ he wondered suddenly, feeling a bit uneasy; he could sense Mara's sudden discomfort too. _But she's my padawan,_ he frowned uncertainly. _And I'm her Master; it's my job to do this,_ he realized, blinking worriedly.

_All right; be brave,_ Anakin told himself, gently taking a strand of hair just beneath Mara's right temple, and proceeding to braid it all the way down, in the style of the handful of female Jedi padawans that he'd actually seen in his lifetime. _Aw, that's so pretty,_ he smiled to himself, admiring her shiny, wavy red-gold hair. _It's almost as long as Leia's..._

"There... all done," Anakin announced proudly, winding a little piece of string around the end and tying it neatly. "Have a look," he encouraged his padawan, nodding toward the little mirror in their lavatory. Mara nodded shyly, getting up to inspect his handiwork, and Anakin smiled to himself happily. _See? There's nothing wrong with the kid; she's a little sweety pie,_ he realized.

_And now we get to do the rite of initiation,_ Anakin decided, getting up from his bed. "So," he said cheerfully. "Now that you're officially a Jedi padawan," he said, nodding to her respectfully. "I thought we could go to the Political History museum, and see some... Political history," Anakin improvised brilliantly, keeping his voice dutifully solemn and congratulating himself on his quick thinking.

Mara's brows furrowed, and she frowned unhappily; but she nodded, making an attempt to mask her dismay. "All right... Yes, Master," she corrected herself, casting her eyes downward as she followed him back out into the hallway. _Aw, don't worry sweety... We'll end up at Dex's in a few minutes, for some ice cream,_ Anakin smiled to himself secretly, as they got back onto the elevator.

He could feel Mara's sense of impending doom increasing steadily as they made their way down to the main exit. _Wow... She REALLY hates political history,_ Anakin realized; though he had to admit he couldn't blame her. _Come to think of it,_ he frowned suddenly, casting an uncertain glance out toward the streets of Coruscant as they descended the Temple steps. _Where IS the Political History museum?_

* * *

><p><em>Crap,<em> Mara scowled, grudgingly following Master Skywalker down the steps of the Jedi Temple. _I hate the Political History museum._ Master Daeron was always taking her class there, when he ran out of other lesson plans; Mara had already been twice this year. _It's so boring,_ she grumbled, feeling the resentment welling up inside of her. _Just a bunch of stupid statues and political documents... Arrghh,_ she sighed, exasperated. _I thought being a padawan would be more interesting than this._

She had been frightened at first, by the prospect of being Master Skywalker's padawan; but she'd had a couple of minutes inside her classroom while he spoke with Master Daeron out in the hallway, and Luke had given her a secret reassuring nod, smiling appreciatively from across the room while Master Kenobi demonstrated his funny dragon calls to the class.

_Luke is happy about this,_ Mara reassured herself, pushing away her fear once again. _He always trusted Master Skywalker; it will be all right,_ she told herself. _Ahhh, but why do we have to go to the stupid Political History museum, on the first day?_ she blinked unhappily, trudging along beside Master Skywalker and grudgingly answering his questions as he pretended to be interested in getting to know her.

_I know you didn't really want to take me as your padawan,_ Mara grumbled, fighting tears of bitterness as they made their way toward the museum. _You're just doing this because the Council didn't want to lose Luke,_ Mara frowned, her brows furrowed. _And so am I,_ she confessed, suddenly realizing that Luke must _really_ be special if they went to all this trouble just to keep him in the Order.

_I will do this for him,_ Mara vowed stubbornly, resigning herself to her boring fate as they approached the Political History museum. But to her surprise, Master Skywalker turned down another street just as they reached the Senate hall, continuing on in the opposite direction from the museum. _Um..._ "Master Skywalker?" Mara asked uncertainly, glancing back over her shoulder at the Senate hall.

"Yes, Mara?" Master Skywalker replied. "And you can call me Master Anakin," he told her gently.

"Master Anakin," Mara corrected herself, blinking uncomfortably. "Where are we going?"

"To the Political History museum," Master Skywalker said, his brows furrowing slightly; but his dark blue eyes flickered for an instant, and even without her Force powers, Mara sensed that he was lying. _Well of course he's lying; we're going in the wrong direction._ But now she scowled worriedly, trying to figure out what that meant.

_Why would he lie about taking me to the Political History museum?_ Mara frowned, her nerves suddenly on edge as she wondered where Master Skywalker was _really_ taking her. _He never wanted me as his padawan to begin with,_ she reasoned, thinking quickly. _He only picked me because Luke refused to be taken while there were still any girls left in his age group..._

_Holy crap,_ Mara gasped suddenly, her heart racing. _They're trying to get rid of me!_ But Master Skywalker had sensed her sudden panic, and gave her a concerned look now. "Mara?" he asked, pretending to be worried. "Are you all right?"

_Crap!_ "Yes, Master," Mara nodded obediently, taking a deep breath and trying to mask her anxiety.

But Master Skywalker gave her a knowing look. "You don't really like political history, do you?" he challenged her quietly; without her Force powers, Mara couldn't tell if the glimmer in his dark blue eyes was of amusement, reproach, or homicidal bloodlust.

"Yes, I do," Mara insisted uncomfortably, furrowing her brows and avoiding his creepy gaze. _I like it a lot better than getting executed,_ she decided emphatically, her mind racing as she tried to think how to get out of this.

"That's all right," Master Skywalker assured her, with a conspiratorial smile; Mara scowled, realizing he was onto her. "I've got a better idea," Master Skywalker suggested, gesturing toward a public transit which had just stopped beside them. "Come on," he nodded, indicating for her to step onto the transit.

_Crap._ Mara thought of running; but the Jedi would surely catch her, and she quickly decided that this was not the time to make her move. _He's not going to execute me in front of all these people,_ Mara tried to reassure herself, nodding quietly and obediently boarding the transit, as Master Skywalker got on after her. _Now what?_ "Where are we going, Master?" Mara asked cautiously, trying to plan her escape.

"You'll see," Master Skywalker replied, a glimmer of mischief in his blue eyes. They were heading toward a seedier part of Coruscant, and Mara scowled apprehensively as the impressive government buildings and cultural centers gradually gave way to night clubs, liquor stores, cheap hotels, and run-down apartment buildings. The people roaming the streets looked tough, and poor; once again Mara cursed her stupid blue kiddie lightsaber, wishing she had something more than a utility knife to defend herself with.

_I can still fight,_ Mara told herself bravely; even without her Force powers, Mara had quick reflexes and good battle instincts, and her lightsaber _would_ at least stun her opponents momentarily. _If I can just get away from him..._

But now the transit came to a stop, and Master Skywalker stood up, smiling as he indicated for Mara to get off; nodding quietly, she stepped off the transit. "Here we are," Master Skywalker announced, gesturing toward a creepy old-fashioned diner. "Come on," he said cheerfully, putting a hand on her shoulder and leading the way toward the entrance.

"What are we doing here?" Mara asked, casting a suspicious glance at the place; _Dex's Diner,_ the sign proclaimed in red neon lights.

Master Skywalker grinned. "I thought we could have some ice cream," he said, his blue eyes twinkling.

_Ice cream?_ Mara's stomach churned as she remembered the last man who had lured her through the seedy streets of Coruscant with promises of ice cream. _Ohhh, yuck..._ "I _hate_ ice cream." Mara scowled, glaring angrily at nothing at all and refusing to meet Master Skywalker's confused gaze. _Ice cream? Ahhh, what kind of sick creep is he?_ Mara cringed in disgust, suddenly feeling nauseous.

"You - you hate ice cream?" Master Skywalker asked, blinking.

"Yes," Mara sulked, still shuddering at the thought.

"Well... They have other things," Master Skywalker said hopefully. "Hamburgers, milkshakes, anything you want," he told her; Mara didn't need Force powers to tell that the Jedi Knight was at a complete loss, baffled by her reaction. _Crap... He REALLY brought me all the way out here for ice cream?_ she wondered suddenly, her brows furrowing as she tried to fathom the concept. _Why?_

But a feeling of anger and betrayal was already welling up inside her, and Mara scowled darkly, furious with her new Master for playing this cruel trick on her. "I'm not hungry," she informed him coldly, still refusing to meet his gaze.

"You're not hungry?" Master Skywalker asked stupidly. "Mara, is something wrong?"

"No," Mara frowned stubbornly. _Aside from the fact that you're a complete moron._ "I'm just not hungry."

Master Skywalker blinked in momentary confusion; but then he nodded quietly. "All right," he conceded, with a regretful sigh. "What _would_ you like to do, Mara?" he asked her gently.

Mara scowled; no one had actually ever asked her that question. "I want to go to the Political History museum," she told him stubbornly. _I don't like it when people lie to me,_ she frowned indignantly.

Master Skywalker sighed wearily. "All right," he agreed, heading toward the transit again. "We'll go to the Political History museum." Fifteen minutes later they got off at the government center, and Mara stormed angrily toward the Senate hall where the Political History museum was located, not bothering to wait for her Master. _Don't EVER trick me like that again._

* * *

><p><em>Meanwhile, exploring the museum...<em>

"Wow, I've never actually read all of these," Luke confessed, studying yet another little plaque beneath yet another bust of yet another long-dead Chancellor of the Republic. "How many of them are there?" he asked, curious.

"Four hundred and twenty-eight," Obi-Wan replied, smiling encouragingly as his padawan continued down the endless line of busts along the main hallway, studying each one with rapt fascination. Luke had been delighted by Obi-Wan's suggestion that they explore the Political History museum together; he'd confessed that Master Daeron had brought his class here on several occasions over the past three years, but that he'd never had enough time to look at everything properly.

_Force help me,_ Obi-Wan blinked in utter disbelief, praying that the museum would be closing soon. _The boy has too much patience._ But now he looked up in surprise as two familiar figures entered the main hallway. _Thank goodness,_ Obi-Wan sighed in relieved gratitude as Anakin quickly approached, his new padawan by his side. _I was about to die of boredom._

But now his Jedi senses were suddenly assaulted by his brother's barely-concealed stress level, mixed together with Mara's black mood. _Oh dear,_ Obi-Wan blinked in dismay, sending out a peaceful feeling with a subtle wave of his hand in an attempt to calm them both down. "Anakin," he said, masking his concern as he greeted them. "And Mara," Obi-Wan nodded politely, ignoring the girl's sulking glare.

"I'm glad you're here," Obi-Wan continued, quickly taking charge of the situation. "The Council wanted me to ask your advice concerning a trade disagreement on Kubindi," he said, leading his brother down the hallway a few paces. "Luke, Mara; would you excuse us for a moment?" he asked, praying that what he had heard about Luke was true, and that the boy was able to handle Mara even better than her teachers had been.

"Yes, Master," Luke nodded politely, with a reassuring smile; Obi-Wan nodded appreciatively, though his he felt a pang of guilt deep down. _Of course he can handle her; the boy has more patience than anyone I've ever known. But it's wrong of me to take advantage of him like that,_ Obi-Wan admitted regretfully, as he and Anakin continued down the hallway.

"How's it going so far?" Obi-Wan asked, as they turned onto an adjacent corridor.

"Ahh!" Anakin sighed, exasperated. "It started out all right; everything was fine, until I mentioned the Political History museum," he told Obi-Wan. "And then she suddenly went into a foul mood, and would barely speak to me; by the time we got to Dex's she was pulling the sort of childish pouting crap that Leia used to do when she was two," Anakin sighed in frustration. "Said she hated ice cream and wasn't hungry, and _then_ she insisted on coming here to the museum, out of spite," he laughed wearily, shaking his head.

"Oh dear," Obi-Wan sighed in commiseration. "Yes, Anakin; that's typical behavior for Mara," he nodded regretfully. "Death stick babies are developmentally stunted; even as adults, they typically have the emotional maturity and impulse control of a small child," he explained.

"So you're saying my padawan is an overgrown two-year-old with Sith powers?" Anakin blinked worriedly.

"In some ways, yes," Obi-Wan admitted with quiet regret.

_"Attention please,"_ came a woman's voice over the loudspeaker. _"The museum will be closing in five minutes..."_

"Perfect," Anakin sighed. "And now she's giving me the silent treatment," he confessed unhappily. "She refused to speak to me all the way back from Dex's; Obi-Wan, what do I do with her?" Anakin asked, at a complete loss.

Obi-Wan sighed. "Mara's attempting to engage you in a power struggle," he said. "And I fear she's got the upper hand at the moment," he confessed. "But you can't let her win, Anakin. You have to show her that _you're_ the one in charge," Obi-Wan advised him. "It's very important that you never reward bad behavior," he coached his brother. "Try to figure out what her favorite activities are, and use those as rewards for when she behaves; but if she sulks, or refuses to cooperate..." Obi-Wan broke off, giving Anakin a meaningful look.

"Library torture," Anakin nodded glumly, remembering his padawan days all too well. "Ahh," he sighed unhappily. "Well, I guess you'll know where to find us for the next ten years," he laughed ruefully. "So what about you?" he asked. "How's it going with Luke?"

Obi-Wan laughed gently. "Very well," he assured his brother, smiling affectionately. "Though I'm afraid the rite of initiation backfired on both of us," he admitted. "Luke was thrilled by the idea," he confessed, as Anakin grinned in amusement. "I'm afraid he's his mother's son."

"Thank the Force," Anakin laughed, shaking his head. "Ahh... I'm glad you're training him, Obi-Wan," he confessed. "He couldn't possibly have had a better Master," Anakin said, his blue eyes conveying his sincere gratitude. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," Obi-Wan said cheerfully. "Though we'd better be getting back; I didn't mean to leave him in charge of Mara for so long," he apologized, as they headed back toward the main hallway. _He deserves a break from that responsibility._ "Actually," Obi-Wan added thoughtfully. "Anakin, I'm hoping to take Luke to Utapau sometime this week as a surprise, to visit Boga, and explore the caves a bit," he confessed, with an apologetic glance at his brother. "Will you be all right?"

"Ha," Anakin laughed ruefully, nodding. "Yeah, I'll be fine. Sink or swim, right?" he said, shrugging. "And I'm glad you're going," he added, with an appreciative smile. "I know Luke will love it."

"Yes, I hope so," Obi-Wan nodded in agreement; but then he hung his head, feeling suddenly guilty. "Anakin, I'm sorry I never took you there," he apologized. "Perhaps another time - "

But Anakin just laughed. "Sure," he said amiably. "But you forget, I'm not obsessed with dragons like you are," he teased Obi-Wan, his blue eyes twinkling mischievously. "Notice how I still have my original hair color."

Obi-Wan frowned. "Remarks like that will not inspire me to take Mara off your hands, the next time Padmé is in town."

"Then I take it back," Anakin said, grinning; then he hung his head. "Obi-Wan, I'm sorry... about Leila," he added quietly; now that Obi-Wan was training Luke, it would be much more difficult for him to slip away at night as well.

"It's all right," Obi-Wan assured him. "Occupational hazard," he admitted, with a rueful smile. "Not to worry," he said, patting Anakin on the shoulder as they returned to their padawans. "We will find a way to make this work."


	111. Aw, she makes such cute little sparkles!

**Chapter 111**

_Meanwhile..._

"He's horrible," Mara cried, blinking away tears. "He's mean, and stupid, and I hate him," she choked bitterly.

"I'm sorry, Mara," Luke said gently, putting a hand on her shoulder and glancing anxiously down the hallway; the museum was closing in a few minutes, and Master Obi-Wan and Anakin would be returning any moment now. "What did he do?" he asked her worriedly.

"He - " Mara gasped miserably. "He took me to this creepy place, and wouldn't say where we were going... And then he tried to give me _ice cream,_" she cried pathetically. _Oh, Mara..._ Luke stroked her back gently, nodding in quiet understanding; since her unfortunate incident with the sex offender a few years ago, Mara had been completely traumatized by even the thought of ice cream.

"I'm sorry," Luke apologized again. "Mara, he didn't know," he pointed out, trying to reason with her. "He didn't know you hate ice cream; he was trying to be nice."

"Well he has a really stupid way of showing it," Mara grumbled, scowling.

"I know," Luke nodded. "I'm sorry, Mara. And thank you... for what you did," he added sincerely, reaching out a hand and shyly touching her padawan braid. "Aw, yours is so pretty," he said, admiring it.

Mara sniffed, nodding; then she squinted curiously at Luke's braid. "Yours is - " she broke off, laughing despite herself and momentarily forgetting her grudge against Master Anakin. "Really weird," she confessed, her green eyes sparkling in amusement.

"Yeah, I know," Luke agreed cheerfully. He and Master Obi-Wan had been hard pressed to make a decent padawan braid; in the end they'd tied together three pathetically short little segments, and it still didn't quite reach his shoulder. The striking reddish-brown color contrasted starkly against Luke's own blond hair, but he was immensely proud of it nonetheless.

But now they could hear low voices coming from the adjacent corridor, and Luke stepped carefully away from Mara, maintaining a safe distance. "Mara, are you going to be all right?" he asked, peering into her eyes with concern.

Mara nodded. "I'll try," she whispered; her anger and bitterness seemed to have passed for the moment, and Luke gave her one last smile of gentle encouragement. But now Master Obi-Wan and Anakin were approaching, and so he and Mara instinctively stepped into their well-rehearsed roles, dutifully playing the part of young Jedi trainees who had no particular fondness for one another.

"What do you think of this one?" Luke asked, gazing thoughtfully at the bust of the Chancellor in front of them.

"It's stupid," Mara informed him, with an annoyed glance at the statuette. "And ugly." Luke suppressed a smile; Mara wasn't pretending. But he knew it helped her to let off steam in small ways rather than allowing it to build up, and so he bravely pressed on.

"How about this one?" Luke asked hopefully, peering with curiosity at the next bust.

"Even worse," Mara scowled, wrinkling her nose.

"I like it," Luke confessed innocently, as Master Obi-Wan and Anakin joined them in the main hallway. Mara glared at Luke with blatant contempt, genuinely annoyed by his incessant cheerfulness.

"I'm sorry to keep you waiting," Master Obi-Wan apologized, with a regretful smile. Obi-Wan had caught Mara's angry glare a moment earlier; Luke sensed his remorse at having left them alone together, and smiled reassuringly. _Really, Master... It's all right._ Master Anakin was giving him an apologetic look as well, and Luke did his best to smile politely, masking his profound guilt.

_He's apologizing to me for his padawan's rudeness, when I'm the reason he's training her to begin with,_ Luke realized, as they continued toward the exit of the museum. He loved Mara with all his heart, but even Luke had to admit that she was not easy to deal with at times. _Everybody thinks I'm some kind of hero for standing up for women's rights, but... I feel really awful about this,_ Luke confessed, hanging his head. _I forced Master Anakin to take Mara as his padawan, when he never wanted to... And Master Obi-Wan had to give up his own class of younglings, in order to train me,_ Luke sighed, sobered by the sacrifices they both had made.

_And now I feel guilty for actually LIKING Master Obi-Wan,_ Luke admitted. After all the kindness that Master Anakin had shown him over the years, Luke felt like a traitor for having bonded so quickly with Master Obi-Wan. _He's so wise, and peaceful, and kind... and fun,_ Luke confessed, realizing how lucky he was to be his padawan. His Master was giving him a reassuring smile now, having sensed his momentary sadness; Luke smiled appreciatively as the four of them exited the museum together, continuing down the steps.

But as they reached the sidewalk, Master Anakin stopped, nodding respectfully to Obi-Wan and Luke. "Enjoy your dinner," Anakin said cryptically; Luke caught a glimmer of amusement in his eyes, and wondered what that was about.

"Thank you," Master Obi-Wan nodded appreciatively. "And you as well," he said, a hint of regret in his voice.

"I'm sure we will," Master Anakin replied; but Luke sensed his barely-concealed sarcasm, as well as Mara's sudden flare of anger and resentment. "Goodnight, Obi-Wan; goodnight Luke," Anakin nodded, giving them one last friendly smile before turning to leave.

"Master, what was that about?" Luke asked, as Master Anakin and Mara headed back toward the Jedi Temple.

Master Obi-Wan smiled apologetically. "I fear that Mara was not entirely well-behaved this afternoon," he admitted, as they continued along the sidewalk. "Master Anakin is taking her back to the Temple cafeteria for dinner, followed by an evening of library study," he explained, sighing; then he smiled at Luke, his eyes twinkling with approval. "But _you,_ my young padawan learner, have earned a proper dinner at Dex's," Master Obi-Wan informed him proudly, patting him on the shoulder.

"Dex's?" Luke asked, looking up at his Master curiously.

"Dex's Diner," Obi-Wan said, as they approached the nearby public transit stop. "It's a tradition," he explained, with a cheerful smile. "Master Qui-Gon brought me there on my first day as a padawan; and I brought Anakin there on his first day as well," he told Luke. "Dex makes the best Bantha burgers in town," Master Obi-Wan said, an affectionate twinkle in his eyes.

Luke smiled at his Master appreciatively. "I love Bantha burgers," he confessed shyly; but then he looked down, masking his sudden dismay as they waited for the next transit to arrive. _Mara loves Bantha burgers too,_ Luke sighed regretfully. _I'm sorry, Mara._

* * *

><p><em>Meanwhile...<em>

"Where are they going?" Mara frowned, looking back over her shoulder as she followed Master Anakin back toward the Temple.

"Where are they going, _Master,_" Anakin corrected her, not slowing his pace. He had caught Mara's contemptuous glare at Luke a few minutes ago, and had felt his son's intense sadness afterward; he was in no mood to put up with her rudeness right now. _You're done abusing my kid,_ Anakin vowed, storming back toward the Temple and forcing Mara to half-run in order to keep up with his long strides.

As predicted, Mara stubbornly refused to reply; Anakin sighed in frustration, remembering that he was in for ten more years of this type of behavior. _Ten years of eating whatever tasteless crap the Temple cafeteria is serving, instead of going to Dex's with Luke and Obi-Wan,_ he sighed, realizing how hungry he was. _Ten years of nonstop library torture,_ he cringed, shuddering at the thought. _Ten years of putting up with her childish temper tantrums,_ Anakin grumbled, still striding quickly back toward the Temple with Mara hurrying after him. _And if by some miracle she ever actually manages to behave herself... Then maybe - MAYBE - we can play with a couple of fake lightsabers for a few minutes, or fly around in a stupid kiddie training fighter,_ Anakin sighed wearily. _Damn, this completely sucks._

But now he frowned in surprise as he felt a subtle change in his padawan's mood; Mara was still seething with anger and resentment, but now Anakin sensed a hint of remorse as well. "Where are they going, _Master,_" Mara repeated reluctantly, her tone sullen.

_All right, that's a start,_ Anakin sighed regretfully. _I guess I'll take that as an apology._ "Master Obi-Wan is taking Luke someplace nice for dinner," he told Mara, slowing his pace a bit and remembering that _he_ was supposed to be the mature one. "It's something Masters like to do for their padawans now and then, when they're especially well-behaved," he added, giving her a look of gentle reproach.

Mara's green eyes flashed angrily for a moment; but she nodded in reluctant acceptance, as Anakin managed a somewhat apologetic smile. _At least she's stopped ignoring me completely,_ he told himself, determined to remain optimistic. "We're going to get something to eat in the cafeteria," Anakin explained gently. "And then, we're going to do some studying in the library," he added, as Mara scowled unhappily.

"But if you do a really good job with that," Anakin continued optimistically. "If you study very hard, for a whole hour," he admonished her, with a meaningful look. "Then maybe we can do a little lightsaber practice before bedtime."

He could still sense Mara's bitterness and resentment; but she nodded, following him up the steps to the Temple, and Anakin smiled to himself. _She's not so impossible._ He was beginning to sort out the myriad of emotions that he'd been sensing in Mara for the past two hours. Now that she'd gotten her childish sulking out of her system, Anakin could feel her quiet remorse, as well as a sincere desire to do better, which manifested itself in her current attitude of reluctant obedience.

_She never asked to be born a death stick baby,_ Anakin realized, giving Mara an encouraging smile and holding the door for her as they entered the Jedi Temple's main hallway. _She didn't ask to have the emotional maturity of a two-year-old, or to be a slow learner,_ he admitted. Anakin had been dismayed by Mara's blatant hostility toward Luke at the museum, but now he was beginning to understand where it came from. _Mara has always had to work twice as hard as Luke, to achieve half as much,_ he confessed. _No wonder she hates him,_ he sighed, as they continued down the hallway toward the cafeteria. _How could she not._

They arrived at the cafeteria in silence. Anakin had tried to make friendly conversation with Mara on their way to Dex's earlier, but he had sensed her growing annoyance at his questions, eventually culminating in a full-blown temper tantrum; he was beginning to wonder if perhaps Mara did better when she was left alone to her own thoughts. But now, as they stood in line to get their dinner, Anakin grinned mischievously at his new padawan, handing her a tray as he took one for himself. "Are you feeling brave?" he asked in a dramatically hushed voice, casting an apprehensive glance toward the serving counter.

Mara giggled quietly, nodding; for a brief moment her green eyes flashed with amusement, but then she frowned uncomfortably, remembering herself. "Yes, Master," she replied stubbornly, refusing to acknowledge his attempt at humor.

_Ah. So now we're playing the 'Yes Master' game._ Anakin had done it himself many times with Obi-Wan; it was an irritating game that padawans played with their Masters when they felt they were being treated unfairly. _All right; I can deal with this._

* * *

><p>"Are you ready for some studying?" Master Anakin asked with annoying cheerfulness, as they finished their dinner.<p>

_Crap._ Mara had been stubbornly deflecting her Master's attempts at conversation, answering his questions with _'Yes Master'_ or _'No Master'_ and agreeing indifferently with everything he said; but now her heart sank as she realized he had been serious about his threat of library study. _Damn it..._ "Yes, Master," Mara replied glumly, as they got up from their table and brought their trays back to the dishwashing station. _This sucks..._

But as she followed her Master into the library, Mara blinked in surprise as Master Anakin led her past the familiar youngling study area, continuing on toward the back. _Whoa... I was never allowed back here before,_ Mara realized, looking around in curiosity. Rather than the familiar built-in, child-sized study consoles of the youngling section, the padawan study area was furnished with comfortable armchairs and couches, with a high, arching ceiling and tall windows overlooking the city of Coruscant.

_Well this is pretty cool,_ Mara had to admit. There were a few padawans relaxing in padded armchairs here and there, studying their portable datapads intently. "Here you go," Master Anakin said, handing her one now; Mara looked at it curiously, suppressing a delighted smile. _Definitely much better than those stupid kiddie computer terminals,_ she decided, following her Master over to an upholstered couch by the window.

"All right," Master Anakin said, as they sat down together. "Have you used one of these before?" he asked, seeing Mara's curious frown as she peered at her datapad, trying to figure out how to turn it on.

"Um... No, Master," Mara admitted, grateful for Master Anakin's patience as he showed her how to log onto the educational database.

"Here you go; we'll start out with the first year stuff," Master Anakin said, showing Mara how to bring up the first-year padawan study curriculum. "These are all of your subjects," he explained, pointing to the list of topics that Mara would need to study in order to move on to the next level. "You can start with anything you want," he told her, turning his attention to his own datapad now.

_All right,_ Mara frowned uncertainly, reading her choices. _Astronomy, Physics, Biology, Mathematics, Geography... Okay, I'll start with Geography,_ she decided, choosing the first subject that sounded even remotely interesting. Mara had always done well enough in Geography as a youngling; she enjoyed looking at the pictures of different planets, and trying to remember which was which.

But now she frowned in dismay as a bunch of words appeared; the entire datapad screen was filled with black-on-grey text, with no pictures at all. _Oh, crap... I have to actually read it? This sucks,_ Mara sighed, starting at the top and blinking away her boredom as she began. _Alderaan. Sixth planet in the Alderaan system. Capital City: Aldera..._

_I wonder where Luke is,_ Mara mused, allowing her mind to wander as she pretended to read the text. This was how Mara had always studied; without pictures, there was nothing of real interest that held her attention anyway. _Maybe Master Obi-Wan will bring him here to study too,_ she thought, casting a hopeful glance toward the library's entrance. _Wow, these couches are pretty nice,_ Mara realized, settling back against the cushions and making herself comfortable.

_Population: five billion..._ Mara clicked on the 'Next' arrow, already tired of Alderaan. _Bandomeer... Gah, boring,_ Mara cringed, immediately clicking on the arrow again. Bandomeer was the center for the Agricultural Corps, and Mara had already learned more about it over the past three years than she cared to know. _Corellia... Hmm, okay,_ she decided, sighing deeply and reading some more of the text.

But it was just stupid, pointless information about the planet's population and climate, and so Mara clicked on the 'Next' arrow again, flipping randomly through the database of planets in search of something more interesting.

"Can't decide where to start?" Master Anakin asked, smiling in commiseration. "Ah, Geography," he nodded, peering at her datapad. "Why don't you start with this one?" he suggested, pushing a couple of buttons and bringing up the file for Naboo.

_Naboo?_ "All right," Mara nodded, frowning as she tried to remember which planet was Naboo. _Somewhere on the Outer Rim?_ Shrugging uncertainly, Mara began to read; but alas, Naboo was no more interesting than Alderaan or Corellia, so once again she clicked on the 'Next' arrow. _Nubia. Fourth planet in the Nubian system..._

_Ahh... Who cares,_ Mara sighed, letting her mind wander again. Mara had learned over the years that it really didn't matter how hard she concentrated on her studies; even when she _tried_ to read properly, none of it stayed with her for very long. _I can read the same paragraph ten times, and STILL I don't get what it's saying,_ she admitted ruefully. But thankfully it didn't matter; Mara had been failing all of her courses for years now with no real consequences, and she had discovered long ago that as long as she was quiet and behaved herself, her teachers didn't care whether she actually learned anything or not.

_This isn't so bad,_ Mara told herself now, settling back comfortably on the couch and staring blankly at the 'Nubia' screen. _Luke was right; Master Anakin is pretty nice, most of the time,_ she had to admit. _Well, aside from that stupid ice cream trick,_ she grumbled, scowling at the memory. _But at least Luke really likes Master Obi-Wan..._

_I'm glad we're padawans, instead of going into AgriCorps,_ Mara decided. _Five more years of this, and then we can leave the Order for good,_ she reminded herself. _I wonder where we'll go to live,_ she mused, turning her attention back to her datapad. _Not Nubia,_ she decided, frowning and clicking the 'Next' arrow. _Omwat... No, that sounds like something you eat for breakfast,_ she giggled. _Luke would probably like it though,_ Mara grinned to herself, clicking the arrow again.

But now Master Anakin looked over at her datapad, frowning slightly. "You're done with Naboo already?" he asked, blinking in surprise.

"Um... No, Master," Mara confessed reluctantly. "It was kind of boring; I was trying to find something more interesting," she apologized, quickly making up an excuse as to why she had been clicking randomly through the planet database for the past five minutes.

"Boring?" Master Anakin's brows furrowed. "Did you read the part about Unification Day?"

_Oh, crap..._ "No, Master," Mara admitted, clicking on the 'Back' arrow several times and trying to find Naboo again. _Ahh! Where did it go?_

"Here you go," Master Anakin said helpfully, bringing up the 'Naboo' screen again. "I'll tell you what," he said cheerfully. "Read the section on Unification Day, and if you can tell me what it's about, then we'll do some lightsaber practice, all right?"

_Wow._ "Okay... Yes, Master," Mara agreed, nodding. _Yes! This is great! Lightsaber practice... Ugh, I just have to learn about this stupid Unification Day,_ she sighed, taking a deep breath and focusing her concentration on the text. _Unification Day. Annual holiday celebrating the cultural and political union of the humans of the western hemisphere (the Naboo) with the natives of the eastern continent (the Gungans). The two kingdoms first declared unity during the reign of Queen Amidala of the Naboo and Boss Nass of Gunga City. Also instrumental in this historical joining of cultures were Gungan ambassador Jar Jar Binks and Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn..._

Mara continued to read, willing herself to pay attention and trying to memorize some of the details. _All right, it's some kind of holiday where the two cultures decided to become allies,_ she gathered. _The Naboo, and the Gungans... Okay, I think I've got it,_ Mara sighed.

"You're finished?" Master Anakin asked with hopeful smile, as Mara nodded. "All right, tell me what Unification Day is all about," he said, taking her datapad away from her, a mischievous but encouraging twinkle in his blue eyes.

"Ah... It's a holiday, celebrating the union of the Naboo and the Gungans?" Mara asked hopefully, as Master Anakin nodded in approval. "And... um... The Naboo live in the western hemisphere, and the Gungans are in the east," she continued. "And it happened during the reign of Queen - Amalama? - and Boss... Ahh, I don't remember," Mara apologized, shaking her head.

"Queen Amidala, and Boss Nass," Master Anakin laughed, his eyes twinkling with amusement. "That's okay; you were pretty close," he told her, peering at her datapad screen again. "And who was the Jedi responsible for bringing them together?" he asked next.

"Uh... Jar Jar - no," Mara frowned, trying to remember. "Quong-Gong... something?" Mara cringed, hoping she was somewhat close.

Master Anakin's brows furrowed. "Qui-Gon," he corrected her, frowning worriedly. "Qui-Gon Jinn... You've never heard of him?" he asked, deeply disturbed by this concept.

"No... maybe," Mara sighed apologetically, shrugging. "I don't know," she confessed. "I'm sorry... I'm not good at - any of this," Mara admitted, looking down at the floor.

Master Anakin nodded. "Well... That was a good start," he said encouragingly, as Mara blinked in utter confusion. _Good? He thought that was good?_ "And it's been almost an hour," he said, getting up from the couch. "Come on; let's do some lightsaber practice," he suggested cheerfully, nodding toward the exit of the library.

_Yes! _"Yes, Master," Mara nodded obediently, getting up and following him out to the hallway. _Finally, something interesting..._

"There's a reason why I wanted you to learn about Naboo's Unification Day," Master Anakin confessed, as they continued down to the training rooms. "Remember when I said our first assignment would probably be some kind of planetary holiday?"

_Oh!_ Mara blinked in surprise. "Yes Master," she nodded; then she looked up at him uncertainly. "We're going to Naboo?" Mara asked, surprised and excited by the thought. _We get to be the Jedi ambassadors?_

"Next week," Master Anakin nodded cheerfully. "The Gungans put on a big parade every year in Theed, outside the Royal Palace," he explained. "Master Obi-Wan and I have gone every year since it started, along with Master Qui-Gon," he said proudly. "Obi-Wan was Master Qui-Gon's padawan," he added, with a thoughtful look at Mara. "And I was Master Obi-Wan's padawan; did I mention that?"

"Oh," Mara blinked, surprised. "Yes, Master. I mean, no, Master," she said apologetically, as Master Anakin laughed gently, amused.

"That's all right; you'll figure it all out soon enough," Master Anakin assured her, smiling good-naturedly as they entered the training room. "All right," he said, unclipping his lightsaber from his belt and activating it, twirling it around casually. "Let's see what you can do." He nodded to Mara encouragingly, as he stood to face her.

Mara nodded obediently, unclipping her own training saber and activating the pathetic blue stun beam, cringing in embarrassment as it hissed weakly to life. _Ah, I hate this stupid thing..._ Now Master Anakin was blinking at her in surprise; then his brows furrowed as he remembered, and he deactivated his lightsaber, nodding regretfully.

"Sorry... I forgot," Master Anakin apologized, clipping it back onto his belt and going to the supply closet. "Here we go; this will work a little better," he said, pulling out another kiddie saber and activating the blue beam. "And I guess I should - " Master Anakin broke off apologetically, switching off the remote that controlled Mara's Force inhibitor device and giving her an encouraging smile. "All right, are you ready?" he asked hopefully.

Mara nodded again; and a moment later they were clashing lightsabers, as Master Anakin instructed her to attack, blocking her blows. "Ha! That's good," he said, sincerely impressed, as Mara twirled around, executing one of the more difficult techniques she had learned. _Whoa,_ Mara realized, attacking harder. _He's way better than Luke... Even with a practice saber..._ Lightsaber fighting was the one thing that Mara had ever been good at, and Luke had always been her best opponent, until now.

_Crap,_ Mara blinked unhappily, charging at Master Anakin again and again. _He blocks everything I do, like it's nothing,_ she admitted, scowling with determination as she moved on to some of her more unorthodox moves. _Ha, let's see what he does with THIS..._ "Oof," Mara gasped, suddenly finding herself on the floor as Master Anakin easily deflected her illegal blow. _Damn it!_ Rolling quickly to her feet, Mara frowned fiercely, doubling her efforts as she went at her Master again.

But no matter what she did, Master Anakin blocked her attacks effortlessly, brushing her aside as if she were nothing. _Crap,_ Mara cried, tears of frustration springing to her eyes. _I thought there was ONE thing I was actually good at, but I suck at this too,_ she realized suddenly, slashing at Master Anakin angrily.

"That's good, Mara," Master Anakin nodded, smiling in approval as he continued to deflect her blows. "You're really great at this!"

_Arrghh,_ Mara cried, frustrated. _He's just saying that,_ she knew, her heart sinking as she remembered the truth. _He never wanted to train me to begin with,_ Mara confessed, tears of bitterness stinging her eyes. _And I hate this stupid blue kiddie saber!_ she cried, frustration welling up inside her as they continued to fight. _I can't put any force behind my blows..._

_This is so unfair!_ Mara cried; she was getting tired now, but Master Anakin was still prompting her to attack harder. _I can't!_ she protested miserably. _Ahh, why I do I always have to be the worst one at everything? It's not fair... I hate it..._ Now the familiar rage was beginning to well up, and Mara willed it to come, her eyes burning with anger.

_You think I'm just a stupid girl,_ she glared at Master Anakin accusingly, attacking with all of her bitterness. _You don't want me to be your padawan; you never did,_ she scowled. _You took me to this sleazy place, and tried to give me ice cream... Ahh, I hate you!_ Mara choked angrily, reaching out with her left hand as she felt the familiar burning sensation coursing outward toward her fingertips.

A moment later blue sparks shot outward at Master Anakin; Mara glared at him contemptuously as he desperately tried to deflect her attack with his kiddie saber. The blue saber beam was flickering now as it began to short-circuit; Mara gasped in frustration and dismay as Master Anakin transferred the saber to his left hand, reaching for the remote control at his belt. _Crap... I hate when it gets turned off in the middle of this,_ Mara sobbed miserably, bracing herself for the painful jolt. _It really hurts..._

But to her surprise, Master Anakin reached for his real saber instead, bringing it up to deflect her attack just as his training saber fizzled and went out. _Ahh..._ Tears sprang to Mara's eyes, but she continued to bitterly fling lightning at her Master, until there was nothing left. _Damn it,_ Mara cried unhappily, as the last sparks of blue lightning flickered and died. _Ahhh..._ Sinking to the floor, she collapsed to her knees, weeping quietly.

"Mara." She shuddered, trembling weakly as she felt Master Anakin's hand on her shoulder.

_Ahhhhh..._ "I'm sorry," Mara cried pathetically as Master Anakin took her by the arm, helping her to her feet and leading her over to the padded bench along the wall. "I'm sorry..."

"I know," Master Anakin said, sitting beside her as Mara hunched over, still trembling. "I know," he repeated softly. "Shhh..."

_What?_ Tears filled Mara's eyes as she felt her Master's gentle compassion. _He hasn't turned the remote back on,_ she realized, blinking in surprise and wonder as she felt his comforting Force presence. _He's not mad at me for that?_

"Shhh," Master Anakin repeated softly as he continued to pat her back, consoling her. "It's all right."

Mara blinked, not daring to believe what her intuitions were telling her. "You're not - " she choked, sniffing back tears. "You're not mad at me?" she asked, finally daring to look up at him.

Master Anakin smiled, stroking her hair gently. "No," he said. "Anger is not the Jedi way," he reminded her. Mara nodded apologetically, seeing his reproachful look; but then she caught the glimmer of mischief in his blue eyes, and tried very hard not to laugh. _This isn't funny,_ she blinked, sincerely worried about her Master's lack of common sense. "Is that as bad as it gets?" Master Anakin asked, glancing toward the middle of the room where her Force lightning attack had taken place a moment earlier.

Mara nodded. "Yes," she admitted, whispering. In truth, she hadn't been allowed to fully expend her energy like that... _Ever,_ she realized, blinking in surprise as she felt a strange sense of calmness and peace deep inside, where normally there was only bitterness and anger.

Master Anakin nodded. "I think that's enough for tonight," he said, as Mara nodded gratefully, too exhausted to continue with their practice. "Come on," Master Anakin said, getting up from the bench. "It's been a long day; let's get you settled into bed."

Mara nodded obediently, getting up and following him out to the hallway; but she could still feel her Master's strong, comforting presence as they walked back to their quarters together, and finally she gave him a questioning look. "Master?" she asked hesitantly. "You haven't...?" she broke off, with an apologetic glance at the remote control on his belt. _You haven't turned it back on._

"No, I haven't," Master Anakin agreed, his tone regretful; but then a glimmer of mischief sprang to his eyes, one that Mara was quickly learning to recognize. "Should I?" he asked, raising an eyebrow in a look of challenging reproach.

Mara looked at the floor, her heart welling over with gratitude. "No, Master," she whispered softly, tears filling her eyes.

"Good," Master Anakin nodded, giving Mara an encouraging smile as they arrived at their quarters. But as they stepped inside their little living room area, Master Anakin sighed regretfully. "We really need to get some furniture, or something," he confessed, casting a rueful glance around the bare room. They could hear the sound of Obi-Wan's holo-monitor coming from next door, interspersed with laughter and muffled voices. _They sound like they're having fun..._ Mara returned her Master's rueful smile, nodding in agreement.

Master Anakin caught her wistful look, and smiled reassuringly. "Get some sleep, Mara," he told her gently, putting a hand on her shoulder. "I'll be right here if you need anything, or next door talking to Master Obi-Wan," he promised.

Mara nodded. "Goodnight, Master," she said shyly, giving him a look of sincere gratitude.

"Goodnight, Mara." Master Anakin smiled, his blue eyes twinkling with affection. "Sleep well." Mara bowed politely, retiring to her little bedroom for the night; but then she stopped, turning back.

"Master," she said quietly, bowing her head in apology. "I'm sorry... about - " Mara broke off helplessly, giving Master Anakin a pleading look. _About everything,_ she confessed, remembering her stupid childish sulking fit, her pathetic attempt at studying, not to mention the thousands of volts of Force lightning she'd flung at him, for no good reason.

"It's all right," Master Anakin said, nodding in appreciation. "Tomorrow's a new day, eh?" He grinned cheerfully, patting her on the shoulder. Mara nodded gratefully. "You did well for your first day, Mara," Master Anakin told her. "I know this wasn't what either of us had - " he broke off, glancing regretfully toward Obi-Wan and Luke's chambers next door, where they could still hear occasional happy voices and laughter.

"I know, Master," Mara nodded, looking at the floor. "I'm sorry."

"Mara," Master Anakin said, with a tender smile. "It's true, that I - " he sighed, looking down. "Luke is very talented," Master Anakin said simply, as Mara nodded in quiet agreement. _Yes, I know._ "But... can you keep a secret?" he asked in a low voice, his blue eyes taking on their familiar mischievous glimmer; Mara nodded gleefully, returning his conspiratorial smile.

"I'm glad you're my padawan," Master Anakin confessed, smiling wistfully as he gently stroked her hair, tugging playfully on her little braid.

Mara smiled shyly, tears springing to her eyes as she felt the truth behind his words. "I'm glad too, Master," she whispered softly.

Master Anakin nodded. "All right," he said, patting her gently on the shoulder and sending her off to bed. "Get some sleep."


	112. These people still exist, by the way

**Chapter 112**

_An hour later..._

"Anakin." Obi-Wan smiled, greeting him quietly as he came inside. Luke had gone to bed a few minutes earlier, and Obi-Wan had been hoping that his brother would stop by. "How did it go this evening?"

"Perfect," Anakin sighed happily, sitting down and leaning back in the floating spoon, a dreamy smile on his face. "She's amazing."

"Amazing?" Obi-Wan blinked in surprise, sitting on the edge of the bed. "What did she do?"

"She - " Anakin grinned cheerfully. "She flung about a thousand volts of lightning at me... Short-circuited my lightsaber... it was incredible," he said, his blue eyes sparkling with excitement.

"Oh dear," Obi-Wan murmured, looking at his brother in concern. He had expected Anakin to come crawling to him this evening pleading for blue stuff, or declaring a Code Orange on his first day; but somehow this was even more disturbing. "Anakin, are you all right?" he asked, peering at him worriedly. _Perhaps he's still stunned from the Force lightning attack?_

"Yeah... I'm fine," Anakin assured him, still smiling nostalgically at the memory of being attacked by his own padawan. "She's not so bad, Obi-Wan," he said, a glimmer of affection in his eyes. "I mean - okay, if I hadn't had my lightsaber, that would have hurt... a lot," he confessed ruefully. "But... Obi-Wan..." Anakin broke off, shrugging helplessly.

Obi-Wan smiled, finally understanding what was going on. "So... it's happened," he said quietly. _Force help you..._

Anakin's brows furrowed. "What's happened?" he asked uncertainly.

"The Master/Padawan bond." Obi-Wan smiled tenderly, admitting that he himself had once again come under its thrall as well. "The feeling that your padawan is the best the Jedi Order has ever seen," he sighed, thinking of Luke. "And that you would do anything to nurture him, and protect him, and make him happy," he said wistfully.

Anakin blinked at him in surprise. "You too?"

"Yes," Obi-Wan admitted. "Anakin, I expected you to come in here tonight begging to trade padawans; I had a whole speech worked out, about how I wasn't going to let you ruin Luke with... whatever it is you've been doing with Mara," he sighed worriedly, remembering what Anakin had said. "She attacked you with Force lightning... Why?"

"Ahh... I'm not entirely sure," Anakin admitted. "I didn't ask."

"Oh dear," Obi-Wan sighed again. "But I trust you took immediate disciplinary action?" he asked. "You turned her inhibitor device back on, and took her back to the library for more quiet study?"

"Um," Anakin cringed. "I told her anger isn't the Jedi way," he pointed out optimistically.

"Anger isn't the - " Obi-Wan blinked worriedly. "Well that's a start," he agreed. "But you _did_ turn her inhibitor device back on?" he pressed, sensing Anakin's hesitation.

"I - " Anakin shrugged apologetically, looking down at the remote control on his belt.

"You didn't?" Obi-Wan's eyes widened in alarm. "Anakin, her device is to remain on at all times outside of training, by order of the Council," Obi-Wan reminded his brother, deeply concerned.

"But she's - she's just a little girl," Anakin protested. "Obi-Wan, it's like you said... the Master/Padawan bond; I can sense what she's feeling," Anakin insisted. "I can feel when her anger builds up; and if we were in a public place, or I thought she might be a danger to others - yes, I would turn her device back on," he promised. "But when it's just the two of us..."

Obi-Wan smiled ruefully. "Yes, I see your point," he conceded, nodding. "And no doubt the Council will as well; especially Master Yoda," he agreed. "He was right, you know," Obi-Wan said thoughtfully. "_'An excellent Master for Mara Jade, you will make,'_" he quoted proudly, as Anakin grinned in amused gratitude. "Just be careful, Anakin," Obi-Wan warned him. "The Master/Padawan bond is an attachment, and attachments _can_ cause you to take complete leave of your senses at times."

"I'll be careful," Anakin promised, nodding seriously.

"See that you are," Obi-Wan agreed; then he laughed, shaking his head. "It happens in small ways, that you don't even notice at first," he warned Anakin. "One day your seventeen-year-old padawan needs new boots, so you take him shopping, and he picks black ones," he laughed quietly. "And then he sees a black belt and over-tunic to match, and you say 'why not?', thinking it looks rather smart with his white tunic and brown cloak," Obi-Wan added regretfully.

"But then one day he gets the brilliant idea to dye _all_ of his clothes black," Obi-Wan continued, sighing. "And because you have a soft spot when it comes to his childish obsession with arts and crafts projects, you let him try it," he admitted, as Anakin grinned happily at the memory. "And before you know it, you end up with _this,_" Obi-Wan laughed, gesturing at his brother's ridiculous outfit.

"Ha," Anakin laughed. "Point taken," he conceded good-naturedly. "But that's not going to happen, Obi-Wan," Anakin assured him, nodding confidently. "Mara doesn't like arts and crafts."

"Thank the Force," Obi-Wan laughed; but then he sighed worriedly. "I'm serious, Anakin," he said. "When _I_ let my guard down, and allowed myself to be too lenient and trusting, you simply dressed strangely - and married the Queen of Naboo when I wasn't looking," he reproached his brother crossly. "But with Mara it's different," he pointed out. "Anakin, if you allow your affection toward your padawan to cloud your judgment, someone could get killed," Obi-Wan warned him quietly.

Anakin nodded. "I know," he said reluctantly. "I'll be careful, Obi-Wan," he promised, his blue eyes conveying his sincerity. Obi-Wan nodded, giving his brother an approving smile; but now Anakin looked at him curiously. "How did it go with Luke?"

"Ah," Obi-Wan said cheerfully. "Very well," he told Anakin. "He is by far the best padawan I've ever had," he added, as Anakin pouted momentarily, before breaking into a proud grin. "I spoke with Tion Medon earlier this evening," Obi-Wan said quietly. "We'll be leaving for Utapau in the morning," he said, smiling at the thought of seeing his old friend Boga again.

Anakin nodded appreciatively. "Thank you, Obi-Wan," he said again, with sincere gratitude. "Luke couldn't ask for a better birthday present... Or a better Master," Anakin confessed. "I'm really glad you're training him."

"Thank you," Obi-Wan said, smiling. "So am I," he agreed. But then he sighed as he remembered Leila, and cast a worried glance toward the window, where the skyscrapers of Coruscant twinkled brightly against the night sky.

Anakin caught his look, and nodded, smiling quietly. "Go," he told Obi-Wan, nodding toward the window. "I'll cover for you."

* * *

><p><em>Meanwhile...<em>

_"Next week on SITH..."_ Leila shared a hopeful smile with Elena and Kyra as they sat on the couch together, watching the preview for next week's show. _I wonder if Obi-Wan will be on?_ Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon had filmed a short scene together last week, but neither of them seemed to have any idea when it would be aired, or what it was about for that matter.

But now Leila grinned excitedly as Mace Windu appeared on the holo, with his band of exiled Jedi padawans. "There's Zak!" Elena exclaimed, as they caught a glimpse of him amongst the other children. _He looks so cute..._

Maia had fallen asleep on Leila's lap, but she lifted her head now at the mention of her brother. "Zak's on?" she asked hopefully, peering at the holo monitor and blinking sleepily.

"Yes, sweety... Oh!" Leila exclaimed in surprise. "He's got his new lightsaber!" she said excitedly, watching as Zak did a spinning flip through the air, igniting his double-ended blue saber in mid leap. "Wow... He is getting really good with that thing." Leila blinked in astonishment, truly impressed by her grandson's talent.

"Yes," Elena nodded cheerfully. "Cory says he was ecstatic to finally use it on the show; Cliegg saw him practicing a couple weeks ago, and - " she broke off as Leila's transmitter beeped suddenly, indicating an incoming call.

"It's probably for you," Leila said, giving Kyra a meaningful look; but Kyra shook her head now, cringing apologetically. _Why does this not surprise me,_ Leila sighed, getting up from the couch and answering the call. "Hello?" she said politely.

"Hi, Leila... it's Nate," the young man introduced himself, sounding adorably nervous.

"Nate!" Leila smiled cheerfully. "How are you?" Nate was one of Jon's friends from high school, and was now his roommate; the two of them had been renting an apartment together since graduating five years ago. Nate worked as a bartender for a local cantina, and Jon had recently gotten a new job as a concierge for a fancy hotel downtown.

"I'm fine, thank you," Nate replied politely. "I was wondering if Kyra was there?"

Leila gave Kyra a questioning look; but again, Kyra shook her head, her expression pleading. "No, I'm sorry," Leila apologized, covering for her daughter. "Kyra's working late tonight; but I'll tell her you called," she promised. Kyra worked as a waitress at a restaurant not far from their apartment; some nights she _did_ have to work late, and Leila was grateful for the convenient excuse.

"Oh... Thank you," Nate said, masking his disappointment. "I appreciate it."

"You're welcome," Leila assured him cheerfully. "It's good to hear from you, Nate... Tell Jon I say hello," she added warmly, saying goodbye to the young man.

"Who's Nate?" Elena asked now, raising an eyebrow at Kyra; Maia was looking at her suspiciously too.

"Eh," Kyra sighed. "He's Jon's friend; I went out with him last week," she told Elena. "He's... nice," she conceded, shrugging.

"He's _very_ nice," Leila agreed, giving her daughter a look of gentle reproach as she rejoined the others on the couch. "And thoughtful... and handsome," she added, sharing a rueful smile with Elena, who nodded in quiet understanding. _He's not Dorian._

"I know," Kyra cringed unhappily. "I just..." she shrugged, shaking her head. "I'm sorry."

Leila smiled tenderly. "It's all right, sweety," she said, stroking Kyra's blonde hair. "You're young," she told her daughter. "And if it doesn't feel right, it doesn't feel right," she agreed. _You certainly have more sense than I ever did,_ Leila sighed ruefully. Still, she was concerned for her daughter. Kyra had been in love with Dorian Solo since she was ten; the young Corellian prince had asked her to be his ballroom dancing partner at school that year, but had moved away four years later, when his father's Senate term had ended.

_You have to let him go, sweetheart,_ Leila sighed regretfully. Dorian had always been kind to Kyra, but aside from the mandatory dance lessons, he had never expressed any romantic feelings toward her. Besides, he was a prince; Leila didn't want to crush her daughter's hopes and dreams, but it broke her heart to see Kyra still pining over him like this. _It's been five years, sweety. You need to move on._

"Well," Elena said, stroking Maia's shiny black hair, in between her delicate white horns. "We should get home to bed; it's way past your bedtime," she reminded her daughter. Elena and Maia had a little apartment two floors down from Leila and Kyra; they often spent their evenings together, and Leila was grateful to have at least the female members of her family nearby.

"No," Maia protested sleepily, blinking. "I want to wait for Obi-Wan." Obi-Wan and Leila were Maia's true biological grandparents, but she had always simply called them by their first names, though she'd known the truth since she was three.

"He might not be here for another hour or so," Leila apologized to her granddaughter, smiling tenderly. Maia was only eight, and it was a school night; she'd slept a bit this evening on the couch as they watched the holo, but it was getting late, and she needed to get to bed.

Maia nodded obediently, following her mother toward the door; but then she stopped suddenly, the silvery-blue lines on her forehead converging as she furrowed her brows. "No," she blinked, sensing something. "He's coming," she insisted, her expression intent. Then she grinned in delight, her onyx eyes sparkling cheerfully. "He's here!" Maia announced, running toward Leila's bedroom to greet her grandfather.

Sure enough, a moment later Obi-Wan appeared in the bedroom doorway; Leila and Elena exchanged a knowing smile, not surprised by the girl's intuition. "Obi-Wan!" Maia exclaimed, wrapping her arms around him and laying her head against his chest. "We saw Zak on the holo!" she told him, grinning excitedly.

"Did you?" Obi-Wan grinned, picking her up and giving her a kiss on her silver-striped cheek. "My goodness, you're getting big," he added proudly, as Maia beamed in delight, wrapping her arms around his neck and laying her head on his shoulder sleepily. "Hello there," Obi-Wan said cheerfully to the others, his eyes twinkling happily as they greeted him with hugs and kisses.

"How was your day?" Leila asked hopefully; she knew that Anakin had been planning to ask Luke to be his padawan today, and was eager to hear the latest news. _Please tell me he finally said yes..._

"It was... interesting," Obi-Wan replied, blinking in disbelief as he sat down on the couch, still holding Maia in his arms.

"Did Anakin ask Luke again?" Leila asked, sitting next to Obi-Wan as Elena and Kyra joined them, their expressions curious.

"He did," Obi-Wan nodded, his expression somewhat apologetic. "Interesting story..." Leila and the others listened in surprise and confusion as Obi-Wan related the day's strange events. "And so in the end, Anakin took Mara as his padawan, in the hope that Luke would change his mind, and stay with the Order," Obi-Wan informed them, a hint of regret in his voice.

"Oh no," Leila whispered, stunned. "What about Luke?" she asked worriedly, heartbroken that things had gone so horribly wrong, and that Anakin would not be allowed to train his son, as he had been hoping to do for years. _This is terrible..._

"Ah," Obi-Wan sighed, a rueful smile crossing his face as he gave Leila an apologetic look. "Luke is now my padawan," he told them gently, with a wistful smile.

"He is?" Leila exclaimed, smiling delightedly. "Obi-Wan, that's - " Instantly her smile faded as the implications hit her. _He won't be able to get away every night, if he's got a padawan to take care of._ Tears stung Leila's eyes and her heart ached as she remembered the last time Obi-Wan had taken a padawan. _He left me, and I never saw him again for years..._

"Leila, I'm sorry," Obi-Wan apologized, gently handing his granddaughter over to Elena, then embracing Leila, kissing her reassuringly. "I'm so sorry; I should have spoken with you first," he said, his eyes conveying his sincere remorse.

"It's - it's all right," Leila said bravely, quickly coming to her senses. _This isn't like what happened the last time,_ she told herself. _He's not leaving me, and I'm not pregnant._ "It will be all right," she assured Obi-Wan, managing a rueful smile. _Elena has been dealing with this since Cory took Zak as his padawan; and Padme's been preparing for it too,_ Leila reminded herself. "We'll make it work."

Obi-Wan nodded, smiling in gratitude. "I'll come as often as I can," he promised her, stroking her hair gently and kissing her on the cheek. "It won't be every night, but... we'll make it work," he agreed, with a tender smile; then he looked down, sighing regretfully. "I have to be getting back soon," he apologized, as Leila nodded in understanding. "Will you be all right?"

"Yes... of course." Leila gave him a reassuring smile, running her fingers through his lovely, silky ginger hair; but then she frowned worriedly, her professional eye telling her that something was very wrong with it. "Hey!" Leila pouted indignantly, fingering through his hair and finding several spots that had been hacked off nearly to his scalp. "Have you been seeing another hairdresser behind my back?"

Obi-Wan laughed, nodding. "I'm afraid Luke doesn't have your talent," he apologized, as Leila squinted in confused disbelief at the mangled disaster her nephew had made of his hair.

"No, he sure doesn't," Leila agreed, tousling Obi-Wan's hair and trying to get it to lie properly again, as Maia giggled in amusement. Obi-Wan smiled good-naturedly at his granddaughter; then he gave them all another apologetic look.

"I'll be gone for a few days," Obi-Wan told them, with a wistful smile. "I'm taking Luke to Utapau, to see Boga, and explore the caves," he added, a glimmer of excitement and anticipation in his blue-green eyes.

Leila smiled. "I hope you have a wonderful time," she said, kissing him on the cheek.

"Thank you," Obi-Wan said, with a grateful look at Elena and Kyra as well; then he got up from the couch, heading toward the bedroom once more. "I'll be back in a few days," he promised, hugging them all goodbye, and giving Maia a tender kiss on her forehead.

"Goodbye," Leila whispered, gazing into her husband's beautiful eyes. "Come back soon." Obi-Wan nodded, kissing her once more and holding her close against him for a moment; and then with a final loving smile, he was gone, climbing out the window and vanishing into the shadows of the streets below.

Leila smiled wistfully for a moment, looking out the window after him; then she turned back to Elena, Maia, and Kyra. "I'm glad you're here," she confessed, tears springing to her eyes despite her brave smile as they hugged her consolingly. _We are the strangest family in the galaxy,_ Leila laughed to herself, taking her granddaughter in her arms and cuddling her close, kissing her silvery-striped cheek and stroking her silky black hair tenderly as they said goodnight. _But somehow, we make it work._


	113. Of Masters and Padawans

**Chapter 113**

_The next morning..._

"Happy birthday, Luke," Anakin said, tousling his son's hair affectionately. "Have a nice trip."

"Thank you, Master Anakin," Luke said shyly; he had no idea where Obi-Wan was taking him today, but his blue eyes were sparkling with excitement and anticipation for his first off-planet voyage as a Jedi padawan. "May the Force be with you," he added politely, remembering the proper farewell as he bowed respectfully to Anakin and Mara.

"May the Force be with you," Anakin replied, giving Obi-Wan an appreciative nod as they said goodbye in the docking bay. Luke grinned as he climbed up into the cockpit of his Starfighter, waving one last time before closing the hatch; but Anakin caught his son's fleeting look of apology to Mara. _He's such a nice kid; he tries so hard not to make her jealous._

Mara had also been on her best behavior this morning, and had even wished Luke a happy birthday during breakfast; Anakin smiled proudly as they waved goodbye to Luke and Obi-Wan, watching them take off from the docking bay and disappear into the cloudy sky.

But now he sensed his padawan's dismay, and gave her a reassuring smile. _That's got to be hard for her to watch,_ he admitted, remembering that Mara had never been allowed to fly solo before. _But you will soon, sweety. I promise._ "So," Anakin said amiably, glancing toward the training Starfighters that the younglings used. "Shall we do a little flying?"

He was surprised to feel Mara's reluctance and disappointment at the prospect, but she nodded obediently. "Yes Master," Mara replied, valiantly trying to play the part of the dutiful padawan as they approached one of the training Starfighters.

_Wow,_ Anakin thought as he climbed into the cockpit, sitting in the instructor's seat. _I haven't been in one of these since... Have I ever been in one of these?_ he wondered; Anakin couldn't remember a time when he hadn't been able to fly solo himself.

Mara was now squeezing into the tiny pilot's seat; the training Starfighter was designed for young children, but thankfully Mara was small for her age, and managed to fit reasonably well. Still, she looked a bit uncomfortable in the child-sized cockpit as she took off from the docking bay, flying up toward the Jedi flight training course.

"All right," Anakin said encouragingly, as they emerged from Coruscant's atmosphere and arrived at the training course. "Give it your best shot." Mara nodded, extending her wing flaps; then, taking a deep breath to focus herself - which sounded more like a dismal sigh - she dutifully proceeded to fly through the course.

_She's good,_ Anakin realized with surprise, suppressing a grin as Mara narrowly missed a piece of floating debris that had appeared unexpectedly in their path, then immediately swerved back onto the course, turning sideways and pulling up hard to evade the next obstacle. _Obi-Wan would hate this,_ he laughed to himself, delighted.

"A minute and forty-three seconds," Anakin told her, as they completed the circuit and returned to the starting point. "Not bad."

Mara shrugged half-heartedly, managing an appreciative smile. "Should I try it again?" she asked quietly; Anakin could sense her misery, along with an undercurrent of embarrassment, shame, and frustration at having to still fly in a child-sized training Starfighter at the age of twelve.

"No," Anakin said gently. "That was good," he told her, attempting to mask his own dismay. _She shouldn't have to fly this stupid thing,_ he lamented. _This sucks._ "Let's go back to the Temple," he said, as Mara nodded, obeying.

_I need to talk to her about this,_ Anakin admitted. He wanted so badly to tell her how he felt; that he believed in her, and hated this kiddie stuff as much as she did. _I want her to fly solo, in her own Starfighter... and to have a real lightsaber,_ he sighed; but deep down he had to admit that he couldn't trust her with those things just yet.

_I haven't even known her for a whole day yet, and already she's flung lightning at me, for no reason whatsoever,_ Anakin confessed. _She's been really good today; but yesterday she was acting like a two-year-old..._ Anakin wished he knew more about Mara's condition, and what she was truly capable of.

"Good job," Anakin praised her again, smiling approvingly as they touched down inside the docking bay.

"Thank you, Master," Mara said politely, switching off the engine and opening the cockpit hatch. _Don't worry, sweety. You won't have to fly this thing forever,_ Anakin vowed, as they climbed down from the cockpit. _I promise._

"Come on," he said, trying to act cheerful as he led the way back toward the hallway of the Temple. _Ahh, I hate doing this. But it's my job_. "Let's do a little studying in the library," Anakin suggested, as Mara nodded, trying to mask her dismay.

_I need to do some research too._

* * *

><p><em>Come on... Focus,<em> Mara frowned, forcing herself to pay attention to the words on her little datapad as she worked through the Level I Astronomy pretest. Master Anakin was doing some important research on the other side of the library, and he had asked Mara to take all of the Level I tests to see what she needed to work on.

_Ahh... I don't know any of this stuff,_ Mara lamented, taking her best guesses as she worked through the questions. _He's going to think I'm so stupid..._ Master Anakin had been incredibly kind to her today, in spite of her terrible behavior yesterday, and Mara had been trying her best to impress him this morning.

He had praised her flying abilities earlier, and told her that she was a talented pilot; but Mara had sensed his quiet disappointment, and knew that he was only saying that to be nice. _And now I'm failing this stupid pretest,_ Mara admitted, moving on to the next subject. _Master Anakin has been so patient with me. I hate that I'm letting him down._

* * *

><p><em>Aw, she's trying so hard.<em> Anakin smiled sympathetically, glancing across the library to where his padawan was studying. He could sense her misery from across the room; but Mara was valiantly concentrating on her little datapad, working her way through the Level I pretest.

Returning his attention to his own computer terminal, Anakin sighed, sobered by what he had read. He had been researching death stick babies for the past half hour, and was dismayed to learn that most of these children ended up on the streets, or in prison. Death stick babies lacked judgment and impulse control; it was very common for them to react violently to the slightest offense, and many of them were committed as children to psychiatric facilities, where they remained for the rest of their lives, unable to function in normal society.

_And Mara has Force powers on top of that,_ Anakin reminded himself, painfully aware of the dangers involved in giving a lightsaber to a death stick baby. After researching the subject, Anakin had to agree that the Council had been wise to err on the side of caution, controlling Mara's environment and restricting her access to deadly weapons for the safety of others.

_But she's capable of so much more,_ Anakin felt instinctively. _She's a good pilot; she could easily fly her own Starfighter... if only she could be trusted not to run away, or to randomly attack someone for no reason,_ he sighed. And the same was true of her lightsaber skills; it wasn't her technique that Anakin questioned, but rather her judgment, and her ability to control her anger in the heat of the moment.

Then he blinked thoughtfully, remembering something his father had told him. _Green Ilum crystals..._ Anakin had learned from his own padawan studies that in ancient days, lightsabers made from blue crystals were used by Jedi warriors, while green ones were used exclusively by ambassadors of peace. Nowadays the Order made no such distinction, but Qui-Gon had explained to Anakin the reasoning behind the old Code.

All crystals vibrated with the Living Force, and one of Qui-Gon's rare talents was that he could _feel_ the color of a deactivated lightsaber without even turning it on. Anakin himself could feel the difference when the saber was activated; blue crystals gave off an energizing vibration which stimulated an adrenaline rush while fighting, whereas green ones felt more calming and peaceful. Qui-Gon had explained that this was why they had been traditionally used by Jedi ambassadors of peace; the green crystals subtly helped the wielder of the lightsaber to maintain serenity and composure.

Anakin had never liked green lightsabers for that very reason; when he was using one, he simply didn't _want_ to fight, because it felt somehow dull, and boring. But in Mara's case, that could be be a good thing...

_I have to try this,_ Anakin decided, switching off his computer terminal and getting up from his seat to rejoin his padawan on the other side of the library. _She deserves a chance._

_But she'll probably throw a sulking fit when she sees the color,_ Anakin cringed, bracing himself for another Force lightning attack. Literally all Jedi padawans preferred blue sabers for their intensity and brilliance; green ones were for old people. _I'm going to have to explain this to her,_ Anakin sighed, preparing himself for the difficult conversation ahead.

* * *

><p>"How's it going?" Master Anakin asked, smiling as he sat down beside Mara, peering curiously at her datapad.<p>

"Um... All right," Mara said hesitantly, as Master Anakin looked over the answers to her pretest. "I skipped some of the questions," she confessed. _I'm sorry I'm so dumb..._

"That's all right," Master Anakin reassured her, pushing some buttons on the datapad. "Let's see how you did." Mara cringed apprehensively as he brought up her results. _Ahh, I probably got everything wrong._ Master Anakin's brows furrowed momentarily, and she could feel his surprise and worry; but he quickly masked it, smiling encouragingly. "Well, you got some of them right," he told her optimistically, nodding in approval. "That's a good start, Mara; now we know what we need to work on," he said, pushing a few more buttons before turning the datapad off.

"Come on," Master Anakin said, getting up from the couch. "Let's do some lightsaber practice."

"Yes, Master," Mara replied, getting up and following him out of the library. _He's so nice to me,_ she realized once again, sobered by her Master's patience, and resolving to work harder than ever. _He doesn't tell me that I'm stupid. He makes me feel like... like I'm all right,_ she confessed, feeling her Master's comforting presence now as they walked through the hallway together. Master Anakin still hadn't turned her inhibitor device back on since yesterday's lightning attack; Mara was truly overwhelmed by his kindness and forgiveness.

_He reminds me of Luke,_ Mara thought wistfully, wondering how he and Master Obi-Wan were doing. Master Anakin had explained that they had gone to Utapau to explore the caves and perhaps see some dragons; Mara hoped that Luke was having a good time. _I miss him,_ she confessed, sighing. But Master Anakin gave her a reassuring smile now, sensing her momentary sadness, and Mara smiled gratefully in return as they reached the training rooms.

"All right," Master Anakin said casually as they entered one of the empty rooms, going over to the supply cabinet and pulling out a training saber for himself. "Do your worst," he challenged her, activating the blue kiddie saber.

_Master Anakin is so cool,_ Mara thought, going at him with all of her might. Most teachers began their saber training sessions with boring warm-up exercises and katas; but Master Anakin seemed to prefer launching straight into the fun part, with an invigorating freestyle duel.

_Ahh,_ Mara grunted, frustrated. _He's too good! There's no way I can... Oh, crap,_ she scowled, suddenly finding herself on the floor.

"That's good, Mara," Master Anakin praised her, as she got to her feet again. "You have good instincts," he said, as they resumed their duel. They fought for several minutes before Master Anakin finally motioned for her to stop, and Mara nodded obediently, retracting her lightsaber.

"Great job," he told her again, his blue eyes twinkling in approval. "Now," he continued, with a regretful sigh. "We're going to back up, and go through your training exercises, from the very beginning. You're a good fighter, Mara; but your balance is all wrong," Master Anakin said gently.

Mara nodded, feeling embarrassed as tears suddenly stung her eyes. "I'm sorry, Master," she apologized, his words stabbing painfully inside her heart; somehow Master Anakin's gentle disapproval hurt so much more deeply than Master Daeron's ever had, or Master Tyrion's.

"It's all right," Master Anakin said reassuringly, putting a gentle hand on her shoulder, as Mara nodded gratefully, blinking away her tears. "And it's not your fault," he added, a tone of regret in his voice. "Training sabers aren't balanced properly; you'll never develop the right technique with that thing," he told her quietly.

Mara nodded, masking her dismay; but now Master Anakin's eyes took on their familiar mischievous glimmer, and he smiled, patting her encouragingly on the shoulder again. "As I said," he continued, going over to the supply cabinet. "We're going to start from the beginning, with your basic saber techniques," he repeated. "But this time - " he smiled dramatically, pulling out another lightsaber - _a real one,_ Mara realized, her eyes widening in stunned disbelief - "I want you to try it with this," Master Anakin said, handing the weapon to her.

Mara stared at the elegant black hilt, feeling the strange weight of it in her hand. Training sabers were a bit lighter, to compensate for the lack of power in the blade; but real sabers were weighted differently, and Mara was awed by the sheer elegance of this one. It wasn't the same as Luke's, or the other younglings'; instead of a smooth silver hilt with a black button, this one was black and rippled, with a silver button...

"Go ahead," Master Anakin encouraged her gently, stepping back. Mara nodded, pressing the button... And gasped in awe as it hummed to life, the blade glowing a beautiful, shimmering green.

"About the color," Master Anakin said, his tone apologetic. "I know that most people prefer blue..."

"No," Mara whispered, awestruck by the beautiful saber. "It's perfect," she assured her Master, giving him a look of heartfelt gratitude.

"You... you like it?" Master Anakin asked, his expression guarded but hopeful.

"Yes," Mara nodded vigorously, unable to suppress a delighted smile; she could _feel_ the beautiful green glow, surrounding her and penetrating her, filling her with a strange sense of calm. "I love it," she confessed quietly, not daring to hope that she might be allowed to keep it. "Green is my favorite color," she admitted shyly, with an appreciative look at her Master.

"It is?" Master Anakin asked, smiling and blinking in surprise. "That's - that's great," he nodded, still looking a bit caught off guard. _I know,_ Mara smiled ruefully, giving him a look of shy apology. _I'm weird that way._ The other younglings had always preferred blue lightsabers; but Mara secretly liked being different.

"All right," Master Anakin nodded, taking his place beside her and igniting his own blue saber, adopting the basic opening stance as Mara followed suit, drawing upon the magical green glow of her lightsaber as she found her calm center. "Let's start from the beginning."

* * *

><p><em>Meanwhile, on Naboo...<em>

"Congratulations, Milady," Master Qui-Gon nodded respectfully, as Zak and Master Cory stood beside him. "You must be very proud of her," he added, casting an appreciative glance toward the palace steps, where Queen Amidala stood with her handmaidens and royal guards, overseeing the festivities. Today was the Queen's thirteenth birthday, and Zak, Master Cory, and Master Qui-Gon had been asked to attend the festivities here in Theed.

_Actually,_ Zak blinked worriedly, remembering. _Wasn't Master Obi-Wan supposed to come too?_ Zak had been looking forward to seeing his old Master today, but it was nearly noon now, and he still hadn't arrived.

"Thank you." Senator Amidala smiled graciously, nodding to Master Qui-Gon. "Yes, I am very proud of her," she agreed wistfully.

_Ahh... This is kind of boring,_ Zak sighed; but it was his job as one of the official Jedi ambassadors to stand there looking important, and so he squared his shoulders now, standing next to Master Cory with his feet spread at shoulder width apart, his expression solemn.

"Obi-Wan sends his best wishes as well," Master Qui-Gon added to Senator Amidala. "He apologizes that he wasn't able to make it today; it seems he's taken on a new padawan," Qui-Gon informed the Senator.

"He has?" Senator Amidala asked, obviously surprised. _Yeah,_ Zak blinked, equally taken aback by this news. _Master Obi-Wan's taken a padawan?_

"Yes," Master Qui-Gon nodded calmly. "A boy by the name of Luke Starkiller," he told Senator Amidala. _Luke Starkiller,_ Zak frowned, trying to remember him. _Which one is he?_ There were so many Lukes in the classes ahead of Zak; it was hard to keep them all straight.

"Really?" Senator Amidala asked; her expression was mildly curious, but Zak could sense her deep surprise, and oddly enough, a touch of worry and alarm.

"Yes," Master Qui-Gon confirmed politely; and then Zak suddenly remembered. _Oh,_ he sighed in regret. _All of these Lukes were named after her own son_. Zak had seen the famous _JEDI_ episode in which 'Luke' and 'Leia' were born, but he had been dismayed to learn that the real Luke Amidala had not survived childbirth. _No wonder it upsets her_.

"Anakin has taken a padawan as well," Master Qui-Gon continued, tactfully changing the subject. _Really?_ Zak blinked. _Everybody's taking padawans these days..._ "A girl by the name of Mara Jade."

"Oh," Senator Amidala nodded again; she was still barely concealing her emotions at the memory of her dead son. "That's... interesting," she replied evenly, maintaining her composure. There were hundreds of people here outside the palace today, and Senator Amidala had once been Queen of Naboo herself; she understood the importance of appearing calm and collected in front of the people who looked up to her for guidance and leadership.

"Yes," Master Qui-Gon said softly. "It _is_ interesting," he agreed, proceeding to relate the details to the Senator. Zak was only half listening; apparently this Luke Starkiller had made a speech before the High Council, protesting the injustices against female younglings in the Order. _Wow... he has guts,_ Zak admitted, still wondering which one he was. _Whoever he is, he's lucky,_ Zak thought wistfully; he had always loved Master Obi-Wan, and knew that he would make an excellent Master for his new padawan.

But now the Governor began his speech, and Zak sighed, standing dutifully at attention and pretending to listen. _Naboo is a beautiful planet,_ Zak admitted, truly glad to be here; it was a beautiful day with clear blue skies, and he loved feeling the warmth of the Naboo sun. _But these people have so many ceremonies, it's ridiculous,_ he sighed, remembering that they would all be coming back here next week for Naboo's Unification Day celebration.

_At least it's almost the weekend,_ Zak reminded himself cheerfully. Tomorrow was Saturday, which meant he would be visiting his 'Little Sister' on Coruscant. Zak and Master Cory had volunteered for a mentoring program for low-income children a few months ago, and had been assigned to a young Zabrak girl from a broken home.

_It will be fun to see her again,_ Zak thought happily. _She's really cute._ Maia was actually only half Zabrak; her mother was human, but her Zabrak father had apparently abandoned them years ago. Zak didn't understand the exact details of what had happened, and Master Cory didn't seem to know either; but Maia was a sweet little girl, and Zak was happy to be a 'Big Brother' to her.

_Her mom's really nice too,_ Zak confessed; Elena always invited them in for milk and cookies, and often joined them on their Saturday outings. She was a big _SITH_ fan, and always asked about Zak's experiences working on the show, as well as his real-life studies as a Jedi padawan.

_It's weird being famous,_ Zak laughed to himself; he was used to everyone in the galaxy recognizing him from the show, and in truth he enjoyed the attention. _I like being a Jedi,_ he decided cheerfully, standing proudly beside Master Cory as he continued to ignore the Governor's droning speech. _I wouldn't want it any other way._

* * *

><p>"Good job, Mara," Anakin said, deactivating his saber as they finished their training exercises. "Your balance is already much better," he praised her.<p>

"Thank you, Master," Mara replied shyly, retracting her new green lightsaber as well as they sat down on the bench together.

_Ahh... I have to talk to her about this,_ Anakin sighed. "Mara," he began gently, with a regretful glance at her new lightsaber hilt. "You know I'm not supposed to let you keep that," he apologized quietly.

He could feel Mara's dismay, and a painful sense of shame; but she nodded obediently, masking her disappointment. "I know, Master," she agreed reluctantly, handing it back to him.

"No," Anakin said, taking her hand gently and closing her fingers around the black hilt. "I want you to show me that I can trust you with this, Mara," he told her, keeping his own hand wrapped reassuringly around hers as she held her new saber.

Mara gulped, nodding; Anakin felt a fleeting sense of uncertainty, but it was quickly replaced by genuine relief, and gratitude. "Yes, Master," Mara whispered humbly, her green eyes conveying her sincerity.

_This is no two-year-old,_ Anakin realized again, smiling at his padawan with quiet pride. "Mara," he continued. "You know none of this is your fault," he reminded her, gently stroking her soft, red curls. Mara nodded gratefully, sniffing back the tears that were threatening. "I'm proud of you, Mara," Anakin told her, smiling tenderly.

"Thank you, Master," Mara said quietly, managing an appreciative smile.

Anakin nodded reassuringly; then he gave her a playful grin. "I've been warned about you, you know," he told her, with a look of mischievous reproach; Mara grinned, her green eyes twinkling in amusement, but she nodded, bowing her head in humble apology. "Master Daeron was certain you'd try to stab me with that knife of yours," Anakin laughed. "They say you can't be trusted with a real lightsaber, and that if I ever let you have your own Starfighter, I'd end up chasing you all over the galaxy," he said, as Mara blinked sadly, though she couldn't help giggling at the thought.

"Let's prove them wrong, Mara," Anakin said quietly.

Mara nodded, tears springing to her eyes. "Yes Master," she agreed fervently. "I won't let you down, I promise," she whispered, giving him a look of sincere gratitude.

"Good." Anakin smiled encouragingly, patting her on the shoulder. "Because if I'm wrong about this," he sighed, shaking his head. "It's back to kiddie sabers and training fighters," he warned her, as Mara nodded in quiet understanding.

"We're going to Naboo next week," Anakin reminded her again. "I want you to fly there in your own Starfighter," he said. "And I would like for you to carry a real lightsaber," he added. "Mara, I want you to prove to me that you can do this," Anakin pleaded, searching her green eyes for understanding.

"Yes, Master," Mara nodded, giving him an appreciative smile; then she looked down sadly. "Master," she continued uncomfortably. "I know what they say... that I'm - " she broke off tearfully. "Master, I promise... I would never hurt anyone," she whispered. "Even when - when it gets really bad, with the - " she shrugged apologetically, gesturing with her fingers. "I _can_ control it, Master," she confessed reluctantly, looking at the floor. "Maybe not so much when I was younger, but..." Mara hung her head, sniffing back tears. "I can do this, Master," she promised quietly.

Anakin smiled, nodding proudly as he patted her on the back. "I believe you can, Mara," he told her, stroking her hair tenderly. "And like you said... it was different when you were younger," he conceded, as Mara nodded in agreement. "But you're twelve now... almost thirteen," Anakin said proudly, as Mara smiled. "It's time to leave this kiddie stuff behind," he said gently.

"It's up to you, Mara," Anakin told her. "It's up to you, whether you get to have a real lightsaber, and fly in your own Starfighter," he said, with a hopeful smile. "Or whether we have to go back to the kiddie stuff," he sighed. "Mara, you know I don't enjoy carrying this stupid thing around," Anakin said, casting a dismayed glance at the remote control on his belt. "Prove to me that I don't have to."

Mara smiled, nodding. "All right," she agreed, giving him an appreciative look, her emerald eyes filled with hope, and trust. "I promise, Master," she said shyly. "I won't let you down."

"Good," Anakin nodded, satisfied with her answer. "Come on," he said cheerfully, getting up from the bench and heading for the doorway. "Let's go try out your new Starfighter."

Mara nodded obediently, her green eyes shining with joy and a newfound spark of determination as she followed her Master out into the hallway, her new lightsaber clipped proudly to her belt.

* * *

><p><em>Four days later...<em>

"Goodbye, Tion," Master Obi-Wan said with a warm smile, as he and Luke returned to their Starfighters outside Utapau's communications center. "Thank you again, for your kind hospitality," he added, bowing humbly.

"Goodbye, Master Kenobi," Tion Medon nodded respectfully. "It has been a pleasure seeing you again. And you, young Luke," she added graciously, baring her pointy yellow teeth as she smiled at him. "I hope you enjoyed your stay."

"Thank you," Luke said shyly, bowing to the tall Utapauan. "It was... amazing," he blurted out innocently, too awestruck by the events of the past four days to put it properly into words.

Tion smiled at him fondly, baring her sharp teeth once again; then she turned back to Master Obi-Wan. "Have a safe journey back to Coruscant," she said, curtseying gracefully. "I look forward to your next visit."

"Thank you, Tion," Master Obi-Wan said, bowing his head respectfully as he and Luke turned to leave. But as they reached their Starfighters, Obi-Wan stopped suddenly, a look of amusement crossing his face as he sensed something. "Goodbye, Boga," he said, turning toward the shadowy recess nearby. "_Again,_" the Jedi Master added pointedly, raising an eyebrow in reproach.

Luke grinned; Boga had been following them everywhere for the past four days, and he and Master Obi-Wan had already said goodbye to her twice this morning. _"Wawoot,"_ the dragon replied apologetically now, meekly emerging from the shadows and approaching Master Obi-Wan, nuzzling against him fondly with her teal headfeathers.

"Not to worry," Master Obi-Wan assured her, patting her gently on the shoulder. "We shall be back again, before too long," he promised. "Now go," he added with mock sternness. "Before those grandchildren of yours get themselves into any more trouble," he warned the dragon, his eyes twinkling with affection.

_"Wawoot,"_ Boga blinked reluctantly, nuzzling him one last time.

Master Obi-Wan smiled fondly. "Goodbye, Boga," he said, stroking her headfeathers. "We'll visit again soon, I promise."

_I can't wait,_ Luke confessed, smiling wistfully as Boga finally turned to leave, retreating back into the shadowy recesses of the cavern to return to her own canyon in the next sinkhole.

It had been an amazing four days. He and Master Obi-Wan had explored several of Utapau's winding caverns, and had hiked the entire length of Boga's own hidden canyon, along the sparkling blue river surrounded by lush tropical vegetation, with magical waterfalls all around. Luke had never been away from the urban sprawl of Coruscant for so long before, and it had been incredible to spend four whole days in this unspoiled paradise, camping along the winding riverbed and sleeping beneath the stars, with Boga keeping a faithful watch over them.

But now it was time to leave, and Luke gave his Master an appreciative smile as they climbed into their Starfighters once again. "I'll see you back on Coruscant, Luke," Master Obi-Wan said reassuringly, as Luke nodded obediently, settling into his cockpit and closing the windshield hatch.

A minute later they had left Utapau behind them, rejoining their hyperdrive rings and making the jump to lightspeed. Luke settled back in his seat, smiling at the memory of his visit to Utapau. _I'll never forget it,_ he realized, truly overwhelmed by his first experience off-planet as a Jedi padawan.

_Master Obi-Wan is amazing,_ Luke admitted, recalling all of the fascinating things his Master had taught him over the past four days, as they had hiked together through the caverns and along the winding canyon. In fact, it was because of Master Obi-Wan that they had been allowed to come here at all; the native Utapauans were extremely shy, and rarely allowed outsiders to visit their planet. But Master Obi-Wan was the official Jedi ambassador to Utapau, and years ago Tion Medon had given him permission to visit as often as he liked.

Luke had been fascinated to hear the story of how Obi-Wan had found Boga as a young hatchling when he was just a padawan himself, secretly (and illegally) visiting Utapau with his own Master, Qui-Gon. _And now Boga's a grandmother,_ Luke grinned, remembering the look of delight on Master Obi-Wan's face when Boga had led them quietly toward the edge of a rocky precipice, where they had peered down to see her three-month-old grandchildren romping playfully inside a secluded canyon sanctuary, their mother resting beneath a shady tree nearby.

Master Obi-Wan had told Luke all sorts of other interesting stories as well, as they hiked along the river and explored the caverns together. Luke had naively assumed that Master Obi-Wan had taught younglings at the Temple all of his life; but he had been delighted to hear stories of his own padawan days, as well as his humorous misadventures in training his first apprentice.

_Master Anakin..._ Luke still felt a pang of guilt whenever he thought of him. _I wonder how he and Mara are doing,_ Luke sighed anxiously. He had been relieved to see Mara in such good spirits four days ago, when he and Master Obi-Wan had left for Utapau; but he couldn't help worrying about her. _I feel so bad,_ he confessed. _I got to go hiking and camping on Utapau for four days, while Mara's been stuck at the Temple, probably studying in the library the whole time,_ Luke realized once again, feeling suddenly guilty.

Later that evening, as Luke and Master Obi-Wan arrived on Coruscant and returned to their quarters, they shared a surprised look, hearing the muffled sound of a holo-monitor coming from the next apartment.

"Anakin?" Master Obi-Wan asked, knocking on his door. A moment later the door opened automatically, and Luke blinked in surprise to see Master Anakin and Mara watching the holo together, sitting inside a... _Is that a hovering Senate box?_ Luke wondered, staring in baffled confusion at the circular platform which took up nearly their entire living room. Mara and Master Anakin were seated comfortably inside, their feet propped up casually on the edges of the platform as they munched on a big bowl of popcorn.

"Hey!" Master Anakin grinned, as Luke and Master Obi-Wan came inside, still blinking in utter confusion. "How was your trip to Utapau?" Luke shared a quick glance with Mara, but they both dutifully maintained their indifferent composure.

"It was fine," Master Obi-Wan replied carefully; then his brows furrowed as he stared at their bizarre new piece of furniture. "Anakin... what in the blazes...?"

"You like it?" Master Anakin asked hopefully. "It's broken; it won't hover anymore," he explained regretfully. "Chancellor Palpatine asked us to take it away, and we figured since we don't have any other furniture..." Master Anakin shrugged, stuffing another handful of popcorn into his mouth. "Want some?" he asked casually, with his mouth full.

Luke gazed at the big bowl of popcorn longingly; in truth he _was_ hungry, as they'd been surviving on whatever fruit and nuts they could find for the past three days, since Boga had eaten all of their energy bars the first night while they were sleeping. Seeing his wistful look, Master Obi-Wan shook his head, laughing in quiet amusement. "Why not," he laughed good-naturedly, stepping into the Senate box as Luke climbed in after him.

_Wow,_ Luke grinned, squeezing in beside Master Obi-Wan and propping his feet up on the edge of the platform. _This is even cooler than the floating spoon._ Master Obi-Wan passed the bowl of popcorn over to him, taking a handful for himself; but now he frowned, his brows furrowing suddenly as he noticed their other new acquisition. "Is that my holo monitor?" he asked suspiciously.

"Ahh..." Master Anakin cringed. "We were only borrowing it," he apologized, giving Master Obi-Wan puppy-dog eyes and pouting innocently; Luke tried desperately not to laugh, sharing a secret amused grin with Mara. _I like Master Anakin,_ he decided once again, munching on a handful of popcorn as he peered curiously at the holo monitor. _He's fun._

They watched the rest of the broadcast together; it was a trivia game show, and Master Obi-Wan put them all to shame, enthusiastiaclly calling out all the answers before anyone else had a chance to even think. "You should go on the show, Master," Master Anakin suggested casually, as the broadcast ended.

Master Obi-Wan frowned self-consciously. "No, no," he protested, somewhat embarrassed by the thought; but now he gave Master Anakin a meaningful look, glancing toward the hallway. Master Anakin nodded, handing the bowl of popcorn to Mara as they got up, climbing out of the platform and hopping down to the floor below.

"Luke, I'll be back in a few minutes," Master Obi-Wan promised, with an appreciative smile. Luke nodded agreeably, as the two of them went out into the hallway to discuss... _Whatever it is that they talk about,_ Luke thought, sharing a shy smile with Mara now.

"How was your trip?" Mara asked, her green eyes sparkling happily to see him again.

"It was... great," Luke nodded, smiling; he didn't have the heart to tell her about all the fun things he and Master Obi-Wan had done while she was stuck here on Coruscant. "How are you doing?" he asked hopefully.

"Fine," Mara said, smiling. "Well, except for..." She cringed suddenly, casting an apprehensive glance toward the doorway where Master Anakin and Obi-Wan had disappeared a moment earlier. Picking up the datapad from the seat beside her, she showed it to Luke now. "I'm having trouble with this math thing," she admitted. "Master Anakin says if I can figure out the coordinates for Corellia, we can go there next week," she told him. "But I keep getting it wrong," she cringed unhappily.

Luke looked at the datapad, immediately seeing her error. "Here," he said gently, pointing to her mistake. "You need to add these two together..."

"Oh!" Mara blinked, nodding and taking her datapad back. "Cool... thanks," she said, fixing her answer. "Haha! Now we can go to Corellia... Hey, maybe you guys can come too," Mara suggested hopefully. "We're going to the royal palace; Master Anakin says everyone there is insane," she giggled, her emerald eyes twinkling in amusement.

"Really?" Luke asked, blinking in surprise. "Well that explains a lot, actually," he admitted, his brows furrowing as he thought back on what he had learned of Corellian history. "Wow... They're really crazy?"

"Yeah," Mara nodded gleefully. "I can't wait... Ohh, I hope you can come too," she sighed, giving him a shy smile. "I missed you," she confessed quietly.

_Aww..._ "I missed you too," Luke said, grinning shyly. Then he noticed something on her belt. "Hey... You have a new lightsaber?" he asked, blinking in surprise at the elegant, rippled black and silver hilt.

"Yes," Mara nodded happily, unclipping it from her belt. "Look at this!" She pressed the switch, and Luke smiled in amazement as it hummed to life, shimmering with an intense green glow.

"Mara," Luke exclaimed. "It's - " he broke off, touched by Mara's pride and happiness at finally having her first real lightsaber. "It's beautiful," he told her, smiling proudly.

Mara nodded in quiet appreciation, deactivating it again and clipping it back onto her belt. "Master Anakin is letting me keep it," she told him. "And he's leaving my - " she gestured to the base of her skull - "he's leaving it off, as long as I don't mess up," she said, with a nervous laugh. "He lets me fly solo; I have my own Starfighter now," she added, her eyes sparkling.

"Mara," Luke said, hugging her close. "That's wonderful." He smiled, stroking her beautiful red hair and admiring her padawan braid once again. "Mara, I'm so proud of you."

"Thank you," Mara said, smiling. "Master Anakin is really nice," she confessed.

"Yeah, I know," Luke nodded in agreement. He couldn't stop smiling; he'd never seen Mara this happy in her entire life. _Thank you, Master Anakin..._ But now he laughed again, looking at their new Senate box. "How did you get this thing in here?"

"We rolled it," Mara told him cheerfully. "All the way from the Senate hall... it was fun."

"Ha," Luke laughed; then he squinted at the doorway of their little apartment. "It fit through the door?"

"Eh... Almost." Mara shrugged, glancing ruefully at the crumpled side of the platform, which they had forcibly crushed in to make it fit.

Luke grinned. "Well I'm glad you've been having a good time," he said.

"Oh!" Mara exclaimed. "Guess what? We're all going to Naboo tomorrow," she told him happily.

"Yes, I know," Luke nodded. "For Unification Day." Master Obi-Wan had explained it to him during their trip to Utapau.

Mara nodded. "I've been studying all about it," she confessed proudly. "Master Anakin says we get to meet Queen Amidala... the _second_," she explained, as Luke nodded in cheerful agreement. "And Master Qui-Gon Jinn," Mara added, obviously proud of herself for remembering their names.

Luke grinned. "Well you already know Master Qui-Gon," he reminded her, as Mara's brows furrowed in surprise. "He used to stop by our class now and then; he's tall, with long grey hair... older guy," Luke reminded her. "He's the one who used to teach us about the Living Force."

Mara frowned. "Living Force Dude?" she asked uncertainly. Luke tried not to laugh; after hearing Master Obi-Wan's stories of his revered Master for the past four days, it was hard to think of him as 'Living Force Dude.'

"Yes," Luke nodded, stifling a laugh. "Though I wouldn't recommend calling him that in front of Master Obi-Wan."

"Yeah, I know," Mara shrugged. "Ahh," she sighed. "He's kind of boring," she lamented, obviously disappointed to find out who he was.

"He is not!" Luke retorted defensively. "I like him," he confessed, with an apologetic shrug. "He's really nice." Luke had always appreciated learning about the Living Force, but unfortunately it went completely over Mara's head, and she had always been bored to tears by Master Qui-Gon's group meditation exercises.

Mara shrugged good-naturedly, too happy to argue with him. But now they sensed their Masters returning, and he and Mara shared one last secret loving glance. "I'm glad things are going so well," Luke said quietly. "See you for breakfast tomorrow?"

Mara nodded; and as the door opened, they both turned their attention to the holo monitor, adopting bored expressions.

"Well, Luke," Master Obi-Wan said, following Master Anakin back inside. "It's been a long day; we should get you to bed," he told him. "We have a busy day tomorrow," he added cheerfully, nodding to Mara, who managed a polite smile.

"Yes Master," Luke replied, getting up from his seat and climbing down from the Senate box as Master Obi-Wan wished them goodnight. Luke bowed, giving Master Anakin a polite smile and completely ignoring Mara as he and Master Obi-Wan took their leave, returning to their own chambers for the night.


	114. And Gungans and Queens

**Chapter 114**

_The next day..._

_They're coming,_ Leia felt instinctively, sensing the Jedi a split second before their Starfighters appeared in the blue sky overhead. _Luke's here..._ Leia shared a quick, excited smile with her mother as they stood together on the steps of the palace along with the Governor, Leia's handmaidens and the royal guard.

_I can't wait to see him,_ Leia thought wistfully, watching the Jedi fly in V-cluster formation down toward the courtyard. Qui-Gon's blue Starfighter was in the lead, flanked by Obi-Wan and Anakin's red and yellow ones; Leia guessed that the blue Starfighter behind Obi-Wan must be Luke, and that the red one behind her father was his new padawan Mara Jade, with Cory and Zak bringing up the rear.

Leia heard the sound of drums in the distance as the Gungans began their parade up to the palace from the river below; the Jedi were landing in the courtyard beside the palace now, and Leia valiantly resisted the urge to look over at them. Everyone was gathered here at the royal palace for Naboo's Unification Day, and it was Leia's duty as Queen to conduct herself in a dignified manner, and not gawk idiotically at the Jedi ambassadors.

But this would be the first time that she had seen Luke in person since they were four months old, and Leia felt her pulse quicken as she caught her first glimpse of him, approaching the palace steps with the others. _He's beautiful,_ Leia thought, her heart fluttering at the sight of him. His blond hair was cropped short, with a little reddish-brown padawan braid; his eyes glinted blue for a moment in the sunlight, and Leia valiantly held back her tears, maintaining her composure.

Then she noticed her father's new padawan, and peered at her in curiosity. The girl was dressed in an off-white tunic and brown cloak similar to Luke's, but her red hair was long and wavy, falling past her shoulders as she walked beside Anakin. Leia had heard the news three days ago; her mother had received a brief encrypted transmission from her father explaining what had happened, and Leia and Padmé had been extremely proud to learn of Luke's heroic defense of female younglings.

_It's because of Luke that she's able to train at all,_ Leia realized, proud of her brother's courage to stand up for his beliefs. Still, as she watched the red-haired girl walking proudly beside her father, Leia couldn't help but feel a pang of regret. _That could have been me,_ she realized once again, forcing away a faint twinge of jealousy.

_Dad says she's doing well,_ Leia recalled, proud of her father and touched by his obvious enthusiasm and devotion to his new padawan. Leia and Padmé had expected Anakin to be devastated by what had happened, but the exact opposite was true; in his encrypted message, Anakin had babbled excitedly, saying how incredibly talented Mara was, and how much fun he had been having teaching her.

But as the Jedi ambassadors drew closer to the palace steps, Leia's attention turned back to her brother, and she struggled to conceal her emotions. _He's amazing,_ she thought, admiring Luke's moral convictions and his bravery in standing up to the Jedi Council. Luke was walking beside Obi-Wan now, and sharing a quiet smile with Zak; Leia suppressed an amused grin, realizing that neither boys had any idea that they were actually cousins, or that they were surrounded by their true family.

_And I will do my part to keep it a secret,_ Leia vowed, setting aside her personal thoughts. Cory's foray into teen fatherhood, as well as Anakin's complete lack of interest in becoming a Master since being knighted, had renewed the family's faith in the old Code: that regretfully, Knights and padawans simply did not possess the wisdom and maturity to handle the burden of family attachments in addition to their Jedi duties.

_I will treat Luke the same as everyone else,_ Leia resolved once again. _He is an incredibly gifted Jedi padawan; Obi-Wan thinks he could be elected to the Council one day,_ she reminded herself. _Luke is a champion of women's rights, and the Order needs him desperately. I will not jeopardize his chances of becoming a Master because of my own personal feelings,_ Leia vowed, taking a deep breath and dutifully masking her emotions as she prepared to meet her brother for the first time.

* * *

><p>Mara frowned, blinking in surprise as she approached the palace steps with Master Anakin and the others. <em>That's the Queen?<em> After everything she had learned about Queen Amidala this past week, Mara had been expecting someone older, and more dignified; but the Queen of Naboo didn't look much older than Mara. She was wearing a ridiculous poofy satin dress, with a great big jester's hat and the silliest-looking clown makeup Mara had ever seen in her entire life. _Force, she's ugly..._

But Luke and Zak were sharing an excited smile now, and Mara rolled her eyes in disgust. They'd only just met this morning over breakfast, but had already become best friends, forming their own private boys' club and excluding Mara from their conversations.

Of course, Luke wasn't ignoring Mara by choice, she tried to remind herself, pushing aside the bitterness she had been feeling all morning. Luke and Mara had always been careful to treat each other with aloof indifference in public; if Master Anakin and Obi-Wan ever discovered their true feelings, they would surely separate them, and never allow them to do anything together again. Still, Mara couldn't help feeling a pang of loneliness and jealousy as she caught the two boys sharing another secret grin.

_Gah... I hate boys,_ Mara frowned, ignoring them as she continued toward the palace steps. She had been hearing the sound of drums in the distance for the past minute, and now the band began to play as the parade started; Mara sighed unhappily as she recognized the tune. _Of course... Everybody gets to sing that stupid Yah Yah song, except for me,_ she lamented; Luke and her other classmates had always sung it every year in boys' choir. _It's not fair..._

But now Master Anakin gave her a subtle warning look, and Mara nodded, obediently trying to quell her bitterness. _I promised him I'd be on my best behavior today,_ she reminded herself, frustrated that he'd already had to warn her twice this morning. She could feel his gentle reassurance now, and took a deep breath, calming herself. _I can do this,_ she told herself bravely as she climbed the palace steps along with the other Jedi ambassadors, bowing politely before the Queen. _I won't let Master Anakin down._

"Welcome, Master Jedi," Queen Amidala droned impassively, her voice a dull monotone. "We are honored by your presence today." Mara dutifully kept her expression blank, suppressing an annoyed scowl at the Queen's stupid droning voice and hideous jester's hat; but now she blinked in surprise, feeling something else.

_What?_ Mara wondered, casting a surreptitious glance at Luke. She had sensed his sudden excitement a moment earlier, and now she could feel his heart fluttering wildly as he stared at the Queen in awestruck wonder. _Luke, what is wrong with you?_ Mara scowled, furrowing her brows in momentary annoyance before managing to mask her expression once again. _He is really starting to piss me off..._

Mara stubbornly ignored him, turning her attention to the parade that was now approaching the palace. Then she blinked in disbelief as she caught sight of the Gungans. _Ahh! What are those things?_ Mara had read about the Gungans, and knew that they were humanoids, though their capital city was underwater; but somehow she hadn't been prepared for these duck-billed, google-eyed, long-eared, gangly creatures. _Wow... They're even uglier than the Queen,_ Mara realized in amazement, though it was admittedly a close tie.

The Gungan emissaries were coming forward now; one was immensely fat and shuffled along stupidly, and the other was scrawny, though his gait was even more idiotic. The Nabooan Queen greeted them in her droning voice, and then the fat Gungan began to speak.

"People of da Naboo," he said, his voice low and booming. "Wesa be honored that yousa inviting ussin here, for desa Naboo Unification Day," he continued, babbling on in his strange dialect. Mara watched him with curious fascination, trying to follow what he was saying. "But yousa should be hearing desa story from mesa friend, Jar Jar Binks," Boss Nass finished graciously, introducing his associate with a dramatic sweep of his hand.

Mara turned her attention to the gangly one; but apparently the first one wasn't finished. "Blllbbbllbblllbllbllllbbblll!" Boss Nass added triumphantly, shaking his head and flinging slobber all over the place. _Ahh!_ Mara gasped, suddenly feeling something wet and slimy clinging to her forehead. _Ohh, that's nasty..._ As subtly as possible, Mara reached up with her sleeve, wiping the offending mucous from her face.

_Of course I'm the only one who got spit on,_ Mara grumbled, glaring at Zak and seeing his barely-concealed amusement at her plight. _At least Luke isn't laughing at me..._ But now she gasped in dismay, realizing why: Luke was still staring in awestruck wonder at Queen Amidala, completely unaware that Mara had just been hit by the Gungan's projectile slobber. She could feel his profound adoration; his heart was beating excitedly, and there was a look of longing in his blue eyes...

Suddenly Mara felt tears sting her own eyes, as her heart stabbed with pain and betrayal. _Luke, how could you?_ she cried bitterly, desperately trying to choke back her tears and maintain her composure. But Luke continued to gaze at the Queen admiringly, his heart fluttering with love and joy. Mara felt a tear escape down her cheek, and let out a pained gasp.

She was grateful to feel Master Anakin's hand on her shoulder now, but she could barely sense his comforting reassurance over the terrible pain in her heart. _Luke... Please... Don't look at her like that,_ Mara choked, betrayed. She recognized the wistful look in his soft blue eyes; it was the way he had always looked at _her,_ in quiet moments when they were alone together. _Luke..._

But now the other Gungan began to speak. "Okey day!" Jar Jar exclaimed cheerfully, turning to address the crowd. "Yousa alla hear desa story before, but mesa mooie mooie honored to be telling it to yousa again," he continued. "Itsa go like dis: mesa day began with da early morning munchings..."

_Holy crap, this one's even more annoying,_ Mara realized, scowling angrily at the Gungan as she tried to quell the terrible feelings that were coursing through her now. _Oh dear Force, please stop talking..._ But Mara's heart sank as she faced what was really hurting her so badly.

_Luke, how could you?_ she cried again, betrayed. _She's ugly, and stupid... Worse than these idiotic Gungans,_ Mara decided contemptuously, glaring at the gangly one that continued to babble on endlessly. _I hate this dumb festival... I hate this whole stupid planet,_ Mara cried bitterly.

She could feel the familiar anger and rage welling up inside her now, and tears stung her eyes again. _No,_ Mara choked stubbornly, willing it away. _I promised Master Anakin I'd be good..._ But as Jar Jar continued to babble, Mara felt her annoyance and irritation rising to whole new levels, and she felt as though her brain would explode from the sheer stupidity of the creature's speech. _Ahh... I can't take much more of this,_ she cried, utterly miserable.

_I swear, if this one slobbers on me I'm going to zap the living hell out of him,_ Mara vowed angrily, her fingers twitching in temptation as Jar Jar continued with his irritating account of his first meeting with Master Qui-Gon. But then she felt it: an abrupt jarring sensation, followed by a strange dullness, as her Force powers suddenly left her.

_Ohh..._ Tears filled Mara's eyes as she realized Master Anakin had switched on her Force inhibitor device. _Master..._ Mara's throat seared with pain as she let out an involuntary gasp, unable to hold in her bitterness and dismay in any longer. _He doesn't trust me... He thinks I can't handle this..._

Finally Luke noticed her plight, tearing his gaze away from Queen Amidala and blinking at Mara in surprise and concern; Zak's expression was baffled and apologetic, but Mara glared at them both angrily, her rage continuing to well up inside. Master Anakin's hand was still firmly on her shoulder, and Mara tried to wriggle away from his grasp now, hurt and betrayed by his lack of faith in her.

_This is stupid,_ she decided hotly, glaring at the annoying Gungans, then at the ugly Queen and her silly handmaidens. _I didn't come here to get slobbered on,_ she scowled. _Or for Luke to - _ she choked, too devastated to finish that thought. _And now Master Anakin doesn't trust me any more,_ she cried bitterly.

_I can't do this,_ Mara choked miserably, a tear escaping down her cheek. _I'm getting out of here._ Breaking free from Master Anakin's grasp, Mara ran from the palace steps, jumping off the edge of the terrace and crashing heavily to the ground below, remembering too late that she didn't have any Force powers.

"Owww," Mara gasped, getting up again and ignoring the pain as she continued to run across the courtyard toward her Starfighter. _I'm getting off this stupid planet,_ she vowed. _I don't care where I go, as long as it's not here. I'm done being a Jedi..._

"Mara!" _Crap..._ Mara kept on running, ignoring her Master. "Mara, come back," Master Anakin pleaded again, chasing after her.

_No,_ Mara scowled angrily, turning abruptly and running inside the palace's docking bay. She realized she could never get to her own Starfighter with Master Anakin chasing her, but there were plenty of others in here...

"Mara," Master Anakin called again, following her into the docking bay. Mara glared at him angrily, feeling a rush of adrenaline as she continued to run through the hangar. She didn't know where she was going, or what she was going to do once she got there; all she knew was that she had to get away. Reaching the end of the docking bay, Mara quickly turned down an adjacent hallway, running as fast as she could. There was a door ahead of her; if she could just get through, perhaps she could lock it behind her... Mara crashed into the door, pressing the release button and praying for it to open quickly.

But the door was locked, and now she could hear her Master's footsteps behind her in the hallway. _Oh crap..._ Realizing she was cornered, Mara instinctively drew her lightsaber, turning to face her Master, her eyes burning with anger and frustration.

"Mara," Master Anakin said gently, his blue eyes filled with concern. "Mara, what's wrong?"

"Leave me alone," Mara seethed dangerously, brandishing her lightsaber. _Why can't you stupid people just leave me alone, for one minute,_ she cried, realizing how futile her position was. _Even if I could manage to get away, they'd find me... No matter where I went,_ Mara realized unhappily, remembering the tracking device inside her head.

"Mara, put that away," Master Anakin said, his voice gentle but firm. He hadn't drawn his own lightsaber, but Mara knew she had no chance of getting past him, with or without Force powers. _It's not Master Anakin I'm mad at anyway,_ she confessed, heartbroken. _It's Luke..._ Hanging her head, Mara reluctantly pressed the silver button, deactivating her saber.

"Mara." A moment later she felt her Master's arms around her, and Mara wept bitterly, laying her head against his chest as he held her close. "It's okay," Master Anakin reassured her, gently stroking her hair. "You did well, Mara; it's all right."

_It's not all right,_ Mara sobbed, devastated by Luke's cruel betrayal. _He doesn't love me any more..._ "I'm - I'm leaving," Mara gasped pathetically, sniffing back her tears. "I'm leaving the Order... I can't do this," she whispered. _I was only doing it for Luke anyway..._ "Please," she begged. "Please, just let me go..."

"Mara," Master Anakin said gently, still stroking her hair in an attempt to calm her. "If you're truly unhappy, and want to go into the Agricultural Corps... I can help you to do that," he conceded, his blue eyes filled with sadness. "But Mara," he added with a wistful smile, as she gazed up at him in shy gratitude. "I would miss you, if you left."

Mara nodded tearfully, grateful to feel her Master's comforting arms around her as he held her close, bundled safely in the folds of his black cloak. _I would miss you too, Master,_ she admitted. _I don't want to go..._

"I'd have to sit all alone in my Senate box every night," Master Anakin sighed, with an air of tragic drama. "All by myself, with nobody to watch the holo with me," he lamented, stroking her back; Mara giggled at the thought, catching the spark of amusement in her Master's eyes.

"Come on, Mara," Master Anakin pleaded softly. "Don't give up," he encouraged her with a tender smile, releasing her from his embrace and putting both hands on her shoulders. "You're doing so well," he insisted, his blue eyes twinkling with pride. "You flew all the way out here by yourself, and you did a good job of standing there during the ceremony, until..." he broke off, cringing. "Mara, I'm sorry, about the slobber... I should have warned you," Master Anakin apologized, shaking his head.

"It's all right," Mara said dully. _That wasn't what upset me,_ she realized, tears stinging her eyes as she faced the horrible truth. _Luke is in love with Queen Amidala..._ But Mara couldn't exactly tell Master Anakin about that, and so she nodded, accepting his version of what had gone so terribly wrong. "I hate those stupid Gungans," she confessed bitterly. _I really do._ "They're so annoying..."

Master Anakin nodded regretfully. "I'm sorry, Mara," he said gently. "I should have warned you; they take some getting used to," he agreed. "But the Gungans are good people." He smiled gently, looking into her eyes. "Mara, part of being a Jedi ambassador is the ability to look past the strange appearances and cultural traditions of some of the people we meet, and to see them for who they really are," he reminded her, as Mara nodded reluctantly, remembering her lessons. "Now," Master Anakin continued hopefully. "When you met the Gungans today... aside from appearances, what did you feel?"

Mara nodded quietly, thinking it over. "They're... stupid," she apologized. "I mean... Really, really, dumb," she confessed, as Master Anakin suppressed a rueful grin, looking at the floor. "But... they're kind-hearted... and friendly," Mara conceded, recalling the Gungans' genuine delight at joining their neighbors for the festivities today. "And they're actually really good musicians," Mara added thoughtfully, surprised by the realization.

Master Anakin smiled, nodding. "Yes, they are," he agreed, satisfied with her answer. "And," he added, cocking his head as they heard cheering coming from the palace courtyard. "It sounds like Jar Jar's finally done with his speech," Master Anakin said with a relieved grin, his eyes twinkling mischievously. "Come on," he said, patting her on the shoulder. "Let's go back; the Queen has invited us all for lunch," Master Anakin reminded her, with a reassuring smile.

But Mara cringed unhappily, shaking her head. "No," she protested. "Please, don't make me go back there... I'm not hungry," Mara pleaded, not wanting to see Queen Amidala ever again, or Luke either, for that matter.

"Mara," Master Anakin said gently. "We have to go back. You can't give up, just because you had a bad day, and got slobbered on... You're not the only one that's ever happened to, you know," he added pointedly, giving her a meaningful look.

"Really?" Mara blinked, looking up at her Master in surprise.

"Really," Master Anakin nodded ruefully. "As it stands, Master Obi-Wan still holds the record," he grinned, as Mara giggled at the thought. "But it's happened to me twice," Master Anakin admitted, sighing. "And Master Cory once," he conceded. "But never to Master Qui-Gon," he frowned thoughtfully, his brows furrowing at the injustice. "Maybe next time," Master Anakin said optimistically, a mischievous twinkle in his blue eyes.

Mara laughed; but then she looked down at the floor. "Master," she asked reluctantly. "Do we really have to come here every year?"

Master Anakin looked surprised by the question. "You really hate slobber that much?"

"No," Mara conceded, shrugging. "Well, yes," she admitted, with an apologetic smile. "But it's not just that," she confessed. "I hate... I hate this whole stupid planet," Mara told him unhappily. "I hate the Gungans, and the stupid ceremonies, and stupid Zak, and Luke," she added bitterly; Master Anakin had sensed her unhappiness earlier today, and had told her he could understand how hard it must be for her, to be the only girl padawan, always surrounded by boys. "And I _really_ hate that stupid Queen," Mara grumbled resentfully.

"You... You hate Queen Amidala?" Master Anakin asked, caught off guard by her blatant contempt.

Mara sighed unhappily. "No," she conceded. "It's like you said... I need to look past her appearance," she agreed. "She's just so ugly, and awful," Mara protested, cringing in distaste. _And Luke is in love with her_. "I'm sorry," Mara shrugged, seeing her Master's look of profound disturbance. "You're right; she's probably not a bad person, once you get to know her," she admitted grudgingly.

"That's right," Master Anakin nodded approvingly, patting her on the shoulder. "Now, I'm going to turn this off," he told her gently, reaching for the remote control on his belt and switching off her Force inhibitor device. "Let's try this again," Master Anakin said encouragingly, as Mara nodded, grateful to feel her Force powers returning.

"And this time," Master Anakin continued, as they headed back through the courtyard. "I want you to use your feelings; to look past their strange appearances, and customs... and funny makeup," he conceded, with an amused smile. "To look into these people's hearts, and see them for who they truly are," Master Anakin reminded her gently.

"Yes, Master," Mara nodded obediently, following him back toward the palace and resolving to do better this time. Queen Amidala was still speaking to the crowd when they returned to the palace steps; Mara took her place at her Master's side, pretending not to notice the strange looks that people were giving her. This was not the first time that Mara had been forced to recover from an embarrassing public outburst; she had long ago discovered that if she simply acted as though nothing had happened, people were generally too polite to mention it, and were equally grateful to let the matter drop. _Besides, it's kind of fun making them squirm,_ Mara thought mischievously, seeing Zak's uncomfortable, slightly worried look.

Remembering her Master's instructions, Mara turned her attention to Queen Amidala now, searching her feelings and attempting to look past her strange appearance and bizarre, droning voice. _He's right,_ Mara admitted, feeling nothing but peace and goodwill emanating from the Queen, and hearing her kind words, both to her own people and to her silly Gungan neighbors. _She's not such a horrible person. And it's not her fault that Luke thinks she's pretty,_ Mara tried to tell herself, scowling unhappily.

Luke was doing a better job of guarding his emotions too; instead of open adoration for the Queen, Mara could now feel his sincere discomfort at the situation, and a fleeting look of apology in his blue eyes as they shared a brief glance. Mara looked away coldly, still angry with him; but she felt her Master's gentle reassurance once again, and dutifully maintained her composure.

_I don't care,_ Mara decided stubbornly. _If Luke wants to leave the Order and disgrace his Master by running off with the Queen of Naboo, that's his business,_ she sniffed. _As for me..._ Mara suppressed a happy smile, feeling a strange fluttering sensation in her heart as she realized the truth. _I want to make Master Anakin proud,_ she resolved, grateful for his comforting warmth beside her. _I want to work hard, and pass the trials, and become a Jedi Knight,_ Mara resolved, genuinely surprised by the thought.

Queen Amidala's speech was ending now, and Mara stood proudly beside her Master as the people applauded; then the royal party retreated inside the palace, and Mara followed along with the other Jedi ambassadors. They would be joining Queen Amidala and the other dignitaries for lunch, while the commoners enjoyed a picnic outside on the palace grounds.

The Queen was greeting her guests personally inside the main hallway, and Mara waited patiently as Master Qui-Gon, Master Cory, Zak, and Master Obi-Wan paid their respects. Now Queen Amidala was smiling in surprise as she met Luke; Mara scowled, sensing something fake about her reaction.

"Luke," the Queen said pleasantly. "Welcome to Naboo," she droned in her strange monotone. "It is a pleasure to meet you."

Luke bowed politely, though Mara could sense his sudden panic at meeting Queen Amidala in person. "Thank you... Your - Majestyness," he blurted out nervously, cringing in embarrassment; Master Obi-Wan suppressed an amused smile, putting a hand gently on his padawan's shoulder, as Mara took the opportunity to give Luke her best annoyed glare. _Luke, seriously... What the hell is wrong with you today?_

But Queen Amidala smiled graciously at Luke, her brown eyes twinkling fondly as she continued down the line, and Mara quickly masked her annoyance, bowing politely before the Queen. "Your Highness," Master Anakin said, bowing respectfully. "It's good to see you again," he added politely. "Your speech today was excellent," he complimented her, his blue eyes twinkling appreciatively.

"Thank you, Anakin," Queen Amidala replied gratefully; then she turned her attention to Mara. "Is this your new padawan?"

"Yes," Master Anakin nodded proudly, putting a hand on Mara's shoulder. "This is Mara Jade."

"Mara," the Queen repeated, smiling. "Welcome to Naboo; it is an honor to make your acquaintance," she said graciously.

"Thank you, your Highness," Mara replied, bowing respectfully as they moved on. _Gah... I don't really like her,_ Mara scowled; she had sensed the falseness in the Queen's smile as she greeted Luke earlier, and saw the glimmer of strange curiosity in her eyes a moment ago as she looked at Mara. _She's weird..._

Now they greeted the Governor of Naboo, and Mara managed to smile politely, masking her boredom as they met the other Nabooan dignitaries. Luke and Master Obi-Wan were speaking with Senator Amidala as Mara and Master Anakin approached; the Senator was fawning over Luke now, applauding his bravery in standing up for his convictions, and defending the rights of female younglings in the Jedi Order. Luke was beaming shyly at the Senator, basking shamelessly in her praise, and Mara rolled her eyes in annoyance.

_Here we go again,_ Mara sighed, painfully aware of the fact that everyone knew the reason she'd been chosen as Master Anakin's padawan. _Hi, I'm the charity case,_ Mara thought ruefully, as they approached the Senator. _Nice to meet you._

"Anakin," Senator Amidala said, greeting him. "It's good to see you," she added sincerely. "It's been far too long."

"I agree, Milady," Anakin nodded politely, returning her fond smile. "It's good to see you as well." _Master Anakin knows everyone,_ Mara noted proudly; she was beginning to realize just how famous her Master truly was. _Everybody loves him.._.

"I hear you've taken a new padawan?" Senator Amidala asked, with a curious look at Mara.

"Oh! Yes," Master Anakin nodded; Mara stifled a laugh, realizing that her Master had been staring at the Senator in a daze. _He does that sometimes,_ Mara giggled; she was also beginning to realize that her Master could act a bit strange at times. _We make quite a pair,_ she laughed to herself. "This is Mara Jade," Master Anakin said proudly, introducing her.

"Mara," Senator Amidala greeted her warmly. "It's so nice to meet you." Mara smiled shyly, sensing her genuine affection. _She meant what she said to Luke before,_ Mara realized now. _She doesn't think I'm a charity case; she truly believes that girls deserve to be trained as padawans._

"Thank you, Milady," Mara replied, bowing respectfully. "It's nice to meet you as well." They continued down the reception line, greeting the Gungan emissaries; Mara managed to smile politely, grateful beyond words that Boss Nass had no idea that she was the latest victim of his projectile slobbering.

And then it was time for lunch. Mara followed Master Anakin over to the long banquet table, where they sat beside the other Jedi ambassadors, across from the Queen and the other dignitaries. Mara was grateful to be seated near the end of the table, far away from the Gungans on the other side; but she stifled an amused smile now, seeing Luke's barely-concealed panic at being seated nearly directly across from Queen Amidala.

_Serves him right,_ Mara sighed, smiling politely as she said hello to the Queen's handmaidens, who were sitting across from her. After the brilliant first impression that Luke had made out in the hallway, Mara realized now that he didn't stand a chance with Queen Amidala, even if he _did_ like her.

_If I weren't so angry with him, I'd feel sorry for him right now,_ Mara thought, watching Luke squirm uncomfortably as he attempted to make polite conversation with the Queen. _Seriously, Luke,_ Mara sighed, still dismayed by his earlier reaction. _That was not cool._

* * *

><p><em>Later that evening...<em>

"Mara," Luke said softly, finding her on the balcony of their guest suite at the royal palace. Master Obi-Wan was still down by the waterfront along with Master Qui-Gon, Master Cory, and Zak; but Luke had asked to be excused from the fireworks early, apologizing that he was tired. "Where's Master Anakin?" he asked cautiously, not sensing him nearby.

"I don't know," Mara replied coolly, refusing to look at him as she continued to gaze at the fireworks over the water. "He said he had to do something."

"Ah." Luke nodded, sighing ruefully. _She's still mad at me._ Mara had been ignoring him all afternoon, and Luke's heart sank as he guessed the reason why. "Mara... what's wrong?" he asked gently, putting a hand tentatively on her shoulder.

Mara scowled, shrugging it off. "What do you _think_ is wrong?" she countered, barely concealing her bitterness and anger.

_I have to try this..._ "The Gungan slobber?" Luke asked hopefully, praying that by some miracle Mara hadn't noticed his reaction to Queen Amidala earlier. "Mara, you're not the only one that's happened to," he told her gently. "Master Obi-Wan's been hit four times."

"It's not about that," Mara insisted coldly.

_Oh, crap._ Luke hung his head. "Mara, I'm sorry," he apologized quietly, blinking in dismay. "About the Queen... I - "

"I don't want to hear about it," Mara seethed, her green eyes burning as she turned to face him. "Just leave me alone."

"Mara... please, listen," Luke begged, giving her a pleading look. "I don't know what happened today; I guess - I've never met a Queen before," he apologized. "It was stupid..."

"Yes, it was," Mara agreed bitterly, turning away from him again. Then, softly, her voice rough with emotion: "You like her?"

"No," Luke protested. "Well, yes; she's nice, but... Mara, no," he pleaded. "It's not like that; I promise," he told her, cautiously reaching a hand out to stroke her silky, wavy red hair. This time Mara didn't tear herself away, but still she scowled unhappily.

"Well... what _is_ it like?" Mara asked with sullen annoyance.

"It's... I don't know," Luke confessed. _Seriously, I don't._ "She's - special, somehow," he apologized helplessly. "I mean, she's a Queen, and..." Luke broke off, shrugging. "I don't know," he whispered miserably.

"You think she's pretty?" Mara asked quietly, stubbornly looking out at the fireworks beyond.

"No," Luke told her. "Well, yes," he conceded, as Mara scowled again. _Ahh! Wrong thing to say..._ "Mara, it's not that I _think_ she's pretty," Luke protested. "She _is_ pretty..." _Oh crap, that was even worse!_ "Just like _you're_ pretty," Luke added quickly, in a desperate, babbling attempt to save himself. "A lot of girls are pretty, Mara," he reasoned innocently, as Mara continued to glare at him in annoyance. "But that's not what I like about her," Luke confessed apologetically.

"So what do you like about her?" Mara asked, her brows furrowed in suspicion.

"I don't know," Luke sighed. "She's... she's very kind-hearted," he pointed out. "I mean... I babbled stupidly all the way through lunch... Kind of like what I'm doing now." He smiled in rueful apology, as Mara stubbornly tried to suppress an amused grin. _She's laughing at me; that's a good sign._

"But Queen Amidala was very patient, and understanding... and eventually I got over it." Luke shrugged, embarrassed. _She probably thinks I'm a complete moron, but she was so incredibly nice to me,_ Luke confessed, touched by Amidala's gentle compassion, and grateful that he had finally managed to have a somewhat decent conversation with her.

"Mara, I know I handled things badly today, and I'm sorry," Luke apologized, looking down at the flagstones. "I was a dork... But - I love you, Mara," he whispered, running his fingers delicately through her long, wavy locks. "And - " Luke hung his head, not wanting to face the guilt that had been nagging at him for days now.

"What?" Mara asked cautiously, peering at him in concern. "Luke, what is it?"

"I - " Luke sighed miserably. "Mara, when we first decided to be padawans," he began gently; then he stopped, hanging his head again. "All of this has happened so fast," he lamented. _We have to talk about this._ "Mara... You know - our plan...?" Luke continued hesitantly. "To leave the Agricultural Corps, when we turned eighteen?" he asked her, with a questioning glance.

Mara nodded, sharing his worried look. "Yeah," she agreed quietly, looking down. "I know."

"Mara, this isn't the Agricultural Corps," Luke said gently. "We can't just - "

"I know," Mara repeated softly, giving him a regretful look; Luke nodded, grateful for her understanding. _It's different now. We can't just leave when we're eighteen, without completely dishonoring our Masters._

"Mara," Luke continued quietly. "If we're going to leave... We need to do it now," he told her reluctantly. "Before Master Obi-Wan and Master Anakin waste any more time training us," he pleaded, as Mara nodded in quiet understanding. "We should tell them the truth, and leave for the Agricultural Corps tomorrow," Luke finished softly.

"I know," Mara whispered unhappily. Then she looked at him, her green eyes flickering with uncertainty. "Luke," she began tentatively. "I... I don't want to leave," she confessed, a pained look in her eyes.

Luke smiled sadly, nodding in agreement. "Neither do I," he confessed. "But Mara... I can't keep training with Master Obi-Wan, only to leave when I turn eighteen," he told her gently. "I won't do that to him."

"Yeah," Mara agreed quietly. "I can't do it either... to Master Anakin," she admitted, looking down again. "Luke," she said softly, with a hesitant glance. "I want to stay," Mara confessed, smiling apologetically. There was a sparkle of enthusiasm in her green eyes, and Luke nodded, returning her smile.

"So do I," Luke admitted, gazing at Mara in heartfelt gratitude. "Mara... Are you sure?" he asked gently, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Are you sure, this is what you want?"

"Yes," Mara nodded, smiling. "Luke... I love you," she admitted. "I do," she insisted. "Well, except for - " Mara scowled suddenly. "I'm still mad at you, for today," she informed him, her brows furrowed indignantly. "But... Luke," she continued quietly, giving him an apologetic look. "I can do this," she whispered. "Master Anakin says I can pass the trials, if I really work at it," Mara told him, a glimmer of pride in her green eyes as she smiled at him shyly. "Luke... I want to try."

Luke broke into a happy grin, nodding vigorously. "Mara," he whispered, gazing at her in admiration. "Mara, I love you," he confessed, wrapping his arms around her and stroking her hair, pressing his forehead against hers as he held her close. "I'm so proud of you, Mara," he cried, as Mara smiled, her green eyes sparkling joyfully. "I always knew you could do it," he told her. _Oh... I want to kiss you now..._ Luke gasped slightly, surprised by his feelings, and instinctively he let go of her, taking a step backward. _Crap, what was that?_ he blinked, caught off guard; he'd always loved Mara, but this was something different... _deeper..._

"Luke... what is it?" Mara asked worriedly, peering at him in concern.

"Um... I don't know," Luke said, carefully steadying his breathing again. "I - " he gulped, shaking his head. _Great... Just when we decide we're NOT leaving the Order to get married..._ "Sorry," Luke apologized, managing a rueful smile. "It's been a weird day."

Mara smiled gently, though her emerald eyes were sparkling with quiet amusement. "Yeah," she agreed, nodding. "So... we're staying?" she asked, giving him a hopeful look.

Luke nodded, smiling tenderly. "Yes," he agreed, joining her by the rail of the balcony and gazing down toward the waterfront below. "We're staying, Mara," he whispered softly, as they watched the fireworks together, waiting for their Masters to return. "We're going to be Jedi Knights."


	115. Han pays off his debt to Jabba!

**Chapter 115**

_A year later..._

"Congratulations, Han," Boba said, lifting his mug of Corellian ale in salute and taking a drink. Greedo echoed the sentiment, raising his glass as well, and Chewie roared in agreement, thumping Han proudly on the shoulder.

"Thanks." Han grinned, setting his mug down and sighing in weary disbelief as he sat with his friends at a table inside the Mos Eisley cantina. _I'm a free man..._ Han had finally paid off the last of his debt to Jabba the Hutt today; and true to his word, Jabba had released him from his service, along with the title to the _Millennium Falcon._

_Now I can help out Lando and Greedo with their Tibanna gas mining business,_ Han realized, taking another swig of his Corellian ale. Lando was on Bespin now, hard at work administrating his new mining operation; Han couldn't wait to tell him the good news.

"Congratulations, Solo," came another voice from over his shoulder. Han looked up in surprise to see a large Trandoshan standing beside their table.

"Raaaauuuugghhhhh!" Chewie roared angrily, standing to his full height and proceeding to strangle the reptilian bounty hunter.

"Chewie!" Han warned his friend, shaking his head; Trandoshans and Wookiees had no great love for one another - possibly due to the fact that Trandoshans collected Wookiee pelts as a hobby - but Bossk worked for Gardulla the Hutt, and it would not do to kill one of Gardulla's best bounty hunters in front of an entire cantina full of witnesses.

"Bossk," Boba said icily, as Chewbacca grudgingly let go of the Trandoshan, sitting back down at the table.

"Boba," Bossk replied with restrained professional courtesy, nodding his head; then he turned to Han. "Gardulla sends her congratulations, Solo," he continued, speaking in Huttese. "And she extends an offer of employment," Bossk told him. "She will pay you double the commissions you previously received from Jabba," he offered magnanimously.

Han laughed, leaning back in his seat and taking another sip of his ale. "So Gardulla's offering me a job, eh?" He grinned, amused by the idea. Thanks to his untouchable status with the Jedi Border Patrol, Han had always been Jabba's best smuggler, and now it seemed the other Hutts had their greedy eyes on him as well. "Well you can tell Gardulla," Han informed Bossk pointedly, "She can take her job offer, and shove it up her slimy, worm-ridden - "

"Han," Boba interrupted sharply, cutting him off. "Forgive me," he said to Bossk quietly. "I'm afraid my friend has had a bit too much to drink." _What? I have not,_ Han scowled. "What he meant to say," Boba continued, giving Han a reproachful look. "Is that while he appreciates Gardulla's kind and generous offer, he must regretfully decline," Boba finished, nodding to Bossk respectfully.

"Rrraaauugghh," Chewbacca added emphatically, giving the Trandoshan a threatening glare.

"I see," Bossk replied calmly, nodding in acceptance. "Please forgive the interruption," he apologized politely. "I shall leave you to your drinks."

* * *

><p><em>Four days later...<em>

_There he is,_ Bossk noted, spying the dark-haired human man coming out of the post office. _Time for Plan B._

He had not expected Solo to accept Gardulla's offer voluntarily; but there were other, more effective ways of procuring his services. Bossk had given the young Corellian smuggler a chance to do this the easy way, but now it was time to move on to alternative methods of persuasion.

"Good afternoon," Bossk said pleasantly, approaching the man. "Arthur Solo, I presume?" It had taken him four days to track him down here on Dantooine; apparently Solo's father was a bit of a recluse, and visited the little town of Tynsk just once a week for supplies.

The older man gave him a wary look. "Who are you?" he asked cautiously, his dark eyes glinting with suspicion.

"My name is Bossk; I'm a friend of your son's." Bossk smiled warmly.

At this, the elder Solo beamed in delight, nodding as he shook Bossk's hand. "You're a friend of Han's?" He grinned in surprise. "What brings you out this way? Is Han all right?" he asked, suddenly concerned.

"Yes, yes, he's doing very well," Bossk assured him. "Actually I have good news: he's finally paid off the last of his debt to Jabba the Hutt," Bossk explained, as Arthur beamed proudly. "And I've been trying to contact him regarding a new job offer," Bossk continued thoughtfully. "I was hoping maybe you could help me with that?"

"Of course," Arthur nodded agreeably, delighted to be of service. "What do you need me to do?"

"Well I was hoping to speak with you in private," Bossk confessed, glancing toward a nearby alleyway, as Arthur nodded in quiet understanding, following him. "This will only take a minute," Bossk assured him, giving him a friendly pat on the back as he led him into the dark alleyway. Then, quickly grabbing hold of the man's neck, he slammed his head against the wall, knocking him unconscious.

"As I said," Bossk whispered quietly, pulling out a slave implanting device and expertly inserting a tiny chip into the base of the man's skull. "This will only take a minute..."

* * *

><p><em>Later that afternoon...<em>

Gwen walked toward the exit of the hospital, fighting tears of dismay. _What am I going to do now?_ She had been working here as a nurse for the past five months, since moving to Tynsk from Dantooine's capital city; but today the hospital administrator had regretfully informed her that she was being laid off due to unexpected budget cuts.

_I barely have enough credits saved up to pay next month's rent,_ she confessed. _If I don't find another job soon..._ Gwen sighed, realizing that she would probably have to move back to the city again, since jobs were scarce here in the remote town of Tynsk.

_Goodbye, lovely rolling hills,_ Gwen sighed wistfully. _Goodbye, fresh air and clear blue skies... Goodbye, quaint little mountain village..._ Gwen had lived in the city all of her life, and had always dreamed of retiring to the country one day; at the age of forty-three she had finally gotten up the courage to pursue her lifelong ambition, but now it seemed that it was not meant to be. Reaching the hospital's main lobby, Gwen cast a final regretful glance around the waiting area before heading out the door.

But no sooner had she exited the building, than she heard a familiar voice behind her. "Liriana!" the dark-haired stranger exclaimed in obvious relief, rushing to join her. "Oh, Liriana! I bear glad tidings; for the battle is over, and we are victorious," he told her, smiling excitedly. "Oh, fairest Liriana! Come away with me, to my kingdom beyond the sea," he begged her, extending a hand gracefully, his dark eyes sparkling with joy.

Gwen smiled sadly, touched and dismayed by the poor man's delirious ravings. He had been admitted to the hospital earlier this afternoon with a head wound, and still wore a bandage above his left temple now; but brain scans had revealed only a minor concussion, and the doctors had released him, diagnosing his confused mental state as a pre-existing condition. He carried no identification or money; Gwen guessed that he was a homeless man from one of the nearby cities, and had somehow wandered all the way out here to Tynsk.

"Oh, fair young princess!" the stranger continued, stepping closer. "Your eyes are bluer than the sky itself, and your hair more radiant than the golden sun." He smiled tenderly, gazing at her in obvious adoration. Gwen stifled an embarrassed smile; in fact, her eyes _were_ blue, and her long, golden-blonde hair was still untouched with grey. But two decades of working overnight shifts in the nursing profession had taken their toll, and Gwen knew that she could hardly be mistaken for a 'fair young princess'.

Still, she couldn't help smiling at the man's innocent enthusiasm, and she sighed, remembering his plight. _Nobody knows what to do with him,_ Gwen admitted. The hospital had reported his case to the police, and it was believed that his head wound was evidence of a physical assault; but in the end he had simply been released back out onto the street.

"Come away with me, Liriana," the man pleaded, his dark eyes sparkling with adoration. "Come away with me, to my kingdom," he begged her, smiling hopefully.

_Oh, sweetheart,_ Gwen sighed regretfully. _What are we going to do with you?_ "Where is your kingdom?" she asked the man gently, hoping to find out at least where he came from. _Maybe I can put him on a transport back to one of the other cities, where they have a homeless shelter..._

"Beyond the sea and beneath the sun," the man replied dramatically. "For I am Maximilian Quintillius, proud warrior prince of Corellia!"

_Corellia..._ Gwen studied the man thoughtfully. His shaggy, unkempt hair was dark, though streaked with grey, and his eyes were soft brown with just a touch of blue; he was lean and tanned, his face a bit lined and worn from years of hard living, but his theatrical speech was cultured and refined, and there was an air of nobility about him...

"Sir," Gwen asked hesitantly, recognizing something familiar in his features. "Are you a Solo?" Gwen had met a member of the Corellian royal family over a decade ago in Dantooine's capital city, and this man bore a striking resemblance, though he was older.

"Solo," the man repeated softly, blinking in momentary confusion. "No," he insisted, his brows furrowing. "I am Maximilian - " he broke off uncertainly. "No, I - I have to go," he stammered nervously, taking a step away from Gwen. "I'm... I'm sorry to bother you," he apologized, casting a confused glance back toward the hospital before quickly turning to leave.

"Wait," Gwen called after him, hurrying to catch up. "Sir... I just want to make sure you're all right," she told him, putting a gentle hand on his shoulder. "You were treated for a head wound; do you remember what happened?"

"I... no," the man confessed, touching a hand to his temple uncertainly. "I don't... I can't remember," he admitted.

"It's all right," Gwen reassured him, seeing his discomfort. "Do you remember where you live?" she asked next; Gwen had dealt with mentally ill patients all of her life, and knew that it was important to ask these basic questions to determine their competence and lucidity.

"Yes," the man nodded; he seemed a bit embarrassed and nervous. "I live up in the hills," he confessed, glancing toward the rolling, grassy hills beyond the village. "I should be getting home," he apologized, with a rueful smile. "Thank you," he added, nodding politely. "And I'm sorry, about - " he broke off, cringing in embarrassment. "I do that sometimes, when I get... I'm sorry," he stammered again, giving her a quick, apologetic smile.

Gwen nodded, smiling. "It's all right," she assured him, putting a hand on his arm to calm him. "You really live up in the hills?" she asked, surprised; she had guessed from his weather-worn clothing that he was homeless, but now she could see that he had the rugged look of someone who lived in the country. _He's actually very handsome,_ she realized suddenly; then she blinked, pushing the thought away. _Gwen, what is wrong with you?_ she chastised herself. _He was a patient of yours... and he's crazy..._

"Yes," the man replied, nodding. "I'm a... a Nerf herder," he confessed with a shy smile, his eyes twinkling with rueful amusement. Nerf herding was a notoriously maligned profession; Gwen stifled a surprised giggle at the man's reluctant admission.

"Are you?" she asked, truly curious. "I've never met a Nerf herder before," she confessed. Gwen had only been living here in Tynsk for five months, and had gone hiking through the lower hills a few times; but she'd never ventured higher up into Nerf herding country.

"Well... Now you have," the man said shyly. "Anyway, I'd better get back," he apologized, glancing up toward the hills. "If I don't get them back into their pen by sunset, it'll take me a week to find them all again," he laughed, his eyes twinkling with amusement.

Gwen nodded, smiling; but still she was concerned for the man's condition. "Are you sure you're all right?" she asked, peering at the bandage on his temple.

"Yes," he nodded; then he shrugged shyly, looking down. "Well... more or less," he added, giving her an apologetic glance. "For a Solo," he confessed, a mischievous twinkle in his eyes.

Gwen stifled a smile, quickly remembering her manners. "Your Highness," she nodded respectfully, realizing that this delusional Nerf herder could very well be the crown prince of Corellia.

"No, no; none of that," the man laughed, with a dismissive wave of his hand. "I gave that up a long time ago," he admitted shyly.

Gwen smiled despite herself, caught off guard by the feelings she had for this strange man. _He's a prince, and a Nerf herder... and he's crazy,_ she reminded herself, listing all sorts of reasons why she shouldn't get involved with him. _But he's so incredibly sweet..._

"I - I met another Solo, once," Gwen blurted out, not knowing what else to say. "Marco," she told him, as the man grinned, nodding in recognition. "Back when I used to work in the emergency room... He used to come in sometimes," Gwen explained.

"Ha!" the man laughed. "I bet he did," he agreed, amused. "Marco's a bit... accident prone," he confessed.

Gwen smiled. "Yes, I got that impression," she conceded ruefully. "So are you two close relatives?"

"Ahh... I think we're - second cousins?" he said uncertainly. "Once removed... or something like that." He grinned, shrugging apologetically. "I can't keep it straight," he confessed, laughing quietly.

"Eh, I can't keep my family straight either," Gwen commiserated; then she looked down shyly, remembering that the man needed to get back home, and realizing that she had no business talking to a prince to begin with. "Well, I'll let you get back," she said. "It was really nice meeting you... Maximilian," she added shyly, remembering his name.

But he laughed gently, shaking his head. "No, it's - it's Arthur," he confessed apologetically. "I'm sorry, I... Maximilian just sounds so much better," he sighed. "I don't suppose there's any chance your name is Liriana?" he asked, a mischievous twinkle in his eyes.

Gwen laughed. "No, it's Gwen," she told him, smiling shyly. "I wish it were Liriana," she confessed. "That's a lot prettier." _It sounds like something out of a fairy tale..._

"No," Arthur protested. "Gwen is nice," he insisted. "Is it short for Gwendolyn?"

Gwen sighed ruefully, shaking her head. "Gwenevere," she told him, wrinkling her nose in distaste. "Ugly, isn't it?" she cringed.

"Eh... No worse than Arthur," he laughed good-naturedly. "No, it's beautiful," he added softly, looking down at the ground. "Well, I should... I should let you go." He smiled apologetically, glancing back toward the hills. "It was really nice meeting you, Gwen."

"It was nice meeting you too," Gwen agreed, smiling. _It's not every day that I meet crazy Nerf-herding Corellian princes,_ she sighed. _Especially not cute ones..._ Arthur nodded politely, turning to leave; but then he turned back, a curious expression on his face.

"Gwen," he said, obviously nervous. "I was wondering if... maybe you would want to meet for coffee sometime? I mean, if you - "

"Yes," Gwen blurted out, nodding. "I would like that," she confessed shyly; but then she looked down, remembering. "Oh," she sighed. "I'm moving soon... Back to the city," she told him. "I got laid off from my job today," she explained regretfully.

"Laid off? No," Arthur blinked, his expression concerned. "You're leaving?" he asked, his brown eyes suddenly filled with dismay.

"Yes," Gwen sighed, looking down. "Well, not right away," she assured him. "But... unless I can find another job here in Tynsk," she shrugged unhappily. "I don't suppose you know of any Nerf herding positions available?" she asked, laughing ruefully.

"Ha!" Arthur laughed, amused; then he looked down. "Actually," he confessed hesitantly. "There is one... Ever since my son left - he's a pilot by the way," Arthur added cheerfully, with a proud grin. _Aw, he has a kid...?_ "No, I mean - " he shrugged, looking down. "If you wanted to try a new career," Arthur offered. "The pay is terrible," he laughed, as Gwen smiled in gratitude, her heart fluttering. "Don't leave, Gwen," Arthur whispered, a pleading look in his eyes as he gently took her hands in his. "Please, don't go."

Gwen nodded, smiling at him tearfully. "I don't want to go," she whispered, gazing into his beautiful brown eyes. _I've only just met you._ Arthur smiled, wrapping his arms around her and kissing her softly on the forehead. Gwen hugged him gratefully, laying her head against his shoulder and feeling strangely safe and warm in his tender embrace. _I can't believe it... I'm forty-three years old and I've finally met my prince... My crazy, Corellian Nerf-herding prince..._

"Um... Arthur?" Gwen asked hesitantly, looking up at him uncertainly. "I've never even _seen_ a Nerf."

"You haven't?" Arthur blinked, surprised by the concept. "Well then, it's about time you met one," he decided cheerfully, taking her by the hand and leading the way through the streets of the village. "Come on," Arthur said with an adoring smile, wrapping an arm around her as they walked together toward the rolling hills in the distance. "Let's go see Jojo."


	116. Not that it does him any good

**Chapter 116**

_The next day..._

"Han!" Lando greeted him at the landing platform. "How you doing, you old pirate?" he asked, as always. "Hey, Chewbacca," he added, as Chewie roared in greeting.

Han laughed to himself, embracing his friend. Since moving out here to Bespin just over a year ago, Lando had developed some rather eccentric habits, including this bizarre, nearly ritual greeting. "I'm good," Han said. "How are things here in Cloud City?" he asked, looking around in amused curiosity as Chewbacca chuckled quietly.

"Ha!" Lando said, leading them back toward his studio. "Keep on laughing, buddy," he told Han amiably, with a wistful glance at Cloud City's one and only building - a tiny enclosed bubble perched atop a mile-high durasteel column, which served as Lando's home and business headquarters. "I've got big plans for this place," he assured him, as always. Lando had dubbed the tiny office space "Cloud City" from day one; at first Han had thought it was only a joke, but Lando insisted that he was planning to expand the facility as soon as he could afford it. "Come on in," he said, inviting them inside his little bubble.

"Have a seat," Lando offered, gesturing to the fold-out sofabed against the wall and taking the swivel chair at his desk for himself, smoothing his cape carefully to avoid wrinkles. Lando had bought the blue-and-gold cape a few months ago, and had recently grown a moustache too, thinking it made him look more dignified; Han and Chewie secretly thought he looked a bit silly, but they admired his professionalism. He certainly had accomplished more than anyone had dreamed possible in just a year's time, and his Tibanna gas mining facility was now fully operational.

"And congratulations, again," Lando added excitedly. They had spoken via transmission five days ago, and Han had told Lando the good news, that he had finally paid off his debt to Jabba the Hutt. Han and Chewie had spent the past four days vacationing on Kashyyyk, before coming here to Bespin to get started with their new job. "You're just in time," Lando confessed gratefully. "I've been wanting to hire another freighter full-time," he added seriously.

"Carl's found a new source," Lando continued, nodding toward the planet's surface a mile below, where Greedo's former boss had been busy at work this past year, setting up his mining equipment and searching for new Tibanna gas sources. "And Greedo says he's got a dozen new customers lined up on Tatooine," Lando finished cheerfully.

"Yeah, that's what I've heard," Han agreed, truly impressed. "Greedo sent back some empty tanks," he told Lando. "We can load up as soon as you're ready... oh, and Prunella sent a huge basket of goodies," Han added, grinning in amusement. "She worries about you, you know," he chided his friend good-naturedly.

"Ha!" Lando grinned. "I bet she does," he agreed, laughing; Greedo's mother had unofficially adopted Boba, Han, Lando, and Chewie, and she did her best to spoil them as much as possible. "You tell Prunella not to worry," Lando assured him, smiling gratefully. "Especially now that you two are on board full-time," he nodded appreciatively. "Hopefully I won't be stuck out here by myself for too much longer," he agreed, his eyes twinkling with cheerful amusement. "So how was Kashyyyk?" Lando asked, with a curious glance at Chewbacca. "How's Malla doing?"

"Raaauuughh," Chewie replied, nodding.

"Malla's fine," Han grinned, translating for his Wookiee friend. Chewbacca and Mallatobuck had celebrated their one-year anniversary just a month ago, and Malla had been overjoyed to have her husband home for four whole days.

"Auggh ruff rauughh rouuff," Chewie added, gesturing for Han to translate.

"Oh yeah... We were there for the Vernal Equinox," Han explained to Lando. "Rite of Spring."

"Ah," Lando nodded, grinning. "Rite of Spring... What's that about?"

Han laughed. "Eh, the usual," he told Lando casually. "Tree worshipping... Ritual bonfire dances..." _That was actually pretty fun,_ Han confessed, smiling to himself in amusement. "And we made these little necklace things," he added, showing Lando the bit of carved wood that hung from a leather cord around his neck. _Aw, that was so nice of Tikki to make this for me,_ Han grinned, remembering the little seven-year-old Wookiee girl who had shyly presented it to him during the festivities.

"Wow," Lando nodded, impressed. "So what are the necklaces for?" he asked, curious.

"Uh..." Han looked at Chewie hopefully. _Actually, I'm not really sure..._

"Rouuff auuugghh," Chewbacca explained. "Auughh ruff uggh rouff raughhh."

"It's an ancient Wookiee custom," Han translated. "They symbolize love, honor... courage," he continued, blinking in surprise. _Wow, I didn't know that,_ Han grinned, looking down at his amulet with newfound admiration.

"Ruff rrauugh augh aaauuugh," Chewie finished importantly.

"...and the desire to form a Life-Bond - _WHAT?_" Han exclaimed, blinking in alarm.

_"Hahaha,"_ Chewbacca laughed, deeply amused. _"Tikki wants to marry you."_

"No," Han protested anxiously, horrified. _Ahh! I gave her a necklace too..._

_"Congratulations on your engagement,"_ Chewbacca nodded politely, still chuckling to himself.

"Engagement?" Han blurted out. "What?"

"Ha," Lando laughed, catching on to the one-sided conversation and sharing an amused look with Chewie. "Han, you're engaged?" he grinned in delight. "Who's the lucky Wookiee?" Lando inquired, his dark eyes twinkling mischievously.

"Ahh," Han cringed in embarrassment. "Tikki... She's _seven,_" he added, with a reproachful look at Chewbacca. "Chewie... Come on, tell me this isn't serious," Han pleaded helplessly. _I can't be engaged..._

Chewie laughed, scruffing Han's hair affectionately. _"Don't worry,"_ he told Han. _"She's underage; it's not legally binding,"_ he assured him, as Han nodded, letting out a sigh of relief.

_"But you could be arrested for pedophilia,"_ Chewbacca added, laughing mischievously.

"Pedophilia... What?" Han blinked worriedly, as Lando cackled in gleeful amusement at his plight. _No no no..._

_"Haha,"_ Chewie laughed gently, patting him on the shoulder. _"Just don't wear that amulet when you visit Kashyyyk, and you'll be all right,"_ he reassured him.

"Ahh," Han cringed, mortified. "Don't worry, pal," he told Chewie sarcastically, with an indignant glare. "I ain't ever going back there again," he threatened, as Chewbacca continued to chuckle in amusement.

"Just for that, _you're_ doing all the loading today," Han informed the Wookiee reproachfully.

_"Fine,"_ Chewbacca agreed, getting up to unload the empty tanks from the _Falcon_, which were to be refilled with Tibanna gas and delivered to Greedo on Tatooine. _"You little pups wait here,"_ he laughed good-naturedly, heading out the door.

Han laughed, shaking his head. In truth, Chewbacca usually did most of the loading anyway, since he could carry the large tanks by himself; Han had learned to stay out of his way, primarily to avoid embarrassment.

"So." Lando grinned, after Chewbacca had left. "How are Boba and Sydney doing?"

"They're fine," Han said, nodding. "Sydney's been working on her novel; I haven't seen much of her lately," he confessed. "But they're doing great," he assured Lando. Boba and Sydney had gotten married at a little Tatooine wedding chapel within twenty-four hours of meeting each other, and no one had expected it to work out; but a year later they were still madly in love, and Sydney had left her journalism career behind to pursue her lifelong dream of becoming a novelist.

"Everyone says hello, by the way," Han added, with an appreciative smile at Lando. "Prunella keeps asking when you're going to visit again," he laughed. "It's been a while," he reminded Lando quietly, with a concerned look. _Ahh... I promised Prunella I'd say something this time..._ "Lando," Han continued uncomfortably. "You've been working too hard lately," he protested, as Lando smiled quietly, appreciative of his concern. "We're all worried about you, buddy," he confessed. "Living all alone out here in your little bubble - which you call a _city,_" Han pointed out worriedly. "Lando... _I'm_ supposed to be the crazy one, remember?"

"Ha," Lando laughed, nodding. "Yeah, I know," he agreed quietly. "Don't worry, Han," he assured him. "It won't be much longer that I have to manage this place by myself," he promised. "Besides, I've got Carl and the crew here," he reminded Han; they were living in a similar - but larger - bubble down on the planet's surface, and Lando visited them daily. "We've almost saved up enough credits to build a whole new above-planet facility," he told Han. "Once we get Carl and the guys settled up here, I'll be able to get away more often," he assured him. "You tell Prunella I'll be visiting soon," Lando promised, grinning cheerfully.

Han smiled, grateful for the reassurance. "I'll tell her," he agreed, sharing an amused grin with his friend. _Yeah... If I were stuck in a little bubble for a year, I'd probably end up growing a funny moustache and dressing weird too,_ he conceded. _Lando's doing really well, all things considered._

A few minutes later Chewbacca returned, announcing that the tanks were refilled and loaded onto the _Falcon._ "Thanks, Chewie," Han nodded appreciatively, getting up from the couch as Lando stood too. "Well, I guess we'd better be going... We'll be back in a couple days," he promised Lando. "Anything you need from Tatooine?" he asked, as they headed back out to the landing platform.

"No," Lando said cheerfully. "Although I seem to recall being promised a basket of goodies from Prunella," he reminded Han, his eyes twinkling with amusement.

"Right." Han grinned, remembering. "Come on," he nodded, inviting Lando aboard and climbing up the ramp to the _Falcon_. "She sent some dried fruit, cheese, homemade cereal bars," Han listed off, going to the refrigerator and pulling out the basket. "Oh yeah, and there's some Nylog stew... it's really good," he told Lando, as Chewie barked in agreement. "Here ya go," Han said, handing him the basket.

"Aww... Tell Prunella I say thanks." Lando grinned, admiring his goodie basket. "And say hello to everyone for me," he added, heading back down the ramp to the landing platform. "I'll see you guys in a couple days... Thanks again," he added to Han and Chewie. "It's great having you guys on board full-time."

"Thanks, Lando," Han nodded appreciatively, pressing the button to close the hatch and waving goodbye as Chewie roared his farewell. A minute later the _Millennium Falcon_ departed from Cloud City, leaving Bespin far behind; and several hours and many holo-chess games later, Han and Chewbacca were back on Tatooine, unloading their Tibanna gas tanks at Greedo's distribution center.

"Well, that's the last of them," Han announced, rolling a heavy gas tank over to the side of the warehouse as Chewie carried one in his arms, setting it down beside the others.

"Thanks, guys," Greedo said, as they all headed for the exit. "Come on," he added cheerfully, locking the warehouse door behind them. "Let's go get something to eat."

But a moment later a large reptilian figure stepped out from the shadows, and Chewbacca roared angrily, barely restraining himself from strangling the Trandoshan on sight. "Solo," the bounty hunter nodded respectfully. "Gardulla wishes to re-extend her offer of employment."

"Bossk... I _told_ you," Han sighed impatiently. "I ain't interested," he reminded him, deeply annoyed. "Now if you'll excuse us - "

But the Trandoshan stepped in front of him, blocking his path. "Perhaps this will change your mind," he said quietly, switching on a portable holo-transmitter and bringing up a series of recorded images. Han's eyes widened in alarm and shock as he recognized pictures his father, unconscious and bleeding. _Dad..._ Instinctively he drew his blaster, pointing it firmly against the Trandoshan's chest as Chewie growled dangerously, looming over the reptilian bounty hunter.

"Hahaha," Bossk laughed, unafraid. "Shooting me will not improve your father's chances of survival," he informed Han. "I have implanted an explosive slave device in his head," Bossk continued calmly, showing Han evidence of the procedure. "Gardulla holds the remote detonator," he added. "Once again, she extends an offer of employment," Bossk repeated, with a wicked smile. "I would suggest that you accept."

Han stared at the holo images, his heart pounding anxiously. Then he turned to Bossk, glaring angrily. "You scaly, blue-blooded slimeball - " he broke off, glancing in dismay at the images of his unconscious father. "You wouldn't," he challenged the Trandoshan, his blaster still pressed against his chest.

"No, I wouldn't," Bossk agreed calmly. "Don't worry... I took the liberty of dropping your father off at the local hospital; he is being well cared for," he assured him. "I understand the value of a live hostage... _Live_ being the key word," Bossk pointed out, gesturing to the holo images. "Gardulla, on the other hand..." Bossk sighed dramatically, shrugging. "She is not known for her patience," he reminded Han. "If you value your father's life, I suggest you do everything in your power to keep Gardulla happy."

_Damn it... he's right,_ Han confessed, his mind reeling as he stared at the holo images again, trying to think of a way out of this one. Despite all the horrors he had witnessed during his employment with Jabba the Hutt, Han knew that Gardulla was a thousand times worse; her cruel and sadistic treatment of prisoners was infamous, as was her complete lack of regard for any life other than her own. Gardulla delighted in torture and murder, and had a long-standing tradition of ritually executing two employees each morning over breakfast; this was done both for her own entertainment, and as an incentive for her other workers to do their jobs.

_Sure, Jabba has a bit of a temper,_ Han admitted. _But he's a pussycat compared to Gardulla._ Like any self-respecting Hutt, Jabba condemned people to torture and death on a daily basis; but he turned a blind eye when it came to the actual execution of his orders. Being fed to the Sarlaac - though unpleasant - was hardly a death sentence, as it took the creature a thousand years to digest its victims - who were generally rescued in the night by concerned friends. And the Rancor, while more deadly, was fed constant snacks and treats by its overindulgent keeper; in reality it was rarely hungry, and killed only a few victims per month. The others were quietly ushered away into the dungeon as Jabba turned his attention back to his dancers, and were usually released within hours, when Jabba grudgingly admitted that he required their services again.

"I don't have all day," Bossk reminded Han impatiently, glancing down with disdain at the blaster pressed against his chest. Bossk was one of Gardulla's top bounty hunters; even if Arthur's life weren't in jeopardy, Han knew that killing the Trandoshan would mean his own death sentence. "Gardulla is expecting you to report for work immediately," Bossk told him. "I would be pleased to escort you back to her palace," he offered.

"I'll bet you would," Han agreed, still glaring at the bounty hunter. _If I don't show up at Gardulla's palace tonight to accept her offer, Dad could be dead by morning,_ he realized. _But even if I DO go to work for her..._ Han blinked worriedly, knowing that his options were not good either way. _Smuggling is hardly an exact science,_ he admitted. _Things go wrong: customers refuse to pay, shipments are delayed, or get dumped entirely... Even I get boarded by the Jedi Border Patrol sometimes,_ Han confessed. _It's only a matter of time before I do something wrong, and Gardulla gets angry and pushes that button_.

_But maybe there's another way out of this,_ Han considered, a plan beginning to formulate in his head. _Jabba hates Gardulla; if I tell him what she's done..._ "Change of plans," Han announced abruptly, shoving his blaster point harder into Bossk's chest and nodding for Chewie to disarm the bounty hunter. "We're going to have a little chat with Jabba."

* * *

><p>"Hahahaaa," Jabba laughed, as Solo and Chewbacca appeared before him, holding Bossk at gunpoint. "Solo... What is this?" he asked with mild curiosity, munching on a critter from his snack bowl. "Looking for a new career already?" In truth Jabba was glad to see him; in the week since Solo had left his service, Jabba was already falling woefully behind on his spice shipments, and customers were beginning to complain.<p>

"Jabba," Solo began, nodding. "I've been offered a new job, smuggling for Gardulla."

"Ahh!" Jabba exclaimed, frustrated. Now that Solo had paid off his debt, Jabba had no official claim to him; he had of course extended an offer of continued employment with better commissions, but Solo had refused. "How much has she offered you?" he asked. _And why are you holding Bossk at blaster point?_ he wondered, slightly baffled. _Solo, my boy, you know you can't touch him._

"Twice my previous commissions," Solo replied, as Jabba frowned unhappily. _Damn you, Gardulla... But Solo is worth it,_ Jabba admitted, guessing where this conversation was going. _Yes, I will match her offer._

"And you are planning to accept?" Jabba asked cautiously, still uncertain of how Bossk entered into all of this.

"If I have to," Solo nodded. "But I wanted to talk to you first... in private," he added quietly, with a meaningful look.

Jabba nodded. "Leave us," he commanded his courtiers, waiting impatiently as they exited the audience chamber. "So, Solo," Jabba continued. "What is this about?"

"Jabba," Solo nodded respectfully. "It seems Gardulla has sent lizard-brain here to implant a slave device inside my father's head," he informed him, with a contemptuous look at the Trandoshan bounty hunter beside him. "Gardulla holds the remote detonator."

"Ahhhh!" Jabba roared, outraged. _Solo's father is a member of the Corellian royal family,_ he realized. _Gardulla will bring war upon the Hutts if she continues with this sort of thing_. Relations with the Galactic Republic had always been strained; Jabba understood that there were certain codes of conduct to follow, and lines that were not to be crossed.

"As I said, I'll accept Gardulla's offer if I have to," Solo continued. "But if you could get the remote detonator yourself," he suggested hopefully. "Jabba, whatever it costs... I'll pay you back - double," Solo promised, his expression pleading.

"Hahaha," Jabba chuckled, amused. "Yes," he agreed, nodding thoughtfully. "I know you will." _Solo is a man of his word, and the best smuggler there is... I must have that detonator._ "Very well," Jabba conceded. "Fortuna! Get me Gardulla," he commanded, as his Twi'lek assistant bowed obediently, proceeding to contact her over the holo-transmitter.

"Gardulla!" Jabba roared, not bothering with pleasantries. "This time you have gone too far!"

"Jabba," Gardulla seethed, her voice dripping with loathing. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Arthur Solo," Jabba challenged her. "Have you lost your mind? He is a member of the Corellian royal family. You will bring war upon the Hutts if the Senate hears of what you've done."

"Hmmm," Gardulla smiled wickedly. "I think not. Solo is thirteenth in line for the throne, and crazy," she countered. "The Galactic Republic will not wage war against the Hutts because of one dead Nerf herder," Gardulla pointed out.

_Ahhh,_ Jabba sighed, exasperated. _She is right._ "Still, they will tighten their defenses around Hutt Territory, and strengthen their trade embargoes, if word of this gets out," he reminded Gardulla.

"I'll take my chances." Gardulla glared at him defiantly; but there was a glimmer of frustration in her eyes, and Jabba smiled, knowing he had won. _All of the other Hutts will be angry with Gardulla over this,_ he realized. _Solo's remote detonator is more of a liability than an asset._

"I would be happy to take the detonator off your hands," Jabba offered magnanimously. "Give it to me, and I will not mention this matter to the other Hutts," he promised.

Gardulla glared at him. "Three hundred thousand," she demanded. "And the detonator is yours."

Jabba nodded thoughtfully. "Two hundred thousand," he countered. "And Bossk will be returned to you in one piece," he suggested, as Fortuna switched the camera view to Solo's captive.

"Ahh!" Gardulla yelled angrily. "You can't touch him!" she exclaimed indignantly.

"And yet, it seems I can," Jabba chuckled in amusement, gesturing toward the captured bounty hunter.

"Ahhhh!" Gardulla groaned, frustrated. "Keep him," she told Jabba. "Solo is worth more."

_Yes, he is,_ Jabba agreed, sighing. _All right... I've been saving this for a rainy day..._ "One hundred thousand," Jabba offered quietly. "_And_ Bossk," he shrugged indifferently. "And the security recording from Boonta Eve," he added slyly. "You know the one I'm talking about."

Suddenly Gardulla turned nearly purple from embarrassment, as Jabba laughed to himself, deeply amused. He and Gardulla had shared a brief, sordid love affair decades ago, though Gardulla tried her best to deny it; but the security hologram of their passionate night together on Boonta Eve left nothing to the viewer's imagination.

"You wouldn't," Gardulla seethed contemptuously, barely masking her horror and revulsion.

"I would." Jabba smiled proudly. "I am not ashamed of my _'little podracer,'_" he assured her, as Gardulla cringed in horror, remembering the pet name she had drunkenly blurted out that night. _Over, and over, and over again..._ Jabba sighed contentedly at the memory. "One hundred thousand," he repeated. "Deliver the remote detonator to me by this evening, and I will release Bossk, and destroy the recording," he promised her. Jabba had always been a Hutt of his word; Gardulla and the others knew that he did not make such promises lightly.

"Ahh," Gardulla sighed heavily, still cringing with embarrassment and disgust; but then she nodded in defeat. "All right," she agreed resentfully. "My courier will deliver the remote detonator tonight."

"Thank you," Jabba nodded courteously, with a dramatic sweep of his hand. "A pleasure, as always," he assured her. Gardulla's holographic image glared at him for a split second, her eyes filled with revulsion and contempt; and then the image flickered and disappeared.

"Solo," Jabba continued, turning to the smuggler. "Same deal as before," he told him, stating his terms. "One hundred thousand credits, plus interest," he specified, as Solo nodded in agreement. "And then you shall have the remote detonator."

"Thank you, Jabba," Solo nodded appreciatively. "I won't forget this," he added, with a sincere look of gratitude. _Yes, I know you won't,_ Jabba agreed. _You are mine now, Solo._

"Guards!" Jabba yelled, calling them back inside his audience chamber. "Take Bossk down to the dungeons," he ordered them, as the Gamorreans dragged the bounty hunter away; then Jabba turned back to Solo. "Check with the warehouses," he instructed him. "Take a shipment that's going somewhere near Dantooine," he told him. "Your first assignment is to ensure the health and safety of my newest... _asset,_" he informed Solo, his eyes narrowing. _Your father is no use to me dead._

"Thank you, Jabba," Solo nodded in humble gratitude. "We'll leave right away."

Jabba smiled magnanimously as Solo and Chewbacca took their leave; then he sighed, reaching for another critter. _It's good to have you back, Solo,_ he admitted, munching thoughtfully as he called his courtiers back into the audience chamber, motioning for the evening's entertainment to resume.

* * *

><p>"Dad!" Han exclaimed, climbing down the <em>Falcon's<em> gangplank and grinning in relieved gratitude as his father appeared in the doorway of his cabin, waving cheerfully. _He's all right,_ Han sighed, deeply relieved.

"Han!" Arthur beamed delightedly, greeting them. "What are you doing here?" he asked in obvious surprise, embracing his son. "Hi Chewie," he added with a cheerful grin, as Chewbacca roared in greeting.

_What am I doing here?_ Han blinked, caught off guard by the question. "I just came to see how you were doing," Han replied carefully, not wanting to unnecessarily upset his father. _Maybe he doesn't know about the slave device,_ he realized suddenly; this was not a conversation Han had been looking forward to. _Maybe we don't have to talk about this after all..._

"Oh," Arthur grinned, nodding. "I'm doing fine," he assured him; but there was a look of apology in his eyes.

"Yeah?" Han said hopefully, looking around. The Nerfs were grazing on the hillside nearby with Shep watching over them, and a puff of smoke escaped from the cabin's little chimney, evidence of a cheery fire in the woodstove; Han could smell something delicious cooking, and blinked at his father in surprise. _Since when did you learn how to cook?_

"What happened to your head?" Han asked carefully, peering at the healing scar above his temple in concern.

"Oh... I - " Arthur sighed nervously, putting a hand to his head. "I - uh... a tree," he said vaguely, gesturing toward the forested hillside in the distance. "It... a branch - I didn't see it."

_Okay..._ Han nodded, trying not to show his profound worry. _Well he's no weirder than he ever was,_ he decided optimistically. _I'll ask him about that again later._ "What are you cooking?" Han asked, with a curious glance toward the cabin.

"Ahh..." Arthur cringed worriedly. "Nothing," he protested. "I mean..."

Han blinked at his father in concern; he'd never in his life seen him this nervous. "Dad... Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yes... Yes, I'm fine," Arthur nodded apologetically. "Actually, I was just writing to you," he confessed, glancing toward the little cabin. "Han, there's something I need to talk to you about," he said, his eyes filled with concern.

"Yeah?" Han asked worriedly. _Damn... He does remember Bossk..._

Arthur nodded again. "Han, I..." He blinked uncomfortably, a look of confusion in his dark eyes.

"Let's go inside," Han suggested gently. "You can tell me about it - "

"No," Arthur protested suddenly, his brows furrowing. "Stay back!" he warned Han, pointing a threatening finger at him and retreating toward the doorway of his cabin. "You have come to steal away my beloved Liriana!" he accused Han suspiciously. _Great,_ Han sighed. _This again..._ "But I shall fight to the death for the one I love," Arthur vowed dramatically. "For in life or in death, we shall never be - "

"Arthur!" came a woman's voice from behind him. Han looked up in surprise to see a blonde woman of roughly his father's age standing in the doorway of the cabin. _What the hell is going on here...?_

"Stay back, Liriana!" Arthur warned her, cautiously stepping toward the kindling pile by the doorstep and picking up a long stick. "O worthy adversary! O noble Knight! I challenge you to a duel!" he proclaimed, raising his makeshift sword high in the air.

"Dad..." Han blinked worriedly; first at his father, then at the blonde woman in the doorway.

"Arthur," the woman said gently, approaching him. "Arthur, put that down... it's all right," she assured him, putting a hand on his shoulder. "It's only Han," she told him softly, patting his shoulder as Han continued to stare at them in utter bafflement.

Arthur blinked uncertainly, but obediently lowered his stick. "Oh," he said, hanging his head in dismay. "Sorry."

"It's all right," Han assured him, with an encouraging smile. This was not the first time his father had accused him of trying to steal away his beloved Liriana; but it _was_ the first time that there had actually been a Liriana to steal away. "Hi," Han said nervously, as the blonde woman smiled back at him, equally apologetic. "I'm Han," he added uncomfortably, stating the obvious.

"Hi, Han." The woman smiled at him fondly. "I'm Gwen... I've heard so much about you."

"Ahhh," Arthur moaned unhappily, sitting down on the doorstep and hugging his knees to his chest.

"Arthur, it's all right," Gwen said softly, putting a hand on his shoulder, then tenderly stroking his shaggy hair to calm him. "Han, I'm sorry," she apologized, with a shy smile. "He's been trying to write to you all morning," she explained. "Han, your father has asked me to marry him," Gwen said simply, with a smile of quiet affection.

Han blinked in stunned disbelief, staring at the two of them. "Oh," he stammered, momentarily caught off guard; but then he broke into a happy grin, realizing what was going on. "Ha!" he laughed, delighted. "That's great," he told them, nodding enthusiastically. _Ahh! Everyone is getting married these days..._ "Congratulations," Han smiled, as Chewie barked proudly, echoing the sentiment.

But Arthur was still cringing, and looked up at Han now uncertainly. "Han... I'm sorry," he apologized, getting up and coming over to join him, his eyes filled with sincere regret. "This isn't how I wanted you to find out," he confessed in dismay. "Well, especially not with the dueling, and the - " he sighed ruefully, running his fingers through his shaggy hair, as Han grinned in amusement. "I was trying to write to you," his father told him again, glancing apologetically toward the little cabin. "I wanted to ask your blessing."

_Aww._ "You don't need my blessing, Dad," Han insisted gently, putting a hand on Arthur's shoulder as his father smiled, nodding gratefully. "But you have it," Han assured him, with an appreciative smile at Gwen as well.

"Thank you," Gwen said, smiling warmly. "See," she added to Arthur. "I told you, it was nothing to worry about," she chided him, as Arthur smiled in shy gratitude. "Han's a grown boy," Gwen pointed out cheerfully, her blue eyes twinkling with appreciation. "He knows I'm not trying to replace his mother," she added gently, with an apologetic glance at Han.

"Heh," Han laughed, amused. "Go right ahead," he told her. "Just don't call me Hannibal," he cringed, as Chewbacca chuckled in amusement. Han had never been very close to his own mother, who now lived at the royal palace on Corellia along with her second husband, Prince Edmund Solo XII. _Mother's such a princess,_ Han sighed, vowing once again never to marry royalty. _Not that I'm planning to marry anyone at all,_ he confessed; but then he grinned in amusement, remembering his engagement to Tikki.

"Han, what is it?" Arthur asked, confused by his reaction.

"Ahh... Nothing," Han laughed quietly. "I'm happy for you," he told his father, with an appreciative smile at Gwen as well. "Really," he insisted, as Chewie barked in agreement. _Though I'm still trying to figure out exactly how this happened,_ Han confessed, baffled beyond words; he would have to ask about that later. _But they seem so happy together,_ he admitted, relieved that his father was all right.

"Thanks, Han," Arthur nodded gratefully, as Gwen smiled in shy appreciation. But now Arthur looked at Han curiously. "So what about you?" he asked, sharing a mischievous glance with Chewie. "Any luck in finding the next Solo princess?"

Han laughed, shaking his head. With Chewie and Boba both getting married this past year, Han had felt the subtle pressure to start looking for a girlfriend of his own, but he just hadn't met anyone who had caught his interest. _Aside from Tikki,_ Han smiled in amusement. "Actually, I did meet someone, just this past week," he admitted, as Chewie laughed softly.

"Really?" Arthur asked, blinking in surprise, as Gwen smiled, delighted by the news.

"Yes," Han nodded, with a rueful grin. "Her name is Tikki," he told them. "She's gorgeous," he added truthfully. "Five-foot one, dark hair... beautiful brown eyes." He grinned mischievously, sharing an amused glance with Chewbacca.

"Wow," Arthur blinked, impressed. "Well I have to hear about this... Come on in," he said cheerfully, leading them back toward the cabin. "So how did you two meet?" he asked, curious.

Han laughed quietly. "Interesting story," he confessed, giving Gwen a smile of shy appreciation as he and Chewie followed them inside the cabin. "But I'm afraid it's not meant to be," Han admitted, telling his parents the details of his recent engagement.

"Ahh," Arthur laughed cheerfully, as Gwen giggled in amusement from the kitchen, where she had resumed her task of fixing lunch. "Don't worry, Han," Arthur reassured him, giving Han an encouraging pat on the shoulder as they sat around the table together. "You'll find your princess one day," he promised, his brown eyes twinkling proudly. "Probably sooner than you think."

"That's right," Gwen chimed in confidently from the kitchen, as Chewie roared in agreement.

"Thanks," Han said, with an embarrassed grin. He had never given it much thought; but after spending four days on Kashyyyk with Chewie and Malla, and seeing the newfound sparkle of happiness in his father's eyes today, Han had to admit that the idea was starting to become more appealing. "I hope so," he agreed good-naturedly, smiling quietly and enjoying this happy moment at home with his family.


	117. Mara discovers a shocking secret

**Chapter 117**

_A year later..._

_The cotangent of 8.00015627 degrees times 3.9171,_ Mara calculated, frowning in concentration as she worked out her math homework problem. _Um... Am I supposed to multiply them together first, or after?_ she wondered doubtfully. _Ahh, I don't know..._ Sighing unhappily, Mara looked up from her datapad, gazing wistfully toward the riverbank below.

_Kilaui is so beautiful,_ Mara realized once again, awed by the magnificent green moss-covered cliffs surrounding her, and the magical iridescence of the river below, which glowed red, orange, and yellow as the plankton mated with each other. It was red tide season here on Kilaui, and Mara was happy to be here for five whole days along with Master Anakin, Obi-Wan, Luke, Qui-Gon, Cory, and Zak.

This was the third year that they had all come here to study the mating habits of the iridescent plankton; it had become a tradition, and Mara smiled now as she watched the others down on the riverbank. _How many Jedi Masters does it take to count plankton?_ she giggled, watching them study their little cupfuls of water intently, marking down the number of each color they saw and checking for mutations and other abnormalities before carefully releasing the plankton back into the river.

_Not that Master Anakin and Cory are REAL Masters,_ Mara conceded; Master Anakin was teamed up with Obi-Wan now, and Master Qui-Gon and Cory were working together farther down the river. _I guess Knights aren't qualified to count properly,_ she laughed to herself, turning back to her own work. _Ahh, they're all counting plankton and I'm stuck here doing lightspeed calculations,_ she sighed unhappily. Luke and Zak had gone off hiking together, down to the village on the other side of the rocky cliff; Mara had wanted to go with them, but Master Anakin was being annoyingly strict about her studies lately.

_I don't know what the big deal is about the preliminary trials,_ Mara grumbled. _I have three whole years to study..._ Mara was still only fourteen, though she would turn fifteen in two months; she still had three years before she would have to face the preliminary trials that all Jedi padawans were required to take at age eighteen. _And it's not like Master Anakin is going to kick me out, even if I don't pass,_ she frowned; technically he could stop training her at eighteen if she failed the preliminaries, but Master Anakin had promised her that he wouldn't do that.

_You're a slow learner, Mara,_ he had reminded her gently. _It might take you longer to pass the trials than most people, but you can do it,_ Master Anakin had assured her, as always. _If you don't pass the preliminaries, it's not the end of the world._ Still, Master Anakin was being incredibly strict lately; Mara was still only on Level II for most subjects, and she would need to complete Level VI in order to pass the preliminaries.

_Luke's already on Level VII,_ Mara sighed ruefully. Luke had just turned fifteen a month ago, and was nearly ready to pass the _real_ trials, though he wouldn't be allowed to face them for another three years. _Actually..._ Mara blinked in surprise, seeing Luke and Zak down by the river now; they had come back from their hike to the village, and had resumed their task of counting plankton, a hundred yards upriver from Master Anakin and Obi-Wan.

_I'll go ask Luke about this math problem,_ Mara decided, getting up from her perch on the craggy rocks and climbing along the cliff face toward where the boys were working. _Haha... I didn't sense them coming back,_ she realized, grinning at the novelty of the feeling. The iridescent plankton here on Kilaui were incredibly strong with the Living Force, especially during red tide season; here by the river it was impossible to sense anything but the billions of tiny organisms which were all loudly advertising their Force presence in the hope of attracting suitable mates.

Mara was climbing past Master Anakin and Obi-Wan now, making her way across a rocky outcropping just six feet over their heads; but the two Masters were still intent on their work, unaware of her presence. _Hee! I'm going to try to sneak past them,_ Mara decided playfully, crouching low and wondering if she could pass right over their heads without them noticing. _This is good practice for espionage missions,_ she realized, subtly masking her presence as she crawled along the ledge, hiding behind the rocky outcropping.

But then she stopped suddenly, overhearing something her Master was saying. "I'm worried about her, Obi-Wan," Master Anakin was confessing quietly now; Mara blinked in surprise, listening intently. _He's worried about me?_ "Lately it seems like... like the spark has gone out of her," Master Anakin lamented. "This is too much stress for her," he sighed unhappily.

"She'll be fine, Anakin," Master Obi-Wan assured him gently. "She seems fine to _me_," he countered.

_Yeah,_ Mara agreed, frowning in concern. _I'm fine,_ she insisted, troubled to realize that Master Anakin was secretly so worried about her. _Aw, I didn't mean to make him worry..._ But then she froze as she heard his next words.

"She's my daughter, Obi-Wan," Master Anakin continued sadly. "My own flesh and blood," he protested, his voice rough with emotion. "I was the first one to hold her, the moment she was born... To me, she'll always be that tiny, fragile, vulnerable little baby, no matter how other people see her," he sighed worriedly.

_WHAT?_ Mara's heart pounded wildly, her mind suddenly reeling. _I'm his - his daughter?_ Mara gasped in stunned shock, forcing herself to stay calm and mask her emotions. _Holy crap... No way..._

"Obi-Wan... I love her, and it kills me to see her so unhappy," Master Anakin lamented. "She's only a child; other girls her age are going to regular schools, playing with their friends..." He broke off, sighing. "It's too much responsibility," Master Anakin said quietly. "I feel like her childhood was taken away from her, and she was forced to grow up too soon," he lamented. "Sometimes I wonder if she would have been happier if we'd sent her to a normal school," he confessed reluctantly.

_No,_ Mara blinked, concerned. _No, Master... I'm glad to be a padawan,_ she insisted, touched and concerned that he was so worried about her. _I'm happy being a Jedi... Really, I am..._ Tears sprang to Mara's eyes as the realization began to sink in. _He's my father... My real father..._

"Anakin, what's done is done," Master Obi-Wan reminded him gently. "You can't change the past; and truly, I don't think she's nearly as unhappy as you think she is," he argued, as Mara nodded stubbornly in agreement. _That's right._ "You say you wish she could have had a normal childhood; but she's not like normal children," he pointed out. "She probably would have been miserable in a normal school, and bored to tears," he added, amused.

"Ha," Master Anakin laughed quietly. "Yeah, I guess you're right," he conceded.

"Don't worry, Anakin," Master Obi-Wan assured him. "This will only be for another three years; and then she'll be free to do whatever she likes," he reminded him. _What?_ Mara gasped, her heart racing. _No no no..._ Was Master Anakin truly planning to stop training her, and send her away from the Order when she turned eighteen? _Master, no... Please... You said it was all right if it took me longer to pass..._

But to her horror, Master Anakin was agreeing with Obi-Wan now. "I know," he said softly. "And I'm glad," he confessed. "This is too much stress for her; I'll be relieved when it's over," he told Obi-Wan.

"So will I," Master Obi-Wan agreed softly. "Though she's done an incredible job," he added. "You must be very proud of her, Anakin."

"Yes, I am," Master Anakin agreed. "Ahh... You're right," he laughed gently. "She's a lot tougher than I give her credit for; she'll be all right," he conceded, a tone of fatherly pride in his voice.

"That's right," Master Obi-Wan said confidently. "She's very strong, Anakin," he reminded him, chuckling softly. "And stubborn; she's not one to easily give up," he pointed out good-naturedly. "She takes after her mother that way."

"Haha," Master Anakin laughed. "Thank goodness," he agreed.

"Speaking of which," Master Obi-Wan added cheerfully. "Happy anniversary, by the way."

"What?" Master Anakin's startled surprise was obvious.

"Anakin... Oh dear, I thought you knew," Master Obi-Wan sighed ruefully. "Yes, Anakin; it's been seventeen years since a certain padawan of mine sneaked off to get married behind my back, when I wasn't looking," he reminded him, a tone of reproach in his voice. "It's not something I will easily forget," he scolded him.

_Ha!_ Mara grinned to herself, delighted. _He got married when he was still a padawan?_

"Ahh!" Master Anakin exclaimed unhappily. "Crap... I totally forgot," he confessed. "Oh no... She's going to kill me," he lamented. "I thought it was next week..."

"Not to worry," Master Obi-Wan assured him. "There's still time to send flowers," he told him calmly. "It's still morning on Coruscant," he pointed out.

"Ehh... Okay, I'd better go do that," Master Anakin agreed ruefully, his voice suddenly sounding closer as he stood up. Mara quickly hid in the shadows, pressing herself into a craggy recess in the side of the cliff as Master Anakin climbed past her, continuing up to the top of the ridge where their Starfighters were docked.

_Holy crap..._ Mara reeled in shock, quickly climbing back to the rocky ridge where she was supposed to be studying. _He's my father? And - they're still married?_ she grinned in disbelief, delighted by this news. _Ahhh... I really have parents? Wait until Luke hears about this,_ Mara smiled ecstatically, her heart pounding with excitement and joy.

_So that's why Master Anakin took me as his padawan, when no one else would,_ Mara realized now, trying to work it out. _He was pretending to be interested in Luke all that time... Because how obvious would it look if he kept coming back year after year, to visit his own daughter's youngling class?_ she giggled. _It makes sense that he kept asking Luke,_ Mara understood now. _Luke was always the most talented one in our class; everyone was always asking him to be their padawan,_ she reasoned. _And somehow Master Anakin knew that Luke would keep saying no to him... It was all just a diversion,_ Mara grinned in delight. _He wanted me all along!_

_But he had to be sneaky about it,_ Mara realized, understanding his motives. _I was a terrible student; it would have looked really suspicious if he'd shown any kind of interest in me,_ she confessed. _But... He's really my father,_ she smiled wistfully, tears filling her eyes. _And he and my mother are still together..._ Mara blinked as another thought occurred to her. _Master Obi-Wan knows,_ she realized, surprised. _He didn't turn him in; he's been covering for him, all these years..._

_And he knows my mother too; he says I'm strong, like her..._ Mara smiled proudly, a feeling of warmth and belonging filling her heart. _Oh, I wish I could meet her too,_ she thought wistfully. Mara knew that she was a death stick baby, and that her mother had been a drug addict; but thankfully, it seemed that she was doing better now. _Master Obi-Wan said she's strong... She's beaten the addiction,_ Mara realized, tremendously proud of her mother. _I bet my father helped her with that,_ she realized, smiling. _He's so patient, and kind; that's why he's always been so understanding of my problems,_ Mara cried, tears of happiness filling her eyes.

_But... He really thinks I'm going to burn out?_ Mara blinked worriedly. _What did Master Obi-Wan mean... 'This will only be for another three years'...? Is Master Anakin really planning to send me away if I don't pass the preliminaries?_ Mara choked, suddenly feeling a lump in her throat. _He lied to me... He said he believes in me, and thinks I can pass, but he was only saying that to be nice,_ she realized, heartbroken. _He doesn't think I can do it..._

_Well I can,_ Mara frowned indignantly, picking up her datapad again. _It's like Obi-Wan said; I'm stubborn, like my mother,_ she sniffed with wounded pride, returning to her math problem. _I don't give up easily,_ she agreed. _I'm going to pass these stupid preliminaries, and show them I can do it,_ she resolved. _I'm going to make them proud of me..._

_Both of them,_ Mara smiled, thinking of her mother again. _She lives on Coruscant,_ she remembered, recalling Master Obi-Wan's words. _That's where Master Anakin always goes, when he leaves me alone in the library to study,_ she realized. _He's sneaking off to see my mother,_ Mara grinned, delighted. _Haha! This is great!_

_I can't believe Master Obi-Wan never reported him,_ Mara sighed, shaking her head. _He's on the Council; he could be in huge trouble if anyone ever found out,_ she realized suddenly, frowning with concern. But it was obvious that Master Obi-Wan would do anything for his former padawan, and closest friend. _He even took Luke as his padawan at the last minute, so that Master Anakin could train me,_ Mara realized, grateful for Master Obi-Wan's selflessness and loyalty.

But now she jumped in surprise, hearing a voice behind her. "Hey," Luke said cheerfully, joining her on the ledge. "How's it going?"

"Ahh! I didn't sense you," Mara giggled, still caught off guard.

"I know." Luke grinned. "Freaky, isn't it?"

"Yeah," Mara agreed. _Speaking of which..._ "Luke," she added softly, casting a cautious glance toward the riverbank below, where Master Anakin was returning to join Master Obi-Wan now. _Ah, I have to keep track of where they are,_ she realized. "Luke, you're not going to believe this," Mara began excitedly, telling him all that she had overheard.

* * *

><p>"Mission accomplished," Anakin announced smugly, hopping down to join Obi-Wan by the riverbank.<p>

"Good job," Obi-Wan nodded, with a quiet laugh. _Oh dear, Anakin. You really must try to remember these things._ "What kind of flowers did you get her?"

"Everything." Anakin grinned happily, clearly pleased with himself. "They even had some Naboo wildflowers," he added appreciatively. "You were right; that's definitely the best florist on Coruscant."

"Yes," Obi-Wan agreed; then he squinted thoughtfully toward the nearby ridge. "They're getting along well," he mused, seeing Luke and Mara talking quietly together, studying her datapad.

"Ha," Anakin nodded. "Today, anyway," he laughed ruefully. Mara had been in an exceptionally good mood these past few days, since they had been visiting Kilaui; she had been getting along reasonably well with Zak and Luke, but Obi-Wan feared it would not last much longer, and that soon Mara would be treating the boys with her usual contempt and resentment.

"Actually," Anakin frowned worriedly, looking up at the two of them. "Obi-Wan, do you think...?"

"Hmm," Obi-Wan laughed, amused by the thought. "No," he assured his brother. "Trust me, Anakin," he added pointedly. "It would be like Siri and me," he told him, laughing at the thought. Anakin had never had any girls in his youngling class, but Obi-Wan knew from experience what it was like. "Luke and Mara practically shared a crib together," he reminded his brother. "They're like brother and sister," he insisted confidently.

"So... You never felt anything toward Siri?" Anakin asked, curious.

Obi-Wan blinked worriedly. "No... Force, no, Anakin," he insisted, somewhat disturbed by the thought. "I remember when she was three, and I was five; trust me, Anakin, when you've known someone as a toddler, it's impossible to think of them in any other way."

"Yeah, I guess so," Anakin agreed. "I'm just worried," he confessed, grinning ruefully. "He _is_ my kid."

"Ha," Obi-Wan laughed. "Sometimes I wonder," he admitted. "Luke isn't like you, Anakin," Obi-Wan reminded him gently. "_Or_ me," he conceded, with a rueful smile. "He's different, Anakin; more level-headed, like Padmé, and Leia," he insisted. "In any case, I've already spoken to him about it," Obi-Wan added matter-of-factly.

Anakin blinked in surprise. "You have?"

"Yes," Obi-Wan admitted, with an embarrassed smile. "I didn't want to repeat the mistake I made with you... And that Qui-Gon made with me," he confessed. _We both felt guilty about our own transgressions, and avoided the issue altogether._ "We visited Siri and Marco last week," he added. "I told Luke the story of how Siri left the Order to marry Marco, and how she and her former Master haven't spoken since; I'm afraid I put a bit of a guilt trip on him," Obi-Wan confessed. "But truly, Anakin, Luke is different from us," he insisted again. "He's going to be a Master," Obi-Wan said proudly.

"Yeah," Anakin nodded in agreement; then he laughed ruefully. "Probably way before I am, at the rate things are going," he confessed, running a hand through his hair. "Ahh, I really have to start studying," Anakin admitted.

"Well I'm not going to argue with that," Obi-Wan laughed gently, giving his brother an encouraging smile.

Anakin smiled in quiet appreciation; then he sighed, looking down into his little cup of river water, filled with iridescent plankton. "Obi-Wan... Why are we doing this?" he asked softly.

Obi-Wan smiled sadly. "Because without the Jedi, the Hutts would control the galaxy," he reminded his brother. "And without the Jedi Code... there would _be_ no Jedi," he sighed. "I know it's hard, Anakin," he agreed gently. "And I would love nothing more than to tell Luke the truth... And Zak as well," he confessed. "But it's for the best, Anakin," he told his brother quietly. "You know it is."

"Yeah," Anakin sighed, nodding; but then he grinned in amusement, his blue eyes twinkling mischievously. "No, what I meant was... Why are we doing _this?_" he asked again, his brows furrowing as he peered into his cup of plankton.

"Oh," Obi-Wan laughed. "_This_," he repeated, studying his own little cup of river water. "As I've told you all along; you will find out, when you become a Master yourself," he reminded his brother good-naturedly.

"Ahhh," Anakin sighed, frustrated. "All right," he agreed, dutifully resuming his task of counting the plankton.

"Do you see any mutations?" Obi-Wan asked hopefully.

"Eh... no," Anakin admitted, going over to the edge of the river to release his plankton and collect another cupful to count. "I haven't found any all day," he sighed glumly.

"Well, keep looking," Obi-Wan encouraged him cheerfully. "You're doing a good job, Anakin," he assured his brother.

_He's going to kill me when he finally learns the truth,_ Obi-Wan laughed quietly to himself, pretending to count the plankton samples in his own cup. _That the colors and mutations mean absolutely nothing at all... And that our lifelong efforts to document their mating habits have been nothing more than Qui-Gon's glorified excuse for a camping trip to Kilaui once a year,_ Obi-Wan smiled to himself, deeply amused.

* * *

><p><em>Meanwhile...<em>

"What?" Luke asked, gaping at Mara in stunned disbelief. "He's... are you sure?"

"Yes," Mara said ecstatically, her emerald eyes glistening joyfully. "I overheard him talking to Master Obi-Wan," she told him. "He was saying how he was there when I was born, and he was the first one to hold me," she added, unable to conceal her excitement and delight at the news. "Luke, he's really my father," Mara said, smiling tearfully.

"Mara... that's great," Luke said, completely stunned by this news, but accepting what Mara was telling him. "Wow... I never noticed it before, but you _do_ look like him," he admitted now, amazed that he'd never made the connection.

"I do?" Mara asked, surprised.

"Yeah," Luke insisted. "You've got the same curly hair, and those intense eyes... Your features are so much alike," he realized, grinning in surprise. "Ahh, it's really obvious, now that I know what I'm looking for," he confessed. "You have the same fierce expression," he told her, nodding thoughtfully.

"Fierce?" Mara frowned, her brows furrowing.

"Ha!" Luke grinned. "Yeah, just like that," he told her. "When you do that, you look exactly like Master Anakin," he laughed, amused. "Ahh, I always felt there was something special about him," Luke confessed, remembering his earliest impressions of the strange Jedi Knight. _No wonder; he's Mara's father,_ he realized now, amazed. "So - Master Obi-Wan knows?" Luke asked, blinking in surprise.

"Yes," Mara nodded. "He's been covering for him, all this time," she confessed. "But I don't think he knew at first," she added, frowning doubtfully. "He said something about how Master Anakin sneaked off to get married behind his back, when he was a padawan," she told Luke. "Oh! It's my parents' anniversary today," she added, smiling brightly.

"It is?" Luke asked, grinning in disbelief at the concept. "So they're still together?"

"Yeah," Mara said happily. "I guess my mother is doing better," she added shyly. "It sounds like she's gotten off the death sticks... Obi-Wan was saying how she's really strong... But stubborn," Mara said, grinning proudly. "He says I'm a lot like her."

"Aw..." Luke smiled wistfully, tears springing to his eyes to see Mara so happy. "Mara... that's wonderful," he told her. _Oh, I wish I could give you a hug... and a kiss,_ he confessed, looking into her green eyes longingly, and admiring the way her red-gold hair glistened and sparkled in the Kilaui sunshine.

Mara saw his wistful look, and smiled. "Thank you," she said, looking in to his eyes with longing as well; but then a concerned expression crossed her face. "Oh, Luke," she said quietly, her eyes filled with apology. "I'm sorry..."

"What?" Luke blinked, confused; then he realized what she was saying. "Oh," he sighed, shrugging. "That." Luke had always been aware that he was an orphan, and knew that he would never learn about his own family. He had come to terms with the realization years ago; but he had to admit that it _did_ hurt a little, to suddenly learn that Mara was being trained by her own father. "It's all right," Luke assured her, smiling bravely.

Mara nodded appreciatively, with another apologetic look; but then she frowned thoughtfully. "Luke," she said softly. "Maybe we should tell them... about us," she suggested hopefully.

Luke blinked, surprised by the thought. "Maybe," he agreed cautiously; but then he remembered Master Obi-Wan's constant lessons. "No." He shook his head regretfully, suddenly understanding his Master's paranoia. "Master Obi-Wan is constantly lecturing me about attachments, and how wrong it is to disobey the Code," he reminded her. "And now I understand why," he admitted, sighing. "Mara, he's always telling me how proud he is of me, and..." Luke shrugged ruefully. "I don't know... I always get the sense that he feels guilty about Master Anakin; that somehow he failed in his training," Luke confessed. "He feels really bad about it, Mara; it would kill him to learn that I've gone and done the same thing."

"Besides," he added, shaking his head. "If they wanted us to know, they'd have told us," Luke pointed out. "Mara, I think we should keep this quiet for now," he advised her regretfully, as Mara nodded in reluctant agreement.

"Yeah," Mara conceded, shrugging. "You're right," she sighed, obviously disappointed to not be able to tell her father that she knew the truth. "Ahh, Luke... I love him so much," she confessed, smiling wistfully.

Luke grinned, nodding quietly. "I know," he agreed. _I feel the same way about Master Obi-Wan,_ he confessed. _He's the closest thing to a father that I'll ever have._ But now Luke noticed his Master looking up at them curiously, and he cringed suddenly, caught off guard. _Ahh! It's so weird, not being able to sense anything,_ he chided himself, waving cheerfully to Master Obi-Wan. _And now he's probably wondering why we're suddenly being so friendly to each other,_ Luke sighed worriedly.

"Mara," Luke began gently, with an apologetic cringe.

"Yeah," Mara agreed softly, her eyes conveying her anxiety. "I've been way too nice to you lately," she said, grinning ruefully.

"Ha," Luke laughed, nodding. "Well, I know how to fix that," he teased her affectionately. "How's the math homework coming along?" he asked curiously, with irritating cheerfulness.

"Gah," Mara sighed unhappily. "I'm stuck... as usual," she confessed, shrugging. "I was going to ask you... Am I supposed to multiply this first?" she asked him uncertainly, showing him her datapad.

Luke frowned, utterly baffled by Mara's convoluted approach to the problem. "_Cotangent?_" he asked, blinking. "Mara, there shouldn't be any cotangents in a lightspeed calculation," he told her. _How the heck did she come up with that?_ "No, you just multiply these two together," he instructed her patiently, starting over. "And then..."

"Ahh," Mara scowled, glaring at him at he explained the problem to her. "Okay," she grumbled, fixing her calculation. "Thanks," she added grudgingly, with a dismal sigh. "And I'm not pretending," she added reproachfully. "You _do_ annoy me," she informed him, adopting her usual public attitude of indifferent contempt.

Luke grinned, shrugging in apology. "Sorry," he laughed, giving her one last tender smile before getting up from the rock, heading down the ridge to join Zak on the riverbank. "Well I'd better get going... And - I'm happy for you, Mara," he told her again, with a shy smile. "I'm glad that Master Anakin is your father."

Mara smiled, her eyes shining joyfully for a moment, despite her valiant attempt to scowl. "So am I," she admitted softly. "Thanks, Luke," she said, as Luke nodded, turning to climb back down the side of the cliff.

"Hey Zak," Luke said, rejoining him on the bank of the river.

"Hey, Luke," Zak replied cheerfully; then he cringed, seeing Luke's barely-concealed look of dismay. "Uh oh," he said, glancing up at where Mara was sitting. "Bad mood again?" he asked sympathetically.

"Ha," Luke laughed quietly, nodding. "Yeah," he confessed, grateful for the young Zabrak boy's friendship. _Poor Zak... He thinks Mara really hates me_.

"Ah, don't worry," Zak assured him, shrugging. "You know she doesn't mean it personally," he added, with all the wisdom a twelve-year-old could muster.

"Yeah, I know," Luke said, grinning appreciatively. He and Zak had become close friends these past three years, both being grand-padawans of Master Qui-Gon; but they had something else in common as well. _Zak knows what it's like to be an orphan,_ Luke sighed, as he picked up his little cup, collecting yet another sample of plankton to study. "Have you found anything interesting?" Luke asked, peering curiously at the colorful plankton.

"Eh... not really," Zak shrugged, dumping his cupful of plankton back into the river and casually scooping up another sample. "But it's fun anyway," he said, furrowing his brows in concentration as he counted the next batch.

"Yeah," Luke agreed with a cheerful grin. "It is." He and Zak had been trying to guess at the true purpose of this top-secret project for three years now; but in the end, Luke had to admit that it really didn't matter. _It's great just being here,_ he thought wistfully, counting his plankton and carefully marking down the numbers as he enjoyed yet another relaxing afternoon in the warm Kilaui sun, surrounded by all of his favorite people.


	118. This luxury hotel is fully operational

**Chapter 118**

_A year later..._

_Whoa,_ Luke blinked in surprise as he emerged from hyperspace, gaping in amazement at the large, white spherical space station before him. _That thing is huge!_ Obi-Wan had just arrived as well, and was detaching from his hyperdrive ring now; Luke followed suit, staying close behind his Master as they flew in to get a better look.

"Well that's quite impressive," Master Obi-Wan remarked over his transmitter, as they circled the space station in their Starfighters, admiring the construction. "Cliegg has been busy." Tonight was the grand opening of the Death Star Hotel, Lars Studios' most ambitious vision ever: a life-size model of the dreaded Imperial battle station featured on _SITH_.

"Yeah," Luke agreed, still gaping in awe at the colossal structure. "He sure has." Luke had heard that the new luxury hotel would be a full-scale model of the fictitious Death Star, which until now had existed only as a stage set on Geonosis; but he hadn't expected it to be nearly this big. _It's almost the size of a small moon,_ he thought, admiring the massive construction.

They completed their pass around the Death Star, and as they reached the main docking bay Luke grinned in delight, spotting the new luxury cruise liner docked just inside. The Death Star itself was immobile, stationed just off the planet of Geonosis; but tourists who wanted the full _SITH_ experience could take a luxury cruise around the galaxy aboard the Star Destroyer _Executor,_ which had also been built to full-scale. Of course, the new hotel and cruise liner would also be featured regularly on _SITH,_ allowing guests the opportunity to watch the filming live, and perhaps even appear on the show as well.

"Shall we?" Obi-Wan asked good-naturedly, heading toward the docking bay now.

"Yes, Master," Luke replied cheerfully, following him inside the hangar and laughing in amusement as a uniformed Stormtrooper held up a hand authoritatively, ordering them to stop. _Haha! This is so cool!_

"Hands up, Rebel scum!" the Stormtrooper commanded, pointing his blaster at them. Luke giggled, opening his hatch and obediently climbing down from his Starfighter. _Whoa,_ he blinked in surprise, reeling slightly. _I forgot about the gravity difference._ Luke and Obi-Wan had just returned from a mission to Kaltec VI, where the gravity was less than half that of normal planets. _I feel like I'm made out of lead,_ he laughed to himself, regaining his balance.

But alas, Obi-Wan did not seem to be adjusting as quickly; Luke blinked in alarm as his Master fell from his Starfighter now, collapsing in a heap on the floor of the docking bay. "Master!" Luke exclaimed, hurrying toward him.

"Master Kenobi, are you all right?" the Stormtrooper asked worriedly, setting his blaster aside and helping him to his feet.

"Yes, yes, I'm fine," Obi-Wan insisted, masking his embarrassment. "You didn't see that," he added grumpily, waving a hand toward the other Stormtroopers who were now hurrying over in obvious concern.

"We didn't see that," the Stormtroopers nodded in agreement, going back to their previous tasks. Luke suppressed a grin; his Master had been having this problem for two weeks on Kaltec VI, and had been forced to mind-trick an alarming number of the native residents in order to maintain his dignity after falling flat on his face on numerous occasions.

_I shouldn't laugh,_ Luke chastised himself, attempting to keep a straight face. _But Force, that's been funny to watch... I'm going to miss that place,_ Luke grinned in amusement. But now he looked up in surprise as two more Stormtroopers climbed into their Starfighters, flying them expertly away toward the nearby parking garage. _Wow... Valet parking,_ Luke blinked, truly impressed. _That's pretty fancy..._

"This way, Rebel scum!" the Stormtrooper ordered them curtly, holding Luke and Obi-Wan at gunpoint and marching them toward the main hallway. Luke shared an amused grin with his Master now; but then he looked at him in concern, sensing his dizziness and exhaustion. _Crap... He's really not doing well,_ Luke realized suddenly. "In here," the Stormtrooper ordered them, gesturing to the large main reception area, where hundreds of other guests were already gathered for the grand opening of the hotel. "Welcome to the Death Star," he announced, bowing formally.

"Thank you," Master Obi-Wan nodded, smiling appreciatively as the Stormtrooper took his leave.

"Master," Luke asked, as they entered the main lobby. "Are you sure you're all right?"

"Yes... I just feel a bit dizzy," Obi-Wan confessed. "And... heavy," he laughed ruefully.

"Ha! Yeah, me too," Luke agreed, also feeling the strange sensation as they trudged across the lobby. It would take them a few days to fully adjust to normal gravity again, and Luke had learned from his studies that the adjustment was sometimes more difficult for older people, who tended to suffer from more bone loss and muscle deterioration due to the lower gravity. "Don't worry, Master," Luke assured him. "The effects will wear off in a couple of days," he promised.

"Yes, I know," Obi-Wan replied good-naturedly. "And I'm not worried," he corrected his padawan. "I'm just _annoyed;_ and mostly with you," he informed him. Luke grinned apologetically, catching the twinkle of amusement in his Master's eyes. "A polite padawan would have had the decency to _pretend_ to fall down; at least once or twice," he reproached Luke testily.

"Haha," Luke laughed. "I'm sorry, Master," he apologized cheerfully. "I promise I will, next time," Luke assured him, masking his concern. He and Master Obi-Wan had been sent on diplomatic missions to Kaltec VI several times over the past three years; but never before had his Master had any trouble whatsoever adjusting to the lighter gravity.

_This bothers him more than he lets on,_ Luke realized quietly. Luke was sixteen now, and Obi-Wan fifty-three; he hated to admit it, but for the first time he was noticing that his Master was slowing down. _He's never had this much trouble before,_ Luke confessed unhappily, sensing his Master's fatigue and labored breathing as they made their way across the lobby of the hotel.

_Ahh... I'm probably overreacting,_ Luke scolded himself; after all, they _had_ just returned from Kaltec VI, and this was a very normal side effect, especially for people over fifty. _He'll be perfectly fine in a couple of days._ But now Luke sensed a familiar presence, and shared a smile with his Master as they made their way through the crowded lobby to greet the others.

"Obi-Wan," Master Qui-Gon said cheerfully. "And Luke," he nodded, his blue eyes twinkling with affection. "How was your trip to Kaltec VI?"

"It was... interesting," Master Obi-Wan replied, sharing a secret grin with Luke. "As always," he nodded vaguely. "Hello, Cory," he added cheerfully.

"Hello Master," Cory replied; Luke caught a fleeting glimpse of concern in the young Jedi's blue eyes, but he quickly masked it. "You two missed the opening ceremony," Cory added, with a reproachful look. "Zak was very disappointed."

"Ahh," Obi-Wan sighed ruefully. "Yes, it took us a bit longer to leave than we expected," he confessed. "I trust it went well?"

"Yeah, it was great," Master Cory said cheerfully, proceeding to tell them about the scene that Master Windu and his padawans had re-enacted for the guests. "Chancellor Palpatine gave a speech, and then Cliegg," he added. "He thanked everyone, from his family to our family; apparently we're all one big family," Cory shrugged casually. "Who knew?"

Luke grinned quietly; Zak's Master was in some ways even stranger than Mara's, and Master Obi-Wan was now staring at the young Knight as if he'd completely lost his mind. "I see," Obi-Wan nodded thoughtfully, stroking his beard. _Haha... He does that when he's trying not to laugh,_ Luke realized, sharing an amused look with Master Qui-Gon.

But suddenly he understood his Master's barely-concealed discomfort as another figure approached them. _Whoa,_ Luke blinked in amazement, recognizing the famous actor. _It's - it's..._ "Ben," Master Qui-Gon nodded cheerfully, as the legendary film star joined them. Luke had seen Ben Kenobi plenty of times on _SITH_, but had never met him in real life before. _Holy crap... He DOES look exactly like Obi-Wan... except with silver hair,_ Luke gasped, trying not to stare at him. Obi-Wan caught his startled look, and smiled at him quietly now, his blue-green eyes twinkling mischievously.

_Ahh!_ Luke realized, stunned. _It's true... He really IS Obi-Wan's uncle!_ Luke had asked his Master about it before, having heard the rumors; but Obi-Wan had subtly evaded the question, using the opportunity to lecture his padawan on the dangers of believing in gossip. _Haha!_ Luke laughed, barely concealing his delight. _It's true..._ Ben and Obi-Wan were the same height, and very similar in appearance; but more than that, they _felt_ the same, and their voices were nearly identical.

"Oh," Ben was saying now, turning to Obi-Wan. "Anakin was looking for you," he told him casually. "He's stuck on the fourth level, signing autographs," the actor chuckled, his blue eyes twinkling in amusement.

"Oh dear," Obi-Wan laughed gently. "Very well," he nodded agreeably, taking his leave of the others. "Come, Luke; we'd better go rescue Darth Vader from his depraved fans," Obi-Wan laughed good-naturedly, heading toward the elevators. Luke was still smiling quietly to himself as they stepped onto the elevator together; but as it started upward, Obi-Wan once again lost his balance momentarily, clutching the rail to catch himself. "Blast," he muttered in annoyance.

"Master, are you sure - "

"Yes," Obi-Wan replied testily, regaining his balance. "And stop asking me that," he added crossly. "You're making me feel old." Luke gave him an apologetic smile; but then Obi-Wan saw the amused look in his eyes. "What is it?" he asked.

"Ha," Luke laughed shyly, looking down. "Ben Kenobi... He _is_ your uncle," Luke shrugged, with a questioning look.

"Hmm," Obi-Wan chuckled softly. "Possibly," he conceded, his eyes twinkling mischievously.

Luke grinned, delighted; but then he sighed, feeling a pang of longing. "Wow... that must be so cool... to have an uncle," he confessed, with a wistful smile at Obi-Wan. "I wish _I_ had an uncle," he shrugged apologetically.

Obi-Wan laughed gently. "You probably do, somewhere," he pointed out thoughtfully, patting Luke on the shoulder. "And whoever he is, I'm sure he would be very proud of you," he added encouragingly, with an affectionate smile.

Luke smiled appreciatively; but still his heart ached as he remembered once again that he would never find out about his own family. But he masked his disappointment, remembering his Master's lessons about attachments. _I'll never even BE a Master, unless I can get over this stupid orphan complex_.

The elevator came to a stop, and this time Obi-Wan cautiously held onto the railing to avoid mishap; Luke politely pretended not to notice his Master faltering slightly as they exited onto the fourth floor, but he couldn't help feeling worried. _This isn't like him... Something's wrong..._ But Obi-Wan was smiling pleasantly, masking his own concern as they proceeded into the Emperor's throne room, where Master Anakin and the Chancellor were still busy signing autographs. Mara wasn't with them; Luke had sensed her presence on the other side of the hotel, and guessed that she had been excused to explore the Death Star.

"Obi-Wan," Master Anakin nodded, giving Luke a friendly smile. "Qui-Gon was saying you needed me for something?" he asked, a hopeful look in his blue eyes. _Haha,_ Luke laughed. _He's desperate to get away from the crazy fans._

But Obi-Wan didn't fall for it. "No, no," he assured Master Anakin calmly, a mischievous twinkle in his eyes. "I was simply wondering where you were," he insisted. "But now I've found you... Ah!" Obi-Wan exclaimed, feigning curiosity. "Are we signing autographs? Excellent," he nodded, taking a datapad tablet from one of the clamoring fans and signing it cheerfully as Master Anakin glared at him in annoyance.

"Are you even _on_ this show any more?" Anakin asked him reproachfully, signing yet another datapad.

"No," Obi-Wan replied, smiling politely as he returned his datapad to the grateful fan, taking another one. "At least, not this season," he conceded, signing the next one. "But there's still time; you never know," he pointed out with irritating cheerfulness, as Luke laughed in quiet amusement. _Oh no... Master Anakin's hating this,_ he realized, sensing his intense misery. _Master, you are cruel..._

But ten minutes later Luke found himself commiserating with Master Anakin's plight. _Ahh... This IS really boring,_ he confessed, standing politely beside his Master as Obi-Wan and Anakin continued to sign autographs for the fans. Thankfully Master Obi-Wan sensed his discomfort, and smiled at him now. "Luke, why don't you go explore a bit," he suggested kindly, nodding toward the hallway beyond the throne room.

"Thank you, Master," Luke said gratefully, nodding as he took his leave. _And now to find Mara..._ He had been sensing her on the third level, and took the elevator down now, reaching out for her presence. _She's half-masking..._ It was a skill they had both worked hard to cultivate over the past year, as it allowed them to be together without their Masters being able to pinpoint their exact location. The trick was to expand one's presence so that it spread out over a larger area. Conveniently, this expanded aura was identical to a person's normal relaxed state while resting or meditating; if their Masters reached out to find them, they would sense only that they were somewhere nearby and feeling calm.

_Expand and relax..._ Luke took a few deep breaths, calming himself and slowly masking his own presence. He could feel Mara nearby; he was getting closer, though he still couldn't sense her exact location.

But now he blinked, hearing a familiar voice calling his name. "Luke!" Zak said cheerfully. Luke grinned, nodding to his friend now; Zak and the other padawans from Master Windu's group were mock-dueling against each other now in the hallway, to the delight of the onlookers. "Luke, do you want to duel?" Zak asked hopefully, twirling his double-ended lightsaber around in a blue blur.

Luke grinned good-naturedly; normally he would have accepted the challenge, but he was still feeling the effects of the gravity change from Kaltec VI, and didn't feel up to dueling a hyperactive thirteen-year-old at the moment. Besides, Mara was waiting for him... "No, thanks," Luke said cheerfully, continuing down the hallway as Zak shrugged amiably, turning to face his next opponent.

_Expand and relax..._ Luke reached out, trying to sense Mara as he continued along the hallway. He could feel himself getting closer; their auras were overlapping now, though he still couldn't pinpoint her exact location. But as he walked down a smaller side corridor, a door to one of the hotel suites opened of its own accord, and Luke smiled, sensing Mara's presence inside.

Stepping inside the room, he closed the door behind him; then he smiled, his heart tingling warmly as he saw her. She stood by the large window overlooking the starry expanse beyond, her eyes glinting green amidst the shadows, her red-gold hair shimmering in the starlight. "Mara," Luke whispered softly, going to her.

"Luke." Mara smiled, her eyes shining happily in the light of the stars as they embraced; then Luke felt her lips against his, and he closed his eyes, reaching his arms around her and caressing her back softly. "How was your trip?" Mara whispered, between kisses, her delicate fingers running softly through his hair.

"It was good," Luke sighed blissfully, feeling too peaceful to go into details. "I missed you," he whispered, kissing her again. "How have you been?" he asked, gazing deeply into her emerald eyes.

"Fine," Mara said, resting her head on his shoulder as he continued to stroke her long, silky hair, which cascaded down her back in soft red waves. "I missed you too," she confessed, lifting her head again and looking into his eyes longingly. "I love you, Luke," she whispered, a wistful smile on her face.

Luke smiled, meeting her tender gaze and kissing her again chastely on the lips. "I love you too, Mara," he whispered softly, drawing her close to him and melting blissfully in her delicate embrace, their elusive auras peacefully intertwined.

* * *

><p><em>Meanwhile...<em>

"Look!" Maia exclaimed, pointing excitedly toward the holo monitor. "Obi-Wan's there now!"

Kyra looked up, smiling in surprise as she saw Obi-Wan standing next to Anakin in the Death Star's throne room. They had all been watching the live coverage of the grand opening party on the news, but it was reported that Obi-Wan hadn't arrived for the opening ceremonies, and they were beginning to worry that he and Luke might miss the event entirely.

"They're back from Kaltec VI," Leila realized, grateful to see her husband.

"I wonder where Luke is?" Maia asked; Kyra peered closer at the holo monitor, but couldn't see him anywhere.

"He's probably off exploring," Jon said cheerfully, his arm around Karina as they sat squished together in the big overstuffed armchair. Kyra smiled at them now; Jon had met Karina at the hotel downtown where they both worked, and they had gotten married just over a year ago.

_Aw... They look so happy,_ Kyra sighed wistfully, smiling at the sleeping baby in her arms. It had been a bit of a hurried wedding, and Alex was six months old now; the numbers didn't quite work out, but no one was doing the math. _You're beautiful,_ Kyra smiled tenderly, admiring her little nephew.

But now there was a knock at the door, and Kyra sighed as Leila got up to answer it. "Time to go to work," Kyra said, passing the baby to Elena. Kyra was working the closing shift at the restaurant tonight, and her Jedi escort had arrived to see her there safely.

"Hello," the young Jedi Knight said, bowing respectfully as Kyra joined her mother at the doorway of their apartment. "My name is Zett Jukassa," he introduced himself politely.

"Hello, Zett," Leila said, smiling warmly. "I'm Leila, and this is Kyra," she told him. "She's the one who called; she works at the Coronet Restaurant, just a few blocks over," Leila explained, as Kyra pulled on her coat, saying goodnight to the others. It was a drizzly, gloomy night; Kyra was once again tremendously grateful for the Jedi Night Watch program that Chancellor Palpatine had instated three years ago, to promote the safety of Coruscant's inner city residents.

"Sorry," Kyra apologized breathlessly, smiling at the young Knight. "Okay, I'm ready," she nodded, saying goodbye to her mother and heading down the stairway with Zett.

"Coronet Restaurant... is that Corellian food?" Zett asked curiously, as they walked along the street together.

"Yes," Kyra smiled, nodding. "It's really good," she added. "Have you had dinner?" she asked thoughtfully.

"Yes," Zett nodded cheerfully. "But I'll have to try it sometime; Corellian food is delicious," he agreed. "How long have you been working there?"

"Four years," Kyra told him, as they turned down the next street. "Ever since I graduated; I'm a waitress," she added. Kyra had chosen the Coronet Restaurant because it reminded her of Dorian; they had all eaten there a few times years ago, along with Siri and Marco. "So, what do you do, when you're not working for the Night Watch?" Kyra asked, making conversation with the young Jedi Knight. He was just a few years older than her, she guessed, but younger than Cory.

"Ah," Zett said. "I work in the library," he confessed, somewhat apologetically. "I know, that probably doesn't sound very exciting," he shrugged cheerfully. "But I can't help it; ever since I was a padawan, I've always loved books," he told her. "But I'm a real Jedi, don't worry," he assured her, with a mischievous smile.

Kyra smiled, nodding. "Yeah, I know." _My brother taught Arts and Crafts for seven years,_ she giggled to herself. _He's a real Jedi too. Well... kind of,_ she laughed to herself, thinking of Elena, Maia, and Zak. But now they were approaching the Coronet, and Kyra gave Zett an appreciative smile. "Well... this is it," she told him, glancing inside. "Thank you so much, Zett; it was nice meeting you."

"It was nice meeting you too, Kyra," Zett said, bowing politely. "Have a good evening."

"Thanks, you too," Kyra said; and then he was gone, pulling his brown hood up over his head as he disappeared down the street. _He was really nice,_ Kyra sighed wistfully, watching him go for a moment. _Too bad he's a Jedi,_ she laughed to herself ruefully, as she continued back toward the kitchen. _That's the closest thing to a date I've had in over a year._

Her shift went by quickly, and soon it was almost closing time; Kyra was dividing up the tips for the night to split with the other waitress, when Jani suddenly came into the kitchen, an exasperated look on her face. "Some jerk just came in," Jani informed her, sighing in annoyance. "He's dressed all fancy; he'll probably be here for another hour," she predicted, as Kyra sighed unhappily. The kitchen closed at eleven, but the staff was required to stay on until the last patrons left the restaurant.

Jani gave Kyra a pleading look now. "I'm supposed to meet Timo at the club in ten minutes," she confessed, cringing. "Kyra, would you mind...?"

"Sure," Kyra nodded, as always. "No problem." She smiled understandingly, as Jani gave her a look of sincere gratitude. _It's not like I have a social life anyway._ Kyra was twenty-two now, and had made a few half-hearted attempts at dating over the years, but she just hadn't met anyone that she wanted to be with. _Except for Dorian... But he's a prince, and half Jedi,_ Kyra reminded herself, sighing ruefully. _You can't judge everyone by his standards._

_Okay,_ Kyra sighed, tying on her apron and heading back out to the restaurant. _Let's see what you want, Mr. Come-in-at-the-last-second-and-make-everybody-work-a-whole-hour-longer-jerk,_ she grumbled, smiling politely as she approached his table. "Hi, what can I get for you?" Kyra asked, trying to sound cheerful. _I'd better get a big tip for this..._

"Hello," the young man said, looking up at her; then his eyes widened in surprise. "Kyra?"

"Ahh!" Kyra squealed, caught off guard. "Dorian!"

"Ha!" Dorian laughed, his blue eyes twinkling delightedly. "You work here?"

"Yes," Kyra squeaked, her voice still refusing to cooperate. _Ahh! I can't believe this!_ "What are you doing here?" she asked, still grinning ecstatically.

"Eh," Dorian cringed apologetically. "Making everybody work late; I didn't realize you were about to close."

"No, no, that's okay," Kyra assured him, nodding cheerfully. _Really, truly, it's all right..._

Dorian smiled gratefully. "Sorry," he said again. "I just got in from Corellia," he explained. "My grandfather appointed me to the Senate," he told her, with a dismal sigh.

"Really?" Kyra asked, delighted. "You're a senator now?"

"Yeah... I guess so," Dorian laughed unhappily. "I didn't want to be; but my cousin Loran was doing a really lousy job," he explained, shrugging. "So I've been sent to finish out his term, for three whole years," he sighed, managing a brave smile. "So what have you been up to?" Dorian asked, curious.

"Um... Waitressing," Kyra said, smiling shyly. "Oh!" she blinked, remembering her job. "Have you decided what you want?" she asked politely, pulling out her order pad.

"Uh," Dorian blinked, looking at the menu. "I don't know... Whatever's easy." He grinned ruefully. "I really didn't mean to make you guys stay late," he apologized again. "I was just hungry, and... kind of homesick," he admitted, with a shy smile.

_Aw..._ Kyra's heart melted, and she smiled at him tenderly. "Well, you can order anything you want; it's really no problem," she assured him. Then she shrugged shyly. "But if you'd like... My mom made macaroni and cheese tonight; there's some left over," she told him. "It's really good; we were watching the grand opening of the Death Star on the holo," she added, with a hopeful smile.

Dorian nodded, his blue eyes twinkling. "Well that sounds like a much better idea," he agreed, getting up from the table.

"Great!" Kyra said. "Um... Let me just finish up," she apologized, cringing. "I'll be back in a minute," she promised, as Dorian nodded, smiling. _Ahh!_ Kyra gasped, her heart fluttering as she hurried back to the kitchen, pulling off her apron and saying goodnight to the cook. _How could he have gotten even better looking since the last time I saw him?_ she wondered. Dorian had always been a cute kid, but now...

_He looks like a real prince,_ Kyra realized in disbelief, smiling shyly as she came back out to meet him. Dorian was dressed nicely in a grey tunic and boots, and wore a short blue cape around his shoulders, in the manner of Corellian royalty; with his soft blue eyes and sandy brown hair, Kyra thought he looked impossibly handsome.

"All right; I'm ready," Kyra told him, as they headed for the door. "Oh!" she remembered suddenly. "Should I call for the Jedi Night Watch?" she asked, surprised that he hadn't brought his own bodyguards. _He's a prince, and a senator..._

"Jedi Night Watch?" Dorian asked, blinking in surprise.

"Oh." Kyra grinned apologetically. "I forgot," she said. "You practically _are_ a Jedi," she realized, following him out the door.

"Ha!" Dorian laughed. "Hardly," he admitted good-naturedly. "But at least I'm not like my dad," he assured her.

Kyra giggled, remembering Dorian's father. "How are your parents?" she asked thoughtfully.

"They're fine," Dorian nodded. "Well... the same as ever," he conceded, his eyes twinkling mischievously. "My dad nailed his thumb to the wall the other day," he admitted, as Kyra cringed in horror. "Eh, he's all right," Dorian said, laughing softly. "How's your family?"

"Great," Kyra nodded cheerfully, as they reached the corner and turned down the street. "Oh!" she exclaimed. "Jon's married," she told him excitedly.

"No," Dorian exclaimed, his eyes widening. "Jon? Are you serious?"

"Yeah," Kyra said. "His wife's name is Karina; they work together at a hotel downtown," she told Dorian. "That's where they met," she added, as Dorian smiled, delighted by the news. "And - " Kyra grinned apologetically. "They've got a kid already," she told him. "Alex, my nephew; he's six months old."

"Wow," Dorian blinked, still grinning in disbelief. "That's - that's amazing," he told her, as they turned onto her street. "Ahh," he sighed. "It's been so long," he confessed, giving her an apologetic look. "Too long," he added wistfully.

"I know," Kyra agreed, gazing into his eyes longingly; then her brows furrowed. "Where have you been, anyway?" she asked, truly curious. She had tried sending him letters, but they were always returned as undeliverable.

"Ah," Dorian laughed. "Everywhere; you know my father," he sighed ruefully, as Kyra giggled. Aside from his four-year term on the Senate years ago, Marco Solo had spent most of his life traveling, choosing his destinations at random by pinning a map of the galaxy onto his trusty dart board. "And I've mostly been tagging along," Dorian confessed. "I don't know; I just haven't found any reason to settle down anywhere," he told her quietly, a look of hopeful apology in his eyes.

Kyra smiled as they reached her apartment building. "Well it looks like you're stuck on Coruscant for three long boring years now," she reminded him, as they headed up the stairway.

"Yeah," Dorian agreed, stopping as they arrived at her doorway; then he smiled, looking into her eyes. "But suddenly I'm not hating the idea so much any more," he confessed.

Kyra gazed up at him, her heart fluttering with joy; but then she saw Dorian's sudden look of concern, a moment before she heard distressed gasps coming from inside her apartment. Sharing a look of alarm with Dorian, she quickly opened the door, going inside. "What is it?" Kyra asked worriedly, seeing her family's horrified expressions as they watched the holo monitor; but then she froze in shock, hearing the news for herself.

_"Jedi High Council member Obi-Wan Kenobi is in critical condition in the Death Star's medical ward after collapsing from sudden heart failure just minutes ago,"_ the reporter announced. _"The Jedi Master had just returned from a mission to Kaltec VI..."_

"No," Kyra whispered, shaking weakly as tears of shock and dismay sprang to her eyes; she was grateful to feel Dorian's arm around her now, steadying her as he gently led her over to the living room couch. _Obi-Wan..._


	119. Unfortunately, Obi-Wan is not

**Chapter 119**

_Five minutes earlier..._

Qui-Gon ran into the Death Star's Throne room, two paces behind Cory. They had sensed Obi-Wan's pain moments ago, and Anakin's sudden panic; the Stormtroopers were already herding the shocked hotel guests away from the dais where Obi-Wan now lay crumpled at the foot of the Emperor's throne, unconscious. Anakin was kneeling by his side, his face set in deep concentration as his right hand hovered just above Obi-Wan's chest, gently drawing air in and out of his lungs while his left hand made a steady squeezing motion, pumping the blood through his heart.

_No,_ Qui-Gon gasped in dismay, as he and Cory rushed to Obi-Wan's side. _Obi-Wan..._ Cory quickly took over his breathing as Anakin continued to massage his heart, and Qui-Gon pressed a hand to his son's forehead now, gently stimulating the blood flow to his brain. There was no need to ask what had happened; they had all sensed Obi-Wan's extreme fatigue upon returning from Kaltec VI, but had assumed it to be only a temporary effect of the sudden change in gravity.

The hotel's medics were arriving now with a hovering gurney, their expressions anxious and concerned. "He's gone into cardiac arrest," Qui-Gon informed them urgently, helping the others to carefully lift Obi-Wan's limp body onto the gurney. Anakin and Cory continued to perform Force-CPR and Qui-Gon monitored Obi-Wan's vital signs as the medics rushed him toward the Death Star's medical ward, through the hallways and past the stunned onlookers.

But now he sensed something: a faint flutter, followed by a weak pulse, as Obi-Wan's heart began to beat on its own again. Qui-Gon let out a sigh of profound gratitude, sharing a relieved smile with Anakin and Cory as Obi-Wan's breathing returned, shallow but steady. _He will live,_ Qui-Gon smiled gratefully, tears springing to his eyes. _Obi-Wan is strong. He will recover._

Luke, Mara, and Zak were running toward them now as they arrived at the medical ward; Qui-Gon could feel their anxiety, and managed a reassuring smile. "He's had a mild heart attack, but he will be all right," Qui-Gon told them gently, putting a hand on Luke's shoulder as Anakin and Cory helped the medics lift Obi-Wan onto a hospital bed. "Luke, have you noticed anything wrong lately?" he asked worriedly, looking into his grandson's eyes. "Has Obi-Wan been feeling ill?"

Luke nodded, his blue eyes welling with tears. "Yes, Master," he choked. "He - he's been losing his balance a lot," he confessed, as Qui-Gon nodded gently, keeping a hand on his grandson's shoulder. "He fell a few times," Luke added regretfully, hanging his head. "I didn't think it was anything serious," he whispered, staring at his Master in dismay.

"None of us did, Luke," Qui-Gon reassured him gently, though his heart ached to realize that Obi-Wan hadn't been well, and they had all ignored the warning signs. The medics were hooking him up to various monitors and life support machines now; tears sprang to his eyes to see his son in such a weakened state. "He will be all right," Qui-Gon told the others quietly, as Cory and Anakin joined them at the foot of Obi-Wan's hospital bed; Cory put a hand on Zak's shoulder now, and Anakin instinctively drew his son close, hugging him as Mara stood by, looking at Obi-Wan in worried dismay.

"He'll be all right, Luke," Anakin repeated quietly, as Luke looked up at him gratefully, nodding in agreement. "It was just a shock, adjusting to the gravity difference. Obi-Wan is strong; he'll be all right," Anakin insisted again stubbornly, his blue eyes glimmering with fierce determination. Cory had returned to his father's bedside and was holding his hand now as Zak stood by quietly, looking on in concern.

The droids were running scans and tests now; Obi-Wan's cardiac scan was just appearing on the monitor, and Qui-Gon approached to get a closer look, praying that there was no serious damage to his heart. He wasn't an expert in reading scans; but he blinked in surprise now, sensing the medical technician's sudden alarm. "What is it?" Qui-Gon asked worriedly.

"Master," the doctor said quietly, giving him a secret concerned glance as she led him away from the others; Qui-Gon followed, masking his sudden alarm. "The scan shows extensive scarring in his heart muscle, and hardening of the surrounding arteries," she informed him quietly. "He's in the advanced stages of coronary disease."

"No," Qui-Gon whispered, tears stinging his eyes. _Obi-Wan..._ "You're certain?" he asked the technician, stunned.

"Yes," she nodded regretfully, looking at the scan again, then checking his heart monitor. "His heart is very weak; I've never seen scarring this bad before," she admitted, obviously sobered by the results. "It's amazing he's still alive."

Qui-Gon nodded sadly, fighting tears. _That's Obi-Wan for you. Running around the galaxy pretending to be perfectly fine, when any normal person would already be dead,_ he lamented, grief-stricken. _Obi-Wan, why didn't you tell us?_

"I'm sorry, Master Jinn," the technician apologized sincerely. "There's nothing more we can do for him here; he will need to be transferred to a real hospital," she told him gently.

"Yes," Qui-Gon nodded in agreement. "We'll take him to Coruscant right away."

* * *

><p><em>Several hours later...<em>

"Cory," Leila wept tearfully, hugging her son tight as he climbed in through the window. It was nearly dawn, and Kyra and the others had finally gone to bed a few hours ago; but Leila had been up all night, watching the holo for any more news of Obi-Wan's condition. "What happened?" she cried, grateful to feel her son's comforting arms around her. _He's so much like his father..._

"Mom," Cory cried, holding her close. "He's had a heart attack," he told her gently, his blue eyes filled with tears. "We've brought him back to the Temple; he still hasn't regained consciousness," he explained quietly, leading her over to the couch and sitting beside her. "Qui-Gon and Anakin are with him now; the doctors have been running tests," he continued, his expression pained.

"And?" Leila whispered quietly, seeing his obvious grief. "Cory... what is it?" she asked, dreading the answer, but tenderly stroking her son's silky red hair. _Oh sweetheart... this is hard for you too..._

"Mom," Cory continued softly, taking her hand and holding it gently. "The cardiac scans show extensive scarring; they say he's in the advanced stages of coronary disease, and that he's been sick for a long time," Cory told her quietly, grief-stricken. "But his medical file at the Temple shows no record of heart problems, and none of us have sensed anything wrong," he protested unhappily. "Mom... has Obi-Wan spoken to you about this?" Cory asked, a pleading look in his blue eyes.

Leila blinked back tears, her heart aching at the news. "No," she whispered, shaking her head. "I had no idea he was sick," she confessed, a tear escaping down her cheek. "He seemed - he seemed perfectly fine to me," she wept, heartbroken.

"Yeah," Cory nodded, blinking sadly as he stroked her back, still trying to come to terms with it himself. "He seemed fine to me too," he confessed, hanging his head in dismay.

Leila wrapped her arms around her son, kissing him tenderly on the cheek. "Sweetheart," she cried softly, laying her head against his shoulder and holding him close. "I'm so glad you're here," she whispered tearfully as they sat together on the living room couch, waiting for this terrible, sleepless night to be over.

* * *

><p><em>The next morning...<em>

"Obi-Wan," Qui-Gon exclaimed with quiet relief, as his son's eyes opened groggily. "Obi-Wan, can you hear me?" he asked hopefully, taking his hand and squeezing it gently.

"Ohhh," Obi-Wan moaned softly, his eyes fluttering closed again. Qui-Gon could feel his extreme weakness, and the terrible pain in his heart; tears sprang to his eyes as he placed a hand on his son's injured heart, doing what he could to comfort him.

"You're doing well, Obi-Wan," he reassured him gently, using the Force to help ease some of his pain.

But now Obi-Wan opened his eyes again, and he managed to lift his head from the pillow momentarily, his eyes flickering worriedly. "Luke," he asked weakly, remembering his duty to his padawan.

"Luke is fine; he's with Anakin," Qui-Gon assured him. "Here," he added gently, reaching for the glass of water beside his hospital bed and holding it as Obi-Wan gratefully took a sip, then lay his head back against the pillow, exhausted. "Are you hungry?" Qui-Gon asked hopefully, stroking his son's hair in an effort to comfort him.

"No," Obi-Wan breathed feebly, resting for a moment; he was hooked up to an intravenous line, which was giving him nourishment. But now he looked up at Qui-Gon worriedly. "Leila," he whispered weakly, his eyes filled with concern.

"Cory has spoken with her," Qui-Gon told him, fighting his own grief. "Shh... Don't worry, Obi-Wan; everything is all right," he assured him gently, still stroking his red-brown hair. _It's hardly even begun to go grey,_ Qui-Gon thought sadly, tears springing to his eyes. _Obi-Wan, you're much too young to be wearing out like this._

Obi-Wan nodded almost imperceptibly, sighing weakly as he closed his eyes again; Qui-Gon could feel his utter exhaustion just from the effort of trying to speak, and he stroked his arm gently now, letting him rest. But a minute later Obi-Wan's eyes opened again, as he looked up at Qui-Gon questioningly. "What happened?" he asked, his eyes flickering with worried confusion.

Qui-Gon attempted a reassuring smile, but failed. "You've had a heart attack, Obi-Wan," he told him quietly, unable to mask his own grief as tears stung his eyes. Qui-Gon had desperately hoped that the Death Star's medical technician had been wrong in her diagnosis; but after transferring Obi-Wan to the Jedi Temple's medical ward in the night, his worst fears had been confirmed as a barrage of new tests and scans revealed severely hardened arteries and massive coronary scarring.

Obi-Wan's own eyes were glistening with tears now, and Qui-Gon could feel his son's frightened confusion at this news. "Obi-Wan," he asked gently, running his fingers through his hair to soothe him. "How long have you been feeling ill?" he asked, his own heart aching to realize that he had been suffering for much longer than anyone had known.

Obi-Wan blinked worriedly, sighing weakly. "Only since Kaltec VI," he whispered, dismayed. "I..." He closed his eyes in exhaustion, resting for a moment before continuing. "I didn't think it was serious," he breathed weakly.

Qui-Gon's eyes narrowed in surprise. "You didn't know you were sick before that?" he asked, startled.

"No," Obi-Wan insisted, his brows furrowing faintly. "It... it must have just been the gravity difference," he whispered, closing his eyes again. "Don't worry, Master; I'll be fine," he protested weakly, resting his head against the pillow.

Qui-Gon hung his head sadly, his heart aching. "Obi-Wan," he said gently. "The medical scans indicate that you're in the advanced stages of coronary disease," he told him, his voice rough with emotion. _You're not going to be fine, Obi-Wan,_ he realized, grief-stricken. _You're not going to be fine, ever again._ Last night's heart attack had caused far more damage than they had guessed; the scar tissue would never heal, and Qui-Gon was still coming to terms with the realization that Obi-Wan would be an invalid for the rest of his life. "You didn't know?" he asked softly, holding Obi-Wan's hand gently. _My poor little boy..._

"No," Obi-Wan protested, blinking worriedly. "No... I'm fine," he insisted again, stubbornly refusing to believe it.

Qui-Gon nodded, managing a tender smile. _He will need time to accept this,_ he admitted sadly. _We all will..._ But now he frowned, a thought nagging at the back of his mind. _How could he not have known? How could he not have felt anything before this?_ Upon discovering the advanced state of hardening in his arteries, the doctors had said it was a miracle that Obi-Wan was still alive at all; most patients would have succumbed to heart failure long before it progressed to this stage.

_This doesn't add up,_ Qui-Gon realized, frowning in confusion. _Obi-Wan seemed perfectly healthy, before his trip to Kaltec VI,_ he confessed. _None of us sensed that he was sick; not even Obi-Wan himself,_ he admitted. Obi-Wan's last checkup had been over two years ago, but there hadn't been even the slightest hint of heart disease at that point. _Something happened on Kaltec VI,_ Qui-Gon realized suddenly, alarmed. _This wasn't just a heart attack..._

"Obi-Wan," Qui-Gon asked urgently, as his eyes fluttered open again. "Obi-Wan, when did you first begin to feel ill? What happened?" he asked, squeezing his hand gently. _Perhaps he was poisoned...?_ "Obi-Wan, this is important," he added urgently. "You must tell me," he pleaded softly.

Obi-Wan nodded weakly, his brows furrowing as he tried to remember. "It started shortly after we arrived," he confessed. "I began to feel dizzy, and weak," he admitted. "I kept losing my balance, and falling... I thought it was just the gravity difference," he whispered, closing his eyes momentarily. Then he blinked worriedly. "And I barely ate anything the whole time," he confessed. "The dizziness was making me feel ill; but I didn't think anything of it," he sighed weakly.

Qui-Gon nodded, his mind racing as he tried to make sense of the facts. "Obi-Wan," he said gently. "You've never had heart trouble before, or experienced any difficulty adjusting to gravity differences," he pointed out, as Obi-Wan nodded weakly in agreement. "Obi-Wan, I think it's possible you may have been poisoned," he confessed, deeply disturbed by the realization. _Kaltec VI has always been loyal to the Republic..._

"No," Obi-Wan protested, his brows furrowing. "No... Why would they...? No," he insisted again. "I sensed no malicious intent," he argued weakly. "Kaltec VI is a peaceful planet," he breathed, closing his eyes in exhaustion.

Qui-Gon nodded in quiet agreement, patting Obi-Wan's hand softly and allowing him to rest. _It's true,_ he admitted. _Obi-Wan would have sensed something, had anything been amiss. And why in the blazes would anyone want to poison him?_ he realized, sighing unhappily. _It would accomplish nothing..._

Obi-Wan had lapsed back into a peaceful sleep, and Qui-Gon sat by his bedside, gazing sadly at his firstborn son. _He will never fully recover his strength,_ he confessed sadly, facing the painful truth once again; judging by the extensive scarring in his heart, the doctors predicted that Obi-Wan would be bedridden for the rest of his short life. _How could this have happened?_ Qui-Gon lamented, grief-stricken. _He's always been so healthy, and strong..._

_It must have been brought on by the sudden gravity changes,_ Qui-Gon realized sadly. _It was a shock to his system; his heart couldn't take it,_ he confessed; Obi-Wan had admitted that the dizziness and weakness had begun shortly after his arrival on Kaltec VI. But now Qui-Gon frowned, blinking thoughtfully. _Dizziness... Weakness... Nausea..._

_Could it be?_ Qui-Gon wondered suddenly, remembering the last time Obi-Wan had experienced these exact same symptoms. _Could this have been a relapse of TPM?_ Yoda had believed the cure to be permanent, but there was still much that was unknown about the rare disease. _Could the relapse have weakened him to the point of collapse?_ Qui-Gon wondered, blinking tearfully.

_There's only one way to find out,_ he decided quickly, summoning a medical droid and ordering a new blood test.

* * *

><p><em>A few minutes later...<em>

"The Phantom Menace, it is," Master Yoda agreed, nodding solemnly as he gazed regretfully at Obi-Wan, who still lay sleeping in his hospital bed. Qui-Gon had summoned Yoda the moment he had received the test results, which indicated massive levels of TPM in Obi-Wan's system; a hundred times worse than his initial episode years ago. "But far more aggressive, this relapse is," Yoda confessed.

Qui-Gon nodded, his heart fluttering anxiously as he desperately clung to hope. "So... the scar tissue, and hardened arteries...?" he asked Yoda, trying to understand.

"Scar tissue, it is not," Yoda agreed, looking at the scans which showed severely hardened tissue surrounding his heart and blood vessels. "Dragon tissue, it is," Yoda confirmed, nodding thoughtfully.

Qui-Gon smiled in relieved gratitude. "So he will get well?" he asked hopefully. _We'll just smear a bit of dragon dung on him, and he'll be fine,_ he thought, his heart welling over with joy. _And then we shall all have a good laugh over this..._

But Master Yoda sighed, hanging his head sadly. "A cure for Obi-Wan's advanced state, I fear there is not," he confessed with a heavy heart, explaining the problem to Qui-Gon.

* * *

><p><em>Five hours later...<em>

"What?" Obi-Wan blinked in surprise, waking up from his nap. "TPM?" he asked, managing an amused laugh despite the intense pain and weakness he still felt. _Blast... I'll never hear the end of this..._ "Oh dear," he cringed suddenly, looking up at his father. "Has my hair been changing colors?" _With my luck it's probably purple by now,_ he laughed to himself. _Ah, bring on the dragon dung..._

"No," Qui-Gon replied, managing a sad smile, his blue eyes conveying his grief. "That's the problem, Obi-Wan," he continued gently. "It hasn't come to the surface," he explained. "It's attacking on the inside this time," he told him.

"Oh." _Well that's not good..._ Obi-Wan frowned worriedly. "So... will the dragon dung work?" he asked uncertainly.

"Not at this point," his father confessed. "Not unless the mutated dragon midichlorians are pushed outward," he explained.

_No, I suppose not,_ Obi-Wan sighed in agreement. _It's hard to smear dragon dung on one's insides,_ he admitted, closing his eyes for a moment and laying against the pillow. _Force, I feel terrible..._ "So," he continued, sighing tiredly and opening his eyes again. "How do we get it to come out?" he asked his father hopefully.

Qui-Gon sighed, shaking his head. "Yoda is looking into it," he told him. "Obi-Wan, your midichlorians are at war with each other," Qui-Gon reminded him. "That's why the mutated ones were pushed to the surface the last time," he added, as Obi-Wan nodded weakly in understanding. "But this time," Qui-Gon continued regretfully. "Obi-Wan, the TPM is winning at the moment," he confessed. "It's taking over your insides, and pushing your _normal_ midichlorians out to the surface," he explained. "If we tried the dragon dung cure at this point, we'd only be killing off the good ones," he sighed unhappily.

Obi-Wan nodded, blinking worriedly. "So... what will happen?" he asked quietly, fearing the answer.

Qui-Gon hung his head. "I don't know," he whispered; but then he managed a tender smile, gently stroking Obi-Wan's hair. "We will continue to fight this," he resolved, as Obi-Wan nodded in agreement. "Now," Qui-Gon said, still stroking Obi-Wan's hair gently as he placed his other hand over his chest. "We will begin with meditation." Obi-Wan smiled weakly in gratitude, closing his eyes and sinking back against the pillow, drifting into a deep meditative state as he felt his father's comforting energy soothing and healing his damaged heart.

* * *

><p><em>A week later...<em>

"That's great, Luke," Master Anakin's voice said cheerfully over the transmitter, as Luke completed a quadruple spin through the laser-blast simulator of the flight training course just outside Coruscant. "All right, let's try it again," Master Anakin said, as they flew back to the beginning of the course. "This time let's try five spins," he instructed them, leading the way in his yellow Starfighter.

_Haha! This is crazy,_ Luke grinned, spinning dizzily at breakneck speed through the laser blasts after Anakin and Mara. _Master Obi-Wan always says to just fly straight through; that it doesn't make any difference,_ he remembered, his heart aching momentarily as he thought of his Master again. _But this is fun,_ confessed, smiling despite his worry as he continued his training with his decidedly crazy substitute Master.

_Mara's dad is completely nuts,_ Luke laughed to himself, still reeling from dizziness as they returned to the Temple's docking bay. _But he's really nice,_ Luke admitted, smiling shyly as Master Anakin grinned proudly, congratulating them both. _And hopefully this will only be for another week or so._ Master Anakin had promised that Obi-Wan would be good as new any day now, as soon as Master Yoda could figure out how to get rid of his TPM.

"Great job, you guys," Master Anakin said cheerfully now, patting Luke on the shoulder and giving his daughter a secret approving smile as the three of them headed back inside the Temple for lightsaber practice.

* * *

><p><em>And a week after that...<em>

"Come on, Master," Cory said, holding an arm around his father as they walked slowly through the hallway of the hotel. "We're almost there," he assured him, leading the way toward the room where his mother was waiting. Obi-Wan hadn't been feeling up to his usual sky-diving and fire-escape-climbing tactics involved in visiting Leila's apartment, so in the meantime Jon had arranged for their parents to meet at the hotel where he worked, allowing Cory access to the service entrance and even providing them with maintenance crew uniforms.

Cory grinned in amusement now, laughing quietly at his father's navy blue coveralls and little painter's cap. "Not one word," Obi-Wan warned him, stubbornly maintaining his dignity. "You look every bit as silly as I do."

"I didn't say anything, Master," Cory replied. "You didn't see us," he added to another hotel guest who was passing them in the hallway now, waving his hand subtly; then he smiled in quiet gratitude as they arrived at Leila's hotel room. "That was much better than last time," he whispered, feeling tears of relief in his eyes as he rubbed his father's back gently. _He's getting better... He'll be all right soon..._

Obi-Wan smiled, his eyes twinkling triumphantly at his achievement. "Not to worry," he assured him, giving Cory an appreciative pat on the shoulder as he let go, taking a deep breath and gathering his strength before heading inside to meet Leila. "Thank you, Cory," Obi-Wan said, as Cory nodded, waving to his mother inside the hotel room before leaving his parents alone for the night.

* * *

><p>"Hello there," Obi-Wan murmured, embracing Leila and giving her an appreciative kiss as she greeted him by the doorway.<p>

"Hello there, yourself," Leila giggled, tugging playfully on his silly painter's cap as she wrapped her arms lovingly around him, holding him close and kissing him on the cheek. He still felt a little too thin, but looked much stronger than last week; Leila smiled gratefully, taking his hand and leading him over to the bed.

"Ha," she giggled in rueful amusement as she unzipped his blue coveralls, stripping him down to his hospital gown underneath and helping him into bed. "I never thought I'd miss all those belts," she admitted wistfully as she crawled beneath the covers beside him, kissing him tenderly and stroking his soft, silky ginger hair.

"Get well soon, Obi-Wan," Leila whispered with a tearful smile, laying her head on her husband's shoulder and snuggling close to him as they fell asleep in each other's arms, grateful to spend this treasured night together.

* * *

><p><em>And the week after that...<em>

"It's beautiful out here," Kyra said, gazing out at the starry sky as they stood at the top of the Coruscant observatory, enjoying the warm summer evening.

"Yes, it is," Dorian agreed, smiling quietly as he admired her long, wavy blonde hair, fluttering in the gentle breeze. _How could I never have noticed her before?_ he asked himself for the thousandth time, wondering how he could possibly have blundered his way through all those dance lessons years ago without even the slightest idea of how beautiful she truly was.

"Kyra," Dorian said softly now, taking her hand gently in his and kneeling before her, as Kyra's eyes sparkled with joyful excitement. "Will you marry me?" Dorian asked, looking up at her hopefully, feeling tears spring to his own eyes as she smiled happily, nodding in ecstatic agreement.

"Yes," Kyra exclaimed breathlessly, pulling him to his feet and hugging him close. She lay her head against his shoulder as he stroked her back gently, kissing her tenderly on the temple. _Poor thing, she's been so upset about Obi-Wan,_ Dorian knew; he had felt her grief and worry these past few weeks, and was grateful that her stepfather was doing better. Kyra had told him the truth a few weeks ago, and Dorian had laughed to realize that her family was even stranger than his own.

"I love you, Kyra," Dorian said, stroking her soft, silky hair and gazing into her lovely blue eyes. _My beautiful princess..._

"I love you too, Dorian," Kyra murmured happily, wrapping her arms tenderly around him as they kissed beneath the stars.

* * *

><p><em>But a week after that...<em>

"Come on, Obi-Wan," Qui-Gon said gently, handing the bowl of Nerf stew back to him. "Two more spoonfuls," he insisted firmly, putting a comforting hand on his son's shoulder.

"Ahh..." Obi-Wan shook his head, cringing miserably. "No," he protested again weakly, shuddering with nausea. "I can't."

"You must," Qui-Gon countered, masking his deep alarm. "You don't want me to have to tell Leila about this, do you?" he asked gently, hoping that the subtle threat would motivate him.

"No," Obi-Wan cried, tears springing to his eyes. "I'm sorry... I can't," he choked weakly, laying back against the pillows. "Please... take it away," he begged, squeezing his eyes shut from the nausea. "Please," he whispered miserably.

"All right," Qui-Gon nodded quietly, his heart aching with grief and worry as he took the bowl from him, setting it on the bedside table. Despite their best attempts at meditation and Force-healing, the TPM had now spread to Obi-Wan's intestines and other internal organs, and he had barely eaten anything in four days, overwhelmed by the intense pain and nausea.

Sensing his grief, Obi-Wan gave him an apologetic look now, his blue-green eyes conveying the same fear and worry that Qui-Gon himself felt. _If this keeps up, he won't be able to hold out much longer,_ Qui-Gon admitted, tears of grief welling in his eyes as he embraced his son, cradling him in his arms and stroking his hair gently. "I love you, Obi-Wan," he whispered, heartbroken.

"I love you, Master," Obi-Wan cried softly, closing his eyes in exhaustion and resting his head weakly against the pillow as Qui-Gon gently lay him back in bed, doing what he could to make him comfortable for the night.

* * *

><p><em>And a week after that...<em>

"Luke." Obi-Wan smiled weakly, squeezing feebly as his padawan took his hand. _They tell me you're doing well. I'm so very proud of you,_ he wanted to say; but it had been an exhausting day, and the words would not come.

"Master," Luke said quietly, the grief in his eyes obvious. Obi-Wan tried to smile reassuringly; he had been getting this look from a lot of people today. _Your sister came to see me today, Luke. And your mother,_ he smiled fondly; it had been good to see them again. _And Siri, and Marco... For once he's doing better than me,_ Obi-Wan smiled to himself, amused by the thought.

"Luke," he breathed feebly, ignoring the pain that was coursing through his entire body. "Master Qui-Gon has - " he broke off, exhausted. "Agr - agreed... to - "

"Yes, I know," Luke nodded helpfully, tears of dismay in his blue eyes. "Master..."

Obi-Wan smiled at his nephew reassuringly, tears of pride in his eyes. "Not... today," he breathed weakly, squeezing his hand feebly. _I haven't finished all my goodbyes,_ he reminded himself, smiling tenderly at his padawan.

Luke nodded, a smile of gratitude crossing his face. "I'll see you tomorrow, Master," he said, getting up from the chair and patting Obi-Wan gently on the shoulder. Obi-Wan nodded gratefully, as Luke bowed, taking his leave.

A moment later Qui-Gon returned, smiling reassuringly as he sat by the bed, putting a hand on his arm. "Anakin and Mara will come back tomorrow," he told him gently, as Obi-Wan smiled weakly, tears in his eyes. _Anakin has been taking this rather badly,_ he confessed, finding his little brother's behavior tragically endearing. Anakin had been firmly in denial about all of this from the start, and had been incredibly strong for Luke and Mara; but yesterday he had abruptly stormed out of the hospital room as Obi-Wan had been talking with Cory and Zak, and today he hadn't come at all.

_Please do come tomorrow, Anakin,_ Obi-Wan thought wistfully, his heart aching. _I miss you._ But five seconds later the door opened, and Anakin burst in, his black cloak trailing behind him as he rushed quickly to Obi-Wan's bedside. Obi-Wan smiled in tearful gratitude, feeling his brother's arms around him as Anakin lay his shaggy head against his chest, clinging to him miserably. "Hello, Anakin." Obi-Wan smiled tenderly, managing to free one arm from his vise-like embrace and stroking his brother's hair softly. "It's good to see you," Obi-Wan confessed weakly, grateful for his brother's visit.

Anakin didn't reply, but hugged him fiercely, weeping quietly as he clung to Obi-Wan; then he lifted his head, his blue eyes questioning as he gave Obi-Wan a pleading look.

Obi-Wan nodded, smiling reassuringly. _Yes, Anakin. I'll see you tomorrow._ Anakin nodded, understanding; and then giving him one last, rather painfully tight hug, he got up again, storming out of the room as quickly as he had come.

_Oh, Anakin,_ Obi-Wan wept tearfully, after his brother had left. _I will miss you too._ But now Qui-Gon was sitting beside him once again, and Obi-Wan smiled, grateful for his father's strength through all of this. Qui-Gon was the only one who had fully accepted the reality of Obi-Wan's illness, and had made peace with the fact that it would only be a matter of days now.

"How are you feeling?" Qui-Gon asked, placing a hand on his forehead and stroking his hair softly. Obi-Wan smiled, grateful for his peaceful, healing presence. It was difficult feeling the intense grief of his other visitors, and as much as Obi-Wan enjoyed seeing them all, _he_ was the one who had had to be strong for _them_; but with Qui-Gon he could finally relax, and allow his father to take care of him.

"I'm all right," Obi-Wan replied, smiling in gratitude; there was no point in going into details. Qui-Gon smiled, his blue eyes filled with loving affection as he continued his Force-healing efforts, easing Obi-Wan's pain with his soothing, comforting presence. "Oh," Obi-Wan sighed gratefully. "That feels good," he confessed, smiling at his father.

"Are you feeling up to seeing Leila tonight?" Qui-Gon asked gently, stroking Obi-Wan's hair.

"Yes," Obi-Wan breathed softly. "Yes, of course." He closed his eyes again, relaxing peacefully and visualizing the beautiful seaside cliffs of his homeland, as he often did when meditating. But then a thought occurred to him, and he opened his eyes. "Master... Any news of the red tide?" Obi-Wan asked, curious. Qui-Gon had predicted that the plankton on Kilaui would begin their mating season soon; perhaps within the next month.

Qui-Gon smiled quietly, nodding. "Yes," he confessed. "It started four days ago."

"It started - " Obi-Wan broke off weakly, blinking in dismay. _It started four days ago, and they haven't gone._ "Master," he protested. "You should go..."

"No," Qui-Gon laughed softly, shaking his head. "We'll go next year," he assured him, tears in his eyes.

"But... The plankton," Obi-Wan protested. "Who will count them?" he asked weakly, unable to suppress a mischievous grin. He and Qui-Gon were the only ones of the entire group who knew that there was no point whatsoever to their efforts; it had been a fun secret joke they had been playing on the others for years now.

Qui-Gon laughed, patting him on the shoulder. "Ahh, Obi-Wan," he smiled; then tears sprang to his eyes, and he hugged him close. "I will miss you," he cried, allowing the tears to come for a moment.

Obi-Wan wept sadly, finally giving in to his own tears as Qui-Gon stroked his hair tenderly, comforting him. _I will miss you too, Master... And Anakin, and Cory, and Leila... And the children... And silly fake missions to Kilaui,_ he cried, tears stinging his eyes as he realized he would never again feel the warm sun on his face as he sat beside the river, surrounded by his family...

_I was born on Kilaui,_ Obi-Wan smiled wistfully, thinking of the beautiful, tropical volcanic planet. _I should like to return there,_ he confessed, looking at his father thoughtfully. "Master," Obi-Wan said quietly.

"Yes, Obi-Wan?" Qui-Gon asked gently.

"I want to be buried on Kilaui," Obi-Wan whispered softly. "Or sprinkled; I don't care which," he said weakly, as Qui-Gon nodded solemnly, respecting his dying wish.

"Of course, Obi-Wan," Qui-Gon replied quietly, taking his hand and holding it tenderly, hanging his head with grief. "You'll be with your mother," he agreed softly, choking back his tears.

Obi-Wan nodded, smiling gratefully. _I would hate to be stuck here on Coruscant for the rest of eternity,_ he admitted, laughing ruefully at the thought. _The sun shines perhaps ten days out of the whole year,_ he sighed. _Yes, Kilaui will be much better,_ he decided, thinking of the warm sun, the moss-covered cliffs, and the sound of the sea...

"Master," Obi-Wan said thoughtfully, another idea occurring to him.

"Yes?" Qui-Gon asked, with a tender smile.

"I'm... I'm tired of this hospital room," Obi-Wan lamented. "I'm tired of lying here, waiting to - " he broke off, shaking his head weakly. "I don't want to die here," Obi-Wan protested quietly. "Master... I want to go to Kilaui," he confessed, with a pleading look at his father. "I want all of us to go," he whispered softly.

Qui-Gon smiled sadly, tears of grief filling his eyes as he realized the implications of Obi-Wan's request. _I know, Master,_ Obi-Wan smiled bravely, meeting his father's questioning gaze. _I know I won't be coming back again. There's only one more person I need to say goodbye to, and I'm seeing her tonight,_ Obi-Wan sighed. _One more night with Leila, and then a lovely visit to Kilaui... And no more hospitals, ever again,_ he smiled wistfully, feeling a strange sense of relief at the thought. "Please, Master," Obi-Wan whispered, looking into his father's eyes. _Please..._

Qui-Gon nodded quietly. "Of course, Obi-Wan," he agreed gently, honoring his wishes. "We'll leave tomorrow," he promised, smiling tenderly as he held his hand, stroking his hair softly and gazing at his son with loving affection.


	120. Revenge of the Phantom Menace

**Chapter 120**

_Later that evening..._

"Obi-Wan," Kyra whispered in dismay, clutching Dorian's hand and watching helplessly as Cory carried her father inside the hotel room, laying him gently on the bed. _Oh,_ she cried, tears of grief stinging her eyes. _He looks terrible..._ They had all come tonight to see him before he left for Kilaui tomorrow, and Kyra knew that Obi-Wan would not be coming back again. Weeping, she clung to Dorian now, burying her face against his chest as he held her close.

_He's the only father I've ever known,_ Kyra cried, heartbroken. _He was supposed to walk me down the aisle at my wedding._ Jon and Karina were speaking with Obi-Wan now, hugging him tearfully as he held Alex in his arms. Elena and Maia had come as well; Maia was in tears as she clung to her grandfather desperately, pressing her cheek lovingly against his chest.

But now Dorian was gently leading her toward the bed. Kyra shook her head miserably in protest, tears blinding her vision; but somehow her feet followed, and then she was at Obi-Wan's side, sitting next to him and weeping quietly in his arms as he stroked her hair softly. "I love you, Obi-Wan," she choked sadly.

"I love you, Kyra," Obi-Wan whispered, smiling tenderly and reaching out feebly to brush away her tears, as he had done so many times when she was just a little girl. "Congratulations, sweetheart," he whispered, with an affectionate smile at Dorian as well. "My beautiful little princess," he breathed weakly, tears in his eyes as he gazed at her lovingly.

Kyra nodded, at a loss for words. _There are a billion things I wanted to tell you,_ she cried helplessly; Obi-Wan had always teased her for being an impossible chatterbox, but now Kyra's heart sank as she realized there simply wasn't enough time for everything she wanted to say. _I can't say goodbye,_ she wept, grief-stricken. _I can't..._ "Have a nice trip to Kilaui," Kyra managed to blurt out, sniffing tearfully and giving him a tender hug.

Obi-Wan smiled gratefully, nodding. "Thank you," he whispered, hugging her lovingly and giving her a little kiss on the temple; then he smiled at Dorian. "Take good care of her," Obi-Wan said weakly, his voice faltering. "Much happiness," he added, tears in his eyes.

Dorian nodded, gently taking Kyra by the arm and helping her to her feet; and then he was leading her away from the bed, out into the hallway. _No,_ Kyra wept, her heart searing with pain and grief. _There was so much more I wanted to tell him..._ "Obi-Wan," she whispered in dismay, looking back into the hotel room and catching a final glimpse of her parents holding each other close as Cory came out into the hallway, shutting the door behind him.

* * *

><p>"Leila." Obi-Wan smiled lovingly, his eyes glistening with tears as she crawled into bed next to him, kissing him tenderly.<p>

"Shh." Leila smiled reassuringly, stroking his silky, ginger hair as she gazed into his beautiful blue-green eyes. She knew that saying goodbye to the children had worn him out; his exhaustion was painfully obvious, and Obi-Wan smiled gratefully now, sinking back against the pillows and closing his eyes as Leila kissed him once again on the forehead.

"Rest for a bit," she told him softly, running her fingers delicately through his hair. "I'll wake you in an hour or so," she promised. Obi-Wan's eyes fluttered open, and he gazed at her lovingly for a moment, a blissful smile on his face; then he sighed, reaching an arm around her and wriggling onto his side as he rested his head against her breast, closing his eyes once again.

"Mmm," he sighed peacefully, snuggling close to her; but his fingers accidentally found her other breast, and a faint, mischievous smile crossed his face as he fondled it playfully for a moment. Leila smiled in amusement, kissing him tenderly on the temple and cradling him in her arms as he drifted off to sleep, a dreamy smile on his face.

_My beautiful sweetheart,_ Leila smiled tearfully, stroking his silky hair as he slept. _My angel... My hero..._ There would be more than enough time to grieve in the upcoming weeks and months; but tonight Obi-Wan was with her, and Leila smiled happily despite her tears, staying awake and treasuring every precious moment they had left together.

An hour went by, and then two; Obi-Wan was sleeping peacefully, and Leila didn't want to wake him. But a promise was a promise, and she kissed him softly now, gently caressing his cheek. Obi-Wan smiled, opening his eyes and gazing at her in blissful adoration; then he lay back against his own pillow, pulling her close to him and resting his cheek on her forehead as he wrapped his arms around her protectively. "I love you, Leila," he whispered, squeezing her tight.

Leila felt the tears threatening, and fought them stubbornly for a moment; but finally she allowed them to come, weeping quietly against Obi-Wan's chest as he held her safe and warm in his arms. He was stroking her back now, comforting her; Leila smiled gratefully, sniffing away her tears and wrapping her arms around him.

Obi-Wan was too weak to talk much; but there was no more need for words, and the next few hours were spent gazing into each other's eyes and sharing tearful smiles, kissing each other tenderly and holding each other close. But the night passed too quickly, and soon there was a soft knock on the door as Cory returned to take Obi-Wan back to the Temple, under the cover of darkness.

_This is it,_ Leila realized tearfully, panic and grief suddenly gripping her heart. _This is goodbye..._ But Obi-Wan shook his head gently, smiling tenderly as he reached out a hand to stroke her hair, a look of peaceful reassurance in his eyes as he gazed at her lovingly. "I love you, Leila," he whispered softly, pulling her close and kissing her on the lips. "Take care of the children," he said, his eyes glistening with tender affection.

Leila nodded, tears in her eyes as she smiled adoringly at her husband. "I love you, Obi-Wan," she cried softly, hugging him close and rocking him gently. "Have a wonderful trip to Kilaui," she whispered, kissing him again. "Count lots of plankton," she giggled, her heart fluttering joyfully as she saw the sparkle of amusement in his blue-green eyes.

Obi-Wan smiled tenderly, and they held each other for a long moment, gazing tearfully into each other's eyes; but now there was another knock on the door, and Leila's brows furrowed in surprise as Obi-Wan laughed softly, sensing who it was. "Send them in," he nodded to Cory, smiling good-naturedly.

A moment later Jon and Kyra came into the room, their expressions apologetic. "I'm sorry," Jon cringed; it had been agreed that they would say their goodbyes the night before, and not put Obi-Wan through the ordeal twice. But he was smiling happily now, tears of joy in his eyes as they came over to the bed, hugging him.

"No, no," Obi-Wan assured them, hugging them close. "It's good to see you," he insisted, his eyes twinkling happily. Kyra lay her head on his shoulder, smiling gratefully as he stroked her hair; she was holding a wad of papers in her hand, which she gave to him now. "What's this?" Obi-Wan asked, blinking in surprise at the floral stationery.

Kyra grinned, tears in her eyes. "Babbling," she confessed, as Obi-Wan unfolded the letter, feigning horror as he leafed through dozens of pages, written on front and back.

"Oh dear," Obi-Wan sighed in disbelief; but he smiled at her tenderly, his eyes shining happily. "Thank you, Kyra," he said with quiet sincerity, glancing fondly at her letter. "I shall treasure every word."

Kyra nodded, smiling tearfully as she hugged him once again; Jon wrapped his arms around him too, and Leila smiled warmly despite her tears, grateful for this last moment together. But now Cory gave Obi-Wan an apologetic look, and he nodded, gently extracting himself from the children's embrace and sitting up feebly, his breathing labored from the effort.

Jon and Kyra began to help him; but Obi-Wan shook his head weakly, sighing with exhaustion and sinking back against the pillows again. "No," he breathed softly, tears of regret in his eyes. "Jon," he said quietly, smiling at him fondly. "Take your mother and sister home," he whispered, as Jon nodded in understanding. Obi-Wan didn't have the strength to walk any more, and Leila knew it must pain him to feel so helpless.

Leila kissed him softly on the temple now, stroking his hair and smiling tenderly. "Let me get dressed; I'll be back in a minute," she told the others quietly, gathering her clothes and slipping away to the bathroom, dressing quickly. She returned to find Jon and Kyra hugging their father as he lay propped against the pillows, smiling at them happily. But now they each gave him a final hug, getting up from the bed as Leila approached.

"We'll wait in the hallway," Cory said gently, leading Jon and Kyra out of the room. Leila sat down beside her husband, smiling tearfully as she gazed into his magical blue-green eyes for the last time.

"I love you, Obi-Wan," she cried softly, her heart welling with joy as she held him close, kissing him passionately and stroking his lovely, silky ginger hair. "Goodbye, sweetheart," she whispered, tears filling her eyes.

"Goodbye, Leila," Obi-Wan choked tearfully, stroking her hair and gazing at her lovingly. "I love you too. Be well, sweetheart," he whispered tenderly, wrapping his arms around her and holding her close, laying his cheek against her head. Leila smiled, closing her eyes and treasuring this final embrace; then she kissed him one last time, getting up from the bed. They held hands for a long moment, gazing into each other's eyes; but finally Leila forced herself to let go.

Obi-Wan was gazing at her lovingly as she reached the doorway, an adoring smile on his face; Leila smiled back at him, and they shared a look of deep adoration, of courage, and strength. Then, with a last tender smile at her husband, Leila turned to leave, tears of grief filling her eyes as she joined her children in the hallway, sobbing quietly as they held her tight.

"Come on, Mom," Jon said quietly, gently holding her arm and leading her down the hallway with Kyra, as Cory went back inside the room to help his father. "Let's take you home."

* * *

><p><em>Later that afternoon, on Kilaui...<em>

"Thank you." Obi-Wan smiled weakly, grateful to feel the cool water on his parched lips as Anakin held the cup for him, helping him to drink. _Ohh... that feels nice,_ he sighed, closing his eyes momentarily and enjoying the warmth of the Kilaui sun. But then he opened them again, smiling faintly as he gazed across the red, churning river at the moss-covered cliffs beyond, and the peaks of the active volcanoes far in the distance, glowing fiery orange against the clear blue sky.

_I'm glad to be here,_ Obi-Wan thought wistfully. The past few days had been terribly draining, as he had said his goodbyes to everyone he knew and loved; and last night had been the worst of all. Tears sprang to his eyes momentarily as he thought of Leila and the children once again, but he blinked them away, grateful that the painful farewells were over. Back on Coruscant there had been no escape from the grief he had felt all around him; but here amidst the mating plankton, Obi-Wan was mercifully oblivious to the feelings of his Jedi family members.

Anakin was smiling at him now, his blue eyes sparkling in the Kilaui sun, his shaggy hair glistening and shimmering a thousand shades of gold. Everything looked more magical here on Kilaui, and Obi-Wan smiled tenderly, gazing at his little brother with wistful adoration. Anakin grinned at him shyly, setting the cup of water back down. "Would you like some... uh... milk stuff?" he asked thoughtfully, peering into the little cooler they had brought down to the riverbank.

_Ugh..._ "No." Obi-Wan smiled apologetically; he had tried a sip of the nutritional drink earlier, and it had turned his stomach. _That stuff is terrible._ But without his intravenous line, he was receiving no other nourishment, and the others had been trying to feed him sips of various nasty liquids all day.

"Juice stuff?" Anakin asked hopefully, still peering inside the cooler.

"No," Obi-Wan laughed gently, cringing at the thought.

Anakin sighed, nodding. "Blue stuff?" he asked, a mischievous glimmer in his eyes.

"Hm," Obi-Wan laughed, amused. "Have you got any?"

"No," Anakin sighed, grinning shyly and hanging his head; then he closed the cooler again, smiling tenderly as he sat cross-legged next to where Obi-Wan lay on the rocky shore, cushioned atop a bed of sleeping bags and camp blankets.

"Just as well," Obi-Wan said, amused. "That stuff burns a bit, going down," he winced, as Anakin laughed in quiet agreement. It felt wonderful lying here in the warm Kilaui sun; but without his intravenous drip, Obi-Wan was beginning to feel noticeably parched and dry. "I'll have another sip of water though," he confessed, as Anakin nodded, bringing the cup to his lips again.

Qui-Gon came over now to check on him, and Obi-Wan caught a brief glimmer of alarm in his father's eyes; but he masked it quickly, smiling tenderly as he knelt beside Obi-Wan, putting a hand on his shoulder. "How are you feeling?" he asked gently, his clear blue eyes shining even more intensely than Anakin's, his hair glistening silver and white against the blue sky. _Why did I never notice the magical shimmering before?_ Obi-Wan wondered vaguely, awed by the incredible, ethereal beauty of his home planet.

"I'm fine," Obi-Wan assured his father as always, smiling at him gratefully. _Yes, I am glad to have come back here, one last time,_ he decided, sighing peacefully as he closed his eyes, enjoying the blissful warmth of the sun on his face.

* * *

><p><em>Oh dear,<em> Qui-Gon blinked in dismay, sharing a worried glance with Anakin. _It's happening..._ Yoda had feared that in the final stage, the TPM might spread all the way out to the surface; it had already completely taken over Obi-Wan's insides, and now Qui-Gon blinked back tears, seeing his dry, cracked lips and greyish, slightly hardened skin. His eyes were closed peacefully now, but they had looked strangely pale a moment ago, and seemed to be protruding from his face a bit.

Anakin caught his worried look, and his eyes flickered with concern and dismay; but he smiled sadly, staying by his brother's side and gazing at him in tender compassion, doing what he could to make him comfortable.

_So this is it,_ Qui-Gon realized, grateful for the Force-masking qualities of the plankton as a terrible, painful grief stabbed through his heart. _This is the end. I'm going to lose my little boy._

Obi-Wan had lapsed into a peaceful sleep now, his breathing slow and steady; Qui-Gon and the others took turns sitting beside him for the next several hours as he rested, holding his leathery hands and gently stroking his hair. It seemed to be changing color in bits and pieces rather than all at once; Obi-Wan's normally reddish-brown hair was now streaked with strands of lustrous gold. _That's quite fancy, actually,_ Qui-Gon thought in wistful amusement, trying not to look at his son's ashen skin.

Evening came quickly, and Cory and Anakin climbed up to the top of the ridge with the padawans, starting a campfire; but Qui-Gon shook his head at their questioning glances, staying down by the river with Obi-Wan. "I don't want to move him," he told them quietly, grateful that Obi-Wan was resting peacefully for the moment. It would not be much longer now, he guessed; Obi-Wan had eaten nothing at all today, and had not stirred from his sleep in hours.

_He didn't want to die in a hospital,_ Qui-Gon recalled, stroking his son's golden-streaked hair. _I won't let him die in one of our blasted uncomfortable pup tents either,_ he decided resolutely, sitting beside Obi-Wan and holding a silent vigil through the warm summer night as he slept beneath the stars beside the glowing river, resting peacefully.

_I've lost him already,_ Qui-Gon confessed, hanging his head in grief as he faced the truth. Obi-Wan had not awakened in several hours now, and here by the river where the plankton were mating, Qui-Gon could not sense whether he was simply sleeping, or whether he had already lapsed into a starvation coma from lack of nutrition.

"I can't feel you, Obi-Wan," Qui-Gon whispered sadly, grieving to have lost his Force connection with his son. "And I can't see you anymore either," he cried softly, gazing at Obi-Wan's hardened, ashen face. "But you're still here with me," he consoled himself with a tender smile, holding Obi-Wan's stiff, grey hand and stroking his golden-streaked hair.

"I love you, Obi-Wan," Qui-Gon wept, heartbroken. "You'll be with your mother soon," he promised him, with a wistful smile. "You've always been so much like her," he whispered softly, thinking of his beloved Ana. "You both left me too soon," he choked bitterly, hanging his head and weeping in grief.

The first rays of dawn were appearing over the rocky mountain ranges in the distance, bathing the fiery volcanoes in a soft blue glow; Qui-Gon sighed wearily, wiping the tears from his eyes and looking down at his son once again. The TPM had gotten worse through the night; Obi-Wan was barely recognizable now, his closed eyes protruding unnaturally from his sunken face, his eyelids leathery and grey, though still lined with ginger lashes.

_It is a kindness, that he has been spared this final horror,_ Qui-Gon confessed sadly. Obi-Wan had been mercifully unaware of his condition yesterday, in his last hours of consciousness; as much as Qui-Gon selfishly hoped that his son would wake again, he admitted that Obi-Wan deserved to pass on in dignity, without the knowledge of his terrible disfigurement.

Qui-Gon could hear quiet voices on the ridge above him now; the others were awaking, emerging from their tents. A minute later Cory and Anakin climbed down to the riverbank, their expressions sobered as they saw Obi-Wan. "How is he doing?" Cory asked gently, kneeling beside his father as Anakin stood by numbly, a look of shock and grief on his face.

"He hasn't stirred," Qui-Gon told them softly. "I think he may have lapsed into a coma." Cory nodded sadly, tears glistening in his blue eyes as he held his father's grey, leathery hand, stroking the sleeve of his ivory tunic lovingly. They had dressed him in his Jedi clothes before coming here to Kilaui; Obi-Wan had been quite specific about not wanting to die in a silly hospital gown.

_Yes, it's a kindness that he doesn't know what has become of him,_ Qui-Gon smiled tearfully, fondly remembering his eldest son's insufferable stubbornness and pride. Anakin finally joined them now, and knelt quietly at his brother's side, an expression of dismay in his eyes as he held Obi-Wan's other hand, patting his arm softly.

"We sent the padawans down to the village to get something for breakfast," Cory said quietly, putting a hand on Qui-Gon's shoulder. "They should be back in a few minutes; I'm going to start a fire," he told them, getting up.

Qui-Gon nodded, giving his grandson an appreciative smile as he headed back up to the top of the ridge. Cory had been incredibly strong through all of this, as had Anakin in his own way; Qui-Gon turned to his younger son now, his heart aching to see his utter helplessness and grief. "Would you like a moment alone with him?" he asked gently.

Anakin shook his head vigorously, as if frightened by the thought. "No," he confessed miserably, giving Qui-Gon a look of helpless apology; then he hung his head, sighing in remorse. "I'm sorry, Master," he said quietly. "I know I haven't been - " he shook his head unhappily. "Did you get any sleep last night?" he asked softly, peering at his father in concern.

Qui-Gon smiled appreciatively. "No," he confessed, gazing down at Obi-Wan sadly. "But there will be time for that soon, I think," he said quietly, as Anakin nodded, tears of grief in his eyes.

"He's gone... isn't he?" Anakin whispered in dismay, holding Obi-Wan's leathery grey hand.

Qui-Gon smiled tenderly, tears in his eyes; but he nodded, stroking Obi-Wan's reddish, gold-streaked hair. "Yes, Anakin," he whispered, facing the truth himself. "He's gone." His body was still fighting for life, holding on until the last breath; but Qui-Gon knew that Obi-Wan would not be coming to back to them again.

Anakin nodded, tears welling in his eyes as he hung his head bitterly; but now they heard voices on the ridge above them as the padawans returned from their hike to the village. Anakin sniffed back his tears, composing himself; he had remained strong for the children through all of this, and it was his duty to his padawans that had kept him going these past few weeks. Qui-Gon smiled at him reassuringly, nodding in understanding as Anakin got up, heading back toward the cliff.

But a moment later he was back, kneeling at Obi-Wan's side, tears in his eyes as he gently kissed his brother's ashen forehead. "I love you, Obi-Wan," Anakin choked, whispering; then sniffing back his tears, he got to his feet again, quickly climbing back up the ridge to attend to his awaiting padawans. Luke was technically apprenticed to Qui-Gon now, and Qui-Gon was dearly looking forward to continuing his grandson's training in the upcoming weeks and months; but for the moment, he was grateful that Anakin had been filling that role during Obi-Wan's illness.

Qui-Gon took Obi-Wan's hand now, gazing at his son tenderly. "Ah, Obi-Wan," he whispered softly, tears filling his eyes. "I'm going to miss you," he confessed. "You weren't supposed to go before me," he choked tearfully, stroking his son's stiff, grey hand and looking out across the river toward the mossy cliffs beyond.

_This place holds so many memories for me,_ Qui-Gon sighed, his heart aching with longing as he gazed toward the distant ridge where he had first met Ana so many years ago. _Good memories,_ Qui-Gon admitted wistfully, smiling despite his tears. _But some painful ones too,_ he confessed with a heavy sigh, looking down at Obi-Wan once again.

But now he gasped, startled to see his eyes open. "Obi-Wan," Qui-Gon said urgently, peering into his strange, silver-green, protruding eyes. "Obi-Wan, can you hear me?" he asked gently, his heart fluttering with hope.

"Yes," Obi-Wan rasped weakly, blinking awake. "And stop asking me that," he added indignantly. "I'm not deaf, you know," he chided his father, his voice sounding feeble but annoyingly condescending.

Qui-Gon laughed in surprise, hugging Obi-Wan close, tears of joyful relief springing to his eyes. "Obi-Wan, you've been sleeping for sixteen hours straight," he chided him, stroking his golden-streaked hair tenderly. "I thought - " he broke off, smiling at his son happily. "How are you feeling?" he asked gently, caressing his leathery grey cheek.

"All right," Obi-Wan nodded weakly, as always; Qui-Gon smiled, his heart welling over with joy. _He has lived to feel the warm sun on his face for one more day,_ he sighed, profoundly grateful as he held Obi-Wan's hand.

"Here," Qui-Gon said gently, opening the little cooler and pouring a fresh cup of water, holding it to Obi-Wan's parched, blistered lips as he drank gratefully, then sank back against the camp blankets. _He hasn't eaten in days; I must try to get something into him,_ Qui-Gon admitted. "Would you like some _milk_ stuff, or _juice_ stuff?" he asked gently, in a tone that implied he must choose one or the other.

"Ugh... Juice stuff, I suppose," Obi-Wan replied, clearly unhappy with his choices. Qui-Gon nodded, pulling out a bottle of the nutrient drink and gently lifting Obi-Wan's head again, helping him to drink. To his surprise, he managed a few sips before cringing in disgust, laying back against the blankets. "Ohh," he sighed weakly. "That stuff is terrible."

"Yes, I imagine it is," Qui-Gon conceded gently, smiling at his son. _He still doesn't know..._

But now Obi-Wan's pale green bug-eyes blinked curiously. "What is that smell?" he asked, sniffing the air.

_Ahh..._ "I'm sorry, Obi-Wan," Qui-Gon apologized; ever since his relapse, the smell of food had made him terribly nauseous. "Anakin and Cory are cooking breakfast, with the padawans," he explained, cringing.

"Oh dear," Obi-Wan replied in worried commiseration; Anakin and Cory couldn't cook to save their lives, and whatever the padawans had brought back from the village was now being burnt to a crisp, by the smell of it. But Obi-Wan's strange pale eyes blinked again thoughtfully. "Actually, that smells quite good," he admitted.

Qui-Gon looked at Obi-Wan in surprise. "Would you like something to eat?" he asked guardedly, not daring to hope; Obi-Wan hadn't eaten any solid food in over a week now. _He's feeling better,_ Qui-Gon realized suddenly, his mind racing. _He looks like a nightmare, but he's feeling better..._

"Yes," Obi-Wan confessed. "If it's not too much trouble," he added politely.

Tears sprang to Qui-Gon's eyes as his heart suddenly filled with hope. "Of course," he nodded, smiling tenderly and patting his son on the shoulder. "I'll be right back," he promised him, quickly climbing up the ridge and praying that Cory and Anakin hadn't completely ruined whatever they were cooking. _He's feeling better,_ Qui-Gon realized again. _The TPM hasn't been worsening; it's finally being pushed out to the surface!_

Anakin and Cory quickly got to their feet as Qui-Gon approached the campfire, their expressions concerned. "Obi-Wan is awake," he told them, unable to suppress a happy smile. "He's feeling better; he wants something to eat," he added urgently, as they all nodded quickly, scrambling to pool together bits and pieces of burned bacon and dry eggs from their own plates that weren't completely inedible. "I must speak with Master Yoda right away," Qui-Gon told the others, heading back toward his Starfighter. _Please, let me be right about this..._


	121. And Return of the Jedi Master!

**Chapter 121**

Yoda sighed sadly, shaking his head as he studied the vials and potions on the table in his makeshift alchemy lab. He had been experimenting relentlessly these past few weeks since Obi-Wan's TPM relapse, trying to find a cure for his advanced state; but tragically no solution had presented itself, and now he hung his head, facing the heartbreaking truth.

_Too late for Obi-Wan, it is,_ Yoda lamented, tears in his eyes. _But learned from his tragic relapse, we have,_ he confessed regretfully. _Save future TPM victims from Obi-Wan's fate, we now can._ Yoda had been caught off guard by Obi-Wan's relapse five weeks ago, but now he sadly understood why the disease had returned.

_Healed too quickly the first time, young Obi-Wan was,_ he admitted regretfully now. Obi-Wan had still only been in the initial stages of the disease when they had cured him the last time, and Yoda now realized that they should have waited for his symptoms to worsen, and for all of the mutant midichlorians to be pushed outward to the surface of his skin, before administering the dragon dung treatment. Only then could they have been certain that the TPM had been completely destroyed.

_Hiding inside him all these years, the mutant midichlorians have been,_ Yoda admitted sadly. And now they were attacking from the inside, causing life-threatening damage to his internal organs, rather than purely cosmetic damage at the surface of his skin.

Yoda had conducted numerous experiments with Obi-Wan's blood and tissue samples, trying to discover a way to administer the dragon dung mixture internally; but he had determined that one of the key elements of the treatment was that the mixture must be allowed to harden and air-dry in order to kill off the mutant midichlorians, and there was simply no way for that to happen internally. He had even experimented with carbon freezing techniques, to no avail. _Only at the surface of the skin can TPM be cured,_ Yoda had finally concluded, sharing his findings with Qui-Gon and the others.

He looked up in surprise now as his holo-transmitter blinked, indicating an incoming message; then his heart sank as he recognized Qui-Gon's holographic image. _Passed on, Obi-Wan has,_ Yoda guessed, tears filling his eyes. "Qui-Gon," he acknowledged the Jedi Master sadly, bowing his head in respect.

But Qui-Gon's tone was urgent rather than grieving, and Yoda listened in surprise, a newfound sense of hope filling his heart as Qui-Gon explained the latest developments in Obi-Wan's condition.

* * *

><p>Anakin Force-jumped off the edge of the cliff, miraculously managing to keep most of Obi-Wan's breakfast on his plate as he landed on the riverbank below, running toward the spot where Obi-Wan lay. <em>He's hungry... He needs food...<em>

But now he stopped abruptly in his tracks, blinking in surprise. _What the...?_ "Obi-Wan?" Anakin asked uncertainly; Cory and the padawans were arriving just behind him, and they all stared in confusion now at the strange figure that sat huddled against the edge of the cliff, hiding beneath a camp blanket.

"Yes?" the camp blanket that was wearing Obi-Wan's boots replied tentatively.

"Obi-Wan... What are you doing?" Anakin asked cautiously. _Besides acting like a complete lunatic..._

"What does it _look_ like I'm doing?" the camp blanket replied testily.

Anakin grinned in relief, approaching him. _He really IS feeling better..._ "I've brought your breakfast," he offered hopefully, holding the plate out to him.

A moment later a grey, lizard-like hand appeared, accepting the plate before disappearing once again beneath the camp blanket. "Thank you," the camp blanket replied with its mouth full.

Anakin and Cory shared an amused grin, as Luke, Mara, and Zak suppressed delighted giggles. "Obi-Wan, are you going to come out of there?" he asked politely, trying not to laugh.

"No," the camp blanket replied crossly, still speaking with its mouth full.

_Haha! I know how to get him out..._ "All right," Anakin replied agreeably. "Well, I guess we'd better get started counting these plankton," he said, heading down toward the water. "Though I can't guarantee we'll count them properly," he added loudly, sharing a conspiratorial grin with the others; Obi-Wan took their plankton-counting operation very seriously, and was completely paranoid that one of them would miscount if he didn't constantly hover over them, monitoring their progress.

Obi-Wan stubbornly ignored him, and Anakin walked over to the edge of the river, making a splashing sound as if scooping up a cupful of plankton. "Let's see... One... two... four - no, _three..._"

"That's not funny, Anakin," the camp blanket said grumpily.

_Yes it is..._ Anakin grinned cheerfully, climbing back up the bank; if the padawans hadn't been there, he would have embraced his brother ecstatically, but as it was, he refrained from hugging the camp blanket like an idiot. "Obi-Wan," Anakin said gently, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Come, on, Obi-Wan. It's all right; you can come out," he reassured him. "It's nothing we haven't seen before," he added encouragingly. "You've been like this since yesterday."

But unfortunately, that did nothing to reassure the camp blanket. "Oh dear," it sighed unhappily, hanging its head in dismay; but then it nodded reluctantly. "All right," the camp blanket agreed. "But there had better not be any laughing, or you will _all_ have to count twenty extra cupfuls of plankton today," Obi-Wan warned them.

Anakin shared a rueful grin with Cory and the others; they had actually been relieved to be off the hook this year with the plankton counting, since the entire operation had initially been called off due to Obi-Wan's illness. But he smiled happily, grateful beyond words that Obi-Wan was feeling well enough to even care about their official mission.

"Yes, Master," Anakin promised obediently, along with the others; and muttering unintelligibly to itself, the camp blanket lifted up, a pair of lizard-grey hands emerging as Obi-Wan reluctantly pulled the blanket off over his head.

"Holy crap!" Zak gasped in shock.

"Whoa," Luke whispered, staring in disbelief.

"Ahh!" Mara squealed, caught off guard.

_No kidding,_ Anakin agreed, sharing a concerned look with Cory now. "Obi-Wan," he said gently, kneeling beside him. "How are you feeling?" he asked worriedly. His skin had turned completely ashen and leathery overnight, and his auburn hair was now streaked with bright gold; but his eyes were the strangest of all, protruding unnaturally from their sockets and faded to a pale silver-green. _That's new,_ Anakin frowned, masking his alarm.

"I'm feeling... better," Obi-Wan replied cautiously, blinking his silvery-green eyes. "How bad is it?" he asked, quietly apprehensive.

"It's... not bad," Anakin began hesitantly.

"For a lizard," Cory added matter-of-factly, as the padawans suppressed amused giggles.

Obi-Wan glared at them indignantly. "All right; you four," he rebuked Cory, Luke, Mara, and Zak sternly, pointing toward the river. "Twenty cupfuls of plankton. _Now,_" he ordered emphatically. Cory laughed cheerfully, shaking his head as he obediently led the padawans down toward the river.

Anakin grinned, watching them leave; then he turned back to Obi-Wan. "So you're really feeling better?" he asked hopefully. They had all been praying that Obi-Wan's good midichlorians might start to win the battle, and push the mutants out toward the surface; and now, just as they had given up all hope, it finally seemed to be happening.

"Yes," Obi-Wan nodded quietly, his strange eyes flickering momentarily. His ash-grey skin had hardened to the point where he could no longer smile or convey any facial expressions; Anakin nodded, trying to interpret his brother's strange blinking gestures. "Much better," Obi-Wan confessed softly, with another blinking glance at Anakin.

Anakin smiled gratefully, tears in his eyes. "I'm glad," he whispered, putting a gentle hand on his brother's shoulder. "Qui-Gon is talking to Yoda now," he told him. "Don't worry, Obi-Wan; you're going to be all right," Anakin assured him, with a tender smile. "You're doing really well," he added encouragingly.

"Thank you," Obi-Wan replied softly, his silver-green eyes flickering once again. But now he was peering intently at something in the rocks at the base of the cliff. "Anakin," he said quietly, pointing a grey finger.

Anakin followed his gaze, spotting a striped ninju snake hiding amidst the rocks. "It's all right," he reassured his brother. "It's just a ninju snake; they're not poisonous," he said, surprised that Obi-Wan didn't know that. _Force, is there actually something in this galaxy that I know about and he doesn't?_ Anakin wondered, suddenly concerned for his brother's mental state. _Maybe the TPM has gone to his brain..._

"Yes, obviously it's a ninju snake," Obi-Wan sighed in annoyance, as Anakin let out a sigh of relief. _No, he's fine._ "I was just wondering," Obi-Wan continued thoughtfully. "Is it strange that I want to _eat_ that?" he asked quietly.

_Oh._ Anakin blinked. _Wow... He really IS a lizard..._ "Uh... yes," he told his brother decisively. "Definitely strange." Obi-Wan was still gazing at the snake wistfully, and now Anakin noticed his empty breakfast plate. _Aw, he's hungry..._ "Would you like some more bacon and eggs?" he offered hopefully. "There's lots more we can cook; that was only our first practice attempt," Anakin assured him, unable to suppress a proud smile. _And it was totally edible, on the very first try..._ "Hang on, I'll make you some more," he promised, patting Obi-Wan's shoulder confidently as he got up.

"No, wait," Obi-Wan said, struggling to his feet; Anakin quickly went to his side, steadying him. _He hasn't walked in days..._ "I'll come," Obi-Wan decided, walking resolutely toward the base of the ridge as Anakin held his arm.

"Uh... are you sure about this?" Anakin asked doubtfully, glancing up at the thirty-foot cliff above their heads. _Weren't you just dying of TPM a second ago?_

"Yes, I'm feeling much better," Obi-Wan nodded gratefully, letting go of him and proceeding to climb up the cliff face, grabbing the rocks securely with his leathery grey hands. "I'm sorry; I didn't realize the rest of you hadn't eaten yet," he apologized, glancing back at Cory and the padawans, who were already hard at work counting plankton by the river. "We'll cook a nice breakfast for everyone," Obi-Wan resolved cheerfully.

_Should he really be climbing rocks?_ Anakin wondered again briefly, his brows furrowing in concern as he followed Obi-Wan up the ridge, staying close behind him in case he lost his balance. Cory and the padawans were staring up at them in confusion now; Anakin gave them a bewildered shrug, and Cory grinned, shaking his head in amused relief as he and the padawans resumed their plankton counting.

_Of course he should be climbing rocks,_ Anakin smiled gratefully, tears springing to his eyes to see his brother feeling better again. _He should be climbing rocks, and bossing everybody around with his oh-so-important plankton counting operation, and lecturing me on the proper way to cook bacon,_ Anakin grinned cheerfully, as Obi-Wan continued to instruct him in the finer points of campfire cooking. _He shouldn't be lying in bed dying; that's what he shouldn't be doing,_ Anakin decided, stubbornly pushing the horrible memory aside.

_He's all right,_ Anakin realized happily, climbing up the ridge behind his brother. _He's really all right... Aside from being a lizard,_ he grinned in amusement. _And Yoda can fix that easily enough,_ Anakin reassured himself, as Obi-Wan prattled on about bacon and the effect of planetary air pressure differences on the rate of incineration.

But suddenly Obi-Wan faltered, losing his balance; Anakin instinctively grabbed him, and Obi-Wan moaned weakly as he sat down on a narrow ledge, catching his breath. "Ohhh," he sighed, hanging his head. "I feel a bit dizzy..."

_Crap!_ "Shh... Take it easy," Anakin said gently, patting his back reassuringly. _I am an idiot,_ Anakin cursed himself. _Of course I shouldn't have let him go rock climbing..._ Qui-Gon was returning from the top of the ridge now, and Anakin sighed in dismay. _He left me to take care of Obi-Wan for five minutes, and I managed to screw that up,_ he admitted unhappily, turning back to Obi-Wan now. "Ahhh!" Anakin gasped in surprise, startled by his brother's latest transformation.

"What?" Obi-Wan asked weakly, his brows furrowed in concern as Anakin stared at him, blinking in shock.

"You're - you're a person," Anakin blurted out, stunned to see Obi-Wan suddenly looking like his normal self again; his hair had returned to its usual red-brown color, his face was once again peachy flesh-colored, and his blue-green eyes had gone back into their sockets where they belonged. _How did that happen? Where did all the lizard stuff go?_

Obi-Wan managed a sad but grateful smile. "Yes, Anakin; that's very kind of you," he breathed feebly, closing his eyes as he hung his head again, clutching at his chest in pain and exhaustion.

"No," Anakin protested. "Look," he said quietly, taking Obi-Wan's arm and showing him his hand.

"Oh," Obi-Wan blinked in surprise, as Qui-Gon joined them on the ledge, his expression worried and confused.

"Anakin... what are you doing?" Qui-Gon asked, giving him a baffled, somewhat reproachful look.

"I - " Anakin cringed apologetically. "He was a lizard, and he wanted to climb, and then - " he broke off helplessly, gesturing toward his brother in dismay. _Yeah,_ he sighed, giving his father a remorseful look. _I suck._

"Let's get him back down to the river," Qui-Gon instructed him gently. _Yes, Master..._ Anakin nodded obediently, carefully lifting Obi-Wan over his shoulder and climbing back down again. _Sorry about that._

* * *

><p><em>Master!<em> Luke blinked anxiously, rushing toward the base of the cliff along with Master Cory, Mara, and Zak. Master Obi-Wan had been all right just a moment ago, but now he hung limply over Master Anakin's shoulder, moaning weakly and looking like his normal self again. _Crap, the TPM's gone back inside him..._

"We need to get him down by the water," Master Qui-Gon was saying now. "Master Yoda is on his way with the treatment; he thinks the plankton may somehow be drawing out the mutant midichlorians," he explained quickly, as they all hurried back to the river. Master Anakin and Cory were setting Obi-Wan down on the rocky shore by the water now, and Luke breathed a sigh of relief to see his Master's face taking on an ashen tone once again, with streaks of gold returning to his hair.

"Thank you," Obi-Wan sighed weakly, sitting by the water and catching his breath. "Yes, that's better," he nodded gratefully. His skin had now returned to its previous leathery, hardened state, and now his silver-green eyes blinked in surprised curiosity. "The plankton? Really?" he asked, looking up at Master Qui-Gon.

"Yes," Master Qui-Gon nodded, kneeling at the edge of the water and scooping up a handful of plankton. "He said to try putting some of it on your skin," he explained gently. Obi-Wan held his arm out, pulling his sleeve up slightly as Qui-Gon carefully released the glowing plankton onto the back of his hand.

"Whoa," Zak exclaimed softly, as the surrounding skin instantly turned dark green and scaly where the plankton had touched it. Luke shared an alarmed glance with Mara now as they gathered around, staring in fascination.

"It must be the plankton's mating call," Qui-Gon said thoughtfully. "The mutant midichlorians seem to be attracted to it." Now Obi-Wan's entire hand was covered in tough greenish-black scales, rimmed with gold. _Wow..._ Luke blinked in surprise, peering at his Master's hand. _That's actually pretty cool..._

"My TPM wants to mate with the plankton?" Obi-Wan asked worriedly, as Mara and Zak suppressed amused giggles. "Oh dear," Obi-Wan sighed, his silver-green eyes blinking in rueful disdain.

"Well, it seems to be unrequited," Master Cory observed, watching in fascination as the tiny iridescent organisms fled in panic from Obi-Wan's arm, wriggling and squirming back down over the rocks and into the river. "These little guys want nothing to do with it," he reassured him cheerfully.

"So what now?" Obi-Wan asked, blinking doubtfully at the churning, iridescent river. "Shall I go for a swim?"

"No, Master," Luke protested quickly, concerned for his safety. "Zak saw a vampire eel yesterday," he added shyly; Luke had barely spoken to his Master in three days now, and suddenly he felt that it wasn't his place to be warning him about vampire eels. _He's not even technically my Master right now,_ he remembered, hanging his head in dismay. _Sorry..._

But Master Obi-Wan nodded appreciatively. "Ah, the dreaded vampire eel," he agreed sagely. "Very well," he promised good-naturedly, as he began pulling off his boots. "I shall stay here on the shore; though I think it might have a difficult time biting through _this,_" he mused, gazing at his tough, scaly green hand. "And you don't all have to watch," Obi-Wan added crossly, a tone of reproach in his voice.

"Yes, we do," Anakin said mischievously, sitting down cross-legged on the riverbank and getting a front-row seat as the others nodded in agreement, gathering around.

"Fine," Obi-Wan sighed in annoyance, rolling up his pantlegs to expose his grey, leathery feet. "But the next time any of _you_ turn into scaly green reptiles, don't expect me to have any sympathy," he warned them indignantly.

"Fair enough," Cory agreed amiably, hopping up onto a big rock to enjoy the show. Luke grinned, taking a seat next to Zak and Mara on the rocky shore and watching his Master in hopeful fascination. _If they're all joking about this, he must really be all right..._ Luke had been studying everything he could about TPM these past five weeks, and knew that if only the mutated dragon midichlorians could be drawn out to the surface, the disease could be easily cured.

_Though it won't be pleasant,_ Luke cringed regretfully; he had memorized the ingredients required to cure TPM, and although the true healing power came from dragon tears, unfortunately they had to be mixed in a base of dragon dung and sealed in with Eopie spittle in order to be effective. _I'm sorry, Master,_ Luke sighed sympathetically; but he smiled in relief now, grateful beyond words that Master Obi-Wan was finally getting well.

_And then things will be back to normal again,_ he reassured himself bravely. Luke had been pinballed back and forth between Master Anakin and Master Cory these past five weeks, and he had tried his very best to always be polite and not cause any trouble; he had enjoyed working with them and truly appreciated their kindness, but he would be glad to have Obi-Wan back again.

_Master Qui-Gon is technically my Master now,_ Luke realized, gazing appreciatively at the tall, elderly Jedi Master. _But he hasn't had time to deal with me either,_ he sighed regretfully. Since Master Obi-Wan had taken ill, Luke had felt more like an orphan than ever before. _I'm the proverbial red-headed stepchild of the group,_ he admitted ruefully. _Even though I'm the only padawan without red hair,_ he grinned, amused by the thought.

_How does Zak do it?_ Luke wondered, gazing at the younger boy curiously. _He's proud to be a Stormchaser, and the only Zabrak in the entire Order,_ he confessed. _I really need to get over this dumb orphan complex,_ Luke sighed ruefully, annoyed by his childish insecurity. But the prospect of losing his beloved Master had brought these painful feelings to the surface again lately, and it had been especially hard training with Mara and her father.

_He's been really nice to me though,_ Luke admitted, smiling at Master Anakin now. _He's definitely the craziest Master in the entire Order, but there's something special about him... He FEELS like a dad,_ Luke grinned to himself. He was truly happy for Mara, and tried not to be jealous, but still, it was hard sometimes.

Obi-Wan had stripped down to just his white pants now; Luke watched intently along with the others as he stuck his grey, leathery feet into the river. He pulled them out a few seconds later, and sure enough, they had turned dark green and scaly, covered in tough dragon skin. _Yeah, I seriously doubt a vampire eel could bite through that,_ Luke agreed, sobered to realize that _this_ was what had been lurking inside Obi-Wan these past five weeks.

"Cool!" Zak grinned, kneeling closer to get a better look at Master Obi-Wan's scaly green feet. Obi-Wan had been Zak's youngling teacher since he was three, and the two of them had always shared an easy familiarity. "Come on, do the rest," Zak urged him enthusiastically, delighted by his new, tough, dragon-like exterior.

"All right; let's get this over with," Obi-Wan sighed agreeably, kneeling by the water and splashing his head and chest with plankton, as his entire body quickly became covered in dark green scales, rimmed with gold. "Awesome," Zak said cheerfully, scooping up handfuls of plankton which he now dumped onto Obi-Wan's back, watching the results with fascination as the others looked on in amused disbelief.

"Whoa," Zak exclaimed now, his eyes widening as a tough, scaly black ridge began to appear along Obi-Wan's spine. His hair had turned even more brilliant colors than before, with patches of bright red and black mixed in with the gold streaks, and his eyes were now pure silver, contrasting starkly against the dark green scales that now covered his face.

"Ohh... That feels so much better," Obi-Wan sighed in obvious relief, bending forward to splash some more plankton onto himself; but now he sat up, his silver eyes blinking in surprise as he looked down at his chest. "Oh my," he said quietly, noticing the dark red, gold, and black metallic spots that now adorned his chest.

"A Dathomir Ridgeback," Zak exclaimed, grinning in delight as he admired the spiny black ridge that now ran down Obi-Wan's back. "Wow... That must have been what bit you," he realized, impressed. Luke gaped in wonder; he had seen pictures of Dathomir Ridgebacks, and knew that they were the traditional flying, fire-breathing, man-eating dragons of myths and legends, and typically grew to fifty feet. _Obi-Wan got bitten by one of those?_

But Obi-Wan blinked worriedly now, still looking down at his spotted chest. "No, no," he protested. "I'm sure it couldn't have been - oh dear," he sighed in dismay, looking over his shoulder at his spiny black ridge.

"Well that's very interesting," Master Qui-Gon said now, nodding at Obi-Wan thoughtfully. "Because as I seem to recall, you first had this little problem when you were a padawan - _my_ padawan," he pointed out matter-of-factly, as Obi-Wan's silver eyes blinked unhappily. "And as _my_ padawan, I seem to remember you being expressly forbidden from going anywhere near a Dathomir Ridgeback," he added calmly, as the others suppressed amused grins. _Oh no... Master Obi-Wan's in trouble,_ Luke laughed to himself.

"I'm just wondering," Qui-Gon continued, "since we only visited Dathomir once that I can recall - on an ambassadorial mission, where you were specifically instructed to remain within the palace grounds at all times, and _not_ wander off into the nearby caves," he added pointedly. "I'm curious as to how you could possibly have been bitten by a Dathomir Ridgeback inside our guest suite at the royal palace," he mused. "Because if this is a safety concern, it would be our duty to warn the Dathomir royal family of the potential danger, not only to themselves, but to future guests as well," Qui-Gon reasoned, concerned.

Obi-Wan's silver eyes blinked uncomfortably at the barely-veiled accusation. "Blast," he muttered, frustrated. "Of all the dragons in the entire galaxy, why did it have to be _that_ one," he grumbled. "Only dragon I never liked; nasty-tempered monster nearly bit my head off," he admitted grudgingly, as the others grinned, deeply amused by his plight.

"Well, at least now we know it wasn't Boga," Cory pointed out optimistically.

"Yes, I suppose," Obi-Wan sighed, nodding. "I _had_ been rather worried about that," he confessed; Obi-Wan had rescued Boga as a young hatchling, and she had immediately bitten him out of fear. "Pity, though," he added thoughtfully. "I should have liked to sprout some lovely teal headfeathers," he sighed wistfully.

"It would have been an improvement," Anakin agreed.

Mara had been quiet all this time, and she was still staring at Obi-Wan in disbelief. "Wow," she said softly, under her breath. "He looks even weirder than Zak."

"Hey!" Zak retorted indignantly, overhearing her. "He does not!" Then, realizing what he had just said, he blinked in confused dismay, as Luke laughed quietly to himself. _Yeah, I have to go with Mara on that one..._

But now another thought occurred to him, and he cringed empathetically, looking at Obi-Wan's thick green scales, spiny black ridge, and metallic-spotted chest. _I don't even want to imagine how much all of that must have hurt on the inside,_ he shuddered quietly. _I'm sorry, Master._

"Well," Master Qui-Gon said now, getting up from his rock. "If the show is over, I'll make us some breakfast," he offered cheerfully, as Obi-Wan got to his feet as well. "How are you feeling?" he asked gently, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Much better," Master Obi-Wan nodded appreciatively, as Luke continued to stare at his scaly, reptilian Master in awestruck disbelief. "And very hungry," Obi-Wan confessed, his silver eyes blinking shyly.

"Good." Qui-Gon smiled affectionately, patting him on the shoulder. "Stay here by the river," he instructed him. "And keep splashing yourself with plankton; we don't want this going back inside you," he warned him, as Obi-Wan nodded in agreement. "Master Yoda should be here in a couple of hours," he reassured him, heading toward the ridge; then he turned back, his expression suspicious. "And when I tell you to stay somewhere and not wander off, it's for your own good, you know," he added, raising an eyebrow in reproach.

"Yes, Master," Obi-Wan replied meekly, hanging his head. "I won't wander off," he promised obediently.

"See that you don't," Qui-Gon agreed; then, seeing Cory and Anakin's amused grins, he gave them a stern look. "And the rest of you had better get started counting these plankton," he reminded them, as Cory and Anakin grudgingly got to their feet, resuming their work for the day. Luke smiled happily as he went to retrieve his plankton-counting cup, grateful that things were finally getting back to normal; but now he stopped, hearing Master Qui-Gon's voice behind him. "Now, where's my padawan?" Qui-Gon asked cheerfully. "Luke," he smiled, his blue eyes twinkling fondly as Luke turned around in surprise. "Come, let's make some breakfast."

Luke grinned shyly, nodding as he followed Master Qui-Gon back toward the ridge; it had been so long since _anyone_ had referred to him as their padawan, it made him feel suddenly special. But now Master Qui-Gon put a hand on his shoulder, smiling regretfully. "I'm sorry I won't be able to continue with your training," he apologized, as Luke grinned appreciatively, nodding. "But it's for the best, eh?" Qui-Gon said cheerfully.

"Yes, Master," Luke agreed. "Thank you, Master," he added shyly, truly grateful that the elderly Jedi had offered to take him under his wing for his final two years of training, rather than sending him away to a strange new Master. "So... will Master Obi-Wan really be all right?" Luke asked hopefully, glancing back at where Obi-Wan and the others were already busy counting plankton by the river.

Qui-Gon smiled wistfully. "Yes," he said gently, as they climbed up the cliff together. "I dare say it's all come to the surface now; Obi-Wan will be fine," he assured Luke, a tone of relieved gratitude in his voice.

Luke nodded gratefully. "I'm glad," he confessed softly, as they arrived at the top of the ridge, continuing on to their campfire area. He and Master Qui-Gon set about cooking the rest of the bacon and eggs that Luke had brought back from the village earlier with Mara and Zak. He blinked in amazement now as Master Qui-Gon expertly flipped the eggs in the frying pan, exposing their perfectly tender, golden-brown surfaces. "Wow," he remarked, truly impressed. "You're really good," he confessed, admiring his technique. "They caught on fire when Master Anakin and Cory tried that," Luke laughed ruefully. "How do you do that?"

"Hmm," Qui-Gon laughed gently. "Well, I wish I could claim that it was sheer talent, but I'm afraid it's just age," he confessed, with an amused smile. "I'm seventy-three; that's older than Anakin and Cory put together," he pointed out. "I was ruining eggs long before either of them were born," he assured Luke, a good-natured twinkle in his eyes.

Luke grinned, watching appreciatively as Master Qui-Gon finished cooking the rest of the eggs and bacon; and then they climbed back down the ridge, bringing breakfast for the others. "You know," Qui-Gon remarked thoughtfully, gazing at Obi-Wan as they all sat on the rocky shore, enjoying their breakfast. "That's not a bad look, actually," he decided, as the others nodded in agreement.

"Yes," Obi-Wan conceded. "I'm quite lovely, aren't I?" he agreed, admiring his gold-rimmed scales, and the spots of lustrous red, gold, and black that now adorned his chest. "And it's very practical," he added, poking tentatively at his tough dragon skin. "I'm not sure I want to change back now," he admitted, his silver eyes blinking thoughtfully.

Anakin grinned mischievously. "I can think of a reason," he said, as Cory laughed quietly. "Begins with an L; about this tall," he reminded Obi-Wan, gesturing to his shoulder. "Blue eyes, sandy blonde hair..." Luke grinned shyly, looking down. _Aw, he's talking about me..._

"Yes," Qui-Gon agreed, giving Anakin a look of reproach as if he'd lost his mind; Anakin and Cory tended to get that look a lot. "_Luke_ deserves to be trained by someone who isn't a lizard," he conceded. "But in any case, there's no guarantee that it will stay on the outside, without the presence of the plankton," he reminded Obi-Wan. "It's best that we get rid of this once and for all."

"Yes, I suppose," Obi-Wan nodded in rueful agreement. "Pity," he sighed wistfully. "I wish Boga could have seen me like this." Luke grinned, sharing an amused look with Master Anakin, Cory, and the others. _Yeah,_ he agreed, smiling happily as he finished the last of his bacon and eggs. _My Master is completely obsessed with dragons._

They resumed their plankton-counting task, and Luke was grateful to see Master Obi-Wan back at work, ordering everyone around and micro-managing the entire operation as usual; he smiled happily, glad that things were as they should be once again. _Aside from Master Obi-Wan being a lizard..._ But presently they looked up to see Master Yoda's little space pod arriving, and he climbed up to the ridge along with the others to greet him, while Master Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon waited down by the shore.

_Ugh... dragon dung,_ Luke sighed ruefully, carrying the bucket back down to the river and sparing Mara the task as she carried the little vial of dragon tears, while Zak brought the Eopie spittle. Master Anakin and Cory were carrying the ysalamiri; they both nearly fell a couple of times, unaccustomed to the loss of Force powers as they carefully climbed down the side of the cliff.

Master Yoda greeted Obi-Wan happily, relieved to see him feeling well again, and fascinated by his advanced reptilian state. "Brought enough for two treatments, I did," he told Obi-Wan now. "Try again tonight we will, if the symptoms return."

"Thank you, Master Yoda," Obi-Wan nodded in appreciation; then his silver eyes blinked indignantly. "You are _not_ watching this," he informed the rest of them, gathering his clothes and picking up his buckets of dragon dung and Eopie spittle as Mara handed him the little vial of dragon tears. Anakin and Cory gingerly placed the ysalamiri onto his shoulders now, where they clung securely to his scaly greenish-black skin; and then Obi-Wan trudged off toward the nearby hidden cove, where the red, glowing river was joined by a clear waterfall.

_I hope this works,_ Luke prayed quietly, sharing a nervous smile with the others as they resumed their plankton-counting. "How long does it take?" Zak asked Master Yoda, curious.

"Not long," Yoda assured them, nodding confidently. "Allowed to dry, the mixture must be," he reminded them good-naturedly. "Sunny and warm it is today; not long, will the treatment take," he predicted.

Sure enough, half an hour later they looked up to see Obi-Wan returning from the cove, fully dressed in his tunic, boots, and brown cloak, his ginger hair shimmering in the Kilaui sun. Luke grinned happily, dropping his cup of plankton and following the others as they rushed to greet him. _He looks normal,_ he thought gratefully, relieved to see his Master looking like himself again.

Master Qui-Gon, Anakin, and Cory were all embracing him now, smiling happily and playfully looking beneath his sleeves and under his collar to check for hidden lizard spots; but finally they were satisfied that he was fully human once again. Obi-Wan turned to Luke now, his blue-green eyes twinkling fondly as he put a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry I haven't been around for you lately, Luke," Obi-Wan apologized, as Luke shook his head in protest, smiling in shy appreciation; then tousling his hair playfully, Obi-Wan hugged him close, patting him reassuringly on the back.

_Don't cry... Don't cry..._ But tears sprang to Luke's eyes, and he clung to his Master for a moment, weeping in quiet gratitude. "I'm glad you're feeling better, Master," Luke choked, finally letting go of him and smiling apologetically; Obi-Wan smiled tenderly, nodding as they headed back toward the riverbank.

"I'm glad too," Obi-Wan agreed. "And it's just in time," he added, giving the others a mysterious look. "We had better finish with our plankton-counting this afternoon," he advised them. "As it turns out, we've all been invited to a wedding tomorrow," he informed them, his eyes twinkling mischievously.

"A wedding?" Anakin asked in surprise, as they walked back toward the large rock where Master Yoda was still sitting, intently counting a cupful of plankton. _Haha! He's addicted,_ Luke grinned, amused.

"Yes," Obi-Wan nodded. "Do you remember Kyra?" he asked them hopefully. "Jon's little sister," he reminded them, as the others nodded vaguely, trying to place her.

Luke nodded, smiling in surprise. _She's getting married?_ He had met Jon and Kyra a couple of times; Obi-Wan had 'adopted' them as part of a mentoring program years ago when they were young children, and he still visited them now and then, along with their mother... _What was her name...? Leila,_ Luke remembered now.

"Oh!" Zak exclaimed, nodding vigorously. "I know her; she's Maia's neighbor," he said, delighted by the news. Zak and Master Cory had similarly adopted another disadvantaged child who happened to live in the same apartment building; a young half-Zabrak girl named Maia. "Kyra's getting married?"

"Yes," Obi-Wan confirmed, nodding importantly. "To Prince Dorian Solo of Corellia," he told them, as Luke, Mara, and Zak exchanged worried glances. _Oh no... Solos are completely insane..._ But the padawans quickly masked their concern, nodding seriously.

"Really?" Cory blinked, clearly baffled by this revelation. _"Tomorrow?"_

"Yes," Obi-Wan replied. "Apparently there was a mix-up with the date," he explained. "Originally it wasn't scheduled for another two months, but - " he blinked momentarily. "I received a letter from Kyra yesterday, explaining the entire situation in full detail," he told them, frowning. "And I'm still not certain if I understand it correctly," he confessed, as Cory stifled an amused laugh. "But yes, they're getting married tomorrow, at the royal palace on Corellia, and we have all been invited," Master Obi-Wan informed them. "And _I_ have been asked to give the bride away," he added importantly, beaming with pride.

They had reached Master Yoda now, who was still peering intently into his cup of plankton, lost in concentration. "Twenty-four... twenty-five... twenty-six... Ah! Obi-Wan!" He smiled, pleased to see him looking like himself again. "Worked, the treatment did," he observed, nodding in satisfaction. "Though try again tonight you must, if the symptoms return," he advised him, as Qui-Gon helped him down from his rock. "Twenty-six orange ones, I counted," Yoda added, handing his cup to Qui-Gon now, who nodded solemnly, taking it from the tiny Jedi Master.

"Return to Coruscant now, I must," Yoda apologized, heading back toward the ridge, as the others followed to see him off. "Good to see you well again, it is, Obi-Wan," he added sincerely, as Obi-Wan smiled in heartfelt appreciation.

"Thank you, Master Yoda." Obi-Wan bowed respectfully as they said their goodbyes; and then Yoda took off in his little pod, returning to the Jedi Temple on Coruscant. Master Obi-Wan turned back toward the edge of the cliff, looking down at the red, glowing river below, his expression concerned. "Master," he said quietly, as Qui-Gon joined him. "I'm sorry," Obi-Wan apologized, his remorse obvious. "I just don't think it's possible..."

"I agree," Qui-Gon nodded regretfully, gazing down at the river. "There's no way we could possibly finish counting them all this afternoon," he conceded, with a heavy sigh.

"I'm sorry, Master," Obi-Wan apologized again sincerely, hanging his head. Luke shared a worried cringe with the others now; they knew that their plankton-counting efforts were of the utmost importance, and prayed that this year's lapse would not create serious repercussions. "I fear this is my fault," Obi-Wan confessed sadly.

"Don't blame yourself, Obi-Wan," Qui-Gon told him gently, putting a hand on his shoulder. "We shall resume our efforts next year," he resolved, as Obi-Wan nodded in solemn agreement.

"Yes," Obi-Wan agreed, stroking his beard in dismay as he turned back toward their camping area. "Well, I suppose there is only one thing left to do," he said, managing a reassuring smile at the others.

"Yes," Qui-Gon nodded, his blue eyes twinkling good-naturedly as Luke, Zak, and Mara exchanged hopeful glances. _Please please please..._ "It's time to cook marshmallows," Master Qui-Gon agreed, as the others broke out in ecstatic grins, heading gleefully toward the campfire.

* * *

><p>"A little closer... closer... closer... NOOOoooo," Cory exclaimed in dismay, as his padawan's marshmallow went up in flames.<p>

"Ahh," Zak sighed, quickly Force-pulling his charred marshmallow back toward himself and gingerly catching it in his fingers, trying to find a portion that was edible. "That was a little _too_ close," he confessed ruefully. "It's not bad, though," he nodded amiably, chewing thoughtfully. "Okay, Luke, your turn."

"All right..." Luke concentrated intently, using the Force to float his marshmallow toward the campfire.

"A bit lower," Obi-Wan instructed him gently. "Keep it close to the blue part of the flame; that's perfect," he nodded. "Now turn it slowly, but keep it away from the ashes... No, that's too close," he warned Luke worriedly. "Oh dear," he cringed, as Luke's marshmallow brushed against the ashes and became covered in soot.

Qui-Gon smiled, his heart filled with a joyful warmth to see Obi-Wan feeling well again. _That WAS too close,_ he agreed, echoing his son's sentiment, though he wasn't thinking about marshmallows. _But he's all right now,_ Qui-Gon thought tenderly, gazing at Obi-Wan in relieved gratitude.

"Aw," Luke sighed ruefully, pulling his marshmallow out of the ashes and floating it back toward himself. He took a tentative bite, but cringed distastefully, shaking his head. "Nah, that's awful... Definitely keep it out of the ashes," he warned Mara, who nodded seriously, floating her marshmallow next.

"The blue part... seriously?" Anakin asked doubtfully, giving Obi-Wan a curious look now. Obi-Wan nodded confidently, and Anakin shrugged in agreement. "All right, try to keep it low," he instructed Mara. "But not _in_ the ashes," he said, sharing a rueful laugh with Luke. "You're doing good..."

"Ahhhh!" Mara exclaimed, as her marshmallow suddenly caught fire. "Damn it," she cursed angrily, pulling it back toward herself and quickly blowing it out.

"Mara... language," Anakin whispered quietly, with a worried cringe at the others.

"Oh! Sorry," Mara cringed apologetically; for a split second her gaze met Luke's, and Qui-Gon caught the look of fond amusement in his grandson's blue eyes before they dutifully ignored each other once again.

_Ah... young love,_ Qui-Gon smiled to himself. He had guessed the truth about Luke and Mara nearly from the beginning; but if Anakin or Obi-Wan were to learn of their padawans' feelings for each other, it would be their duty to keep them separated, and so Qui-Gon had conveniently kept that knowledge to himself these past three years.

"Hey," Zak said, pulling another marshmallow out of the bag. "Let's all try it at the same time," he suggested, as the others nodded in cheerful agreement. Qui-Gon smiled good-naturedly, floating his own marshmallow gently toward the blue part of the flame and turning it thoughtfully as it slowly toasted to a warm golden-brown. _Ahh, Ana,_ he sighed, smiling wistfully as he gazed into the flames. _If only you could see what you started._

* * *

><p>Leila sobbed quietly into her pillow, her eyes swollen and aching from the tears that had not stopped since yesterday morning. <em>Shh,<em> she reminded herself desperately, gulping back a choking sob. _Don't wake Kyra..._The sun would be up in two more hours, and soon Padmé and Captain Typho would be here to escort them to Corellia for the wedding.

_Ohh... I'm going to be such a mess,_ Leila confessed tearfully, knowing that nothing could be done to hide her swollen eyes, or the dark circles that had taken up permanent residence on her face these past five weeks. But tomorrow was her daughter's wedding day, and Leila bravely choked back her tears now, willing herself to remain strong for Kyra.

_I swear, I hate those stupid Solos,_ Leila wept bitterly; the Royal Activities Coordinator had completely screwed everything up, and somehow Kyra and Dorian's wedding date had been moved forward two whole months, at the worst moment imaginable. The invitations had already been sent out, and every Solo on Corellia would be attending; Dorian and Marco had desperately tried to convince the King to postpone the wedding, but he would hear nothing of it. And so in a few more hours Leila and Kyra would be boarding Padmé's ship along with Jon, Karina, Elena, Maia, and Alex, and they would all have to do their best to get through the ceremony, quietly burying their grief.

_I won't dishonor his memory,_ Leila vowed stubbornly. _I will take our secret to the grave, as he has,_ she resolved. _No one will ever know that he left behind a wife, and a son, and two beautiful grand-Zabraks..._ But losing her husband was horrible enough, without having to pretend that she wasn't grieving - on her daughter's wedding day, at the royal palace of the most insane family in the entire galaxy. _This is a nightmare,_ Leila sobbed again, her heart aching in despair.

_Obi-Wan,_ Leila wept, grief-stricken, lying in bed and hugging his tear-soaked pillow close to her heart. _I love you, sweetheart..._ But now there was a sound at her window, and Leila's throat suddenly seared with pain as the tears came all over again. _It's Cory,_ she knew; she had been waiting apprehensively for his return, and had been simultaneously hoping and dreading that he might come before they left for Corellia. _It's over,_ she realized, her heart breaking into a million pieces. _He's gone..._

Somehow Leila managed to get out of bed, her feet padding over to the window to greet her son. But the brown-cloaked figure that was climbing into her bedroom now was not Cory; Leila gasped in shock to see Obi-Wan standing before her, fully dressed in his Jedi clothes and looking stronger than he had in weeks. _Obi-Wan..._

"Leila," Obi-Wan whispered tenderly, his expression apologetic; and then she was hugging him tight, laying her head against his shoulder and weeping in relief to feel his comforting arms around her once again. "Shh," he whispered softly, gently stroking her hair and giving her a tender kiss on the temple, holding her close. "I'm sorry, sweetheart; it's all right..."

"Obi-Wan," Leila choked, blinking back her tears. "What are you doing here?" she asked, unable to suppress a tearful smile. _You weren't supposed to come back..._ "You're feeling better?" she asked, hardly daring to believe it as she caressed his cheek tenderly, peering into his green-blue eyes with loving concern. _You look well, sweetheart..._

"Yes." Obi-Wan smiled reassuringly, a glimmer of amusement and apology in his eyes. "I'm fine; I'm all better," he promised, kissing her tenderly. "I'm so sorry," he whispered, tears filling his eyes as he saw her grief-ravaged appearance. "Shh... Come here," he said gently, leading her over to the bed where they sat together, holding each other close.

"I'm sorry, Leila," Obi-Wan apologized again softly, touching his fingers gently to her forehead now; Leila closed her eyes in grateful relief as a comforting, cooling sensation soothed her swollen eyes and aching forehead. "Shh," Obi-Wan whispered, kissing her tenderly on the temple and stroking her hair lovingly as she lay her head against his shoulder in utter exhaustion, wrapping her arms around his waist in gratitude.

But now she lifted her head, looking at him in tender concern. "Are you all right, sweetheart?" she asked again worriedly; he still felt too thin in her arms, but he looked so much better than the last time she had seen him.

"Yes; perfectly fine," Obi-Wan assured her, smiling shyly. "The TPM finally came out to the surface; Master Yoda brought his dragon dung to Kilaui," he laughed, cringing in embarrassment. "But it's gone now; it won't be coming back," he promised, with a tender smile.

Leila smiled happily, tears of ecstatic relief filling her eyes as she hugged him close, clinging to him gratefully. _He's better... He's really better... He's going to be all right..._ But now she giggled suddenly despite herself, realizing what he had said. "It came out to the surface?" she asked, fascinated and curious. "So - did your hair change colors again?"

Obi-Wan nodded. "Yes," he admitted. "At least three different colors," he confessed ruefully. "I was covered in green dragon scales, with red and gold spots... I was quite beautiful, actually," he laughed, embarrassed.

"Hee!" Leila giggled, stroking his ginger hair playfully. "I wish I could have seen it," she laughed softly, smiling in tearful relief as she looked into his beautiful, silvery green-blue eyes; then she blinked in surprise. _Silvery green-blue...?_ "Obi-Wan," she said worriedly, peering into his eyes with concern.

Obi-Wan nodded apologetically, with an embarrassed smile. "Yes, I know," he confessed shyly, looking down. "The others noticed it too; we did the cure twice, but Master Yoda says this is probably permanent," he told her gently.

Leila nodded in understanding, gazing in awe at his magical, beautiful eyes which were now more green than blue, and touched with a hint of silver. This had happened the last time as well; Obi-Wan's brown hair had turned permanently ginger, and his eyes had taken on a greenish hue the first time he had been cured years ago. Obi-Wan had explained before that it wasn't dangerous; simply a residual effect of the dragon tears treatment.

"Oh," Leila smiled, gazing into her husband's eyes adoringly. "They're beautiful," she confessed, as Obi-Wan smiled in shy appreciation. But now she noticed something else; his ginger hair was just a shade lighter now, touched with gold. Leila smiled in wonder, running her fingers through it softly. "I like it," she told him, kissing him on the lips and playfully stroking his gingery-golden beard. "It doesn't show the grey so much," she decided approvingly, as Obi-Wan smiled, looking down.

But now she sighed blissfully, wrapping her arms around him and laying her head lovingly against his shoulder. "Ah, Obi-Wan," Leila sighed, tears springing to her eyes as the profound relief finally hit her. _He's really all right..._ "I've been so worried," she confessed, crying quietly against his shoulder as he held her close, stroking her hair. "It's been awful," she choked, the stress of the past month coming back all at once. "I'm sorry," she sobbed miserably.

"No, no," Obi-Wan whispered, kissing her tenderly. "Shh; none of this was your fault, Leila," he reassured her. "You've been so strong." He smiled, stroking her hair. "I'm so proud of you, sweetheart," he whispered gently, gazing at her in adoration.

Leila nodded gratefully. "Ohh," she sighed, closing her eyes in exhaustion and hanging her head, grateful to feel Obi-Wan's fingers massaging her tense neck. Then she remembered. "Obi-Wan," she blinked, sitting up again. "Obi-Wan... Kyra's getting married tomorrow - _today!_" She smiled tearfully, overwhelmed by the realization.

Obi-Wan beamed, his eyes twinkling in delight. "Yes, so I've heard," he agreed. "I read the full report, in Kyra's letter," he said, as Leila giggled in amusement. "Oh, Leila," Obi-Wan apologized, kissing her and holding her close. "I'm sorry things have been so stressful."

Leila nodded, wrapping her arms around him and laying her head on his shoulder. "I'm so glad you're here," she whispered in grateful relief. "I can't handle those crazy Solos by myself."

Obi-Wan smiled tenderly, nodding. "Come here," he said gently, leaning back against the pillows and pulling her close to him, as Leila snuggled gratefully in his arms, closing her eyes. "Get some sleep," he whispered, kissing her on the forehead. "And then we will go to Corellia, and we will have a wonderful time," Obi-Wan resolved with stubborn optimism, as Leila smiled sleepily, resting her head against his chest.

"And we will deal with those crazy Solos," Obi-Wan promised softly, kissing her once again and stroking her hair lovingly as she drifted off to sleep in his arms.


	122. Those crazy Solos

**Chapter 122**

Kyra smiled tearfully, her heart fluttering with nervous excitement as the wedding processional music started. _I can't believe this is happening,_ she blinked incredulously, peering inside the ornate chapel of Corellia's royal palace, where hundreds of guests had gathered for the wedding today. _I'm really getting married... to a prince... To Dorian,_ Kyra smiled tenderly, tears springing to her eyes again. _Ohh, I'm going to cry..._

Maia was already starting down the aisle, carrying her little basket of flowers, a delicate tiara of flowers and ribbons interlaced between her dainty white horns. _Aww, she's so adorable..._ But now Kyra felt a gentle squeeze on her hand, and looked up to see Obi-Wan smiling at her encouragingly, nodding toward the chapel. _It's time..._ Kyra nodded bravely, smiling gratefully as her father led her down the aisle.

_Everything is so perfect,_ Kyra smiled ecstatically, unable to hold back the happy tears that filled her eyes. Everyone was here; she could see her mother smiling tearfully at her now, along with Jon, Karina, Alex, and Elena. Padmé and Typho were here too, along with Mika and Shoko; even Leia had come, along with her royal guard and several of her handmaidens. Best of all, the Jedi were here; Kyra smiled at Cory now, where he stood along with Qui-Gon, Anakin, Luke, Mara, and Zak. _This is just how I've always dreamed it would be..._

The past few days had been an absolute nightmare; but this morning Kyra had awakened to the sound of cheery voices in the kitchen, and had stumbled out to find her mother making pancakes and chatting with Obi-Wan - who, inexplicably, seemed to be perfectly fine, aside from being very hungry. _He's really all right,_ Kyra cried again, tears of happiness springing to her eyes now as she looked up at him in relief and gratitude.

Obi-Wan smiled cheerfully, his eyes twinkling proudly as they reached the front of the chapel; and then Kyra's heart fluttered lovingly as she smiled at Dorian. _Oh, he looks so handsome..._ Dorian was dressed in true princely fashion today, in an ornately-embroidered tunic and shimmering satin cape, clasped with a jeweled brooch. _I can't believe I'm actually marrying a real prince,_ Kyra giggled again, seeing the mischievous twinkle in Dorian's blue eyes as well.

The processional music came to an end, and Kyra turned to the King now, managing a somewhat awkward curtsey as Obi-Wan bowed respectfully beside her. Dorian's grandfather, King Ludec VI, would be performing the marriage ceremony, in the tradition of Corellian royalty. Kyra was grateful for Obi-Wan's steadying presence now as she faced the King, her heart fluttering with nerves. _Ahh... Don't faint..._

But thankfully Dorian's grandfather was the kindly sort, and he smiled warmly at Kyra now, his eyes twinkling delightedly as he greeted her. "Welcome," King Ludec said graciously, his rich voice resounding through the chapel as he nodded respectfully to the wedding party. Kyra smiled nervously as Obi-Wan bowed again, and the King continued to nod and smile at the group, beaming contentedly. Then, with a satisfied sigh, he stepped back, adopting a regal pose and waiting for the ceremony to continue.

There was a moment of awkward silence as Kyra shared a worried glance with Dorian; he had warned her that his grandfather could be a bit quirky, and had told her not to be alarmed if the ceremony didn't go entirely as planned. Dorian smiled subtly, stepping forward now and whispering into the King's ear. "Grandfather... the wedding?" he reminded him helpfully.

"Ah, yes," King Ludec beamed delightedly. "The wedding!" he nodded happily; then his brows furrowed. "What wedding?" he asked, curious. Dorian grinned cheerfully, nodding toward Kyra, as the King turned to face her, blinking in obvious surprise. "Ahh!" King Ludec exclaimed, nodding in delight. "Of course! Oh, what a beautiful dress," he added graciously, admiring Kyra's wedding gown.

"Thank you, Your Majesty." Kyra smiled shyly, sharing a nervous grin with Dorian.

"And who's the lucky groom?" the King asked now, looking around the group that stood before him.

Dorian laughed quietly, raising his hand. "Uh... that's me," he reminded his grandfather good-naturedly.

Kind Ludec beamed delightedly. "Dorian, my boy!" he exclaimed proudly, embracing him in a fierce bear hug. "Congratulations! Oh, this is wonderful news," he nodded. "And it's about time," he added, tousling Dorian's sandy-brown hair affectionately. "Haven't I been saying you needed to find yourself a lovely young princess to marry?" he teased his grandson good-naturedly, as Dorian grinned cheerfully, nodding in agreement.

"Well then," the King continued proudly, turning to face the congregation. "Without further ado... We are gathered here today to join in holy matrimony Prince Dorian Solo of Corellia, and Princess - " King Ludec blinked momentarily, turning to Kyra and giving her a hopeful look.

"Kyra," she told him, with a shy smile.

"Princess Kyra, of...?" Again, the King gave her a questioning look.

"Coruscant," Kyra replied, blinking uncertainly. _I'm not actually a princess..._

"Oho!" the King exclaimed, obviously impressed. "Princess Kyra of Coruscant," King Ludec proclaimed proudly, in a rich, booming voice. _Uhh...?_ Kyra cringed worriedly at Dorian; but he was still grinning amiably, an amused twinkle in his blue eyes, and Kyra giggled softly. _I guess they don't really check..._

"And who gives the bride away?" King Ludec asked cheerfully, turning to Obi-Wan.

"I do," Obi-Wan nodded politely, giving Kyra a tender smile.

"And you are King...?" the King inquired, curious.

"Obi-Wan Kenobi, of the Jedi Order," he replied.

"King Obi-Wan Kenobi, of the - " Ludec broke off, blinking in surprise. "Oh! Well of course you are," he exclaimed. "Oh dear; I'd heard you'd been ill... Eaten by a dragon; or was it the other way around?" he mused, his brows furrowing in concern. "Did you get the flowers we sent?" he asked hopefully.

"Yes... Yes, I did, thank you." Obi-Wan smiled politely, nodding again.

"Excellent." Ludec beamed, nodding delightedly. Then he looked at Obi-Wan curiously. "Were they lilies?"

Kyra stifled a giggle; but Obi-Wan nodded politely, masking his embarrassment. "Yes, they were... They were lovely, Your Highness," he assured the King. "Thank you."

"Ah," King Ludec nodded in agreement. "Yes; I know roses are traditional, but I've always been partial to lilies myself," he confessed, obviously pleased with his choice. Then, seeing the expectant glances from the rest of the wedding party, he nodded, collecting himself. "Right; the wedding," he agreed, getting back to business.

"King Obi-Wan Kenobi... _King?_" He blinked, puzzled; then he shook his head. "No matter... King Obi-Wan Kenobi of the Jedi - you know, that's the same forward and backward, isn't it?" the King asked, frowning thoughtfully. "Obi-Wan Kenobi... Nobi-Ken Wa - no," he muttered, his brows furrowing. "Ibo-Nek Nawibo? No, that doesn't quite work, does it?" he sighed, shaking his head.

Kyra stifled a giggle, squeezing Obi-Wan's hand now as she heard muffled snorts coming from the Jedi section of the congregation. _Oh, poor Obi-Wan... I'm so sorry..._ "King Obi-Wan Kenobi of the Jedi Order," Ludec boomed regally, with a dramatic sweep of his hand. Then he turned to Dorian. "Do you, Dorian, take Kara... Kora...?"

"Kyra," she whispered, still giggling.

"Kyra," the King nodded appreciatively, beaming in approval. "To be your lawfully wedded wife; to have and to hold, for richer and poorer, in sickness and in health, through good times and bad?" he asked hopefully.

"I do," Dorian said, gazing lovingly at Kyra.

"Do you promise to eat your vegetables?" the King asked suspiciously.

Dorian laughed, his eyes twinkling cheerfully. "I do," he promised.

"And not hog the remote control?" King Ludec challenged him, raising an eyebrow.

"I do," Dorian nodded, grinning ruefully.

"And to put the toilet seat down when you're done with it?"

"Yes," Dorian laughed, embarrassed.

"Good boy," his grandfather nodded, satisfied. "Now, Kyra." He smiled warmly, turning to her. "Do you promise to forgive Dorian, when he forgets to do all of those things?"

Kyra nodded, giggling. "I do," she promised.

"Very good," the King nodded happily. "Then by the power vested in me, by... _me,_" King Ludec said, beaming proudly. "I now pronounce you husband and wife," he proclaimed. "You may kiss the bride," he told Dorian now. "And _you_ may kiss the groom," he added helpfully to Kyra, his eyes twinkling in affection.

Kyra smiled, gazing tenderly into her husband's eyes as they kissed for a moment. _I can't believe we're really married now..._ "All right, that's enough," King Ludec nodded approvingly, as Kyra and Dorian giggled in embarrassment.

"Now, take each other's hands," Dorian's grandfather instructed them; Kyra took Dorian's hand obediently, wondering what strange Corellian royal custom this might be. "And never let go." The King smiled warmly, placing his hands reassuringly on their shoulders.

Kyra nodded in tearful agreement, holding Dorian's hand lovingly as the recessional music began. _I won't let go, ever,_ Kyra sighed tenderly, smiling at her family and the other wedding guests as she and her new husband exited the chapel together.

* * *

><p><em>He's really all right,<em> Leia realized, tears of relief filling her eyes as she gazed at Obi-Wan. He was sitting next to Luke at the long banquet table, several seats down from Leia; but sensing her gaze, he smiled at her now, his eyes twinkling with affection. Leia smiled gratefully in return for a moment; then she dutifully adopted a regal, somber expression, picking at her salad once again.

_Ugh... This dress is so uncomfortable,_ she sighed, wriggling and squirming beneath her bone-ribbed corset, trying to find a more comfortable position. _And now I wish I'd worn the big jester's hat..._ As Queen of Naboo, it was Leia's duty to wear one of the two official royal headdresses while representing her country on foreign planets, and today she had unfortunately chosen the giant hoop. It had taken two hours to wrap all of her hair around the enormous frame, plastering it into place with an entire bottle of hair gel; but unlike the jester's hat, there was no way to take it off, even for just a moment.

_Oh, my neck hurts,_ Leia winced painfully, fatigued from the weight of her headdress. _How did Mom ever deal with this thing?_ she wondered again. Being Queen of Naboo had seemed like a fun idea when Leia was ten, with the fancy clothes, face paint, and bizarre royal accent; but she was sixteen now, and the novelty had worn off.

_I'm so glad I'm not allowed to run for a third term,_ Leia confessed. She would have gladly stepped down at fourteen, except that once again, all of the other candidates were in favor of lowering taxes for the wealthy residents of Theed, and cutting off aid to the people of Southern Naboo, including the Jakili survivors. And so Leia had run for a second term, defending the needs of Naboo's less wealthy citizens. She had won the vote thanks to her Gungan and Southern Naboo supporters; but in truth, Queen Leia Amidala was by no means popular amongst the upper-class nobility of Theed, and her second term had been nothing but a giant headache.

_Only two more years,_ Leia reminded herself bravely. _And then I'm done..._ Her mother would be retiring from the Senate at the same time in accordance with Naboo's twenty-five year limit for all public officials, and so this would be Padmé's final term as well. _And then we can both focus on our efforts on HOPE,_ Leia consoled herself. HOPE was her true passion, and Mika had been doing a tremendous job managing it on her own these past six years; but Leia would be glad to return to her charity work once again.

Sensing her discomfort, her father gave her a reassuring smile now; Leia smiled appreciatively, truly grateful to be enjoying a nice dinner with her family, even if she was dreadfully uncomfortable. _And even if some of us don't know it..._ Leia glanced thoughtfully at Luke now, watching as he quietly ate his salad, completely oblivious to the fact that he was surrounded by his own family.

_But that will change soon too,_ Leia reminded herself optimistically. Luke was incredibly talented; at sixteen he was already well prepared to face the trials, and Obi-Wan expected he would easily become a Master by twenty-five. _I can't wait,_ Leia thought wistfully, gazing at her brother in quiet adoration.

But now she sensed an angry presence, and looked up to see Mara Jade glaring at her, her emerald eyes burning with a fierce hatred. _Sorry..._ Leia quickly averted her gaze, avoiding her father's padawan. _How does he not see it?_ Leia wondered again; her father was completely enamored by Mara, and claimed that she was just a 'little sweety-pie'; but every time Leia had met the girl, she had been on the receiving end of Mara's angry glare.

Leia was grateful now as Dorian's cousin Anaeryn addressed her, saving her from this awkward moment. "That's a beautiful dress, Milady," he said, admiring her royal gown. Prince Anaeryn Solo was Dorian's best man, and his favorite cousin; he and Dorian were by far the least crazy of their entire family, and Leia was thankful to have been seated with the wedding party and Jedi guests, rather than amidst the more unruly and certifiably insane Solos who filled the other tables within the great hall.

"Thank you, Anaeryn," Leia said appreciatively. Anaeryn was younger than Dorian, perhaps twenty-one; he was handsome in the traditional Solo way, with his dark hair and eyes and tall, slender build.

"You're welcome," Anaeryn replied, taking another bite of his salad. "Blue is my favorite color," he confessed, with a shy smile. "Probably because the sky is blue... and it's - you know... _sky,_" he pointed out thoughtfully. "Water is blue too," he added, giving Leia an innocently hopeful look.

"Yes," Leia nodded, smiling indulgently. "Yes, it is; it's very pretty," she agreed, heartbroken to realize that even Anaeryn was succumbing to his family's malady.

Anaeryn grinned cheerfully, nodding. "Green is my second favorite color; and then red," he told her; then he gave Dorian a quizzical look. "Are we finger-painting today?" he asked uncertainly.

Dorian nodded. "Yes; after dinner," he promised his cousin.

"We are?" Anakin blinked in surprise now, sharing an ecstatic grin with Cory.

"Yes," Qui-Gon nodded sagely. "I was speaking with the Royal Activities Coordinator earlier; finger-painting is on the agenda," he confirmed. "Right after hide-and-seek and duck-duck-goose," he informed the others.

"Oh, I love duck-duck-goose!" Anaeryn grinned happily. "I'm pretty good at it, too," he added shyly, with another appreciative glance at Leia. "But I'm hopeless at hide-and-seek," he confessed amiably.

Dorian was smiling in agreement, and Leia gave Kyra a worried glance now; but Kyra was beaming happily, her blue eyes sparkling with joy as she enjoyed every blissful moment of her wedding day. _You're braver than I am, Kyra,_ Leia confessed, sobered by the Corellian royal family's tragic affliction. _These Solos are crazy,_ Leia sighed regretfully, bracing herself for an afternoon of kiddie games. _Every last one of them._

* * *

><p><em>Meanwhile...<em>

"Yeeaaahhhhooooo!" Han cheered, as he and Chewie emerged from hyperspace, just outside Kessel. "Eleven point nine-eight-six... That's less than twelve parsecs," he announced triumphantly, checking the _Falcon's_ navicomputer. "A new record... Chewie, this is going to save our butts," Han said with a relieved grin, flopping back into his pilot's seat as the Wookiee roared in agreement.

Three hours later they landed on Cloud City, and Han climbed down the ramp, still grinning ecstatically. "Han! How you doing, you old pirate?" Lando greeted him enthusiastically, as always. "Hey, Chewbacca! What brings you guys out this way?" he asked, leading them back toward the administration facility. Cloud City had grown to an impressive size over the past two years, and now consisted of several large buildings perched atop mile-high durasteel columns.

Han grinned, sitting on the couch next to Chewbacca as Lando showed them into his large, lavish office suite. "Lando, you're not going to believe this," he said proudly. "Chewie and I just did the Kessel Run in under twelve parsecs," he told him. "That's the all-time record; we got ten thousand credits for it," he added, pulling out an electronic credit device. "Here, this is what I owe you from last week," Han said casually, tossing the device over to Lando. Han had been late in collecting payment on a spice shipment two weeks ago, and Lando had temporarily loaned him five thousand credits, to appease Jabba's wrath.

Lando caught the device instinctively, but now blinked in alarm. "No," he said, shaking his head. "No, I can't take this," he protested uncomfortably, handing it back to him.

Han rolled his eyes in frustration; Lando was annoyingly conscientious about his business dealings, and had made it clear numerous times that Han was never to pay him back with drug money. "Lando, I swear," Han insisted. "We got the record... didn't we Chewie?" he added defensively, as Chewbacca roared in confirmation. "Check the HoloNet," Han suggested amiably, gesturing to his computer. "I'm sure it's been reported by now." He shrugged, leaning back against the couch and giving Lando a reproachful look.

"Ahh," Lando sighed, hanging his head and running a hand through his hair. "That's even worse," he muttered. "No, I believe you," he insisted, sitting up again. "And congratulations... I'm glad you're still in one piece," he conceded. "But don't do that again, Han," he pleaded. "I'm serious; promise me you'll stay away from - " he broke off, shaking his head.

"Stay away from what? The Maw?" Han asked, trying to understand his friend's anxiety. The Maw, located within Hutt Territory, contained a black hole which smugglers from Kessel were forced to navigate around, typically adding an additional parsec or two onto their route. "Don't worry, buddy," he assured his friend. "We've flown through it plenty of times; the _Falcon_ can handle it," he boasted confidently, as Chewie roared in agreement.

But Lando shook his head again. "No, really; stay away from there," he begged them. "And about this record... try to keep it quiet," Lando pleaded. "Look, I can't explain, I just... Please, just trust me on this one. You don't know what you're dealing with."

Han's brows furrowed. "And you do?"

"No," Lando protested quickly; but now Han and Chewie shared a suspicious glance.

"Lando, what's this about?" Han asked, concerned. "What have you heard?"

"Nothing," Lando insisted. "It's just... dangerous," he protested.

"Well obviously it's dangerous," Han agreed sarcastically. "It's a black hole," he pointed out. "But Chewie and I have been keeping records on every pass; we've got the whole thing completely charted," he assured Lando. "Don't worry, we know exactly where it is," he promised confidently.

Lando sighed, hanging his head. "No," he said quietly. "No, you don't," he told them. "And it's not a black hole," he protested unhappily, looking at the floor.

Han shared a surprised look with Chewie; then he laughed suddenly, guessing what this was about. "Ahh," he nodded. "So the Maw is actually a magical Force field, and we're going to get sucked down onto some kind of imaginary planet... Lando, you don't actually believe that stuff?" he teased his friend, grinning in amusement.

"No... of course not," Lando blinked uncomfortably.

"Ha!" Han laughed in surprise, as Chewie chuckled softly. "You do!"

"No," Lando protested, shaking his head. "Ahhhhh," he sighed miserably, slumping forward and resting his head in his hands. "I swear to God, this is going to drive me crazy," he whispered, utterly dismayed.

Han looked at him in concern. "Lando?" he asked uncertainly. "Buddy... you okay?" Lando had always had some strange figures of speech, and when he started swearing to God, it was generally not a good thing.

"Ahhhhh," Lando sighed again, shaking his head. "No," he confessed. "No, I'm not okay. _You're_ okay," he conceded reluctantly. "You're not going to get sucked into some stupid Force field... at least not until after - " he broke off, sighing in frustration. "Meanwhile I'm sitting here wearing this damned cape, and I'm going to end up out of my freaking mind, dancing with the Ewoks and clapping my hands like a moron," he muttered unintelligibly.

_Uh..._ "Lando?" Han asked worriedly, sharing a concerned glance with Chewie. "Hey, buddy... Maybe you need a vacation," he suggested, worried for his friend's mental state. _He's been stuck on this planet for three years now..._

"Eh, it's not that," Lando sighed, still resting his head in his hands. "I'm not supposed to tell you, because you're - " he gestured to Han ruefully, shaking his head. "But if I don't tell somebody, _I'm_ going to go nuts," he muttered to himself.

Han shared a surprised look with Chewie. "You're not supposed to tell me _what?_" he asked cautiously; he and Lando had never kept secrets from each other.

"Ahhh," Lando shook his head miserably. "All right," he agreed reluctantly, a long moment later. "But this doesn't leave this room," he admonished them, as Han and Chewie nodded in solemn agreement. "All right," he sighed again, nodding. "I'm - " he began hesitantly. "I'm not from Naboo," he confessed quietly, giving Han an apologetic look.

Han's brows furrowed in surprise, but he nodded in acceptance; Lando had always seemed very different from Boba, and every other Southern Nabooan he'd ever met. _He doesn't exactly look like them,_ Han admitted, sobered by the realization. _And he definitely doesn't talk like them._ "So... where are you from?" he asked, curious.

Lando smiled wistfully, looking down. "Urth," he replied softly, a touch of longing in his voice.

Han frowned, blinking. "Urth?" he repeated uncertainly. "Where is that?"

Lando laughed softly. "Inside Hutt Territory," he told them quietly. "In the Maw."

"In the - " Han gaped at him, stunned. _There's nothing in the Maw... except..._ "So - the black hole," he blinked worriedly. "The Force field... It's real?" Han asked, incredulous.

"Yeah," Lando nodded, giving them an apologetic look. "I'm from Solaris Three," he confessed quietly.

"No," Han whispered. "Lando, you're not - " _You're not making this up, are you?_ he wondered momentarily; but it was obvious his friend was telling the truth. "So you're a - a... Solarian?" he asked uncertainly, peering at Lando in newfound amazement.

"Ha!" Lando laughed. "I guess," he conceded. "But we call ourselves _Urthlings,_" he told them.

"_Urthlings,_" Han repeated, frowning at the strange name. "Urth... What does that mean?" he asked, curious.

"Urth...? It means - dirt... soil... mud," Lando replied thoughtfully.

"Mud?" Han stared at Lando in disbelief. "You named your planet _mud?_"

Lando laughed, shaking his head. "Well _I_ didn't name it," he protested; then he sighed, nodding. "Yeah, we named our planet mud," he confessed ruefully, looking at the floor.

Han nodded sympathetically. _I'm so glad I'm from Corellia..._ "So what's it like there?" _I'm guessing it's pretty muddy..._

"Ah," Lando sighed wistfully. "It's nice," he confessed. "Not so different from Corellia, or Naboo... or Alderaan," he told him. "Or even Kashyyyk," he added, smiling at Chewbacca.

"You miss it," Han realized, smiling gently. "Don't you?"

"Yeah," Lando admitted quietly. "Sometimes," he shrugged. "But Master Windu gave me a choice the day I left, and... I made my decision," he told them. "I'm glad to be here."

Han nodded; he remembered the day he and Lando had first met. Master Windu had interrogated them both, though Han had never fully understood why. "So - the Jedi are trying to keep Solaris Three hidden," he realized suddenly. "Why?"

Lando sighed regretfully. "Because we have deadly viruses and bacteria... Weapons powerful enough to destroy whole planets," he told them. "Our spices are stronger than anywhere else in the galaxy; our narcotics as well," Lando admitted. "And Solaris Three technically belongs to the Hutts," he pointed out. "If they were to learn of its existence, they would control the galaxy."

"Damn," Han whispered, blinking anxiously. _It sounds like a really awful place..._ "I'm glad you're here," Han confessed quietly, giving Lando a commiserative smile.

Lando grinned appreciatively. "So am I," he agreed. "And it's not so bad," he insisted again. "Aside from... well... _that,_" he laughed. Then he smiled quietly. "I've been wanting to tell you about this for a long time," he confessed, giving Han an appreciative look. "And you guys understand why this has to be kept a secret?" he asked them worriedly. "I'm serious; only the top Jedi Council members know about Solaris Three... Yoda, Windu, a few others," he warned them. "I wasn't supposed to tell you."

Han and Chewie nodded vigorously, understanding the obvious danger. "Of course," Han promised sincerely. "Not a word," he agreed; but then his brows furrowed indignantly. "You could have told us this before, you know," he reproached his friend. "We wouldn't have said anything; would we, Chewie?" Han asked defensively, as Chewie roared in agreement.

Lando nodded. "Yeah, I know," he apologized. "And I would have told you a long time ago, except - " he shrugged regretfully, hanging his head. "You being a Solo and all... Master Windu was sure you'd go crazy in your old age, and start babbling on about Solaris Three," he admitted reluctantly, giving him an apologetic smile.

"Ahh," Han nodded, sighing in embarrassment. "Not that anyone would believe me if I did," he pointed out ruefully.

"True," Lando agreed, laughing quietly. Of all the people Han had ever known, Lando was the only one able to face the painful reality that Han might one day end up like the rest of his family. "Han," Lando said gently now. "Promise me you'll never go crazy, buddy... all right?" he pleaded, his brown eyes conveying his empathy.

Han laughed softly, nodding. "Promise me you'll shoot me if I do," he countered, giving Lando a mischievous grin. "You too," he added to Chewie, who chuckled affectionately, scruffing his hair.

Lando grinned, his eyes twinkling in amusement. "It's a deal."


	123. Mara has PMS

**Chapter 123**

_A year later..._

"Ani!" Padmé exclaimed in surprise, as he dropped down into her bedroom from the ventilation shaft. "What are you doing here?" she asked, embracing him happily.

"I have Night Watch," Anakin said, giving her a kiss and pulling her down onto the bed next to him, where he proceeded to pull off his black boots.

"Night Watch?" Padmé asked, surprised. "I thought it was tomorrow?"

"Yeah, so did I," Anakin agreed. "But Mara just reminded me, and I checked my calendar... yeah, it's tonight." He grinned ruefully, as Padmé kissed him tenderly. _Poor Ani; he's hopeless with schedules._

"Well I'm glad you're here," Padmé said, helping him out of his black cloak. "How have you been, sweety?"

"Oh... Good," Anakin nodded cheerfully, setting his belt aside as Padmé helped him out of his leather overtunic. _So many clothes..._ "How have you been?"

"Fine," Padmé said, pulling off his black pants as Anakin wriggled out of his shirt. _Finally..._ Padmé sighed blissfully, crawling into bed next to her husband and snuggling close to him beneath the covers. Anakin was gazing at her lovingly now, his dark blue eyes glimmering in the faint light of the city beyond.

"Padmé," Anakin sighed dreamily, stroking her hair and gazing into her eyes adoringly. "Ahh... Have I ever told you how much I love Palpatine?"

Padmé blinked, startled. "Palpatine?" she asked, her brows furrowing as she desperately fought giggles. _I swear, Ani has the weirdest pillow talk._ "All this time I thought you loved _me._" She pouted, sniffing.

Anakin laughed, kissing her playfully on the nose. "Well of course I love you, Padmé," he conceded. "You'll always have a special place in my heart," he promised her, as Padmé giggled, wondering where he could possibly be going with this. "And you're much prettier than Palpatine," he admitted. "But he's my favorite politician," Anakin sighed happily.

Padmé laughed, running her fingers through his curly golden-brown locks. "Mine too," she admitted, kissing him softly on the lips. Palpatine would be stepping down as Chancellor at the end of this term, the same time that Padmé would be retiring from the Senate. _A lot of things will change..._ But now she giggled again, still baffled by her husband's starry-eyed declaration of love for another man. "So... uh... _explain?_" Padmé asked, giving Anakin a questioning look.

"Oh," Anakin said, kissing her again. "That's easy," he sighed, gathering her in his arms and stroking the sleeve of her silky nightgown. "He's the one who came up with the Jedi Night Watch."

Padmé smiled, snuggling closer to her husband. "Yes," she murmured, running a delicate finger along his chest. "He's my favorite politician too." Palpatine had instated the Jedi Night Watch program four years ago, and it had more than doubled the amount of time that she was able to spend with her husband.

"So is Obi-Wan covering for you tonight?" Padmé asked; they all covered for each other on Night Watch duty, but sometimes Anakin needed a reminder to schedule his backup.

"Ahh... crap," Anakin sighed, disentangling himself from her embrace and pulling out his transmitter from the pile of clothing on the floor. "I forgot to ask him," he admitted. "Eh, he's going to laugh at me for forgetting again... I'll ask Cory," he decided with a cheerful grin, typing in a text message.

"There," Anakin sighed, setting his transmitter aside. "Now... Where were we?" he asked mischievously, laying back against his pillow and giving Padmé a tender kiss as he gazed lovingly into her eyes once again.

* * *

><p><em>Meanwhile...<em>

"Ahh... Sorry," Cory apologized, giving Elena a quick little kiss as he groped for his buzzing transmitter on the bedside table. _Obi-Wan got a call already?_ Cory was covering for his father's Night Watch duty tonight; technically he was supposed to be fully dressed and out roaming the streets looking for damsels in distress, but he had stopped by Elena's apartment for a brief romantic interlude.

But the message wasn't from Obi-Wan; Cory frowned, reading Anakin's text message. _Dude, I forgot I had Night Watch tonight. Can you cover for me?_

Cory laughed, shaking his head. "Anakin..."

"What?" Elena asked, lifting her head from the pillow and looking at Cory curiously.

"Ehh... He thinks he has Night Watch again," Cory laughed, as Elena giggled in amusement; Anakin couldn't keep his schedule straight to save his life. "He's probably at Padmé's already... Eh, why ruin a perfectly good evening," Cory decided good-naturedly, typing in his message. _Sure bro. No prob._

"There," Cory said cheerfully, setting his transmitter back on the bedside table and snuggling under the covers with Elena once again. "Now, where were we?" he asked softly, gazing into her dark eyes and running his fingers through her silky black hair.

But now Elena blinked in concern. "Cory," she countered thoughtfully. "If Anakin is with Padmé, and Obi-Wan has Night Watch, and _you're_ covering for him... and Qui-Gon is off-planet, actually _working,_" she frowned worriedly. "Who's watching the padawans?"

Cory grinned, kissing her playfully. "They're fine," he reassured her. "They're not younglings anymore, you know," he reminded Elena; Zak was fourteen now, and Luke and Mara seventeen. "Don't worry; Qui-Gon used to leave me alone overnight all the time when I was that age," he told her confidently.

"Yeah, and look how _that_ turned out," Elena reminded him.

"Ha!" Cory laughed softly. "Point taken," he conceded. "And I wouldn't leave Zak alone on a strange planet full of pretty Zabrak girls," he agreed, kissing her again. "I'm not _that_ stupid."

"Besides," Cory said. "Zak's idea of getting into trouble is staying up late watching monster movies on the holo," he pointed out. _And I know that's exactly what he's doing right now,_ he confessed, with an indulgent smile. "Let him have his fun."

Elena smiled, nodding in agreement; but now Cory's transmitter buzzed again. "Ahh... Sorry," he apologized, sighing as he checked to see who was calling this time. But it was just Anakin again, returning his previous message. _Thanks bro. I owe you one._

_Yes, you do,_ Cory laughed mischievously, setting his transmitter aside once again and turning his attention back to Elena. The best part about Anakin messing up his schedule all the time was that they were all forced to cover for each other twice as often as usual; and should the padawans happen to wake up and find all three of their Masters gone, the oversight could be easily explained. _Anakin... I love you, dude._

* * *

><p><em>Meanwhile...<em>

"Sorry," Obi-Wan apologized, giving Leila a tender little kiss as he reached for his transmitter by the bedside table. "Ah, an actual Night Watch assignment," he said, his eyes twinkling with amusement as Leila stroked his chest playfully. "Hold on, let me call Cory..."

"Cory," Obi-Wan said into his transmitter. "We've got a call for Citadel and 128th Street," he informed him, reading the address. "One of the night club patrons is requesting a Jedi escort... Cory?" Obi-Wan asked, blinking worriedly as his son failed to answer. "Cory, do you copy?"

"Ahh... Yes, Master," Cory's voice answered breathlessly over the transmitter. "Sorry, Master. Citadel and 128th; I'm on it," he promised. But now Obi-Wan frowned suspiciously, squinting at his transmitter.

"Cory... Why does my proximity meter say that you're fifty feet away right now?" Obi-Wan asked, a hint of reproach in his voice, though he shared an amused grin with Leila now. _Haha! He's here in the building,_ Leila giggled, realizing Cory had stopped by to visit Elena, and was masking his presence too.

"I'm sorry, Master," Cory apologized sincerely. "I'm on my way," he promised. But the transmitter continued to crackle softly, as if Cory hadn't turned it off completely; Leila could still hear her son's voice faintly in the background. _"Great,"_ Cory was muttering to himself. _"Gungan-brain gets the whole night off, and I get in trouble..."_

Obi-Wan blinked at the transmitter in utter bafflement, and Leila frowned indignantly, taking it from him. "Cory Suncatcher," she reproached her son sternly. "Did you just call your father a Gungan-brain?"

"_Oh, crap..._ No," Cory protested, his voice coming through clearly once again. "I'm sorry, Mom... No, I - Ahhh," he sighed. "I wasn't talking about him... Anakin got the schedule messed up again," he explained. "I think he's with Padmé now."

Leila giggled despite herself; this was not the first time this had happened. _Ahh, Anakin..._ Obi-Wan laughed quietly too, shaking his head; but now he frowned indignantly, taking the transmitter back. "And you were planning to tell me this _when?_"

"Ahh," Cory sighed. "I'm sorry, Master... It's your night off; I didn't want to bother you," he apologized. "I'm sorry."

Obi-Wan sighed, nodding. "Very well," he said. "_I_ will take the Night Watch," he decided, running a hand wearily through his hair. "And _you_ will return to the Temple, and make sure that Zak doesn't stay up all night watching monster movies," he instructed Cory, sharing an amused smile with Leila now; their grandson was fascinated by horror films lately, though he would often lay awake all night in terror.

"Yes, Master," Cory laughed gently. "I'm on my way back."

* * *

><p><em>Meanwhile...<em>

_Ahhh... I can't watch,_ Zak cringed, huddled in a little ball beneath his blanket on the couch. Master Cory was on Night Watch duty, and as usual Zak had stayed up late watching a monster movie on the holo; but this one was particularly gruesome, and he squeezed his eyes shut now, shuddering in fright.

_Noooo... this one is too horrible,_ Zak confessed, desperately switching it off. _Ahh, that's better..._ But now he blinked fearfully, looking around the empty apartment. _What if there are zombies in my bedroom?_ he worried; they could be hiding under his bed, or behind the door...

_Ahhh... I'm going to go talk to Master Obi-Wan,_ Zak decided, getting up from the couch. He kept his blanket wrapped safely around him as he padded through the hallways of the Temple. _Master Obi-Wan knows all about this stuff; he'll tell me that zombies don't really exist, and then tuck me back in bed,_ Zak consoled himself.

_Aw... I didn't mean to wake him up,_ he sighed in dismay as he reached Master Obi-Wan's apartment; Zak couldn't feel his Force presence, which meant that Master Obi-Wan was asleep already. _And Luke, and Anakin and Mara too,_ Zak realized. _I should just go back to bed... Of course there are no zombies lurking in my bedroom..._

But he shivered again, thinking of the horrible images he'd just seen on the holo. _What if they ARE real? Ahh..._ Sighing apologetically, Zak opened the door, going inside. _I'll just ask him about it,_ he resolved, padding over to Master Obi-Wan's bed. _I won't make him take me back to my room._

But Master Obi-Wan wasn't there; Zak's brows furrowed in surprise. _Oh... he must have Night Watch too,_ he realized, sighing. _Well... Maybe Master Anakin knows about zombies,_ Zak decided, padding back out into the hallway and going next door to Anakin and Mara's apartment.

But as he opened the door, Zak blinked in surprise to find Luke and Mara sitting together in the Senate box, huddled underneath a blanket. "Oh!" Zak grinned cheerfully, coming over to join them. "You guys are watching the monster movie too?" he asked, climbing into the Senate box and taking a seat next to Luke. Then he blinked, realizing something else. _Hey, I didn't sense you guys before..._ "Oops," Zak cringed, quickly masking his own presence as well. "Sorry," he whispered; obviously they weren't supposed to be up watching monster movies either. "Where's Master Anakin?" he asked, grinning mischievously. _This is cool!_

"He has Night Watch," Mara replied, giving Zak an annoyed glare; Zak quickly avoided her gaze, trying not to take it personally. _Ah, she's in a bad mood again..._

"Yeah," Luke nodded, with an apologetic smile. "I guess they got the schedule mixed up again," he said, as Zak grinned in delight. _This is awesome... Now we can watch monster movies all night long!_ He turned to the holo now, huddling closer to Luke for safety. _Ahh! I wish I could ask him about these zombies... But Mara would glare at me again like I'm stupid,_ he sighed, cringing in horror as several of the hideous undead monsters advanced upon yet another unsuspecting victim. _Ahh! Watch out! Help! Noooooo!_

But suddenly the door to the apartment opened again, and Zak looked up in surprise to see Master Cory standing in the doorway. _Oh, crap!_ They had all been masking their presences, and hadn't felt him approaching. "Hello there," Master Cory said cautiously, his expression stern and amused at the same time. _Ahhh! I'm in trouble..._

"I'm sorry, Master Cory," Zak said, getting up and climbing out of the Senate platform. "I couldn't sleep, and - " he broke off, casting an apologetic glance toward Luke and Mara. _It was their fault... They made me watch bad movies,_ Zak thought, his mind racing to come up with his cover story.

But thankfully Master Cory just laughed, shaking his head. "Come on," he told Zak, putting a hand on his shoulder, as Zak sighed in relief. "Back to bed... You too, Luke," Master Cory added, as Luke nodded apologetically, climbing out of the Senate box. "Mara... Bedtime," Master Cory insisted gently, as Mara obediently turned off the holo, returning to her own little bedroom.

"Goodnight, Luke," Master Cory said, as Luke nodded in shy appreciation, returning to Obi-Wan's chamber next door; and then Zak followed Master Cory back to their own apartment, still padding barefoot through the hallway with his blanket wrapped around him.

"Master?" Zak asked worriedly, looking up at him. "Are zombies real?"

He breathed a sigh of relief as Master Cory laughed, amused by the question. "No, Zak," his Master assured him, patting him on the shoulder. "Zombies aren't real." Then he gave him a reproachful look. "And you should know that," he scolded him, tousling his hair in between his horns. "This is why you shouldn't be up watching monster movies in the middle of the night."

Zak grinned apologetically. "Yes, Master," he replied, grateful for his Master's comforting presence as they returned to their own chambers once again.

* * *

><p><em>Meanwhile...<em>

Mara giggled as she climbed out her bedroom window, hooking her retractor cable onto an overhead ledge and swinging over to Luke's bedroom, landing on his windowsill. _This has been a funny night..._ She had managed to convince Master Anakin that he had Night Watch duty again, even though it wasn't his turn; Mara had discovered that she could get away with rearranging his calendar about once or twice a month.

_But probably no more than that,_ Mara admitted, tapping quietly on Luke's bedroom window. A moment later it opened, and Mara climbed into his room, still giggling happily as she hugged him close. "Ha," she laughed, kissing him on the lips and smiling as he wrapped his arms around her. "Oh, I thought I was going to die when Zak came in," she confessed. "And then Master Cory..."

"Me too," Luke laughed nervously. "I'm still having a heart attack..." They had been kissing and snuggling inside the Senate box, watching some idiotic horror movie as a cover story in case they were discovered huddling beneath a blanket together; and by some miracle, they had actually gotten away with it.

"Mara, you should go back to your room," Luke apologized, kissing her. "Master Cory might come back..."

"No, he won't," Mara said, unafraid. "He barely noticed us; he was just looking for Zak," she assured him, running her fingers through his adorable, short-cropped hair. "Come on," she said, taking his hand and pulling him over toward his bed. _I want to snuggle some more._ Mara crawled beneath the covers, smiling happily as Luke reluctantly joined her.

"Oh, Luke," Mara sighed, cuddling next to him and laying her head against his shoulder. "I love you so much." She smiled tenderly, reaching a hand gently inside his opened shirt and delicately stroking his bare chest.

"I love you too, Mara," Luke said, a wistful look in his blue eyes. "But I'm serious," he apologized again, shaking his head. "You can't stay. Master Cory could come back, or even Master Anakin..."

Mara laughed mischievously. "Master Anakin won't be back," she promised. _I bet he's with my mom right now..._ She smiled, gazing at Luke adoringly. _Oh, you're so beautiful..._ Giving him a shy, hopeful look, Mara gently tugged at his shirt, trying to pull it off.

"Mara, no," Luke protested, his voice rough; there was a pleading look in his blue eyes, but Mara smiled reassuringly, kissing his bare chest lovingly. _Just a few more months until we're eighteen, and then we can get married..._ Mara had wanted to be more intimate with Luke for over a year now, but Luke was being annoyingly stubborn about it; he refused to sleep with her or get married while he was still Obi-Wan's padawan.

_But he'll be knighted in a few more months,_ Mara smiled proudly. _And then... Oh, I can't wait,_ she sighed, running a hand along his chest, down to his waist, her fingers finding their way inside his pants...

"Mara... No," Luke gasped, taking her hand and pushing her away. "Don't... don't do that," he pleaded, desperation in his blue eyes. _Gah,_ Mara scowled at him, her brows furrowing. _Why do you have to be such a prude..._

"Fine," Mara sighed in annoyance, keeping her hands outside his pants as she continued with her gentle caresses, smiling to feel his obvious eagerness, his breath quickening at her touch. _I know you want more too..._

But now Luke groaned unhappily, stumbling out of bed and shaking his head miserably. "Mara... don't," he repeated, his expression resolute. "Don't," he told her again softly; it wasn't a request, but a command this time.

_Ohh!_ Mara glared at him angrily, tears springing to her eyes at his cruel rejection. _I was only being nice..._ "Fine," she retorted, scowling at Luke indignantly as she got out of bed, heading for the window. "Stupid moron," she muttered, climbing out the window and swinging back over to her own bedroom, tears blurring her vision as she climbed inside, then crawled back into her own bed.

_Luke... Why do you have to be such a jerk?_ Mara cried, sobbing into her pillow. _I was only trying to be nice... and you pushed me away, like a big stupid meanie,_ she wept, hurt and betrayed. _Yeah, I know somehow this is all my fault... Everything always is,_ she sobbed bitterly. _But that just makes it hurt even more,_ Mara choked miserably, crying herself to sleep.

* * *

><p><em>The next morning...<em>

_Crap,_ Luke sighed, as Mara glared at him angrily over breakfast. _She's still mad at me..._ Last night wasn't the first time he had been forced to push Mara away in utter desperation, and he guessed it would be at least a day or two before she spoke with him again.

_She doesn't understand, it's harder for boys..._ Luke was very much looking forward to being married too; but in the meantime, Mara's idea of innocent, playful cuddling was becoming increasingly difficult to resist. _I can hardly kiss her these days, without feeling like I want more..._ He was almost grateful to feel her scornful glare now. _At least I don't have to deal with that temptation for a couple of days,_ he consoled himself, picking at his breakfast.

_Ahh... It's probably just that time of month,_ Luke realized. Mara's moods were never entirely predictable, but once a month they definitely got worse, and it was just about time... _Poor thing,_ he sighed, giving her an apologetic smile as she stubbornly looked away, ignoring him. _She can't be enjoying this either._

* * *

><p><em>Whoa... Bad mood, <em>Anakin realized, blinking worriedly as he and his padawan exited the cafeteria together. Mara had been glaring at anyone who so much as dared to look at her this morning; Obi-Wan and Cory had felt her angry presence as well, and had been giving Anakin sympathetic glances when Mara wasn't looking.

_Eh... I know how to deal with this,_ Anakin sighed, smiling reassuringly at Mara now; she got into moods like this every so often, and they had both learned how to get through it. "How about we start with lightsaber practice today?" he suggested gently, as Mara nodded sullenly, following him down to the training room.

_If I can just get her to fling some lightning at me, that will get it out of her system, and she'll be okay again,_ Anakin knew, taking a deep breath and focusing as they began their practice for the day. In truth, Anakin secretly enjoyed the challenge; warding off thousands of volts of Force lightning was an awesome feeling, and Mara had grown even more powerful with age and training. _Of course, that's not exactly a good thing,_ Anakin confessed ruefully; but in the four years that he and Mara had been working together, they had managed to contain her emotional flare-ups, and Mara had never once taken out her violent rage on anyone else.

"That's not bad," Anakin nodded calmly, effortlessly tossing Mara aside as she charged at him angrily. _Sorry, sweety. This is for your own good._ "Pay attention to your form," he coached her now. "You need to jump higher, and farther; come on, let's try that again," he said, pushing her relentlessly.

He could feel her intense anger and frustration, and saw the gleam of rage and pain in her emerald eyes as she advanced upon him again with grim determination. _Yeah, it's coming any second now,_ Anakin knew, bracing himself for Mara's imminent lightning attack.

* * *

><p><em>Ohh... This day completely sucks,<em> Mara cried, trying desperately to jump farther and higher as Master Anakin pushed her relentlessly. _And it's not even nine o'clock yet..._ As if Luke's cruel rejection last night hadn't been enough, Master Anakin was being incredibly hard on her today. And now, to make matters even worse, Mara was suffering from terrible cramps that took her breath away and made her feel weak and dizzy.

"Higher, Mara," Master Anakin said again, clashing his lightsaber effortlessly against hers and tossing her aside again. _Ahh... I can't,_ Mara cried, feeling a dull ache in her lower back as well. _I feel like crap..._ "Try it again; faster this time," Master Anakin instructed her calmly.

_Yeah, right,_ Mara sulked, glaring at her father resentfully. _I'd like to see you jump farther and higher and faster when your insides are being torn apart and ripped to shreds,_ she seethed angrily, attacking him again. _Oww... Oh, Force, my stomach hurts so bad... Seriously, I think I might pass out if I try that again..._

But somehow she managed to leap over Master Anakin's head, landing on the other side of him and clashing sabers once again. _Ouch..._ Mara winced as she felt a new source of pain, this time in her feet. _Gah... These boots are too small,_ she confessed unhappily; they had been feeling a bit tight for a couple of months now, but now with the cramping and swelling, her toes were being squeezed mercilessly. _Oww, that hurts..._

"Still too low," Master Anakin reprimanded her, shaking his head. "Come on, higher this time," he urged, as Mara glared at him, stubbornly fighting tears. _I can't,_ she cried; her stomach was aching horribly, and her toes were squished painfully inside her boots, making landings unpleasant. _Master, why do you have to be so hard on me when I'm already feeling like crap..._ Mara was feeling dizzy now, and as she somersaulted over Master Anakin's head, she could feel his saber meeting hers again, tossing her to the side...

* * *

><p><em>Ouch,<em> Anakin winced, as Mara tumbled awkwardly onto the floor. _That had to hurt._ But if he relented now, it might take days to work her up to this level of rage again, and in the meantime they would both be utterly miserable. "Come on, Mara," he chided her unsympathetically. "You have to pay attention better; you're getting sloppy," he reproached her. "Now, do it again, but this time land on your feet... And you're getting lazy with your back flips; it's all in the stomach muscles," Anakin reminded her.

_Okay, that did it,_ Anakin sighed regretfully, feeling Mara's frustration and anger shooting through the roof now. _It's coming..._ He brought his lightsaber up just in time to meet his padawan's Force lightning attack, holding it with both hands as he deflected the powerful blue current. _Whoa; she IS getting stronger._ But a few seconds later Mara's energy was spent, and she knelt weakly on the floor as usual, hanging her head and crying quietly. _I'm sorry, sweetheart._

"Come on," Anakin said gently, helping her over to the bench and sitting beside her, keeping an arm around her as she sobbed quietly against his shoulder. "Shh, it's all right," he reassured her, as always. He and Mara had been through this many times; once the anger was spent, the tears came, and then he could usually reason with her. "Bad day, huh?" He smiled sympathetically, stroking her hair and wiping away her tears.

Mara nodded gratefully, sniffing. "I'm sorry," she apologized miserably, as always.

"It's okay," Anakin said, patting her back reassuringly. "These things happen." At this, Mara giggled involuntarily; Anakin grinned at her, poking her playfully on the nose. He'd found that Mara bounced back more quickly if he pretended that flinging Force lightning was a completely normal occurrence. _She knows she shouldn't do that... and shouldn't even be ABLE to do that,_ he sighed. _Getting lectured about it isn't going to change anything._

"Is there anything specific that's bothering you?" Anakin asked gently; he didn't expect a response, as it usually came down to the basic fact that Mara's mother had done drugs when she was pregnant, causing lifelong neurological dysfunction. Mara didn't have the best communication skills, and typically kept things bottled up until she exploded; but sometimes when she was in a quiet mood like this, she would confess to smaller matters that were troubling her, and then they could talk about it. To Anakin's surprise, this was one of those times.

"Yes," Mara admitted, shrugging. "My boots... I think they're too small," she confessed. "They hurt my feet; that's why I couldn't - " she broke off, with an apologetic glance at the training area.

"Aww..." Anakin smiled regretfully, patting her on the shoulder. "I'm sorry; I didn't know," he apologized, as Mara nodded, sniffing back her tears. _Oh, Mara... If you would just tell me these things to begin with, I wouldn't have to push you until you completely break down._ But he smiled tenderly now, stroking her hair. "Well that's easy enough to fix," he reassured her. "We'll go down to the storage room and get you some new ones, okay?"

Mara nodded, getting up from the bench; and then they headed back out to the hallway, down toward the storage room where Jedi uniforms and other standard issue items were kept. But suddenly Mara stopped, shaking her head. "No," she protested suddenly, her green eyes filling with tears. "I'm sorry..." And then she was off and running in the opposite direction, back up to her bedroom in their private quarters.

Anakin sighed, letting her go; sometimes Mara just needed time to herself, and he had learned to respect her space. _I'll give her a few minutes, and then see how she's doing._


	124. And turns to the Dark Side!

**Chapter 124**

_Meanwhile..._

_Painkillers... I need painkillers,_ Mara gasped, rifling through her bedroom drawer and pulling out her bag of feminine supplies. _Owwww..._ She stumbled to the bathroom, swallowing her pills and preparing herself for a whole new level of discomfort that was surely on the way. _Great... Like I really need more problems right now..._

Returning to her bedroom, she flopped back down onto her bed, closing her eyes and resting for a moment. Master Anakin was already on his way back; she could feel him approaching now. _Ohhh... Can't I just have a nap..._ But she got up, taking a deep breath and masking her pain as her father entered their quarters.

"I'm sorry, Master," Mara apologized, coming out of her little bedroom and climbing over the Senate platform to get to the doorway. _I'm sorry for running away like a spaz,_ she sighed ruefully.

"That's all right," her father said reassuringly. "And I completely understand," he added, his blue eyes conveying a touch of humor, mixed with self-conscious embarrassment.

"You do?" Mara cringed worriedly, trying to mask her own mortification. _Ahh! He knows I have PMS..._ There were some awkward aspects of being a female padawan, and the fact that Master Anakin was Mara's biological father made situations like this only slightly less uncomfortable than they would otherwise be.

"Yes," Master Anakin nodded. "And I don't blame you," he told her. "I don't like getting my boots from the storage room either," he confessed. "They're so plain, and boring... and _brown,_" he agreed, looking down at his own fancy black boots.

"Oh," Mara nodded, masking her profound relief. _He just thinks this is about the boots._

"I have a better idea," Master Anakin said. "How about we go shopping, and get you some nice new boots?" he offered, nodding toward the window and the city streets of Coruscant beyond.

Mara blinked at her father in surprise. "Really?" she asked, stunned. Mara had always worn the basic standard-issue Jedi gear from the storage room; Knights and Masters sometimes bought their clothes elsewhere, but it was nearly unheard of for a padawan to have anything but the usual, boring, plain brown boots.

"Yeah," Master Anakin nodded. "Come on; it'll be fun," he promised, leading the way back out to the hall as Mara followed obediently, still blinking in disbelief. _Nice boots? Really?_

_Maybe this day isn't so bad after all,_ Mara decided, giving her Master an appreciative smile as they made their way down to Temple's main entrance and out onto the streets. "So... Can I have black ones too?" she asked hopefully.

"Ha!" Anakin laughed, shaking his head. "No," he apologized, his blue eyes twinkling with humor. "Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon would never let me hear the end of it."

Mara sighed; she was aware that her father got teased for his strange black clothes by Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon, and sometimes even Cory, and it always made her quietly angry. _He looks way cooler than any of them,_ she thought, scowling. _I wish I could dress all in black too._ But she nodded obediently, not wanting to push her luck. _I've already flung lightning at him and run away once this morning; I'm lucky he's buying me boots at all._

They made their way through the streets, and presently arrived at the shopping district downtown. "Hey," Master Anakin said, noticing some fancy leather boots in the window of a trendy little boutique. "Let's try this one," he suggested, leading the way inside.

Mara followed him in, and began looking at the selection of boots that were artfully arranged on a display table. _Aww... All the best ones are black,_ she sighed; but there were two different types of brown boots, and Mara picked one up, examining it curiously.

Then she blinked in alarm, seeing the price tag on the bottom. _Eighty-nine credits!_ "Ahh," Mara exclaimed, giving her father an apprehensive look as she showed him the price. "How much money do we have?" Jedi Knights and Masters were allowed a discretionary budget for food and other necessary items, but there had been months when Mara and Anakin had spent nearly their entire allowance.

"Let's see," Anakin said, pulling out his electronic credit device. "A hundred and seventy credits," he told her cheerfully, tucking it back into the pouch on his belt. "Yeah, boots are kind of expensive," he agreed, with a rueful smile. "That's actually a really good price; do you want to try them on?"

Mara nodded, and Master Anakin asked the clerk to bring her a pair. "Thank you," she said appreciatively, sitting at the little bench and pulling off her old plain brown Jedi-issue boots. _These are so much prettier,_ she confessed, pulling on the new ones and admiring the pointy toes. _It's so cool to finally wear real women's boots..._

She stood up now, walking around experimentally; they felt a bit stiff, and chafed her already-sore toes, but hopefully they would feel right once she had broken them in. _Where did Master Anakin go?_ Mara wondered, looking around for her father. She spotted him near the back of the store, and went over to ask him what he thought.

But now Master Anakin looked up at her, grinning in delight. "Mara," he exclaimed. "Look what I found!" Mara followed his gaze to one of the lower shelves; then her eyes widened in amazement as she saw a pair of dark green boots amidst a collection of other assorted footwear. _Ohhh..._ "It says they're discontinued; this is the only pair left," Master Anakin said. "But I think they're your size."

"Wow," Mara exclaimed softly, admiring the green boots. They were made from a shiny reptilian leather that Mara had seen people wear on Reecee, with an exotic scale pattern that shimmered in the light. _Oh, I love them..._ "Are you sure?" she asked her father uncertainly; she had never seen another Jedi wearing green boots.

"Yeah," Master Anakin nodded confidently. "There's no actual rule that you can't wear different colors; I looked it up," he assured her, with a mischievous grin. "Just because most Jedi _enjoy_ being boring and conformist doesn't mean that you _have_ to."

Mara grinned excitedly, sitting down and trying them on. "Oh... They're perfect," she said, standing up and walking around a bit. _They're so incredibly comfortable..._ "I love them," she confessed, checking out her reflection in the full-length mirror.

"Hey, look," Master Anakin said, discovering the adjacent clothing rack. "There's a matching belt... and a purse," he laughed. Mara giggled at the thought of a Jedi with a purse; but the belt was narrow enough to fit through her tool belt, and she clasped it around her waist now experimentally. "Wow," Master Anakin said, admiring her new look. "That looks awesome, Mara."

_Yeah,_ Mara agreed, admiring the dark green leather of her boots and belt; suddenly her ivory tunic and brown cloak no longer seemed so boring. "How much are they?" she asked, sitting back down and checking out the price tags. "Ahhh!" she exclaimed, cringing. "A hundred and twenty-nine credits," she sighed, gazing down at her boots wistfully. "And the belt is twenty," she realized, unbuckling it carefully now. _Aww..._

Master Anakin blinked in momentary dismay; but then he shrugged good-naturedly. "It's all right," he told her, smiling encouragingly. "We have enough to pay for them. And then we'll just be really careful with our money for the next couple of months, okay?"

"Really?" Mara asked, incredulous, as her father nodded approvingly. _Wow.._ "Thank you," she said, giving him a look of profound gratitude. _And I thought this day was going to completely suck... But this is amazing._ She grinned in disbelief, peeling the price sticker off her new green boots and threading her new belt through her tool pouch as Master Anakin paid for them.

_Goodbye, old boring boots,_ Mara sighed, dropping them into the HOPE donations bin by the checkout counter. _Goodbye, boring brown belt..._ She gave her father another grateful smile now as they exited the store, heading back to the Jedi Temple.

_Hehe,_ Mara thought smugly, walking along the sidewalk in her new green boots. _I look cool._ She was getting some appreciative looks from people on the streets, and giggled quietly to herself. _They've never seen a Jedi with green boots before,_ Mara realized, amused. _It's fun to be different,_ she decided, proud to be following in her father's footsteps.

_Oh, I can't wait to show Luke..._ But then Mara sighed, remembering she wasn't technically speaking to him right now. _Gah... Not that it makes any difference,_ she consoled herself; these days Mara was always careful to act like Luke annoyed her in public anyway, to avoid suspicion. _He DOES annoy me, half the time,_ she admitted. _Ah, but I love him._

They returned to the Temple and proceeded to the library to get started with Mara's studies for the day; she suppressed a gleeful smile now as she saw Luke and Obi-Wan at a computer desk, studying a star chart.

"Hello there," Master Obi-Wan said, as Mara and Anakin joined them. "What have you two been up to this morning?" he asked cheerfully, as Luke gave Master Anakin a polite smile, ignoring Mara completely. _Aw, look at my boots... Come on..._

"We went shopping," Master Anakin announced proudly. "Mara needed some new boots... What do you think?"

Mara valiantly masked her delight as Luke noticed her boots, blinking at them in surprise. _I know... Aren't they awesome?_ But now Master Obi-Wan was frowning worriedly. "Anakin," he said quietly. "May I have a word with you?"

_What?_ Mara shared a suspicious look with her father now. _Aw, Obi-Wan's going to lecture him for letting me have green boots,_ she realized indignantly. _Hey, it's not like they're black,_ she scowled, her brows furrowing resentfully as her father went off to speak with Master Obi-Wan in private.

But now she glanced surreptitiously around the library, making sure no one else was around. "So," Mara giggled mischievously, turning to Luke. "What do you think?"

"They're... green," Luke laughed softly, an amused glimmer in his eyes. "No, they're beautiful," he confessed, gazing at Mara admiringly. "I love them."

Mara grinned ecstatically; then she hung her head, remembering. "Luke... I'm sorry," she said quietly, giving him a remorseful look. "About..." she broke off, shrugging helplessly; they'd had this conversation many times before, and it always came down to the same thing. _Everything will be better in another year, when Luke is knighted, and we're married._

Luke nodded in understanding, giving her a tender smile. "I know," he said. "It's all right," he assured her once again, a forgiving look in his soft blue eyes.

Mara smiled appreciatively. "Thanks," she said softly, giving him an adoring look; but now they sensed someone approaching, and dutifully masked their expressions, studying the star chart intently as Zett Jukassa walked by, carrying a stack of ancient, leather-bound books back toward the restricted area of the library for reshelving.

* * *

><p><em>Meanwhile...<em>

Anakin raised an eyebrow at Obi-Wan as they retreated to the far corner of the library. "What?" he whispered defensively, bracing himself for yet another lecture, this time on the proper color of Jedi boots. _You told me not to let her have black ones. You said nothing about green._

Obi-Wan winced painfully. "It's... Oh dear," he sighed, blinking in dismay.

"There's no rule against them," Anakin reminded his brother. "You said so yourself," he added pointedly; Obi-Wan had looked up the Code years ago when Anakin was a padawan, and had wanted to dye his own outfit black.

"Yes, yes; it's not that," Obi-Wan conceded, nodding absently as he took a seat on the padded couch by the wall.

"So... what is it?" Anakin asked, his brows furrowing in confusion as he sat down next to him.

"It's... probably nothing," Obi-Wan insisted with stubborn optimism, smiling pleasantly as Zett Jukassa walked by, returning to the front desk. "And I would never have known about it, if it weren't for Leila," he admitted.

"Known about what?" Anakin asked apprehensively.

Obi-Wan sighed, shaking his head. "It's a local custom," he told Anakin quietly. "Among Coruscant prostitutes," he continued hesitantly. "Apparently green boots indicate a - a willingness to accept alien clients," he explained cautiously, as Anakin's eyes widened in alarm. _Oh, crap!_ "And... droids," Obi-Wan finished uncertainly.

_What?_ "Droids?" Anakin asked, blinking in confusion. _How does that even work?_ But he could tell from his brother's disturbed expression that Obi-Wan was as baffled by the concept as he was.

"Yes," Obi-Wan nodded. "But apparently it's only a local tradition, here on Coruscant," he reassured Anakin. "And as I said, if it weren't for Leila, I'd have never known about it myself." Anakin laughed quietly; there were very few areas in which he could claim superiority over his older brother, and it amused him to no end that he had married a queen, and Obi-Wan a prostitute.

But now he frowned seriously. "So, do you think...? Ahh," he sighed ruefully, hanging his head. "No, I can't let her go around wearing those," Anakin confessed. _She'll electrocute me to death if she ever finds out._ "Okay," he sighed, giving Obi-Wan an appreciative look as he got up from the couch. "I guess we'd better go back down to the storage room for some more boots," he decided bravely. "Mara's not going to be happy about this."

Obi-Wan got up to follow him, but cringed worriedly now. "Anakin," he warned him quietly. "The Code," he sighed, shaking his head in regret. "Did you keep her old boots?"

_Crap._ Anakin sighed, shaking his head. "No," he confessed. _Damn it..._ The Jedi Code was very clear on the circumstances in which members were allowed new articles of clothing; the supply room manager kept strict records, and Anakin would have to produce proof that Mara had either outgrown her old boots, or they had been destroyed in battle. _That is by far the dumbest rule in the entire Jedi Code,_ Anakin thought, frustrated. _Well, aside from the whole 'No Marriage' thing._

"We dropped them in a HOPE donation bin at the store," he told Obi-Wan. "Ahh... We can get them back," Anakin resolved, sighing in exasperation. "Thanks," he added to Obi-Wan, as they returned to the padawan study area, where Luke was now patiently explaining a star chart to Mara.

Anakin smiled wistfully at the sight. _He is so amazing..._ Mara had always been a bit ostracized by all the other padawans - including Zak - who kept a careful distance from her, knowing that she could be impossible to deal with at times; but Luke had always shown her kindness and patience, and Anakin was extremely proud of his son. _Your mother and sister are proud of you too,_ he thought fondly, giving Luke an appreciative smile now.

But then he turned to his padawan, dreading the conversation ahead. "Mara," he said bravely, masking his apprehension. "Time for flight practice," he lied, as Mara nodded obediently, getting up from the computer desk. Anakin gave Obi-Wan and Luke a respectful nod goodbye, then turned to leave with Mara.

But a minute later Mara frowned uncertainly as Anakin led the way back toward the main entrance of the Temple, in the opposite direction from the hangar. "Master?" she asked, confused. "Where are we going?"

_Ahhh..._ "Mara," Anakin began cautiously. "There's something I have to tell you..."

Mara scowled, her green eyes flashing indignantly. "Master Obi-Wan said I can't keep them... Didn't he?" she challenged him, guessing what this was about.

"Not... exactly." Anakin cringed apologetically, as Mara gave him a suspicious look. "It's not against the Code; green boots are fine... it's just..."

"What?" Mara asked, blinking at Anakin's obvious apprehension.

"Master Obi-Wan said that - " _Crap, how can I tell her this?_ "Mara... Green boots are, uh... You don't want them," Anakin said vaguely, heading resolutely for the Temple's entrance.

Mara scowled. "Why not?" she asked, looking down at her boots.

_Damn it... She'll figure it out, even if I don't tell her... And then she'll be even MORE mad at me,_ he sighed. "Mara," Anakin explained gently. "Master Obi-Wan says they're worn by - by prostitutes - "

"Ahhhh!" Mara exclaimed suddenly, her eyes widening in horror.

"Who take on alien clients -"

"Ahhhhh!" Mara yelped, mortified.

"And... droids," Anakin finished, cringing.

"Ahhhh!" Mara exclaimed again; but then her brows furrowed. "Droids?" she asked, blinking in confusion.

"Yeah." Anakin winced apologetically. "I don't really get it either," he confessed, keeping his voice low as they passed by several other Jedi in the main hallway. _Seriously, I don't..._ It was never easy talking about such things with Mara; but Anakin took comfort in the fact that his padawan was completely horrified by any mention of sex.

Mara looked down at her boots now, still blinking worriedly. "So... Can we return them?"

"No," Anakin sighed. "Not after they've been worn," he explained regretfully. "But we can get your old ones back from the HOPE donation bin - "

"Ahhhh!" Mara exclaimed, horrified by the prospect.

"And then we can get you some new boots from the storage room," Anakin told her gently, giving his padawan an apologetic smile. _I'm sorry, sweety. We don't have any money left now._

He could feel Mara's dismay at the realization that they had spent all of their allowance on boots that she wouldn't be able to wear; but now she scowled, her disappointment quickly turning to resentment. "Fine," she sulked, tears of anger springing to her eyes as they exited the Temple.

"I'm sorry, Mara," Anakin apologized, hurrying to catch up with his padawan as she stormed down the Temple steps and back toward the shopping district, glaring dangerously at anyone who dared to look at her. "I didn't know," he promised her unhappily.

"Yeah," Mara replied angrily. "You didn't know, because you're not a _real_ Master like Obi-Wan," she reminded him; Mara had been using this retort more frequently lately, often challenging her Master's authority. "Aaagh," she sighed in exasperation. "It's hard enough being one of the only girls in the entire Order, without having a retard for a Master," she grumbled under her breath, still storming angrily along the sidewalk.

Anakin quickly masked his own pain at the accusation; Mara had a tendency to fling insults at anyone around her when she was angry, and sometimes her words cut deeper than she herself knew. _Obi-Wan is right,_ he admitted. _I need to be stricter with her; I let her get away with far too much._ "Mara," he reprimanded his padawan. "It's not nice to call people retards," he lectured her sternly.

"Yeah, well it's not nice to make people wear green boots so everyone thinks they're a whore," Mara countered, giving him an angry green glare.

_All right... That does it._ "Keep it up and you're going to be wearing those," Anakin warned her, stopping in his tracks and giving her a dangerous look. "I mean it," Anakin said, his expression calm but resolute.

Mara's emerald eyes flashed angrily for a moment; but now Anakin caught a flicker of apprehension. "You wouldn't," she challenged him uneasily.

"Try me," Anakin replied evenly. He could feel her rage mounting, but held his ground; it wasn't often that Mara dared to engage him in a full-on battle of wills, but when it happened, Anakin always made certain that he won.

Mara glared at him furiously; but now she looked down at her boots unhappily. "Fine," she seethed, storming on toward the store in resentful silence.

_She's right, though,_ Anakin sighed, following his padawan along the sidewalk. _I AM a retard. No one else would let their padawan talk back to them like that,_ he admitted. _I can't do anything right lately..._ Anakin had gotten his schedule mixed up again just last night; Obi-Wan and Cory had made a joke about it over breakfast, and Anakin's heart had sunk to realize he'd gotten confused yet again. _This is the second time I've done that this month... I really am an idiot,_ he sighed unhappily.

_I'll be turning forty later this year, and I'm no closer to becoming a Master than I was a decade ago,_ he confessed. _I've TRIED to study; I just can't seem to get anywhere,_ he lamented. _Ahh... I can't even keep track of my own stupid schedule; there's no way I'll ever be a Master,_ he admitted, sighing.

They reached the little boutique where they'd bought Mara's boots; Anakin followed her inside, giving the clerk an apologetic look as Mara glared at her furiously, retrieving her old brown boots from the HOPE donation barrel and proceeding to yank off her new green ones, which she dumped unceremoniously into the bin. _There goes a hundred and thirty credits,_ Anakin sighed, casting a baleful glance at his padawan as she proceeded to pull on her old boots.

But then he noticed something on the shelf behind her, and his brows furrowed thoughtfully. _Leather stain..._

"What?" Mara asked suspiciously, following his gaze to the shelf full of shoe repair supplies. Then she saw the little bottles, and her eyes flickered uncertainly. "Do you think it would work?" she asked Anakin doubtfully, picking up a bottle of brown stain.

"Eh... Not brown," Anakin admitted reluctantly, glancing at her dark green boots; Anakin had always excelled in arts and crafts, and knew that certain colors didn't mix well. "It would end up looking like Bantha poodoo," he confessed, as Mara cringed in disgust, quickly setting the bottle back on the shelf. But now Anakin picked up another bottle, gazing at it thoughtfully. "Well," he sighed ruefully, showing it to Mara. "How do you feel about black?"

Mara blinked in momentary surprise, caught off guard by the idea; but then she scowled stubbornly, remembering her grudge against Anakin for getting her into this situation in the first place. Anakin managed to give her a conciliatory smile, sensing her conflict; and finally Mara sighed in defeat, hanging her head. "Yeah," she admitted quietly, nodding. "I like black," she confessed, giving Anakin an apologetic look.

Anakin nodded, patting Mara encouragingly on the shoulder as she went to retrieve her green boots again. "All right," he said, smiling bravely as he paid the clerk for the bottle of leather stain. "Let's give this a try."

* * *

><p><em>A few minutes later...<em>

"That's good, Mara," Master Anakin praised her, as Mara cringed apprehensively, applying the black stain to her boots with a cloth rag. They had stopped by the arts and crafts room for some supplies, and Mara was grateful for the plastic drop cloth they'd laid on their living room floor, in case she messed up. _This is harder than it looks..._

"Ahh," Mara sighed worriedly, spilling a little drop onto the plastic now. _Gah, I suck at arts and crafts._

"That's okay," Master Anakin reassured her. "Just wipe it up; there you go, it's still good," he told her, as Mara nodded solemnly, wiping the stain onto her green boots. _Wow... That DOES look really cool..._

"All right." Anakin smiled encouragingly, getting up to leave. "I'll be back in an hour or so," he promised her, heading for the door. Master Anakin was filming a short scene for _SITH_ today in Palpatine's office; normally Mara enjoyed watching her Master act on the show, but today she was grateful to have a moment to herself.

Mara nodded, giving her father an apologetic look as he stood in the doorway. "Thank you," she said, with an appreciative glance at her half-stained green and black boots.

Master Anakin nodded cheerfully. "No problem," he told her again, with a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, Mara; it's going to be fine."

Mara smiled gratefully as her father left to film for _SITH;_ then she sighed, returning to her task. _He's too nice to me,_ she admitted, continuing with her staining job. _Any other Master would have kicked me out long ago... The only reason he puts up with me at all is because I'm his own daughter,_ she confessed, dismayed by her behavior this morning.

_I really hurt him with that retard comment,_ Mara admitted; she had felt her father's initial pained reaction at her insult, before he had quickly masked his emotions. _He gets enough of that from Master Obi-Wan and the others; he doesn't need it from me as well,_ she lamented, her heart aching to realize that she'd truly hurt her father's feelings.

Mara had been outraged during breakfast this morning, when Master Obi-Wan and Cory had subtly commented on Anakin's mix-up over Night Watch duty; they had quietly laughed at him for getting the night wrong, and Mara had given them both angry glares. _It wasn't his fault,_ she seethed resentfully. _He's not half as stupid as they think he is._

_He's not stupid at all,_ Mara insisted, continuing to stain her boots. _He's the best father in the whole galaxy._ She smiled tenderly, vowing to make up for her hurtful comment this morning. _And he's brilliant at arts and crafts,_ Mara confessed, admiring her shiny black boots. _I would never have thought of this in a million years._

_I'm going to be really good,_ Mara resolved. _I'll apologize for what I said this morning, and I'll study hard this afternoon, and I won't complain about anything,_ she decided. _And no more stupid Force lightning,_ she sighed. _Seriously, I have to try to stop doing that,_ she admitted unhappily; she knew that Master Anakin was supposed to report all of her "incidents" to the Council, but her father had been covering for her for years now.

_I know he provokes me on purpose, when I get that way,_ Mara thought in amusement, continuing with her task. _And I'm glad._ Sometimes the feelings were so terribly painful inside her; Mara was grateful for her father's help in getting them out, so that she could feel normal again. _I don't know what I'd do without him,_ she confessed. _Not even Luke can piss me off the way Master Anakin can._

"Oh, crap," Mara muttered, spilling another drop of paint onto the plastic drop cloth. _Ahh... Just wipe it up,_ she decided, frowning in concentration as she remembered her Master's earlier instructions, and wishing she'd paid better attention in arts and crafts as a youngling. _There we go,_ she sighed in relief, proceeding to wipe the stain onto her boot again. _Disaster averted..._

A few minutes later she was finished with both boots, and she set them aside on the plastic drop cloth now, smiling proudly as she admired them. _Wow... Now I have cool black boots. Just like my dad,_ Mara thought happily; but then her eyes suddenly widened in alarm as she glanced down at her tunic. "Aaahhh!" She had been holding her boots firmly in her lap as she worked, intent on her task; but now her pants and white tunic were covered in black smears, where the stain had rubbed off. "Oh no," Mara sighed in dismay, getting up and going into the little bathroom. _Ahh, I hope this comes out..._

* * *

><p><em>Meanwhile...<em>

"Great job," Cliegg Lars nodded, giving Anakin an approving grin as he pulled off his Darth Vader helmet. "Chancellor, thank you," he added appreciatively.

Palpatine beamed in delight, pushing a button on his Senate platform as it slowly rose toward the ceiling of his office and up into the Senate hall for today's session. "I'll see you both tomorrow," he said, giving them a polite nod. "And bring my Hand next time," the Chancellor admonished Anakin good-naturedly.

"Ha! All right, I will," Anakin promised, grinning; Mara normally played the part of the Emperor's "Hand", providing the special effects from behind the camera so that Palpatine could use the Force to literally throw people out of his office whenever he was in a bad temper. Sometimes he and Vader would get into Force fights as well; Palpatine had been dismayed today when Mara hadn't shown up for filming.

_It's been a crazy morning,_ Anakin sighed, nodding respectfully to Cliegg as he took his leave to change out of his Vader costume. _But hopefully Mara is in a better mood now,_ he thought optimistically; he had sensed her quiet remorse on the way back from the store, and knew that she was sorry for the way she had behaved earlier.

Anakin reached out to sense her now as he headed back to the Temple, and sighed in regret. _Aw, sweety... It wasn't that bad._ He could feel Mara's intense unhappiness and distress; this always happened after an angry outburst, and Anakin empathized with his padawan's plight.

_She's so much like Leia,_ Anakin thought, smiling wistfully. Leia and Mara were the same age, and both had been forced to grow up sooner than most girls, dedicating themselves to their work and never knowing what it was like to be a normal teenager. _Too bad Mara hates Leia,_ he sighed. _They really have so much in common..._ Anakin had tried to get the two of them to talk several times, knowing that Leia probably understood Mara's situation better than anyone else in the galaxy; but unfortunately Mara still held a stubborn, childish grudge against all things Nabooan, ever since Boss Nass had slobbered on her during her first visit to the planet years ago.

_She hates Naboo, the way I used to hate sand,_ Anakin laughed to himself, returning to the Temple. _The more she's forced to deal with it, the worse her mood gets._ Anakin was grateful for any opportunity to see Leia when they attended special festivals on Naboo, but it came at a price; behind closed doors, Mara was quite vocal about her opinions of the planet and its inhabitants, and stubbornly insisted that the Queen herself was "stupid" and "ugly". In the beginning Anakin had attempted to defend Leia; but it had only enraged Mara further, and so he had learned to nod patiently and pretend to commiserate as his padawan spouted a stream of angry insults against his own daughter.

_That kid has a mouth on her,_ he admitted. _But it could be so much worse..._ Anakin had felt the disturbing level of rage that Mara kept bottled inside her at times, and was sincerely proud of her for managing to keep her temper in check around other people. But in private, Mara could be a complete basket case, and Anakin took a deep breath now as he approached their private quarters, sensing his padawan's intense misery.

_She's upset; not angry,_ Anakin sensed, grateful that at least the worst was over. _Now comes the part where I console her for flinging lightning at me and calling me a retard,_ he sighed, bracing himself for the conversation to come.

But as he entered their quarters, Anakin blinked in surprise to find his padawan sitting in the Senate box wearing her pajamas, tears streaming down her face as she attempted to do her homework on her little datapad. _Uh..._ "Mara?" Anakin asked hesitantly, utterly baffled. "What are you doing?"

Mara sniffed back her tears, giving him an apologetic look. "I'm - trying to study," she choked sadly. "And... I - I - " she broke off miserably, with a dismayed glance toward the bathroom.

_What?_ Anakin peered into the bathroom, and saw Mara's white pants hanging from the shower curtain rod, dripping wet. "Oh..." _Crap!_ Anakin blinked uncomfortably; this had happened a couple of times before, and he knew that emergency clothes-washing in the middle of the day could only mean one thing. _It's that time of month,_ he realized anxiously, suddenly understanding Mara's emotional outburst.

"I, uh..." Anakin cringed nervously, taking a step backward toward the doorway. "It's okay; I have to, uh... " _Actually, it's lunch time,_ he realized, feeling sorry for the poor girl. "Would you like me to bring you something for lunch?" he offered gently.

"Um... yes," Mara nodded tearfully, giving him a grateful look; but then she cringed apprehensively. "Master," she called after him hesitantly, climbing out of the Senate box in her pajamas and glancing toward the bathroom. "Master, I couldn't - it wouldn't come out," she confessed worriedly.

Anakin tried to mask his horror as he followed her gaze toward the bathroom, where her white pants, tunic, and shirt hung from the shower curtain rod, completely drenched. _Whoa... That was some accident,_ Anakin blinked in confusion. _Mara... Even your over-tunic?_

"I used soap, and everything," Mara said, padding into the bathroom to show him. _Oh no. No no no. Don't make me look._ "But it didn't work; it wouldn't come out," she lamented. "I'm sorry, Master; I don't know what to do," Mara apologized, giving Anakin an anxious look.

"Um..." Anakin hesitated, then gathered his courage, following her into the bathroom. _Okay... Be brave..._ Masking his terror, Anakin forced himself to look at Mara's stained clothes.

But then he breathed a sigh of relief as he saw the black smudges. _Oh... It's just leather stain. Ahh, I was wrong about the other thing... I can never remember when it's supposed to happen,_ he admitted ruefully. "So... will it come out?" Mara asked now, blinking worriedly at her stained Jedi outfit.

"Ahh... No," Anakin confessed, suddenly realizing that the situation was even more serious - if less horrific - than he had originally thought. _Crap... What now?_ "No, that won't come out," he told her gently, examining the stains regretfully. _Damn, Mara... Seriously, how did you do that?_ he blinked in confusion, seeing the black smears and smudges that covered literally every part of her Jedi outfit. _That's the first lesson we learn in arts and crafts; we don't get paint on our clothes,_ he frowned indignantly.

"So what do I do?" Mara asked, glancing anxiously at her ruined clothes.

_Good question..._ The Jedi Code dictated that new articles of clothing would be issued only if the old ones were either outgrown, or destroyed in battle; unfortunately there was no clause for arts and crafts mishaps. "All right," Anakin said bravely, formulating his plan. "We can fix this," he assured his padawan confidently, remembering Qui-Gon's creative solution to this very problem years ago, when he had wanted a new cloak. "We just go down to the cafeteria, and find some younglings who are eating something really... _stainy,_" he told Mara, as her brows furrowed in confusion. "And then you get into a food fight with them..."

_"What?"_ Mara asked, staring at him in horrified disbelief. "No... Master - I can't," she protested, mortified by the idea. "I _won't_," she frowned stubbornly, disturbed and offended by his suggestion.

"Ahh..." _She's right,_ Anakin sighed; Mara suffered enough ostracism from the other padawans as it was, and didn't need to add fuel to the general consensus that she was crazy and belligerent. "Well," he said, managing a rueful smile. "At least the stains match your boots," he pointed out optimistically, as Mara scowled at him in resentment. "Sorry," Anakin nodded, sighing. "Okay, we'll think of something else..."

_Those stains aren't going to come out,_ Anakin confessed, weighing his options. _And she's not going to outgrow that outfit,_ he admitted regretfully; Mara had always been small for her age, and at seventeen it was not likely that she would grow much more.

"Well," Anakin sighed, his gaze resting on the little bottle of black stain. "I guess there's only one thing left to do," he conceded reluctantly, as Mara broke into a delighted grin. _Obi-Wan will never let me hear the end of this._

* * *

><p><em>The next morning...<em>

"Concentrate, Luke," Master Obi-Wan instructed him, as they sat cross-legged on little padded stools in the meditation chamber atop the third spire of the Jedi Temple. "Use the Force."

"Yes, Master," Luke replied politely, closing his eyes and pretending to search for Mara and Master Anakin. _I know exactly where they are,_ he sighed ruefully. Master Anakin had been childishly avoiding Obi-Wan ever since the green boot incident yesterday, claiming that he was 'busy'; he and Mara had been half-masking their presences all morning. Master Anakin was doing a far better job of it, and Luke could sense only vaguely that he was somewhere on Coruscant; but he could feel Mara's elusive presence in the general area of the flight training course right now.

_But I can't exactly tell Master Obi-Wan that,_ Luke realized. Obi-Wan had only a weak Force bond with Mara, and had been unable to sense her at all; if Luke admitted that he knew where she was, one of two things would happen, and neither of them were good. _Either he'll become suspicious of why I have such a strong connection with Mara,_ Luke worried. _Or - far more likely - he'll start praising me again for being so wise and strong in the Force,_ he confessed unhappily. _I hate it when he does that..._

Master Obi-Wan was always proudly congratulating Luke for being the best padawan he'd ever trained: the most intelligent, obedient, and well-behaved. _If only he knew the truth,_ Luke sighed. _That as soon as I pass the trials, I'm going to get married behind his back, just like Master Anakin did,_ he admitted guiltily. _I feel so awful. I love Master Obi-Wan, and I hate lying to him; but if he ever learned the truth, it would kill him..._

But now he felt a sensation of triumph emanating from his Master, and opened his eyes to see an amused smile on Obi-Wan's face. "They're up in the flight training course," he announced, clearly pleased with himself. "Come Luke; let's do a bit of flight practice ourselves," he suggested mischievously, getting up from his stool.

_A few minutes later..._

_Haha... This is fun,_ Luke thought, masking his presence as he and Master Obi-Wan stealthily tailed Anakin and Mara in their Starfighters. _And it's really good practice, for spying missions,_ he realized, agreeing with his Master's rationalization for today's 'educational' activity.

They were coming up on the laser blast simulator now, and Luke grinned in amusement as he watched Anakin and Mara spinning insanely through the rapid-fire blasts. _Master Obi-Wan is right,_ Luke laughed quietly, diverting more power to his shields and flying straight through. _It just doesn't make any difference._ They'd done the math, and realized that whether you twirl around idiotically or stay on course, you get hit with the same amount of laser fire. _But it sure looks like fun though,_ Luke smiled wistfully, watching Mara and her father valiantly attempt to evade the blasts.

"Hello there," Master Obi-Wan said cheerfully now, into his transmitter. "We missed you at breakfast this morning," he added politely, flying calmly behind Anakin through the laser fire.

"Uh... Sorry," Master Anakin replied over the transmitter, as his yellow Starfighter continued to spin around at a dizzying rate of speed. "We were - kind of - busy," he said vaguely, narrowly avoiding a piece of debris in his path as Obi-Wan calmly flew around it, right on his tail.

"Ah," Obi-Wan replied politely. "Perhaps you'd like to meet for lunch, then?" he suggested.

"Uhh... Can't," Master Anakin grunted, pulling up hard to evade another obstacle, then abruptly swerving back into the most chaotic part of the course. Mara followed his lead in her red Starfighter, while Obi-Wan and Luke continued to effortlessly evade the random flying objects, maintaining a sensible distance from the epicenter of destruction. "We're... busy - today," he insisted again.

"I see... And how long do you plan to be 'busy?'" Master Obi-Wan inquired now.

"Uh... Forever?" Master Anakin replied tentatively; Luke grinned, hearing the tone of apprehension in his voice. _Oh no... I don't even want to know what happened with Mara's boots,_ he laughed quietly. _If Master Anakin is planning on avoiding Obi-Wan forever, this can't be good._ But he could sense Mara's mischievous amusement now, and was grateful that at least she wasn't upset about the incident any more.

They were coming around the main control center now, and Luke briefly lost sight of Anakin and Mara as he followed behind his Master; but as they came around the structure, the others had vanished completely. "Blast," Obi-Wan muttered into his transmitter. "They're masking completely now... Luke, did you sense anything?"

_Ahh..._ "No, Master," Luke replied truthfully, smiling in surprise. _Mara's getting really good at that,_ he thought proudly, realizing he had absolutely no idea where she might have gone.

"Very well then," Obi-Wan sighed, heading back down toward the Temple, as Luke followed behind him. "But this exercise is not over," he informed his padawan. "We shall continue to be vigilant," he resolved stubbornly, as Luke nodded, grinning in amusement.

_Later that afternoon..._

"Aha!" Master Obi-Wan exclaimed, stepping back from Luke as they practice-dueled in the lightsaber training room of the Jedi Temple. "Senate hall... Chancellor Palpatine's office," Obi-Wan announced proudly, deactivating his blue lightsaber.

_Thank you,_ Luke sighed, nodding respectfully and following his Master out of the training room. He had been sensing Mara's presence in the Senate building for the past half hour; but once again, Master Anakin's presence had been completely elusive, and so Luke had said nothing.

"Slowly... gradually," Obi-Wan instructed him now, as Luke nodded, slowly masking his presence so as not to disappear abruptly. _I'm better at this than you know,_ Luke sighed, as he and his Master continued on to the Senate building to spy on Anakin and Mara. "They must be filming for _SITH,_" Obi-Wan guessed; Anakin had mentioned it yesterday morning over breakfast, before the whole boot incident happened.

_Cool,_ Luke thought excitedly; he had never actually watched them act before, though he'd seen Master Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon filming their parts a few times. _This will be fun to watch._ Mara was extremely proud of her role as the "Emperor's Hand," and always gleefully pointed out the brief moments during the weekly broadcasts when Palpatine would use the Force to slam people into walls, or throw them out of his office entirely.

Sure enough, they arrived at the Chancellor's office to find Cliegg Lars there with his film crew; Luke gaped in amazement to see Master Anakin and Chancellor Palpatine in their _SITH_ costumes. _Whoa... They look really scary,_ he realized, blinking in surprise to see how freakishly tall Master Anakin looked in his Darth Vader suit.

Luke turned to Obi-Wan now, grinning delightedly; but he was surprised to see his Master's disturbed expression. _What?_ Luke followed his gaze inside the Chancellor's office, then blinked in astonishment when he saw Mara. _Oh, crap..._

She stood against the wall with the cameramen, dressed all in black from head to toe. _Oh, Force... This is not good,_ Luke realized instinctively, understanding Obi-Wan's concern. _Could Master Anakin have picked a more obvious way to broadcast the fact that Mara is his daughter?_ Now that she was dressed in black, the similarities were even more glaring: the curly hair, the intense gaze, the fierce yet elegant features... _You guys, that was not smart,_ Luke sighed worriedly, seeing Master Obi-Wan's obvious anxiety as well.

_But... Wow... She looks awesome,_ Luke admitted, carefully masking his feelings. _Ahh, now she's a thousand times hotter than before,_ he sighed. _Mara, are you TRYING to kill me?_ Mara saw him now, and Luke caught a glimmer of mischievous delight in her green eyes, before she stubbornly ignored him again. _Eh... She's been wanting to dress like that for years now,_ Luke realized, happy for her.

"Lord Vader," Sidious was saying now, in an ominous voice. "I am most displeased with your failure in discovering the location of the hidden Rebel base," he spat testily.

"I apologize, my Master," Vader replied, in an even stranger voice; Luke stifled a laugh, hearing Master Anakin's bizarre Sith accent. _It's some kind of weird mixture of Coruscant, Outer Rim, and Royal Nabooan,_ Luke thought. _It sounds really creepy though,_ he had to admit, impressed by Vader's ominous breathing and voice modulator. "I will not fail again," Vader promised, bowing respectfully.

"No, you will not," Sidious agreed coldly. "For I have found someone else to deal with these pathetic Rebels... Someone far younger, and more... beautiful," he added cryptically, turning away from Vader. "Mara Jade," he commanded importantly, beckoning her forward.

_What?_ Luke blinked in surprise as Mara approached the Emperor, her expression solemn before the cameras. _Mara's on the show now... for real?_

"Yes, my Master," Mara replied, bowing respectfully. _Aw! She's so cute!_ Luke grinned in surprise. _This is awesome!_ "What is thy bidding?" Mara asked in a low voice, trying to sound scary. _Mara, sweety... You can't pull that off like your dad does,_ Luke laughed to himself ruefully.

Thankfully, Cliegg had the same idea. "Cut," he said good-naturedly. "Mara, that was great," he told her, as Mara cringed apologetically. "But I don't think you should try to do any kind of accent," he told her. "You represent the new generation of evil; you're not like these old geezers." Cliegg grinned impishly, waving dismissively at Anakin and Chancellor Palpatine, as Mara giggled. "Just be yourself; you're doing great," he told her. "Now, let's try that again... Action!"

"Yes, my Master," Mara repeated coldly, this time not bothering to bow, and glaring at the Emperor in barely-concealed defiance. _Haha! Mara, that's perfect,_ Luke thought proudly.

"You will go to the Kril'Dor system," Sidious instructed her. "And you will not return until you have discovered the location of the hidden Rebel base," he commanded her.

"As you wish, my Master," Mara agreed evenly, managing a grudging bow before turning to leave. Luke masked a delighted grin as Mara joined them in the hallway; then they all turned back to watch the rest of the scene.

"Now, Lord Vader," Sidious continued in a condescending tone, turning to Master Anakin. "There have been whispers of dissent within the ranks of the Imperial fleet," he informed him. "You will take command of the Star Destroyer _Executor,_ and deal with any insubordinate officers," Palpatine commanded. "You are authorized to use whatever force you deem necessary to manage the situation," he added, with an evil smile.

"Yes, my Master," Vader replied, bowing respectfully. "With pleasure," he agreed, turning and storming dangerously out of the Emperor's office, his black cape flowing behind him. Luke quickly hopped out of the way, pressing his back against the wall. _Holy crap... He's huge!_ But now Anakin suddenly noticed him, and stopped in his tracks. His black helmet turned toward Luke, then back toward Obi-Wan on the other side of the hallway. "Aagghh," Vader sighed, hanging his head in defeat.

"Cut," Cliegg called from Palpatine's office, as the crew began to pack up their things. "That's a wrap for today; great job, everyone," he added, thanking them all for their efforts.

"Lord Vader," Obi-Wan said now. "Might I have a word with you?" he asked, gesturing toward the hallway beyond. "That is, if you're not too busy wreaking destruction across the galaxy," he added politely.

"Ahhhh," Vader groaned again. "All right," he agreed grudgingly, stalking off with Obi-Wan.

_Uh oh... Master Anakin's in trouble again._ Luke cringed apprehensively, sharing a rueful glance with Mara. She was glancing meaningfully toward the nearby recessed alcove now, and Luke nodded subtly, turning to leave. A minute later Mara joined him in the hidden alcove, grinning ecstatically. "So? What do you think?" she asked, looking down at her black Jedi outfit.

"Ha!" Luke laughed quietly, wrapping his arms around her and kissing her. _Ohh, I've missed you._ "I think... I think you're completely nuts," he told her, stroking her curly red hair and kissing her again. "But... Ahh," Luke sighed happily, smiling as he gazed into her emerald eyes. "You look beautiful," he confessed, holding her hands gently. "I love you, Mara."

Mara beamed happily, giving him an appreciative look. "I love you too," she whispered, glancing worriedly toward the hallway behind them, where the film crew was now passing by, on their way back from the Chancellor's office. But then she grinned again. "Can you believe it?" she asked breathlessly. "I get to be on the show now! Cliegg said I looked really cool, like I could be some kind of Sith assassin... apprentice... thing..." She shrugged vaguely. "Eh, I don't really know what I am, but this is so amazing!" she squealed in delight, her green eyes sparkling with excitement.

Luke laughed softly, nodding in agreement; he was truly happy for Mara, and glad that she was enjoying her new role, but once again, he felt a twinge of dismay in his own heart. Zak had been acting on _SITH_ since he was three, and now Mara was on the show as well; Luke couldn't help feeling a bit left out.

_Aww,_ Luke sighed wistfully, smiling in quiet adoration as Mara babbled on ecstatically about her new role as the Emperor's specially-trained assassin. _I wish I could be on the show too._


	125. Lucky at cards, unlucky in love

**Chapter 125**

_Several months later..._

"Ahhhh," Boba sighed, tossing his Sabacc cards down onto the table and dutifully pushing his pile of credits over to Han, as Greedo did the same, his shoulders slumped in defeat. "Why do we even try, eh Greedo?" Boba grinned, shaking his head.

"Another round?" Han asked hopefully, though he already knew the answer. _Of course not..._

"No," Boba declined good-naturedly, pulling out another credit from his pocket to leave as a tip next to his empty ale mug. "I'd better be getting home before Sydney gets mad at me," he laughed, his dark eyes twinkling mischievously.

"Me too," Greedo said. "I promised Keeley I'd be home by a decent hour." He smiled apologetically, getting up from the table; Greedo and Keeley had gotten married just over a year ago, and were expecting a baby in two months. "See you tomorrow?" he asked Han hopefully.

"No." Han shook his head regretfully. "I got a shipment to deliver to Korriban; I'll be leaving first thing in the morning," he told them. "I'll see you guys when I get back."

"All right," Boba said, as he and Greedo took their leave. "Try to stay out of trouble," he added with an impish grin, looking back at Han over his shoulder as he headed toward the exit of the cantina.

Han nodded in farewell, taking another sip of his Corellian ale. _That shouldn't be too hard,_ he sighed, setting his mug down again. _Lucky at cards, unlucky in love..._ Lando had jokingly told him the expression from Solaris Three one time, and unfortunately it seemed to hold true for both of them.

_But at least he's made it past first base,_ Han admitted as he sat alone at the table, finishing his drink. _I can't even seem to get THAT far._ Ever since his father had gotten remarried, Han had been keeping his eyes open for a "princess" of his own, but so far he'd had no luck whatsoever.

_It's the Solo curse,_ Han sighed, taking another sip of his ale. He'd always wondered what form the family malady would take with him, and he was beginning to think that he had his answer. _My dad recites epic poetry when he gets upset, and my little brother keeps sending me his latest fingerpainting masterpieces,_ Han sighed; he'd never actually met any of his younger half-brothers who lived with their mother on Corellia, but had just received another special delivery envelope a few days ago, containing yet another shiny piece of paper smeared in blue and green paint, with the proud signature: _Anaeryn, age 23._

_And I'm a twenty-eight year old virgin,_ Han admitted glumly, facing the embarrassing truth once again. Even Greedo was married now, and Chewie was on Kashyyyk for a couple of days visiting Malla; Han had dropped him there yesterday after their last smuggling job, and would be picking him up tomorrow on the way to their next assignment.

_Well,_ Han sighed, getting up from the table and leaving a credit next to his empty mug as a tip. _I guess I'll go visit Prunella, and watch the late shows,_ he decided, heading for the cantina's exit. Greedo's mother had always welcomed him into her home whenever he wanted to sleep in a comfy bed and wake up to a delicious homemade breakfast; Han was grateful for Prunella's hospitality, and sensed that she was equally appreciative of his visits, especially since Greedo had gotten married and moved out.

_Don't worry, Prunella; you'll always have me,_ Han thought ruefully, waving goodnight to the bartender as he left the cantina. But as he emerged on the street, he glanced up at Jabba's palace in the distance, and sighed unhappily.

_I still haven't told him about the inventory dispute,_ Han remembered. The last time he'd delivered a shipment of death sticks to Korriban, the local drug lord had claimed there was an entire crate missing, and had withheld two thousand credits from his payment. Unfortunately, when Han had approached Jabba with the bad news, the Hutt had been in a particularly nasty temper, and so Han had quickly decided to pay Jabba the extra two thousand credits out of his own pocket, and hadn't mentioned the matter, in an effort to avoid his wrath.

_But tomorrow I'll be facing a disgruntled drug lord on Korriban who's expecting an extra crate of complimentary death sticks with this shipment, and I haven't got it,_ Han admitted. _I have to leave first thing tomorrow; and Jabba's not a morning person... If I have any hope of finding him in a good mood, I'd better go see him tonight,_ he decided, heading up toward Jabba's palace.

Sure enough, Han found the Hutt in an extraordinarily good mood, feasting on an assortment of delicacies Snowball had prepared for him as he enjoyed tonight's musical entertainment. One of the local bands was performing, and Jabba bobbed and swayed contentedly to the music, mesmerized by the dark-haired, scantily-clad dancer before him.

_Victoria..._ Han stopped in his tracks at the entrance to Jabba's audience chamber, his heart fluttering momentarily as he caught sight of her. He had seen her dancing for Jabba a few times before, and had even met her once outside of work; they'd run into each other at one of the local night clubs, and Victoria had asked him to dance, whereupon Han had stammered something unintelligible and excused himself, rather than admit that he'd never learned properly, aside from a few ballroom dancing lessons with his mother on Corellia when he was a toddler.

_And I wonder why I'm a twenty-eight year old virgin,_ Han sighed, gazing wistfully at the exotic dancer, her dark hair flowing in a cascade of waves down her bare, sun-bronzed back, her delicate arms swaying gracefully above her head as she performed the fluid, sensual, hypnotic movements of her native Nabooan dance.

But now Jabba noticed Han in the entryway, and waved him inside. "Solo, my boy," he said with his mouth full, as Han approached, nodding to the Hutt respectfully. "How's business?" he asked casually in Huttese.

"Actually, that's what I came to talk to you about," Han admitted apologetically. "Jabba, I've got a little problem with a client on Korriban; he claims the last shipment was one crate short - "

"Aaaahhhhhh!" Jabba exclaimed angrily, spewing food all over the place.

"And he's demanding an extra crate of drug sticks this time," Han continued regretfully. "Otherwise he's threatening to withhold payment on tomorrow's shipment," he added reluctantly.

"Aaaahhhhhhhh!" Jabba roared again, outraged. "He can't do that! No," the Hutt frowned stubbornly, taking another bite of his meal. "You will tell him to correct his inventory mistake, or the price will be raised ten percent on future transactions," he instructed Han.

_Ahh... It's not that easy..._ "Jabba," Han countered cautiously, knowing that he was pushing his luck. "He's threatening to take his business elsewhere... to Gardulla," Han informed the Hutt reluctantly.

"AAAAAAHHHHHHH!" Jabba roared angrily, slamming his fists against the table in frustration; but in his outrage, he accidentally tripped the lever to the trap door beneath Han's feet, sending him down into the Rancor pit below.

_Oh, crap!_ Reacting quickly, Han grabbed for the iron grating, catching himself at the last second and dangling from the edge of the pit. _Ahh, I hate when this happens..._ He could hear the ominous groan of the gate beneath him as the Rancor was released from his pen, and Han glanced down over his shoulder apprehensively. _Has that thing been fed lately?_

But now he blinked in alarm as he saw Victoria crawling groggily on the floor beneath him, stunned by the fall. The Rancor had spotted her too, and roared angrily now, advancing upon the scantily-clad Nabooan dancer. _Damn it..._ Sighing ruefully, Han let go of the grating, dropping down into the pit to rescue the helpless girl.

"Come on!" he said urgently, grabbing Victoria by the arm and quickly pulling her to her feet, helping her toward the gated alcove which led to the rest of the dungeon, while simultaneously drawing his blaster from the holster at his side.

"Open it," Han demanded urgently, reaching through the iron grating and holding his blaster to the gatekeeper's head. The big, burly man whimpered pathetically, paralyzed by fear, so Han quickly changed tactics, pointing his blaster at the Rancor, which was now advancing upon them. "Open it!" Han yelled again, firing a shot just past the creature's head.

This seemed to have an impact on the frightened gatekeeper, and a moment later the iron grating began to open. "Go!" Han instructed Victoria urgently, shoving her to the ground and pushing her through the opening before wriggling under the gate himself, a split second before the Rancor's head butted against the heavy iron bars.

"Run!" Han yelled, grabbing Victoria's hand as they continued through the dark, winding passageways of Jabba's dungeon, away from the Gamorrean guards who were now chasing after them. _I guess that's a no on the extra crate of death sticks,_ Han sighed unhappily, hearing Jabba's angry curses from the throne room behind them.

"Come on... this way," Han whispered urgently, turning down a side tunnel. He stopped beneath a small, high window, quickly yanking the iron bars from the sill and lifting Victoria up. "Go!" he whispered, then climbed through the window after her, dropping down onto the sandy drift outside Jabba's palace just as the Gamorrean guards rushed past the hallway in the dungeon below.

_Whew,_ Han sighed in relief, sitting with his back against the wall and catching his breath. _That was close._ Boba had told him about the secret escape route years ago, and Han was grateful for his friend's foresight in keeping the iron bars conveniently severed in case of emergency.

"You all right?" he asked Victoria now, seeing the stunned look in the dancer's eyes.

"Uh..." Victoria blinked in confusion, but nodded, still dazed and shocked by this sudden turn of events.

"Hang on," Han whispered, crawling back in through the little window and retrieving the broken iron bars from the dungeon floor below, which he carefully replaced now. "You sure you're all right?" he asked, turning to Victoria again and peering into her dark eyes worriedly. "Anything broken?" It was quite a drop from Jabba's audience chamber down into the Rancor pit, and Victoria was dressed only in a skimpy metallic-colored bikini; her knee was scraped up and bleeding a bit, but otherwise she appeared to be all right.

"Yeah," Victoria replied vaguely, a dazed look in her eyes as she stared out across the city of Mos Eisley, mesmerized by the lights. "I'm okay..." Her voice trailed off, and Han nodded quietly, sighing. _She's not in shock,_ he realized, noting her strangely dilated, nearly black eyes, and the delicate, fragile thinness of her body. _She's on glitterstim._ Han had always suspected that Victoria - like most of Jabba's dancers - was a glitterstim addict, and though it pained him to see the toll it took on her, he found he couldn't blame her. _If I had to dance in front of Jabba wearing a gold bikini, I'd want to be drugged out of my mind too,_ he admitted.

But now he heard urgent voices coming from the dungeon below. "They've escaped," one of the Gamorrean guards announced, frustrated. "Alert the palace guards!"

"We'd better get out of here," Han whispered, as Victoria nodded, blinking away her dazed stupor. Jabba would most likely forget the incident within a few days, and had only tripped the gate accidentally to begin with; but the guards didn't know that, and Han decided that it would be best to make themselves scarce for a while.

"Come on," he whispered, taking Victoria's hand and helping her to her feet, leading her away from Jabba's palace. "Where do you live?" he asked, holding her arm to steady her as she walked along gingerly beside him in her high-heeled sandals.

"Uh... _here,_" Victoria said vaguely, blinking toward the city of Mos Eisley.

"Really?" Han asked, feigning surprise. _This is fun..._ But then he shook his head, scolding himself. _Don't be sarcastic. The poor girl's been through enough._ "Do you have an apartment?" he asked, nodding toward the lights of the city.

"Um... No," Victoria admitted, shaking her head. "I _did,_ but... no," she confessed quietly. "Do you?" she asked, looking up at him with an innocent, lost look in her dark eyes.

"No," Han confessed, as Victoria hung her head worriedly; she shivered involuntarily in the chill night air, and Han gingerly wrapped an arm around her now. "But I've got a ship," her reassured her, as Victoria huddled close to him for warmth. "It'll be safe for the night," he promised, as Victoria nodded in gratitude.

"Thank you," she said quietly, an appreciative look in her dark eyes as she glanced up at him. "That was... ohh..." She shuddered suddenly, her knees giving out beneath her as the reality of what had just happened finally hit her.

"Hey," Han said, catching her fall as best he could as she slumped weakly to the ground. "It's okay." He blinked anxiously, glancing back toward the palace. "Come on; we have to keep going," he warned her, helping her to her feet again as Victoria nodded dully, stumbling along.

"You're doing good; we're almost there," Han reassured her, as they made their way toward the shipping docks outside Jabba's palace. "Here we are," he said, lowering the _Falcon's_ ramp and helping Victoria aboard.

_Ahh... It's kind of a mess,_ Han realized, glancing at the bits of broken machinery strewn all over the floor in the main lounge, with dirty dishes from yesterday's lunch on the holo-chess table. _Oops..._ But thankfully Victoria was too dazed to notice any of that; Han quickly led her into his private chamber and helped her onto his rumpled, unmade bed, where she collapsed gratefully.

"I'll be right back," Han told her, going to get his first aid kit. He returned a moment later and set about cleaning and bandaging her scraped knee. "Don't worry; it's not so bad," he reassured her, with an optimistic smile.

"Thank you." Victoria smiled appreciatively as Han finished bandaging the scrape on her knee. Then she blinked in surprise, noticing the decorations all over his bedroom wall. "What are all these?" she asked, curious.

"Ahhh," Han cringed, embarrassed. "They're... uh... My little brother did them," he confessed, with an apologetic glance at Anaeryn's fingerpaint artwork, which Han had tacked up on the walls for lack of any other decorations. _And I seriously wonder why I can't get laid..._

"Aw," Victoria said wistfully, her dark eyes glimmering in fond affection. "I didn't know you had a little brother," she added, admiring his pictures. But then she blinked unhappily, tears springing to her eyes.

_What the...?_ "Are you all right?" Han asked, caught off guard by the sudden tears. _Ahh... Why do girls do that?_

"Yes," Victoria whispered desperately, nodding. "I'm okay..."

"Uhh... Are you hungry?" Han asked thoughtfully, trying to guess what might be wrong.

"No," Victoria sniffed tearfully, shaking her head. "I'm sorry... I'm just tired," she whispered, giving Han an apologetic look as she laid her head back on the pillow.

"All right," Han nodded, pulling the covers up over her bare shoulders to keep her warm. "Get some sleep," he told her. "I'll be in the next room if you need anything," he reassured her, getting up to leave.

"No," Victoria protested, a pleading look in her eyes. "Don't go," she whispered, reaching a hand out and running it delicately along his side, caressing his hip gently; then she sat up again, setting to work at unbuckling his holster. "Stay," she pleaded, a tender look in her dark eyes as she smiled up at him appreciatively.

"Uh..." This was not the first time Victoria had made advances on him; the last time he had run away stupidly, for which he had cursed himself afterward, and so this time Han forced himself to hold his ground. _If you say no, you're going to be a twenty-NINE year old virgin,_ he reminded himself worriedly. "All right," Han gulped in agreement, his heart fluttering nervously as Victoria delicately unclasped his belt buckle, then set his holster aside.

Victoria smiled demurely, pulling him down onto the bed next to her and proceeding to remove his black vest; then she pulled off his white shirt, running a graceful hand along his bare chest, an eager twinkle in her dark eyes as she coaxed him to lay down beside her. _Holy crap,_ Han gasped, stunned and overwhelmed. _This is really happening..._ Closing his eyes in gratitude, Han gave in to her tender caresses, sighing blissfully as she pulled the boots off his tired feet, then wriggling obediently as Victoria helped him out of his pants.

And then her lovely, sun-bronzed body was lying atop his, her dark hair cascading in waves as it fell softly around his shoulders, a seductive smile on her face as she gazed into his eyes. She kissed him softly, and Han closed his eyes again, a tantalizing sensation coursing through him as his lips met hers. "Victoria," he whispered, his entire being aching for her tender caresses. _Ohh... Don't stop..._

"Mmmm," Victoria murmured contentedly, nuzzling against his neck and laying her head sleepily on his shoulder as she ran her delicate fingers through his hair, then along his shoulder, gently tracing the contours of his chest all the way down to his waist...

_Ohh,_ Han sighed blissfully, his whole body tingling from Victoria's touch. _That feels so good..._ But then he blinked, opening his eyes and peering at her uncertainly as the caresses abruptly stopped. _Victoria...?_

She lay atop him now with her head resting against his shoulder, her eyes closed peacefully, her breathing slow and gentle as she lapsed into a deep, blissful sleep. Han sighed ruefully, reaching out a hand and gently stroking her dark, wavy hair.

_It's all right..._ He smiled regretfully, wrapping an arm around her as he closed his eyes again. _It's been a long day,_ he admitted, letting out a deep sigh. _And I'm STILL a twenty-eight year old virgin,_ Han laughed to himself, drifting off to sleep with a beautiful, thoroughly passed-out glitterstim addict in his arms.

_The next morning..._

"Victoria," Han said gently, shaking her again. "Victoria..."

"Uhhh," Victoria moaned groggily, her eyes half-opening for a brief moment before she curled into an even tighter ball, huddling beneath the covers.

_Yeah,_ Han sighed, running a hand through his hair as he tried to figure out what to do with her. _She's not going to wake up anytime soon._ He'd been trying to rouse her all morning, and had already loaded up the _Falcon_ with today's shipment for Korriban - minus the extra crate he would be expected to deliver - but Victoria was still impossibly drowsy, sleeping off the effects of last night's glitterstim hit.

_I can't just leave her here,_ Han realized worriedly; Victoria didn't seem to even have a place to stay, and Han couldn't exactly drop her off at Jabba's palace. _Prunella could take care of her,_ he considered briefly; but he quickly set the idea aside. Greedo's mother was already uncomfortable with the fact that Han worked for Jabba as a drug smuggler; showing up on her doorstep with his new, unconscious glitterstim addict girlfriend would probably not be a good move.

_I guess you're coming with me then,_ Han decided regretfully, gently pulling the covers up over Victoria's shoulders and stroking her dark hair softly before returning to the cockpit. _She'll probably be mad at me,_ he admitted, starting up the _Falcon_ and preparing for takeoff. Most of Jabba's dancers had day jobs as waitresses and barmaids in various local establishments, and Han guessed that Victoria was probably expected to show up for work later today.

_Too bad,_ Han sighed, taking off from Mos Eisley and setting a course for Kashyyyk to pick up Chewbacca. _I tried to wake her up; it's not my fault,_ he told himself. _Besides, it won't kill her to get away for a couple of days, and clean up a bit,_ he admitted regretfully, concerned for Victoria's health.

_Although this isn't going to be pleasant,_ Han cringed apprehensively; glitterstim was one of the strongest drugs known to the galaxy, and withdrawal could be excruciatingly painful. _But hopefully Victoria isn't too seriously addicted,_ he told himself optimistically, blasting into hyperspace and heading for Kashyyyk.

Han set about tidying up the _Falcon's_ lounge area, stowing away his various half completed fix-it projects in boxes, and taking his dirty dishes back to the little kitchen area. _Look at me,_ Han grinned in amusement, washing his dishes and putting them away neatly in the cupboards. _All domesticated..._

Han had been listening to his friends' good-natured complaints about married life for years; Boba, Kitster, Chewie, and even Greedo were always telling him to enjoy the freedom of bachelorhood while he still could. But to Han's surprise, he felt a happy warmth in his heart now as he tidied up the _Falcon's_ little kitchen, making a fresh pot of coffee and realizing that he actually had someone to share it with now.

_Not that she's serious about me,_ Han reproached himself, trying to push away the giddy fluttering in his heart. _Heck, I practically just kidnapped her,_ he admitted, not knowing quite what to expect when Victoria woke up. _But... I like her,_ Han admitted, checking his refrigerator and trying to figure out what she might like to have for breakfast. _She's beautiful. And really nice, when she's conscious..._

But now he looked up in surprise to see Victoria stumbling groggily into the kitchen, a blanket bundled tightly around her shoulders. "Good morning." Han smiled shyly, quickly going to her side and helping her to sit at the little breakfast counter. "How are you feeling?" he asked, peering at her with concern.

"Uhhh," Victoria groaned faintly, hanging her head. "Okay," she nodded dully. "What time is it?" she asked, squinting painfully.

"It's... uh... ten o'clock," Han answered hesitantly. _On Tatooine... If we were ON Tatooine,_ he cringed. "Would you like some coffee?"

"Ugh," Victoria sighed miserably, holding a hand to her head. "You got any beer?" she asked hopefully.

"No," Han lied cautiously, making a mental note not to let Victoria see the contents of his refrigerator.

"Ohhh," Victoria moaned, hanging her head. "Okay... Coffee is good," she agreed, as Han brought her a cup. "Thanks."

"Are you hungry?" Han asked. "We got cereal, and energy bars, or I can make you some eggs."

"Ugh... No," Victoria protested, clutching her stomach and cringing at the thought. "No thank you," she added politely, managing an apologetic smile.

"Okay," Han agreed regretfully, truly concerned for her health. _She's already too thin..._

"So... what happened, last night?" Victoria asked hesitantly.

Han grinned shyly. "Nothing," he assured her, looking down. "Well, aside from us nearly being Rancor fodder," he reminded her.

"Oh... Right," Victoria cringed, remembering. "Thank you... for that," she said quietly, giving Han an appreciative look. "And I'm sorry, about last night," she apologized quietly. "I wasn't feeling well," she admitted.

"Yeah, I know," Han said, sitting next to her. "Don't worry; it's going to be all right," he reassured her.

Victoria nodded; but then the tears came again, and she hung her head, weeping quietly. _Ahh... This again,_ Han sighed, putting a hand on her shoulder in an effort to console her. "It's all right," he promised lamely; but his heart sank as he realized the truth.

_I don't know what the hell I'm talking about,_ he admitted, stroking Victoria's back helplessly as she continued to sob quietly. _I don't know what it's like to be addicted to glitterstim, or to make a living dancing for Jabba,_ Han confessed, realizing that Victoria's daily life consisted of horrors that Han could only imagine.

But Victoria nodded bravely, grateful for his reassurance. "Yeah," she agreed, taking another sip of her coffee, then setting it back down. "I'm all right," she insisted. "Ahh," she sighed wearily, running a hand through her long hair. "I'd better get going," she apologized. "I have to be at work in an hour," she told Han, giving him an appreciative smile. "But maybe tonight, if you're not busy...?" she suggested, a spark of mischief flickering in her dark eyes.

"Ahh," Han cringed. "Yes, to tonight," he told her, unable to suppress a shy grin. "But... about today," he continued, wincing. "Victoria, I don't think you're going to make it in to work," he confessed, breaking the news to her gently.

Victoria's brows furrowed in surprise. "Why not?" she asked, blinking worriedly.

Han cringed again. "Because..." He was interrupted by a familiar beeping sound coming from the cockpit, as the _Falcon's_ navicomputer alerted him that they were approaching Kashyyyk. "Because of _that,_" he told Victoria apologetically, getting up to attend to the controls. "We'll be arriving outside Kashyyyk in a few minutes, to pick up my friend; and then I have to make a delivery to Korriban."

"What?" Victoria blinked anxiously, getting up and following him into the cockpit, still bundled in his blanket. "No... I have to go to work; I'll get fired," she protested, alarmed by this turn of events.

"I'm sorry," Han apologized, taking a seat in the cockpit as Victoria sat in the copilot's seat beside him. "I tried to wake you up this morning," he told her. "We'll be back by tomorrow night," he promised her. "The next day, at the latest. And you _won't_ get fired," Han reassured her. "You can call in sick," he said, nodding toward his transmitter. "You wouldn't be lying," he added regretfully, giving her a concerned look.

At this, tears sprang to Victoria's eyes. "Ohhh," she moaned unhappily, hanging her head. "I've called in sick too many times this month," she confessed, her shoulders slumped weakly. "My boss is already mad about it... He's really going to fire me one of these days," she whispered pathetically.

Han gave her an apologetic look, his heart aching at her plight. _Damn. I didn't mean to make things worse for her._ "Where do you work?" he asked gently. _Maybe I can ask Jabba to put in a good word for her, after we get this mess taken care of..._

"Rollo's Strip Club," Victoria confessed glumly, shrugging.

"Rollo's Strip Club?" Han repeated, cringing in disbelief. _No no no..._ "Victoria... You don't actually _want_ to work there, do you?" he asked worriedly. It was one of the few establishments on Tatooine that Han refused to frequent; the way the customers were encouraged to treat the dancers sickened him.

"No," Victoria admitted unhappily. "I don't want to work for Jabba either," she pointed out. "But it pays the bills," she shrugged dully.

_What bills?_ Han sighed unhappily; Victoria had already admitted to being homeless. "You mean it pays for the glitterstim," he corrected her gently. "Doesn't it?"

Victoria hung her head. "Yeah," she shrugged indifferently. "So?"

"So," Han said gently, taking her hand in his and pulling the blanket away, showing her the needle marks all along the inside of her arm. "That stuff's not safe," he reminded her quietly. "One of these days you're going to get a bad hit, and then you'll be dead," he warned her, his voice catching a bit.

"Yeah," Victoria agreed numbly. "And _that_ would be a huge loss to the galaxy," she laughed sarcastically, looking away.

"Yes, it would," Han nodded, still holding her hand. "It would be a huge loss... to me," he confessed softly, looking into her sad, dark eyes.

At this, Victoria stubbornly looked away from him; but then she choked tearfully, sobbing, and Han lifted her gently onto his lap, his arms wrapped protectively around her as she cried against his shoulder.

"Don't go back, Victoria," he begged her, stroking her curly dark hair and kissing her tenderly on the forehead. "Don't go back to Rollo's, or Jabba," he pleaded, holding her safe in his arms. "Stay with me," he whispered, clutching her protectively against his chest and kissing her on the temple.

"Ohhh," Victoria wept tearfully, wrapping her arms around him and clinging to him desperately. But she nodded in reluctant agreement, and Han smiled gratefully, stroking her back.

"It's going to be okay," he promised her, tears of hope filling his eyes. "It's going to be all right, Victoria. We're going to take care of you..." But now they were approaching Kashyyyk, and Han held her in one arm as he switched over to manual controls, guiding the _Falcon_ down to the landing platform at the edge of the Wookiee village. "It's all right," he whispered again, as Victoria nodded bravely, managing an appreciative smile and sniffing back her tears.

"Hang on," Han said apologetically, giving her another kiss as he got up, gently helping her back into the copilot's seat. "I gotta deal with this... I'll be back in a minute," he promised, as Victoria nodded, smiling gratefully.

Han climbed down the _Falcon's_ ramp, greeting Chewie on the landing platform and taking a few minutes to chat with Malla and the other Wookiees who had come by to say hello.

"So," Han said cheerfully, as he and Chewie climbed back aboard the _Falcon_. "Did you have a good time?"

"Raaaaugghh," Chewie nodded appreciatively, waving goodbye to his wife as they closed the hatch. _"How did it go on Tatooine?"_ he asked, curious.

"Well," Han nodded thoughtfully. "Interesting story..."

"Hahaha," Chewbacca laughed, deeply amused. _"It usually is, with you,"_ he agreed, following Han back to the cockpit. But then he stopped abruptly, cocking his head in surprise as he saw Victoria sitting in his copilot's seat, wrapped up in a blanket. "Ohhhh?" Chewbacca asked, giving Han a sharp look. _"What's this?"_

"Ahh," Han cringed, slightly embarrassed. "Chewie, you remember Victoria?" he asked nervously, introducing her. "Victoria, Chewie..."

"Haha," Chewbacca chuckled affectionately, nodding. _"Yes, I remember her,"_ he agreed amiably. _"I remember how you panicked and ran away, the last time you saw her,"_ he added, nodding respectfully to Victoria and roaring in friendly greeting.

"Hello." Victoria smiled shyly, getting up from the copilot's seat and shaking his paw. "Good to see you," she added awkwardly.

Chewbacca nodded good-naturedly, scruffing her hair affectionately. "All right," Han said, pushing Chewie toward his seat. "Get your big furry paws off her," he chided his friend, putting an arm shyly around Victoria and showing her to one of the passenger seats. He gave her a quick, secret kiss, and they shared a mischievous grin behind Chewie's back. "All right, strap yourselves in," Han announced cheerfully, returning to his pilot's seat and immensely pleased to have an actual passenger for this trip. "Next stop: Korriban."

"Rauuughh," Chewie nodded sagely, setting the coordinates as they prepared for the jump to hyperspace. _"Did you get the extra crate from Jabba?"_ he asked hopefully.

"Ahh," Han sighed, shaking his head. "No," he confessed, with an apologetic glance at Victoria as well. _If she's going to be part of the team she deserves to know what's going on._ "I tried to ask him about the extra crate of death sticks we're supposed to deliver today," he replied to Chewbacca, filling in the specifics so Victoria could follow the conversation.

"But," he sighed, sharing a rueful grin with Victoria now. "That didn't go too well; we both wound up in the Rancor pit," he told Chewbacca, who blinked at him in alarm. "Like I said; long story," Han said, patting Chewie reassuringly on the shoulder. "The important thing is that you and Malla had a nice time, right?" he said cheerfully.

_"No,"_ Chewbacca countered worriedly. _"The important thing is that we get an extra crate of death sticks delivered to Korriban this afternoon, so that Jabba doesn't have our heads when we tell him that the customer has dropped him for Gardulla,"_ he reminded Han, with a meaningful look.

"Oh... _that,_" Han sighed ruefully, nodding in agreement, as Victoria giggled, though she didn't quite understand what they were talking about. "All right," Han agreed, logging into the navicomputer. "So, where are we going to find an extra crate of death sticks?" he asked them amiably, hunting through the classified ads for spice listings.

"Coruscant?" Victoria suggested helpfully from the back seat.

Han grinned back at her. "Thanks, sweetheart," he said appreciatively, his heart fluttering happily at the figure of speech. _I actually have someone to call 'sweetheart'..._ "All right; let me rephrase that," Han said, as Chewie chuckled in amusement. "Where are we going to find a crate of death sticks, on a planet that's _not_ swarming with Jedi, who want to throw my ass in prison for the rest of eternity," he specified, giving Victoria an apologetic cringe.

"Oh," Victoria nodded, sighing regretfully. "Sorry," she shrugged. "Can't help you with that one."

"That's okay," Han nodded, his brows furrowing in surprise as he saw a listing in the galactic classifieds. "Hey, have a look at this... Fresh oregano, a thousand credits per kilo," he told them, reading the ad. _Oregano_ was the street name for death sticks, just as _spice_ was a euphemism for drugs in general; drug dealers often listed classified ads on the HoloNet by claiming to sell legal cooking spices. _Not that anyone would be stupid enough to actually buy oregano for a thousand credits per kilo,_ Han grinned in amusement.

"That's actually a really good price," he confessed, checking out the address on the listing. "Dorvalla," Han sighed thoughtfully; the planet was well out of their way, nearly on the opposite side of the galaxy from Korriban. "We'll be a day late on our shipment, but at least we'll _have_ it," he pointed out optimistically. "I don't see any other listings," Han admitted, scanning through the HoloNet ads. "I think we gotta do this," he sighed, as Chewbacca nodded in agreement.

"All right," Han said, grinning ruefully. "Next stop: Dorvalla," he corrected himself, as Chewie made the calculations for the jump to lightspeed. "And then we'll find you something to wear," Han added to Victoria, with an apologetic smile. Victoria smiled back at him appreciatively, still huddled in her blanket; but she shivered slightly, and Han was once again concerned by the dark, sunken circles beneath her eyes.

_She'll be going through withdrawal for the next couple of days,_ he admitted regretfully, getting up from the pilot's seat and attending to her now. "Come on," he said gently, helping her to her feet. "Let's get you back in bed," he suggested, seeing her obvious exhaustion, and the pained look in her eyes. Victoria nodded gratefully, accepting his help, and Han gently tucked her back into his bed, stroking her hair worriedly.

"Can I get you anything? Are you hungry?" he asked again. "You need to eat," he chided Victoria gently. "How about some Nerf stew?" he suggested; he always kept a few cans of it on hand, as it was easy to digest and especially good for people who were sick.

"Ohhh," Victoria sighed miserably. "All right," she agreed, though she was clearly unhappy with the idea of eating anything. "Do you have any painkillers?"

"Oh," Han nodded. "Of course." He smiled apologetically, kissing her on the forehead. "I'm sorry, sweetheart," he whispered, getting up. _Ah, I am stupid; obviously she needs painkillers._ "I'll be back in a second," he said, going to his first aid cabinet.

_"Is she all right?"_ Chewie asked worriedly, coming back to investigate.

"Yeah," Han nodded regretfully. "She's going through glitterstim withdrawal," he added quietly; Chewie nodded in understanding, not surprised. "Chewie, can you start heating up some Nerf stew?"

_"Sure,"_ Chewie agreed, heading for the kitchen as Han pulled out a bottle of painkillers from the first aid cabinet.

"Here you go," Han said gently, handing Victoria a glass of water along with two pills.

"Thanks," Victoria nodded appreciatively, swallowing the painkillers and then lying back down against the pillow, smiling at Han in gratitude. "So," she said, glancing at the brightly-colored fingerpainted decorations tacked all over Han's bedroom walls. "Anaeryn... He's really twenty-three?" she asked, curious, reading the childish signatures.

"Ah... yes," Han admitted, with an embarrassed grin. "You _do_ know I'm a Solo, right?"

"Ha," Victoria laughed, a mischievous twinkle in her dark eyes. "Yeah, I know," she nodded shyly. "Your Majesty," she added awkwardly, only half joking.

"Ahh!" Han cringed. "Don't call me that," he pleaded. "And don't get your hopes up, sister," he teased her. "I'm nineteenth in line for the throne, and there's no money," Han admitted ruefully. "So can kiss your dreams of being a princess goodbye."

Victoria laughed, nodding. "Yeah, so I've heard," she agreed, kissing him affectionately. "Anyway, that's not why I like you," she assured him, stroking his hair. "No, I think it's great." She smiled softly, glancing at Anaeryn's artwork once again. "My little brother used to love fingerpainting too," she admitted, a wistful look in her eyes.

"Yeah," Han grinned, still somewhat embarrassed. _Most kids do,_ he sighed regretfully. _When they're five..._ But now he blinked worriedly, seeing that Victoria's tears had come again, and he smiled tenderly, stroking her hair as Victoria cried quietly against his shoulder.

_It's going to be a long couple of days,_ he sighed, holding Victoria in his arms and doing what he could to console her as she continued to battle the physical and emotional ravages of glitterstim withdrawal.


	126. Hi, I'd like to buy some oregano

**Chapter 126**

_Several hours later..._

"We'll be back in an hour or so, all right?" Han said gently, giving Victoria a worried look as she lay in bed huddled beneath the covers, shivering weakly with fever. "I'll try to be quick," he promised, his heart aching for her.

"Okay," Victoria nodded bravely, though she shuddered involuntarily. "I'm all right," she assured him, her voice shaking feebly.

Han nodded solemnly, stroking her hair gently as she closed her eyes again in exhaustion. They had landed on Dorvalla to buy an extra crate of death sticks; Han would have preferred to leave Chewie aboard the _Falcon_ to watch over Victoria, but the Wookiee had stubbornly refused to let him face the drug dealers alone.

_He's right,_ Han admitted reluctantly, as the two of them left the _Falcon_ in a safe-looking neighborhood before going off to track down the originator of the classified ad they'd found. _These independent drug dealers can be even more dangerous than Jabba's associates,_ Han confessed, grateful for his trusty blaster at his side.

"Keep your eyes open, Chewie," he said in a low voice as they walked down the street toward the address listed in the HoloNet ad. It seemed to be a perfectly safe, nice neighborhood; Han sighed regretfully, feeling a little guilty just _being_ here. A group of young children looked up at them now from the yard where they were playing, their eyes wide with fright as they saw Han's blaster, and Chewbacca's fearsome bowcaster.

_Sorry, kids,_ Han sighed ruefully. _It's not my fault one of your neighbors is a drug dealer._ They were approaching the house now; Han and Chewie shared a knowing look, their weapons at the ready as they stood on either side of the doorstep, prepared for a skirmish.

Han knocked on the door, keeping his right hand carefully at his side as he waited for an answer, his fingers just inches from his blaster. "Coming!" said a voice from inside the house; an elderly woman's, from the sound of it. Han returned Chewie's puzzled look as the door opened, and suddenly they found themselves face-to-face with a sweet little old lady wearing a floral-patterned dress.

"Hello." The white-haired lady smiled pleasantly, greeting them; but then her eyes widened in surprise as she saw Chewbacca, and she put a hand to her heart in alarm. "Oh my," she exclaimed, caught off guard. "Forgive me," she apologized quickly, remembering her manners. "I've never met a Wookiee before," she confessed. "Can I help you boys?" she asked politely, giving them a hopeful, somewhat confused look.

"Uh... I'm sorry, ma'am," Han apologized, looking at the number on her house again. "I think we've got the wrong place... This is 1496 Telian Court?" he asked uncertainly.

"Yes." The lady smiled, nodding; then she looked up at them in surprise, realization dawning on her. "Oh!" she exclaimed. "You've come about the spices?" she asked hopefully.

"Yes," Han nodded, surprised beyond words. _I never thought I'd be buying drugs from a little old lady in a nice suburban neighborhood,_ he blinked, stunned and a bit disturbed by the realization. _What is this galaxy coming to...?_ "We saw the ad on the HoloNet; we'd like to buy a kilo of oregano," he told her, carefully using the code name for the drug in case this was some type of sting operation.

"Oh, wonderful!" The lady beamed, nodding happily. "Come in; I've got some all dried and ready to go," she assured them, inviting them inside. "Unless you'd like fresh?" she asked thoughtfully, giving Han a curious look. "I've got plenty more growing in the garden; oh, I just love herbs," the little old lady said, leading the way back toward her kitchen.

_Uh..._ Han shared a worried look with Chewie now, his heart racing as he began to realize what was going on. "Ma'am," he asked carefully, glancing around at the sprigs of oregano and other herbs, tied and hung carefully to dry above the window in her kitchen. "You placed the HoloNet ad yourself?"

"Yes." The lady beamed proudly. "Although I'm not very good with computers," she confessed. "I was worried that perhaps the ad hadn't gone through; oh dear, what a mess that would be," she laughed cheerfully, nodding toward her back yard, which was overgrown with herbs of every variety. "I noticed that herbs were selling for a very good price on the HoloNet; much better than I could ever get for them locally," she admitted. "I suppose they're hard to grow on some other planets, what with the climate differences," she conceded regretfully.

"Anyway, I really appreciate you boys stopping by," the lady said gratefully. "It's been hard living on a pension, since my husband died," she admitted, with a sad smile. "And I've always loved gardening; I'm hoping that this will help to make ends meet," she told them cheerfully, nodding toward her garden outside the window. "So, would you prefer dried oregano, or fresh?"

"Ahhh," Han sighed unhappily, his heart sinking for a multitude of reasons. _We flew all the way across the galaxy for cooking spices,_ he realized. _And now we're a day late on our shipment, and still don't have any leads on the extra crate of death sticks we need,_ Han blinked worriedly. _The Korriban drug lord is already threatening to take his business to Gardulla; if that happens, who knows what Jabba will do..._ Han trusted Jabba far more than any of the other Hutts, but still, he was painfully aware of the fact that Jabba held the remote detonator to the slave device in his father's head, and that Hutts were not particularly known for their patience, or their respect for human life. _And on top of that, Victoria is really sick,_ Han sighed, anxious to get back to her.

But something else nagged at his conscience, and he nodded to Chewie now, understanding the Wookiee's concerned look. "Ma'am," Han said gently to the little old lady, with a regretful smile. "I hate to be the one to break this to you, but the spice ads you see on the HoloNet..." He broke off, cringing apologetically.

The lady looked at him, a confused expression on her face; but then she blinked worriedly as comprehension finally hit her. "Oh no," she gasped, shocked. "You mean... _spices?_" she whispered, horrified by the concept.

"Yes, ma'am," Han nodded, grateful that she seemed to finally understand what he was hinting at. "_Spices,_" he agreed solemnly. "And I'd suggest you take that ad off the HoloNet right now, because the next guys who come along looking for _spices_ might not be so understanding about the mix-up," Han warned her pointedly.

"Oh," the lady blinked anxiously, noticing Han's blaster and Chewbacca's bowcaster for the first time. "Oh!" she gasped again, nodding vigorously. "Yes, of course," she agreed. "I'm sorry, sir," she apologized profusely. "I'm sorry to have wasted your time; I know you must be very busy," she babbled desperately, in a polite attempt to herd them out the door.

_Yes, we are very busy,_ Han sighed ruefully, as he and Chewie were ushered out onto the doorstop by the frightened woman. _Still... We came all the way out here,_ he mused, peering back at the little sprigs of oregano hanging above her kitchen window.

"I won't keep you any longer," the lady assured them now, trying valiantly to remember her manners and not completely slam the door in their faces. "Thank you so much for your time..."

"Wait," Han said awkwardly, as Chewbacca chuckled in amusement, guessing what he was up to. "My stepmother loves spices... _Cooking_ spices," Han confessed apologetically; Gwen loved to cook for Arthur, and had started an herb garden of her own outside their little cabin on Dantooine. "Do you have anything that's native to Dorvalla, that she might not be able to get on Dantooine?" he asked, attempting a friendly smile. _The poor lady; I've upset her enough today, I might as well buy some of her spices..._

"Oh!" the elderly lady beamed, delighted. "Yes, of course," she nodded, waving them inside. "Come on in..." A few minutes later she was herding them out the door again, this time with a variety of native Dorvalla cooking spices, which she had sold to Han at a greatly discounted price. "Thank you so much." The old lady smiled warmly. "It was so nice to meet you boys... and I hope your stepmother likes the spices," she added to Han, with a grandmotherly smile.

"Thank you; I'm sure she will," Han nodded, smiling appreciatively. "And don't forget to take that ad down," Han reminded her, as the lady nodded vigorously in agreement. "All right... Well, have a nice day, ma'am," Han said politely, heading back to the street with Chewbacca as the lady cheerfully waved goodbye to them from her doorstep.

"Well... At least we have some oregano," Han pointed out optimistically, ignoring Chewbacca's apprehensive look as they made their way back to the _Falcon._ "And some rosemary, and thyme... Hey, don't worry," Han insisted confidently. "We'll just move on to Plan B," he decided. "No problem."

_"This WAS Plan B,"_ Chewbacca pointed out, glancing back toward the nice old lady's house.

"Yeah, well, Plan C, then," Han conceded, shrugging; then he caught Chewie's reproachful look. "All right; Plan D... E... F... Yeah, we're screwed," Han sighed, nodding in agreement, as Chewie scruffed his hair consolingly. _How the heck are we going to find a crate of death sticks now?_

"Wait," Han blinked, an idea suddenly coming to him. "What Victoria said... Coruscant," he reminded Chewie. "She's right," Han admitted, surprised by the thought. "If you're looking to buy drugs, that's the place to go," he confessed, a plan formulating in his mind.

_"If you're looking to get ARRESTED, that's the place to go,"_ Chewie countered, with a warning glance.

"Yeah, yeah," Han nodded. "But - Chewie... _Victoria,_" he suggested, nodding toward the _Falcon_ in the distance. "Nobody knows her on Coruscant. And she knows how to buy drugs," he pointed out regretfully.

_"No,"_ Chewbacca growled fiercely, giving Han a stern look. _"Han, she's a glitterstim addict. If you cared about her at all, you wouldn't even think of what you're suggesting,"_ he reproached him.

"Hey," Han scowled resentfully. "Victoria's not like that. She's not an addict, she's just... She's not like that," he insisted. "She doesn't _want_ to be on drugs; she's just been through a hard time," Han protested. "What, you think she's going to go out there and - and get trashed on glitterstim again?" he challenged Chewbacca indignantly.

_"I didn't say that,"_ Chewbacca replied diplomatically.

"Yeah, well, you were _thinking_ it," Han retorted hotly. "And you're wrong," he told his friend stubbornly. "Victoria can handle this. She's a lot stronger than you think; you don't know her," Han added, giving Chewbacca a reproachful look.

_"And you do?"_ Chewbacca asked mildly.

Han scowled. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?" he asked angrily. "Of course I know her... She's my girlfr- " he broke off, sighing unhappily. "I'm sorry," he apologized quietly. "You're right; I've only just met her," he conceded, realizing that this must seem very sudden to Chewbacca. "But I'm telling you, Chewie... She ain't like that," he insisted again helplessly, genuinely hurt that Chewbacca had such little faith in Victoria.

Chewbacca nodded, patting him apologetically on the shoulder. _"I believe you,"_ he conceded. _"I'm just worried for her, that's all. And I still think it's too soon,"_ he confessed. _"She's trying to get off the glitterstim; she needs to be kept away from drugs right now, not sent back onto the streets to buy them."_

"Yeah, I know," Han nodded ruefully. "So do you have any better ideas?" he asked hopefully.

Chewbacca sighed, shaking his head. _"No,"_ he confessed. _"Maybe you're right..."_

"I know I'm right," Han insisted. "Chewie, Victoria's strong; she can handle this. And it'll just be this one time," he promised.

_"Hahaha,"_ Chewbacca laughed softly. _"How many times have I heard that?"_ he reproached Han gently.

"Yeah, yeah," Han conceded. _This won't be the last time... Especially if it goes well._ "No, I promise," he told Chewbacca, looking into the Wookiee's eyes. "If she ever slips up and has a problem again, that's it; I'll never let her near drugs again," he vowed.

Chewie sighed, hanging his head. _"I don't like this,"_ he told Han truthfully. _"But I don't have any other ideas either,"_ he confessed. _"We'll try it; this ONE time... If she's willing,"_ he conceded, nodding reluctantly. _"And depending on how that goes,"_ he mused, scratching his furry head.

_"No, I don't like it,"_ Chewie insisted stubbornly, shaking his head. _"Glitterstim addiction is incredibly powerful; it's cruel to put her in a position where she has to resist it,"_ he sighed. _"But less cruel than your father's head exploding, or you becoming Rancor fodder,"_ he conceded.

_"All right,"_ Chewbacca sighed reluctantly. _"But we'll only send her to do drug transactions in extreme emergencies,"_ he stipulated, as Han nodded in agreement. _"And only if she wants to,"_ Chewie added quietly; Han sighed, admitting they hadn't actually asked Victoria how she felt about it.

"Okay," Han nodded, grateful for his friend's counsel. He and Chewie faced these kinds of moral dilemmas all the time, and it was exhausting always trying to differentiate between shades of grey, and make the least reprehensible decision available to them. Han usually put up an argument for what appeared to be the easy, foolproof way of doing things, but in the end he generally deferred to Chewbacca's wisdom, trusting the Wookiee's judgment more than his own.

They had been heading toward a small shopping center up ahead to buy some new clothes for Victoria, but Han stopped now as they passed by the landing area where the _Falcon_ was docked. "I just want to see how she's doing; make sure she's okay," he told Chewie, who nodded agreeably as they headed toward the _Falcon_.

_Poor thing... She's feeling really awful,_ Han sighed sadly; Victoria had been shaking and trembling for a couple of hours now, moaning in pain and anguish. _She probably won't feel up to buying death sticks on Coruscant for at least a couple of days,_ he knew; glitterstim withdrawal was extremely painful, and it could take weeks before it was completely out of her system.

_Chewie's right,_ Han admitted, realizing that Victoria was in no shape to be conducting an illegal and highly dangerous drug transaction. _What was I thinking? Ahh, sometimes I really hate being a Solo,_ he sighed. _I have no common sense,_ he berated himself, as they climbed up the ramp and back onto the _Falcon_ to check on Victoria.

"Victoria?" Han called hopefully, heading toward his bedroom. _OUR bedroom,_ he corrected himself, his heart fluttering at the thought. "Victoria, are you all right?" But then he stopped in his tracks, his eyes widening at the sight before him. "Victoria!" he exclaimed anxiously, rushing to her side.

She lay passed out on the couch in the lounge, an empty hypodermic needle still clutched in her hand. The holo-chess table was littered with opened packages of death sticks, which Han had carefully stowed beneath the floor panels this morning; he blinked in shock and confusion now, unable to believe what had obviously happened. "Victoria," he said urgently, shaking her gently. "Victoria, wake up..."

"Uhhh," Victoria moaned groggily, opening her eyes slightly. "Han..."

"Victoria, what - ?" Han broke off helplessly, tears springing to his eyes. "What did you do that for?" he whispered in dismay, seeing the chopped-up death sticks on the holo-chess table. _You're supposed to smoke them... one at a time... Not dump out the contents of an entire package and inject them into your veins,_ he sighed miserably. _Especially not mixed with an antihistamine shot,_ Han blinked worriedly, realizing that she'd found the hypodermic needle in his first aid kit.

"We have to get her to the hospital," Han said quickly, turning to Chewie; but the Wookiee was already in the cockpit, starting up the _Falcon,_ and Han sighed unhappily, gathering Victoria in his arms and doing what he could to comfort her.

"Just hang on, Victoria," he whispered gently, stroking her hair and kissing her cold, clammy forehead. "You're going to be all right," he cried, tears in his eyes. _Victoria, why did you do that?_ he wept, betrayed. _I was trying to help you..._

"Just hold on," Han whispered again miserably, as they rushed to the nearest hospital in the _Millennium Falcon._

_An hour later..._

"She's sleeping," the doctor informed him quietly, as Han nodded appreciatively, grateful for news of Victoria's condition. They had taken her straight into the emergency room upon arrival, and Han and Chewie had been pacing nervously around the waiting room for the past hour.

"Will she be all right?" Han asked anxiously. "Can I see her?"

"Yes," the doctor nodded, leading them back to the recovery room where Victoria lay sleeping. "She probably won't wake up for several hours," he told Han. "But she'll recover from this," he assured him gently. "I'm recommending that she be transferred to a drug rehabilitation center; I can refer you to a couple of good ones, here on Dorvalla," he offered.

_Ahhh..._ "Thank you," Han nodded numbly, still in shock. _This wasn't in the plan..._ "She'll be all right, though?" he asked helplessly.

"Yes," the doctor nodded, smiling regretfully. "She'll be all right, _if_ she can stay away from the drugs," he added seriously. "And she's going to need your help with that."

Han nodded vigorously. "Of course," he agreed. "Absolutely." _I won't send her on drug dealing missions... That was a stupid idea,_ he confessed, feeling terrible that he'd even considered it. _Chewie was right..._ The doctor took his leave, and Han gave Chewie a rueful glance now as they sat down beside Victoria's bed, waiting for her to wake up.

_This sucks,_ Han realized anxiously, his heart sinking as he remembered that he had other problems to deal with, and that his father's life was at stake if he didn't attend to his business with Jabba. "I have to go," Han whispered numbly, knowing that he couldn't afford to sit around for another day waiting for Victoria to wake up. "Stay with her," he begged Chewie quietly, giving the Wookiee a pleading look.

_"No,"_ Chewbacca replied, unwavering. _"I go where you go,"_ he insisted stubbornly, reminding Han of his Wookiee life debt. Han had only recently managed to convince Chewie that it was perfectly all right to take a few days off to visit Malla now and then; but after hearing of Han's close call with the Rancor yesterday, Chewbacca was suddenly taking his life debt much more seriously.

"Ahhh..." Han slumped forward in his chair, hanging his head. _I can't just sit here,_ he sighed worriedly. _I CAN'T... But... Victoria..._ Tears sprang to his eyes, but he forced them away, trying to think what to do.

_I just need someone to take care of her for a couple of days, while I deal with this other stuff,_ Han admitted. _And Chewie won't do it,_ he sighed, accepting the Wookiee's decision.

"Lando," Han whispered, as Chewbacca nodded in quiet agreement. Bespin was less than a parsec away from Dorvalla; Lando could easily get here before Victoria woke up. _If he's not too busy with work,_ Han realized; Lando was a complete workaholic, and administrating the Tibanna gas facility was a never-ending job.

"I'll give him a call," Han said reluctantly, getting up. There was a public transmitter out in the hallway; Han dialed the number for Lando's administration office now, praying that his friend wasn't too busy today.

"Bespin Tibanna Gas," a familiar voice on the other end answered. "This is Lando Calrissian."

"Lando," Han replied urgently, letting out a sigh of relief. "Lando, I need your help with something..."


	127. Sure buddy, I'll take care of her

**Chapter 127**

_The next morning..._

Lando awoke with a start, jumping slightly in his bedside chair as the transmitter on his belt buzzed. _Ugh,_ he blinked, rubbing his neck uncomfortably and glancing briefly at the sleeping figure in the hospital bed beside him as he answered the call. _I must have fallen asleep..._ "Lando Calrissian," he announced in a business-like tone, trying to sound reasonably awake.

"Lando!" came an urgent but familiar voice on the other end. "Muddi uddi adda, muddi adda," Nien Nunb continued breathlessly in Sullustan. "Iddi muddi adda, noodi adda!" Nien Nunb was Lando's business partner on Bespin; he had started out making deliveries as a freighter pilot four years ago, and now managed shipping and receiving in Cloud City. Lando had left him in charge yesterday when he had rushed out here to Dorvalla at Han's request, and Nien had been calling him every hour or so with some type of dire emergency.

"Ahh," Lando sighed, nodding in dismay as his associate filled him in on the details of their latest Tibanna gas delivery crisis. "All right; I'll call Greedo, and let him know we'll be a couple days late on the next shipment to Tatooine," Lando told him. "Don't worry, it'll be fine."

_"It's not Greedo I'm worried about,"_ Nien pointed out, still jabbering rapidly in Sullustan. _"We're already a day late on our shipment to Velmor,"_ he reminded Lando. _"And Selvaris is expecting a delivery tomorrow."_

_Crap,_ Lando sighed, rubbing his eyes sleepily. "Okay, I'll give the customers a call, and tell them we're running a little behind," he told Nien. "Things are all right otherwise?" he asked hopefully.

_"Eh,"_ Nien laughed ruefully. _"More or less,"_ he conceded. _"Just get back here soon, okay boss?"_

"Okay," Lando grinned. "I'll try to be back by tonight," he promised, with a somewhat annoyed glance at the hospital bed beside him. _If Sleeping Beauty ever decides to wake up..._ "Thanks, Nien," he said appreciatively. "I'll give those customers a call, and check back with you in a couple hours," he promised.

_And now to break the bad news to the customers,_ Lando sighed unhappily, hanging up with Nien and immediately dialing the number for their Tibanna gas distributor on Velmor. "Hello," he said politely, as the receptionist answered his call. "This is Lando Calrissian, of Bespin Tibanna Gas..."

Fifteen minutes later, after speaking with two disgruntled customers and finally touching base with Greedo on Tatooine, Lando sighed heavily, clipping his transmitter back onto his belt and stretching uncomfortably in his chair. _It's been a long night._

Lando had rushed straight here to Dorvalla upon receiving Han's frantic transmission yesterday afternoon; his friend had been babbling incoherently, but Lando had managed to decipher that Han had 'met a girl' who was now in the hospital, for reasons unknown. _It was an accident,_ Han had told him helplessly over the transmitter, begging Lando to take care of Victoria while he and Chewie dealt with some urgent business for Jabba.

_An 'accident',_ Lando sighed again, gazing regretfully at the young woman in the hospital bed. _Right... The kind of 'accident' where half a dozen death sticks 'accidentally' get injected into your arm,_ Lando grumbled in frustration, running his fingers through his hair. _I don't have time for this... Han, buddy, what the hell were you thinking?_

The doctor had filled Lando in on the details upon his arrival; apparently the girl had been wearing only a skimpy gold bikini when Han had brought her into the emergency room, and he hadn't even known her last name. _And 'Victoria' sounds like a street name if I've ever heard one,_ Lando confessed, guessing that the young woman was a prostitute.

_I've got half a mind to tell Han about Star Wars, and SITH,_ Lando sighed ruefully, frustrated by his friend's lack of judgment. _That on Solaris Three there are millions of girls who would jump at the chance to go out with him, and that he doesn't have to pay some drugged-up hooker for sex... And that he's going to meet Leia any day now,_ Lando realized, sobered by the thought.

Han had been truly dismayed these past few years by his almost freakish inability to get a date of any kind - a circumstance so bizarre that Lando could only attribute it to the Solo curse. Lando had been tempted on several occasions to tell Han about Leia, and reassure his friend that there was a girl in his future, one worth waiting for; but he had wisely held his tongue, remembering Mace Windu's counsel many years ago.

_Knowing the future is a burden that human beings weren't meant to bear,_ Lando confessed, hanging his head unhappily. _I've been hanging around Cloud City for nine years now, because I know that's where I'm supposed to end up... But damn, it's boring,_ Lando admitted ruefully. _Sure, I've built an entire city, and discovered a source of Tibanna gas where no one would have expected it; I won the Falcon for Han, and even chose Sullustan as my foreign language back at the academy because I knew it would come in handy one day... But there are no surprises in my life any more,_ he lamented. _I wouldn't wish this on anyone else._

_No, I won't tell him about Leia,_ Lando resolved once again. _Not that I even know anything for sure,_ he admitted. Ninety-nine percent of _SITH_ was fictional - not to mention utterly preposterous - and Lando had no real reason to believe that Han and Leia's romance would be real. _It could be a complete fabrication, just like Anakin and Padmé's affair twenty years ago,_ he confessed regretfully.

_There IS no Luke Skywalker, living out in the desert on Tatooine,_ Lando grinned ruefully; he'd actually checked it out a few years back, but the famous igloo dwelling belonged to a humble moisture farmer who had no children - or nephews - and bore absolutely no resemblance to Owen Lars, who was in fact the director of _SITH_.

_But I always hoped Han and Leia would be real,_ Lando confessed. _They SEEMED real... and God knows, Han can't act,_ Lando grinned quietly; they'd been part of a theatrical production back at the military academy on Coruscant once, and unlike his thespian father, Han's acting had been absolutely atrocious.

_Ahh... I drive myself crazy thinking about this stuff,_ Lando chided himself, pushing his thoughts away. _Regardless of what may or may not happen with Leia... Han asked me to come out here to take care of Victoria,_ Lando remembered, eyeing the sleeping girl regretfully. _And so that's what I'll do,_ he resolved.

_I'll put up the two thousand credits to get her into this drug rehab program,_ Lando sighed, leafing through the brochure the doctor had given him. _That's really the best thing anyone can do for her... And then I'd better get back to Cloud City,_ he realized anxiously. Nien was doing an excellent job of managing the facility while Lando was away, but the Sullustan barely spoke a word of Basic, and customer service was not his strong point.

_But at least he does better than Lobot,_ Lando grinned ruefully. Lobot was the technical mastermind behind Cloud City, but the man was unable to speak altogether, having destroyed the language area of his brain years ago in a botched attempt to turn himself into a cyborg. _He is one weird dude... But I don't know how we'd manage without him,_ Lando admitted.

Lando, Nien, and Lobot were the only ones who knew the status and location of Bespin's Tibanna gas mines, aside from Carl and his mining crew down on the planet's surface; they'd had trouble with dishonest employees in the past, and so in an effort to prevent piracy, that information was now kept top secret. But of the three of them, only Lando had the communication skills to deal with customers, and he sighed wearily now as his transmitter buzzed once again, indicating an incoming call.

"Lando Calrissian," he answered politely, blinking away his fatigue and realizing that in addition to barely getting any sleep last night, he also hadn't had breakfast yet this morning.

But it wasn't a customer on the other end of the line; Lando breathed a sigh of relief to hear Han's voice, though his friend sounded equally stressed. "Lando," Han replied worriedly. "How's Victoria doing?"

"She's all right," Lando told him cautiously. _Considering she nearly died from a drug overdose yesterday,_ he sighed, still dismayed by Han's involvement with a glitterstim addict. "She's still asleep," Lando added. "But the doctor is recommending that we transfer her to a drug rehab program here on Dorvalla when she wakes up... When do you think you'll be back?" Lando asked.

"Ahh... I'm still trying to track down a case of d- _oregano,_" Han confessed wearily. "So far we've had no luck; and then we gotta make a delivery to Korriban. It'll be at least another day, maybe two," he admitted anxiously. "This rehab program... How long is it for?" he asked, clearly dismayed not to be there.

"Three days," Lando told him hesitantly; the center offered lengthier programs as well, but they were insanely expensive, and Lando knew that Han couldn't even afford this basic detox program. _This is why you don't get involved with drug addicts._ "Buddy," Lando added quietly, with an apprehensive glance at the sleeping girl. "It's gonna cost another two thousand credits... You sure about this?" he asked gently. _A three-day program isn't going to make a damn bit of difference,_ Lando confessed regretfully. _She'll go right back on the glitterstim as soon as she gets out._

"Ahh," Han sighed unhappily. "Yeah... of course," he told Lando. "Don't worry, I've got it covered... I just - " Han broke off worriedly. "Are you sure she's all right? The doctor's seen her this morning?"

"Yeah," Lando reassured him. "He expects she'll wake up later this morning," he added. "The antihistamines made her really drowsy; she's just sleeping it off, that's all."

"Okay," Han replied, still clearly dismayed. "Thanks, Lando," he added with quiet gratitude. "I'm really sorry about this," he apologized sincerely. "I owe you one, buddy."

"Ah, don't worry about it." Lando grinned amiably. "I'm happy to help."

"Thanks," Han said again. "And... Lando?" he asked hesitantly. "When she wakes up... Can you tell her - tell her I'm sorry I couldn't be there, and I'll be back as soon as I can," he pleaded apologetically.

"All right, I'll tell her," Lando assured him, surprised and touched by his friend's obvious concern for the girl. "I'll call you back once we get her transferred into the rehab program, okay?"

"All right," Han agreed gratefully. "Thanks, Lando."

"No problem," Lando assured him. "Talk to you later, buddy," he said, as they hung up.

_He's serious about her,_ Lando realized, gazing thoughtfully at the sleeping girl once again. _Serious enough to put up two thousand credits - which he doesn't have - to make sure she's all right..._ Then he shook his head ruefully, grinning in quiet amusement. _She was his first,_ Lando realized, suddenly understanding his friend's inexplicable devotion to this scantily-clad glitterstim addict.

_The Solo curse has been lifted,_ Lando guessed, laughing despite his dismay. _He may have had to pay her, and she was drugged beyond all belief... But Han's not a twenty-eight year old virgin any more,_ Lando sighed, not entirely pleased by the realization. _I'd always hoped Leia would be the one to break the spell._

_Well,_ Lando sighed, stretching wearily. _I'd better get some breakfast,_ he decided, getting up from his bedside chair. Victoria was still sleeping soundly; Lando checked on her one last time before quietly leaving the room, heading down the hallway toward the hospital's cafeteria.

* * *

><p><em>A few minutes later...<em>

Victoria blinked groggily, regaining consciousness. She thought she had heard a strange voice a minute ago, but then it had stopped; she looked around the room now, lost and disoriented.

Then her eyes widened anxiously as she noticed the sterile white walls and hospital equipment surrounding her. _Oh no..._ Memories rushed back to her in bits and pieces as she recalled her brush with the Rancor and her escape from Jabba's dungeon with Han Solo; their trip to Dorvalla, and finally, the case of death sticks she had found beneath the _Falcon's_ floor panels in a moment of desperation.

_Crap,_ Victoria cried unhappily, realizing what had happened. _I overdosed... and Han dumped me here,_ she guessed, her heart sinking. _Not that I blame him,_ she confessed, dismayed.

_But I have to get out of here,_ Victoria realized worriedly; hospitals were expensive, and she had no money to pay for her emergency visit. _I'm sorry..._ Stumbling out of bed, she found her gold bikini and high-heeled sandals in the bedside cabinet, quickly pulling her clothes back on and heading for the window.

_Come on... please open..._ Victoria's room was on the first floor, and thankfully the window wasn't locked; a moment later she dropped down to the ground below, staggering groggily as she made her way across the hospital grounds toward the city beyond. _Crap... Where am I going to go now?_

_I don't care,_ Victoria decided dismally, heading toward the city center. _I don't have any money, and I'll need another hit in a few more hours,_ she confessed; her skin was crawling already, and she knew it was only a matter of time before the horrifying hallucinations would begin again. _I'll just head into town, and - and..._ Victoria blinked back tears of fright, knowing that her situation was about to get much, much worse.

Sure enough, a few minutes later a stranger approached her: a dark-skinned, mustachioed man dressed all in blue polyester, an extravagant satin cape lined with gold hanging from his shoulders. _He's a pimp,_ Victoria realized immediately, eyeing the man's fancy clothes. _Oh, crap..._ Victoria had never sunk so low as to resort to prostitution for her survival; but stranded here on a strange planet, with no money, and wearing only a gold bikini, she knew that her options were limited.

_No,_ she told herself stubbornly, ignoring the man and continuing toward the city. _I won't do it. I'll find a night club in town, and get a job as a dancer,_ she resolved. _I'm almost off the glitterstim anyway now... Maybe I can finally quit,_ Victoria told herself optimistically; but tears filled her eyes as she realized the truth. _No, I can't,_ she confessed. _I've tried before, so many times... I can't do it,_ she wept in dismay.

_Han said he would help me,_ Victoria cried, heartbroken. _But then I screwed up... I can't blame him for dumping me,_ she sobbed, stumbling along the sidewalk and trying to get away from the blue-caped pimp who was still chasing after her.

But the man was quickly gaining on her, and called out again. "Victoria, wait!" he said, running to catch up. _Leave me alone, you pervert..._ But now Victoria blinked, surprised. _How did he know my name?_ "Victoria," the strange man said again, catching up to her. "My name is Lando Calrissian," he introduced himself breathlessly, as Victoria gave him a suspicious glance, still walking resolutely along the sidewalk and trying to ignore him. "I'm a friend of Han's... He asked me to take care of you," the man explained.

At this, tears stung Victoria's eyes. _Han dumped me, and called his pimp buddy to come 'take care' of me,_ she realized, frightened and betrayed. _I thought he was different,_ Victoria cried, cursing herself for actually falling for the smuggler. _I thought he was nice, and cute, and sweet... But he's a scumbag, just like all the others,_ she realized now, dismayed by her own naivete. _He just wanted to use me..._

"Leave me alone," Victoria scowled, stubbornly walking away from the man. "I don't want your _help,_" she spat scornfully.

"Ahh," Lando sighed in exasperation. "All right; let's cut the crap," he agreed, equally unimpressed. "I've got better things to do than chase after some drugged-up hooker," he told her unsympathetically. "But my buddy asked me to take care of you, and so that's what I'm going to do," he said, frustrated.

"Go to hell," Victoria retorted hotly. "And tell Han I don't want his help either." _And I'm NOT a hooker,_ she scowled indignantly, angry tears filling her eyes.

"Fine," the blue-caped pimp agreed, sighing ruefully. "Have it your way," he conceded, raising his hands in exasperation. "I'm out of here," he grumbled, turning around and heading back the way he had come. "I don't have time for this," he muttered under his breath as he stalked off.

Victoria let out a sigh of relief, trembling with fright as Han's pimp friend finally stormed away, leaving her alone. _Ohh,_ she shuddered anxiously. _That was too close..._ She managed to keep walking down the sidewalk for another block; but her knees were shaking, and finally she collapsed weakly onto a park bench, sobbing helplessly.

_Han... how could you?_ Victoria wept, betrayed. _I trusted you..._ But then the hung her head, finally admitting to the truth. _This is my own fault,_ she confessed, dismayed by what had become of her life. "Mom... Dad... I'm sorry," Victoria whispered, sobbing quietly. _I'll try to do better..._

* * *

><p><em>Great,<em> Lando sighed in frustration, heading back to his ship. _I came all the way out here to get yelled at by some crack whore... Thanks a lot, buddy,_ he grumbled, annoyed by Han's utter lack of judgment. _But it's for the best,_ he sighed ruefully. _At least this is over now, and Han won't have to shell out another two thousand credits for the drug rehab program,_ Lando consoled himself. Han had already paid for Victoria's emergency room visit before leaving with Chewbacca yesterday, and Lando sighed wearily, glad to be finally returning to Cloud City.

_Han won't be happy,_ Lando knew, bracing himself for the conversation to come. _But hopefully he'll learn from this mess,_ Lando sighed, climbing back onto his ship. _Han, you're better than this._

But as he started the engine, preparing for takeoff, Lando felt a twinge of guilt as he thought of Victoria. _Damn it,_ he sighed, realizing he hadn't even mentioned the drug program to her. _Not that three days would help much anyway,_ he admitted. _But she deserves at least that much,_ Lando confessed reluctantly, switching the engine back off and going out in search of the girl.

_It's not her fault that my mother was a drug addict, and I grew up with no family,_ Lando conceded, realizing he'd let his own personal baggage affect the way he'd treated Victoria. _I don't have a lot of patience for drug addicts,_ he admitted ruefully. _But Han asked me to take care of her, and I flew all the way out here; I should at least offer to get her into the three-day program,_ Lando agreed regretfully, realizing that the girl had nowhere else to go. _Who knows, maybe it could actually do her some good._

He found Victoria a few minutes later, sitting on a park bench not far from where he'd left her, slumped forward and sobbing uncontrollably. _Aww..._ Instantly Lando regretted his harsh words with her earlier, and approached the girl cautiously now. _Drug addict or not, she's alone, and frightened, and sick..._

"Victoria," he said gently, taking a seat beside her on the bench. "Victoria, I'm sorry."

"Go away," Victoria whispered helplessly, clutching her thin arms around her bare torso and shivering with cold and shock. "Please go away."

"No," Lando said gently, pulling off his cloak and bundling it around her. "I came out here to help you, and Han would never forgive me if I just left you here," he admitted. "He asked me to get you into a drug rehabilitation program... It's just for three days, but - it'll be a roof over your head," Lando pointed out. "And maybe it'll help you get back on your feet," he added encouragingly.

At this, Victoria looked up at him cautiously, her expression surprised and confused. "And after that?" she asked worriedly, a glint of apprehension and fear in her dark eyes.

"I don't know," Lando admitted quietly, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Han said he'd be back in a day or two; he wanted me to tell you he's sorry he couldn't stick around, but he had some business he had to deal with," he told her. "But he'll be back by the time you're out of the program, and after that..." Lando shrugged, managing an encouraging smile. "Han's a good guy," he told Victoria. "He's not going to leave you hanging." _And you are incredibly lucky to have met someone crazy enough to pay for your drug rehab and give you a second chance._

"Oh." Victoria nodded, blinking in surprise. "He's coming back?" she asked, still trying to grasp the concept.

"Yes," Lando reassured her. "He cares about you; he was very worried, and concerned by what you did," he added, with a look of gentle reproach.

Victoria nodded, hanging her head sadly. "I know," she whispered. "I'm sorry..."

"It's all right." Lando smiled regretfully. "We all make mistakes; the important thing is that we learn from them, right?" he said encouragingly, touched by Victoria's obvious remorse over what she had done. _Maybe she's not so hopeless after all,_ Lando realized suddenly, beginning to understand what Han had seen in the girl. _There's something innocent and sweet about her, despite the drug problem,_ he admitted.

Victoria nodded, managing a rueful smile. "Yeah," she agreed shyly. "I'm not going to do that again." But then she gave Lando a worried look. "This drug program... How much does it cost?" she asked apprehensively.

"Don't worry about it," Lando said gently. "Han's got it covered; he just wants to make sure you get the help you need," he reassured her, patting her shoulder.

Victoria smiled in tearful gratitude; but then she shook her head again. "He doesn't have the money," she protested quietly. "That's why we came here to begin with; he had to find an extra case of death - _oregano_," she corrected herself quickly - "so he could make his next shipment, and have enough to pay Jabba," Victoria pointed out worriedly. "He can't afford this right now; I don't want to make things worse for him," she confessed anxiously.

Lando looked at her in surprise; he hadn't expected such genuine concern and sense of responsibility coming from a drug-addicted hooker. "If you don't want to make things worse, you'll get off the drugs," he advised her, giving her a meaningful look.

Victoria nodded. "Yeah," she agreed regretfully. "I will," she promised, managing an apologetic smile. "And that's nice of him to offer to put me in a program, but I - I'll be all right," she insisted. "The worst is over, really; I just - I need to find a place to stay, until Han gets back," Victoria admitted, glancing around the strange city worriedly. "And I don't have any money," she confessed helplessly.

Lando nodded thoughtfully, sighing. _She's right, about Han not having the money,_ he admitted; from the sound of things, Han was barely scraping by - as usual - and scrambling to stay in Jabba's good graces. And he feared that Victoria was being overly optimistic about her own condition, but ironically she was right: thanks to yesterday's death stick and antihistamine overdose, Victoria had effectively slept through the worst of her glitterstim withdrawal.

_I could put Han farther in debt, and drop Victoria off at some three-day drug program - where she's just another number, and they can do very little for her in the long run,_ he admitted regretfully, weighing his options. _Or..._ "Victoria," Lando said hesitantly. "I need to get back to work, on Bespin," he told her. "And I'll be happy to help you get into a drug program here before I go; the important thing is that we take care of you," he insisted seriously. "But if you want to wait a couple of days until Han gets back, you're welcome to come with me," he offered. "You won't find any drugs in Cloud City, and you'll be safe," he assured her. "And then when Han gets back, the two of you can decide whether or not you need to go into a program," he suggested gently.

Victoria nodded appreciatively, though there was a look of guarded apprehension in her eyes. "Cloud City," she repeated hesitantly. "What do you do there?" she asked, eyeing Lando's blue shirt uncertainly, then glancing down at the cape bundled around her shoulders.

"I'm the administrator of the facility," Lando explained, grinning in amusement. After buying his famous blue and gold cape several years ago in preparation for his future role on _SITH_, he had come to learn that capes were generally worn only by wealthy nobles and barons. _And apparently Tatooine pimps,_ Lando laughed quietly to himself, remembering Han's initial reaction to his cape years ago.

But then his eyes widened anxiously as he suddenly understood Victoria's wary glance. "Oh," Lando blinked nervously. "Not _that_ kind of Administrator," he assured her quickly, cringing in embarrassment.

Victoria giggled suddenly, looking down shyly; Lando could see her visible relief. "Sorry," she apologized, still laughing softly, her dark eyes twinkling with amusement. But then she blinked as the realization hit her. "Your Majesty," she added with a dismayed cringe, looking down at his gold-lined satin cloak again.

"Ha!" Lando laughed gently. "No... just Lando," he assured her good-naturedly. Then, seeing her puzzled glance at his cape again, he grinned apologetically. "I like capes," he confessed lamely, shrugging. _Damn... I actually used to dress cool back in Reno,_ Lando sighed. _What the hell happened to me?_

Victoria giggled again, amused by his confession. "No, it's... it's very nice," she assured him. "And warm," she added gratefully, with an appreciative glance at the cape around her shoulders. "At least you don't go around in a gold bikini," she pointed out, looking down at herself ruefully.

Lando grinned appreciatively, catching the glimmer of impish humor in Victoria's dark eyes. _Han, buddy... I get it now,_ he confessed, realizing what his friend had seen in this strange, glitterstim-addicted girl. _She's a little cutie pie,_ he agreed, forgetting all thoughts of Leia and suddenly hoping that Victoria might be the one for Han. _I like her,_ Lando grinned shyly; now that Victoria was awake - and not insulting him - he was beginning to see how beautiful she truly was.

_Whoa,_ Lando realized suddenly, his heart fluttering as he forced himself to notice her long, wavy black hair, her exquisite features, her perfectly sun-bronzed skin, her gorgeous dark eyes and enigmatic smile. _She's even prettier than Leia,_ he confessed, a bit disturbed by the thought. _And Han is obviously nuts about her... Could it be true?_ Lando wondered, blinking in surprise. _Could Victoria be the one, and not Leia after all?_

But then he caught the glimmer of amusement in Victoria's eyes, and realized what she had just said. "Oh," he stammered, nodding stupidly. _The gold bikini..._ "Yeah, let's - let's find you something else to wear," he agreed nervously, trying to steady his heartbeat and confessing that he would be grateful to see her wearing something less provocative. "Come on, there's got to be a store up ahead," he suggested hopefully, getting up from the bench. _Ahh! She's Han's girlfriend... Maybe his wife one day... Don't look at her like that,_ Lando chided himself, trying to keep his eyes averted from Victoria's lovely, slender young body. _Damn it, Han... You have all the luck,_ he laughed silently. _Yeah, she's a keeper,_ Lando confessed, truly delighted for his friend.

Victoria nodded appreciatively, getting up and walking beside him along the sidewalk, still keeping his cape bundled around her. "So, what sort of things _do_ you administrate, in Cloud City?" Victoria asked, looking up at him curiously.

"Ha," Lando grinned, still amused by their little misunderstanding. "Tibanna gas," he told her shyly. "We mine for it on Bespin, and distribute it to other planets," he explained. "It's a clean power source, with virtually no pollution," he added; then he cringed apologetically. "Sorry," he laughed, embarrassed. "I didn't mean to sound like a walking advertisement."

Victoria giggled again. "It's all right," she told him, her dark eyes glimmering appreciatively. "Next time I need to buy Tibanna gas, I know where to go," she announced importantly, nodding. "No, it sounds... interesting," Victoria assured him, smiling encouragingly.

"Eh," Lando sighed. "Actually, it's pretty boring," he confessed, with a rueful grin. _Ah, she must think I'm a complete dork._ "I don't know why I got into it, I just..." he broke off, shrugging helplessly. _I saw myself in some damned space movie as a kid, and ended up in a career I never would have chosen in a million years,_ he confessed.

"Hmm," Victoria laughed ruefully, giving him an understanding smile. "Hey, there are worse things than 'boring,'" she pointed out consolingly, with a regretful glance at her gold bikini. "I never meant to end up as a dancer," she confessed.

"No?" Lando asked gently, seeing the girl's regret. "A dancer... Is that what you do?" he asked quietly, suddenly realizing that perhaps she wasn't a prostitute after all.

"Yeah," Victoria nodded. "Well, I _did,_" she corrected herself, with a rueful smile. "But now I'm probably fired, and - well, Han told me to quit anyway," she confessed, shrugging; then she grinned suddenly. "I guess I'm an Assistant Spice Smuggler now," she giggled, her eyes glimmering with amusement.

Lando laughed softly, masking his regret and apprehension. _Being around drugs all the time is the last thing she needs,_ he sighed worriedly, praying that Victoria would have the strength to beat her addiction. "So how did you two meet?"

"Oh," Victoria said, her eyes sparkling happily. "Well I've known him for a while; I mean, I've seen him around," she told Lando shyly. "But then last night - or the night before?" she corrected herself, her brows furrowing uncertainly. "I was dancing at Jabba's palace, and Han was there, and then we both got sent down to the Rancor - "

"What?" Lando exclaimed, blinking in alarm. "Rancor - what?"

Victoria giggled, amused by his reaction. "Yeah, it was - ah, it was creepy," she admitted, shuddering at the memory, though she was still laughing. "But Han was... Ahh, he's amazing." Victoria smiled dreamily. "He always knows exactly what to do," she added shyly, obviously in love.

"Yes... Yes, he does," Lando lied tactfully, not wanting to burst Victoria's bubble. _Actually, I'M the one who always knows what to do,_ Lando sighed, bored to tears by his knowledge of the future. _Han's the one who makes everything up as he goes along; whose life is unpredictable, and exciting, and full of surprises..._ "Han's very resourceful," Lando conceded, with an affectionate grin.

"Yeah, I know," Victoria nodded appreciatively. "Anyway, it's not just because of the Rancor thing, that we ended up together," she added. "I always liked him before that," she confessed. "He's not like the other guys you meet on Tatooine," Victoria explained. "He's nice, and sweet, and cute, and - " she giggled shyly. "I asked him to dance one time, and he ran away; it was so adorable," she laughed, her eyes sparking happily.

_Aww..._ Lando's heart melted, and suddenly he found himself hoping that Han and Victoria would end up together. _Forget Leia... This girl is amazing,_ he confessed, sharing a shy smile with Victoria now. "Yeah, Han's a nice guy," Lando agreed, trying to talk up his buddy. "He's a real prince... _literally,_" he pointed out, grinning mischievously.

"Haha!" Victoria laughed again; she had a beautiful voice, delicate and lyrical, and Lando couldn't help but smile at her infectious laughter. "Yeah," Victoria agreed. "I never realized how sweet he was; do you know he's got his little brother's finger-paintings pinned up all over his bedroom wall?" she asked Lando, her dark eyes sparkling with appreciation. "I didn't get a chance to ask him about it, but it's obvious they're really close... I like that about him," she confessed shyly, shrugging quietly and looking down at the ground.

"Yeah," Lando agreed, deciding that this was not the time to mention that Han had never actually _met_ any of his younger brothers. "What about you; do you have a family?" he asked, tactfully changing the subject.

At this, Victoria's eyes flickered with grief and pain. "Um... no," she confessed, looking away; Lando cursed himself for his lack of tact, seeing the sudden tears in Victoria's eyes. _Crap. The poor girl's a glitterstim addict, and makes her living dancing for Jabba... Obviously she doesn't have a stable home life,_ he realized unhappily.

"Hey... I'm sorry," Lando apologized gently. "I don't have a family either," he added quietly, giving her a regretful smile. _I know what it's like. It really sucks, sometimes,_ he agreed silently.

Victoria nodded, glancing up at him in quiet appreciation and managing a brave smile. "Well," she said apologetically, nodding toward the clothing store they were now passing. "Should we try this one?" she suggested hopefully, obviously trying to change the subject.

"Yes," Lando nodded, equally grateful for the diversion. "Let's give it a try."

Ten minutes later they emerged from the store, with Victoria now dressed in an adorable yet decent outfit, and Lando wearing his blue cape once again. "Thank you," Victoria said in shy appreciation, as Lando nodded encouragingly, trying not to notice how impossibly sexy she looked in her trendy new clothes. _She'd have to be wearing a damned snow suit to not look gorgeous,_ he sighed ruefully. _No, even then she'd be cute,_ Lando grinned despite himself, suddenly picturing Victoria in a little snow bunny outfit. _Han, buddy, you sure know how to pick them,_ he confessed, dutifully forcing the image from his mind.

They made their way back to Lando's ship, and he took a minute to touch base with Nien and leave a message for Han before taking off; Han wasn't answering his transmissions, but Lando assured him that Victoria was doing well, and that they were now heading back to Cloud City.

A few minutes later they launched into hyperspace, making the short journey back to Bespin, and Lando gave Victoria an encouraging smile. "We'll be there in an hour or so," he assured her. "It's not far."

Victoria nodded, smiling appreciatively. "Thank you," she said again sincerely. "Really... I appreciate you coming out here; that was really nice of you." She smiled shyly. "I'm sorry for the inconvenience," she added apologetically.

"No, no." Lando grinned cheerfully. "It's good to get away," he confessed. _Seriously... This is the most fun I've had in a long time... And I've actually spent an entire hour NOT focusing on work,_ he realized, sobered by the thought.

Victoria smiled at him shyly; there was a curious look in her dark eyes. "You're Nabooan?" she asked hesitantly.

"Uh... yeah." Lando grinned shyly; Victoria was obviously a southern Nabooan like Boba and Sydney, with her dark features and sun-bronzed skin. _A REAL one... Not a fake one like me,_ he sighed ruefully. "Well, I was born there," he clarified, giving her his cover story. _I don't really look like them; I don't TALK like them... It's amazing anyone believes this story._ "But I never knew my parents; I was raised in foster care, in Hareno," Lando explained. "But I ran away from home when I was young; I grew up mostly on Coruscant," he added, offering a somewhat believable explanation for his total lack of a southern Naboo accent.

"Oh," Victoria nodded quietly, giving him an apologetic look; most people didn't press Lando after learning of his background, and were content to accept that perhaps he was _half_ Nabooan.

"What about you?" Lando asked gently, changing the subject. "You're from Naboo?"

"Yeah," Victoria nodded, giving him a sad smile. "Jakili," she added quietly, shrugging.

_Oh, crap._ "Victoria," Lando said softly, suddenly understanding her sadness. "That's how you lost your family?"

Victoria nodded quietly, tears springing to her eyes. "I'm sorry," she whispered miserably, her chin trembling. "It was a long time ago," she choked, trying to blink away her tears.

"Hey," Lando said gently, putting a hand on her shoulder instinctively. "Victoria... I'm sorry," he whispered, stroking her back gently as she continued to sob quietly. _Poor thing..._

"Ahhhhh," Victoria wept, hanging her head and leaning against him for comfort.

"Shh," Lando whispered softly, holding her close and doing what he could to console her. He stroked her long hair tenderly, rubbing her back and letting her cry it out, knowing there was nothing he could say that would make it any better, or bring her family back. "I'm sorry," he whispered again, hugging her tight.

Victoria nodded gratefully, sniffing back her tears. "Thank you," she choked, managing to sit up again and giving him a tearful smile; Lando's heart ached to see the deep pain and grief in her dark eyes. "Ohh," she apologized, wiping away her tears. "I don't usually cry like that," she confessed, with a shy smile.

"No, it's all right," Lando assured her gently. "It's been a rough couple of days, huh?"

"Yeah," Victoria agreed, smiling in gratitude. Lando could see the dark circles around her eyes, and noticed the painful thinness of her body, now that she sat hunched over in the copilot's seat. _Damn, she hasn't even had anything to eat today,_ he realized suddenly.

"Are you hungry?" Lando asked hopefully. "I've got some energy bars," he offered, with a rueful cringe. "And then when we get to Cloud City we can make a proper lunch," he promised encouragingly.

Victoria smiled, nodding appreciatively. "Thank you," she said shyly, gratefully accepting the energy bar that Lando had pulled out of the storage compartment and daintily tearing the wrapper apart, then taking a bite. "Yeah, that's good," she whispered, closing her eyes and nodding wearily. "Thanks."

Lando smiled sadly, seeing her utter exhaustion. "Don't worry, Victoria," he said softly, reaching out a hand and stroking her hair gently, then feeling her forehead to check her temperature. "We'll take good care of you," he promised, his heart fluttering with hope. _You're going to get better..._ "Hey... You're gonna beat this thing," Lando told her, putting a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"Yeah," Victoria nodded weakly, an appreciative look in her dark eyes as she smiled up at him gratefully. "I know."


	128. Or maybe I'll just TAKE her

**Chapter 128**

_Two days later..._

"Lando!" Han grinned cheerfully, contacting his friend over the transmitter. "Good news - we're on our way to Korriban to make the delivery this afternoon; we'll be back to pick up Victoria first thing in the morning," he told Lando. "How's she doing?" he asked hopefully. _Aw, I've missed her..._

"She's doing great," Lando assured him. "She's been helping Jing out with the school kids - they're working on some kind of Nabooan dance production," he added, laughing affectionately. "Yeah, don't worry, Vicky's doing terrific. I'll let her know you're on your way back," Lando promised.

"Thanks, buddy," Han said, grinning with surprise and delight to hear that 'Vicky' was doing so well. _Vicky... That's so cute..._ "I owe you one," he added sincerely. "Hey, if you can get a shipment ready for Tatooine by tomorrow morning, I'll deliver it to Greedo... This one's on me," Han insisted, grateful beyond words for his friend's help.

"Oh... That'd be great," Lando confessed appreciatively. "Nien's leaving for Selvaris tomorrow, and Greedo's been waiting two days for his delivery," he admitted. "All right, we'll load you up tomorrow morning," he agreed. "I'll see you then, okay buddy?"

"All right... See ya tomorrow," Han said, switching off the transmitter. Then he sighed contentedly, leaning back in his pilot's seat, a dreamy smile on his face. _I'm going to see Victoria tomorrow..._ It had been a crazy couple of days, but Han and Chewie had finally tracked down the extra death sticks they needed to make their delivery to Korriban.

But now he blinked self-consciously, catching Chewbacca's amused look. "Oh... right," Han nodded, sitting up again and attending to the controls. "Korriban," he agreed, setting the coordinates and making the jump to lightspeed. "And quit looking at me like that," Han reproached his Wookiee friend indignantly, as Chewie chuckled in good-natured amusement, reaching out a furry paw and scruffing Han's hair affectionately.

_"I'm just happy for you, that's all,"_ Chewbacca told him, patting him on the shoulder. _"She's a sweet girl; it will be good to see her again,"_ he agreed proudly.

* * *

><p><em>Meanwhile...<em>

Lando smiled to himself as he walked through the hallway toward Cloud City's 'school' - a solitary classroom where Nien's wife, Jing Nunb, taught the dozen or so children who lived here full-time with their parents. Jing was a licensed school teacher, and was fluent in Basic, unlike her husband; she had been doing a wonderful job with the children these past few years.

_And Vicky's great with kids too,_ Lando grinned affectionately, waving to her now as he stepped inside the classroom. Victoria had wanted to make herself useful during her stay on Cloud City, and had been helping Jing out with some of the younger children; she was sitting cross-legged on the floor now, reading a picture book to a group of preschoolers.

Victoria looked up at Lando now, her dark eyes twinkling with surprise as she smiled at him cheerfully. Then, seeing his subtle gesture toward the hallway, she nodded in understanding, getting up from the floor and instructing the children to play amongst themselves.

"Good news," Lando said, as Victoria joined him in the hallway. "I just heard from Han; he'll be back first thing tomorrow morning," he told her.

"Oh." Victoria's face fell momentarily, and she blinked in dismay; but then she remembered herself. "No, that's great," she assured Lando, smiling appreciatively. "I just - " she shrugged apologetically, glancing back toward the classroom. "I was hoping to see their play tomorrow night," Victoria confessed; the children were putting on a little show for their parents, and Vicky had been helping them to learn a traditional Naboo folk dance.

"Yeah," Lando nodded, understanding. "Me too," he confessed; he was in no rush to see Victoria leave, and was still concerned by the thought of her being around drugs again. _She's done so well getting through the withdrawal these past few days,_ he thought, smiling tenderly.

Victoria caught his look, and there was an appreciative glimmer in her eyes as she smiled back at him; but then she quickly looked down, uncomfortable under his gaze. _Crap! Sorry..._ "But that's great, Han's on his way back," Vicky continued brightly, nodding. "He got everything taken care of?" Vicky asked hopefully.

"Yeah, sounds like it," Lando agreed, smiling nervously. _Ah! I shouldn't have looked at her like that..._ "You know Han... Mr. Responsible," he blurted out idiotically.

"Haha!" Victoria laughed softly; her voice was delicate and lyrical, and her dark eyes sparkled with amusement. "Yeah, that's Han all right," she agreed good-naturedly.

"Well, I'd better - " Lando glanced awkwardly back toward the administration building, and Victoria nodded, understanding. "See you for dinner, all right?" he said cheerfully; the Nunbs had invited them both for dinner at their apartment this evening.

"Yeah... thanks," Victoria nodded appreciatively; Lando thought he saw a fleeting glimmer of dismay and anxiety in her dark eyes, but she quickly masked it. "I'll see you tonight," she agreed, smiling shyly as she turned back toward the children's classroom.

* * *

><p><em>Later that evening...<em>

"And then," Jing giggled, telling the story of her husband's latest fishing trip on Sullust as they all sat around the dinner table. "The line got caught on a buoy, and Nien didn't want to let go of his fishing pole; but the boat was still running, so - " Jing broke off, making a diving gesture with her hand. "You should have seen the splash," she giggled, as Lando laughed heartily at his friend's mishap, and Vicky politely tried to suppress her own giggles.

"Iddi noodi adda," Nien grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest. "Das not funny," he pouted, attempting to speak in Basic for Vicky's benefit.

"Yes, it was," Jing smiled affectionately, giving him a tender kiss on his floppy jowls, as Nien grinned despite himself.

Vicky shared a quiet, amused glance with Lando now, then looked down shyly, turning her attention to the little Sullustan child in her arms. "I think he's getting sleepy," she told Jing quietly, smiling tenderly at Otto's drooping eyelids.

"Finally," Jing sighed gratefully, giving Vicky a rueful smile. Otto Nunb was going through the terrible twos, and Victoria had had her hands full the past couple of days, trying to keep him occupied so that Jing could focus her attention on the older school children.

"We'd better get you to bed," Jing agreed softly, taking her son from Vicky's arms. "Vicky, thank you so much for your help," she said, sincerely grateful. "You don't know how much it's meant to me, being able to work with the older students without having to worry about the little ankle biters all the time," she confessed. "I'm going to miss you."

Victoria smiled shyly. "I'm going to miss you guys too," she agreed wistfully. _This has been so much fun..._ "And I hope you can find a preschool teacher soon," Vicky added sincerely. Jing had been desperately needing an assistant for two years now, and Lando had tried putting ads on the HoloNet; but so far they hadn't found anyone willing to move here to Cloud City to babysit a handful of toddlers.

"Thank you; I hope so too," Jing agreed, smiling appreciatively as she got up from the table. "I'll be back in a minute," she assured the others warmly, carrying Otto back to his bedroom.

"Sabacc?" Nien asked now, with a hopeful look at Lando and Victoria.

"Sure," Lando said cheerfully, as Nien pulled out a deck of cards. Victoria nodded agreeably, and Jing returned a few minutes later, joining them for a laid-back evening of card games over coffee and dessert.

"All right," Jing announced two hours later, tallying up everyone's scores for the evening. "I'm down three thousand credits," she confessed ruefully; they didn't play for real money, but Jing sighed in disappointment nonetheless. "Vicky... Not bad; you're up four credits," Jing nodded, impressed, as Vicky shared an amused grin with Lando. _Four credits... Yay!_

"Nien," Jing continued, tallying up his score; then she blinked in alarm. "Oh dear," she cringed worriedly, tactfully deciding not to mention his grand total, as her husband sighed, nodding ruefully. "And Lando," Jing finished, saving the best for last. "You're up... fifteen billion credits," she announced proudly, as Lando grinned, apologetic.

"Well, we'd better get going," Lando said, getting up from the table and heading for the door, as Victoria followed politely. "Jing, Nien; thanks so much for dinner, it was delicious," Lando added appreciatively, hugging Jing goodnight and shaking Nien's hand.

"Yes, thank you," Vicky echoed shyly, as Nien gave her a hug now. _You guys are so nice..._

"You're welcome," Jing said, hugging Vicky warmly. "See you in the morning," she added cheerfully, as Nien waved goodnight from the doorway of their apartment.

"That was fun," Vicky confessed, smiling at Lando as they continued back to their own quarters for the night. "They're really nice," she added appreciatively.

"Yeah, they are," Lando said, nodding in agreement.

"And you're - " Vicky broke off, giving Lando a look of baffled amazement. "You're really good at Sabacc," she said, blinking in astonishment. _Fifteen billion credits?_

"Haha," Lando laughed good-naturedly. "Well, you know what they say," he told her. "Lucky at cards, unlucky in love," he confessed, grinning ruefully.

_Aww..._ Vicky smiled at him shyly. "Well, that's hard to believe," she countered encouragingly. "You're nice, and good-looking... in a Tatooine pimp sort of way," she teased him affectionately, as Lando laughed, his dark eyes twinkling. "And you're fun," Victoria added shyly. _And incredibly sweet, and kind-hearted... and completely wonderful,_ she confessed quietly, looking away.

"Fun," Lando laughed softly, surprised by the thought. "Nobody's ever called me 'fun' before," he admitted.

"No?" Vicky asked, giving him a mischievous, flirting look. _Crap, I shouldn't be doing this..._ "Well I can't understand why not," she told him. "I mean, you work twenty hours a day, and live in a bubble in the sky, billions of miles from civilization," she pointed out. "What part of that isn't fun?" Vicky asked innocently, suppressing a giggle. "And I can't think why you're not meeting any women that way," she sighed, shaking her head in feigned bafflement.

"Ha," Lando chuckled quietly. "Yeah, you're right," he admitted, nodding ruefully. "I really should get out more," he agreed, with an appreciative smile.

"Yes, you should," Vicky reproached him with mock sternness. "It's not good to work so much; you'll get high blood pressure," she scolded him. _I'm not kidding, Lando. You can't just sit here in Cloud City working all the time,_ she sighed worriedly, genuinely concerned for him.

"Hey, I took two days off to go to Dorvalla," Lando pointed out cheerfully. "That should count for something."

"Yeah," Vicky agreed shyly, looking down. _That was my fault..._ "I'm really sorry about that," she apologized again sincerely. _He's been working nonstop since we got back here,_ she admitted, fearing that she had caused him to fall behind schedule.

"No, it's all right," Lando assured her, smiling. "I needed to get away... Like you said; it's been too long," he confessed, looking down. Victoria smiled gratefully, and they shared a look of fond regret. _I'm going to miss you too,_ she agreed quietly, her heart aching again as she dutifully forced away the feelings she had been ignoring these past two days. "It's good to see you feeling better though," Lando added, with a shy smile.

"Thank you," Victoria nodded. "It's good to... feel better," she agreed, laughing ruefully at the lameness of her response. They had arrived at the guest suite where she had been staying these past two nights, and Vicky turned to Lando now, her heart fluttering nervously. _Ahh... This would be a lot easier if he weren't so incredibly sweet... And gorgeous,_ she sighed in dismay, looking down at the floor. "Well... goodnight," Vicky said awkwardly, giving Lando a shy smile.

"Goodnight." Lando smiled warmly, with a friendly nod. There was an awkward moment as neither of them knew quite what to do; but then Lando opened his arms slightly in a gesture of embrace, and Victoria smiled shyly, hugging him goodnight. _Right,_ she told herself stubbornly, closing her eyes gratefully for a moment as she felt Lando's comforting arms around her. _Jing and Nien gave me a goodnight hug too; this is the same thing,_ Vicky reassured herself. _There's nothing wrong with this._

But suddenly the tears came again, and she trembled involuntarily, clinging to Lando and laying her head against his shoulder, weeping in dismay. _Crap... Why do I keep crying like this?_ "I'm sorry," she choked, sobbing against his shoulder as Lando stroked her back gently, consoling her.

"No... Shh," Lando murmured gently, holding her close and continuing to pat her back softly. "It's all right... It's gonna be all right, Vicky," he promised, his voice so soft and comforting.

"Ohh," Vicky wept quietly, grateful for his familiar, warm embrace. _Please don't let go..._ This wasn't the first time that Vicky had randomly burst into tears during her withdrawal from glitterstim, and Lando had been there for her in the worst moments, holding her tight and promising that she would get through it. "I'm sorry," she cried again miserably.

"Shh," Lando whispered softly, stroking her hair. "Come on," he said gently, opening the door to her guest suite and leading her inside. "Here," he said, sitting down next to her on the edge of the bed and keeping an arm around her, gently stroking her shoulder.

Vicky leaned against him gratefully, hanging her head and weeping softly; as always, Lando simply sat there beside her, holding her safe and letting her cry it out. _He understands,_ Vicky realized. She'd been teary and emotional ever since her withdrawal symptoms had begun on the _Falcon_ three days ago, and Han had _tried_ to console her, holding her helplessly and inanely asking if she was hungry; but his embrace had felt anxious and panicked, whereas Lando's felt warm, and reassuring, and comforting.

"Thank you," Vicky whispered, finally managing to choke back her tears.

Lando nodded, smiling sympathetically as he gently brushed a tear from her cheek. "It's still bad, huh?" he asked softly, his brown eyes full of sadness and empathy.

"Yeah," Vicky confessed, looking down. "Well... no," she admitted, giving him an anxious glance. "It's not the withdrawal, it's..." She broke off helplessly, shrugging in dismay.

"What?" Lando asked gently, stroking her back.

"I don't want to leave," Victoria whispered unhappily. "I'm not ready; I - " _I'll never be ready,_ she confessed, blinking.

"It's all right," Lando reassured her. "These things take time," he agreed, patting her on the shoulder. "I don't think you're ready either," he confessed, his brown eyes full of concern. "We'll talk to Han in the morning; tell him you need a few more days," he suggested. "You can be there for the kids' play tomorrow night," Lando pointed out, as Vicky nodded in relieved gratitude.

"And after that," Lando sighed. "If you're still not ready, we can look into a rehab program," he suggested gently.

At this, tears stung Vicky's eyes. "I don't want to go into a rehab program," she cried helplessly. "I don't want to be a problem, and go somewhere that's going to cost more money... I've caused enough trouble as it is," she protested in tearful dismay. "I want to stay here, and help Jing with the children, and..." She broke off, her chin trembling. "It's getting better," she insisted quietly.

Lando nodded, looking down uncomfortably. "Well you're welcome to stay, as long as you like," he assured her cautiously; Vicky could hear the hesitancy in his voice. "I know Jing is grateful for your help," he added, with an appreciative smile; Vicky smiled despite her tears, nodding. "We'll talk to Han in the morning, all right?" Lando suggested gently, patting her shoulder.

"Okay," Vicky nodded in agreement. "Thank you." But now she hung her head in dismay, finally facing the truth. "Lando," she whispered, not daring to look at him. "I don't want to go... _ever,_" she confessed, still looking down. "I want to stay here," Vicky admitted softly. "With you," she whispered, giving him a pleading, regretful look.

"Vicky... no," Lando protested, blinking uncomfortably and instinctively removing his hand from her shoulder. "No," he insisted again stubbornly, shaking his head. "Look, I know it's been a rough couple of days, but... Han is crazy about you; he - "

"Han barely knows me," Vicky countered quietly, with an apologetic look. "He's a nice guy; he's sweet, and adorable... in a clueless kind of way," Vicky admitted, with wistful affection. "I like him a lot," she conceded, with a tender smile. "And I'm grateful to him for saving my life," she added quietly. "But I don't love him," she confessed regretfully, gazing into Lando's soft brown eyes.

"Vicky," Lando protested, shaking his head miserably; but she smiled at him lovingly, gently reaching out a hand and stroking his dark, curly hair. "Vicky, don't," Lando whispered desperately.

"Lando... I love _you,_" Victoria confessed softly, touching his cheek delicately as she gazed into his dark eyes. "You're the one who makes me feel safe... who makes me believe that everything will be all right," she admitted, with a regretful smile. "You're the one I dream about at night, when I'm alone, and afraid," she told him, looking down.

"And leaving with Han tomorrow isn't going to change that," Vicky whispered helplessly. "I'll need drugs more than ever," she confessed quietly. "And that's not a threat," she added unhappily, with a look of apology. "It's just the truth."

Lando looked down at the floor, his shoulders slumped forward. "Vicky... I love you," he whispered reluctantly. "I won't pretend I don't... You're like - " he laughed quietly, giving her a tender glance. "You're like a ray of sunshine in my stupid, boring life." He smiled ruefully, as Vicky's heart fluttered happily, her eyes filling with tears. "Since you've come here, I - " Lando broke off, hanging his head. "Of course I want you to stay, Vicky," he confessed softly, looking down.

"But Han's my buddy," he continued, giving her a sad smile. "And I can't - " he sighed ruefully. "You're gonna have to break it off with him first," Lando said gently.

"Yeah," Vicky nodded regretfully. "I know," she agreed, with an apologetic smile. Then, seeing Lando's obvious guilt, she stroked his hair tenderly, smiling. "Don't worry," Vicky reassured him. "Han's a good guy; he'll understand. We were never serious anyway," she insisted. "I mean, we never - " Vicky broke off, with an embarrassed cringe toward the bed.

Lando laughed softly; but then he gave her a surprised look. "No?" he asked, blinking. "Really?"

"Really," Vicky laughed gently, nodding. "I promise." She smiled tenderly, kissing him on the cheek. "I love you," she whispered, sighing longingly as she lay her head against his shoulder.

A moment later she felt his arm around her again, and smiled gratefully, closing her eyes. "I love you too, Vicky," Lando whispered, kissing her chastely on the temple. They sat together for a few minutes on the edge of the bed, holding each other close; but finally Lando sighed regretfully, rubbing her shoulder as he stood up. "I'd better go." He smiled wistfully, glancing toward the door.

"I know," Vicky nodded, giving him a tender, apologetic smile as she got up, seeing him to the door. "Thank you," she said again quietly, with a grateful look.

Lando's soft brown eyes were filled with love and encouragement as he nodded, smiling tenderly. "Goodnight, Vicky," he said, giving her one last gentle hug.

Vicky smiled peacefully, laying her head against his shoulder and relaxing for a moment in his comforting embrace; but then she dutifully pulled herself away. "Goodnight," she said softly, gazing into Lando's dark eyes and sharing a quiet, loving smile before he finally nodded politely, heading back to his own apartment for the night.

* * *

><p><em>The next morning...<em>

_There she is,_ Han grinned, his heart fluttering ecstatically as he climbed down the ramp of the _Falcon,_ waving to Lando and Victoria on the landing platform. _She looks great,_ Han noted with profound relief, sharing a shy smile with her now.

"Han," Lando said, nodding to him in respect. "Hey, Chewbacca," he added, as Chewie roared in greeting, with a friendly wave.

Han blinked momentarily, caught off guard. _What? No pirate speech this time?_ But he quickly masked his surprise, grinning cheerfully. "Lando," he said, hugging his friend heartily. _Thanks, buddy... I SO owe you one._ Then he turned to Victoria, his heart tingling with happiness to see her looking so well. "Hi." He grinned shyly, hugging her close. "How are you feeling?" Han asked hopefully, peering into her dark eyes with gentle concern. _Oh, I've missed you..._

"I'm all right," Victoria assured him gratefully; her dark eyes sparkled with a new brightness that hadn't been there before, and she looked rested and healthy. _And even more beautiful than before,_ Han realized, smiling at her in profound relief.

Then he noticed Nien and the shipping crew approaching with a tractor load of Tibanna gas, and waved to them cheerfully. "Sure, go ahead and load 'er up," Han told them, glad to be able to help Lando out with a free shipment to Tatooine. Chewbacca joined the crew now, helping them load the tanks of Tibanna gas onto the _Falcon,_ as Han turned back to Victoria, smiling happily.

"You look terrific," Han confessed shyly, stroking Victoria's long, wavy black hair and kissing her on the temple. Then, seeing her hesitancy at this public show of affection, he grinned apologetically, patting her on the shoulder instead. _There will be time for that later,_ he agreed. "So," he said cheerfully. "You ready to head back to Tatooine?" he asked, guessing from Victoria's discomfort that she was anxious to be getting back home. _I'm sorry I had to leave you with total strangers for two days; I know that must have been hard,_ Han confessed regretfully.

But to his surprise, Victoria stepped away from him, shaking her head. "Han, I - " she broke off, with a nervous glance at Lando. "I'm not going back," Victoria told him gently, her dark eyes filled with regret. "I'm staying here," she said quietly, looking down apologetically.

Han blinked in confusion. "You're staying?" he repeated stupidly, utterly baffled by the concept. _Here? In the middle of nowhere?_ He gave Lando a questioning look now. _I don't get it... What the heck is she talking about?_ But then he saw the look of quiet regret in Lando's dark eyes, and blinked at him in disbelief, suddenly feeling as if he'd been hit in the chest. _No..._

"Han," Lando said gently, reluctantly meeting his bewildered gaze. "Han, I'm sorry..." Victoria was blinking back tears of dismay now, and Lando put a comforting arm around her as she huddled close to him gratefully, giving Han an apologetic look. _What the...?_ Han felt a stab of pain and betrayal in his heart as comprehension began to sink in.

"You're sorry," Han repeated, still numb; but his shock quickly turned to anger as he realized what was going on. "Yeah, I'll bet you are," he agreed, glaring at Lando dangerously.

"Han," Lando protested quietly. "Can we talk about this in private?" he asked, glancing toward his administration office.

"Right," Han agreed loudly, so that everyone could hear. "Because we wouldn't want your entire staff to find out that their boss is a slimy, backstabbing pile of Bantha crap," he cursed hotly. At this, Chewie emerged from the _Falcon_ where he had been loading the last of the gas tanks, roaring fiercely as Nien and the others looked on in anxious confusion.

"Han - " Lando protested again.

"I don't want to hear it," Han growled angrily, stalking back toward the _Falcon_ and climbing up the ramp. "Chewie, let's go," he yelled, hitting the control to close the hatch and not looking back as he stormed angrily into the cockpit, starting up the engine.

_"Han,"_ Chewbacca asked with profound concern, as they blasted away from Cloud City. _"What happened?"_

"Ahhh," Han groaned miserably, angry tears stinging his eyes. _He was my best buddy; my oldest friend in the entire galaxy..._ "I asked him to take _care_ of her," Han protested helplessly. "Not _take_ her... What the hell part of that did he not understand?" he choked in dismay.

"Rrrraaaauuuuggghhh!" Chewbacca roared, outraged. _"Woman-Stealer!"_ he yelled angrily, cursing in Wookiee. Woman-Stealing was an unspeakably despicable crime on Kashyyyk, punishable by lifetime banishment from the village.

"Yeah," Han nodded dismally, grateful that Chewbacca saw his side of things. _Lando... How could you?_ he cried, heartbroken and betrayed.

_"Han, I'm sorry,"_ Chewie howled unhappily, patting him sympathetically on the head. _"That was - "_ He broke off suddenly as the _Falcon's_ engine sputtered and stalled.

"Damn it," Han cursed, getting up from his pilot's seat and pounding his fist against the wall of the cockpit; there was a loose wire in there somewhere, but so far he hadn't been able to pinpoint the problem. Thankfully the power came back on a moment later, and Han flopped back down into his pilot's seat, making the calculations for the jump to lightspeed.

"Great," Han muttered in frustration as they blasted into hyperspace, finally heading back to Tatooine. "Now we have to tell Jabba that we're _still_ two thousand credits short on his payment," he sighed unhappily, shaking his head. This time they had managed to deliver the extra crate of death sticks to Jabba's customer on Korriban as promised; but the drug lord had again insisted on a discounted price, arguing that they were two days late on their delivery.

"And this time I haven't got the money to cover for it," Han admitted worriedly, realizing he couldn't simply pay Jabba off and keep the matter quiet. "Guess I'll be spending the night in the dungeon," he sighed; the last time he'd spoken with Jabba, he'd been sent down to the Rancor - albeit by accident - and Han knew he was treading on thin ice with the Hutt.

_"No, you won't,"_ Chewbacca said quietly, patting him on the shoulder. _"You may not have two thousand credits,"_ he agreed solemnly. _"But you've got a dozen tanks of Tibanna gas,"_ Chewie pointed out, with a meaningful glance toward the _Falcon's_ hold.

Han blinked in alarm at the Wookiee's suggestion. "No," he protested, disturbed by the thought. The cargo they were carrying back to Greedo on Tatooine would easily fetch two thousand credits on the black market; but Han shook his head uncertainly. "I couldn't..."

_"In the old days, Woman-Stealers ended up with their heads on a pike,"_ Chewbacca growled fiercely. _"Lando would be getting off easy,"_ he insisted indignantly. _"And who knows what kind of mood Jabba's going to be in,"_ Chewie warned him. _"I don't want you getting sent down to the Rancor again."_

Han sighed, nodding unhappily. _He's right,_ he admitted reluctantly. _I've been messing up a lot lately..._ And it wasn't just a night in the dungeon that Han was worried about; once again, he remembered that his father's life depended on staying in Jabba's good graces.

_But then it's over between Lando and me,_ Han realized unhappily, his heart sinking as he felt the pain of his friend's betrayal once again. _It's over anyway,_ Han admitted, tears of dismay stinging his eyes. _I can't face him again... Not with HER there..._

_I could forgive him for this, in time,_ Han conceded reluctantly, admitting that Lando's friendship meant more to him than his relationship with Victoria. _But I will never completely trust him again, as long as I live,_ Han admitted. _And the fact that I'm even considering this..._ Han sighed miserably, hanging his head. _Lando... How did it come to this?_

"All right," Han nodded dully to Chewbacca, glancing back toward the _Falcon's_ hold, where a dozen tanks of Tibanna gas were waiting to be sold on the black market. "Let's do it."


	129. Numerology 101

**Chapter 129**

_Meanwhile..._

"Thank you, Senator Krill," Chancellor Mothma nodded respectfully from her hovering platform, as the Mon Calamarian representative finished his speech. "Now, if there is no further discussion, I move that we vote on the matter," the Chancellor proposed solemnly.

Senator Leia Amidala of Naboo shared a quiet, somewhat rueful smile with her box-mates as she dutifully picked up her official Senatorial datapad, casting her vote. _I agree,_ Leia sighed, sensing the general boredom in the Senate hall. _I miss Palpatine too._ The elderly former Chancellor had been attending Senate sessions these past two months since Mon Mothma's election, to help smooth the transition; but now Palpatine had officially retired from politics, leaving Chancellor Mothma to fill his shoes.

_She's doing a terrific job,_ Leia conceded, impressed by Chancellor Mothma's efficiency as well as her admirable political integrity. _But she's really boring.._.

Then she blinked, feeling a surreptitious kick against her shoe. _Dorian,_ Leia laughed to herself, dutifully keeping a straight face as she playfully kicked him back. _Cut it out,_ she giggled, amused by her box-mate's childish antics. Senator Dorian Solo of Corellia was bored out of his mind by all things political, and Leia smiled at him affectionately now, catching the mischievous twinkle in his blue-grey eyes.

_Hang in there, Dorian,_ Leia thought sympathetically, sensing his utter boredom. _We're almost done here,_ she sighed, equally grateful that this morning's session was nearly over.

_Mom is right, though,_ Leia admitted, glancing appreciatively around the Senate hall. _This is a whole lot more interesting than being Queen. And at least I get to dress more comfortably,_ she thought, grateful that her days of heavy makeup - and even heavier headdresses - were over.

Leia hadn't intended to run for Senate at all; at least not so soon after her reign as Queen of Naboo. But as usual, the other Senatorial candidates had been prominent businessmen whose agenda was to cater to the wealthy citizens of Theed at the expense of Naboo's needier inhabitants. And so upon Padmé's retirement two months ago, Leia had once again bravely taken up the torch, accepting a job she didn't really want, out of a sense of duty and responsibility to her people.

_It's not so bad,_ Leia thought quietly. In truth, she enjoyed some of the political discussions, and living here on Coruscant was a nice change of pace. _I get to see Dad more often, and Obi-Wan and the others..._ But now a sudden feeling of dismay gripped her heart, and she quickly forced away that line of thought.

Dorian looked over at her in concern; as a Jedi offspring, he sensed things the same way that Leia did, and she smiled at him appreciatively now. _I'm glad Dorian is here,_ Leia confessed, grateful for his reassuring look. _He understands..._ Kyra's husband knew the truth of their secret Jedi family, and shared her concern over Luke's absence these past three months.

_Luke... What the hell were you thinking?_ Leia sighed, half-listening as Chancellor Mothma introduced the next speaker; Senator Treylan from Galantos, who proceeded to drone on about the needs of the inner city children. _Yes, I'll vote to fund their after-school program,_ Leia agreed absently, her thoughts still dwelling on her brother. _Luke, please be safe..._

The entire family had been proud and delighted three months ago on the eve of Luke's knighting; like his cousin Cory, Luke had faced the trials on his eighteenth birthday, and had passed with flying colors. Knighthood brought Luke one step closer to learning the truth about his family, and Obi-Wan had encouraged Luke to continue working with him in his studies to become a Master.

But no one had been prepared for what happened next. During his official knighting ceremony, when Master Windu had asked Luke if he had any specific requests for his first assignment, Luke had stunned the entire Council by requesting to be sent to the front lines of war-torn Tryskoria.

_Why, Luke?_ Leia wondered again, sighing anxiously. _That place is a hell-hole..._ Tryskoria, though located within the Interior, was only marginally part of the Republic, with no representative on the Senate, and very little contact with the rest of the galaxy. It was a primitive planet without electricity or advanced technology; the planet's strong magnetic core made even radio communication impossible, and no one had heard from Luke since the day he left.

_He's all right, though,_ Leia reassured herself. Anakin, Obi-Wan, and Qui-Gon could still feel his presence, and sensed that he was alive and well, though sad; they had all sensed his quiet dismay and conflict in the weeks leading up to his eighteenth birthday, but Luke had subtly deflected their concerned inquiries, insisting that he was fine.

_Obi-Wan thinks this is his fault,_ Leia sighed regretfully. _He thinks he pushed him too hard, and drove him away..._ Leia had felt her uncle's guilt and heartache these past three months, and it pained her to see the sadness in his eyes since Luke left. _He's taking this worse than the rest of us combined_.

But now it was time to vote on the after-school program for Galantos, and Leia turned her attention to her datapad once again, casting her vote to help the inner city children. _This isn't such a bad job,_ Leia admitted. _I'm still helping people, even if it isn't hands-on._

Leia's true passion had always been HOPE, and for years now she had been looking forward to devoting herself to her charity work full-time; she had dreamed of traveling around the galaxy, working with needy children and personally helping to build shelters in poverty-stricken areas, as she had done in Jakili so many years ago.

_And hopefully I can still do that one day,_ Leia told herself optimistically, praying that four years down the road there might finally be a responsible candidate from Naboo to take her place on the Senate. _Maybe Queen Tahila, once she finishes her term,_ Leia sincerely hoped. _And then I can work for HOPE full time, along with Mom and Mika... But until then, this isn't so bad,_ she confessed, sharing a shy smile with her _other_ box-mate now.

_Julian has been so wonderful,_ Leia thought, her heart fluttering as she met his gaze for a moment. Senator Julian Organa of Alderaan was Leif and Kiara's son, and Bail's nephew; he was nineteen, just a year older than Leia, and this was his first term as Senator as well. Julian, Dorian, and Leia usually sat together in the Corellian senate box, at least during informal sessions; the three of them had become close friends over the past two months, and Leia was admittedly smitten by the handsome young Alderaanian prince.

_He enjoys helping with HOPE too,_ Leia confessed, profoundly grateful for Julian's support. _Tonight's benefit dinner was his idea,_ she remembered appreciatively. A few weeks ago Julian had suggested putting on a charity dinner to benefit HOPE, and he had been helping her to prepare for the event, every step of the way.

_I can't wait until tonight,_ Leia admitted, looking forward to the benefit dinner. _Everyone will be there..._ Her mother was in town, along with Mika and Typho, and her whole Jedi family would be coming as well. _Except for Luke,_ Leia realized, her heart sinking once again.

But now she looked up as Chancellor Mothma addressed the Senate. "The Galantos after-school program has been approved, with a vote of four hundred and seventeen to ninety-three," she announced, her voice quiet and somber. "Thank you, Senators; today's session is adjourned," Chancellor Mothma finished, nodding appreciatively.

Leia nodded respectfully along with the other Senators, sharing a rueful smile with Dorian and Julian as they got up from their seats. _I guess that's it,_ she sighed, truly missing Palpatine's more humorous dismissals, in which he would jokingly admonish the Senators to try to stay out of trouble - and more importantly, out of the _Galactic Enquirer_ - until their next meeting.

"Lunch at Dex's?" Julian asked cheerfully, with a hopeful smile; Dorian and Leia had introduced the young prince to Dex's Diner two months ago, and it was now his favorite place as well. Leia nodded agreeably, returning Julian's affectionate smile, but Dorian shook his head.

"No, Kyra's expecting me," Dorian said, as they headed out to the hallway toward the exit. "She's making some kind of... quiche thing," he sighed, though his eyes twinkled good-naturedly. "You guys have a good time, though," Dorian said, smiling. "And tell Dex I say hello."

"We will," Leia promised. "See you tonight?" she asked hopefully.

"Yeah," Dorian nodded cheerfully; then he cringed suddenly. "Ahh... I forgot to send in my RSVP," he apologized; Leia and Julian had sent out formal invitations to the benefit dinner a few weeks ago, and had asked their guests to specify their meal preferences in advance.

"But we're coming," Dorian assured them, as they reached the exit of the Senate building, heading down the steps. "And you know Kyra and me; we like everything," he said; then he laughed ruefully. "Except maybe quiche," he whispered, with an apprehensive glance toward his nearby apartment building, where Kyra was lovingly preparing today's lunch.

"All right; no quiche," Leia agreed, laughing softly. "See you tonight." She smiled, waving goodbye as she and Julian continued down the street toward Dex's.

"Poor Kyra," Leia giggled, empathizing with her cousin's plight. _She went to all the trouble to make quiche, and Dorian doesn't even like it..._

"Poor Kyra?" Julian repeated, blinking in horror. "Poor _Dorian,_" he countered, cringing. Then, seeing Leia's indignant look, he grinned ruefully. "Sorry," he apologized. "No, that was really sweet of her," Julian conceded. "Nothing beats a home-cooked meal," he confessed wistfully.

"No?" Leia asked, with a surprised smile. _Aww, he misses his mom's cooking..._ "Well if you'd like, we can go back to my place for lunch," she suggested, with a hopeful look.

"No," Julian protested quickly, caught off guard. "I mean... yes; of course," he cringed, seeing Leia's hurt expression. "I mean... I don't want to put you to all that trouble." He smiled apologetically.

"It's no trouble," Leia insisted. "Although I doubt I could whip up a quiche, with what's in my refrigerator at the moment," she confessed, feigning dismay.

"Thank goodness," Julian said mischievously, as Leia gave him a playful shove.

"But I make a mean Bokbok pot pie," Leia insisted proudly, as Julian stifled a laugh. "Twenty minutes from freezer to oven," she told him. "What do you say?" Leia asked hopefully, with a meaningful glance toward her apartment building nearby.

Julian smiled, his brown eyes twinkling with delight. "I would be honored, Milady," he accepted formally, with a respectful nod. "Bring on the Bokbok pie."

* * *

><p><em>Meanwhile...<em>

_I'm sorry,_ Mara wept miserably, tears stinging her eyes as she sat in the broken Senate platform, attempting to study, as always. _Master... I didn't mean to..._

This morning's study session had ended badly, with Mara asking Master Anakin yet another question to which he didn't know the answer. _How am I supposed to pass the stupid preliminary trials if my own Master doesn't even know this stuff?_ Mara had protested again, frustrated and panicked to realize that her eighteenth birthday was coming up in just three more weeks.

Master Anakin had apologetically tried to help her with her homework problem, pushing random buttons on her study datapad in an attempt to find the answer; but finally Mara had burst into tears, calling her father a stupid moron and flinging lightning at him in frustration.

_I didn't realize he didn't have his lightsaber on him,_ Mara sniffed miserably, truly remorseful for what she had done. _It was awful..._ Mara had seen the horrifying blue sparks coursing through her father's body and flickering around his skull; she had immediately stopped the attack, but then Master Anakin had staggered out of their apartment and into the hallway.

Mara had tried to follow him, concerned that she had truly hurt him; but her father had Force-shoved her back into their quarters and slammed the door shut as he stumbled down the hallway, still gasping in shock. _He just wanted to get away from me,_ Mara sobbed, haunted by the betrayed look in her father's eyes as he had shoved her away. _He thinks I'm a monster..._

_I AM a monster,_ Mara wept, hanging her head. _And in three more weeks, I'll be kicked out of the Order,_ she knew. Mara had overheard her father telling Obi-Wan years ago that he worried his daughter was unhappy, and was grateful that this ordeal would be over when she turned eighteen. _Will I still be able to see him?_ Mara cried, frightened. _Where will I go?_

_To my mother?_ she wondered again worriedly. _I know that's where he's going now..._ Mara had felt her father's presence grow more and more veiled over the past few minutes; she had long suspected that when he left her alone at times like this, he was sneaking off to see her mother. _What must she think of me?_ Mara wept sadly; surely her father would tell her what had happened today. _She won't want me either now,_ Mara realized, heartbroken.

"Luke... Why did you have to go?" Mara whispered, sobbing quietly. _You didn't even say goodbye... You just left._ Everything had been awful these past three months, and Mara was torn between being furious with Luke for leaving, and missing him terribly.

_And in three more weeks, I'll be gone too,_ Mara realized sadly. _Master Anakin will kick me out when I fail the dumb preliminaries, and they'll activate my inhibitor chip permanently,_ she knew. _And then..._ Mara choked tearfully, hanging her head. _I don't know what I'll do,_ she confessed, frightened and alone. _Master... I'm sorry..._

* * *

><p><em>Meanwhile...<em>

_Ow,_ Anakin cringed painfully, climbing one-handed up through the ventilator shaft toward Padmé's apartment and hoping that the blistering, oozing disaster that was his left hand wasn't as bad as it looked, or felt. _Ow... ow... ow... ow... ow..._

He hadn't dared to stop by the Jedi Temple's medical ward, knowing that he would be expected to explain the mysterious first-degree burns on the palm of his hand; he had been covering for Mara's Force-lightning attacks all these years, and admitted that this was at least partially his own fault.

_I should have had my lightsaber on me,_ Anakin confessed ruefully. _Even just for studying, in our own quarters..._ Anakin had been completely caught off guard by Mara's sudden attack, and had tried to deflect it bare-handed.

_If I were a REAL Jedi Master, I could have done it without getting fried to a crisp,_ Anakin sighed unhappily. _Mara's right; it's because I'm such an idiot that this happened at all,_ he admitted. And so he had stupidly run away from his own padawan, fleeing from her angry attack. Obi-Wan was in a Council session this morning, and Qui-Gon still hadn't returned from his latest mission to Tandor; and so, feeling stunned and hurt, Anakin had decided to come talk to Padmé.

_Finally,_ he sighed wearily, reaching the two hundred and seventy-fifth floor and gasping in relief as he dropped down through the grating into Padmé's bedroom, landing in an exhausted heap on the bed. _Crap, that hurts..._

"Ahhhhhh!" Padmé shrieked, startled by Anakin's sudden appearance. _Aw... I'm sorry..._ Anakin grinned apologetically, going over to join her by the full-length mirror, where she was trying on a new dress for tonight's HOPE benefit dinner. "Ani, what are you doing here?" Padmé asked, quickly pulling her dress around her half-naked body.

"Sorry," Anakin apologized ruefully, with a shy smile. "I didn't mean to startle you," he assured her, giving her a tender kiss. Padmé nodded, still a bit miffed by his sudden entrance. "Aw, that's a pretty dress," he said, patting the soft, silky material admiringly. "You look beautiful," Anakin told her softly, smiling wistfully and forgetting the first-degree burns on his hand for a moment.

"You're just saying that to be nice," Padmé countered defensively, giving him a hurt look. "I haven't even got it _on,_" she pointed out indignantly.

_Ahh... This again,_ Anakin sighed; sometimes Padmé could be annoyingly self-critical about her appearance, especially before big social functions. Anakin managed an indulgent smile, nodding apologetically. "You're right," he agreed, lamely trying to help her button her dress with his good hand as Padmé wriggled away from him in frustration, taking over the task herself.

"There." Anakin smiled, kissing her again as he admired her new dress. "_Now_ you look beautiful," he told her, admitting that it did look much better buttoned properly.

"Beautiful?" Padmé cried, obviously hurt by his cruel comment. "That's just a nice way of saying that I look like a big - fat... Moo-Moo," she blurted out unhappily.

"No," Anakin protested, shaking his head. "Not a big fat Moo-Moo..." _Seriously, Padmé..._ "Padmé, you've gained, what? Two pounds since you were about fourteen," he pointed out.

"Aaaaaahhhhh," Padmé wailed miserably at the realization.

_Crap! Wrong thing to say..._ "No, Padmé... You look really thin," Anakin promised. "Like a supermodel," he added helpfully.

"Yeah... A forty-five-year-old supermodel," Padmé countered, sulking.

"Well..." Anakin sighed, blinking in confusion. _What the hell am I supposed to say to that?_ "Padmé..."

"Just go," Padmé told him, shaking her head in frustration and blinking back her tears. "I'm late; I'm supposed to help set up for the HOPE dinner," she added, managing a regretful smile. "I'll see you tonight?" she asked hopefully.

"Yeah... okay," Anakin nodded, smiling reassuringly as he kissed her goodbye. "And you _do_ look beautiful," he insisted, as Padmé smiled apologetically. "See you tonight," Anakin said as he embraced her tenderly, careful to keep his blistering, oozing hand off her lovely new dress as he gave her one last kiss, then headed back up into the grating panel above their bed.

_Ugh... That was fun,_ Anakin sighed, crawling back through the ventilation shaft and climbing down the two hundred and seventy-five storeys to return to his awaiting padawan. _Bundle of joy that she is..._

But as he passed by the two hundred and thirty-ninth floor, he blinked in surprise, sensing a familiar presence. _Leia's home,_ Anakin grinned cheerfully. Upon her election to the Senate two months ago, Leia had officially inherited Padmé's lavish penthouse suite, which had always been reserved for the Senator from Naboo; but Leia had insisted that Padmé stay there along with Mika and Typho, and had taken up residence in a more modest apartment several floors down from them.

_Maybe she has a band-aid,_ Anakin decided hopefully, crawling toward Leia's apartment now. _Ahh... I'd need a pretty big one though,_ he admitted, wincing as he inspected the damage once again. _Where's that Bantha hospital when I need it?_ he laughed ruefully.

_Ahh... Hopefully she's not getting dressed too,_ Anakin cringed, reaching out to try to sense her presence while still being careful to mask his own. _No, she's not in the bedroom,_ he assured himself, carefully removing the grating and silently dropping down into Leia's apartment.

_I'm going to get myself shot one of these days, breaking into people's homes like this,_ Anakin realized, subtly un-masking himself for a moment to alert Leia of his presence. _She's really great at sensing people,_ he thought proudly. _She learned that all by herself..._

Sure enough, a moment later his daughter appeared in the bedroom, shutting the door behind her quietly, her expression anxious. "Dad... What are you doing here?" Leia whispered, giving him a perplexed, somewhat impatient look.

_Oh! Somebody's here,_ Anakin realized suddenly. "Sorry," he whispered, cringing apologetically; but now he blinked in surprise, smelling something delicious coming from the kitchen. "You're making Bokbok pie?" he whispered, with a delighted grin. _I love Bokbok pie... Especially Leia's..._

"Yes... for _Julian,_" Leia whispered, giving Anakin an exasperated look. "Get out of here," she warned him, shooing him back toward the ventilation grating. _Okay, okay..._ Then, seeing his dismay, Leia smiled at him affectionately. "I'll see you tonight," she whispered; then her brows furrowed as she looked at him critically. "And get a haircut," Leia advised him, cringing in horror at his lightning-singed hair. "You look like a Nerf herder," she scolded him affectionately as always, as Anakin grinned ruefully, obediently heading back up into the ventilation shaft.

_Ahh... Women,_ Anakin sighed wearily, climbing back down through the shaft and making his way back to the Jedi Temple to deal with Mara. _They drive me nuts sometimes,_ he confessed. But as he returned to his private quarters, he sensed Obi-Wan's presence in the suite next door, and sighed appreciatively. _The Council session is over,_ he realized, knocking on the door.

A moment later it opened of its own accord, and Anakin blinked in surprise to see Obi-Wan slumped wearily in the floating spoon, an empty shot glass in his hand. _Damn... It's barely noon, and he's hitting the blue stuff already,_ Anakin sighed, truly concerned for his brother. "Hey." He smiled encouragingly, coming inside and closing the door behind him, then taking a seat on Obi-Wan's bed. "How's it going?" he asked gently.

"Ohh," Obi-Wan sighed. "Anakin... I'm sorry," he apologized miserably. "Have you sensed him today?" he asked pathetically.

"Yes... this morning," Anakin reassured him. _After that I was too busy getting electrocuted by my padawan and shooed away by my wife and daughter_. "He's all right, Obi-Wan; don't worry," Anakin promised. "He's a Jedi Knight now; he can take care of himself," he reminded his brother, masking his own dismay over Luke's absence.

"Yes," Obi-Wan agreed, blinking in dismay. "Yes, he can." Then he looked over at Anakin, his eyes filled with sadness. "Anakin - I'm sorry..."

"Hey," Anakin countered, shaking his head. "This wasn't your fault, Obi-Wan," he promised his brother for the hundredth time. "We all sensed it, before he left; we all tried talking to him," Anakin reminded him; Luke's unhappiness in the weeks leading up to his eighteenth birthday had been obvious to all of them, but no one had been able to figure out what was wrong.

"I even asked him, if it was something you did, or said," Anakin added reassuringly. "I told him that I, of all people, understand the utter misery and horror of being your padawan," he said mischievously, as Obi-Wan glared at him, unconsoled by this revelation. "But he said it wasn't you," Anakin promised. "He said you were the best Master he could ever imagine having," Anakin assured him gently. "This wasn't your fault, Obi-Wan."

Obi-Wan nodded dully, as if wanting to believe what Anakin was saying; but then he hung his head again. "Other people's padawans don't always run away the day they're knighted," he pointed out. "But mine can't get away from me fast enough."

Anakin grinned ruefully. "Well, in my case it was simply because of Padmé," he assured his brother. "And if Luke had run away to any _other_ planet, I might have thought he had a girl there," he laughed quietly. "But no; he chose _Tryskoria,_" Anakin sighed, still dismayed by his son's decision. _But at least now we know he doesn't have a girlfriend..._ "Well, Luke always has been a masticator," Anakin pointed out thoughtfully.

Obi-Wan blinked in confusion, his brows furrowing. "What?"

"Masticator," Anakin repeated carefully. "Somebody who enjoys doing difficult things," he explained uncertainly. _I think...?_

"Anakin, that's a masochist," Obi-Wan corrected him, laughing gently. "And yes, I would have to agree about Luke," he conceded.

"Oh," Anakin blinked, somewhat worried. "Well... What's a masticator then?"

"Someone who... chews," Obi-Wan explained hesitantly, giving him a baffled look. "Where in the blazes did you come up with that one?"

"I don't know," Anakin sighed. "I think it was on Mara's vocabulary test," he shrugged. "Ahh, I can't keep up."

Obi-Wan nodded, glancing with concern toward the suite next door. "How is the studying coming along?" he asked gently, obviously sensing Mara's intense frustration and anxiety.

"Eh," Anakin shrugged. "Same as always," he sighed ruefully. "Three weeks until the preliminary trials, and only a year and a half of lesson plans to cover," he laughed, shaking his head. "No, it's not going to happen," he confessed regretfully.

Obi-Wan nodded quietly; this admission came as no surprise. "Anakin, you've done a wonderful job with her," Obi-Wan consoled him gently. "Certainly far better than I could have," he confessed.

"Yeah, right," Anakin sighed. "If you'd been teaching her, you'd have actually been able to answer her questions, instead of being called a moron and getting torched at point blank," he pointed out ruefully, showing Obi-Wan the blistered, oozing raw skin on his left palm.

"Force, Anakin," Obi-Wan exclaimed, alarmed. "That happened just now?" he asked, getting up and going to his first aid kit.

"Yeah... Well, a few minutes ago," Anakin confessed, shrugging. "You were in a Council meeting."

"That's not good." Obi-Wan frowned in concern, sitting beside Anakin on the bed and examining his burned hand. "Anakin, this is getting out of control," he chided him gently.

"Yeah, I know," Anakin sighed. "She's just anxious about the preliminaries," he reassured his brother, as Obi-Wan proceeded to dress the wound with first aid ointment.

"And well she should be," Obi-Wan agreed, his tone reproachful. "Anakin, you know no one would think less of you if you let her go, once she turns eighteen," he reminded him gently, wrapping his burned hand in gauze.

"I can't do that, Obi-Wan," Anakin protested, shaking his head. "She's worked so hard, and come such a long way," he pointed out.

"Yes, and I would argue that it would be kinder to let her move on with her life _now,_ than to force her to study for another ten years, with no guarantee that she'll ever be knighted," Obi-Wan countered, neatly tucking the end of the gauze bandage beneath a fold.

"Thanks," Anakin nodded, grateful for the soothing ointment on his burned hand. "Yeah, I hear you," he added seriously. "But I can't kick her out... It would be like telling Leia to take a hike." He grinned ruefully, shrugging. "Eh, it's just been a bad day all around," he sighed, shaking his head.

"Has it?" Obi-Wan asked, concerned. "What else did she do?"

"No, not Mara," Anakin told him. "Padmé and Leia yelled at me too," he admitted ruefully.

"And when was this?" Obi-Wan asked, raising an eyebrow in suspicion.

"Heh," Anakin grinned apologetically. "A few minutes ago," he confessed. _Yeah, I shouldn't have been over there anyway, during the daytime... I'm a terrible Master_.

"They yelled at you?" Obi-Wan asked, baffled. "Why?"

"Eh... Well, actually Leia just _whispered_ at me... She was with Julian," Anakin explained, grinning.

"Really?" Obi-Wan asked, his eyes twinkling with delight. "So you think they're serious?"

"Yeah," Anakin agreed, equally thrilled with Leia's new boyfriend. "He seems like a real nice guy," he added proudly. _I'm going to try to talk to him at the benefit dinner tonight..._

"And Padmé?" Obi-Wan asked worriedly. "She yelled at you?"

"Uh, not exactly," Anakin conceded, shrugging. "She was trying on her dress for tonight, and I told her she looked beautiful, and somehow that got translated into her being a big fat Moo-Moo," he laughed, hanging his head. "I can't seem to say anything right around her lately."

"Oh dear," Obi-Wan cringed. "The dreaded fat Moo-Moo complex," he sighed, commiserating. "Leila used to drive me crazy with that one," he laughed ruefully. "It's that time of month, eh?"

Anakin frowned, blinking. "Maybe," he conceded cautiously. _Yeah, that would definitely explain it..._

Obi-Wan looked at him in surprise. _"Maybe?"_ he asked worriedly. "You don't know?"

"Eh... No," Anakin confessed, shrugging. "I try to keep track, but by the time the next month comes around, I can't remember when it's supposed to be," he admitted glumly.

"Well you need to write it down, then," Obi-Wan told him seriously. "The same with Mara... _Especially_ with Mara," he added emphatically. "And it wouldn't hurt to keep track of Leia as well," he sighed quietly. "I've found you can avoid a lot of emotional blow-ups if you at least know when to expect them," Obi-Wan confessed, with a rueful smile.

"Really?" Anakin blinked, surprised by the concept. "So you keep track of Leila and Kyra?" he asked hesitantly.

"No, not anymore," Obi-Wan laughed gently. "Leila is past all of that now; and Kyra - well, that's Dorian's battle to fight," he sighed. "But yes; I used to, for years," Obi-Wan confessed quietly. "It saved me a lot of headaches."

Anakin nodded, impressed by the idea. "Okay," he agreed. "I'll try writing it down... You got a pen?" he asked, as Obi-Wan nodded helpfully, going to get one.

"Thanks," Anakin nodded appreciatively, taking the pen Obi-Wan offered him, but declining the notepad. "Nah, I don't do paper," Anakin said, shaking his head. "I'd just lose it," he confessed, as Obi-Wan laughed in quiet amusement, sitting back down next to him.

"All right," Anakin sighed, pulling up his shirt sleeve and proceeding to write on his arm. "Padmé, I'm pretty sure about," he began, marking down today's date. "The Moo-Moo comment, right?" he asked, grateful for his brother's expertise.

"Yes, I think we can be certain about Padmé," Obi-Wan agreed, nodding. "As for Leia... I would guess _not_ right now," he mused. "She was entertaining a gentleman friend at the time; I can imagine that having a Jedi suddenly fall from the ceiling of her apartment might be a bit difficult to explain," he conceded. "So getting rid of you was perfectly rational behavior, as opposed to hormone-induced insanity," Obi-Wan argued.

"Okay... so how do I mark that down?" Anakin asked uncertainly, glancing at his arm.

"Hmm," Obi-Wan mused. "I always just did it in my head, and tried to make note of their moods, each time that I saw them," he confessed. "Perhaps you could write down the day of the month, and a little symbol indicating their general mood?"

"All right," Anakin nodded solemnly, writing on his arm again. _Eh... I'll draw a little sunshine,_ he thought cheerfully, marking it down next to today's date. "And Mara," Anakin cringed, drawing a zig-zaggy lightning bolt next to Leia's sunshine. "There we go," he sighed, nodding appreciatively as he pulled his sleeve back down, handing the pen back to Obi-Wan. "Thanks," he said, getting up from the bed. "Well, I'd better be getting back," he confessed, with a rueful glance toward his apartment next door.

"Certainly," Obi-Wan nodded, getting up and seeing him to the door. "And just keep writing down notes; every day if you have to," he instructed Anakin. "The first month or so is the hardest, until you establish a pattern; but it gets easier after that," Obi-Wan promised him, smiling cheerfully.

"Thank goodness," Anakin laughed, cringing at the collection of numbers and symbols already decorating his left forearm. _I look like a walking Astrology chart._ "Thanks," he said again appreciatively, as he headed out the door.

"Any time," Obi-Wan nodded cheerfully, obviously delighted to have been of service. "I'm always happy to help."

_Don't worry,_ Anakin laughed ruefully, saying goodbye to his brother and heading back to his own apartment. _You can always count on me to need help,_ he sighed, grateful that his stupidity was at least helping Obi-Wan to get over his empty nest complex.

"Hi Mara." Anakin smiled weakly, entering his own apartment once again. _It's me... the fried moron._ "How's it going?" he asked gently, approaching the Senate platform and cautiously climbing inside. _Damn, I still don't have my lightsaber,_ he realized suddenly, blinking worriedly and glancing around the living room. _Don't tell me I lost another one.._.

"Hi," Mara replied hesitantly, giving him a remorseful look. "Master, I'm sorry," she apologized, a pained look in her emerald eyes. "I didn't mean to..." She broke off, dismayed to see the gauze bandage wrapped around his hand. "Are you all right?"

"Oh. Yeah," Anakin nodded, waving his bandaged hand dismissively. "It's fine, just a little blistery," he assured her.

Mara nodded. "Well, I'm sorry," she said again quietly, her eyes filled with sincere remorse. But then her brows furrowed in surprise. "What are those numbers for?" she asked, peering at his arm curiously.

_Crap!_ "Uh... nothing," Anakin blinked nervously, quickly pulling his sleeve back down to cover the writing. _Ahh! She'll really be pissed off if she finds out what that's about,_ he realized. _And Padmé and Leia too,_ he admitted, vowing never to tell them. "How's the studying going?" Anakin asked hopefully, changing the subject.

"Eh... Not great." Mara shrugged ruefully, showing him her work. "I've been trying to memorize the Level VI vocabulary list," she told him; then she shook her head in dismay. "I don't get why we have to learn all this stuff," Mara lamented. "I mean... _'Masticate'?_" she blinked in confusion, reading a word off her list. "Have you ever actually _used_ that word, in your entire life?" she asked Anakin, frustrated.

"Uh... well, yes," Anakin admitted, nodding. _Not correctly... But yes, I have used it_. "It means to chew," he told her gently.

"Well what's wrong with saying 'chew?'" Mara asked, frustrated.

"I don't know." Anakin grinned ruefully. "When _you_ pass the trials, and become head of the Jedi Educational Committee, maybe you can take that one off the list," he suggested mischievously.

"I _will,_" Mara agreed emphatically; then she looked down at the floor, giving Anakin a remorseful glance. "I'm not going to pass the preliminaries," she said quietly.

Anakin smiled sadly. "No... you're not," he agreed softly, patting her shoulder consolingly. "But it's all right, Mara," he reassured her, with an encouraging smile. "We've talked about this before; it's no big deal, it just means it'll take you a couple more years to pass the trials," he promised gently.

At this, Mara looked up at him hesitantly. "Really?" she asked, her expression guarded. "You're not going to - to have me expelled?" Mara asked worriedly, her voice catching.

"No." Anakin grinned, tousling her red hair affectionately. "I didn't put up with you this long, just to throw you out now," he promised her, as Mara giggled softly, smiling in profound relief. "But this Force lightning business is not good," Anakin added seriously. "You're going to have to learn to get it under control," he warned her.

"Yes, Master," Mara nodded regretfully. They had discussed it before, and Mara understood that she would need to go six months with no episodes before Anakin would allow her to face the trials; and that most likely she would never be allowed to work solo, even after she was knighted. "I understand," she agreed seriously.

"Good." Anakin smiled reassuringly. "You can do it, Mara," he told her, putting an arm around her encouragingly. "I believe in you."

"Thank you, Master," Mara said; then she smiled at him in quiet apology. "And I'm sorry, about before," she added sincerely. "Not just for the lightning, but... for what I said," she apologized, cringing with remorse over her earlier 'moron' comment. "It's not true," she promised him, her expression earnest.

"Ha," Anakin laughed quietly, looking down. "I know."

"No, I'm serious," Mara insisted. "You could be a Master, you know," she told him confidently. "Probably a lot sooner than I'm knighted," she added, with a rueful smile.

"Heh," Anakin laughed again, shaking his head. "I don't know about that." He shrugged good-naturedly; somewhere along the line he had given up on that idea entirely. But then he saw Mara's look of disappointment at his response, and smiled quietly, hanging his head. _She's right,_ Anakin admitted, with a weary sigh. _I've been setting a terrible example._

"All right," Anakin sighed ruefully, nodding in agreement. "Shall we make it a race, then?" he suggested, as Mara grinned delightedly. "Last one to the next level is a great big pile of Bantha poodoo," Anakin proposed good-naturedly.

"Haha," Mara giggled cheerfully. "All right," she nodded, her green eyes sparkling affectionately as they playfully shook hands, sealing the bet. "You're on."


	130. Luke's mission to Tryskoria

**Chapter 130**

_Meanwhile..._

"Luke!" came a boy's urgent voice from behind him, over the battle din. "Luke!" Tomo yelled again, ducking out of the way of an enemy weapon as he ran up to Luke. "The Nuluuii have invaded the sacred quarry!" the boy continued breathlessly. "They've stolen a piece of Tuluuite... Chief Marduk needs your help!"

_Oh, crap._ Luke had spent the entire afternoon defending the Tuluuii's Bokbok farm from the Nuluuii raiders, but now he stepped back from the fray, keeping his wooden fighting sticks at the ready as he turned to the boy. "You're sure it was Tuluuite?" he asked sharply; stealing a sacred rock was a serious offense, and in order to appease the gods, the Tuluuii would now be obligated to either get it back, or steal a piece of Nuluuite from the enemy's sacred quarry.

"Yes," Tomo nodded anxiously, still catching his breath. "I saw it with my own eyes... It was definitely Tuluuite," he confirmed.

_Damn it..._ "All right," Luke agreed quickly. "I'll go... Tell Kiran he's in charge here," Luke instructed the boy, who nodded in understanding as Luke took off running toward the quarry.

_This again..._ Luke had been here on Tryskoria for three months now, and every day had been the same: from dawn to dusk he had aided the Tuluuii warriors in their ongoing struggle against the Nuluuii invaders. _I've spent three months of my life defending Bokboks, Moo-Moos, and sacred rocks,_ Luke realized unhappily. _What the heck am I even doing here..._

Before his arrival three months ago, all that Luke had known about Tryskoria was what he had learned in his History studies: that they were a primitive people without technology of any kind, and that the two major tribes - the Tuluuii and the Nuluuii - had been at war since time beyond memory. Tryskorian warfare centered around stealing farm animals and sacred artifacts, and battles were fought hand-to-hand with wooden sticks; skirmishes were rarely deadly, but injuries were common, and the people of Tryskoria were mired in a perpetual state of poverty and famine due to the never-ending war.

The Republic had turned its back on Tryskoria centuries ago, and it had been over five hundred years since the last Jedi Ambassadors had been sent in an effort to maintain the peace. Tryskoria was isolated from the rest of the galaxy due to the planet's rapidly fluctuating ion-magnetic core, which interfered with electricity and radio transmissions, rendering modern technology useless. Space travel and communication were possible only once every three months, when the planet's two moons came into perfect alignment, temporarily balancing Tryskoria's ion-magnetic core.

_And that's going to happen tonight,_ Luke remembered once again, trying to ignore the heaviness in his heart as he ran toward the quarry to help Chief Marduk against the rock-stealers. _If I want to get out of here, I've either got to leave tonight, or wait another three months,_ he realized, his heart aching as he thought of Mara, and Obi-Wan, and the others.

_No,_ Luke reproached himself, as he reached the quarry. _I can't leave yet,_ he admitted reluctantly, finding a secluded spot and Force-jumping down into the Tuluuii quarry below. Thus far Luke had been careful to keep his Jedi identity a secret from the enemy Nuluuii; the neighboring tribe had harbored a grudge against the Republic for hundreds of years, claiming that the last Jedi Ambassador had tried to abscond with a young virgin girl from the village.

_And they ATE him for it,_ Luke shuddered, realizing the delicate situation he was now in. _Though why he tried to steal a virgin in the first place, I don't understand,_ he admitted regretfully; after three months on Tryskoria, Luke was only starting to become fluent in the native language, and he made a mental note to question Chief Marduk again about the details surrounding the previous Jedi's death. _But at least now we know why he didn't come back..._

_These people hold a grudge for a LONG time,_ Luke sighed wearily, running to join the others now. Luke had tried to persuade Marduk to initiate peace negotiations with the Nuluuii; but the Chief had flatly refused, still outraged over a handful of Bokboks that had been stolen several months ago, a herd of Moo-Moos that had mysteriously disappeared a year earlier, and - worst of all - over three hundred sacred rocks which the Nuluuii were allegedly hoarding.

_Of course, the Tuluuii have a giant stockpile of Nuluuite rocks too,_ Luke sighed. _And they've stolen back nearly the same number of Bokboks and Moo-Moos as they've lost, at least since I've been here,_ he realized once again. _This stupid war will never end..._

"Luke!" Chief Marduk yelled to him now, fighting off several Nuluuii warriors along with his men. "They stole a piece of Tuluuite; they went that way!" he said urgently, glancing over his shoulder toward the rocky plain beyond, where a handful of Tuluuii Krylosaur riders were trying to chase down the thieves. "Take my Krylosaur!" Marduk instructed him.

"All right!" Luke yelled back, climbing onto the reptile's back and urging it forward. A minute later he caught up with the others, jumping down from the Krylosaur's back and twirling his wooden fighting sticks around as he joined the fray.

_Slow down,_ Luke reminded himself, trying to keep his movements to a normal human pace as he fought against the Nuluuii invaders. With his blue eyes and blond hair - which had grown long and shaggy since his knighting three months ago - Luke passed remarkably well for a native Tryskorian, as both tribes stemmed from a fair (though decidedly barbaric) human race. He had carefully traded in his Jedi cloak and lightsaber for a tough leather over-tunic and pair of fighting sticks; but already the name "Starkiller" was being whispered apprehensively amongst the Nuluuii, and Luke feared that all hope of peaceful negotiations between the warring tribes would be lost if they discovered that he was a Jedi.

_But maybe in another month or so I can convince Marduk to initiate peace talks,_ Luke thought optimistically, striking his opponent in the shin and trying not to cringe in apology as the man wailed in pain, collapsing to his knees. _And then they can trade some rocks, and maybe a couple of Bokboks and Moo-Moos, and call it a truce for a while,_ he hoped. _Even if they could agree to quit burning each other's crops, that would be progress..._

Luke was on the leader now, and courteously fought him one-handed, seeing that the man was clutching the stolen Tuluuite rock in his left arm. Tryskorian warriors followed an honored code of chivalry, and both sides took great pride in adhering to fair fighting practices; causing serious injury to one's opponent was considered dishonorable and cowardly. _This way they can all live to fight for another thousand years,_ Luke sighed ruefully, neatly knocking the stick from his opponent's hand.

_But if I can just get them to talk to each other, maybe they could agree to a new set of rules,_ he hoped. Marduk had seemed open to Luke's suggestion of limiting their raids to farm animals and sacred rocks, and believed that even the Nuluuii Chief would agree to eliminate crop-burning from their accepted war tactics. _In the old days they used to steal each other's women and children, and battles were far more deadly; they've come a long way already,_ Luke told himself optimistically.

Still, Luke admitted that a permanent truce between the warring tribes was not likely to happen anytime soon. _They're not really fighting over Bokboks, or Moo-Moos, or even sacred rocks,_ Luke admitted. _This is about their gods._ The two tribes worshipped Tuluu and Nuluu, Tryskoria's two moons; and as long as the gods were at war, circling the planet in opposite directions, the tribes were honor-bound to carry out the battle on the planet's surface.

_Speaking of which..._ Luke glanced toward the western horizon now, sensing that Nuluu was about to make his appearance in the evening sky, ending the battle for the day; both tribes honorably refused to fight in the presence of each other's gods. _Ahh... I'd better get this rock back now, or I'll be leading a raid into the Nuluuii quarry tomorrow,_ Luke sighed, fighting with both sticks once again as several other Nuluuii warriors came to the aid of the rock-stealer.

But now the thief was retreating toward his Krylosaur, clutching the piece of stolen Tuluuite tightly against his chest; Luke let out a sigh of dismay, weighing his options as he fought against the ring of Nuluuii warriors who now surrounded him and his companions. _I could Force-shove them all back, get the rock, and mind-trick them all into forgetting what happened,_ Luke considered, momentarily tempted by the option; but now he heard a new commotion coming from behind him, and glanced over his shoulder to see another group of Nuluuii warriors running toward them with a Bokbok they had just stolen from the Tuluuii farm. _Great,_ Luke sighed, frustrated. _I guess I'll have to do this the slow way..._

Luke twirled his fighting sticks around absently, half-heartedly meeting his opponents' blows; Nuluu would be rising soon, and he had no desire to inflict any further pain on his adversaries today. _We'll be at it again first thing tomorrow morning,_ Luke sighed, grateful that today's battle was nearly over. Sure enough, a minute later Nuluu appeared on the western horizon, and both tribes ceased their fighting, the Tuluuii bowing their heads respectfully as the Nuluuii knelt to greet their god.

_And Tuluu will be rising soon,_ Luke knew, glancing toward the eastern horizon as he and his companions returned to the Tuluuii village with Chief Marduk and the others. Tonight both tribes would be honoring their gods with sacred rituals and festivities celebrating the alignment of the two moons; the Tuluuii had been preparing a feast for the past week, and Luke looked forward to witnessing tonight's proceedings.

_They're not bad people,_ Luke thought wistfully, as he and the others nodded respectfully to a group of Nuluuii warriors heading back to their own village. Despite their warring, the Tuluuii and Nuluuii had a deep, underlying respect for each other, and oddly enough, they shared the exact same religious beliefs; both tribes recognized the divinity of Tuluu and Nuluu, and agreed that it was their duty and honor to represent their warring gods in battle.

_It's almost a game to them,_ Luke smiled quietly to himself. Sure, five hundred years ago - when the last Jedi Ambassador to Tryskoria had been savagely cannibalized - things had been different, and Tryskorian warfare had been far more deadly; but nowadays it all amounted to a game of sticks and stones, with the occasional stolen farm animal. _It's the crop-burning that's the real problem these days,_ Luke admitted, hoping once again that he could help Chief Marduk to initiate negotiations with the Nuluuii to ban the practice.

Returning to the Tuluuii village, Luke smiled appreciatively as Chief Marduk's wife greeted them, inviting him inside along with her husband to get cleaned up before tonight's festivities. Luke had been staying with Marduk and Ilsa these past three months, and truly appreciated their hospitality; he sighed gratefully now as he retreated to the little washroom, splashing some cold water over his face and rinsing away a layer of battle-dust.

_Ugh... It's been a long day,_ Luke admitted, drying his face off with a rough-spun towel; then he winced slightly, catching his reflection in the tarnished mirror. _Whoa... My hair is a complete mess,_ he cringed, doing what he could to finger-comb his shaggy, sun-bleached locks. _Obi-Wan would have a fit if he saw me now,_ Luke grinned, feeling a twinge of longing as he remembered his Master's stubborn insistence upon always having a proper haircut.

But now his heart ached as he recalled the last time he had seen his Master: the twinkle of fondness and pride in Obi-Wan's eyes during his knighting ceremony, as he had accepted Luke's padawan braid from Master Windu; followed by a look of shock and dismay upon Luke's sudden request to be sent to Tryskoria as his first assignment. _He offered to keep working with me, and help me train to become a Master, and I turned him down.._

Luke hung his head unhappily, emerging from the washroom and returning to his guest chamber to change into his Jedi clothes for tonight's ceremony. _I'll send him a transmission tonight, when the moons are in alignment..._ But now he stopped in his tracks, blinking in surprise at the young, slender blonde girl who stood waiting nervously in his bedroom.

"Saskia," Luke said carefully, glancing nervously toward the doorway. "What are you doing here?" _Ilsa must have let her in..._ Saskia was a girl from the village who had developed a somewhat disturbing crush on Luke since his arrival.

"Luke." Saskia smiled, a hopeful look in her blue eyes. "Luke, please... Marry me," she begged desperately, reaching a hand out and gently stroking his hair. "Please, Luke," she cried. "I love you..."

"Saskia," Luke sighed, shaking his head. "No," he said, gently but firmly, removing her hand from his hair. "I told you: I'm not allowed to marry," he explained for the tenth time, feeling sorry for the poor girl. _And anyway, I'm in love with Mara..._ "Saskia, you're only seventeen," Luke reminded her gently, as tears of misery sprang to the girl's eyes. "And you're a pretty girl; I'm sure there are lots of boys in the village who would love to marry you one day," Luke reassured her.

But Saskia shook her head miserably. "No," she cried, looking at the floor. "Please, Luke... Please... just - sleep with me... Now," she whispered, with a hopeful glance toward Luke's bed. "Please..."

"Saskia, no," Luke protested. "I can't," he told her again, quietly. "And you know you should save yourself for marriage," Luke reminded her; virginity was sacred to the Tuluuii, and it pained him to see Saskia so confused.

"I don't care," Saskia protested tearfully. "I don't want to be a virgin," she whispered, hanging her head. "Luke, please..."

"No," Luke said gently, shaking his head. "Go home, Saskia," he told her, with a regretful smile. "I'll see you at the ceremony tonight, okay?"

"Aaahhh," Saskia wept, hanging her head; but then she nodded tearfully, stumbling out of the bedroom and leaving Luke alone once again. Luke sighed, pulling off his course leather tunic and changing into his Jedi clothes for tonight's ceremony.

_I came here to get away from that,_ he admitted ruefully. In the weeks and months leading up to his eighteenth birthday, Luke had found it increasingly difficult to resist Mara's constant pleas for sexual intimacy; at seventeen Mara had been ready to take their relationship to the next level, but Luke had stoically held out, insisting that they wait until they were both eighteen, and properly married.

_I promised her things would be different, once I was knighted,_ Luke remembered unhappily. _I promised we'd find a way to get married... And then I left, without even saying goodbye,_ he admitted. _What must she think of me?_ Luke wondered, slumping dejectedly onto the edge of his bed and bundling his brown cloak around himself for comfort.

_I miss her,_ Luke cried quietly, hanging his head. _I've missed her, every single day. I just want to be with her, and hold her close... To kiss her, and stroke her pretty red hair... To look into those beautiful green eyes, and tell her I love her... To ask her to forgive me, and marry me,_ he wept, his heart aching with longing. _I just want to go home..._

_And that's exactly why I can't,_ Luke admitted miserably, choking back his tears. _It's because of my stupid attachments that I came here in the first place,_ he reminded himself. _I came here to try to get away from that, and learn to control my feelings; but three months later, it's not any better,_ he confessed. _I still miss her, terribly. And Obi-Wan, and Anakin, and Zak, and Cory, and Master Qui-Gon,_ he cried sadly, feeling a twinge of homesickness. _I just want to be with them._

In the final months before his knighting, Luke had felt his painful conflict more strongly than ever, realizing that he was about to face the trials and swear an oath to the Jedi Order - an oath that he had no intention of upholding. Obi-Wan was always lecturing him about the danger of attachments - no doubt as an overreaction to what his _last_ padawan had done - and Luke had always managed to nod obediently, lying to his Master's face and innocently agreeing that personal attachments were destructive and unhealthy.

But the cruel irony of it all was Luke's ultimate realization that in addition to his secret love for Mara, he had also formed a pathetic, desperate attachment to Obi-Wan himself - the very person who had spent the past five years of his life warning him _against_ such things.

This disturbing revelation had come to him five months ago, during their last trip to Kilaui. Luke had felt a stab of anxiety, realizing that this could very well be his last plankton-counting mission with Obi-Wan and the others, as he was about to face the trials and become knighted. Luke had known for years that Obi-Wan had only taken him on as a favor to Anakin, and his plan had always been to face the trials at eighteen, not wanting to impose upon his Master's valuable time any longer than necessary.

But after five years of training with Obi-Wan, Luke had grown deeply attached to the wise, kindly Jedi Master, and the thought of leaving him and setting out on his own was painful, and somewhat frightening. _I didn't want to leave him,_ Luke sighed sadly now. _I didn't want to leave ANY of them._ But that realization in itself had disturbed Luke, and so he had stubbornly forced himself to face his demons, and had tried to let go of his unhealthy attachments.

Sensing his quietness and conflict, Obi-Wan had taken Luke aside, gently asking him what was wrong. Not wanting to admit the truth to his Master - either about Mara, or his idiotic fear of leaving the nest - Luke had inanely blurted out that he was still feeling sad about being an orphan, conveniently blaming his old insecurities rather than confessing to new ones.

He had spoken of his orphan complex to Obi-Wan before, and his Master had always smiled indulgently, patting him on the shoulder and assuring him that being an orphan didn't mean that his family didn't love him. Luke had always appreciated Obi-Wan's well-meaning platitudes, but realized that his Master had no idea what it truly felt like. _He KNOWS his family,_ Luke had come to suspect. _Ben Kenobi is his uncle; he practically admitted to it himself._

But this time, instead of smiling cheerfully and trying to change the subject, Obi-Wan had nodded quietly, reluctantly facing the issue. 'Luke, you're nearly eighteen years old,' Obi-Wan had reminded him gently, obviously saddened by Luke's bizarre, childish weakness. 'Why is it, that knowing your parents means so much to you?' he had asked, trying to understand.

'I don't know,' Luke had confessed, hanging his head. _Really, I don't..._ 'I just - I want to feel like I belong... Somewhere... _Anywhere,_' Luke had admitted sadly, shrugging. _And I don't even care about my biological parents any more,_ he had realized once again. _Obi-Wan is like a father to me, and the others feel like my family... And I don't want to leave them, ever._

'Luke... Do you not feel that you belong with _us..._ With the Order?' Obi-Wan had asked gently, nodding toward the other Jedi who were scattered along the riverbank, busy at work counting plankton.

Luke had followed his gaze, glancing quietly at Anakin, and Mara, and Zak, and Cory, and Master Qui-Gon; and tears had stung his eyes as he shook his head, looking down again. 'No, Master,' he had confessed unhappily. 'Well, yes; with the Order,' he had conceded, shrugging. 'But _here..._' Luke hung his head regretfully.

'Master, I know you only took me on as a favor to Master Anakin,' he had admitted quietly. 'And I'm grateful,' he had assured him humbly. 'But I'll be knighted in a few more months; and next year you'll all be back here counting plankton, and I - ' Luke had broken off uncertainly, hanging his head. 'I don't know if I'll be invited to come,' he had admitted lamely.

At this, Obi-Wan had laughed gently, putting an arm around him and patting him on the shoulder. 'Luke, is that what's been troubling you?' he had asked, his eyes twinkling with amusement. 'Of course you belong, Luke; you belong just as much as the rest of us do,' he had assured him, as Luke had grinned in shy appreciation, his heart tingling with warmth at the reassurance.

'And it's true; I never planned to take you as my padawan,' Obi-Wan had admitted. 'I had _planned_ to keep teaching younglings at the Temple, probably for the rest of my life; and think how boring that would have been,' Obi-Wan had pointed out cheerfully.

'Luke, some of the best things in life happen unexpectedly; you know that,' his Master had chided him affectionately. 'Of all the missions we've been sent on, it's the ones that _didn't_ go according to plan that were the most interesting,' he had argued, as Luke grinned, nodding in agreement. 'And I didn't _plan_ to go on a single one of them, or to be training you at all,' Obi-Wan had confessed. 'But I wouldn't trade the past five years for anything in the world,' he had assured Luke, with a fond smile.

'Of course you'll be invited back next year... And the year after that; and the year after _that_,' Obi-Wan had promised good-naturedly, patting Luke on the shoulder. 'You're the best plankton-counter of all of us; I don't know how we'd ever get it done without you here,' he had confessed sincerely. 'Anakin can barely count to begin with, and Mara can't be bothered half the time,' his Master had pointed out. 'Qui-Gon's eyesight isn't what it once was... And neither is mine, for that matter,' Obi-Wan had admitted ruefully. 'And Cory and Zak just want to go fishing all day long,' he had sighed, glancing at the two of them with their fishing poles. 'Honestly, Luke; if we didn't have you here, with your sharp eyes, and your brilliant math skills, and your hard-working attitude... We'd have no hope whatsoever of getting the job done,' Obi-Wan had confessed seriously.

Luke had grinned shyly at the compliment, proud to realize his importance to the mission; but then he had looked up at Obi-Wan curiously. 'Master, why don't we bring the younglings from the ten-to-twelve year old class?' he had suggested. 'They have good eyesight... and can count better than Master Anakin,' Luke had pointed out mischievously; he had heard horror stories of Anakin's abysmal math skills, both from Obi-Wan and Mara herself. 'It's beautiful here on Kilaui; I'm sure they would be happy to come and help,' Luke had suggested, trying to think of a practical solution.

'Hmm,' Obi-Wan had laughed gently, nodding in agreement. 'I'm sure they would,' he had conceded. 'And that's an excellent suggestion, Luke; I shall certainly bring it up with Master Qui-Gon,' Obi-Wan had assured him, smiling proudly. 'But I'm afraid it might not be possible,' he had confessed quietly. 'As you know, there are aspects of this mission that are top secret; things that you will only fully learn about, when you become a Master yourself,' Obi-Wan had reminded him gently, as Luke nodded in respectful agreement.

'Speaking of which,' Obi-Wan had continued cheerfully. 'Master Qui-Gon and I have discussed the matter, and we are both planning to put you in charge of this operation, when you become a Master,' he had confessed matter-of-factly.

Luke had gaped at him in astonishment. 'Really?'

'Yes,' Obi-Wan had nodded confidently. 'It's that sort of innovative thinking that we so desperately need; and not just with the plankton-counting,' he had added seriously. 'Luke, the Council has been watching you very closely, ever since the day you marched in on your thirteenth birthday, demanding that female padawans be given fair treatment,' Obi-Wan reminded him, his eyes twinkling with amusement. 'You're still only a padawan, but your name is at the top of a very short list of candidates, should a position on the Council become available within the next few years,' Obi-Wan had admitted quietly.

'Luke, Master Yoda has sensed that you have something very special to offer the Order,' Obi-Wan had continued gently. 'The Council needs someone like you: someone who has the courage to stand up for his beliefs; someone who follows his heart, and does what he feels is right, not simply what is convenient,' Obi-Wan had added, smiling proudly. 'But in order for that to happen, you need to become a Master yourself,' he had pointed out seriously. 'Luke, I would very much like to continue working with you after you are knighted, and help you study to become a Master,' Obi-Wan had offered gently, a hopeful look in his eyes.

_Wow..._ Luke had blinked in surprise, stunned by this revelation; but he had nodded seriously, grateful for his Master's offer. 'Yes, Master... of course,' he had agreed; but then he had looked down apologetically. 'I mean... I don't want to impose,' he had added hesitantly.

'Which is exactly why I'm offering,' Obi-Wan had grinned cheerfully, patting him on the back. 'Luke, you _don't_ impose,' he assured him, his eyes twinkling with affection. 'Anakin... Now _that_ one had me tearing my hair out every day,' he laughed fondly, gazing down toward Anakin and Mara now. 'And I was even worse to Master Qui-Gon,' Obi-Wan had confessed, with a rueful grin.

'But you and I, Luke... We make a good team,' Obi-Wan had smiled fondly. 'We get along well; we think alike... We're like peas in a pod,' he had beamed proudly, patting him affectionately on the shoulder. 'And I would be honored to continue working with you, for as long as you would like,' Obi-Wan had finished sincerely.

Luke had barely been able to conceal his happiness and relief at his Master's offer; his heart had fluttered joyfully to realize that he _did_ truly belong with Obi-Wan and the others, and that he would not be sent away from the people he loved, and had come to think of as his family. _All I wanted was to stay with them, forever..._

_And that's exactly why I had to leave,_ Luke confessed sadly, gazing quietly out the window at the two Tryskorian moons which now glowed silver and orange in the evening sky. _I never got over my orphan complex,_ Luke admitted, still sitting on the edge of his bed with his cloak wrapped around him. _I simply made up a family for myself, and became attached to THEM instead_. Even Mara had laughed at Luke's shy confession that he thought of Obi-Wan as his father, and Qui-Gon as his grandfather; that Anakin and Cory felt like his uncles, and Zak his cousin, or even his little brother.

'Haha,' Mara had giggled, amused by the concept. 'Then I would be your cousin too,' she had pointed out, her green eyes twinkling mischievously; Luke had grinned amiably, shrugging in embarrassment and agreeing that it was a silly idea. Mara didn't consider 'the others' to be family at all; she saw Obi-Wan, Qui-Gon, Cory, and Zak only as minor annoyances in her life, people who constantly got in the way, and infringed upon her quality time with her father and Luke.

_And in a way, she's right,_ Luke had to admit. _Which is another reason why I had to get away from it all..._ Aside from the basic fact that attachments were forbidden by the Jedi Order, Luke realized that he had stupidly managed to form multiple attachments that all conflicted with each other. _I made up this whole imaginary Jedi family, but then I felt guilty lying to them all about my relationship with Mara,_ he confessed. _And I didn't want to let go of my attachment to Obi-Wan; but if I'd continued working with him, I would have had to keep lying to him and sneaking behind his back, for the rest of my life... or HIS,_ Luke lamented. _And I can't do that to him..._

And so in the end, driven nearly to madness by his conflicted feelings and divided loyalties to the various people in his life, Luke had been forced to admit that perhaps the Jedi Code had been right all along: that attachments were inherently destructive and unhealthy, for precisely those reasons. _My feelings for Mara, and Obi-Wan, and my stupid imaginary family definitely interfered with my ability to do my job,_ Luke confessed now.

In trying to decide what assignment to request after he was knighted, Luke had reluctantly come to acknowledge that his choices revolved entirely around being able to see Mara and his Jedi 'family', and that serving the Order and the Republic barely even registered on his list of priorities. And so he had finally asked himself what he would do, if he were a proper Jedi and had no attachments whatsoever.

That was when he had come up with the noble idea of coming to Tryskoria; it was by all accounts an impoverished, war-torn planet in dire need of the Republic's help, and yet no Jedi had volunteered to come here for centuries. _If I were a true Jedi, I would serve where I was most desperately needed, not simply where I wanted to go,_ Luke had scolded himself.

He hadn't shared his thoughts with Obi-Wan, or even Mara; in truth, Luke hadn't been serious about the idea at all. _I didn't think I had the guts to actually do it,_ he confessed now. _I figured I'd just keep working with Obi-Wan, and sneaking around with Mara, and things would stay just the way they always had been,_ he admitted.

But then, during his knighting ceremony, as he had sworn his solemn vows before the Council, promising to uphold the Jedi Code, to dedicate his life in service to the Republic and renounce all selfish desires, Luke had suddenly felt the full weight of his transgressions. 'Do you have any specific request, for your first assignment as a Jedi Knight?' Master Windu had asked Luke solemnly, his expression stern and unyielding, his dark eyes full of judgment.

In retrospect, Luke realized that that was simply Master Windu's normal expression; but at the time it had felt absolutely terrifying, and Luke had caved pathetically under the Jedi Master's foreboding glare. 'I request permission to go to Tryskoria,' Luke had blurted out nervously, not believing the words that were coming out of his mouth, and desperately trying to mask his terror. 'Its moons are in alignment tonight,' he had added inanely, blinking in apprehension as he realized he would have to leave immediately, and that there would be no time to say goodbye, or explain his decision to anyone.

He had briefly felt Obi-Wan's dismay and alarm, as well as Anakin's and Qui-Gon's; a flash of anger from Mara, and a general sense of baffled confusion from the rest of the Council before his own nerves had blocked everything else out. And then, bowing stiffly and masking his panic as best he could, Luke had managed an apologetic smile at his Master before leaving the Council chamber, heading straight down to the docking bay and on to Tryskoria.

That had been three months ago; and now Luke sighed regretfully, setting his thoughts aside as he stood up from his bed, straightening his cloak and gathering his resolve before heading outside to join the Tuluuii villagers for this evening's festivities. Tuluu and Nuluu were already high overhead in the night sky, glowing pale orange and silver; Luke smiled sadly, ignoring the dull ache in his own heart as he stubbornly reminded himself that he was a Jedi Knight, and had a job to do here.

_I'll stay for another three months,_ Luke resolved once again, nodding politely to several of the villagers as he made his way along the cobblestone path. _If I can just get them to hold one peaceful negotiation, and stop burning each other's crops, that will be SOMETHING,_ Luke consoled himself. _And then maybe I can come back in another year or so, and see how things are going._

But for the moment, Luke admitted that his continued presence was necessary in order to initiate any type of peace talks between the two tribes. Before his arrival on Tryskoria three months ago, the Tuluuii had been on the losing side of the conflict, and had been in no position to negotiate; but thanks to Luke's tactical advice and notable presence on the battlefield these past three months, the Nuluuii were beginning to develop a healthy respect for the Tuluuii army.

_Three more months, and then I can go home,_ Luke promised himself. _But I'll send a transmission to Obi-Wan tonight, when the moons come into alignment,_ he resolved, glancing toward the nearby forest clearing where his Starfighter had been sitting idle these past three months, its electrical circuitry rendered useless by Tryskoria's ion-magnetic imbalance.

"Luke!" Chief Marduk called to him now, beaming happily and waving him over to the large bonfire in the center of the village square. "Come on over and make yourself a Moo-Moo kebab," he said cheerfully, handing Luke a skewer and gesturing toward the nearby table, where Ilsa and some of the other women had prepared platters of chopped vegetables and meat.

"Thank you," Luke nodded amiably, taking the skewer from him and putting together his dinner along with the other villagers. _This definitely beats the Jedi Temple cafeteria,_ Luke thought happily, resolving to tell Obi-Wan and the others about Moo-Moo kebabs when he got back. _They're really not hard to make... We could try it next time we go to Kilaui,_ he decided cheerfully, studying the ingredients and trying to analyze how it was done. _Cooking the meat is the hardest part; but I bet Qui-Gon could do it,_ Luke convinced himself optimistically, remembering the older Jedi's impressive culinary skills.

_All right; I've got my meat and vegetables on the skewer,_ Luke noted proudly, comparing his Moo-Moo kebab to those of his neighbors. _And now you just hold it over the fire for a bit... No problem,_ he thought cheerfully, looking around the village square at the festive decorations as he held his skewer over the bonfire. _Wow, they sure made a lot of torches,_ he noticed, impressed by a large pile of cloth-wrapped wooden sticks nearby. _This is going to be some ceremony..._

_Oops,_ Luke frowned, realizing his Moo-Moo kebab had caught on fire. _Is that supposed to happen?_ he wondered, watching the vegetables incinerate as he glanced surreptitiously at the other people around the bonfire. _Crap, no, I did that wrong,_ he admitted. _This is why Jedi need cooking classes,_ Luke decided. _Someday, if I ever get on the Council, THAT'S going to be my first proposal,_ he grinned, blowing out the flames from his dinner and inspecting the damage.

_Ehh... Not bad,_ Luke decided cheerfully, pulling off a crispy piece of meat and munching on it hungrily. _I've had worse... WAY worse,_ he admitted. _Once you've tried Zak's cooking, nothing else is ever quite that bad,_ Luke consoled himself, smiling ruefully at the memory. _Ahh, I miss them all,_ he confessed again, sighing. _Three more months..._

Luke chatted with some of the other villagers now, as he ate his dinner; but presently the evening's ceremonies began, and he quietly slipped away from the others, sitting on a nearby hill and watching the proceedings. The Tuluuii had been very open and welcoming since Luke's arrival, always inviting him to join in their activities; but Luke did not share their religious beliefs, and had learned to keep a respectful distance as they worshipped their god, Tuluu.

_I don't belong here,_ Luke admitted quietly as he watched Saskia performing a ceremonial dance now, twirling gracefully to the music of the flute and drums as several of the warriors circled around her, torches held high. _The Republic doesn't even belong here,_ Luke confessed, gazing at the villagers around him. _Their ways are different than ours, but for the most part, they're happy,_ he conceded, feeling a twinge of loneliness as he sensed the strong bond of closeness and friendship among the Tuluuii villagers.

_I miss that feeling,_ Luke smiled regretfully. _The feeling of belonging, and togetherness, and... family,_ he admitted, thinking of Obi-Wan and the others. _I don't care if it's silly,_ he sighed, remembering Mara's fit of giggles when he had confided to her about his imaginary Jedi family. _They're the only family I'll ever know, and I love them,_ he confessed.

_Nothing has changed,_ Luke admitted somewhat regretfully, gazing absently at the dancers in the village square. _I thought that getting away for a while would help me to let go of my attachments; but I miss them all more than ever, and just want to go home,_ he confessed, his heart aching with as he thought of Mara, and Obi-Wan, and the others.

_I tried to do the right thing,_ Luke sighed. _I tried to take my Jedi vows seriously, and let go of my attachments... But I can't do it,_ he confessed. _I'm not like Obi-Wan... We're not 'peas in a pod', as much as he likes to think we are,_ Luke smiled regretfully. _And I respect him, more than anyone in the entire galaxy... But it's Anakin that I'm more like,_ Luke admitted now, strangely comforted by the revelation.

_I will continue to work with Obi-Wan, and study to be a Master, and try to follow in his footsteps; perhaps I'll even be on the Council one day,_ Luke resolved. _But Anakin is my true role model,_ he confessed. _He's been married for twenty years, and has served the Order faithfully all this time,_ Luke realized, admiring the strange Jedi Knight's quiet devotion to his wife and daughter while still managing to do his job. _He's living proof that it can be done... And if he can make it work, then so can Mara and I,_ Luke resolved, grateful for her father's brave example.

_And Obi-Wan knows about Anakin,_ Luke reminded himself. _He knows, and doesn't report him. It can't be such a terrible thing, if Obi-Wan turns a blind eye to it,_ he reasoned. _But that's why he wants me on the Council; he knows that he hides secrets from them himself, and feels guilty,_ Luke realized. _He wants desperately to believe that I'm the perfect, upstanding Jedi Knight that everyone thinks I am; it would kill him to learn the truth,_ Luke confessed. _No, I can't tell him,_ he resolved once again.

_I'll keep my secrets to myself; I'll bear the guilt of my transgressions, and spare Obi-Wan that burden,_ Luke decided. _But as for Anakin,_ he blinked worriedly. _I'm going to marry his daughter behind his back, knowing full well that he's married too,_ Luke realized unhappily. _He should know about us,_ Luke confessed. _He won't report us; I'm not worried about that... But..._ Luke cringed apprehensively, not daring to imagine how Anakin would react if Luke asked for his daughter's hand in marriage.

_I'll have to think about that some more,_ Luke sighed, hanging his head. _And see how Mara feels about it,_ he confessed, resolving to cross that bridge when he got there. _That is, if she even still wants to marry me,_ Luke admitted unhappily, realizing that he would have a lot of explaining to do when he got back. _Mara, I'm sorry..._

_But for now, I have a job to do,_ Luke sighed, turning his attention back to the villagers. _I requested this assignment, and I will fulfill my duty, and stay at least long enough to help them initiate peace negotiations,_ he resolved. _Three more months, and perhaps the tribes can at least agree to stop burning each other's crops,_ Luke hoped.

_It's a small step, but it's a start,_ he consoled himself, smiling quietly as he watched Saskia continuing with her ceremonial dance. _And it's more than the last Jedi Ambassador managed to do,_ Luke confessed. _If I can get out of here without causing half the planet to hate the Republic - and without being eaten,_ Luke grinned ruefully - _then I'll have done better than any Jedi has in over five hundred years,_ he decided optimistically.

But now he lifted his head, sensing a subtle change in the planet's ion-magnetic field. _It's almost time,_ Luke realized, glancing up at the night sky. Tuluu and Nuluu were nearly touching each other now; their combined magnetism was counteracting that of the planet's core, and Luke could feel the balance steadily shifting.

_I'll try to contact Obi-Wan in a few more minutes,_ Luke resolved, keeping his senses attuned and waiting for the moons to come into alignment. The villagers were aware that the time was drawing near too; the drums were now beating faster, and the music grew more intense as Saskia continued her ceremonial dance, surrounded by warrior-dancers wielding torches.

"O Great Tuluu," Chief Marduk called out in a deep voice, his hands outstretched as the villagers looked up at the moons overhead. "You have honored us with your presence, and granted us victory in battle," Marduk continued proudly, as the villagers began to chant along with the beating of the drums. "As a token of our gratitude, please accept our virgin sacrifice!"

_WHAT?_ Luke blinked in alarm, suddenly torn out of his own thoughts as he watched the warriors circling around Saskia now, coming closer and closer with their torches. _Virgin sacrifice...?_ The villagers continued to chant as the drums beat louder and faster; from across the square Luke could feel Saskia's terror as the torches came closer...

_Nooo!_ Instantly Luke was on his feet, running toward the village square. _Crap! They're going to sacrifice her!_ he shuddered, suddenly understanding Saskia's desperate and pathetic attempt to _not_ be a virgin, as well as the circumstances surrounding his predecessor's gruesome demise.

There was no time to think; a moment later Luke found himself charging through a ring of torch-wielding warriors and grabbing Saskia by the hand. "Come on!" he yelled urgently, pulling her away from the bonfire and running back toward the forest clearing where his Starfighter was hidden.

Saskia blinked anxiously, but quickly obeyed, running for her life as they were chased through the town by an angry mob, throwing torches and rocks after them and shouting accusations of "Virgin-Stealer!" Luke stopped twice to Force-shove their pursuers backwards, but finally they made it to his Starfighter, and he opened the hatch, quickly helping Saskia inside.

"Please... Please, start up." Luke cringed anxiously, switching on the ignition and praying that the moons had come close enough into alignment for his Starfighter's electrical circuits to work. The mob was upon them again, and Luke quickly sealed the cockpit shut, ignoring the angry fists that were now pounding against his windshield.

A moment later he sighed in relief as the engine started and his fuel tanks flared; and then with a final cringe of apology at Chief Marduk and the other Tuluuii warriors who had been his friends these past three months, Luke took off in his Starfighter and blasted away from Tryskoria, leaving the angry, baffled villagers far below him.

"Oops." He winced in apology, glancing back at Saskia now. "Are you all right?"

"Ahhh," Saskia whimpered, her eyes wide with shock and fright; but she nodded vigorously, hugging herself tight and shivering involuntarily as she huddled in the emergency seat behind Luke. "Thank you," she managed to whisper.

"No problem." Luke blinked worriedly, trying not to think about the fact that he had just ruined all hope of peace between Tryskoria and the Republic for another five hundred years. _And now I'm a Virgin-Stealer too..._ Then, seeing Saskia's wide-eyed terror at the twin moons which now loomed directly in front of them, Luke cringed in apology, realizing that the poor girl probably hadn't wanted to get such a close look at her gods.

"Sorry," he apologized, tactfully changing his course and navigating away from Tryskoria's ion-magnetic field. "There's a blanket back there if you're cold," he added gently, nodding toward the storage compartment.

"Thanks," Saskia whispered gratefully, still trembling as she wrapped the blanket around herself. Then, giving Luke an apprehensive look: "What now?"

"Well," Luke sighed, attempting a reassuring smile as he checked his instruments; his transmitter light was blinking, and he frowned worriedly, seeing that he had forty-one messages. _Thirty-seven of them from Obi-Wan..._ "I guess we're going to Coruscant," Luke told Saskia apologetically. "Unless you want to go back home?" he offered uncertainly.

"No," Saskia replied emphatically, though she blinked away tears of dismay and fright at the prospect. "Coruscant," she said hesitantly. "What is it like there?"

Luke sighed regretfully. "It's... pretty much the opposite of Tryskoria," he told her truthfully, as Saskia nodded bravely in understanding. _And I'm the only one in the entire galaxy who speaks your language..._

"Do they sacrifice virgins there?" Saskia asked worriedly.

Luke laughed ruefully, shaking his head. "No," he promised her gently.

"Good." Saskia grinned in relief, her blue eyes twinkling appreciatively despite her shock and anxiety.

Luke smiled back at her, admiring the girl's resilience. _I guess anything is better than getting sacrificed,_ he admitted, still cringing at the thought. "You're going to be all right," he reassured her, as Saskia nodded in grateful agreement.

Setting his coordinates for Coruscant, Luke made the jump to lightspeed; then he gave Saskia a rueful smile, nodding toward the blinking red light on his transmitter. "I'd better check my messages," he apologized, as Saskia nodded in understanding, peering at his screen curiously while Luke began to read through his forty-one text transmissions.

_Luke,_ Obi-Wan's first message began. _I know you won't get this message for another three months, but I hope that you're safe, and wanted to apologize if I had anything to do with your reason for leaving..._

_No, Master,_ Luke smiled wistfully, reading through several more of Obi-Wan's messages, touched by his Master's obvious concern and dismay. _It was never about you... And I've missed you as well,_ he confessed quietly.

Then he grinned in surprise, seeing a message from Cory. Anakin and Qui-Gon had each sent him a message as well, wishing him luck and telling him to come home safely; but now he laughed to himself as he read Cory's message.

_Luke,_ Cory wrote, in a message dated two weeks after his departure. _Come home soon... Before the rest of us are forced to strangle Obi-Wan,_ he threatened. _He's gone completely batty._ Luke grinned ruefully, nodding in agreement as he read through the remainder of Obi-Wan's thirty-seven decidedly neurotic messages, each apologizing for the one before, as well as for whatever he had, or hadn't, done to cause Luke to want to leave in the first place.

_I love you too, Master,_ Luke smiled regretfully, truly looking forward to seeing Obi-Wan again, and the others. _And especially Mara..._ But now Luke blinked in surprise, seeing another message on his transmitter. "Leia..."

"Who's Leia?" Saskia asked from the back seat, curious.

"She's... Well she _was_ the Queen of Naboo," Luke told her, as he continued to read the formal invitation. "But now she's a Senator," he realized, smiling in surprise. _She's living on Coruscant?_ "I've been invited to a benefit dinner tonight, for her charity," Luke explained cheerfully. _Obi-Wan and the others must be there already..._ "It says I can bring a friend," he grinned, looking back at Saskia now. "Wanna come?"

Saskia laughed quietly, shrugging in agreement. "Sure," she nodded, sharing a rueful grin with Luke and giggling helplessly at this evening's absurd turn of events. "Why not."


	131. Leia gets a new HOPE

**Chapter 131**

_A few hours later..._

"Congratulations, Leia," Obi-Wan said. "And Julian," he added, with a respectful nod. "You've done a wonderful job tonight," he assured them both, glancing around at the hundreds of guests who were milling about the festively-decorated convention hall, chatting amongst themselves over coffee and dessert while admiring the unusual articles for sale at tonight's HOPE benefit event. "Dinner was delicious."

"Thank you, Obi-Wan," Leia said, as Julian nodded in cheerful appreciation. "I'm so glad you could make it. How have you been?"

Obi-Wan caught the glimmer of pity in her eyes. _Everyone has felt sorry for me since Luke left,_ he admitted. _I haven't handled that well at all._ But he smiled, masking his embarrassment.

"Very well, thank you," Obi-Wan assured his niece. Then he gave her a subtle, mysterious look, deciding that she deserved to know what he and the other Jedi had sensed a few minutes earlier. "Have I mentioned that Luke is back from Tryskoria?" _He's on his way here now,_ he realized, his heart tingling with relief at his nephew's safe return.

"Is he?" Leia asked, masking her profound surprise. "When did he get back?"

"Oh, just a few minutes ago," Obi-Wan said. "He'll be here momentarily."

"I look forward to seeing him, then," Leia replied, unable to hide the sparkle of excitement in her brown eyes.

"As do I," Obi-Wan agreed. "Milady, Julian; it's good to see you both, as always." He nodded respectfully, politely excusing himself as Leia and Julian continued to greet their other guests.

_Oh dear; Luke will have listened to my thirty-seven messages by now,_ Obi-Wan sighed, heading out toward the hallway. _I should try to speak with him before he gets here,_ he decided, nodding to Anakin, Qui-Gon, and Cory now and trying to ignore their amused, knowing smiles as he continued down to the main lobby to wait for Luke.

_He's safe; that's the important thing,_ Obi-Wan reminded himself, taking a seat on a bench in the lobby. _And hopefully I haven't driven him away completely,_ he sighed, wishing he could take back some of the things he had said to Luke in the weeks and months before his knighting.

_He was feeling out of place and insecure, and worried that the rest of us wouldn't want him around any more once he was knighted,_ Obi-Wan remembered sadly. _All he wanted was a little reassurance that we cared about him - that I cared about him,_ he lamented. _But I just laughed it off and assured him that of course we still wanted him around, if only for his brilliant plankton-counting skills,_ he chastised himself. _I never once told him that I loved him, simply for who he was..._

_But obviously he's felt it,_ Obi-Wan chided himself. _He's a Jedi; of course he's sensed how I feel about him,_ he admitted. _I've been sending him mixed signals,_ Obi-Wan confessed. _I've tried so hard to keep the truth from him; to warn him against attachments, and always keep him at arm's distance, never openly admitting that I love him dearly... But in the end I only confused the poor boy, and drove him away from his family,_ Obi-Wan admitted sadly.

_I did my job well,_ Obi-Wan sighed. _I trained him to be a true Jedi Knight. He passed the trials at eighteen, and requested an assignment - not where he wanted to go, but where he felt he was most needed,_ Obi-Wan smiled proudly. _Luke has always been different from the rest of us. His passionate study of the Jedi Code stems from a genuine desire to serve the Order, whereas mine was simply an attempt to get on Qui-Gon's nerves,_ Obi-Wan admitted, laughing ruefully as he remembered his own padawan days. _And by some miracle, Luke hasn't fallen into the trap that the rest of us did,_ he confessed.

Obi-Wan had watched Luke carefully through the five years that he had trained him, and had even purposely taken him to local night clubs and bars on several occasions, to gauge his reaction to the scantily-clad female employees. He'd left Luke alone in these places a few times, observing quietly from across the room as Luke innocently sipped his Jawa juice and patiently awaited his Master's return, completely oblivious to the young, nubile dancers on the stage and the provocatively-dressed barmaids who took his order.

_We're going to have a true Jedi in the family,_ Obi-Wan realized once again. _It won't be long before he becomes a Master himself, and learns about the rest of us; and then what will he think?_ he wondered, genuinely concerned. _I was completely shocked and disturbed to learn that Qui-Gon had been married, even though I had broken the Code myself,_ Obi-Wan remembered. _And I saw Anakin's look of horror and disgust when he learned I had a child... When in fact he had two of his own,_ Obi-Wan sighed. _Luke's entire world will be turned upside down when he discovers the truth; I wouldn't be surprised if he went before the Council and turned us all in,_ Obi-Wan admitted worriedly, remembering his nephew's boldness in speaking out against wrongdoings.

_Ahh; I'm proud of him though,_ Obi-Wan smiled fondly, his heart warming as he felt Luke approaching the entrance to the building now. _And I'm glad he's decided to come back from Tryskoria._ Getting up from the bench, Obi-Wan walked over to the lobby's main entrance to welcome his nephew home.

"Luke," Obi-Wan said warmly, beaming with pride to see him looking so grown up; with his shaggy, unkempt locks he looked every bit the part of a young Jedi Knight, reveling in his newfound freedom from the short-cropped padawan hairstyle. _I did the same thing when I was knighted,_ Obi-Wan remembered fondly.

"Master," Luke replied shyly, obviously delighted to see him as well. He had been holding the door politely for a young blonde girl who was also entering the building, and Obi-Wan nodded courteously to her now, stepping aside to let her pass; but then he blinked in surprise as she smiled at him, staying close by Luke's side. _What in the blazes...?_ Obi-Wan gave Luke a worried look, his heart beating faster as he began to understand what was going on. _Force help us... It's happened..._

"Master, this is Saskia, of the Tuluuii," Luke began, giving Obi-Wan an apologetic cringe as he introduced the girl who was now clinging shyly to his arm. "Saskia, this is my Master, Obi-Wan Kenobi," Luke told her gently, adding a few words in her own language.

"Hello, Saskia." Obi-Wan smiled politely, desperately trying to quell his nerves. _She's a pretty girl, Luke; I can hardly blame you, but - _ "Luke, may I have a word with you?" he asked quietly, nodding toward a nearby alcove. _What in the blazes was he thinking, bringing her to a public place?_ Obi-Wan wondered, glancing worriedly around the empty lobby. _The rest of us had enough sense to keep our affairs secret; but that's not Luke's way, is it?_ he laughed to himself ruefully, leading his nephew several paces away as Saskia sat down nervously on on the bench to wait.

"Luke," Obi-Wan asked, keeping his voice low as he glanced meaningfully toward Saskia. "What's going on?"

"Master, I'm sorry," Luke apologized sincerely. "I failed at my mission; I - it was going well, but then - " he broke off, blinking unhappily as he glanced at Saskia. "Master, I stole a virgin from the Tuluuii village," he confessed. "Virgin-stealing is an unforgivable crime on Tryskoria; we can never go back there now," Luke admitted, hanging his head in remorse. "Master, I'm sorry; I know I've let you down... And the Council," he lamented, tears in his eyes.

"Luke," Obi-Wan said softly, putting a hand on his nephew's shoulder. "I want you to know, you haven't let me down," he promised gently, as Luke bowed his head in humble regret. "But the Council is a different matter," Obi-Wan agreed, sighing worriedly. "Luke, they won't simply be disappointed; you will be expelled if they find out what you've done," he warned him quietly, his heart aching at his nephew's naive innocence. _Were you honestly planning to tell them?_

At this, Luke blinked in alarm, looking up at Obi-Wan in obvious shock. "Expelled?" he asked in disbelief, his voice catching with anxiety, his blue eyes desperately searching his Master's face for reassurance.

_Oh dear... He doesn't know?_ "Yes," Obi-Wan nodded gently, still keeping his hand on Luke's shoulder. _Did I not explain this to him properly? This is all my fault,_ he realized suddenly, his heart sinking. "Luke, virgin-stealing is not simply a crime on Tryskoria; it is forbidden by the Jedi Order as well," he told his nephew, heartbroken. _I thought we discussed this years ago..._

"It is?" Luke asked, blinking in tearful dismay. "Master, I'm sorry... I didn't know..."

"It's all right," Obi-Wan sighed regretfully. "Luke, this is my fault; I should have been more clear," he admitted. "And it's true: the Jedi Code is somewhat vague on the subject," Obi-Wan agreed quietly. "But Luke," Obi-Wan continued carefully. _How shall I phrase this?_ "Stealing a woman's virginity," he said, blinking uncomfortably, "is implied under the 'No Marriage' clause," he told his former padawan. _How could he not have understood?_

"What?" Luke's eyes widened in shock and alarm. "No... Master, no," he stammered, obviously horrified by what Obi-Wan had implied. "I didn't - I - they were going to execute her," he continued helplessly. "She was the virgin sacrifice, and I got her out of there; that's why I stole her... I didn't - No, Master," Luke protested anxiously, shaking his head.

"Oh," Obi-Wan blinked. "I see..." _Force, what did I just say to him?_

"Master, no," Luke said again, clearly mortified. "It's not like that, I promise; I just - " he gulped uncomfortably, glancing at Saskia. "I couldn't let them execute her; I know I shouldn't have interfered in their religious practices, but - "

"No, you did the right thing, Luke," Obi-Wan told him, nodding in agreement. "It's been five hundred years, but Tryskoria is still technically a part of the Republic, and human sacrifice is against the law," he pointed out reasonably. "You did nothing wrong," he assured his nephew, quickly regaining his wits. _Blast... Anakin will kill me for this. And Padmé too..._ "Forgive me," Obi-Wan added softly, hoping that Luke hadn't read too much into his previous lecture. "I misunderstood."

Luke nodded quietly; Obi-Wan thought he caught a glimmer of amusement in his nephew's blue eyes, but he quickly masked it, managing an embarrassed smile. "It's all right, Master," Luke assured him shyly. "But I am sorry," he added, hanging his head regretfully. "I didn't handle it well; I'm afraid I've ruined our chances of re-establishing contact with Tryskoria for another five hundred years," he lamented, sighing.

Obi-Wan smiled, patting his nephew on the shoulder. "You did well, Luke. Better than anyone else has done, in five centuries," he pointed out optimistically. "I'm proud of you; and the Council will be too," he assured him, as Luke grinned in shy gratitude. "But I'm glad you're home." Obi-Wan smiled warmly. "I've missed you," he confessed. "Though I imagine you've read all about that by now," he sighed, wincing at the memory.

"Yes, Master; I got your messages," Luke nodded, laughing quietly. "All thirty-seven of them," he added, his blue eyes twinkling mischievously; but then he bowed his head. "Thank you," he added, giving Obi-Wan a look of quiet gratitude.

Obi-Wan smiled, nodding. "You're welcome," he agreed simply. "Come," he said cheerfully, leading the way back to the lobby where Saskia was still waiting for them. "Let's go say hello to the others."

* * *

><p>"Anakin," Padmé nodded graciously, greeting him formally as the guests continued to wander about the convention hall, admiring the unusual gifts and artwork on display to benefit HOPE. "It's so good to see you." Padmé smiled warmly, as Anakin bowed his head in respect; but then her brows furrowed in concern. "What happened to your hand?"<p>

"Oh - uh, nothing," Anakin stammered, quickly hiding his bandaged hand inside his cloak sleeve. "Nothing; I just - " he cringed apologetically; Mara was standing right beside him, and he couldn't very well admit in public that his own padawan had attacked him earlier that morning. "It's all right," Anakin assured her, as Padmé blinked in worried alarm.

He could feel Mara's sudden mixed emotions at this awkward topic; her sincere dismay and regret for what had happened, along with her intense frustration at having to be here in the first place. _It's been a hard day,_ Anakin admitted; he had promised Mara quietly during dinner that they would head back to the Temple as soon as they had paid their respects to the hosts.

_Although now I wish we were staying,_ Anakin admitted wistfully, feeling Luke's presence downstairs in the lobby. Obi-Wan had gone down to greet him a few minutes ago, and Anakin valiantly tried to mask his own excitement over his son's unexpected return. _Mara's in a bad mood; she'll get upset if she senses I'm overly happy to see him,_ he sighed ruefully. But now he gave his padawan an encouraging smile, nodding subtly toward Padmé. _Come on, Mara. Be polite._

"Hello, Milady," Mara said civilly, managing a respectful bow. Despite her undying hatred of all things Nabooan, Mara had once grudgingly admitted that she didn't completely detest Padmé.

Padmé smiled now, greeting her. "Hello, Mara; it's good to see you," she said sincerely. Anakin and Padmé had always thought of Mara as their adopted daughter, and Padmé had always tried her best to make Mara feel welcome and appreciated during their visits to Naboo, which was by no means an easy task.

Anakin met his wife's gaze for a moment now, and they shared a secret fond smile; then he bowed respectfully, taking his leave. "It's a pleasure to see you, as always, Milady," he assured her politely. _And you don't look like a big fat Moo-Moo; you look gorgeous, Padmé,_ Anakin thought wistfully, dutifully tearing his eyes from her and continuing on to greet Leia and Julian.

But now Mara scowled doubtfully. "Where are we going?" she asked, with a meaningful glance toward the doorway. "Master, you said we could leave after we talk to Senator Amidala," she reminded him pointedly.

Anakin smiled, amused. "Yes, I did," he agreed cheerfully. "That wasn't Senator Amidala," he informed his padawan. _And we clearly need to spend more time studying current events._ "_That's_ Senator Amidala," he explained patiently, nodding toward Leia; she had given a brief welcome speech before dinner. _Mara, you didn't recognize her?_

"What?" Mara blinked, obviously confused. "There's two of them?"

"Yes," Anakin laughed gently. "Padmé Amidala retired from the Senate a couple of months ago," he told her, glancing back toward Padmé. "And Leia Amidala took her place," he explained, as Mara scowled in confusion.

"Leia?" she frowned, eyeing her uncertainly. "Who's that?"

_Here we go..._ "Queen Amidala," Anakin sighed wearily, spelling it out for her. _Seriously, Mara. You didn't know?_

"That's... _that's_ Clown-Face?" Mara whispered in disbelief, staring at Leia now. "Aaghh!" she exclaimed under her breath, tears of anger and frustration springing to her eyes.

"Mara," Anakin chided his padawan sharply, with a stern glance. "We're going to thank them politely, and then we'll go home," he reminded her quietly, in a tone that left no room for argument.

He could feel Mara's seething anger at his reprimand; her green eyes burned fiercely, but she managed to keep her temper. "Fine," she agreed through clenched teeth, as they approached Leia and Julian to pay their respects.

But now Anakin sensed a familiar presence approaching, and turned to see Luke and Obi-Wan entering the convention hall. _Wow... My kid is a real Jedi Knight now,_ he realized proudly, smiling as he saw Luke's shaggy blond hair. _He looks all grown up..._ Anakin flashed a secret glance at Padmé, who was barely concealing her own emotions at her son's return.

Then Anakin blinked in concern, suddenly noticing the pretty blonde girl clinging to Luke's arm. _Oh, Force... Tell me that's not what it looks like._ Anakin cast an alarmed look at Obi-Wan now; but his brother was smiling calmly, his eyes twinkling with amusement at the situation. _Okay; don't panic... Luke, what the hell are you doing?_

But now Anakin felt a sudden burst of rage emanating from his padawan, and turned to see Mara glaring in Luke's direction, her emerald eyes blazing with tearful hatred. _Yeah,_ Anakin sighed regretfully, putting a hand on her shoulder. _That's got to be hard for her to see._ Just today Mara had faced the painful truth that she would undoubtedly fail the preliminary trials, and here was Luke already knighted and back from his first solo mission. _I'm sorry, sweety._

"Ahhh," Mara sobbed quietly, tears welling in her eyes. _Crap..._ Mara didn't cry often, especially in public, but Anakin knew that once the tears started, they were not likely to stop anytime soon. _Poor thing has had a really hard day..._

"Mara," Anakin told her softly, gently patting her shoulder. "Why don't you wait down in the lobby," he suggested quietly, as Mara nodded in tearful gratitude. "I just need to say goodnight to a few people, and then we'll go home, all right?"

"Yes, Master," Mara choked miserably, managing a polite bow. Sniffing back her tears, she stubbornly held her chin up, resolutely ignoring Luke as she stormed past him on her way out to the hallway, her black cloak trailing behind her.

Luke turned to watch her leave, his expression baffled; Anakin could feel his concern and dismay, and smiled reassuringly now as he greeted his son. "Luke," he said cheerfully, as Qui-Gon, Cory, and Zak came over to join them. "Welcome back! How did it go on Tryskoria?" Anakin asked, eager to hear the details of his son's first solo mission. _Oh, I'm so proud of you..._

"Hi, Master Anakin," Luke said shyly, bowing to him. "Hi Master Qui-Gon; Master Cory, Zak..." He smiled, beaming with obvious happiness to be home again as they all greeted him excitedly. "It went pretty well," Luke admitted modestly, in answer to Anakin's question. "Until tonight," he cringed, with an apologetic look at Obi-Wan.

"It seems Luke has gotten himself into a bit of trouble with the Tryskorians," Obi-Wan explained calmly. "This is Saskia," he added, smiling warmly at the blonde girl. "She was going to be the sacrificial virgin at tonight's sacred ceremony; Luke saved her life," Obi-Wan told them proudly. "But now it seems he has been branded a Virgin-Stealer; a crime for which the last Jedi Ambassador was eaten," he informed them. "I fear it may be time for some aggressive negotiations on Tryskoria," Obi-Wan admitted regretfully, as Anakin, Cory, and Zak all shared a delighted grin. _Aggressive negotiations? Cool, I'm in..._

"But for the moment, we need to find Saskia a place to stay," Obi-Wan continued, as Saskia smiled timidly, obviously not following the conversation. "Perhaps HOPE can help with that," Obi-Wan mused, glancing thoughtfully at Padmé and Leia. "Come, Luke; let's speak to Padmé about it," he suggested casually, herding Luke over to talk to his mother.

Anakin grinned, watching them go; but then he remembered his own padawan, and sighed ruefully. _I'll just say goodnight to Leia, and then I'd better be going..._ With a final wistful glance at Luke, who was now bowing politely to Padmé, Anakin turned to greet his daughter.

"Anakin," Leia exclaimed happily, as he approached. "It's so good to see you."

"A pleasure, as always, Milady," Anakin said, bowing respectfully. _She looks so beautiful..._ Leia had done her hair in loopy braids tonight, and looked stunningly gorgeous in her blue-green silk dress. _She's all grown up too,_ Anakin realized proudly. _She looks so much like her mother._ "Thank you for the invitation; dinner was wonderful," he added appreciatively.

"I'm glad you could come," Leia said, smiling graciously. "Have you met Julian?" she asked politely, turning to Senator Organa now; Anakin could feel his daughter's sudden nervousness, but she was covering it well. "Julian, this is Anakin Skywalker; he's always been a big supporter of HOPE," Leia added, giving her father an appreciative smile.

"It's an honor to meet you." Julian smiled politely, nodding in greeting; Anakin suppressed an ecstatic grin as he met his daughter's boyfriend for the first time. _He could be my son-in-law one day..._

"Hello; it's nice to meet you too," Anakin nodded respectfully, masking his profound happiness and excitement; after eight difficult years as Queen of Naboo, Leia was a whole new person since moving here to Coruscant to serve on the Senate, and Anakin was grateful and relieved to see his daughter so happy. "So this is your first term on the Senate as well?" he asked curiously, in an attempt to make conversation.

"Yes," Julian nodded, smiling amiably. "My uncle Bail retired last term; it isn't easy filling his shoes," he laughed. "But I'm trying," Julian said modestly. _He seems like a really nice guy... Padmé always liked his dad too,_ Anakin remembered, smiling quietly at the memory; he had always been a bit leery of Leif Organa, but since his daughter had started dating Julian, Anakin suddenly felt nothing but warm fuzzy feelings for the entire Alderaanian royal family.

"I'm sure you're doing a great job," Anakin nodded confidently. "So what sort of things do you like to do in your free time; do you have any hobbies?" he asked thoughtfully, hoping to get to know him a bit better.

"Yes; I like the opera," Julian replied, smiling courteously. "And the ballet."

"Really? So do I," Anakin blurted out, grinning ecstatically. _Well, not really, but..._ "Maybe we could go together sometime," he suggested hopefully, happy to suffer through a night of ballet in order to spend some time with his future son-in-law. _Seriously... THAT'S your idea of a good time?_ But Leia had always loved the ballet too, and so Anakin smiled warmly, grateful that his daughter had found someone who shared her interests.

"Uh - yes," Julian stammered automatically, blinking in surprise; Anakin could feel his sudden discomfort at the situation, and saw Leia's look of baffled confusion. _Oh, crap,_ Anakin blinked, his brows furrowing. _Did I just ask him out to the ballet?_ "Yes... yes, that would be very nice," Julian agreed politely, nodding and managing to smile pleasantly.

_Ahh!_ "Great," Anakin nodded, masking his sudden embarrassment. "Well it was nice meeting you," he said politely, trying to ignore Leia's barely-concealed look of exasperation. "But I'm afraid I have to be leaving now," he added, with an apologetic cringe at his daughter. "My padawan is waiting downstairs," he explained lamely, suddenly grateful for any excuse to escape.

"All right; well, thank you for coming." Julian smiled graciously, as Leia continued to stare at Anakin as though he'd lost his mind. _Sorry, Leia..._ With a stiff bow, Anakin quickly turned and hurried down to the lobby to his awaiting padawan.

* * *

><p>Julian blinked in confusion, watching as the strange Knight exited the convention hall. <em>Did I just get asked out by a Jedi?<em> he wondered, utterly baffled. Skywalker had seemed equally nervous, and had quickly fled; suddenly Julian found himself forming a new understanding of the Jedi Knight, with his bizarre black leather gear, his propensity for acting, his love of the opera and ballet, and the fact that he'd taken on a female padawan... _He doesn't trust himself around boys,_ Julian realized, stunned and a bit disturbed by the revelation.

But now he noticed Leia's worried expression, and smiled reassuringly. _It's all right, sweety; I'm sure he's harmless._ Leia smiled gratefully, valiantly masking her concern as she turned to greet their next guest. "Hello," she said, shaking hands with a slender dark-haired young man. "I'm Leia; thank you so much for coming."

"Hello," the young man nodded politely. "I'm Jonah Lars."

"Owen's son?" Julian asked, blinking in surprise. "Julian Organa," he added, shaking the young man's hand.

"Nice to meet you," Jonah nodded, smiling. "Yes; my dad wanted me to apologize," he added. "He wanted to come tonight - my grandfather too," Jonah assured them - "but they're both way behind schedule with this week's episode... as usual." Jonah grinned apologetically. "My grandfather wanted me to give you this, though," he told them, handing Leia a small envelope.

"Thank you." Leia smiled graciously, taking it from him. "Should I open it?"

"Sure," Jonah nodded. "It's a permanent lease for a storefront space aboard the Death Star, free of rent," he explained modestly. "My grandfather thought maybe you would like to open a new HOPE store in the hotel."

"Oh my goodness," Leia exclaimed, peering at the lease. "Jonah, thank you; this is wonderful," she said, smiling gratefully. "Yes, we'd love to open a store there," she agreed, sharing a delighted grin with Julian. So far there were HOPE stores on Naboo, Coruscant, and Alderaan; Julian knew that a gift shop aboard the luxurious Death Star hotel would be tremendously popular among the tourists. "Thank you so much; that's very generous of you, and your family," Leia told him appreciatively.

"You're welcome," Jonah replied, grinning amiably. "And thank you for the invitation tonight," he added with a respectful nod to Julian, politely excusing himself as he turned to leave.

But Julian stopped him, curious. "So are you involved in the family business?" he asked Jonah. "I've always been a big _SITH_ fan," he added cheerfully.

"Ha," Jonah laughed, nodding. "Yeah, I just started working on the show a couple months ago," he told Julian. "My parents wanted me to have a 'normal' childhood - as if _that's_ possible on Geonosis," he sighed. "But they always said I could do whatever I wanted once I turned eighteen, so, yeah, I've been working as a stage hand," Jonah told him. "My dad says I have to start at the bottom; my grandfather did the same thing with him," he explained cheerfully.

"That sounds fun," Julian agreed. "So are you hoping to get into directing eventually?"

"Yes, I'd like to," Jonah nodded. "Actually, my grandfather told me if I could write a short scene, he'd let me direct it, just to see what it's like," he admitted, grinning. "So I've been trying to come up with something - it might be on the show later this season," he told Julian modestly.

"Really?" Julian asked, curious. "What's it about?"

"Eh," Jonah shrugged. "It's about four guys who have just joined the Rebel Alliance," he said. "Actually, it's really boring," he laughed ruefully, looking at the floor.

"No, no, I want to hear it," Julian insisted, nodding in understanding to Leia, who was quietly excusing herself to go talk to her mother now. Padmé had been speaking with Master Kenobi and a young Jedi Knight who had just arrived with a blonde girl; Julian glanced at them curiously before turning back to Jonah, eager to hear about his story line.

"Okay," Jonah began, laughing good-naturedly. "So there are these four young Rebels: Biggs, Tank, Wedge, and Wormie," he explained, as Julian nodded in understanding; members of the Rebel Alliance on _SITH_ were typically given such nicknames, to protect their identities - as well as their families - from the evil Empire.

"So they're new to the Alliance, just out of the flight training academy," Jonah continued. "But then they're sent into some kind of massive space battle right away; no one expects they'll survive it, but in the end they heroically save the day," he said. "Kinda cheesy, I know," he laughed, embarrassed. "But that's all I've come up with so far."

"No, that's great!" Julian told him, smiling enthusiastically. "I love it! I can't wait to see that; it sounds really exciting."

"Eh," Jonah grinned shyly. "Tell that to my dad; he says it needs a lot of work," he laughed.

"I _will_ tell him," Julian insisted. "I'm a Senator; I'll tell him the people of Alderaan demand to see it," he proclaimed importantly, with a dramatic sweep of his hand.

"Haha!" Jonah laughed. "You should be on the show," he joked; but then he blinked in surprise at the thought. "Seriously," he said, giving Julian a hopeful look. "Would you be willing to play one of the Rebels? My dad might take it seriously if I can get a Senator involved," he admitted, with an apologetic grin. "It would just be for one show."

"Me?" Julian grinned, delighted. "Yes, of course," he agreed, nodding. "That would be fun; I'd love to."

"Really? Wow, thank you," Jonah said, nodding appreciatively. "So who do you want to be? You can be anyone you want."

"Uh... What were their names again?" Julian asked, trying to remember.

"Biggs, Tank, Wedge, and Wormie," Jonah grinned apologetically. "Weird, I know..."

"Ha! No, that's great... Ahh, I don't know... Biggs?" Julian suggested. _That sounds pretty cool... Wait 'til Leia hears about this!_

"Great," Jonah agreed, nodding. "You can be Biggs... Have you ever acted before?"

"Yes, I did theater in school," Julian told him. "I was pretty good," he added modestly; but then he blinked in surprise as another idea came to him. "Hey, I bet Dorian would do it too, if you want another Senator," Julian suggested, eyeing his friend now. "Want me to ask him?"

"Wow," Jonah nodded appreciatively. "Yes, that would be great... Thank you," he nodded gratefully, obviously overwhelmed by Julian's interest and support in his idea.

"Hey! Dorian," Julian called out, waving to his friend now, who was chatting with Kyra and her mother nearby. Hearing his name, Dorian looked up in surprise; then he grinned cheerfully, coming over to join them.

* * *

><p><em>This is amazing,<em> Jonah blinked, greeting the sandy-haired young Senator who was coming to join them now. _I can't believe Senator Organa is helping me out with this..._

"Dorian, this is Jonah Lars," Julian said cheerfully, introducing him. "Owen's son."

"Oh!" The young man smiled, delighted. "Dorian Solo," he said, shaking Jonah's hand. "Nice to meet you!"

_Holy crap... He's a Solo,_ Jonah realized too late, forcing a polite smile as he greeted the Corellian senator. "Senator Solo; it's an honor," Jonah nodded politely. _Ahh! Hopefully he isn't completely nuts..._

"No, no, call me Dorian," the young man insisted, grinning cheerfully.

"Jonah's working on an episode of _SITH_; he needs people to play Rebels," Julian explained now. "I'm playing 'Biggs'," he informed his friend, beaming proudly. "You want to be on the show too?"

"Seriously?" Dorian grinned, surprised. "Yeah, that would be awesome!"

"Great! You can be... uh...?" Julian gave Jonah an apologetic cringe, already forgetting the names.

"Ha," Jonah laughed good-naturedly. "Tank, Wedge, or Wormie," he told Dorian. "Actually, Biggs and Tank are best buddies, if you want to be Tank," he suggested. _Not that he really looks like a 'Tank',_ Jonah thought ruefully; he had envisioned someone much brawnier for the part, but the young Corellian senator would have to do.

"Tank," Dorian said, amused by the idea. "Sure, that sounds great," he agreed. "So what do we do?"

"We're Rebels," Julian explained. "We fight in a space battle - do we get to actually fly?" he asked Jonah hopefully.

"Ha! No, that's all done on a sound stage," Jonah told them.

"Oh," Julian sighed, disappointed. "But we get to wear orange jumpsuits?"

"Yes, of course," Jonah nodded, as Julian and Dorian shared an ecstatic grin.

"So this space battle," Dorian asked, curious. "What's it about?"

Jonah cringed apologetically. "I have no idea," he admitted. "I haven't figured that out yet."

"Ah," Julian nodded thoughtfully; but then he grinned as an idea came to him. "Hey, maybe Leia could be on the show," he suggested. "She could be the damsel in distress, and then we could all rescue her from Darth Vader or something."

"Wow," Jonah blinked, surprised. "Yeah, that's an awesome idea, if she wants to do it," he agreed. _Holy crap... THREE Senators? And a damsel in distress... This is brilliant!_

Julian was waving to Leia now; she had been speaking with Obi-Wan Kenobi and another young Knight nearby, and Jonah blinked in surprise as he suddenly noticed a beautiful blonde girl in a simple summer dress, her hair cascading in natural waves to her slender waist. _Whoa... Who is THAT?_ he wondered, his breath catching as he stared at her.

But Senator Amidala was approaching now, and Jonah dutifully tore his eyes from the strange blonde girl, smiling politely as Julian explained to Leia what was going on. "Dorian and I are going to be on _SITH,_" Julian told Leia excitedly. "Jonah's directing, and we need a damsel in distress; I thought maybe you could do it," Julian suggested.

"Damsel in distress?" Leia blinked in surprise, somewhat offended by the idea; but she quickly remembered her manners, and smiled at Jonah. "Of course," she assured him graciously. "I would be happy to help."

"Thank you, Milady," Jonah said gratefully. _Ahh, she's only doing this because my grandfather just gave her a gift shop on the Death Star..._ "It shouldn't take long to film," Jonah assured her quickly. "And you don't have to be a 'damsel in distress'," he added, with an apologetic smile. "You could be... You could be an important dignitary; a spy for the Rebels, maybe a Senator... Actually, you could play yourself - the Senator from Naboo," Jonah suggested, blinking in surprise at the thought; _SITH_ was almost completely fictitious, but it had its roots in _JEDI_, and still retained some aspects of a reality-based show. _Wow, that's a pretty cool idea actually..._

"Wait," Julian countered, his brows furrowing. "If she's playing herself, wouldn't she be from Alderaan?" he pointed out. "Because my Uncle Bail adopted her," he reminded them cheerfully. "Hey, you can be the Alderaanian Senator - you can be _me_," he told Leia, laughing at the idea.

Leia blinked in confusion; but then she smiled, her brown eyes twinkling with amusement. "Fine," she laughed softly, patting Julian indulgently on the shoulder. "I'll be you," she agreed good-naturedly.

"All right, so Leia gets captured by Darth Vader aboard the _Executor_," Julian continued. "And then we go rescue her," he reminded Dorian, who grinned enthusiastically. "That works, doesn't it?" Julian asked, as Jonah nodded in agreement. "So now we just need two more Rebels to play - ahh, who were they?" Julian asked again.

"Wedge and Wormie," Jonah reminded him.

"Ah," Julian nodded, looking around the convention hall for suitable candidates. The evening was coming to a close, and many of the guests had left already; Julian sighed apologetically, shaking his head.

But now Leia was gazing thoughtfully at the young Jedi Knight who was still speaking with Padmé Amidala, along with Obi-Wan Kenobi and the beautiful young blonde girl. _Who IS that girl?_ Jonah wondered again; she caught his gaze now, and smiled back at him shyly. _Ahh! She looked at me!_ Jonah gasped, his heart fluttering.

"Maybe Luke would like to be on the show," Leia suggested, as Jonah grinned shyly at the blonde girl, turning his attention back to the Senators.

"Sure," Jonah nodded agreeably. "Who's Luke?"

"Luke Starkiller; Obi-Wan's former padawan," Leia explained, pointing out the young shaggy-haired Knight.

"Oh," Jonah blinked in surprise. _A Jedi? Playing a Rebel? Sure, why not..._ "Yeah, that would be great," he agreed, as Leia smiled happily, waving to the young blond Knight now.

"Luke," Leia said hopefully, as he came over to join them, his expression curious. "This is Jonah Lars, from _SITH,_" she explained, introducing them. "He's directing an episode and needs a couple more people to play Rebels; I thought maybe you'd like to do it," she suggested, as the young Knight blinked in obvious surprise.

"Really? Me?" Luke grinned ecstatically, his blue eyes flashing with excitement. "Yes, of course," he nodded. "I'd love to," he told Jonah, giving Leia a shy, appreciative smile.

"You can be Wedge, or Wormie," Julian explained to the young Knight. "I'm Biggs," he added cheerfully. "And Dorian is Tank."

"Ha!" Luke laughed. "_'Wormie'..._ Uh, I guess I'll be Wedge," he decided.

"Now we just need to find some shmuck to be 'Wormie'," Dorian said, looking around the room.

"Hey," Julian said, giving Jonah a curious look. "Why don't you do it?" he suggested. "It's your directing debut; you should do a cameo," he encouraged him, as the others nodded in agreement at the idea.

"Me?" Jonah laughed, shaking his head. _Ugh... Wormie?_ "Eh... All right," he agreed, shrugging. "I'll be Wormie." _Damn, I really should have thought of a better name..._

"Wait," Julian realized suddenly. "Weren't you on the show, when you were a baby?" _No, don't talk about that,_ Jonah cringed, remembering his acting debut when he was three weeks old. "Yeah, that was you! Along with my cousin Ariel! You were - oh..." Julian blinked uncomfortably, suddenly remembering. "I'm sorry," he apologized quietly to Leia.

_Yeah,_ Jonah sighed, giving Leia an apologetic look now. _I played her twin brother, who died in real life._ He wished this awkward topic could have been avoided; Jonah's grandfather had quietly dropped the 'Luke and Leia' storyline from _SITH_ after the real Luke Amidala had died tragically in childbirth, out of respect for the family's grief.

"No, that's all right," Leia assured them graciously, looking down. "It was a long time ago," she conceded quietly, as Dorian stared resolutely at the floor, and Julian and Luke exchanged dismayed cringes. _Yeah, this is really awkward,_ Jonah agreed.

But now Julian's brows furrowed. "Whoa," he said.

"What?" Leia asked, as Jonah and the others looked at him curiously; so far, Julian had been coming up with all of the good ideas for the show. _He's really brilliant,_ Jonah admitted, wondering what this latest idea might be.

"Leia," Julian began hesitantly. "Forgive me, but - I was just thinking... What if Jonah plays your brother?" he suggested. "As a tribute to him... He could be the true hero of the show; halfway through we'd find out that 'Wormie' is actually Luke... So your own brother rescues you... From Darth Vader... Who is actually - whoa," Julian exclaimed again, blinking. "He would be your father, wouldn't he? But he wouldn't know it... And _you_ wouldn't know it... And Jonah wouldn't know it either... It would be like ships passing in the night, with the three of you crossing paths, never knowing that you're actually related... But the _viewers_ would know it," Julian mused, obviously moved by the idea.

Leia frowned uncomfortably at Julian's proposal. "No, I don't think that would work," she protested. "It doesn't make sense... I mean, probably no one remembers any of that." She blinked worriedly. "And if Jonah's going to be - Wormie, or - whoever," she stammered, unable to bring herself to say her dead brother's name. "It was never me to begin with; it was Ariel," Leia pointed out helplessly, obviously unhappy with the whole idea.

Jonah nodded in understanding; Princess Ariel Organa - Bail and Breha's adopted daughter - had played Leia as an infant eighteen years ago, in the same episode that Jonah had played Luke. "It's all right," Jonah reassured Leia gently now, with an apologetic smile. "I agree; we should probably keep the storyline simple," he suggested tactfully. "Though that was a very good idea," he assured Julian politely, with an appreciative smile.

Leia smiled in gratitude; but now she caught Julian's look of sincere apology, and sighed thoughtfully. "No, you're right," Leia agreed. "It _was_ a good idea," she conceded, setting aside her personal reservations and smiling graciously at Jonah now. "Jonah, if you want to play my brother, that would be all right with me."

Jonah blinked at her in surprise. "Milady... Really?"

* * *

><p><em>Ahh! What am I doing?<em> "Yes, of course," Leia assured Jonah, managing a calm smile. "Please, don't worry; it's fine." _Jonah was so kind to come here, and his grandfather has given me a whole new HOPE store; it's the least I can do._

"Are you sure?" Julian asked gently, his expression apologetic, as Dorian masked his concern; of the five of them, only Dorian and Leia knew the truth of what had become of the real Luke Amidala.

"Yes, it's fine," Leia insisted. _No one will actually believe that Jonah Lars is my brother; and even if they did, there's no harm in it._

"Thank you," Jonah said gratefully, as Leia nodded; but now she glanced over at her mother, who was still speaking with Obi-Wan and Saskia, as other guests waited patiently to pay their respects. _I should get back to them..._

"I'll let you boys work out the details," Leia said with an amused smile, patting Julian on the shoulder. "Whatever you need me to do is fine," she assured them, nodding appreciatively to Jonah as she left them to make their plans.

* * *

><p><em>Five minutes later...<em>

"That's perfect," Julian said, nodding in agreement at Jonah's proposal. "So it'll start with you on Tatooine, with your mom and dad - hey, I wonder if that same little igloo hut is still there?" Julian grinned, remembering the _JEDI_ reruns he had seen as a boy. "That would be great if you could film there again."

"Yeah, that would be awesome," Jonah agreed, nodding. "So then I wander off and run into Ben Kenobi... Or Obi-Wan, if he'll do it," he added, with a grateful smile at Luke; the young Jedi Knight had promised to speak with his former Master, and hoped that Obi-Wan himself might agree to appear in this episode.

"So Obi-Wan has gotten a message from Qui-Gon, that Leia's been captured by Darth Vader," Jonah continued, recapping their plans so far. "And he recruits me to help him save her," Jonah said. "Hey, maybe Obi-Wan could teach me some Force tricks, or lightsaber fighting or something."

"Cool," Dorian agreed, grinning.

"All right," Jonah nodded. "And maybe in the end I can use my Jedi powers, in the battle to save Leia," he decided. "This is great! And we'll have Luke there," Jonah pointed out. "You can be my stunt double, if I need to do anything fancy," he suggested, as Luke nodded cheerfully at the proposal.

But now Julian's brows furrowed. "Wait a minute," he said, another idea coming to him. "Jonah... You're playing a kid named Luke, who does lightsaber fighting and has Jedi powers," he pointed out; then he nodded toward the young Jedi Knight in their midst. "Well why don't we just have _Luke_ play Luke," he suggested. "That way you wouldn't need a stunt double for the battle scenes." _Well duhh... Why didn't we think of that to begin with? _Julian laughed to himself._  
><em>

"Oh!" Jonah blinked, looking at the young Jedi Knight now. "Yes, of course; that makes more sense," he agreed. "You'd probably do better with a lightsaber than I would," he conceded, as Luke laughed shyly.

But Dorian frowned, skeptical. "No, I don't think that's a good idea. I mean... He doesn't look anything like Leia," he argued. "Jonah's got dark hair, and eyes," he pointed out.

"True," Julian agreed, sighing; Jonah could easily pass for Leia's brother, whereas Luke was much too fair to be of Nabooan descent. "Wait... But his father would have been Anakin Skywalker," Julian reminded them. "He's kind of blond, and he's got blue eyes."

"Yeah, but he's really tall," Dorian countered, shaking his head. "I mean - no offense," he cringed, as the young Jedi Knight shrugged good-naturedly. "Sorry, I just don't see it," Dorian apologized.

"Haha... Since when did this show ever make sense?" Julian pointed out. "No offense," he added quickly, to Jonah.

"None taken," Jonah laughed. "No, I agree; Luke should play Luke," he nodded. "It would be a lot easier to film. And like you say, Anakin is blond; it's believable," he assured them. Luke laughed shyly at the thought, but Dorian continued to shake his head unhappily. _Dorian, what's your problem?_ Julian wondered; the young Solo was usually easy-going to a fault.

"All right," Jonah nodded. "So if Luke is Luke... or 'Wormie'?" He blinked, cringing. "Nah, let's just throw out Wormie, and call him Luke," he proposed, as Julian nodded in agreement. "So I guess I'll be Wedge," Jonah said. "And then the three of us will meet up with Luke and Obi-Wan when they come to the Rebel base - or something like that..."

But now Leia was returning, and Julian gave her a cheerful smile. "Leia! We figured out something even better," he told her. "_Luke_ is going to be Luke, and Jonah is going to be Wedge," Julian explained. "That way Luke can use Jedi powers when we all come to rescue you from Darth Vader."

At this, Leia frowned doubtfully. "What?" _Oh, come on, Leia... Not you too?_ Julian sighed, as Dorian gave her a sympathetic cringe. But then he bowed his head, remembering. _Yeah this whole storyline must be really hard for her._

"It's all right, Leia," Julian said gently, putting a hand on her shoulder. "It'll be okay; don't worry."

Leia blinked uncomfortably, but managed a brave nod. "I'm not worried," she told them. "Why would I be worried? That's fine," she insisted, ignoring Dorian's concerned look. "Actually, Luke, I need to borrow you for a minute," Leia added, glancing back toward Padmé and the others. "My mother's taking Saskia home with her tonight; we need you to explain to Saskia what's going on."

"Oh! Of course," Luke nodded, smiling politely at the others as he excused himself to speak with Leia and her mother.

But now Jonah was staring at the strange blonde girl. "Saskia," he asked quietly. "Who is she?"

"I'm not sure," Julian said; then he caught the wistful look in Jonah's eyes. _Haha! He likes her.._ "She's pretty, though," Julian added casually, sharing an amused grin with Dorian now.

"Yes," Jonah agreed softly, still gazing thoughtfully at the young girl. "She sure is."

* * *

><p><em>An hour later...<em>

"Ohhh," Luke sighed, sinking down into the floating spoon and smiling contentedly. "I've missed the floating spoon," he admitted, as Obi-Wan chuckled in amusement, sitting down on the edge of his bed. "And I've missed you too, Master," Luke added, with a shy grin.

"It's good to have you back, Luke," Obi-Wan agreed, smiling fondly. "So what was it that you were discussing tonight, with the others?"

"Oh!" Luke exclaimed cheerfully. "I'm going to be on _SITH,_" he told Obi-Wan. "That was Jonah Lars; Owen's son," he explained, as Obi-Wan blinked in surprise. "He needed people to play Rebels - just for one episode - and Senator Organa came up with a great storyline," Luke continued. "Senator Amidala is going to get captured by Darth Vader, and the rest of us go rescue her," he explained, as Obi-Wan laughed in amusement at the idea.

"Oh! Actually, Jonah wanted me to ask if you'd be willing to do this episode," Luke added. "I'm playing... uh, well I'm playing 'Luke'," he said. "Leia's brother - only I don't know it, and neither does she," he added, as Obi-Wan's brows suddenly furrowed in worried confusion. _Yeah, it's kind of complicated,_ Luke laughed in agreement.

"So I live with Owen and Beru Lars on Tatooine, and then I wander off and run into you - or Ben," Luke continued. "And then you - or Ben - teach me the ways of the Force," he added. "And then we go off to rescue Senator Amidala - who is actually Senator Organa; yeah, I know it's confusing," Luke agreed, grinning amiably as Obi-Wan continued to frown in disbelief.

"Oh dear," Obi-Wan sighed worriedly. "And Senator Amidala agreed to this?"

"Yes," Luke said, with a regretful smile. _I know; this has to be really hard for her._ "Though it was mostly Senator Organa's idea," Luke added. "He's brilliant; he came up with the whole storyline... It's going to be fun," Luke said cheerfully. "Come on, Master; you should be on the show too," he pleaded. "I can't very well learn the ways of the Force from Ben," Luke laughed, amused by the thought.

"Hm," Obi-Wan laughed softly. "No, I suppose not," he agreed. "Very well," he sighed good-naturedly, his eyes twinkling with amusement. "I shall be honored to instruct you in the ways of the Force."

"Awesome," Luke said, grinning; but then he caught his Master's meaningful look. _Oh. He meant in real life..._ "I mean - thank you, Master," Luke corrected himself, smiling shyly. "And about what you said before... Yes," he confessed gratefully. "I would like to keep working with you, and study to become a Master."

Obi-Wan smiled fondly. "Excellent," he nodded in agreement. "And it won't take long, Luke; you were ready to be knighted two years ago, and you're halfway to becoming a Master already," he assured him, as Luke grinned modestly at the compliment. "I would be honored to continue with your studies," Obi-Wan said; but then his brows furrowed indignantly.

"But if you think I'm going to keep coddling you, you're sadly mistaken," Obi-Wan continued, giving Luke a reproachful look. "You're a Jedi Knight now; you don't need me looking after you all the time. I'm pushing you out of the nest," he informed him matter-of-factly, getting up from his bed. "Go on; shoo," Obi-Wan scolded him, waving toward the doorway. "There's a vacant room down the hall, on the other side of Anakin and Mara," he added, his eyes twinkling affectionately.

Luke grinned, getting up from the floating spoon. _Haha, this is great,_ he realized, hardly believing his luck. Luke had resigned himself to the fact that he would probably have to continue living with his Master for the next several years, sneaking behind his back whenever he needed to see Mara; but now, conveniently, Obi-Wan was kicking him out anyway.

"Thank you, Master," Luke nodded appreciatively, heading toward the doorway.

"Goodnight, Luke." Obi-Wan smiled fondly, patting him on the shoulder. "It's good to have you back."

* * *

><p><em>What's he doing?<em> Mara sniffed tearfully, lying awake on her little cot. She had been sensing Luke's presence next door in Obi-Wan's apartment for the past several minutes; but now, inexplicably, she could feel him on the _other_ side of her chamber. _He got his own room?_ she wondered, trying to figure out what was happening.

But now she felt his presence slowly fading, growing fainter, as if he were falling asleep. _Unless he's masking..._ Mara blinked worriedly, her heart aching. _He's probably masking,_ she thought hopefully, though she admitted Luke _was_ probably tired from his flight back from Tryskoria. Mara listened intently, trying to hear the telltale sound of a window opening.

Master Anakin had left nearly an hour ago, most likely to see her mother; Mara had heard him go out, and had peeked out her bedroom window to see a shadowy, black-cloaked figure sky-diving downward through the busy Coruscant traffic. _At least they're happy,_ Mara sighed, grateful for her parents. But still, her heart ached terribly.

_Luke, how could you?_ Mara cried, tears stinging her eyes all over again at the thought of the pretty young blonde girl he had brought back from Tryskoria. _He likes her,_ she realized, heartbroken. _Just the same as he's always liked stupid ugly Clown-Face,_ Mara choked, betrayed. _He says he doesn't, but - _ Mara sobbed, facing the painful truth. _Luke likes every girl he's ever met; I'm no different from any of the others,_ she admitted. _I was just the only girl in his youngling class, that's all. I was convenient..._

But now she heard the faint click of a window opening next door. _He IS masking..._ But was Luke coming to see her, or was he on his way to meet the strange blonde girl? _Or Leia?_ Mara wondered, her heart breaking all over again. _Luke was right,_ she confessed unhappily._ Senator Amidala IS really pretty. It's not fair..._

Hearing her own window opening now, Mara gasped involuntarily, tears of relief springing to her eyes. _He came to see ME?_ But her heart still ached painfully, and Mara rolled stubbornly onto her side, facing the wall and sobbing quietly. _Luke, don't hurt me again..._

She shuddered in relief to feel his hand on her shoulder, so gentle and comforting; the tears came anew, and she choked quietly, sniffing. And then she felt a soft kiss on her cheek, his fingers stroking her tear-soaked hair... "Mara," Luke whispered softly, sitting on the edge of her bed and caressing her shoulder gently.

Mara closed her eyes, stubbornly resisting his advances for a moment; but then she gave in, turning around to face him. She buried her face in his soft tunic as he wrapped his arms around her, kissing her on the forehead. "Luke," Mara choked, clinging to him desperately. _Please... Don't ever leave me again..._

"Shh," Luke whispered softly, stroking her hair. "Shh... I'm sorry, Mara," he whispered, crawling under the covers beside her as she snuggled against him gratefully. "I'm sorry... I love you, Mara," he promised. "I'm so sorry."

"Luke," Mara cried, finally looking into his eyes. "I've missed you," she wept, her heart fluttering with joy to see him again. His hair had grown long and shaggy; Mara smiled despite her tears now, running her fingers through his soft blond locks. "You look good."

"So do you." Luke smiled lovingly, kissing her again. "I've missed you too, Mara... Every single day," he confessed, his blue eyes shining with happiness. "I'm so sorry I left."

Mara closed her eyes blissfully, basking in the warmth of his embrace; they lay together quietly for a few minutes, as Luke continued to stroke her hair softly, planting tender little kisses on her forehead. But finally she opened her eyes again, gazing at him lovingly. "I'm so glad you're home," she confessed. Now that Luke was here with her, she realized - once again - that her suspicions about Leia and the blonde girl were completely unfounded.

Still, Mara was curious, and she gave Luke a quizzical look now. "Who was that girl?" she asked, her brows furrowing indignantly.

Luke grinned shyly, giving her an apologetic look. "That was Saskia," he told her. "She's from Tryskoria; it's a long story," he laughed gently, stroking her hair. "They were going to sacrifice her, so I had to get her out of there," he explained simply.

"Sacrifice?" Mara blinked, her eyes widening; then she giggled quietly, as Luke nodded in confirmation.

"Yeah," Luke sighed. "It's a pretty messed-up place," he admitted. "But we might be going back there, in three more months," he told her, as Mara frowned in surprise. _'We?'_ "Obi-Wan and Master Qui-Gon think it's time for aggressive negotiations," Luke said, grinning mischievously.

"No way!" Mara giggled happily. "We all get to go?"

"I think so," Luke nodded. "Master Anakin and Cory wanted to go too."

"Cool," Mara said, delighted. _Ohh, I LOVE aggressive negotiations... We hardly ever get to do them,_ she sighed. "So you're really back? For good?"

"Yes," Luke assured her. "I'm sorry I left, Mara; it was stupid," he apologized again, as Mara smiled at him lovingly. _You're forgiven..._ "I'll be around for at least the next couple of weeks," Luke added. "I'm the only one who speaks Saskia's language; the Amidalas have taken her in, but I'll be visiting them every day to help her learn Basic," Luke explained, with an apologetic cringe.

Mara pouted indignantly at this news; but then she smiled, kissing him again. "It's all right," she said, snuggling close in his arms and resting her head against his shoulder. "I'm just glad you're home."

"So am I," Luke agreed, kissing her lovingly. "Oh! And guess what?" he added, his eyes twinkling cheerfully. "I'm going to be on _SITH_; we're filming on Tatooine in a couple of weeks," he told her excitedly. "I get to play a Rebel."

"No way! Really?" Mara giggled, delighted. "Luke, that's great!"

"Yeah, I can't wait," Luke nodded happily. "It's going to be so fun... Obi-Wan's going to be on the show, and probably Master Anakin too; maybe you and Sidious as well... Hey, we can fight each other," he laughed.

"Haha!" Mara giggled, amused by the thought. "Rebel scum," she scoffed, glaring at him dangerously.

Luke laughed, pulling her close and kissing her tenderly. "Oh, Mara, I love you so much," he sighed, gazing into her eyes longingly. "I can't wait, until..." he broke off shyly, with a hopeful look.

Mara grinned mischievously. "Well we don't have to wait," she told him, tracing a finger seductively along his chest; down past his waist, and even further...

But Luke took her hand gently in his own, kissing her on the lips. "Yes, we do," he insisted as always. "Three more weeks, Mara." Luke smiled tenderly, cuddling her close. "Three weeks," he promised, as they drifted off to sleep in each other's arms.


	132. Han dumps his shipment

**Chapter 132**

_Two weeks later..._

_One more week,_ Mara sighed happily, looking up from her study datapad and gazing absently through the library window at the clear blue sky beyond. It was a rare sunny day on Coruscant, and Mara smiled at the sight of the warm rays of cheery yellow sunshine streaming in through the library window.

_One more week... And then we'll be married,_ Mara realized in disbelief, her heart fluttering excitedly at the thought. She and Luke had it all planned out: after celebrating her eighteenth birthday with Master Anakin and the others - _probably at Dex's,_ Mara thought cheerfully - she and Luke would sneak out in the night, and pledge their vows to each other at a little wedding chapel downtown. They would of course ask the priest not to report their marriage (before convincing him to forget about the incident entirely); but finally she and Luke would be properly married.

_And then..._ Mara smiled blissfully, dreaming of their wedding night together. _Oh, I can't wait; one more week..._ And the time would pass quickly; tomorrow they would all be boarding the luxury cruise liner _Executor_ for a five-day tour of the galaxy, while filming for _SITH_ in various locations. _It's going to be so much fun..._ Mara sighed happily, dutifully turning her attention back to her little datapad and trying to get some studying done.

* * *

><p><em>She's in a good mood,<em> Anakin grinned quietly, looking up from his own work. _I should mark that down,_ he reminded himself, surreptitiously reaching inside his pocket for his pen and pulling up his cloak sleeve. _I'll call that a nine,_ Anakin decided, marking it down next to today's date. At first Anakin had used symbols to represent the moods of the three women in his life; but Padmé had quickly discovered the collection of sunshines, rainbows, and lightning bolts adorning his left forearm, and Anakin had been forced to explain himself.

It was Padmé who had come up with the idea of using numbers; and so for the past couple of weeks, Anakin had been keeping careful notes of Mara and Leia's moods, recording their overall happiness level each day with a number from one to ten. _This is much better,_ Anakin agreed, glancing at the neat rows of numbers on his arm. _Padmé was right; it was beginning to look like I was obsessed with Astrology._

Padmé had voluntarily told him when to expect her next meltdown, and Anakin had gratefully written the date down, circling it so he wouldn't forget; but he had continued to keep daily notes of her moods anyway, as he had sensed that Padmé appreciated his efforts, and didn't want to be left out. _Besides, it's kind of fun,_ Anakin laughed quietly, pulling his shirtsleeve back down and returning his attention to his datapad. _Ahh, where was I?_

True to his word, Anakin had been joining Mara in her studies every day for the past two weeks, and was making a serious attempt toward becoming a Master himself. _It's about time,_ he admitted; Luke had eagerly resumed his studies with Obi-Wan since returning from Tryskoria, and Anakin was suddenly painfully aware of the possibility that his son might become a Master before he did. _And that would be really embarrassing; I don't want him to become a Master and find out that his father is only a Knight,_ Anakin sighed. _I don't want him to be disappointed in me..._

_He's with Padmé right now, though,_ Anakin realized, smiling wistfully; Padmé had taken Saskia in to stay with her for the time being, and Luke had been visiting his mother's apartment every morning, helping Saskia to learn Basic. Apparently the girl was learning quickly, and had been curious to learn of Padmé and Leia's efforts with HOPE. Saskia had volunteered to help them set up the new HOPE store aboard the Death Star, which they would all be visiting this week to film for _SITH_.

_That's going to be crazy,_ Anakin sighed, cringing again as he thought of the brilliant - though somewhat terrifying - storyline Julian Organa had innocently come up with. _Thankfully Luke thinks it's all just a game,_ Anakin consoled himself; still, the whole thing made him a bit nervous, and Padmé and Obi-Wan too. _But we'll get through it; we always have,_ Anakin reminded himself, turning his attention back to his studies now. _And it'll be nice to have a vacation..._

_All right... Focus..._ Anakin blinked wearily at his datapad, pushing his other thoughts aside. _It's been so long since I've studied anything,_ he admitted. Reminding himself of Obi-Wan's lessons from his own padawan days, Anakin closed his eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath and clearing his mind.

But now his brows furrowed in surprise as he sensed something completely unexpected. _Master Chi'nala?_ Anakin frowned, focusing in on the insistent, unbidden Force presence. Anakin had worked with Master Chi'nala for fifteen years as part of the Jedi Border Patrol outside Hutt Territory, but hadn't spoken with his old Master for five years now, since taking Mara as his padawan. _He's trying to contact me?_

"What is it, Master?" Mara asked curiously, sensing his disturbance.

"I'm not sure," Anakin frowned. "I need to make a transmission," he said worriedly, setting his datapad aside and getting up from his padded armchair. "I'll be back in a few minutes," he promised his padawan.

"Can I come?" Mara asked hopefully, looking up at him.

Anakin sighed; Border Patrol business was usually complicated, and not always entirely legal. _Mara doesn't need any more encouragement to do things that are against the Code,_ he chided himself, absently rubbing his thumb against the tender skin on his left palm, which was still healing from Mara's latest assault. _But this is serious,_ he realized, still sensing Master Chi'nala's presence, steady and insistent.

"All right," Anakin agreed quickly, as Mara suppressed an ecstatic grin, her green eyes sparkling excitedly as she followed him out of the library toward the communications center down the hall. Contacting Master Chi'nala's office on Lannik, Anakin bowed his head respectfully as his former supervisor's holographic image appeared before him.

"Anakin," the Twi'lek Jedi Master nodded anxiously. "I was hoping you were on Coruscant," he continued, getting straight to the point. "One of our newer Knights accidently ion-torpedoed the _Millennium Falcon_ a couple hours ago," he informed him quickly, as Anakin's brows furrowed in concern; the Jedi Border Patrol was forbidden to use deadly force against the smuggling vessel, as its first mate was a personal friend of Master Yoda and former Second Chieftain of Kashyyyk.

"The _Falcon's_ shields held, and it escaped, but we managed to track it," Master Chi'nala informed Anakin quickly. "It's just emerged off of Coruscant; I'm guessing the hyperdrive's blown... _Slave I_ just blasted through here a few minutes ago too," Chi'nala added, giving Anakin a meaningful look; most likely Boba Fett was coming to Solo's aid. "Anakin, can you deal with it?"

Anakin nodded quickly. "Yes, Master," he assured his former supervisor. "Send the coordinates to my Starfighter; I'll report back to you as soon as I can," he promised, bowing politely as he switched off the transmission.

"What's going on?" Mara asked, rushing to keep up with Anakin as he strode quickly toward the docking bay.

"Ahh... A smuggling ship's broken down nearby," he explained to his padawan quickly. "It's complicated; we need to board it, before the local police do," he added, as Mara nodded, listening intently as Anakin proceeded to explain to her about Han Solo, Chewbacca, and the delicate situation they were now dealing with.

"So if we can arrest him on smuggling charges, he'll go to prison, and Chewbacca will be free of the life debt?" Mara asked, trying to understand.

"Yes," Anakin nodded. "And if we find drugs aboard, that's what we'll do," he told her. "But I doubt we'll find anything," he warned her, as they arrived at the docking bay. "If he had anything illegal aboard, most likely he's dumped it by now," he told Mara, who nodded in understanding. _Unless he really IS crazy..._

"So what will we do?" Mara asked, as they climbed aboard their Starfighters.

_Good question..._ In his five years of training an inquisitive apprentice, Anakin - like all Masters - had become an expert at the fine art of spouting wise-sounding Jedi proverbs when he didn't know the answer. "Keep your senses attuned," Anakin instructed his padawan sagely, as Mara nodded, her face set in a serious expression. "And follow my lead."

* * *

><p>"Damn," Han cursed, seeing the massive jumble of singed wires as he wriggled down into the control room below the main floor. <em>Of all the worst places to break down...<em> Han had reluctantly dumped his spice shipment a moment ago, knowing that it would only be a matter of minutes before the Coruscant police caught up with him.

"Raaauuughh?" Chewbacca asked worriedly from above, sticking his furry head down through the hatch to inspect the damage.

"The hyperdrive motivator's completely fried... Chewie, can you get me the hydrospanner?" Han asked urgently, yanking away the ruined wires and cursing as sparks burned his hand. "Oww! Thanks," he added, taking the instrument from Chewbacca and praying that he could at least temporarily repair the damage and get the _Falcon_ started again before the police arrived.

But now he sighed in dismay, closing his eyes as he heard an authoritative voice crackling over his transmitter. "YT-1300 freighter, license number N610015J," the traffic officer announced calmly. "This is Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker. Prepare to be boarded."

_Skywalker!_ Han's eyes widened in alarm, and he shared an anxious look with Chewie. Blinking worriedly, Han quickly climbed back up through the hatch and made his way to the cockpit, relieved and apprehensive at the same time. _I thought it would be the Coruscant police... But if Chi'nala's sent Skywalker, I might still get out of here..._

Han had only met the infamous black-cloaked Jedi Knight once; an incident he fervently wished he could erase from his memory, as he had nearly gotten himself arrested on solicitation charges. _I offered to pay him for love,_ Han cringed. _I hope he doesn't remember that..._ Han had no desire to ever meet the strange Jedi Knight again; but despite his personal mortification, he had to admit that his chances with Skywalker were better than with the Coruscant police.

_Skywalker used to work on the Outer Rim; he's a rule-bender,_ Han reminded himself, reaching for his transmitter and trying to quell his nerves. _The Coruscant police would throw the book at me, but Skywalker can be bribed..._ "This is Han Solo, Captain of the _Millennium Falcon,_" Han replied, managing to sound much more confident than he felt. "You are cleared to board."

_Crap... How much money do I have?_ Han wondered, his brows furrowing. _Five thousand, I think..._ Trying desperately not to think about the fifteen crates of death sticks that he'd just dumped into space - or what Jabba would do to him when he found out about it - Han took a deep breath, joining Chewbacca in the _Falcon's_ entryway and waiting for Skywalker to board.

A few moments later Han blinked in surprise as two black-cloaked figures dropped down through the emergency hatch overhead and turned to face him, their expressions unyielding. _Crap, I forgot how creepy he was..._ Skywalker was only a hair taller than Han, but somehow he appeared to be looking down on him, his murky blue eyes staring coldly from beneath dark brows. The ancient red gash across his right eye did nothing to soften his appearance; Han had never lost a staring contest in his entire career, but he found himself struggling to steady his racing heartbeat now as he boldly met the Jedi's gaze.

"You're having engine problems?" Skywalker asked suspiciously, glancing at the open panel in the floor nearby.

"No," Han lied calmly. "No problem." _We just stopped here for a picnic._ But Skywalker was unimpressed by his answer, and continued to stare straight through him, as if trying to read his thoughts. Han dutifully kept his eyes locked with the Jedi's for what felt like an eternity; but Skywalker made no further attempt at conversation, and finally Han caved to intense discomfort, breaking away from Skywalker's unnerving gaze and eyeing the smaller black-cloaked figure.

_It's true, then..._ Han had seen Mara Jade on _SITH,_ and had heard that the Emperor's new hell-bitch assassin was actually Skywalker's Jedi padawan in real life; but it was hard to believe that the wild, red-haired girl who was glaring at him now with fierce green eyes was anything but pure evil.

"We're going to have to search your ship," Skywalker informed him matter-of-factly, nodding to his apprentice, who bowed her head obediently, proceeding to open the _Falcon's_ storage hatches one by one and inspecting the contents.

"Be my guest," Han replied casually, forcing himself to meet Skywalker's gaze again. _Crap... Why does he keep staring at me like that?_ Han wondered, desperately trying to hide his anxiety. _Stay calm..._

A minute later Mara Jade returned, bowing respectfully to her Master. "The main hold is empty," she confirmed, fixing her intense green glare on Han once again.

Skywalker nodded almost imperceptibly, his expression unreadable. "Do you have any hidden compartments?"

"No," Han answered calmly, as always; it was a routine question, and even if Skywalker sensed his lie, he would never find them on his own. Kitster had installed the smuggling compartments years ago and had hidden them well, concealing them beneath the floor panels with an additional facade of wires and mechanical parts below.

But Skywalker continued to stare at him, his expression reproachful and slightly irritated; Han could feel Mara Jade's angry glare burning through him as well. _They know I'm lying,_ Han realized, unnerved by their cold gazes.

"I see," Skywalker replied. "So there are no smuggling compartments in the main hold?" he inquired calmly.

"No," Han assured him truthfully.

"Or behind the walls?" Skywalker asked next, glancing around the _Falcon's_ entryway.

_Damn..._ "No," Han replied, bracing himself for the next question.

"Beneath the floor?" Skywalker continued, unrelenting.

"No," Han lied, keeping his expression calm.

"Ahh." Skywalker nodded matter-of-factly, and Mara Jade's green eyes flashed in triumphant satisfaction as they began to scan the _Falcon's_ floor panels, looking for telltale seams. _Damn it,_ Han cursed silently. But even if they found the secret panels, they wouldn't be able to open them; the seams were incredibly precise, and could not be forced open with a crowbar. _And they won't find the release lever by playing twenty questions,_ Han reassured himself; the panels could only be opened from the outside by swapping four unmarked wires in the main control room.

_Unless they do THAT,_ Han sighed unhappily, as Skywalker and Mara Jade proceeded to effortlessly levitate the floor panels from their seams with a subtle wave of their fingers. _Crap..._ A minute later they had pulled out the false electrical panels as well, conducting a thorough search of the hidden compartments until they were satisfied that they had discovered them all.

"Are there any more?" Skywalker asked Han now, his expression mildly curious.

"No," Han answered truthfully, as Skywalker nodded amiably.

"All right, then," Skywalker continued matter-of-factly, pulling out his little datapad. "I'm going to have to book you on three charges of illegal modifications to your vessel," he informed Han, typing it in. "And then there's the matter of... let's see... four hundred and eighty-five outstanding traffic violations," Skywalker reminded him calmly, looking up his record; Han had been cited for blasting through Border Patrol hundreds of times over the years, though he'd never actually been booked before. _Crap... He's really going to arrest me?_ Han knew the charges would never stick; with a good lawyer, he could dispute them in court, and would probably only serve a couple of months at the most. _Though what Jabba will do to my dad while I'm in jail, I don't know,_ Han realized worriedly, remembering the fifteen crates of death sticks he'd just dumped.

But now he blinked in alarm as he heard another voice over the _Falcon's_ speaker. "YT-1300 freighter, this is the Coruscant police," the voice announced authoritatively. "Please respond."

"Excuse me," Skywalker nodded politely, handing his datapad to Mara Jade and striding quickly to the cockpit to reply to the newcomer. "Hello," he said calmly into the transmitter, nodding to the traffic control ship that now hovered outside the _Falcon's_ window, its blue and red lights flashing. "This is Anakin Skywalker," he introduced himself, as if that weren't obvious from the yellow Jedi Starfighter hovering next to the police officer's ship. "Thanks for stopping by; we've got it all under control here."

"All right then; just checking," the police officer assured him courteously. "You have a good day."

"Thanks; you too," Skywalker replied cheerily, before setting the transmitter down again. "Now," he continued, his expression instantly serious once again as he returned to the others. "Where were we?"

"Three charges of illegal modifications," Mara Jade reminded him, reading off the little datapad as Skywalker nodded appreciatively. "Four hundred and eighty-five traffic violations... And his registration expired two days ago," she added helpfully.

_What?_ Han blinked in alarm. _No no no..._

"Ah," Skywalker nodded solemnly, taking his datapad back from his apprentice and clipping it onto his belt. "Well then, we're going to have to impound your vessel," he informed Han matter-of-factly. "And I'm placing you under arrest," he continued, nodding to his padawan, who dutifully unclipped her wrist binders from her belt, a triumphant glimmer in her green eyes as she approached Han now.

_Crap..._ "Wait," Han protested, his mind racing. _Skywalker got rid of the local police; if he really wanted to arrest me he'd have accepted backup,_ he told himself. Han was well aware of the fact that the Jedi generally tried their best _not_ to arrest him, both out of respect for the Corellian royal family and for Chewbacca's sake; if Han's smuggling activities were ever brought to trial, it was possible that Chewbacca could be implicated as well, and face a life sentence.

_The Coruscant police would have been obligated to arrest me,_ Han admitted; despite his extreme uneasiness with the black-cloaked Jedi Knight, he knew that with Skywalker there was at least a shred of hope... _HOPE!_ Han remembered suddenly, blinking nervously as Skywalker continued to stare him down.

"I'd like to make a donation to HOPE," Han offered calmly, trying to sound less anxious than he felt. At this, Mara Jade scowled indignantly, her brows furrowing in disapproval; but Han resolutely ignored her, keeping his eyes on Skywalker. "I can give you five thousand credits."

* * *

><p><em>Crap.<em> Anakin sighed, seeing Mara's indignant scowl. _Yeah, I was afraid of that..._ Anakin did not relish the idea of accepting bribes in front of his padawan - especially for a charity whose president Mara vehemently detested. _I'm going to have some explaining to do,_ he sighed; still, this was far less uncomfortable than the _other_ scenario Anakin had feared.

_At least he didn't try to pay me for love this time,_ Anakin consoled himself, keeping his expression impassive as he continued to stare at the Corellian smuggler. _Something is going on here..._ Anakin had been trying to read Solo's emotions for the past ten minutes, and sensed a great deal of mistrust, deception, and underlying anxiety; but no malicious intent.

_He doesn't see me as the enemy,_ Anakin sensed, truly surprised by the realization. Most smugglers and criminals regarded the Jedi with blatant contempt; but oddly enough, Anakin sensed an attitude of apologetic respect in Solo. _He's hoping I can help him get out of this mess,_ Anakin sighed regretfully. _I'm his best friend in all of this, and he knows it._

Anakin had felt Solo's obvious relief when he had sent the police officer away; but he could still feel the smuggler's barely-veiled anxiety. _He's afraid of something,_ Anakin sensed strongly. _And it's not me._ He and Mara had not found any drugs in their search of the _Falcon_; if Solo had been carrying anything illegal, he had dumped his cargo before the Jedi arrived.

_He's not worried about what I'M going to do,_ Anakin realized now, feeling the smuggler's attitude of quiet deference. _He's worried about what Jabba will do to him,_ he sighed regretfully. _Or to his friends..._ It was no secret that Jabba's employees remained loyal to him largely out of fear; Hutts were notorious for retaliating against their enemies, and often used threats of violence against family members to keep their employees in line.

_Jabba wouldn't dare touch Solo's family, though,_ Anakin knew. _Or Chewbacca's either..._ Of all the Hutts, Jabba had the closest dealings with the Republic, and was strangely honorable in his own way; he would not do anything to jeopardize the fragile peace that existed between the Republic and the Outer Rim. _Gardulla might be stupid enough to threaten the Corellian royal family, but not Jabba..._

_Which leaves only one possibility,_ Anakin realized unhappily, understanding what was at stake. _If Solo tries to leave his service, Jabba will go after his friends on Tatooine,_ he guessed. _And his friends are MY friends,_ Anakin sighed, suddenly empathizing with the smuggler's plight as he realized the irony of the situation.

Thanks to Jedi intelligence, Anakin had known for years now that Han Solo had become close friends with Greedo, Kitster, and Boba Fett, though none of them had ever admitted it to Anakin openly. _It's an awkward situation,_ Anakin confessed; his relationship with his childhood arts and crafts buddies on Tatooine had become strained over the past decade, and he had learned to quietly keep his distance, not wanting put himself in a position where he would have to arrest a friend.

_And then there's Chewbacca..._ Anakin focused his gaze on the Wookiee now, trying to sense his emotions. Chewbacca had been standing protectively at Solo's side throughout the entire encounter, his blue eyes conveying a fierce sense of pride and stubborn loyalty to his human companion. Years ago, when Solo had first 'rescued' Chewbacca from the spice mines of Kessel, the Jedi had been highly skeptical of the Wookiee's self-proclaimed life debt; but Chewbacca had since managed to convince Yoda that he was indeed free to do as he pleased, and that he served Solo voluntarily.

_Solo's not a bad guy,_ Anakin admitted now, agreeing with Yoda's assessment. Chewbacca, Greedo, Kitster, and Boba had no great love for Jabba, and the fact that they were all friends with Solo did not escape the Jedi's notice. _Jabba obviously has something on him, and that's why he keeps smuggling... But he doesn't want to be doing this, any more than Chewbacca does,_ Anakin sensed, turning back to the Corellian now. _All right then, I'll take five thousand and pretend this didn't happen._

But in the minute or so that Anakin had been thinking it over, Solo had grown increasingly anxious, and now his eyes flickered nervously as he met Anakin's gaze again. "Ten thousand," Solo offered hopefully, misinterpreting Anakin's hesitation. "I haven't got it all with me at the moment, but I can get it to you," he assured him.

_Crap, he's really desperate,_ Anakin realized, masking his surprise. _Ten thousand credits...? If I stare at him long enough, maybe I can get another whole new HOPE store for Leia,_ Anakin considered, amused by the thought; but he felt bad for the young smuggler, and so he shook his head now, declining his second offer. "I'm sorry," he told Solo calmly. "HOPE doesn't take donations on credit," Anakin informed him, as Mara's eyes glinted in smug satisfaction. _Seriously, how would that even work?_

"But if you'd like to make a cash donation, I'd be happy to take it," Anakin nodded now, trying to maintain a professional demeanor as he ignored his padawan's sudden shock. _Yes, Mara. I'm accepting a bribe. It's illegal. Just go with it; we'll discuss this later._ Thankfully, Mara quickly masked her surprise, glaring angrily at Solo once again. _Good girl._

Solo nodded quickly, leading the way to the _Falcon's_ safe and opening it up; then he blinked worriedly, seeing only two bundles of credits, plus some loose cash. "Ahh... Here you go," Solo continued boldly, regaining his composure as he calmly handed the money over to Anakin. "Two thousand and, uh... eighty-three credits," Solo corrected himself, with a casual shrug of apology.

_What the hell? You said five thousand..._ But Anakin nodded, passing the two bundles of credits over to Mara, then tucking the rest into his cloak pocket. _I didn't mean to take everything he had,_ Anakin sighed regretfully; but there was a protocol to accepting illegal bribes, and it wouldn't look good if he tried to give some of it back.

"Thank you, for your generous donation," Anakin nodded. "We'll be on our way now." But then he turned back, remembering his reason for being here in the first place. "Do you require assistance?" Anakin asked, frowning doubtfully at the open control panel, and the mass of singed wires and repair tools strewn on the floor nearby.

"No; we're fine, thank you," Solo replied confidently, denying any problem whatsoever.

Anakin sighed; he guessed that Boba Fett was on his way here now, and nodded in quiet acceptance. _I hope you know what you're doing._ "All right then," he agreed, turning to leave. "Have a nice day," Anakin added politely, with a respectful nod to Chewbacca as well, who roared briefly in reply.

"Thanks; you too," Solo replied, watching nervously as Anakin and Mara exited through the emergency hatch once again, sealing it safely behind them before returning to their Starfighters.

* * *

><p>"Master... What was that about?" Mara asked, pulling the two thousand credits out of her cloak pocket and placing them carefully on the dresser beside Anakin's money, as they returned to their quarters. "Are we really giving this to HOPE?"<p>

"Yes," Anakin nodded, giving his padawan a regretful smile. "You did well, Mara," he added gently, as Mara nodded in quiet appreciation. "But you realize what we did today was wrong?" Anakin continued regretfully, sitting on the edge of the broken Senate pod. _We have to talk about this..._

Mara nodded in agreement, perching obediently beside him and pulling her black cloak around herself; but then her brows furrowed thoughtfully. "No, Master," she protested.

Anakin blinked in surprise. "No?"

"Master..." Mara gave him a hesitant look. "I know, we should have arrested him on traffic violations, and illegal modifications to his ship... and the expired registration," she conceded reluctantly. "But he probably wouldn't have gotten any jail time for that; two to three months, at the most," Mara pointed out, remembering her lessons in the judicial system. "And Chewbacca would still be bound to his life debt," she realized regretfully.

"In order to free Chewbacca, we would have to arrest Solo on drug possession charges... With a street value of - ten thousand credits or more," Mara continued, frowning uncertainly. "It's the only way we could be certain that he'd get a life sentence," she argued, as Anakin stared at his padawan in surprise. _Wow... She's really been studying..._

"So instead, we collected two thousand credits, to help needy children," Mara shrugged, glancing at the money on their dresser. "Master... What we did was against the rules," she acknowledged, nodding. "But I don't think it was _wrong,_" she finished quietly, giving Anakin an apologetic look.

Anakin sighed, looking down at the floor. "What we did was illegal, Mara; I'm not going to tell you it was right," he insisted quietly; then he gave her a regretful smile. "But I'm proud of you," he admitted sincerely. "Not just for how you handled yourself today, but - for all the studying you've been doing lately," Anakin told her, truly impressed. "You're going to make a terrific Jedi Knight one day," he smiled proudly, patting her on the shoulder.

Mara grinned shyly. "But not next week," she admitted, her green eyes flashing apologetically as she gave him a rueful smile. Mara would be turning eighteen in just seven more days, and would be facing - and inevitably failing - the preliminary trials as soon as they returned from their _SITH_ tour.

"No," Anakin agreed. "Not next week." He gave her a fond smile, as Mara smiled back appreciatively. "And I'm glad," Anakin admitted, putting an arm around her and running his fingers through her curly red locks. _I would miss you if you left._

Mara's eyes sparkled happily. "I'm glad, too, Master," she agreed, laying her head against his shoulder and basking in his affection for a quiet moment as Anakin continued to lovingly stroke her hair. _You've come a long way, kiddo._

* * *

><p><em>Later that evening...<em>

_"WHAT?"_ Jabba roared, spewing Snowball's delicious frog's-egg pudding all over the place. "You dumped the shipment?"

Han tried desperately not to cringe, both from the disgusting sight before him, and the magnitude of the trouble he was now in. It had been only two weeks since his last encounter with the Rancor, and he had finally managed to get back into Jabba's good graces after the incident with Victoria; he eyed the grating below him warily, hoping Jabba's pet had been fed recently.

"Jabba, I'm sorry; I'll make it up to you, I promise," Han assured him, as always. _Though I have no idea how..._ Boba had come to his rescue earlier today, and Kitster was working on his damaged hyperdrive now; his friends had even arranged for an Operation Snowball to appease Jabba's rage, but none of that changed the fact that Han had dumped fifteen crates of death sticks.

"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!" Jabba cursed angrily, his tail thumping violently against the floor; his rat-faced pet let out a frightened _Meep!_ now, barely escaping the assault. _Too bad he missed..._ But Han kept his eye on Jabba's right hand, preparing to react quickly in case the Hutt reached for the trap door lever. Chewie was standing at the back of the audience chamber along with Boba; as long as Han managed to grab the grating on his way down to the Rancor pit, they would help him fight his way out of there...

_But then we're ALL screwed,_ Han realized, his heart sinking. He still felt sick over what had happened with Lando and Victoria, and thanks to Han's idiotic retaliation, Greedo was now in Jabba's dungeon; he had been forced to cut the electricity to Jabba's Palace briefly last week, scrambling to re-route the power as he desperately waited for a replacement delivery of Tibanna gas from Lando, and the Hutt had been outraged by this affront to his dignity.

_What have I done,_ Han sighed anxiously, the gravity of his situation finally sinking in. His encounter with Skywalker and Mara Jade today didn't even register on his list of worries, and Han knew that this time he had really blown it. _If I don't think of something REALLY fast, Jabba's going to go after my dad next..._

The Hutt's yellow eyes narrowed menacingly now, and Han guessed that he was thinking the same thing. "You will fix this," Jabba instructed him quietly, his voice a low growl. "You have three days."

Somehow, the fact that Jabba was managing to keep his temper over this was even _more_ terrifying; Han bowed his head now, nodding obediently. "Thank you, Your Excellency," he replied humbly, flashing Jabba a look of sincere apology as he exited the audience chamber, his heart racing.

Boba and Chewbacca met up with him in the hallway, and he cast an anxious glance at them now before dutifully adopting a bolder posture, ignoring the watchful eyes of Jabba's minions as they made their way to the exit. _How in the hell am I going to get out of this one..._


	133. This week on SITH

**Chapter 133**

"A little higher, Mara... No, lower... higher - that's perfect," Dorian told her, quickly screwing the shelf into the wall with his power drill. "Thanks," he said, climbing down from the ladder as Mara let go of her Force-hold. "All right, next one..."

_This is so much fun,_ Mara thought, levitating the next shelf upward as Dorian re-positioned his ladder. Luke and Julian were busy setting up shelves on the other side of the store, while Padmé and Saskia carefully unpacked boxes of handmade crafts and other gift items they'd brought from Coruscant; Master Anakin and Obi-Wan were out in the Death Star's hallway now, installing the brightly-colored HOPE sign over the entrance to the store.

_Five whole days of vacation,_ Mara sighed happily, as she continued to help Dorian attach shelves to the walls of Leia's new gift shop. _And Master Anakin says I only have to do two hours of homework every day,_ she reminded herself, grateful for the break from her studies. They had all boarded the luxury cruise liner _Executor_ this morning on Coruscant, and the Death Star was just the first stop on their five-day tour of the galaxy, while filming for this week's episode of _SITH_.

Mara looked up now as Leia came back inside the store; she had gone back to her hotel room to change out of her work clothes, as she and Anakin would begin filming for _SITH_ today. "Oh my goodness!" Leia exclaimed, obviously surprised by their progress. "You guys are fast! Thank you so much for all your help," she added, her eyes sparkling appreciatively as she admired the new HOPE store.

"You're welcome," Mara replied along with the others, smiling at Leia over her shoulder as she held up another shelf for Dorian to screw into the wall. _She really does look like an Alderaanian princess,_ Mara thought, admiring Senator Amidala's beautiful white silk dress. _And she probably WILL be Princess Leia Organa of Alderaan before too long._ Mara smiled quietly, watching as Julian gave her an affectionate hug. _Luke was right; I should never have been so paranoid about her. Or Saskia,_ she confessed, suppressing a mischievous grin. _Luke isn't marrying THEM next week,_ Mara realized. _He's marrying ME... In six days... Oh, I can't wait..._

But now Leia was coming her way with a box of gift items for sale, and Mara quickly masked her expression. "Hello, Milady," she said politely, offering a friendly smile as Leia began to arrange the gifts on the newly-installed shelves. "Nice cinnamon buns," she added shyly, admiring her hairstyle. _I wonder how she makes those? They're really pretty._

But to her dismay, Leia stiffened at the comment, her brown eyes flashing with suspicion. _What? No, I was being nice!_ Mara's heart sank as she sensed Leia's obvious mistrust. _Crap... She thinks I was making fun of her..._

* * *

><p><em>What? <em>_She actually meant that?_ Leia had seen the flash of mischief in Mara's eyes a moment earlier, but now the girl seemed genuinely hurt by Leia's skepticism. "Thank you," Leia replied cautiously, managing a guarded smile; Mara's green eyes flickered uncomfortably as she turned back to her task of installing shelves with Dorian.

_I don't understand her,_ Leia confessed, glancing out toward the hallway where her father and Obi-Wan were installing the HOPE sign. _Dad says she's really nice most of the time, but I've never - crap! He's doing it again..._ Leia watched in quiet concern as her father surreptitiously pulled up his shirt sleeve, writing on his arm with a black pen.

_He's under too much stress,_ Leia admitted, disturbed by her father's strange behavior. Anakin had never had the best memory in the galaxy, and he often wrote down important notes on himself so that he wouldn't forget; but lately it had gotten completely out of control, and Leia's heart ached as she watched her father twist his arm around uncomfortably, trying to find a blank spot to write on.

_His memory is going,_ Leia realized sadly. Anakin had just turned forty a few months ago, and didn't look a day over thirty-five; but Leia was truly worried about her father's mental state, and feared that senility was beginning to set in.

The saddest part was that Anakin had only recently resolved to begin working toward becoming a Master. Just two weeks ago he had proudly announced to Leia and Padmé that he was determined to succeed this time, and wasn't going to give up. _But he's only doing it out of guilt,_ Leia sighed. _He's worried that Luke will be ashamed of him when he finds out that his father is only a Knight; but Luke isn't like that..._ Leia glanced thoughtfully at her brother now, who was helping Julian to install shelves on the other side of the store.

_Luke is accepting and non-judgmental, and one of the most kind-hearted people I've ever met,_ Leia confessed, gazing at him in quiet admiration. But as she turned back to her own work, she caught Mara's furious green glare once again, and sighed unhappily, offering the girl a half-hearted smile before awkwardly ignoring her.

Saskia was approaching now with a fragile item she'd just unwrapped from the box, and Leia smiled appreciatively, gesturing toward a spot on a higher shelf. "Thanks, Saskia," she said, as the blonde girl carefully placed it on the shelf. _It's so nice of her to help..._ Saskia had been staying with Padmé for the past two weeks, and had insisted on coming along to help them set up the new HOPE store aboard the Death Star.

"You're welcome," Saskia replied with a cheerful smile; Luke had been helping her to learn Basic, and Leia was truly impressed by how quickly the girl was picking up the language, and adjusting to life on a whole new planet. _She's been a bit homesick; but I suppose it's easier to let go when your own people want to burn you alive,_ Leia confessed.

But now Saskia looked up in surprise, her blue eyes sparkling excitedly. _Aha! I thought so._ Leia smiled in quiet amusement as Jonah Lars entered the store. Saskia had asked about the "pretty" dark-haired boy from the HOPE benefit dinner in her limited Basic, and had been clearly delighted to learn that he worked aboard the Death Star; there was a look of obvious admiration in her blue eyes now as she gazed at Jonah.

"Wow," Jonah said, coming inside and looking around. "You guys have been busy... This looks great!"

"Thank you, Jonah," Leia said appreciatively; Jonah smiled, nodding in friendly greeting to Dorian, Julian, and the others. "I'm not sure if you've met my mother?" Leia asked politely, introducing her.

"No; it's an honor, Milady," Jonah said, smiling respectfully as Padmé greeted him warmly.

"And this is Saskia, from Tryskoria," Leia continued, placing a hand on the younger girl's shoulder. "She's going to be helping out with the store here," Leia added, trying to sound casual.

"Oh - Hello," Jonah stammered, rather awkwardly. "Saskia," he added politely, shaking her hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you," he said, obviously smitten by the pretty young blonde girl.

"Hello," Saskia said. "I'm a pleasure to - " she hesitated, realizing that wasn't quite right. "I'd like to pleasure you," she corrected herself, cringing apologetically as she gave Jonah a hopeful smile.

At this, Jonah looked down at the floor, desperately trying to suppress an amused grin; but he quickly recovered his manners, nodding respectfully to Saskia. "Yes, I - uh... bless you," he added to Dorian, who had suddenly let out a strange snorting sneeze. "Um... well - Hello." Jonah grinned shyly at Saskia, his dark eyes twinkling with affection.

Leia struggled to keep a straight face, ignoring Julian's amused grin and attempting not to look at her mother, who had erupted in a fit of silent giggles; Saskia blinked worriedly at their reactions, and Leia gave her a reassuring smile, turning back to Jonah. _Please ignore the crazy people._ "I think you know everyone else?" Leia asked politely.

But now Dorian stifled another derisive snort; to 'know' someone had a sexual connotation in ancient Corellian religious scriptures, and Leia sighed wearily at her cousin-in-law's profound immaturity, suspecting that Dorian's ancestors had all 'known' each other a little too well.

"Sorry," Dorian apologized, trying to regain his composure. "Yes," he assured Leia, nodding seriously. "Yes, I think we've all had the _pleasure,_" he giggled helplessly, as Leia gave him another annoyed glare.

"Please forgive Senator _Solo,_" Leia apologized, rolling her eyes dismissively. _What can I say... He's family._

"No, no," Jonah assured her. "It's a pleasure to know you all," he insisted, a mischievous twinkle in his dark eyes. "But now that _that's_ out of the way," he continued, giving Saskia a shy, apologetic smile. "My grandfather is getting ready for the meeting; he was hoping you could join us," Jonah informed them.

"Oh! Of course." Leia smiled agreeably, setting aside her task for the moment as she and the others followed Jonah back through the Death Star's hallways to begin their work on this week's episode of _SITH_.

* * *

><p>"Good morning." Cliegg Lars smiled warmly as the applause died down, nodding in greeting to the guests who filled the Death Star's main auditorium. "And welcome to the Death Star."<p>

_This is so exciting!_ Brett Tierney grinned, listening eagerly as the legendary _SITH_ director began the orientation meeting for this week's episode. Like all of the other guests who were gathered in the auditorium this morning, Brett was an enthusiastic _SITH_ fan, and was thrilled at the opportunity to appear as an extra on the show this week, in addition to enjoying a well-earned vacation with his wife and daughter aboard the luxury cruise liner _Executor_.

_And I can't believe I actually get to be strangled by Vader!_ Brett had attended auditions earlier this morning with some of the other guests, and the casting manager had been impressed both by his acting and stunt fighting skills; Brett had been chosen to play the part of a Rebel officer who would suffer a cruel and painful death at the hands of the evil Sith Lord. _I can't wait!_

"We've got an exciting show planned," Cliegg continued, as Brett listened intently. "You'll probably see some familiar faces aboard the _Executor_ this week," he told the guests. "We've got Obi-Wan Kenobi with us, and his former padawan, Jedi Knight Luke Starkiller - yes, come on out," Cliegg said cheerfully, waving them onto the stage. _Wow... They're using Obi-Wan for real this week!_ Brett realized excitedly.

"And we've got Qui-Gon Jinn with us too," Cliegg said, continuing his introductions; but then his brows furrowed as the famed Jedi Master failed to appear. "_Have_ we got Qui-Gon with us?" he asked uncertainly, turning to Obi-Wan now.

"Ah, yes; he'll be here this afternoon," Obi-Wan assured him, with an apologetic smile. "He had some business to attend to on Tandor, but he's planning to meet up with us on Tatooine."

"Ah," Cliegg nodded. "Speaking of Tatooine - yes, we'll be filming there today," he informed the guests. The Death Star Hotel was permanently stationed just off Geonosis, but Tatooine was less than a parsec away; Brett nodded in understanding as Cliegg explained that they would be sending a small group down there to film a few scenes this afternoon.

"Owen will be overseeing the Tatooine location shoot, and Beru will be involved with that too," Cliegg added, as Owen and Beru nodded in greeting to the guests. "And I'd like to introduce our special assistant director for this week's episode," Cliegg continued, waving to someone else backstage. "This is my grandson, Jonah," Cliegg said, beaming proudly as a slight, dark-haired young man joined him on the stage. "He'll be directing a couple of scenes on Tatooine today, and also later this week on Yavin IV."

_Huh... I wonder what they'll be doing on Tatooine?_ Brett listened politely as Cliegg continued to introduce this week's other VIP guests: Senator Julian Organa of Alderaan, Senator Dorian Solo of Corellia, and Senator Leia Amidala of Naboo. _I sure picked a good week to take a vacation,_ Brett realized, impressed.

"And last but not least," Cliegg continued. "Representing our Sith faction we have Anakin Skywalker and Mara Jade..."

"No way!" Brett exclaimed in surprise, sharing an ecstatic grin with the man next to him as the entire audience erupted into applause. _They've got Kenobi AND Skywalker this week?_ As a lifelong _SITH_ fan, Brett knew as well as everyone else in the room that this was indeed a rare occurrence; usually their parts were played by Ben Kenobi and Rory Kellen.

_I get to be strangled by Skywalker himself,_ Brett realized, his heart fluttering with excitement as he applauded for the line-up of special guest stars standing on the stage. _This is going to be so awesome.._. _Ahh, I have to try to get all their autographs before the end of the week,_ Brett resolved cheerfully.

"All right," Cliegg continued, raising a hand to quell the hushed, excited murmurs that rippled through the auditorium. "You're probably wondering what this show is about," he said, his dark eyes twinkling mischievously. Although the guests aboard the Death Star and _Executor_ appeared as extras on the show each week, they were fed information strictly on a need-to-know basis, and the overall plot of the show was kept a well-guarded secret until the episode aired.

"But just to give you an outline of this week's filming schedule: Owen and Jonah will be working with some of our Jedi and Senate representatives on Tatooine today," Cliegg informed them, as the guests nodded intently, trying to guess what that might be about. "Meanwhile, I'll be filming a short space battle between the _Executor_ and the _Tantive IV,_" he added; Brett grinned excitedly, realizing that was his part. _Space battle? Cool!_

"And then you'll all be free to explore the Death Star this afternoon," Cliegg told them. "I'm sure you've read the brochure, but we've got a luxury spa, swimming pool, casino, gift shops, and some fantastic restaurants," he continued cheerfully. "And for those of you who are continuing on the _Executor_ cruise, we'll be leaving for Alderaan tomorrow morning," Cliegg informed them. "We'll be spending a day in the capital city of Aldera, where we'll film a few scenes; and then we'll continue on to Yavin IV for the last two days of the cruise," he reminded the guests.

"We just have a couple of quick scenes to film on Yavin IV, so you'll all have plenty of time to explore the hiking trails and beaches," Cliegg promised. "And don't forget to try out the new flight simulator at the Rebel Base." Brett grinned enthusiastically; he had read about _SITH's_ new state-of-the-art interactive holo-game on Yavin IV, in which guests could play Rebels engaging in a simulated assault on the Death Star, and Brett was excited to try it out.

"And finally we'll return here to the Death Star, with a brief stop on Coruscant for those of you who boarded there," Cliegg told them. "Which means you'll all make it home just in time to see yourselves on the next _SITH_ broadcast - and find out what we've _really_ been doing here this week," he finished, with an impish grin.

There was a murmur of good-natured protest among the guests; Cliegg took a brief moment to confer with Owen now, before addressing the auditorium again. "All right, then," he continued, getting back to business. "Those of you who have been chosen to play Rebels and Stormtroopers in today's space battle - please continue down to Costuming on level four; we need to get started with that right away," Cliegg instructed them. "And the rest of you can get started with your vacation," he added, grinning cheerfully. "Thank you so much for coming," Cliegg finished appreciatively. "I hope you enjoy your stay."

_I'm sure I will,_ Brett agreed, filing out of the auditorium along with the other guests and making his way down to Costuming to change into his Rebel uniform. _This is going to be so much fun!_

* * *

><p><em>And now to come up with Plan B,<em> Cliegg mused, boarding the _Tantive IV_ in the Death Star's docking bay and preparing for today's shoot as he waited for the Rebels and Stormtroopers to arrive from Costuming. It wasn't his own space battle between the _Executor_ and _Tantive IV_ that Cliegg was worried about; he had caught Owen's apprehensive glance a few minutes earlier as his son's party departed for Tatooine, and Cliegg had given Owen a subtle nod, understanding his concern. _You're right: Qui-Gon will never make it there on time._

Despite Obi-Wan's calm insistence that his former Master was 'on his way', Cliegg knew from experience that Qui-Gon's definition of 'on his way' meant that he might arrive anytime between tomorrow and... _Never,_ Cliegg admitted, grinning ruefully. _He's on Tandor, studying crystals again,_ he guessed; they'd had this problem just a few weeks ago, and Cliegg knew that Qui-Gon was not likely to emerge from his precious underground cavern anytime soon.

_The guy's a bit nutty about crystals,_ Cliegg confessed. Qui-Gon had always been one of Cliegg's very favorite people to work with; but the Jedi Master was a bit of a free spirit, and whenever he was on the show, things tended to spin out of control. _Even if he does show up today, he'll probably end up betting Owen's ship on a pod race, and throwing us all off schedule..._ Cliegg laughed quietly, recalling the _last_ time he had filmed with Qui-Gon on Tatooine.

_We have to get this location shoot done today,_ Cliegg reminded himself. The _Executor_ would be continuing on to Alderaan in the morning, and Owen would have only a few hours to film the footage he needed on Tatooine today. _If Qui-Gon doesn't show up, we can still film his part separately, and edit it in later on,_ Cliegg realized; since Qui-Gon was a ghost, it was almost easier to do it that way anyway.

_But what if he doesn't show up at all?_ Cliegg worried. They'd encountered this problem in the past, and had resorted to using recycled footage for Qui-Gon's ghostly apparition; Anakin had done a rather laughable voice-over, cupping his hands to the microphone and recording a dramatic, ridiculously over-emphasized imitation of Qui-Gon's voice as he gleefully ordered Obi-Wan around from beyond the grave just minutes before the episode aired.

_I don't want to do THAT again,_ Cliegg decided, wincing at the memory. _All right; I've got to think of something else._ Originally Qui-Gon's ghost was supposed to notify Obi-Wan of Leia's capture, providing him with the exact coordinates of the Death Star's location; but now... _I need to find another way to get the message to him,_ Cliegg realized.

The problem was that Obi-Wan lived out in the Tatooine desert, with no means of communication; short of sending someone down there in person, there was virtually no way to contact him. _So I guess I've got to send somebody down there,_ Cliegg decided. _But who?_ Tatooine was a dangerous planet; he couldn't very well send tourists or professional actors, without an armed escort. _Maybe Anakin, dressed as a Rebel?_ They'd used him before for stunt scenes, wearing a funny little moustache; but this would be a speaking part, and the fans would be sure to recognize him.

But now Cliegg smiled in amusement, hearing a familiar voice coming from around the corner. "No, we are _not_ stopping on Zeltros this week; we're going to Alderaan, _then_ Yavin IV," See-Threepio insisted, as Artoo-Detoo sputtered in reply. "You shouldn't believe everything you read on the HoloNet," Threepio scolded him. "Ah! Master Cliegg," Threepio said, shuffling toward him now. "We were wondering if you had anything special planned for us this week?"

_Ahh, I completely forgot about them..._ With all of the special Jedi and Senatorial volunteers appearing on this week's show, Cliegg hadn't given any thought to the droids' involvement. "I'm working on it," he assured his trusty protocol droid, patting him on the shoulder. Cliegg had built See-Threepio decades ago from an easy, do-it-yourself pre-fab kit; but kit droids were notoriously prone to personality quirks, and Threepio had a tendency to be a bit of a worry-wart.

"Wonderful!" Threepio exclaimed, grateful for the reassurance. "You see, Artoo? I told you Master Cliegg had everything under control," he chided his counterpart, as they continued down the hallway.

Cliegg grinned, watching them go; but now his brows furrowed as he peered at the smaller droid thoughtfully. Artoo-Detoo had been donated to _SITH_ years ago by Padmé Amidala; his circuitry was incredibly advanced, and Cliegg had learned not to underestimate the little astrodroid's capabilities.

_I could send Artoo down to Tatooine in an escape pod,_ Cliegg mused, a plan beginning to formulate in his mind. _And program him to seek Obi-Wan's SITH camera homing device; then_ _Senator Amidala could record a distress message on his holocam... Yes!_ Cliegg grinned happily, stumbling onto the perfect role for his droids. _That's it!_


	134. Help me, ObiWan Kenobi!

**Chapter 134**

_Thirty minutes later..._

"Obi-Wan," Leia began politely, addressing Artoo's holocam. "I am Princess Leia Organa of Alderaan - "

"Cut," Cliegg said good-naturedly, waving for her to stop. "No, that was good; but remember you're a secret Rebel spy," he pointed out. "You wouldn't use your real name in an unprotected transmission."

"Oh! Right," Leia agreed. _Not that Organa IS my real name... But it might be one day,_ she realized, smiling fondly as she thought of Julian. "Sorry," she apologized.

"That's all right; we have plenty of time," Cliegg assured her. They were making their way through hyperspace aboard the _Tantive IV_ now, and had nearly half an hour before they would begin filming the space battle off Tatooine. "Okay, let's try that again... _Action._"

"Hello," Leia said cautiously, trying not to use any names. "My ship has fallen under attack, and - " she broke off, looking at Cliegg uncertainly. "How would Obi-Wan know who I am, if he's never met me?"

"Ah... Good question," Cliegg admitted. "All right, try to give him subtle clues... You could mention that he served _your father_ in the Clone Wars, and that your mission to bring him to _Alderaan_ has failed," he suggested. "And it's okay to use Obi-Wan's name," he added. "It's no secret that _he's_ a Rebel; you'd just want to protect your father's identity, what with him being the King of Alderaan," Cliegg pointed out.

"Right," Leia agreed, taking a deep breath before continuing. "Obi-Wan... Master Kenobi?" she proposed thoughtfully, realizing that they probably weren't on a first-name basis.

"_General_ Kenobi," Cliegg corrected her, grinning in amusement.

"General Kenobi," Leia began again. "Years ago you served my father in the Clone Wars," she continued. "Now he begs you to help him in his struggle against the Empire. I regret that I am unable to present my father's request to you in person, but my ship has fallen under attack, and I'm afraid my mission to bring you to Alderaan has failed..." _Ahh! What else was I supposed to say?_ "Sorry," Leia said, cringing apologetically.

"No, you're doing great," Cliegg assured her. "That's perfect so far; now you just need to tell him about the Death Star plans," he reminded her. "But be vague," he added, his eyes twinkling.

"Okay... Should I start over?" Leia asked uncertainly.

"No, no, just keep going; I'll splice it all together when you're done," Cliegg told her, motioning for her to continue.

"All right," Leia agreed, nodding. "I have placed information vital to the survival of the Rebellion into the memory systems of this R2 unit," she continued, careful not to mention the Death Star plans by name. "_My father_ will know how to retrieve it," she added cryptically. "You must see this droid safely delivered to him on Alderaan," Leia instructed Obi-Wan, providing the vital clue: Cliegg had improvised a brilliant plan to get Obi-Wan and the others to go to Alderaan, whereupon they would discover the Death Star stationed just off the planet's surface (or so it would appear, through the magic of editing) and come to Leia's rescue.

"This is our most desperate hour," Leia continued sadly. _Ahh! How do I end this thing?_ "Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi... You're my only hope." _Crap! I called him Obi-Wan..._ Leia had quickly thrown in a 'Kenobi' after his name, but still, she should have used his proper title. She turned to Cliegg uncertainly now, wondering if she should start over; but the director was smiling in approval, motioning for her to turn off the transmission. _Oh no! Which button is it?_ Crouching down to Artoo's level, Leia peered at his controls, finally turning off the holocam. _Ahh, that was pathetic... Sorry..._

"That was great!" Cliegg said, beaming. "Leia, you're a natural," he told her, impressed. "Just like your mother," he added, his eyes twinkling fondly.

"Really?" Leia blinked uncertainly. "Should I try it again?" _I kind of messed up at the end..._

"No, that was perfect," Cliegg told her, ejecting the disc from Artoo and inserting it into the _Tantive IV's_ computer monitor. "I'll just splice together the good parts - hang on a sec... There we go," he said cheerfully, popping the disc back out of the computer and handing it to her. "See? That wasn't so bad, was it?"

"No," Leia admitted, smiling appreciatively. "That was kind of fun."

"Good," Cliegg said, nodding. "That's the important thing," he agreed, his eyes twinkling proudly as he glanced out to the hallway, where the other tourists were enthusiastically rehearsing their roles as Rebel soldiers. "It's all about having fun."

* * *

><p>Brett suppressed an ecstatic grin, running through the hallway of the <em>Tantive IV<em> with the other Rebel soldiers. _I really get to be on SITH!_ They had finally emerged from hyperspace just off Tatooine, and unfortunately had lost the brief ship-to-ship battle against the _Executor_; Brett knew that he would probably be killed _twice _in this episode, but his spirits were high nonetheless.

_They're coming in,_ he realized, hearing loud clanking sounds outside the ship. The _Tantive IV_ had been pulled up to the Executor's docking bay, and Brett knelt inside a doorway now, taking cover and drawing his blaster. _Look fierce,_ he reminded himself. _Concerned, but not frightened,_ he decided; the Rebels were about to get slaughtered, but they were determined to die with dignity, and would not go down without a fight.

_Whoa... Cool explosion!_ Sparks flew through the hallway as the door suddenly burst into billowing flames, and Stormtroopers began pouring in, blasters flaring. _This is awesome!_ Brett fired back with his own blaster, aiming carefully and trying to hit one of the enemy Stormtroopers; but then he gasped in surprise, feeling a sharp, stinging sensation in his own chest.

_Oh, crap! I've been shot,_ he realized in disbelief, not faking his shock as he dutifully collapsed to the floor. _I didn't last two seconds..._ Brett sighed ruefully, trying to lie still as the Stormtroopers stepped over him, leaving a path of slaughter in their wake.

But now he heard a familiar mechanical breathing sound, along with slow, deliberate footsteps; Brett opened his eyes just a tiny bit, biting his lip excitedly as he caught sight of the black-cloaked Sith Lord. _Ahh! It's really him!_ Darth Vader was standing over him now, turning his helmeted head from side to side and surveying the carnage; but then he quickly continued on through the hallway, marching fearlessly ahead of his Stormtrooper bodyguards.

Brett lay there for a moment longer after the action continued down to the next hallway; but then he lifted his head as he heard a familiar voice. "Great job, you guys!" Cliegg Lars told them, beaming cheerfully. "All right; Brett, I need you for the next scene," he added, as Brett nodded agreeably, getting up from his spot on the floor.

"I was just thinking; the viewers will probably wonder if Captain Antilles has been killed in all this," Cliegg explained, leading the way back through the hallway. Captain Antilles had been a regular on the show for the past eighteen years, though the faces of his crew changed from week to week. "He's on vacation at the moment, but we're going to say he was on a secret assignment somewhere else," Cliegg said, as Brett nodded in understanding. "So he'll come back in a later episode and rescue the _Tantive IV_ and the rest of the crew from the _Executor_," he explained.

"But we need a substitute Captain for this mission; I've got an extra uniform for you, if you wouldn't mind changing," Cliegg continued hopefully, opening a storage locker and pulling out a tan uniform. "It might be a little big," he apologized, holding it up to Brett now; Brett was a little shorter and slighter of build than Antilles, but it was only a minor difference.

"No, that's great," Brett assured him, nodding excitedly. _Awesome; I get to be a Captain now!_

"All right, Captain Tierney," Cliegg said cheerfully, glancing toward the nearby changing room. "Go ahead and change; we'll get started in a few minutes."

* * *

><p><em>Destruction accomplished...<em> Anakin grinned mischievously, as the Rebel soldiers were marched through the hallways at blaster point by the Stormtroopers. But now he smiled in surprise, sensing a familiar presence in the adjacent hallway. _Leia! And Mara,_ he cringed, sensing his padawan approaching from the opposite side of the ship. _Crap, those two are like fire and ice. _Anakin had been quietly observing their interactions all day now, and it had been a bit painful to watch.

_Mara's actually TRYING to be nice,_ Anakin realized, surprised and proud of his padawan. _But now Leia is taking things the wrong way, and being all stand-offish,_ he admitted, confused and disturbed by his daughter's uncharacteristic behavior. Anakin had been forced to scratch out and re-write the numbers on his arm three times today already, and the current score was Mara: eight, Leia: six.

_Maybe it's her time now?_ Anakin wondered, concerned for his daughter. _And the poor thing is wearing white today,_ he realized sympathetically. _Aw, that can't be fun..._

_So this is it,_ Anakin guessed, remembering the whole reason for his mood-tracking experiment. _This is when I need to be especially nice to Leia, and understand that she might be a little hypersensitive,_ he reminded himself. _I'll go say hello to her now, and make sure she's doing all right,_ he decided, turning down the next hallway and pulling his black mask up over his helmet, where the elastic band held it in place goggle-style.

"Hello, Milady," Anakin said with a courteous nod, greeting her in the control room. He didn't sense anyone nearby, but the ship was swarming with hovering cameras, and he and Leia had long ago learned to act friendly yet distant in public.

"Anakin," Leia replied, smiling graciously; but she couldn't suppress the twinkle of amusement in her eyes, and a moment later she let out an involuntary giggle. "Nice costume," she remarked; Leia had never seen Darth Vader in person before. _Haha! Yeah, I know... I look kind of ridiculous,_ Anakin agreed cheerfully, grateful to find Leia in good spirits.

But Leia's mirth instantly faded, and Anakin turned to see his padawan in the doorway, her green eyes burning fiercely as she glared at Leia. _Ahh! That's two angry glares today,_ Anakin admitted, realizing he would have to downgrade Mara to at least a seven now. _Come on, Mara; you were doing so well this morning._

There was no time to write down the numbers; Anakin looked up now, hearing Cliegg's voice over the ship's loudspeaker system. "Darth Vader and Mara Jade, please report to the command wing," the director announced, obviously wondering where they'd gone. _Oops..._ "Excuse me, Milady," Anakin said, giving Leia a secret smile as he pulled his mask back over his face, continuing on with Mara toward the command wing.

* * *

><p>"The Death Star plans are <em>not<em> in the main computer," a Stormtrooper announced with impressive drama, obviously thrilled to have been chosen for a speaking role.

"Where are those transmissions you intercepted?" Darth Vader droned menacingly, his hand clamped firmly around Brett's throat. "What have you done with those plans?"

_Ahh, this feels weird!_ Brett felt strangely weightless as Mara Jade levitated his body from behind the camera, supporting his weight while Vader held him by the throat. "We intercepted no transmissions," Brett protested, choking. "This is a consular ship... We're on a diplomatic mission - "

"If this is a consular ship, where is the ambassador?" Vader asked; apparently it was a rhetorical question, as he choked poor Brett to death before waiting for his answer. _Aaggghh..._ A moment later Brett found himself being hurled against the wall, and he tried his best to remain limp, allowing Mara to control his fall. _Wow, that didn't hurt at all,_ Brett confessed in surprise as he lay on the floor, unmoving.

"Commander, tear this ship apart until you've found those plans," Darth Vader continued angrily. "And bring me the passengers; I want them alive!"

"Cut," Cliegg said a moment later. "Great job, everyone... Brett - you okay?" he asked, as Brett nodded, getting up again. "Excellent," Cliegg nodded. "I told you: Mara's good," he said cheerfully, patting him on the back.

"Yeah, I know," Brett agreed, grinning. _Ahh! I can't believe I'm meeting Mara Jade in person!_ Vader was already leaving to film the next scene, but Brett gave the black-cloaked padawan an appreciative smile. "Thank you," he said, trying to hide his nerves. _Come on... Ask her..._ "Could I get your autograph?" he inquired hopefully.

Mara smiled, her emerald eyes sparkling cheerfully. "Sure," she agreed, taking Brett's autograph book and signing it. "Here you go," she said politely, handing it back to him.

"Thank you," Brett said, nodding respectfully as the Jedi padawan left to film another scene with Cliegg; then he looked down at his little autograph book, grinning ecstatically as he read her inscription. _To Captain Tierney: Best wishes from Mara Jade - The Emperor's Hand._

* * *

><p>"Artoo-Detoo, where are you?" See-Threepio asked dramatically, looking curiously to the left and right.<p>

_Duh... I'm over here,_ Artoo sighed, as the golden protocol droid continued to look everywhere _except_ in his direction. _Some of us actually have REAL jobs to do._ Senator Leia Amidala was inserting a disc into his slot now, and Artoo read his instructions intently. _Primary Objective: Find Obi-Wan Kenobi,_ Artoo noted, memorizing his mission. _Cool!_

But then Artoo sighed as he read the rest of his instructions. _Secondary Objective: Film for SITH with C-3PO,_ the disc commanded him. _Aw, crap..._ Reluctantly, Artoo turned to his left, obediently rolling toward Threepio.

"At last," the protocol droid sighed impatiently. "Where have you been?"

"Over there," Artoo replied. "Filming with Leia."

"They're heading in this direction!" Threepio exclaimed suddenly, feigning panic. _Wow, that was random..._

"Uh... Who?" Artoo asked, peering out toward the hallway. "There's nobody out there."

"What are we going to do?" Threepio continued dramatically, stubbornly ignoring him. "We'll be sent to the spice mines of Kessel, or smashed into who knows what!"

"No we won't," Artoo reassured him, ignoring the silly actor droid and re-reading his instructions. _Primary Objective: Find Obi-Wan Kenobi._ Switching on his homing sensor, Artoo attempted to locate Obi-Wan Kenobi's _SITH_ camera device now. _Aha! 15,826.449 kilometers in this direction,_ Artoo determined, turning around and heading back the other way.

"Wait a minute," Threepio exclaimed indignantly. "Where are you going?"

"Finding Obi-Wan Kenobi," Artoo explained patiently, leading the way through the control room. _Hmm, 15,826.449 kilometers... That's pretty far,_ Artoo admitted, surprised. _He's not aboard the Tantive IV... Wow, Cliegg's letting us off the ship this time? Yeah!_ Artoo grinned, consulting his galactic map now. _Okay... Yep - there he is... Tatooine,_ Artoo realized gleefully. _Ugh... Sandy climate... But still, this is cool,_ Artoo had to admit. _All right, how to get there? Aha! Escape pod,_ he decided quickly, heading down another hallway. _Here we go..._

"Hey!" Threepio called after him, hurrying to catch up. "You're not permitted in there. It's restricted; you'll be deactivated for sure!"

"No I won't," Artoo assured him confidently. "Cliegg gave me the override password: _'Mindless Philosopher',_" Artoo intoned clearly, as the door to the escape pod opened.

"Don't call me a mindless philosopher, you overweight glob of grease!" Threepio retorted indignantly. _Uh... I DIDN'T..._ "Now come on, before somebody sees you."

"Yeah, like all these _SITH_ cameras that are following us?" Artoo pointed out calmly, tapping into the escape pod's control panel. "Don't worry, it's okay; Cliegg's sending us on a secret mission to deliver Leia's plans," Artoo explained patiently, setting the coordinates for Tatooine.

"Secret mission? What plans?" Threepio asked, clearly baffled. "What are you talking about? I'm NOT getting involved," Threepio protested.

But now an explosion went off just behind Threepio; obviously Cliegg's battle was moving in this direction. "Come on," Artoo beeped in annoyance. _You're going to mess up Cliegg's battle scene again..._

"I'm going to regret this," Threepio lamented, bending over uncomfortably as he boarded the tiny escape pod. _Finally... All right, here we go,_ Artoo thought happily, blasting off toward Tatooine.

"That's funny," Threepio remarked, looking back through the window. "The damage doesn't look as bad from out here."

_Uh... That's not even our ship; that's ANAKIN'S ship,_ Artoo sighed wearily. _Have you ever even watched SITH?_ "No, it doesn't," he agreed civilly, trying to avoid another argument.

"Are you sure this thing is safe?" Threepio inquired, with his usual concern.

"Yep... Perfectly safe," Artoo whistled confidently, as Threepio nodded, grateful for the reassurance. _Though I can't guarantee what will happen after we land,_ Artoo confessed mischievously. _Haha! This is going to be fun!_

* * *

><p>"All right," Cliegg said, preparing for the next scene. "The Stormtroopers will come in from the end of the hallway," he instructed them. "Leia will get a shot off, before trying to run for it; and then you hit her with the stun ray," Cliegg reminded one of the Stormtroopers now, who nodded in agreement. "Mara, are you ready for this?"<p>

"Sure," Mara agreed, nodding confidently. _I've been ready for this for ages..._ Mara had been brought in to soften Leia's fall; normally she prided herself in her ability to produce realistic-looking yet painless stunts, but in this instance she had decided to conveniently ignore her job.

_This is what you get for making fun of Master Anakin's costume,_ Mara thought, frowning indignantly. _And for the way you looked at Luke earlier; when you're SUPPOSED to be going out with Julian... And for being a mean, stuck-up snob when I tried to give you a compliment before,_ she grumbled, glaring resentfully at Leia's back.

_If she complains that the fall was painful, I'll just say I did the same thing I do for everyone else,_ Mara decided. _And then she'll look like a princessy wuss for saying it hurt,_ Mara realized, grinning mischievously. _And that will be even MORE fun to watch!_

"Okay... Action!" Cliegg said, stepping behind the cameras as the Stormtroopers entered from the hallway, searching right and left as they made their way through the control room. _Ugh... I take back what I said before,_ Mara thought, wrinkling her nose in disdain as Leia peered out from behind a row of machinery. _Those cinnamon buns look stupid._

"There's one; set for stun!" a Stormtrooper said, spotting Leia. _Haha... I bet she can't aim..._ Mara grinned as the Stormtroopers dutifully waited for her to get a shot off. It was very difficult to shoot Stormtroopers; Mara could do it herself, but you had to aim just right, so that - _Huh?_ Mara blinked in surprise, as Leia's blaster round went straight into the Stormtrooper's armpit, one of the few vulnerable spots that could result in a kill. _Okay, THAT was luck..._

_Now I'm really pissed off,_ Mara decided indignantly, struggling to mask her frustration as she prepared to control Leia's fall. _Or at least pretend to,_ she reminded herself, keeping her expression calm. _Heehee! Look at her run!_ A moment later the Stormtrooper blasted Leia with a stun ray, and Mara patiently reached out a hand, pretending to control her fall. _Ohh! She went down pretty hard,_ Mara laughed to herself, suppressing a giggle.

_That will teach you to make fun of my dad... And flirt with my fiancé... And act all snobby to me,_ Mara thought, frowning. _NOW do you think you're better than me?_ _Stupid Clown-Face..._

* * *

><p><em>Oww,<em> Leia winced, lying face-down on the hard floor and trying to ignore the throbbing pain that coursed through her whole body. _She let me fall,_ Leia realized in disbelief, fighting tears of pain and betrayal that stung her eyes. _Dad... I don't care what you say; that girl is a monster,_ Leia decided once again, frustrated with her father for allowing Mara to hurt her.

"Cut... Great job, everyone," Cliegg congratulated them. "Mara... Wow - that looked completely realistic," he added, clearly impressed. "Was that all right for you, Leia?" he asked hopefully, giving her a hand now.

"Yes," Leia nodded, managing a brave smile. _I won't give her the satisfaction of knowing that it hurt._ "It was fine; didn't hurt a bit," she insisted cheerfully, ignoring Mara's confused scowl. _Ohhh... I don't think anything's broken, at least,_ Leia cringed, trying to ignore the pounding headache she now felt, as well as the searing pain in her left knee.

"Good," Cliegg said cheerfully. "All right, then; let's continue right on to the next scene... We'll need some binders for Senator Amidala," he instructed one of the Stormtroopers, who obediently clamped the device around Leia's wrists. _Ow... Not so tight..._

"Okay; Leia, remember what we talked about? You're going to act righteously outraged at this attack on your vessel, and insist that you're a loyal member of the Imperial Senate, on a diplomatic mission to Alderaan," he reminded her, as Leia nodded, still fighting a throbbing headache. _Righteously outraged... Yeah, I can do that,_ she agreed bitterly.

"All right... Action!" Cliegg said, as the Stormtroopers marched Leia down the hallway in binders. _Ohh... Don't limp..._ Leia gritted her teeth stubbornly, ignoring the pain in her knee.

"Darth Vader," Leia greeted her father angrily, as she was marched before him. "Only you could be so bold." _You need to keep a leash on that hell-bitch padawan of yours._ "The Imperial Senate will not sit still for this," she warned him. "When they hear you've attacked a diplomatic - "

"Don't act so surprised, your Highness," her father interrupted menacingly. "You weren't on any mercy mission this time." _What kind of accent IS that?_ Leia wondered once again, forgetting her pain for a moment as she peered at him curiously. "Several transmissions were beamed to this ship by Rebel spies..." _He's a terrific actor,_ Leia confessed, impressed by her father's performance. _But he lives in the land of make-believe, thinking his padawan is the perfect little angel..._ "I want to know what happened to the plans they sent you," Vader demanded.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Leia retorted, still betrayed by Mara's behavior. _Seriously, how can you not see what a complete monster she is?_ "I'm a member of the Imperial Senate, on a diplomatic mission to Alderaan."

"You are part of the Rebel Alliance, and a traitor," Vader countered, pointing a threatening finger at her. "Take her away!"

_Oww..._ Leia winced in pain as a Stormtrooper pushed her roughly in the back; but she clenched her teeth, managing not to limp as the Stormtroopers marched her down the hallway. _Crap, my knee hurts..._

* * *

><p><em>Aw, she's really hurting,<em> Anakin realized sympathetically; he had sensed Leia's pain during their scene together a moment earlier, both physical and emotional. _If I didn't know it was just that time of month, I would have thought she was really mad at me,_ he confessed; the flash of anger in Leia's eyes had seemed disturbingly real. _Poor thing, she must be having really bad cramps,_ Anakin realized, resolving to be extra sympathetic and gentle with his daughter this week.

_Aside from torturing her and holding her prisoner, that is,_ he conceded with a rueful grin, as they proceeded to film the next scene. "Holding her is dangerous," one of the guest actors protested now, playing the part of an Imperial officer. "If word of this gets out, it could generate sympathy for the Rebellion in the Senate."

"I have traced the Rebel spies to her," Anakin assured him. "Now she is my only link to finding the secret base."

"She'll die before she'll tell you anything," the officer retorted boldly.

"Leave that to me," Anakin replied dramatically. _Ahh, I love my voice..._ "Send a distress signal," he instructed the officer. "And then inform the Senate that all aboard were killed."

"Lord Vader," another guest actor addressed him, approaching. Anakin grinned; the tourists who were chosen to play commanders took their roles very seriously, and Anakin was both impressed and somewhat disturbed by their level of dedication. "The battle station plans are not aboard this ship, and no transmissions were made," the Commander informed him. "An escape pod was jettisoned during the fighting, but no life forms were aboard."

_Yeah... That was Qui-Gon's fault,_ Anakin realized, amused. His father _was_ in fact on his way from Tandor now, and would be arriving shortly on Tatooine, as promised; but Cliegg didn't seem to believe that, and had come up with a creative new plan involving Artoo and See-Threepio. _Sorry, Dad; you've been outsourced to droids._ "She must have hidden the plans in the escape pod," Anakin deduced. "Send a detachment down to retrieve them; see to it personally, Commander," he ordered him. "There will be no one to stop us this time."

_Except maybe Obi-Wan,_ Anakin thought cheerfully, making his way back through the hallway. _And Luke... This is going to be awesome._ Anakin and Obi-Wan had been practicing for their lightsaber duel all week; the fans didn't know it yet, but this would be their final dramatic confrontation, the long-awaited conclusion to the fateful duel that began on Mustafar eighteen years earlier, and Anakin and Obi-Wan were determined to make it even more flashy than the last one.

_That one kind of ended badly, what with the vampire-eel-stunning disaster,_ Anakin confessed; they had been saving their most impressive moves for the end of the fight, and had never gotten the chance to show off their best stuff. _But THIS time we're going to make up for it,_ he decided cheerfully, eagerly anticipating their lightning-paced duel along the catwalks, over the seemingly bottomless abyss of the Death Star's reactor core. _And I'm going to get Obi-Wan back for what he did to me last time,_ Anakin vowed. _Chopping me into pieces and leaving me to burn... Grrr..._

_Aww... But then he's going to sacrifice himself to save my children,_ Anakin remembered. _That's so nice of him... Especially since I've been a complete asshole all these years, terrorizing the entire galaxy,_ he confessed. _Yeah, that's Obi-Wan for you; he's never been one to hold a grudge,_ he agreed. _I hope he likes being a ghost..._

Anakin had been quietly making his way through the ship's maintenance passageways toward Leia, and now he turned onto one of the main corridors, sensing her presence nearby. "Darth - Master Skywalker?" Hearing a voice behind him, Anakin turned around to see a young man in a Rebel uniform approaching. "I'm sorry to bother you, but... could I get your autograph?"

"Oh! Of course," Anakin said, taking the little autograph book from him. Cliegg's number one goal was to make the _SITH_ experience fun for the tourists, and Anakin always tried his best to help out - which typically meant signing autographs everywhere he turned. _Ugh... This mask is getting uncomfortable though._ "Hang on," he apologized, pulling his mask up over his helmet again. "Ahh... That's better," he said with a grin, turning off his ventilator switch. "Okay... What's your name?"

"Todd," the young man replied, smiling gratefully.

"Todd," Anakin repeated, writing it down. "How did you do today, Todd?" he asked, curious.

"Ha! Awful," Todd admitted. "I got shot within the first minute."

"Heh... Sorry about that," Anakain apologized, as he finished signing his little book. _To Todd: Next time you see an army of Stormtroopers coming at you - RUN! Sincerely, Anakin Skywalker / Darth Vader._ "Here you go," Anakin said cheerfully, handing the book back to him.

"Thank you," Todd said; then he laughed, reading the inscription. "And thanks for the advice," he added, as Anakin gave him a friendly nod, continuing down the hallway. _And now to find Leia..._

But as he turned the next corner, he was met by an small army of Rebel soldiers and Stormtroopers, all clamoring for autographs. _Ahh! I don't have time for this; my daughter's having PMS..._ But Anakin couldn't very well tell them that, so he smiled graciously, stopping to patiently sign their little books. _Sorry, Leia... _

* * *

><p><em>Crap... I really hurt her,<em> Mara realized worriedly. She had quietly followed Leia through the hallways after her scene with Anakin, sensing her pain; but now Leia had retreated into a secluded maintenance passageway, and was sitting at a control terminal, slumped forward with her head in her hands.

"Milady?" Mara asked hesitantly, approaching her. "Are you all right?"

Leia lifted her head in surprise; but her expression quickly turned to annoyance and suspicion as she saw Mara. "Fine," she seethed, her brown eyes flickering indignantly as she turned away again.

_No... you're not..._ "Are you sure?" Mara asked; she had sensed Leia's intense pain earlier, but it seemed to have lessened now, and she appeared to be all right.

"Yes," Leia sighed impatiently, trying to ignore her. "I'm fine."

"Okay... Well... I'm sorry," Mara said helplessly, with an apologetic cringe. "Really," she insisted sincerely. _I didn't mean for it to hurt that bad..._

Leia rolled her eyes in exasperation. "Just... Go away," she seethed, still refusing to look at her. "Leave me alone," she added quietly.

_Ohh!_ Tears stung Mara's eyes, and she glared at Leia for a moment, before angrily turning to leave. _I was trying to apologize,_ Mara cried, frustrated. _But she's too stuck-up to even talk to me..._

_I DO hate her,_ Mara decided, her brows furrowing in resentment. _She's a stupid, mean, ugly clown-face snob... With dumb hair,_ Mara sulked, making her way back through the maintenance passageways to avoid the tourists. _I'm glad I let her fall._

But then she sighed unhappily, shaking her head. _No... I'm not,_ she admitted, her heart sinking. _What I did was wrong... Master Anakin would be so disappointed in me,_ Mara confessed. _He likes Senator Amidala... And Luke does too,_ she reminded herself reluctantly. Since returning from Tryskoria two weeks ago, Luke had been spending time with Leia and Padmé every day, helping Saskia with her Basic lessons; he insisted that Leia was a nice person and a good friend, but that he didn't have any romantic feelings toward her.

_He even dreamed about her one night, after I pestered him about it,_ Mara reminded herself, grinning ruefully. _He said she kissed him, and it felt yucky, and wrong... Made him feel kind of sick,_ she giggled. _Ahh... I have to stop being so paranoid,_ Mara confessed. _Leia doesn't want to marry Luke; she just admires him, that's all,_ she realized. _He's a Jedi Knight; he's amazingly talented, and smart, and he's the nicest person in the whole galaxy... And the cutest,_ Mara admitted, smiling tenderly. _Who wouldn't admire him?_

_And he admires Leia too,_ Mara realized. _He admires her passion for helping others, and says she's really a nice person - when she's not being slammed face-first onto the floor,_ Mara confessed ruefully. _Yeah, I'd be mad about that too,_ she conceded. _But Leia... She's not so much of a spoiled princess as I thought,_ Mara admitted. _She was hurting pretty bad, but she pretended to be all right, and didn't tell anyone what I did..._

But now Mara stopped short in her tracks, catching sight of her father in the next hallway, his padded black sleeve pulled up past his elbow as he wrote something on his arm. _Ahh! Master, don't do that in public,_ Mara cringed. _People will see you..._ Thankfully no one was around at the moment, but still, Mara was becoming increasingly disturbed by her father's behavior.

_He's obsessed with Numerology,_ she realized worriedly. _It's getting worse and worse... Master, why are you doing that?_ Mara blinked anxiously, concerned by her father's inexplicable foray into occultist practices. _It's not the Jedi way..._

_I have to talk to Luke about this,_ Mara decided. _I hope he gets back soon..._ Mara had heard rumors about droids being sent down to Tatooine, and worried that the location shoot might take longer than expected; but she reassured herself that Owen would have Luke back by this afternoon, as planned. _Owen always gets things done a lot faster than Cliegg; he likes to stick to the schedule,_ she reminded herself optimistically. _They're probably finished already._

* * *

><p>"All right, let's get started," Owen said cheerfully, as they all sat around the dining room table in the cozy little igloo dwelling. "Dale, thanks again for letting us film here," he added appreciatively, as the moisture farmer nodded, beaming in delight. "So, we'll start with a quick lunch scene with Luke, Beru, and myself; and then Luke will storm off in frustration, and run into Obi-Wan out in the desert," he reminded them.<p>

"Obi-Wan will convince Luke to help him on his quest to save Leia; and then Luke will suggest going to Anchorhead to get his buddies from the local Flight Academy to help," Owen continued, nodding to Julian, Dorian, and Jonah. "So then we'll move on to Anchorhead to film a quick scene there, before heading back to the Death Star to rescue Leia," he told them. "And we'll film Qui-Gon's apparition to Obi-Wan later on; whenever he joins up with us," Owen proposed, as Obi-Wan nodded, offering an apologetic, somewhat embarrassed smile at his former Master's tardiness.

"Okay, let's start with the lunch scene," Owen said, running a hand through his hair to mess it up; he hadn't shaved in days, in preparation for his role as a hardened moisture farmer. Beru was bravely filming this scene without makeup, in a rather horrible-looking dress, with her hair combed forward in a very unflattering style; Owen grinned at his wife now, as Beru smiled back at him appreciatively. _She'd do anything for Jonah,_ he laughed in quiet amusement.

Luke was dressed as a farm hand as well, in a rough white tunic, yellowish pants, and cloth-wrapped boots; he had done his best to mess his hair up, and looked surprisingly believable as a farm boy. "All right," Owen continued. "Luke, go on outside; Beru and will be having lunch, and you'll show up late," he reminded him, as Luke nodded obediently, getting up from the table and going outside. "And... Action!"

"Where's Luke?" Beru asked sweetly, sitting across the table from Owen.

"Mmmph," Owen grunted with his mouth full, shrugging; Beru had been looking forward to playing Luke's doting aunt, but Owen had decided to stick to his original character from twenty years ago, and was reprising his role as Anakin's uncaring, grumpy step-brother.

Now Luke came inside, taking a seat at the table in between them. "Sorry I'm late," he apologized.

"Where have you been?" Owen asked suspiciously, his mouth still full.

"At the Tosche Station, picking up power converters," Luke replied politely, helping himself to some of the Gooberfish casserole Beru had brought for their lunch. _Ugh... This stuff is awful,_ Owen grimaced, not faking his displeasure.

"You mean wasting time with your friends," Owen rebuked his nephew grumpily.

"No," Luke protested; but then he shrugged. "Well, I did run into Biggs," he confessed. "He said - " Luke broke off suddenly, blinking in surprise as Owen's transmitter beeped.

"Ahh!" Owen cringed, pulling it off his belt. "Sorry, I forgot to turn it off," he sighed. "Eh, it's my dad... I'd better take this," he apologized, getting up from the table and going outside to the little courtyard.

"Hi Dad," Owen said, answering the transmission.

"Owen," Cliegg greeted him cheerfully. "How's it going down there?"

"Fine," Owen assured him. "We were just getting started with the filming... How was the space battle?"

"Great!" Cliegg replied. "Hey, I just wanted to let you know - I figured Qui-Gon won't be showing up, so I sent Artoo and Threepio down in an escape pod a few minutes ago; Leia recorded a message for Obi-Wan, telling him she's been captured," he explained. _Uh... WHAT?_ "I programmed Artoo to seek Obi-Wan's camera homing device; they just landed about a mile to the east of where you are," Cliegg continued. "I thought you could get some footage of Obi-Wan stumbling upon them in the desert, and playing back Leia's message, just before he runs into Luke."

"Okay," Owen replied cautiously, trying to make sense of what his father had just said. "So I'll send Obi-Wan out to meet the droids now; and then Luke will storm out of here a few minutes later and run into them... And then they all go on to Anchorhead to get Luke's flight academy buddies to help rescue Leia," Owen proposed, quickly trying to incorporate the new plan.

"Perfect," Cliegg agreed. "And it looks like at least six camera droids went along in the escape pod," he laughed ruefully. "So you don't have to send any more cameras out with Obi-Wan," Cliegg told him.

"Gotcha," Owen agreed, nodding.

"All right, we're heading back to the Death Star now," Cliegg said. "I'll get everything set up for Leia's rescue scene, so we can get started as soon as you guys get back this afternoon," he reminded Owen.

"Great," Owen nodded. "Okay, I'll see you later... Bye," he finished, ending the transmission. _Okay, I can deal with this,_ he sighed, returning to the dining room to talk to the others. "My dad just sent Artoo and Threepio down here in an escape pod," Owen announced, as Jonah and Beru shared and amused grin; Cliegg was famous for coming up with wacky plans at the last second.

"But supposedly Artoo's carrying a message for Obi-Wan; if you wouldn't mind going out there to meet them?" Owen asked him hopefully. "My dad says they landed about a mile to the east," he explained. "And then we'll send Luke out after you in a few minutes, and continue as planned." _Except with two annoying droids in tow,_ Owen sighed ruefully.

"Of course," Obi-Wan said politely, getting up from the table. "To the east?"

"Yes," Owen nodded. "And when you find the droids, play back Artoo's message," he reminded him. "We'll give you a fifteen-minute head start, before Luke comes after you."

"Very well," Obi-Wan said, with a cheerful smile. "I'll see you in a few minutes," he agreed, heading for the door.

* * *

><p><em>Oh dear,<em> Obi-Wan laughed, trudging out across the Tatooine desert in search of Cliegg's droids. _Qui-Gon won't be happy about this... It serves him right, though,_ Obi-Wan decided smugly. _That's what you get for being late._

_This is all because of his silly crystal obsession,_ Obi-Wan realized in amusement, hiking up the nearby sand dune. _And now he's gone and nearly thrown everyone off schedule -_ Obi-Wan stopped in his tracks suddenly, hearing a strange but familiar sound in the distance. _Wreeeeeee-Wooooaaahhhh..._

"Oh?" Obi-Wan cocked his head, grinning in delight. _A Krayt dragon!_ He ran quickly to the top of the sand dune, hoping to catch sight of it. _No... But there are the droids,_ he noted, seeing them emerging from the escape pod now.

Obi-Wan smiled cheerfully, hearing the dragon's call again. _It's been years since I've seen one in the wild,_ he confessed. _They're very shy; but perhaps if I called it...? Just one call,_ he decided, cupping his hands to his mouth and doing a perfect imitation of the dragon's mating call. _"Wrrreeeeeee-Wooooooaaahhhh..."_

_Ahh... That was fun._ Obi-Wan beamed happily, proud of his obscure talent. _It won't come to me, though,_ he admitted with a regretful sigh; it took repeated calls over several days to attract a Krayt dragon, and unfortunately they would be leaving Tatooine in a couple of hours. _Pity; I should have liked to see one while I was here,_ Obi-Wan thought wistfully.

_All right; on to the droids, then,_ he decided, heading down toward them now; but then he stopped, blinking worriedly as he felt the ground shaking beneath his feet. _What?_ Frowning, Obi-Wan turned around; then his eyes widened as he saw an enormous Krayt dragon thundering toward him from across the desert.

_Oh dear..._ This had happened to Obi-Wan only once before; and ironically it had been on this very same planet, while filming for _JEDI_ thirty years earlier. "Blast..." Obi-Wan looked at the charging dragon, then back over his shoulder at the small settlement of farms toward which it was headed. _Not good..._

_I have a bad feeling about this,_ Obi-Wan sighed, instinctively running down the hill toward the charging beast. _But if I can distract it, hopefully I can keep it away from the settlement..._ "Hello there," he said politely, slipping between the dragon's front legs and quickly rolling out of the way as the beast skidded to a stop.

"I'm sorry about that," Obi-Wan apologized, holding a hand up in an attempt to calm the creature. "Don't worry; I'm not going to hurt you," he assured it; but the dragon was still advancing upon him, its yellow eyes glowing fiercely. _Oh dear..._ "I'm sorry," Obi-Wan said again. "I'm afraid there's been a misunderstanding; you're beautiful - truly you are, but... _Blast,_" Obi-Wan cursed under his breath, turning to run as the dragon suddenly lunged after him.

_This again..._ The last time Obi-Wan had attempted to outrun a Krayt dragon across the Tatooine desert, he had been quickly rescued by Captain Panaka in Padmé's Nubian starship. But that had been thirty years ago, and this time there was nothing but miles of sand between Obi-Wan and the distant rocky ridge; he sighed ruefully now, realizing he had absolutely no chance of reaching the ridge and finding cover before the angry dragon caught up with him.

_Qui-Gon is going to be cross about this,_ Obi-Wan admitted reluctantly, running full-tilt across the sandy desert with an angry Krayt dragon at his heels. _But I didn't die of TPM,_ Obi-Wan reminded himself with stubborn pride. _I'm not going to get trampled to death by a dragon either,_ he decided, frowning indignantly.

_Which leaves only one thing to do..._ Taking a deep breath, Obi-Wan hopped quickly to the side, grabbing the dragon by its horned neck and swinging himself up onto its back as it thundered past. _There; you see?_ he reassured himself with smug optimism, careening across the Tatooine desert on the back of an infuriated Krayt dragon. _This is much better._


	135. Sorry, I'm kind of busy right now

**Chapter 135**

_Meanwhile..._

"Oh dear," Threepio lamented, as he and Artoo trudged through the Tatooine sand. "When I asked Master Cliegg if he had something special planned for us today, this wasn't quite what I had in mind."

"Aw, come on," Artoo blipped cheerfully. "It'll be fun!" _Okay... Primary Objective: Find Obi-Wan Kenobi,_ he reminded himself, checking his scanner. _Aha! Obi-Wan Kenobi: this way,_ he determined, altering his course slightly to the right.

"How did we get into this mess?" Threepio continued, walking along beside him. "I really don't know how. We seem to be made to suffer; it's our lot in life."

"It's just a little ways farther," Artoo reassured him confidently. _Obi-Wan Kenobi: 31.8 meters ahead..._

"I've got to rest before I fall apart!" Threepio complained. "My joints are almost frozen."

_Frozen?_ "We're in the desert," Artoo reminded him. "It's _hot_ here, not cold." _If you're going to be all melodramatic for the cameras, at least try to get your facts straight,_ Artoo sighed.

"What a desolate place this is," Threepio remarked sadly now, picking up on Artoo's 'desert' hint.

"Yep," Artoo agreed absently, half-listening. _Obi-Wan Kenobi: 49.2 meters... No, 53.6 meters,_ he realized now, turning his head and following Obi-Wan's signal. _He's moving! 58.4 meters - 62.5 meters - 78.1 meters... Huh?_ Artoo blinked in surprise. _Whoa, he's going pretty fast..._ "Come on!" Artoo whistled, turning to the right and chasing after Obi-Wan's signal.

"Where do you think you're going?" Threepio asked indignantly.

"This way," Artoo replied vaguely, continuing forward. _Obi-Wan Kenobi: 89.4 meters... 95.3 meters... 102.7 meters... Crap! He's getting away..._

"Well I'm not going that way," Threepio protested. _Obi-Wan Kenobi: 114.5 meters... 121.8 meters..._ "It's much too rocky," Threepio pointed out. "This way is much easier." _135.2 meters..._

"Hurry!" Artoo beeped impatiently, still chasing after Obi-Wan's signal. _Ahh... I'm not sure if I can catch up with him..._

"What makes you think there are settlements over there?" Threepio asked skeptically.

"Hang on; I'm calculating the differences in our rate of speed," Artoo blipped impatiently. _Obi-Wan Kenobi has traveled 146.9 meters in 12 seconds; meanwhile we've traveled 4.7 meters in 11 seconds..._

"Don't get technical with me," Threepio sputtered indignantly; aside from being fluent in six million forms of communication, the golden protocol droid was essentially useless, and was jealous of Artoo's more practical skills.

_Obi-Wan Kenobi is moving 11.8 meters per second faster than we are... Crap, we'll never catch up with him on foot._ "This mission is trickier than I thought," Artoo confessed, stopping for a moment.

"What mission?" Threepio retorted. "What are you talking about?"

"Our mission: _Find Obi-Wan Kenobi,_" Artoo explained for the fifth time, sighing impatiently.

"I've just about had enough of you," Threepio scolded him. "Go that way. You'll be malfunctioning within a day, you nearsighted scrap pile," he added, kicking him. "And don't let me catch you following me, begging for help; because you won't get it," the protocol droid warned him indignantly, turning around and shuffling off in the other direction.

_Uhh..._ "Threepio?" Artoo blipped worriedly. "Our mission?" he reminded him. "To find Obi-Wan Kenobi? Come on, where's your sense of adventure?"

"No more adventures," Threepio protested stubbornly. "I'm not going that way," he sulked, continuing on in the wrong direction.

_Typical,_ Artoo sighed. _All right, what now? Primary Objective: Find Obi-Wan Kenobi,_ he reminded himself. _Secondary Objective: Film for SITH with C-3PO..._ "Okay... Bye," Artoo blipped casually over his shoulder, abandoning his secondary objective and dutifully chasing after Obi-Wan Kenobi.

* * *

><p><em>All right, let's try this again...<em> "Sorry I'm late," Luke apologized, coming back inside the little igloo and taking a seat at the table. _Mmm... Gooberfish casserole,_ he sighed happily, helping himself to another serving. _Beru is a really good cook..._

"Where have you been?" Owen asked suspiciously, playing the part of the grumpy uncle.

"At Tosche Station," Luke replied politely. "Picking up some power converters." _This stuff is delicious,_ Luke thought, taking a bite of Beru's homemade casserole_._

"Wasting time with your friends, you mean," Owen retorted grumpily.

"No," Luke protested, shaking his head; then he shrugged. "Well... I did run into - _Obi-Wan?_" he frowned worriedly, sensing his Master's sudden distress. _What the...?_

"Heh... No; _Biggs,_" Owen laughed gently, correcting him. "It's okay; you're doing great," he grinned encouragingly. "Let's take it from there again - "

"No," Luke protested, his brows furrowing in concern. "Obi-Wan... He's going somewhere... _fast_," Luke told the others, instinctively getting up from the table. _Crap, what's he doing?_ He could feel his Master's heightened alertness, and a sense of urgency. "Something's going on out there," Luke told the others, heading quickly for the doorway. "Wait here; I'll be back," he instructed them, giving Owen an apologetic look before running across the courtyard and up the stairs. _Sorry..._

_Ahh! Hopefully Dale won't mind if I borrow his hovercraft,_ Luke decided anxiously, spotting it outside the homestead. _Master, what's going on?_ he wondered, hopping inside the little red hovercraft and speeding off across the Tatooine desert.

* * *

><p>"Blah blah blah," Red-Haired Man said sternly, digging his boots into Asha's shoulders and yanking on her neck. <em>Oww... Stop that!<em> "Blah blah blah _blah_ blah blah," he babbled on incoherently, as Asha continued to race across the desert toward the rocky ridge. _Yeah, yeah; whatever,_ Asha sighed impatiently. _Almost there..._

"Blah blah blah!" Red-Haired Man said, louder this time. "BLAH!" _I don't know what the heck he's saying..._ Asha had nearly reached the ridge now, and tensed all four legs, getting ready to spring up onto the rocky cliff; but now Red-Haired Man sent her a Force signal she couldn't refuse. "STOP!"

_Aw, crap..._ "Wreeeeeeeeee!" Against her will, Asha dug all four feet into the sandy ground, coming to a rather undignified, skidding stop just inches from the cliff face. _Okay, Red-Haired Man,_ Asha growled, looking back at him over her shoulder. _Let's get one thing straight: You don't order ME around,_ she seethed, giving him a menacing glare. _I order YOU around. Which one of us is bigger? Huh?_ she snorted indignantly. _Now hang on,_ Asha grumbled, tensing her legs again and preparing for a massive spring up onto the rocky ridge. _This would have been easier if you'd let me keep my momentum going..._

But now Asha blinked in surprise as Red-Haired Man jumped off her back, somersaulting up onto the rocky ridge ahead of her. _Huh? I didn't think humans could do that..._ Instinctively she lunged after him, chasing him up the side of the cliff. _Crap! This one can jump really high,_ Asha sighed in dismay, leaping after him. _Damn it..._

_I'll have to damage him,_ Asha decided grimly. _But not TOO much,_ she reminded herself, chasing him up to the top of the ridge. _I need him alive,_ she conceded. _But not strong enough to escape..._

_Whoa, he really is fast,_ Asha realized, blinking in surprise. In all her life she'd only met one other human who was as quick as Red-Haired Man; and that had been over thirty years ago. _He's nearly as fast as Silly Braid Boy,_ Asha admitted, truly impressed. Silly Braid Boy had tried to court Asha many years ago; Asha had fallen head-over-heels in love with his beautiful mating call, but he had run away from her in the end.

_Just like they all do,_ Asha sighed sadly; her last mate had just abandoned her as well, after wooing her with his lovely call and getting her pregnant, and now Asha was left all alone to care for her eggs. This had happened to her several times before, and was the way of Krayt dragons; but still, Asha was a romantic, and had hoped that Kree might come back to her.

_I thought that was him answering me earlier,_ Asha admitted. She had been calling for Kree a few minutes ago, out of sheer loneliness and despair, and her heart had leapt to hear his reply; but after racing up to the top of the rocky ridge to look for him, she had spotted Red-Haired Man out in the desert, and realized that she had been tricked.

Humans rarely attempted to imitate dragon calls, and the ones who did were either very young, or very stupid; judging by Red-Haired Man's size - as well his furry beard - Asha had quickly determined that he belonged to the latter group. It was then that she had realized that Red-Haired Man was exactly the type of human that she needed: big and stupid.

_Well, he's not SO big,_ Asha conceded now, leaping after Red-Haired Man as he tried to escape down the other side of the ridge. Asha had seen bigger humans before, and Red-Haired Man was actually quite small, and annoyingly quick. _But he's big enough for the job... And he's definitely stupid,_ Asha sighed gratefully; that had been her biggest concern, and she had nearly despaired of finding a human who was foolish enough to wander around in the desert on foot, alone and unarmed.

But then she had spotted Red-Haired Man, and had boldly made her move, thundering toward him at full speed and praying that he either didn't have a blaster, or would be too frightened to shoot straight. Asha had been shot at once before when she had wandered too close to a human settlement, and it was not an experience she wished to repeat.

Red-Haired Man was running toward a narrow fissure in the rocks now, and Asha lunged after him, cutting him off. _No, not that way... THIS way,_ she directed him, herding him toward her lair as Red-Haired Man dutifully scrambled out of her path, jumping down onto the rocky ledge below. _Perfect..._ Asha's lair was just on the other side of the next canyon; she could see the entrance now.

_Or at least, it WAS the entrance, until yesterday,_ Asha confessed sadly, eyeing the massive pile of rocky rubble that now blocked her front door. Asha had returned from hunting yesterday to find that her cave had suffered a collapse, and she had wailed in panic, worrying that her eggs had been smashed; but thankfully they had survived the cave-in, and Asha had been keeping an eye on them through a tiny crevice in the rocky ceiling above her lair.

In retrospect, Asha admitted that her eggs would have been fine, if she'd simply watched over them from outside the cave, waiting patiently for them to hatch. There were plenty of smaller tunnels that wound through the rocky ridge, and dragon babies were naturally curious; they would surely have found their way outside to safety, probably within a day after hatching. But Asha hadn't been able to stop worrying about her eggs, and so to ease her own feeling of helplessness she had decided to do a bit of proactive parenting, dropping live frogs and snakes into her lair from the tiny hole in the ceiling.

_I thought maybe the frogs' chirping would comfort them,_ Asha lamented. Thankfully Krayt dragon eggs didn't need to be kept warm, but they _did_ get lonely and frightened if they felt they were abandoned, and Asha had hoped that the sound of the frogs would reassure her babies that a tasty meal awaited them as soon as they hatched.

But unfortunately, all the frogs' chirping had accomplished was to attract Womp rats, who had quickly eaten all the frogs and snakes that Asha had lovingly brought for her children. And then the Womp rats had attracted hyenas; now Asha's precious eggs were surrounded by a pack of glowy-eyed, snarling beasts who were hungrily waiting to tear her babies to shreds the moment they hatched.

Asha had tried screeching at the hyenas to scare them away; but desert hyenas were bold, crafty creatures, and had cruelly laughed at Asha's antics, knowing that she posed no real threat. And so Asha had tearfully lain awake all last night, watching helplessly over her eggs and trying to think of _anything_ she could do to save them.

_The frogs attracted the Womp rats, and the Womp rats attracted the hyenas,_ Asha had reasoned, hoping that perhaps the hyenas might attract something _else_; but the only creatures who preyed on hyenas were much too big to fit through the narrow tunnels leading to Asha's lair. Desert hyenas were virtually fearless for this reason; they were small and quick, and never strayed too far from the rocky ridge, with its network of tunnels that kept them safe from larger predators.

_There's only one thing that hyenas are terrified of,_ Asha had admitted in the middle of the night, sobered by the realization. _My only chance of scaring them off is to drop a live human down there._ Asha had not truly believed that her daring plan was possible; but now, by some miracle, she had found a human, and had managed to bring him back to her lair alive.

_Now I just have to get him inside,_ Asha reminded herself, chasing Red-Haired Man across the narrow canyon and up the next ridge to the tiny crevice above her lair. _But I have to make sure he doesn't escape..._ This was the tricky part; she needed Red-Haired Man to be strong enough to scare off the hyenas, but not to escape through the tunnels afterward.

_I can't break his legs,_ Asha sighed ruefully. That had been her original plan, and it had seemed so simple at the time; but now she realized the hyenas would probably eat Red-Haired Man if she damaged him too much. _And that's not the only reason I can't do it,_ Asha admitted ruefully. Red-Haired Man was alarmingly quick; he couldn't run any faster than Asha, but he seemed to predict her moves, and always managed to hop out of her way at the last moment. _I'm not sure if I can catch him at all,_ Asha confessed now, blinking worriedly. _This is getting tiring..._

But they were nearly at the top of the ridge now, and Asha gathered her strength, pouncing after Red-Haired Man and herding him toward the narrow opening above her lair. _If I can just get him to go in there, he'll scare away the hyenas, at least for a few hours,_ she told herself optimistically, panting from exhaustion as she chased after Red-Haired Man. _And even if he escapes afterward, maybe they won't come back,_ she desperately hoped.

_No,_ Asha sighed unhappily. _They WILL come back,_ she admitted; hyenas were annoyingly persistent, and would not give up on a tasty meal of tender young dragon meat. _Damn it... I'll have to catch another human,_ Asha decided, realizing that Red-Haired Man would surely get away. _But a SLOWER one next time,_ she panted wearily, lunging after him as they ran across the top of the ridge toward her lair. _We're almost there... Come on... Please, PLEASE go in..._ Asha slowed her pace for a second, hoping that Red-Haired Man would take advantage of the opportunity to slip inside the narrow crevice above her nest.

Sure enough, Red-Haired Man spotted the tiny opening now, and quickly rolled to the ground, sliding through the crevice feet-first. _Thank you thank you thank you..._ Asha skidded to a stop, panting in exhaustion as she lay on the ridge above her lair, peering hopefully inside. _Yes!_ Asha smiled in weary gratitude, watching as the hyenas fled in terror at the sight of the strange human man who had just dropped inexplicably into their midst. _I can't believe it actually worked!_

_But now he's going to run away too,_ Asha realized, peering down at Red-Haired Man, who was now alone in her lair. _Perhaps not right away, though..._ Red-Haired Man appeared to be equally exhausted from the ordeal, and now sat down to rest on one of Asha's eggs, sighing wearily. He closed his eyes for a moment, bowing his head as he caught his breath; but then he opened his eyes again, blinking in obvious surprise as he realized what he was sitting on.

"Murmur?" Red-Haired Man murmured, instantly getting up again. "Murmur murmur murmur?" He walked around Asha's eggs in slow a circle, bending down to examine them closer, then laying his ear against one of them. "Murmur murmur," Red-Haired Man murmured softly, gently caressing the eggshell's hard, smooth surface.

_What's he doing?_ Asha blinked worriedly, frowning at Red-Haired Man; did _he_ want to eat her babies now? She hadn't counted on this; Asha had never heard of humans eating dragon eggs before, but then again, she had already confirmed that Red-Haired Man was rather stupid, and not entirely normal for a human. _Crap! Now what?_

Red-Haired Man looked up at her now, pointing toward her eggs and murmuring something unintelligible. "Woooaahhh," Asha warned him, with a threatening glare. _No. Those aren't for you._ But then she blinked in surprise as he stepped carefully inside her nest, settling down comfortably in between her eggs, using two of them as armrests and propping his legs up on the third.

_Hey!_ Asha glared at him indignantly. _Those are my babies; they're not furniture..._ Asha had heard horror stories of her Uncle Krrrkrrk, who had been shot by humans and turned into a Bantha saddle; she blinked worriedly at Red-Haired Man now, wondering exactly what he had in mind for her babies.

Then she cocked her head, peering at him curiously. _Is he...? No,_ Asha told herself, frowning. _He can't be..._ But Red-Haired Man continued to murmur softly, patting one of her eggshells reassuringly to comfort it. _He IS!_ Asha realized, blinking in astonishment at the strange human man. _He's nesting!_

But now Asha lifted her head worriedly as she sensed someone else approaching from behind her. _Ahh! Another one..._ Asha crouched low, watching as the shaggy-haired blond boy ran toward her along the top of the ridge. _Crap! He's coming to rescue Red-Haired Man,_ Asha realized worriedly; she hadn't counted on this.

_Well he's not going to,_ Asha decided fiercely, emerging from her hiding place and planting herself defensively in front of the opening to her nest. _I worked really hard to find Red-Haired Man,_ she pouted, glaring at Shaggy Blond Boy as he cautiously approached. _You're not going to take him away._

"Murmur murmur," Shaggy Blond Boy murmured, holding a hand out toward her. Asha blinked at him skeptically; this one was even dumber than Red-Haired Man. _Does he really WANT me to bite his arm off?_

"Wwwoaahh," Asha warned him, growling fiercely and holding her ground.

"Murmur murmur," Shaggy Blond Boy repeated, stepping closer and pulling a shiny silver thing off his belt. _What's that?_ Asha wondered, peering at it cautiously. _It's not a blaster..._ Then her eyes widened in surprise as it made a strange noise, then magically transformed into a fiery blue humming-stick. _Holy crap! What the hell is that thing?_

"Wrrreeeeeeeeeee!" Asha screeched in panic, jumping away from Shaggy Blond Boy and fleeing in terror down to the canyon below. _Ahhh! Help!_

But Shaggy Blond Boy didn't chase after her; Asha stopped now, looking back up toward the ridge. _Oh no,_ she blinked anxiously, as Shaggy Blond Boy slipped down through the crevice and into her nest. _Now he's going to rescue Red-Haired Man,_ she sighed unhappily, realizing she would have to start all over and find _another_ human to guard her eggs.

_But at least the hyenas are gone for the moment,_ Asha consoled herself. And perhaps she could still catch these two when they came out; there were tunnels leading all over the place from her nest, but Asha knew where most of them came out...

_Huh?_ Now Shaggy Blond Boy was climbing back out of the same hole he had gone into a minute earlier. _Crap, humans can jump a lot higher than I thought,_ Asha admitted. But Red-Haired Man didn't follow him out; Asha cocked her head, watching curiously as Shaggy Blond Boy peered back down inside the crevice, talking to Red-Haired Man for a moment before nodding politely, then running back over the rocky ridge toward the desert beyond.

_Red-Haired Man stayed behind?_ Asha wondered, climbing cautiously back up to the ridge and peering down into the hole. _Yes!_ Sure enough, Red-Haired Man was still lying comfortably between her eggs, with his brown cloak spread out over them, keeping them safe and warm. _He LIKES nesting!_ Asha realized happily, hardly believing her good luck.

"Murmur murmur," Red-Haired Man murmured to Asha now, gently patting one of her eggs. "Murmur murmur murmur murmur murmur," he told her reassuringly.

"Wrreeee," Asha whistled softly, nodding in understanding. _He's going to take care of them,_ she realized, overwhelmed with gratitude. _Thank you, Red-Haired Man..._ Asha breathed a sigh of relief, settling down to guard the tiny crevice; but then she peered down at him again, a thought occurring to her.

_I'm hungry after all that chasing,_ Asha admitted. _I bet Red-Haired Man is too,_ she realized, eyeing him thoughtfully. _That's so nice of him to take care of my eggs,_ Asha confessed, trying to think of some way to show her appreciation. _Oh! I know!_ Asha smiled happily to herself, thinking of the perfect gift.

_I'll bring him a nice, tasty Mynock for lunch,_ Asha decided cheerfully, getting up from her spot and ambling down toward the murky cavern on the other side of the ridge. _Red-Haired Man will like that._

* * *

><p><em>Meanwhile...<em>

"That malfunctioning little twerp," Threepio sighed in annoyance, hobbling through the sand. "This is all his fault. He tricked me into going this way," Threepio suspected. "But he'll do no better..." Then he blinked in surprise, seeing a flash of light in the distance. "Wait! What's that? A transport!" he realized excitedly, spotting the large black vehicle now. "I'm saved!"

"Over here!" Threepio yelled loudly, waving his arms in the air. "Hey! Hey! Help! Please help!"

* * *

><p><em>Obi-Wan Kenobi: 2.691 kilometers this way,<em> Artoo sighed, rolling dutifully toward his signal. _Obi-Wan Kenobi: 2.687 kilometers... 2.683 kilometers... Yes! He's stopped moving! _Artoo realized, quickening his pace.

_And look: there's a nice flat dirt road up ahead,_ he noted gratefully, whistling cheerfully to himself as he headed toward the nearby rocky canyon. _Obi-Wan Kenobi: 2.675 kilometers... Haha! This is a really fun mission!_


	136. But maybe Ben is available

**Chapter 136**

_Fifteen minutes later..._

"He's... nesting?" Owen repeated carefully, trying to mask his profound confusion.

"Yes," Luke confirmed. "He found a dragon's lair, but the entrance had collapsed, and the mother can't get to her eggs," he explained to Owen. "So he's going to have to watch over them until they hatch; it could be a few days," Luke admitted. "There were hyenas," he added regretfully.

"Hyenas?" Owen asked, blinking uncertainly.

"Yeah," Luke nodded ruefully. "He says he's really sorry, but he doesn't think he'll be able to film today; he asked if maybe you could call Ben to fill in for him," Luke suggested, with an apologetic cringe.

"Ahh," Owen sighed, running a hand through his hair. "All right," he nodded. "I'll see if I can get ahold of Ben," he agreed, reaching for his transmitter; but now he looked up at Luke, curious. "Did you happen to see the droids?"

"No," Luke confessed, his brows furrowing. "I passed by the escape pod on my way back, but the droids were nowhere in sight," he told Owen. "There were tracks leading away from the pod, but then they disappeared into the sand drifts... I thought maybe you had picked them up."

"No," Owen frowned. "Well that's not good," he mused worriedly, casting a questioning glance at Dale now.

The moisture farmer caught Owen's look, his eyes flickering with concern. "Did you happen to see a big, black armored tank nearby?" Dale asked cautiously.

"Yes," Luke nodded. "I saw one headed out toward the ridge."

"Ahh... That'd be the Jawas," Dale sighed, shaking his head. "They stole a couple of sandcrawlers from Jabba's warehouse a few months back," he explained. "Jabba sent his bounty hunters out to get them back; they managed to destroy one, but the Jawas put up a hell of a fight," Dale told them. "I wouldn't go after them unless you're prepared to do battle," he warned Owen.

"But don't worry," Dale assured them. "They'll be back through this way in the morning, on their way to Anchorhead," he explained. "I can buy your droids back then, and hold onto them for you," he offered. "And then maybe Obi-Wan can get them back to you, when he's done nesting," Dale suggested thoughtfully.

Owen sighed, nodding. "All right," he agreed. "Thanks, Dale," he added, with a rueful smile. "I really appreciate your help with all this," he told him sincerely. "Okay, let me give Ben a call," Owen said, unclipping his transmitter from his belt and pressing a few buttons.

"Hi, Ben? It's Owen Lars... I was wondering if there was any chance you might be available to film with us this afternoon, on Tatooine?" he asked hopefully.

"Tatooine?" came the actor's familiar voice, obviously surprised. "I thought Obi-Wan was filming this week?"

"Yes, he was," Owen agreed ruefully. "But something's come up," he apologized. "He's... nesting," Owen explained, managing to keep his tone professional.

"Nesting?" Ben Kenobi repeated worriedly. "Oh dear... Yes, of course; I'll be there as soon as I can," he agreed. "But I'm afraid I can't get there right away... I'm home on Kilaui at the moment."

"Oh," Owen blinked in surprise. "I'm sorry; I thought you were on Geonosis," he apologized; Kilaui was on the complete opposite side of the galaxy from Tatooine. "I didn't realize you were on vacation - "

"No, no, that's quite all right; I'm happy to come," Ben assured him cheerfully. "But it will take me at least twelve hours to get there... if that works into your schedule?"

"Ahh," Owen sighed, scratching his head. "Yes," he nodded. "Yes, that would be perfect," he agreed. "We've got a situation with the droids here anyway... Long story," he laughed. "All right; we'll just hold off filming until tomorrow morning," Owen decided. "Thanks, Ben," he added sincerely. "So... If you could make it as far as Geonosis, I'll arrange for someone to escort you here to Tatooine," Owen proposed, concerned for the actor's safety.

"Sounds perfect," Ben agreed. "All right; I'll leave for Geonosis right away."

"Thank you, Ben," Owen nodded. "I really appreciate your help."

"You're very welcome," the actor replied, obviously delighted. "I'm looking forward to it."

Owen gave the others a rueful smile, pressing the button to end the transmission. "So, Ben will be here tomorrow morning," he told them, working out a new plan. "I guess we'll be around to buy back the droids after all," he added. "Ahh... I'd better give my dad a call, and let him know what's going on," he sighed, pressing the speed dial button on his transmitter.

"Ugh, voicemail." Owen cringed, waiting for the beep signal. "Hey Dad... I guess you're not back yet, but I just wanted to let you know - we're going to be a little late getting back to the Death Star," he informed his father. "Obi-Wan's off nesting dragon's eggs, and Ben Kenobi's on his way here from Kilaui," Owen explained. "And your droids have been stolen by Jawas; we'll have to buy them back in the morning," he added calmly.

"So, it looks like you'll have to go on ahead without us," Owen proposed; the _Executor_ was on a strict tour schedule, and would be leaving for Alderaan tomorrow morning. "But if you could have Anakin and Leia wait behind for us on the Death Star, we'll film the rescue stuff tomorrow, then catch up with you on Alderaan, to deliver the princess home to Bail Organa on schedule," Owen assured his father. "Anyway, give me a call when you get a chance... Talk to you later - Bye," he finished, hanging up and clipping his transmitter back onto his belt.

Jonah suppressed a rueful grin as his father sighed wearily now, resting his elbows on the table with his head in his hands. _So this is what directing SITH is really about,_ Jonah realized, truly impressed by his father's patience and optimism, despite the fact that everything had gone drastically wrong so far. _Dad wasn't kidding when he warned me things don't always go according to plan..._ "So what do we do now?" Jonah asked his father, curious.

"Eh," Owen sighed, sitting up again. "I suppose we should try to film _something,_" he agreed, nodding. "Any ideas?" he asked the others hopefully, looking around the table.

_Um..._ Jonah blinked thoughtfully, remembering that his father had brought all sorts of costumes aboard his ship, just in case they needed to improvise. _We have Stormtroopers, Sand People, and a bunch of other things..._ "Oh!" Jonah exclaimed, an idea coming to him. "How about if we film some Stormtroopers, finding the escape pod?" he suggested.

Owen grinned, nodding in approval. "Great," he agreed. "Go for it."

_What? Me?_ "Really?" Jonah asked his father, his eyes widening in surprise. _He's letting me direct?_

"Sure," Owen nodded, giving Jonah a confident smile. "Go ahead; let's see what you can come up with," he told him, his eyes twinkling. "But take Luke with you," he added, concerned for his safety. "Luke - if you wouldn't mind?"

Luke nodded. "No, of course not," he agreed, getting up from the table.

"We're coming too," Dorian said cheerfully, as Julian nodded in agreement. "I want to be a Stormtrooper." They had all rummaged through the costumes aboard Owen's ship on the way here, and were eager to fill in as extras.

"Okay," Jonah nodded. "Well... We'll be back in a few minutes," he told his father, as Owen waved good-naturedly, already engrossed in the sports holo-broadast that Dale had been watching.

"Good luck, Jonah," Beru called from the kitchen, where she was preparing dinner for this evening. "I can't wait to see how it turns out."

"Thanks, Mom," Jonah said appreciatively, following the others outside to his father's ship. _I can't believe Dad's letting me direct my first scene, all by myself._ He realized that since this scene wasn't absolutely vital to the plot, it didn't really matter if he screwed up; and even if it turned out all right, it would probably be cut from the final broadcast. _But it's good practice,_ Jonah decided, grateful for a chance to direct something before doing his more important scenes.

"All right... Where's the escape pod?" Jonah asked, as they boarded Owen's ship, settling into the cockpit.

"About a mile that way," Luke instructed him, pointing toward the rocky ridge in the distance.

"Okay," Jonah nodded, taking off and flying out over the desert. "Yeah, there it is," he agreed, spotting the escape pod a minute later and setting the ship down nearby. "All right, let's get suited up," he said cheerfully, joining Julian, Dorian, and Luke in the back.

_Heh... I'm kind of short for a Stormtrooper,_ Jonah admitted, strapping on his armor. _And so is Luke,_ he confessed, sharing a rueful grin with the Jedi Knight now. _But luckily these things fit just about anyone,_ Jonah realized, pulling his helmet on.

They headed outside to begin filming their scene; but now he blinked worriedly, spotting two riders approaching them from across the desert, carrying long spears and sitting atop large, reptilian mounts. "Uh," Jonah said nervously into his transmitter. "What's that?"

"Dewback riders," Luke replied, standing atop the ridge and peering out at them now; he had already sensed them approaching. "It's okay; they don't want to fight us," the Jedi Knight reassured them. "They're just curious... Probably _SITH_ fans."

"Cool," Dorian said, waving to them. "Hey, maybe they want to play Stormtroopers too!"

_What is this, kindergarten?_ Jonah laughed to himself; he hadn't 'played Stormtroopers' since he was about five. But of course the Dewback riders _did_ want to play Stormtroopers, and a few minutes later they emerged in full armor, ready to film their scene.

"All right, let's get started," Jonah said; then he blinked worriedly, looking around. "Where's Dorian?"

"Oh, crap!" Julian exclaimed, running toward the Stormtrooper that now sat passed out against the nearby escape pod, his head slumped unnaturally to the side. _No,_ Jonah gasped in horror, realizing the young Solo had collapsed from heat exhaustion. _Ahh, how did that happen?_ "Dorian!" Julian said urgently, trying to rouse him. "Dorian... Come on, buddy, wake up..."

"Hahaha," came a voice over their helmet transmitters, as another Stormtrooper emerged from Owen's ship. "Sorry about that," Dorian apologized, joining them. "I found a mannequin on board; I thought it would be cool to dress him up for the scene."

_Gah,_ Jonah sighed, as the others repositioned the mannequin, so that it looked more like it was _guarding_ the escape pod rather than passed out against it. _My first time directing for SITH, and I'm already having a heart attack._

"Hey, check this out," Dorian said cheerfully. "I found some camouflage," he showed them, squirting some mud-brown paint out of a tube and proceeding to smear it all over his armor.

"Haha, cool," Julian laughed, smearing some onto himself, as Luke and the Dewback riders eagerly followed suit. _Ah, what the heck,_ Jonah grinned amiably, joining in the fun.

"Wait... How'd we get mud all over ourselves, in the middle of the desert?" Luke asked.

"Ha... Good question," Julian agreed, laughing.

"And you don't want to know the answer," one of the Dewback riders chuckled, glancing at a pile of fresh dung in the nearby sand dune. "I'm afraid there's only one source of mud, out here in the Dune Sea."

_Great,_ Jonah sighed, as the others cackled like schoolchildren. _Now we all look like idiots._ But then he heard the sound of an engine, and looked up to see a woefully antiquated yet unmistakably familiar vessel approaching: a powder-blue WV71 Dove.

_A love-craft?_ Jonah gaped in bewilderment as the tiny WV71 Dove touched down next to Owen's ship, folding its wings neatly overhead. _What's it doing here?_ These quaint, compact, environmentally friendly crafts had virtually no weapons or shields, and were the trademark of the 'Peace and Love' movement of his grandfather's era; they had enjoyed a trendy comeback on Geonosis recently, but Jonah would never have expected to see one here on Tatooine. _Maybe he's lost?_

Luke had spotted the love-craft as well, and was trudging over toward the tiny vessel now. _He's lucky he hasn't been shot down already,_ Jonah thought; only a complete lunatic would try to land on Tatooine in a ship with no shields or weapons.

_Must be some kind of tree-hugging wacko,_ Jonah decided, eyeing the powder-blue Dove cautiously; but then he blinked in surprise as the pilot emerged, sticking his head up through the overhead hatch. _Or maybe it's just Qui-Gon,_ Jonah laughed, following Luke across the drift to meet the Jedi Master.

"Hello," Qui-Gon greeted them cheerfully, from the cockpit hatch.

"Hello, Master," Luke nodded politely, grinning in obvious delight to see him; but then he peered at the little powder-blue vessel in confusion. "What's with the love-craft?"

"Well, I couldn't very well be seen on Tatooine in a Jedi Starfighter, could I?" Qui-Gon said, his eyes twinkling in amusement. "I borrowed it from a friend on Tandor; a fellow crystal enthusiast," he explained. "Sorry I'm late," he added apologetically, to Jonah. "It's not quite as fast as a Starfighter," he confessed, glancing ruefully at the antique spacecraft; but now he raised an eyebrow in suspicion at their dung-covered Stormtrooper uniforms. "What exactly am I late _for?_" the Jedi Master asked.

"Oh! We're playing Stormtroopers," Luke explained. "We've got more costumes aboard the ship, if you want," he offered, as the others nodded. "I think your official part got cut," Luke admitted, cringing.

Qui-Gon laughed good-naturedly. "Ah, that's what I get for being late," he sighed, giving Jonah an apologetic look. "Very well then; I'll get suited up," he agreed, hopping down from his love-craft and heading toward Owen's ship. But now his brows furrowed as he peered out toward the distant ridge. "What's Obi-Wan doing?"

"Uh... He's nesting," Luke explained, glancing toward the ridge. "He found some dragon eggs... Long story," he said, grinning. "We've called in Ben Kenobi; he'll be here in the morning."

"Nesting?" Qui-Gon asked, his expression thoughtful. "He's found a dragon cave, then?"

"Yes, Master," Luke replied, barely concealing his amusement; Qui-Gon was famous for his bizarre love of underground caverns and crystal formations. _Great; just when we finally got him away from Tandor,_ Jonah laughed ruefully.

"I see," Qui-Gon nodded. "On second thought... You boys seem to have this situation well under control," he noted, with an impressed glance at their mud-smeared Stormtrooper uniforms. "I should go see if Obi-Wan needs anything."

"All right," Luke said. "I'll be along later, when we're done here."

"Excellent," Qui-Gon agreed, climbing back into the cockpit of his WV71 Dove. "I look forward to hearing how this turns out," he added, waving in cheerful farewell as he closed the hatch. The others stood back as he started the engine; but alas, it sputtered and stalled.

"Heh," one of the Dewback riders laughed commiseratively, opening the hood. "Our dad used to have one of these," he said, as his brother joined him, helping to fix the engine. "Okay, try again," he called to Qui-Gon, in the cockpit. A moment later the engine revved loudly, and the Dewback rider gave him the thumbs up. "Keep it running for a minute before you take off," he yelled over the hum of the engine, as Qui-Gon nodded in understanding, waving appreciatively.

"Well, I guess we should start filming," Jonah proposed, as the others nodded in agreement, pulling their Stormtrooper helmets back on. "Just - wander around, like you're looking for something," he instructed them, for lack of a better plan. _I'm a third-generation Lars director, and THAT'S the best I can come up with?_ he laughed. _Eh, it's a start, I suppose._

The Dewback riders climbed back onto their mounts, and Jonah and Luke pretended to scan the horizon for droids through their binoculars, as Julian and Dorian marched side-by-side through the sand drift, trying to look official.

But a moment later Qui-Gon took off in his powder-blue WV71 Dove, flying straight through their scene. _Oh, THAT'S going to look impressive,_ Jonah sighed, trudging through the desert while inexplicably covered in mud, as a love-craft flew over his head. _This whole scene is probably going to get cut, _he laughed. _But it's good practice anyway..._

"Someone _was_ in the pod," Julian deduced now, investigating the scene. "The tracks go off in this direction."

"Hey," Dorian said, picking something up off the ground. "Is this part of Artoo?"

"Crap... I think it is," Jonah agreed, peering worriedly at the metallic ring-shaped object. _We should hold onto that..._

"Uh - guys, we're still filming," Julian reminded them.

Jonah laughed. _Welcome to SITH..._ "It all gets edited afterward anyway," he assured them. "Okay, let's take it from Dorian's line," he said, stepping back. "Except you don't specifically know that it's Artoo you're looking for," he pointed out.

"Aw, man," Dorian laughed, shaking his head. "My first line, and I screwed it up," he sighed. "Sorry about that. Okay..." Dorian bent down, pretending to find the metallic ring again; then he held it up close to the camera, so that it glinted dramatically in the sunlight. "Look, sir! Droids!"

"Perfect," Jonah nodded, impressed. "All right... Cut; that's a wrap," he announced, his heart fluttering as he realized he'd actually filmed his first scene as a director. "You guys did great," Jonah added appreciatively. "Thanks so much..."

_That really wasn't so bad,_ Jonah admitted, still grinning in delight as they waved goodbye to the Dewback riders. He hoped at least parts of the scene would be usable; but in any case, it had been a good learning experience. _Now I see why Dad and Grandpa love this job_, he realized, as they packed everything back aboard Owen's ship. _Directing is totally fun._

* * *

><p><em>Three hours later...<em>

_Obi-Wan Kenobi: 394.2 meters,_ Artoo noted, rolling along the smooth dirt road through the rocky canyon. _Almost there..._

_Blip... Blip blip... Blip... Blip... Hee! This is fun,_ Artoo twittered cheerfully. It had been a long journey up the winding canyon road, and so to fight boredom Artoo had been playing his own internal video game, shooting enemy spaceships and pretending to be a _real_ astrodroid. _I used to do that stuff all the time,_ Artoo sighed wistfully. _Those were good days,_ he admitted, turning his attention back to his video game.

_Blip blip... blip... blip... Huh?_ Artoo stopped suddenly, blinking in surprise. _Is there somebody out there? Crap, I wasn't paying attention..._ Artoo looked around nervously, but couldn't see anyone in the deserted canyon.

_And how did it get dark so fast?_ Artoo wondered, looking up at the red, cloudy sky. _This planet is weird..._ But now he blinked in alarm as several rocks fell down from the nearby cliff. _Um..._ "Hello?" Artoo blipped cautiously, continuing along. "Is anyone there?"

_It's not Obi-Wan Kenobi,_ Artoo knew. _Obi-Wan Kenobi is 379.6 meters away... Ohh, I'm not sure I like this,_ he admitted, blipping quietly and trying to act less concerned than he felt. _These stupid camera droids are filming everything I do,_ Artoo reminded himself. _I don't want to look like a coward on a galactic holo-broadcast,_ he resolved, continuing bravely along.

But Artoo was beginning to suspect that someone - or _something_ - was spying on him from the left side of the canyon, and so he subtly moved to the right side of the road, staying close to the rocky canyon wall. _Obi-Wan Kenobi: 372.4 meters,_ he told himself, stubbornly focusing on his task to quell his nerves. _Obi-Wan Kenobi: 370.2 meters... Obi-Wan Kenobi: 369.1 meters... Obi-Wan Kenobi - _

"Tootookaaaaa!" yelled a small, brown-robed figure from the nearby crevice, wielding a blaster.

_What the...?_ "AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!" Artoo screamed, blipping and whistling frantically as painful blue sparks coursed through his circuits. _Nooooooooo! My mission! Obi-Wan Kenobi: 368.7 meters..._ But poor Artoo was overcome by the cruel electrical shocks, and with a final pathetic cry, he fell forward, landing flat on his face with a resounding, hollow thud. _Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi..._

* * *

><p>"Oootaynee!" Muki yelled triumphantly, waving to his friends as they hurried gleefully down to the spot where the blue and white astrodroid lay unmoving.<p>

"Yay!" Muki cheered, rushing down to examine their latest acquisition. "Oh! Oh! Oh oh oh! Oh! Oh oh! Oh oh oh oh oh!" he exclaimed excitedly. _Best droid EVER!_ "Moppet - moppet," Muki instructed the others, as they carefully lifted it up, carrying the astrodroid back through the canyon toward their awaiting sandcrawler.

* * *

><p><em>Meanwhile...<em>

_That was fun,_ Luke thought, climbing across the rocky ridge toward the dragon's lair. Owen had been impressed with Jonah's first attempt at directing, though Luke admitted his acting debut had been less than stellar. _I just stood there looking stupid,_ he laughed to himself. _I TRIED to think of something to say, but I just couldn't..._

_But that's pretty much what SITH is about,_ Luke admitted cheerfully; he had been watching Obi-Wan, Anakin, Qui-Gon, Mara, and Zak on the show for years now, and knew that half the time they just made idiots of themselves.

_And I'm about to carry on the tradition,_ Luke thought, recalling the old _JEDI_ episode he and the others had just watched back at Dale's house. Everyone had laughed at Anakin's childish temper tantrum out in the garage with Padmé, and it had been decided that Luke should be a whiny teenager too. _I don't know if I can pull it off the way Master Anakin did, though..._

But now he smiled to himself, sensing Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon nearby. _Meanwhile these two have completely messed everything up, chasing after dragons and crystals,_ Luke laughed, amused by their complete lack of interest in filming. He was nearing the cavern now, and approached cautiously as he spotted the monstrous Krayt dragon who guarded the entrance to her nest.

"Hey girl," Luke murmured, holding up a hand to calm her. _Hopefully Obi-Wan's tamed this thing by now,_ Luke thought worriedly; last time he'd been forced to scare the dragon away with his lightsaber.

Sure enough, the dragon cocked her head curiously, but made no move to attack, and a moment later Luke heard his Master's voice from the cavern below. "It's all right - _A-shhaa!_" Obi-Wan sneezed, overcome by sudden allergies. "It's just Luke," he said gently. "Don't worry; he won't hurt you," Obi-Wan assured the dragon.

_Yeah... That's not exactly what I was worried about,_ Luke confessed, trying not to show his unease as he cautiously approached the rocky crevice above the dragon's nest, keeping one hand on the hilt of his lightsaber just in case. _Obi-Wan has a way with dragons, but still..._ Luke let out a sigh of relief as he managed to slip safely through the narrow opening, dropping down to the cavern below.

"Hello there," Obi-Wan greeted him cheerfully, not bothering to get up from his nesting spot, where he sat comfortably between the three gigantic dragon eggs. "How did the filming go?"

"Fine," Luke laughed, amused by his Master's latest - and admittedly bizarre - undertaking. Then he cocked his head. "What's Master Qui-Gon doing?" Luke could sense him about a hundred yards away, on the other side of the cavern's rocky wall.

"What do you _think_ he's doing?" Obi-Wan sighed wearily, glancing toward a small, shadowy recess nearby. "He went off to explore some of the tunnels, about an hour ago; hasn't been back since."

"Ha!" Luke nodded in commiseration. _He's found crystals already,_ he realized, impressed. _They don't call him Living Force Dude for nothing._ "Oh! Beru sent some vegetable moo-moo stew," Luke remembered, setting his pack down on the cavern floor. "It's probably still hot... Would you like some?" he offered.

"Yes," Obi-Wan nodded gratefully. "Thank you," he added, with a weary sigh. "Between Asha's Mynocks and snakes, and Qui-Gon's blasted granola snacks, I was worried I might starve to death."

Luke grinned, handing his Master a bowl of Beru's soup; but then he blinked in surprise, recalling what he had just said. "Asha?" he asked curiously, glancing up toward the dragon. "You named her?"

"No." Obi-Wan shook his head, taking a bite of soup. "This is delicious, by the way; thank you," he said appreciatively. "She named herself - hold on," Obi-Wan broke off, swallowing his soup. _A-shhaa!_ he sneezed delicately.

"Bless you," Luke said politely, taking a bite of his own soup. _Uh oh... Is he catching a cold?_

"No," Obi-Wan laughed. "That's her name," he told Luke, nodding toward the crevice in the ceiling. "Or _'Asha'_, if you don't want to bother saying it properly," he conceded, taking another bite of soup. "Krayt dragons are named after the first thing they say, when they hatch," Obi-Wan explained. "I can't wait to see what these little ones will call themselves," he added cheerfully, glancing admiringly at his eggs. "But yes; it seems that Asha came out sneezing... Poor little thing."

Luke shook his head, laughing. _I have the weirdest Master in the galaxy,_ he decided once again. _Mara's may be the craziest, but at least he's never turned into a scaly green monster. __Ah, I wouldn't want anyone else though,_ he admitted, catching the twinkle of fond amusement in Obi-Wan's eyes.

But now Luke peered curiously at the entrance to the narrow tunnel on the opposite wall. "I should see if Master Qui-Gon wants some soup," he offered, getting up from his rocky perch.

"Good luck," Obi-Wan said, sipping another spoonful. "I don't expect to see him again for days."

"Ha," Luke laughed. "I'll try to drag him out of there," he promised his Master, waving cheerfully as he headed into the dark, rocky passageway. _How did those two EVER get along?_ Luke wondered again, as he crawled through the narrow tunnel. Obi-Wan had told Luke horror stories of his own padawan days; apparently he and Master Qui-Gon had constantly been at odds, and bickered over every topic imaginable.

_But they like each other a whole lot more than they admit,_ Luke knew, grateful that his Master wouldn't be alone while he babysat his dragon eggs this week. _This is really the perfect vacation, for both of them,_ Luke thought in amusement, remembering that neither of them had been terribly excited at the prospect of spending a week aboard the _Executor._

Luke wriggled through the narrow rocky passageway toward Qui-Gon's Force presence, grunting uncomfortably as he flopped along on his stomach, and deciding that the elderly Jedi Master had to be insane to do this in the first place; but finally the tunnel opened into a larger cavern, and Luke blinked in amazement as he stood in the sparkling glow of the cavern, admiring the quartz and amethyst crystals that covered the walls and ceiling.

The cavern narrowed toward one end, and Luke continued on through another tunnel, crouching low to avoid the sharp, jagged stalactites overhead; but a moment later he found Qui-Gon, and gaped in amazement as he emerged into the larger cavern, its walls sparkling deep blue, purple, and rose in the late afternoon light, which streamed in from a tiny opening above the cavern.

"Sapphires," Qui-Gon murmured quietly, as Luke joined him. "The most I've ever seen in one place," he added, smiling gently as he admired the jewel-studded cavern walls.

"They're beautiful," Luke agreed, awestruck by the sparkling gems. _And it's amazing they're still here._ "I'm guessing Jabba doesn't know about this."

Qui-Gon nodded, sighing. "Hopefully he won't find out," he agreed. "I doubt Jabba could fit through these tunnels," he pointed out wryly. But now he bent down, spotting a small blue sapphire amidst the rocky debris on the cavern floor. "For Leia's new store," he suggested with a fond smile, handing it to Luke. "Oh; and here's a black opal, from Tandor," he remembered, pulling it out of his little belt pouch.

"Wow," Luke murmured, admiring the smooth, iridescent oval-shaped stone; Tandorian gems were famous for their brilliance, and black opals possessed a vivid swirl of every color imaginable. "It's beautiful." Luke nodded appreciatively, tucking both gems carefully into his belt pouch for safekeeping. "Leia will love them."

Qui-Gon nodded in agreement; but then he frowned worriedly. "Don't tell her where the sapphire came from," he warned Luke; then he grinned mischievously. "Well, you can tell _Leia,_" he conceded, his eyes twinkling fondly. "But we probably shouldn't advertise this place," he admitted, as Luke nodded in quiet agreement.

"Oh!" Luke remembered now. "Beru sent some soup, if you'd like some."

Qui-Gon nodded, smiling appreciatively. "Of course," he agreed, taking a last, wistful glance at the sapphire cavern. "We're losing the light anyway," he confessed, following Luke back through the tunnel. "But I imagine these tunnels go on for miles," he mused, sighing contentedly as they emerged in the sparkling amethyst cavern. "Ahh... it's going to be a fun week," Qui-Gon said cheerfully.

"Heh," Luke laughed, sharing an affectionate smile with the elderly Jedi Master. "Yes, it is," he agreed, as they continued back through the tunnels toward Obi-Wan's nest to camp for the night.


	137. I'm sure he will do even better

**Chapter 137**

_Meanwhile..._

"Are you ready for this?" Wilhuff Tarkin asked, giving Anakin an apprehensive look.

"Ready as I'll ever be," Anakin laughed, pulling his mask down over his face and switching on his ventilator.

"All right," Wilhuff nodded, summoning his courage as they headed toward the Death Star's conference room, where the _SITH_ fan club's debate team was already gathered. Cliegg had been tied up in his office all afternoon, talking over the transmitter with Owen and the show's producers, and had asked Wilhuff to direct a short scene involving the show's most enthusiastic fans.

"Good afternoon," Wilhuff said, greeting the guests who sat around the large conference table, wearing Imperial uniforms of various ranks. "How's the debate going?" he asked, trying to act more confident than he felt.

"Very well, thank you," a middle-aged officer replied politely, as the others nodded in agreement. "Are we filming the Imperial conference now?" he asked hopefully.

"Yes, in a moment," Wilhuff nodded. "But I'm afraid Cliegg can't make it; he's asked me to direct this scene," he apologized. _And I pray I don't make a complete and utter fool of myself..._ Despite having acted on the set of _SITH_ for the past eighteen years, Wilhuff admitted that he didn't know half as much about the show's plot as the enthusiastic fans who were gathered around the conference table today. "What is the topic of today's debate?"

"The Death Star itself," another of the tourists replied cheerfully.

"Very good," Wilhuff nodded, pretending to know what he was doing. "All right, then; we'll need to choose a leader to represent each side of the debate," he told them. "One person to argue _for_ the Death Star, and another to argue _against_ it," he proposed. _That's how debates are usually done, right?_

The guest actors blinked in surprise at this concept, but then nodded eagerly. "Well that wasn't what we were doing before; but it's a brilliant idea," another of the officers agreed.

_Oh dear... Well, we'll just go along with that._ "All right, then; who will be debating _for_ the Death Star?" Wilhuff asked hopefully, looking around the group.

"Motti... Mot-ti.. Mot-ti! MOT-TI! MOT-TI! MOT-TI!" came the unanimous chant, as Wilhuff blinked in surprise, caught off guard by the fans' enthusiasm. He gathered quickly that Motti was the first man who had addressed him; a middle-aged officer with wavy reddish hair, who was now grinning in modest embarrassment.

"Excellent," Wilhuff nodded, smiling at Motti now. "And our naysayer will be...?"

"Tagge... Tag-ge... Tag-ge! TAG-GE! TAG-GE!" came the exuberant chant, as another middle-aged, somewhat plump man with disastrous dark hair smiled cheerfully, basking in the praise of his fellow fans.

"Very well," Wilhuff smiled, nodding. "I shall play the role of moderator in this debate," he proposed, quelling his panic at the thought. "And Lord Vader will represent... himself," Wilhuff suggested, for lack of a better idea. Anakin nodded in solemn agreement now, as the guests nodded excitedly. "All right, then; shall we get started?"

"Just one question," the dark-haired officer named Tagge asked, his expression curious. "Have we been informed that the Senate has been dissolved, on last week's episode?"

_What?_ Wilhuff blinked in surprise. _The Senate's been dissolved? Oh dear, I really must watch the show more often..._ "No," he decided quickly, to be safe. "I will inform you of that news when I enter," he told them. "Any other questions, before we begin?" he asked, loking around the table. "Very well," Wilhuff said. "I'll let you get started with the debate, and then Lord Vader and I will enter in a moment," Wilhuff instructed them, as he and Anakin went back out into the hallway.

_Oh dear..._ "Did you watch last week's episode?" Wilhuff asked Anakin quietly now.

"No," Anakin whispered, lifting his mask up for a moment. "But I heard some people talking about it... The Emperor has dissolved the Council permanently, and regional governors now have direct control over their territories... I think," he offered, with an uncertain cringe.

"All right, we'll go with that," Wilhuff agreed, sharing a rueful grin with Anakin as the Jedi pulled his mask back down over his face, preparing for the scene. Motti and Tagge were already engaged in a heated debate, and Wilhuff listened intently now, trying to choose an opportune moment to enter the scene.

"Until this battle station is fully operational, we are vulnerable," Tagge warned the other Imperial officers. "The Rebel Alliance is too well-equipped," he argued. "They're more dangerous than you realize."

_He really is quite good,_ Wilhuff thought, sincerely impressed; but then he blinked as he heard Motti's rebuttal.

"Dangerous to _your_ Starfleet, Commander," came Motti's sneering, childish retort. "_Not_ to this battle station," he countered, in an overly pompous, condescending tone. _Oh dear,_ Wilhuff laughed, trying to keep a straight face. _THIS is the shining star of the debate team?_

"The Rebellion will continue to gain a support in the Imperial Senate," Tagge argued passionately. "As long - "

_The Senate? Ahh, here we go..._ "The Imperial Senate will no longer be of any concern to us," Wilhuff interrupted them calmly, seizing the opportunity to enter the conference room along with Anakin. "I have just received word that the Emperor has dissolved the Council permanently," he continued, praying that Anakin was right about this. "The last remnants of the Old Republic have been swept away," he assured them, taking a seat at the conference table.

"That's impossible," Tagge sputtered indignantly. "How will the Emperor maintain control, without the bureaucracy?"

_I was getting to that..._ "Regional governors now have direct control over their territories," Wilhuff informed them. "Fear will keep the local systems in line," he added dramatically. "Fear of this battle station."

"And what of the Rebellion?" Tagge challenged him, dutifully playing the devil's advocate. "If the Rebels have obtained a complete technical readout of this station, it is possible - however unlikely - that they might find a weakness, and exploit it."

_Oh dear; he's right,_ Wilhuff realized, furrowing his brows. _I hadn't thought of that..._ Wilhuff's mind raced as he tried to think of something intelligent to say; but thankfully he was rescued by Anakin.

"The plans you refer to will soon be back in our hands," Anakin assured the others calmly. _Perfect,_ Wilhuff sighed. _Thank you..._

But now Motti spoke up. "Any attack made by the Rebels against this station would be a useless gesture, no matter what technical data they've obtained," the fan club's star debater insisted arrogantly. "This station is now the _ULTIMATE POWER IN THE UNIVERSE!_" Motti sneered, in true super-villain fashion. "I suggest we use it."

_Good gracious..._ Wilhuff's eyes narrowed as he peered at Motti worriedly. _That man scares me a bit._ But now Anakin joined the debate, dutifully representing... _Himself,_ Wilhuff realized, trying to keep a straight face as he remembered Anakin's assigned role. _This has to be the most ridiculous debate in the history of the galaxy._

"Don't be too proud of this technological terror you've constructed," Anakin countered. "The ability to destroy a planet is insignificant next to the power of the Force," he boasted ominously. _Haha... Excellent, Anakin._

But Motti was not to be outdone. "Don't try to frighten us with your sorcerer's ways, Lord Vader," he sneered. "Your sad devotion to that ancient religion has not helped you conjure up the stolen data tapes, or given you clairvoyance enough to find the Rebels' hidden fort - " Suddenly Motti broke off, choking.

"I find your lack of faith disturbing," Anakin seethed quietly. _Oh dear; is he really strangling him?_

"Enough of this," Wilhuff scolded them, furrowing his brows. "Vader, release him," he added worriedly. _I know nothing about the rules of debate, but I'm fairly certain that is against our safety guidelines._

"As you wish," Anakin agreed, letting go of his Force-hold as Motti gasped dramatically, slumping forward onto the conference table. _Please tell me they were just acting..._

"This bickering is pointless," Wilhuff chided them. "Now, Lord Vader will provide us with the location of the Rebel fortress by the time this station is operational," he proposed, taking charge of the situation. "We will then crush the Rebellion with one swift stroke," Wilhuff finished, glaring at the other officers around the table and defying anyone to challenge him.

There was a moment of silence in the conference room; but then a quiet murmur began amongst the guest actors, and Wilhuff blinked in surprise as the chant grew steadily louder: "Tarkin... Tarkin... Tar-kin! Tar-kin! TAR-KIN! TAR-KIN! TAR-KIN!"

"Thank you," Wilhuff nodded appreciatively, managing an embarrassed grin as the fans continued to chant his name as the victor of today's debate. "Thank you, very much... You're too kind," he insisted modestly.

_Ahh,_ Wilhuff sighed, basking for a moment in the glow of their praise. _I was quite good there, wasn't I?_

* * *

><p><em>Meanwhile, also aboard the Death Star...<em>

_Two more days,_ Tarv realized gleefully, crawling through the maintenance tunnels toward the garbage compactor on the detention level. _Two more days, and then I'll be a multi-millionaire..._

_And I'll get back all the money I've lost to the casino here this week,_ he sighed ruefully. Tarv had been a guest aboard the Death Star Hotel this past week, and had lost miserably at Sabacc; but it didn't matter, as soon he would have all of his money back, plus much, much more. _And then I can retire... And never have to worry about money, ever again..._

Tarv had been planning a heist on the Death Star's casino vault for the past two years. He had asked his old buddy Grauv if he wanted to join him in this daring venture; but Grauv and his other old crewmates had barely spoken to him since their last arrest and imprisonment on Coruscant, for the attempted murder of Lando Calrissian, the young man to whom Tarv had lost the _Millennium Falcon_.

_Grauv and the others want nothing to do with me anymore,_ Tarv sighed. _But they'll be sorry when they hear about this,_ he knew. _Fifty million credits... And I don't have to split it with anybody,_ he laughed quietly. _There are advantages to working alone..._

_Ugh... This place kind of smells, though,_ Tarv admitted, wrinkling his nose as he entered the garbage compactor. _But soon I can retire from all this,_ he reminded himself. Tarv had barely been scraping by these past two years, since being released from the Coruscant penitentiary; he had managed to keep a low profile and avoid arrest, but it was a hard life, and Tarv was looking forward to retirement.

He had first gotten the idea to rob the casino's vault two years ago, shortly after the Death Star's grand opening. Tarv had just been released from prison, and was on his way back to Tatooine with a gift for Jabba: a live baby Dianoga that he had bought on the black market. These seven-legged sea creatures were a delicacy among the Hutts, and had been hunted to near extinction over the past century; Tarv had hoped that the exotic and delicious gift would help to buy his way back into Jabba's good graces.

_I should have gone straight to Tatooine,_ Tarv admitted now. _I should never have stopped here._ But Tarv had been curious to have a look at the newly-opened Death Star Hotel, and had decided to treat himself to one night of luxury before returning to Jabba. He had left the baby Dianoga in the bathtub in his hotel room, and had gone down to the casino for a few rounds of Sabacc. It was bad enough that he had lost miserably at the tables that night, but then he had returned to his room to find that the Dianoga had vanished, leaving a tell-tale trail of water from the bathtub to the toilet, where it had obviously escaped into the Death Star's sewer system.

_That was fifteen thousand credits down the toilet,_ Tarv sighed unhappily; and over the past two years, he still hadn't managed to come up with the money that he owed Jabba from nine years earlier. _But THIS is going to change everything,_ Tarv told himself, reaching a maintenance hatch above the garbage chute and patiently unscrewing the grating. In two days, the money in the casino vault would be transferred to an armored ship and delivered to the bank on Geonosis; but Tarv had managed to re-route the chutes so that the contents of the vault would be deposited into his own ship, and the armored banking vessel would receive the contents of the trash compactor.

_Everything's all set; I just have to replace this one hatch,_ Tarv reminded himself, relieved that his work was nearly finished; but now he blinked in surprise, hearing a splashing noise behind him. _What's that?_ Turning around, Tarv inspected the murky water that covered the floor of the trash compactor; it was rippling slightly, but otherwise nothing seemed to be amiss. _Probably just junk settling,_ Tarv decided, eyeing the piles of mechanical refuse that filled the compartment.

Now Tarv quietly pulled away the heavy access grating, sticking his head up through the opening and peering cautiously up and down the long hallway of the Death Star's detention cells. The area was deserted, and so he climbed out of the garbage chute, dropping the original durasteel grating onto the trash heap, and replacing it with a lightweight decoy - a trap door identical to hundreds of others that were located throughout the Death Star. _No one will notice this, at least for a couple of days,_ Tarv reassured himself, setting the new false grating in place over the garbage chute, in preparation for his own escape.

_And now to get out of here, before anyone sees me..._ Tarv was dressed in a black Imperial Navy uniform, complete with helmet; the disguise helped to hide his face from the Death Star's security cameras, but was far more comfortable than a Stormtrooper costume. He headed down the hallway toward the elevator now; but suddenly he hesitated as the elevator door opened.

_No... Just keep going,_ Tarv told himself stubbornly, continuing along. _It will look even more suspicious if you turn around._ But then his heart sank as he heard an ominous, mechanical breathing sound, and recognized the dark figure walking toward him, flanked by two other black-clad Imperial guards.

_Oh crap!_ Of all the people aboard the Death Star, Anakin Skywalker was the one that Tarv most desperately needed to avoid. _He'll recognize me,_ Tarv cringed anxiously, slowing his pace and keeping his head down. _Damn it..._ Tarv knew that if he were caught by the Death Star's security team, he would certainly go to prison; but if Skywalker caught him... _He'll probably send me back to work for Jar Jar's forestry project,_ Tarv winced, shuddering at the thought.

_Okay... Just act casual._ Tarv managed to keep his breathing steady as Vader and his henchmen approached; but to his surprise, they stopped at one of the detention cells before reaching him, and now Vader turned, opening the door and entering the cell along with his two guards and a black, hovering medical droid.

"And now, Your Highness," Darth Vader droned menacingly, as Tarv stopped just outside the doorway, pressing his back against the wall and trying to avoid the hovering _SITH_ cameras. "We will discuss the location of your hidden Rebel base."

A moment later the door to the detention cell slammed shut, and Tarv let out a sigh of relief, continuing quickly down the hallway toward the elevator. _Whew... That was too close._

* * *

><p><em>Meanwhile...<em>

_Hello... Is anyone there?_ Snuggles peeked out from beneath the water, looking around the trash compactor curiously. He had been munching on leftover goodies from the kitchen chute a moment ago, and thought he had heard something here in the mechanical refuse bin; but there was nothing but a pile of junk, as usual.

_Eh... I guess I imagined it,_ Snuggles shrugged, heading back toward the kitchen chute to continue his afternoon snack. But now he heard the sound of another gate slamming shut, and blinked. _Oooh! Laundry trash!_ Snuggles realized happily, slithering quickly toward the laundry refuse compartment. _My favorite!_

Ever since Snuggles was a little baby, he had loved grasping and clutching things in his tiny little suction-cup-covered tentacles. _That's how I got my name,_ he smiled to himself, feeling a twinge of homesickness as he thought of his Mommy now. Snuggles had been taken from his Mommy when he was just a few weeks old, and had been living here in the Death Star's refuse system for as long as he could remember; it got lonely sometimes, and so Snuggles had learned to comfort himself with soft, cuddly blankets and pillows that were occasionally thrown out.

_I need a new pillow,_ Snuggles confessed; he had squeezed the last one so much that it had nearly lost all of its stuffing. _And my blanket is full of holes too,_ he sighed, looking at it now. The great thing about having seven legs was that Snuggles could easily use two of them to clutch his pet blanket and pillow for comfort, taking them with him everywhere he went; but they did get torn sometimes as he moved about the trash compartments.

_Anything good today?_ Snuggles wondered, peering at the latest refuse from the laundry department. Usually it was just old sheets and towels, but occasionally Snuggles would find a fluffy blanket or comforter, and once in a while there would be a new pillow. _Aw,_ he sighed, not seeing anything especially cuddly today. _Maybe tomorrow..._

_Ugh... It's kind of smelly here,_ Snuggles confessed; the trash compactor was a great place to explore once in a while, but the odor could get a bit overwhelming. _I think I'll go take a nice bath,_ Snuggles decided now, heading back toward the Death Star's fresh water holding tank for a refreshing afternoon swim.

* * *

><p><em>Meanwhile...<em>

_Um..._ Anakin looked at Leia, then back at his two guards, at a complete loss. _Are we done here?_ He had threatened Leia with his syringe-wielding medical droid, but wasn't entirely certain what else Cliegg wanted for this scene. _Ahh, I suck at directing..._ Cliegg was still tied up in his office talking to the show's producers, and had asked Anakin to film a quick interrogation scene in Leia's detention cell.

"Well, I guess that's it," Anakin said now, pulling up his mask and giving the two extras an apologetic cringe. "Sorry... Cliegg just said to make it look scary... Were we scary?" he asked Leia hopefully now. _Poor thing... She's really not feeling well,_ he sensed again.

Leia's brown eyes twinkled good-naturedly. "Yes," she assured him, smiling at the two hotel guests who were playing Imperial Navy guards. "I was terrified," she promised.

"Great," Anakin nodded. "I guess we're done then... Thanks again, you guys did a great job," he added to the extras. "Oh!" he remembered, seeing their hopeful expressions. "Did you want to get Senator Amidala's autograph?" Anakin had given them his already, before the scene.

"Yes; thank you," the first guard nodded appreciatively, as the other grinned in shy agreement. Leia dutifully signed their little autograph books, and a moment later the four of them exited the detention cell, heading back toward the elevator at the end of the hallway.

_Ahh... I wish I could get a chance to talk to Leia alone,_ Anakin sighed, sharing a secret smile with his daughter now as they followed the two hotel guests back toward the elevator. He had been trying to speak with her all day, since sensing her pain and unhappiness this morning aboard the _Tantive IV_; but between Mara and the autograph-seeking tourists, he hadn't found the opportunity.

Then he remembered the tunnels. _Oh!_ "Milady," Anakin said politely, turning to her now. "I can show you a shortcut back to the HOPE store, if you're going that way," he offered.

"Thank you, Anakin," Leia nodded appreciatively, following him back down the hallway. A moment later the elevator door opened and the extras stepped inside, leaving Anakin and Leia alone in the passageway.

_Finally..._ "Here we go," Anakin said cheerfully, pressing a button to open one of the trap doors leading to the Death Star's tunnel system. The entire hotel was a giant playground for tourists, with secret passageways leading all over the place; they might run into a few people this way, but not nearly as many as in the main hallways.

"Thank you," Leia said; but as she peered into the narrow, steel-paneled crawlspace, she sighed, shaking her head. "I'm sorry," she apologized. "I'm a little tired; I think I'll just wait here until the next scene," she admitted, glancing back toward her detention cell.

Anakin nodded sympathetically. _She's having cramps... Of course she doesn't want to be crawling through the tunnels; especially in a nice dress,_ he realized. "It's been a long day," he agreed, giving her an encouraging smile now. "Mind if I wait with you?" he asked. "I've got a couple minutes before my next scene."

Leia smiled appreciatively, inviting him back into her detention cell. "Comfy place you've got here," she remarked wryly, as they sat down together on the cold, hard durasteel slab that served as her prison bed.

"Isn't it?" Anakin agreed, with a cheerful grin. "This thing's almost as soft as my bed back at the Temple," he joked, attempting to bounce on the durasteel slab.

Leia giggled, looking down; then she peered around the cell cautiously. "Are there cameras in here?"

"No," Anakin reassured her, getting up to close the door; then he gave Leia a rather awkward hug with all of his armor, kissing her tenderly on the cheek. "How are you doing, sweety...? Ahh! Sorry," he exclaimed, as the rim of his helmet clunked against her head. "You okay?" Anakin asked worriedly, giving her an apologetic cringe as he pulled his helmet off.

"Yes," Leia lied bravely, managing a good-natured smile; normally she was a tough little thing, but Anakin could sense her pain and heightened sensitivity now. _I didn't hit her that hard... Yeah, she's definitely having PMS._

"Sorry," Anakin apologized again; he could sense his daughter's barely-concealed unhappiness, in addition to her physical pain. "You seem sad today," he confessed gently.

Leia looked down, blinking uncomfortably. "I'm fine," she insisted.

Anakin smiled, patting her on the shoulder with a black-gloved hand. _You're so much like Mara,_ he thought fondly. _Too stubborn to admit when something is wrong... But you KNOW I sense these things,_ he sighed, giving her a look of good-natured reproach. "Anything you want to talk about?" he asked gently.

_Aside from... You know... GIRLY stuff,_ Anakin cringed worriedly, hoping that Leia wouldn't go there. But he masked his sudden terror, giving his daughter a hopeful, encouraging smile.

* * *

><p><em>Ahh!<em> Leia blinked nervously, trying to avoid her father's questioning gaze. _I can't lie to him; he senses I'm upset, and in pain,_ she realized. Leia's knee was still bruised and tender from Mara's childish prank this morning, and her head still ached quite badly; she thought she could feel a lump near her temple, but thankfully it was hidden beneath her hairline. _It's nothing serious, but... Oww..._

"No, I'm all right," Leia insisted again, managing a brave smile. "It's just..." _I don't want to tell you what your padawan did to me this morning._ But now Leia remembered something else, and gave her father a hesitant look.

"What is it?" Anakin asked, his blue eyes full of concern.

_All right... YOU'RE the one who wanted to play interrogation,_ Leia sighed, forcing herself to bring up the topic she had been avoiding for the past week. "I'm worried about someone," she confessed.

"You are?" Anakin asked, concerned. "Who?"

"Someone I care about," Leia admitted. "Someone who's been under a lot of stress lately, and... has been acting really weird," she confessed, giving her father a worried cringe.

"Really?" Anakin blinked, surprised. "Weird, as in... how?" he asked, feigning seriousness and trying to mask his obvious delight at being let in on this fascinating bit of gossip.

"Weird, as in... writing all sorts of notes all over himself," Leia admitted cautiously.

"Oh." Anakin's brows furrowed uncomfortably. "Well that's... that's - " he blinked nervously. "Sometimes people have reasons for doing stuff like that," he pointed out. "Like, if they want to remember something important, they'll write a note on their arm, so they don't forget." Anakin shrugged casually, attempting a confident smile.

"All right," Leia nodded in agreement. "But what about when they run out of space on their arm, and start writing on their leg next?" she asked pointedly; she had caught her father with his pantleg pulled up to his knee earlier today.

"Ahh!" Anakin cringed in embarrassment, covering his head with his hands. "I didn't think anyone saw that," he confessed, mortified; then he sighed. "Eh, you know me," Anakin shrugged. "I'm always forgetting stuff... My memory's terrible," he laughed ruefully.

_Yes, I know. That's exactly what I'm worried about._ "It hasn't always been this bad," Leia pointed out gently, her heart aching as she forced herself to face the painful truth of her father's early senility. "Dad, I'm really worried about you," Leia confessed quietly. _I don't want you to forget who I am, one day... And not know me anymore..._ "Have you seen a doctor?" she asked helplessly, fighting tears.

Anakin's brows furrowed. "A doctor? No," he blinked; Leia's heart ached to see his obvious mental confusion. _He's in denial..._ Now he was looking at her worriedly, his blue eyes filled with bewilderment. "Why would I... What?" Anakin stammered, still baffled by her question. "Leia, what's wrong?"

Leia gazed at her father sadly, smiling tenderly at his disastrous shaggy golden brown helmet-hair. _He's far too young to be going through this..._ "The memory problems," she pointed out reluctantly. "It's getting worse, isn't it?"

"What? No," Anakin frowned, still blinking uncomfortably. "This has nothing to do with that," he insisted, glancing absently at his black, gauntleted shirtsleeve, then his pantleg.

"No?" Leia asked gently. "What is it, then?"

"Ahhh," Anakin sighed, hanging his head. "Okay," he conceded, giving her an apologetic look. "Don't get mad?" he asked, cringing.

"All right," Leia agreed cautiously, wondering what this could possibly be about.

Anakin sighed, nodding. "I've been trying to track Mara's moods," he confessed reluctantly, pulling up his shirt sleeve and showing her the rows of numbers all over his arm. "Ever since she... You know," he shrugged apologetically; Mara had flung lightning at him two weeks ago, and had burned his hand quite badly. "It was Obi-Wan's idea," Anakin added, with a rueful grin. "He says I need to keep track of her moods, so that I know when she - " he broke off, cringing in embarrassment.

"When she... what?" Leia asked, frowning; then she blinked in surprise as she realized what he was getting at. "Oh," she laughed quietly, inspecting the numbers on his forearm. _Haha! He's keeping track of Hell-Bitch's cycles... Serves her right,_ Leia grinned, deeply amused.

_So THAT'S what this is all about,_ she realized, profoundly relieved to learn that her father wasn't completely losing his mind. _Obi-Wan is right; that actually makes a lot of sense_. But now she frowned as she saw a second row of numbers, beneath the first. "So what are these other numbers for?" Leia asked, pointing to them. _And why were you so reluctant to tell me any of this?_ she wondered suddenly, noting Anakin's guilty look. _Hey!_ "You've been tracking my moods too!" Leia exclaimed, giving her father a reproachful look.

"Ahh!" Anakin winced unhappily. "I'm sorry," he apologized. "It was Obi-Wan's idea; he - "

"What?" Leia gasped, horrified. _My UNCLE wants to know when I'm -_ she blinked, seriously disturbed. _Is he some kind of pervert?_

"No," Anakin protested, still cringing in embarrassment. "He just said I should be more sensitive to girls; not just with Mara, but with you, and your mom too," he explained, shrugging. "And try to figure out when I need to be extra patient, and understanding," he confessed, with an apologetic smile.

_Oh dear..._ Leia laughed softly, shaking her head. _It's all right, Dad. I'm just glad you're not going senile._ "So?" she asked, raising a brow in challenge. "Have you got mine figured out?"

Anakin grinned, looking down shyly. "I think it's... Now?" he asked, cringing.

Leia laughed. "No," she told her father, with a reproachful look. "It was last week," she confessed quietly.

"Last week?" Anakin blinked in obvious disbelief. "No," he protested, twisting his arm around uncomfortably and frowning at the numbers. "I have you down for nines and tens all week," he pouted.

Leia smiled ruefully, patting him on the shoulder. "I'm a good actress," she told him. "I have to be," she sighed, hanging her head. "That's my whole problem," Leia confessed sadly, whispering.

"What?" Anakin looked at her in surprise. "Leia... What's wrong?" he asked gently.

"I - I don't know," Leia shrugged, suddenly fighting tears. "Nothing," she protested bravely. _Or maybe everything..._ "Nothing's wrong; it's just - I feel... _trapped,_" she admitted, looking down.

Anakin nodded, patting her back; then his eyes twinkled mischievously. "Well, you _are_ trapped," he pointed out matter-of-factly, nodding toward the closed durasteel door of her detention cell, as Leia grinned in amusement. "What do you mean?" Anakin asked gently.

"It's... Julian," Leia confessed reluctantly. "No, he's wonderful; he's perfect," she insisted. "And I love him, but..." Leia sighed. "I just got done with eight years of being Queen," she pointed out. "And it was hard," Leia admitted. "Dad, I hate politics... But I love Julian," Leia confessed softly. "And if he were just a senator, and not the crown prince of Alderaan, maybe I wouldn't be having this problem..."

Anakin blinked uncertainly, trying to follow. "What problem?" he asked worriedly. "Are you two not getting along?"

"No, we are," Leia assured him; then she looked down. "It's just... he kissed me this morning," she confessed. _Ahh! I can't believe I'm telling him this..._ But it felt good to confide in someone, and so Leia continued. "Before he left for Tatooine," she told her father. "It was our first time," Leia admitted softly.

"It was?" Anakin asked, with a delighted grin; then his expression turned to concern. "And?"

"Ahh!" Leia cringed, embarrassed. "Well... Kyra told me once how magical it felt, when Dorian kissed her for the first time. She said it was like - floating on a cloud... With rainbows, and unicorns," Leia giggled, as Anakin grinned quietly. "You know Kyra," Leia laughed; her older cousin had never quite outgrown her childish obsession with fairy tales, and was thrilled beyond imagination to be married to a real prince, even if he was a Solo. "But it didn't feel like that... to me," Leia admitted, sighing.

"What?" Anakin asked, his blue eyes twinkling with amusement. "There were no rainbows, or unicorns?"

"No," Leia laughed sadly, shaking her head. "Definitely no rainbows, or unicorns."

Anakin grinned, putting an arm around her. "Eh, it's all right," he reassured her, patting her on the shoulder. "First kisses are usually awkward; it doesn't mean anything," he promised.

"Really?" Leia asked her father hopefully. "So... it wasn't magical the first time, for you and Mom?" Leia frowned, realizing her parents had never really talked about their first kiss.

"Ha!" Anakin laughed, embarrassed. "No," he admitted ruefully. "Well, first I completely dissed sand - which turns out to be her favorite thing in the entire galaxy," he sighed. "And then I told her she wasn't anything like it... On a galactic holo-broadcast, of course," Anakin added ruefully. "It doesn't get any more awkward than that," he cringed, horrified by the memory.

"But look, we're still together," Anakin pointed out cheerfully, patting Leia on the shoulder. "You can't tell everything from the first kiss," he promised her. "Things are okay, otherwise?" he asked hopefully.

"Yes," Leia nodded, with an appreciative smile. "I love Julian; really I do," she assured her father, as Anakin grinned in obvious delight. "He's a good person," Leia added fondly. "And there are worse things, than dating a prince," she conceded. "I just... I'm tired of being in the public eye; of being who _other_ people want me to be," she admitted. "Always having to smile and act polite, regardless of how I'm really feeling."

Anakin nodded in understanding. "And scoring nines and tens - with your own father," he added, with a reproachful look. "During a week when you were really feeling like crap?" he said gently.

"Exactly," Leia agreed, grateful for her father's understanding. _He knows what it's like, to have to act a certain way on the outside, and hide his true feelings..._ "How do you deal with it?" she asked him now.

"Ha," Anakin laughed, looking down. "Same as everyone here," he told her, nodding toward the Death Star's hallway beyond their detention cell. "I just did a scene with a guy who's an accountant in real life," Anakin told her. "Spends his days crunching numbers, with no room for error... or creativity," he admitted.

"So he comes here for vacation... Pretends to be the boss of this whole place - calls me a sorcerer, and tells me I suck at my job," Anakin laughed. "And if somebody said that stuff to me in real life, I'd have to smile and be polite to them," he admitted ruefully. "But here... Ahh, I just strangled him." Anakin grinned mischievously. "It was fun."

Leia laughed, shaking her head; but Anakin nudged her impishly, his eyes twinkling. "I'm serious; you should try it," he insisted. "It's a great way to let off steam... This is your chance to say all the stuff that you can't say in real life," Anakin pointed out. "Your next scene's with Tarkin, right? So if he gives you any grief, don't hold back... Tell him how you _really_ feel; go ahead and fling insults," Anakin coached her, grinning. "You can call him a big ugly poodoo-head or something," he suggested cheerfully.

"Ha," Leia giggled, nodding. "All right," she agreed. "But I'll try to think of something better than that," she told her father. _I'm not calling anybody a poodoo-head_.

"I'm sure you will," Anakin nodded confidently. "Oh! And try doing some kind of weird accent too," he added. "It makes it sound more dramatic... You're supposed to be Alderaanian, right?" he reminded her.

"Ahh! Yes," Leia remembered. The people of Alderaan had a very unique accent; it wasn't quite Coruscant, and was nothing at all like Nabooan - royal or otherwise. "Okay," Leia agreed, laughing. "Actually... I was trying to do it a little bit this morning, aboard the _Tantive IV,_" she confessed. "Did it not come through?"

"No; that was good," Anakin assured her. "I could tell you were going for something different there," he nodded in approval. "You just need to do _more_ of that," he said. "And I'm serious about flinging insults; that's what this whole show is about. The more, the better," Anakin told her. "When Luke and Julian and Dorian come to rescue you, you can criticize them for being late, and tell them they're doing everything wrong," he suggested cheerfully.

Leia laughed at this idea; but now her brows furrowed. "They _are_ late," she agreed, suddenly realizing what time it was. _It's got to be evening on Tatooine by now..._ "Have you heard how they're doing?" she asked her father.

"No," Anakin sighed ruefully. "Yeah, they're still on Tatooine," he told her. "Cliegg's been talking with Owen and the producers all afternoon; I don't know what's going on," Anakin confessed. "But they'd better hurry it up, because we're leaving for Alderaan tomorrow morning," he pointed out.

But now he blinked in surprise as his transmitter buzzed. "Hello?" Anakin replied politely.

"Anakin," came Cliegg Lars' voice. "Sorry, I've been tied up... We're getting ready to do a scene on the command bridge, if you wouldn't mind," he told him.

"Oh! Of course," Anakin nodded agreeably. "I'll be right there," he promised, getting up from the durasteel slab and clipping his transmitter back onto his belt.

"Well, I guess there's no point in waiting here to be rescued," Leia sighed, following her father out of the detention cell. "I'll go see how Mom and Saskia are doing with the store," she said, as they headed down the hallway toward the elevator. Anakin had pulled his helmet back on, and was adjusting his mask once again; Leia gave her father one last secret smile, a moment before the elevator door opened.

"Darth Vader! And Senator Amidala," several excited tourists exclaimed, thrilled to see them. "Can we get your autographs?"

Leia smiled pleasantly as she and Anakin stopped to patiently sign autographs for the enthusiastic hotel guests. "Of course," she said, playing the gracious politician once again. "I'd be happy to."

* * *

><p><em>A few minutes later...<em>

"Her resistance to the mind probe is considerable," Anakin informed Tarkin and Tagge, pacing back and forth. "It will be some time before we can extract any information from her," he added, stalling for time and guessing that Luke and the other rescuers would be late.

"The final checkout is completed," Motti announced now, joining them on the command bridge. "All systems are operational. What course shall we set?"

_Huh?_ Anakin blinked, surprised. _We're going somewhere?_ In reality the Death Star Hotel was immobile, stationed permanently off of Geonosis; but in the context of the show, the massive battle station could zip around the galaxy at will. _Change of plans, I guess..._ Anakin looked at Cliegg now, trying to guess what this was about.

"Perhaps she will respond to an alternative form of persuasion," Tarkin suggested thoughtfully.

_Uhh...?_ "What do you mean?" Anakin demanded suspiciously, at a loss. _Seriously... What's going on?_

"I think it is time we demonstrated the full power of this station," Tarkin continued. "Set your course for Alderaan."

_What?_ Anakin blinked in surprise. _The Death Star's going to Alderaan now?_

"With pleasure," Motti agreed, leaving to carry out his orders.

"Cut," Cliegg said, nodding in approval. "That was perfect," he told them. "Thank you all; you've done a terrific job today," he added, with an appreciative smile. "Anakin, can I have a word with you?" Cliegg asked hopefully.

Anakin nodded, pulling his mask up over his helmet and switching off his ventilator as he followed the director out to the hallway. "What's going on?" he asked worriedly; he could sense that there was something Cliegg didn't want to tell him. "Is everything all right?"

"Yes, everything's fine," Cliegg assured him, as they continued down the private hallway back toward the director's office. "Owen and the Tatooine group are running a little late, that's all; they'll be here hopefully by noon tomorrow," he told Anakin. "I'll be leaving in the morning on the _Executor,_ to shoot the Alderaan scenes; but we're going to leave you and Senator Amidala here on Death Star, and Owen will direct the rescue scenes tomorrow," he explained, as Anakin nodded in understanding.

"Then you're all going to catch up with us on Alderaan tomorrow evening, and we'll film Leia's secret return to Bail Organa," Cliegg continued. "And hopefully then we'll be back on schedule." He grinned wearily, running a hand through his wispy grey hair. Then he gave Anakin a worried cringe. "But I'm afraid I have some bad news, about your lightsaber duel with Obi-Wan," he admitted reluctantly.

"What?" Anakin blinked, his heart sinking. "It's been cancelled?"

"Not exactly," Cliegg told him. "But Obi-Wan's not going to be here tomorrow," he admitted. "He's off - chasing dragons, or nesting... or some such thing," Cliegg laughed quietly. _What? Obi-Wan... Ahh!_ Anakin sighed. "Same thing happened the _last_ time I tried to film with him on Tatooine," Cliegg added, shaking his head.

"Yeah, I know," Anakin commiserated, nodding. _He totally missed my pod race that time, because he was off chasing dragons._ "So... We're postponing the lightsaber duel?"

"No," Cliegg said. "I've been talking with Owen and the producers today; they've called in Ben Kenobi, and we're going to go ahead and film everything as planned," he told Anakin. "Including the lightsaber duel," Cliegg confessed, with an apologetic look.

"What?" Anakin blinked in disbelief. "Ben's doing the lightsaber duel?" _Please tell me you're joking..._

"Yes," Cliegg nodded. "Anakin, I'm sorry; I know you two have been looking forward to this... And believe me, I have been too," he apologized, with a sad smile. "Owen and I have been fighting for you guys all afternoon, with the studio executives back on Geonosis," Cliegg admitted regretfully. "We tried to get the duel postponed to a future episode, or even later this week, but..." He broke off, shaking his head.

"But what?" Anakin asked, frowning. "The producers don't want us to do it?"

"No," Cliegg confessed, sighing. "We barely managed to get their approval in the first place," he admitted. "And when they learned that Obi-Wan was off chasing dragons... Anakin, I'm sorry," Cliegg apologized. "The legal team has pulled the plug on the whole idea."

"The legal team?" Anakin asked, baffled. "Why?"

Cliegg sighed. "Because insurance adjustors have a long memory," he told Anakin, laughing sadly. "And while the rest of us are thinking - 'hey, cool lightsaber fight!' - the insurance department has been busy analyzing the _last_ time you two filmed together," Cliegg admitted regretfully. "And they don't like what their statistics are telling them."

"What?" Anakin's brows furrowed. "They think we'll get bit by vampire eels or something?" he asked. "I thought that's why we were doing it here, on the Death Star," he reminded Cliegg. "There are no vampire eels, or dragons, or any other crazy monsters here in the hotel," he pointed out. "It's perfectly safe."

"Yeah, I know," Cliegg nodded, agreeing. "But it's not crazy monsters that the legal team is worried about," he confessed, giving Anakin a regretful look. "It's the two of you," he confessed.

"Us?" Anakin blinked worriedly. "Why?"

"Well," Cliegg sighed, as they continued toward his office. "Like I said, the insurance team has been analyzing the last couple of times you two were on _JEDI_ together," he told Anakin. "First, there was the incident with the two of you crash-landing a Providence-class starship on Coruscant - with the Chancellor of the Galactic Republic on board," he reminded him.

_Hey!_ "That wasn't our fault," Anakin protested. "And it was only _half_ a Providence-class starship," he pointed out, in his defense.

"True; true," Cliegg nodded. "And I tried to tell them that," he assured Anakin. "But then they brought up the matter of the hydroelectric power plant on Kilaui that the two of you destroyed, during your _last_ lightsaber duel."

"That was... That was an accident," Anakin protested helplessly. _I didn't mean to hit the one teeny-tiny button that would destroy the whole place..._

"And that's exactly the point," Cliegg told him regretfully. "The legal team doesn't want any more 'accidents'," he said. "They were never happy with the idea of letting you two loose in the Death Star's reactor core to begin with," he confessed. "We take the safety of our guests very seriously, and that area is restricted to tourists for a reason," Cliegg pointed out. "Bottom line is, the legal team doesn't want the two of you fighting on the catwalks, or anywhere near the reactor core," he told Anakin regretfully.

"So," Cliegg continued, sighing. "We're going to go ahead and film the lightsaber duel tomorrow, with you and Ben," he told him. "We'll do it in the hallways, right outside the docking bay; keep it nice and safe," he proposed.

"Safe," Anakin repeated stupidly, still trying to wrap his brain around the idea. _I'm fighting against Uncle Ben?_

"Yes," Cliegg laughed, giving him an encouraging pat on the shoulder. "I'm sorry, Anakin," he apologized again. "And it will be all right," he promised. "Obi-Wan was never going to win this fight," he reminded him. "Ben Kenobi can lose a lightsaber duel just as convincingly as Obi-Wan can; probably even more so," Cliegg pointed out, his eyes twinkling in amusement.

"Ha," Anakin laughed, shaking his head. "Yeah, I guess so," he agreed. "All right," he said, sighing. "Bring it on."

Cliegg nodded cheerfully. "Good." He patted Anakin on the back. "Oh! And about tomorrow," he added. "I'll be leaving with the _Executor_ in the morning, and we'll be filming with Bail Organa and Palpatine on Alderaan," Cliegg reminded him. "I'd like to have Mara along for that too, if that's all right with you?" he asked Anakin hopefully.

"Oh!" Anakin blinked, caught off guard. _She's never been anywhere on her own before..._

"It's just for the day," Cliegg assured him. "The rest of you will catch up with us on Alderaan by evening," he pointed out. "But if you're not comfortable with that - "

"No, no; that's fine," Anakin nodded confidently. _It'll be good for her to get away..._ Mara had been on her best behavior for the past couple of weeks, and had even made an admirable effort to get along with Leia today. _Mara's really doing great; she can handle this._ "All right," Anakin agreed, smiling cheerfully. "I'll let her know."


	138. Where is Obi-Wan, anyway?

**Chapter 138**

_The next morning..._

"We've stopped," Threepio observed, as the Jawa transport came to an abrupt halt. "Wake up," he warned Artoo, smacking him in the face to jump-start his fried circuits. _I TOLD him he'd be malfunctioning within a day if he went that way; but did he listen to me? Of course not..._ "Wake up!" Threepio repeated crossly.

"Huh?" Artoo blinked in confusion. "Where are we...? Aw, crap," the little astrodroid blipped in frustration, activating his homing sensor. "Obi-Wan Kenobi: 6.792 kilometers away... Now we'll have to start all over again," he sighed unhappily.

_Oh dear; this again._ Artoo had been babbling on about Obi-Wan Kenobi for nearly a day now, and it was starting to grate on Threepio's nerves. _Why Master Cliegg won't give him that memory upgrade, I'll never understand._ Eighteen years ago, when _JEDI_ ended and _SITH_ began, Cliegg had given Threepio a full memory upgrade, deleting outdated, unnecessary data from the old show so that he could focus his acting talents on _SITH_.

But unfortunately, Artoo still clung to bits and pieces of useless old data, and was incessantly annoying Threepio with completely boring and pointless details from the old _JEDI_ show. And for the past day he had been obsessed with finding Obi-Wan Kenobi, who was barely involved with _SITH_ at all these days.

_He's been spending far too much time lately on the HoloNet fan sites,_ Threepio admitted worriedly. Artoo had a disturbing habit of talking to strange computers, and had signed up under various false identities on virtually every _SITH_ message board and fan group on the entire HoloNet. And now, in light of his latest obsession with finding Obi-Wan Kenobi, Threepio was beginning to worry that the little astrodroid had crossed over the line - from harmless fan, to crazed stalker.

_Master Cliegg would not approve of this,_ Threepio knew, glancing warily at the Jawas who were now choosing droids to unload and sell. Artoo had been insisting that his orders to come to Tatooine and find Obi-Wan Kenobi came from Master Cliegg himself; but Threepio could not bring himself to believe that his kindly Maker would knowingly have subjected them to such danger.

_This is all Artoo's fault,_ Threepio admitted worriedly. _Master Cliegg never meant to send us here._ At first, Threepio had clung to hope that this was all just part of the show; but since being captured by the Jawas and meeting the other poor, unfortunate droids aboard the transport, he had begun to grow worried. Even Artoo admitted that this wasn't part of the plan; Threepio had been relieved when he had been brought aboard as well, but his relief had quickly turned to anxiety as Artoo confessed that he had been shot and captured against his will.

_Cliegg made no mention of the Jawas to Artoo either,_ Threepio confessed unhappily. _This has all gone terribly wrong._ "We're doomed," Threepio lamented, realizing that they were about to be sold to a new master, and would be reprogrammed to do menial tasks, or worse... "Do you think they'll melt us down?" he asked Artoo, panicking at the thought.

"I don't know," Artoo whispered quietly, doing a quick calculation. "No, probably not," he reassured Threepio. "The chances are 341 to 96 that we _won't_ get melted down," he told him.

_Well that makes me feel a bit better..._ But now the Jawas were pointing to Threepio and Artoo, indicating for them to join the other droids for sale. "Ootaynee!" one of the Jawas exclaimed excitedly, as another pointed a blaster at them. _Or is that a flashlight?_ Threepio wondered uncertainly, examining the harmless-looking silver device.

"Don't shoot! Don't shoot," Threepio pleaded quietly, raising his hands in the air, just to be on the safe side. _Oh dear; yes, that was a flashlight,_ he realized now, as the Jawas continued on. _How embarrassing..._ Threepio had stayed up all night worrying, and admitted that he was in desperate need of a re-start. "Will this never end?" he lamented, turning to Artoo now.

"Probably not anytime soon," Artoo replied wryly. "The odds of being killed by a flashlight are 5,892 to 1."

_How typical,_ Threepio sighed, ignoring the astrodroid's rude comment as they were herded off the transport. _We're about to be sold and probably smashed to pieces, and STILL he jokes about it._ In truth, Threepio was a bit jealous of Artoo's sense of humor; _he'd_ had one once, and in fact had come pre-installed with over ten million witty puns and clever jokes, but unfortunately Master Owen had deleted them all years ago.

But now Artoo blipped in surprise, as they lined up with the other droids outside the transport. "Hey!" Artoo exclaimed, seeing a small, igloo-shaped dwelling nearby. "We've been here before! Filming for _JEDI_," he told Threepio quietly. "It belongs to a moisture farmer named Dale; he's a friend of Cliegg's," Artoo blipped excitedly. "Come on! Let's try to get him to buy us!"

_Oh?_ Threepio peered at the dwelling uncertainly. _I don't recall ever being here before..._ But at the moment Threepio had to confess that he was grateful his counterpart hadn't received the _SITH_ memory upgrade; once in a while those bits of old _JEDI_ data came in handy. _Perhaps we're not doomed after all..._

Two figures were walking toward them now: a middle-aged man dressed in rough-spun farm clothes, along with a younger farm hand with shaggy blond hair, wearing a white tunic.

"Luke! Luuu-uuuke," came a woman's voice from the recessed courtyard below. The younger stranger ran off to speak with her now, but the older farmer continued toward the droids along with the Jawa trader. _Perhaps this is Dale,_ Threepio hoped; but then he cocked his head in surprise, recognizing the man.

_It's Master Owen!_ Threepio realized excitedly. _We're saved! And he's wearing a farmer's costume; obviously we're filming,_ Threepio deduced quickly. _Thank the Maker... This WAS all just part of the show!_

"Yeah, we'll take that red one," Owen agreed casually, glancing at the droids for sale. "No, not that one," he said indifferently, completely ignoring Artoo. _What?_ Threepio blinked, startled. _He's not taking Artoo? Oh dear... This is his punishment for running away and stalking Obi-Wan Kenobi,_ Threepio realized, bowing his head humbly now as Owen approached. _I'd better be on my best behavior..._

"You," Owen addressed him gruffly. "I suppose you're programmed for etiquette and protocol."

"Protocol?" Threepio repeated, trying to quell his anxiety. "Why, it's my primary function, sir!" _Please don't blame me for what Artoo did; this wasn't my fault..._ "I am well versed in all the customs - "

"I have no need for a protocol droid," Owen said dismissively, continuing down the line. _Nooo!_

"Of course, you haven't, sir," Threepio replied politely, desperately trying to save himself. "Not in an environment such as this," he added meaningfully, with a disdainful look at the surrounding desert. _I promise, Master Owen - I never wanted to come here! I tried to stop him, but he wouldn't listen..._ "That is why I have been programmed - "

"What I really need," Owen interrupted dramatically, "is a droid who understands the binary language of moisture vaporators," he continued in a loud, theatrical voice. _Oh! He IS just acting..._

"Vaporators?" Threepio exclaimed brightly. _Actually, I know nothing about vaporators, but..._ "Sir, my first job was programming binary load lifters; very similar to your vaporators in most respects," Threepio reminded Owen. Years ago, when Master Cliegg was just starting his career as a young director, he had appointed Threepio to operate the backstage equipment, raising and lowering the scenery backdrops for a theater performance on Geonosis.

_Hopefully he'll take the hint..._ Unfortunately, Master Owen hadn't inherited his father's love of droids; but Threepio knew that Master Cliegg was the _true_ head of Lars Studios, and that Owen was not authorized to abandon them entirely. _I'm not certain what he's doing, but surely Master Cliegg sent him here to get us back._

"Do you speak Bocce?" Owen asked abruptly now.

_Bocce?_ "Of course I can sir," Threepio replied. "It's like a second language to me. I'm as fluent in -"

"All right, shut up; I'll take this one," Owen interrupted bluntly, waving to the Jawa beside him.

"Shutting up, sir," Threepio agreed, grateful that Master Owen was taking him back. _He's obviously cross with both of us for getting into trouble; but hopefully Master Cliegg will understand that it wasn't my fault..._

"Luke!" Owen called to the young farm hand, who now came over to join them. "Take these two over to the garage, will you? I want them cleaned up before dinner."

"But I was going in to the Tosche station to pick up some power converters," the boy whined childishly. _My goodness; I hope he's just acting..._ Threepio prided himself on his understanding of human behavior, and judging by the young farm hand's vocal patterns, he estimated that "Luke" had a mental age of about three. _Perhaps he's a bit challenged..._

"You can waste time with your friends when your chores are done," Owen chided him. "Now come on, get to it."

Luke sighed, obviously disappointed. "All right, come on," he grumbled, leading Threepio back toward the igloo. "And the red one... Come on," he added, waving to the primitive R2 unit.

"Hey!" Artoo blipped worriedly. "What about me? Threepio! Ahhh, help!" he pleaded anxiously.

_Oh dear,_ Threepio sighed. He was still annoyed with Artoo for getting them into this mess to begin with; but in spite of his bizarre quirks, Artoo-Detoo was his best friend in the entire galaxy, and the most talented astrodroid he'd ever met. _I would miss his silly jokes and incessant chattering, if we were ever separated,_ Threepio confessed. _I doubt that little red one has Artoo's sense of humor..._

_Besides, it obviously has a bad motivator,_ Threepio realized now, as the smaller R2 unit failed to respond to Luke's command. "Well come on, Red, let's go!" Luke said impatiently. _That's strange; it was working perfectly fine a minute ago._ Threepio hadn't been paying close attention, but he had been vaguely aware of Luke fiddling with the red R2 unit while he and Owen were talking. _Did he sabotage it on purpose?_

Finally the little R2 unit managed to get going; but a moment later it blew its top, and began spouting thick white smoke. "Uncle Owen," Luke whined loudly. "This R2 unit has a bad motivator! Look!"

_Uncle?_ Threepio blinked in surprise, turning to look at him now. Master Owen was an only child, with no nephews that Threepio knew of. "Hey, what are you trying to push on us?" Owen scolded the Jawa traders. Threepio looked at the director in confusion; then at Luke, then at the swarm of hovering cameras that surrounded them... And finally back at Artoo, who was still blipping and whistling anxiously, wobbling back and forth on his little legs and calling to Threepio for help.

_Oh my!_ Threepio realized suddenly, remembering his role. _I'M supposed to stick up for Artoo..._ "Excuse me, sir," he said politely, tapping the young farm hand on the shoulder. "But _that_ Artoo unit is in prime condition; a real bargain," he suggested thoughtfully.

"Uncle Owen," Luke whined again. "What about _that_ one?"

"What about that blue one?" Owen asked the Jawa traders casually. "We'll take that one," he agreed.

_Thank goodness..._ "I'm sure you'll be very pleased with that one," Threepio improvised, trying to make conversation for the cameras. "He really is in first-class condition; I've worked with him before." Luke waved a hand rudely in his face, but Threepio pretended not to notice. "Here he comes," he continued cheerfully, as Artoo finally joined them.

"Okay, let's go," Luke grumbled, heading back toward the igloo dwelling; but Threepio turned to Artoo now, determined to give him a piece of his mind - publicly, for the entire galaxy to see.

"Now don't you forget this," he reproached the astrodroid disdainfully. _This was YOUR fault, not mine._ "Why I should stick my neck out for you is quite beyond my capacity," Threepio sighed, as they followed Luke into the garage.

"Yeah, yeah," Artoo blipped casually, rolling behind him. "Thanks for that... Okay, let's see: Obi-Wan Kenobi, 6.798 kilometers in _this_ direction," he determined, instantly switching back into deranged stalker mode. But now he spat out an angry curse. "Ahh! Damn it," Artoo muttered unhappily, realizing he was unable to turn around. "Stupid restraining bolt," he grumbled, reluctantly abandoning his 'mission' for the moment as they followed the farm boy into the garage for some much-needed maintenance.

* * *

><p><em>A few minutes later...<em>

"Are they all right?" Owen asked hopefully, joining Luke in the garage after paying the Jawa traders.

"I think so," Luke nodded, examining Artoo now. "Artoo's got some carbon scoring around his disk drive; I should clean that off before we try to play back Senator Amidala's message," he advised Owen. "And Threepio's got a little dust contamination; nothing an oil bath won't fix," he assured the director.

"Good," Owen nodded. "Ah, I'm glad you know about these things," he said, grinning ruefully. "And thanks for whatever you did to that other R2 unit," he added. "I wouldn't have had enough to pay for them otherwise." Republic credits were worthless in the rural areas of Tatooine, and Owen hadn't brought much of the local money; he and Dale had come up with the sabotage plan to use as emergency leverage, in order to bring Artoo and Threepio's price down.

Luke nodded, smiling regretfully; he hadn't been entirely comfortable with the idea, but admitted that it was less reprehensible than using a Jedi mind trick to cheat the Jawas out of their payment. _They're just trying to survive on this planet, the same as everyone else._ In any case, Owen was planning to send the Jawas a sizable shipment of old droids and spare parts once he got back to Geonosis, to make up for today's little stunt.

"All right, then," Owen continued, planning their next course of action. "Ben should be here in an hour or so, and Beru's still making breakfast; we've got a few minutes before we film our family dinner conversation - _again_," he chuckled ruefully. "So if you wouldn't mind, I'd like to take a couple minutes to do a little acting exercise, and work on your character," Owen proposed.

"Oh! Of course," Luke agreed, nodding; but then he gave Owen a worried look. "Do you think the whining was too much?" he asked hesitantly. _Because I felt really stupid doing it..._ Yesterday the idea for Luke to _whine_ all of his lines had seemed funny; but now that they were really filming, it suddenly felt wrong somehow.

"Ha," Owen laughed quietly. "No, it was good," he assured Luke. "But I agree," he nodded, seeing Luke's embarrassed cringe. "In retrospect, it was probably a little too much; maybe we should tone it down a bit," he agreed. "I meant to talk to you about that before we started filming, but didn't get a chance this morning," Owen apologized. "It occurred to me last night that you're not just playing Darth Vader's son - who _would_ be perfect as a whiny little brat," Owen agreed, smiling in amusement; then his expression sobered.

"You're also playing Padmé Amidala's son; the one that she lost in childbirth, in real life," Owen pointed out gently. "So we need to be a little more sensitive of that, and maybe not joke around quite so much," he admitted.

_Ahh!_ "Of course..." Luke bowed his head, dismayed by the realization. _Crap, I forgot about that._ "You're right," he nodded regretfully. "Okay, no more whining," he agreed. "Sorry about that," he apologized, truly remorseful_._

"No, that's all right," Owen reassured him. "It wasn't _that_ bad," he laughed. "But let's try to tone it down; you're still frustrated being stuck here on the farm, so it's all right to complain about that, but try to be a bit more mature about it," he coached Luke.

"All right," Luke agreed, nodding. "I'll try." In truth, Luke had no experience whatsoever in the fine art of whining, _or_ complaining; he had always been an obedient little padawan, and had never once rebelled against Master Obi-Wan. _At least not to his face,_ Luke sighed, remembering his fast-approaching wedding date.

"Great," Owen said cheerfully. "All right, here's what I'd like for you to do, to get a little more comfortable with your role," he continued. "I'm going to leave you alone to work on the droids, and I want you to pretend that you really _are_ a farm boy, doing your chores. You've lived here in the desert all your life; this is your workshop... Here, look," Owen said, picking up a model spaceship from Dale's workbench and handing it to Luke. "You built this yourself, with dreams of piloting a real one someday, if you ever get off this rock," Owen suggested.

"So just try to relax, and get a feel for your character," Owen told him, heading for the door. "I'm sure Threepio will help you out with some dialogue; trust me, he loves to talk," he added, his eyes twinkling. "And if any of this ends up being usable on the show, that's great; if not... eh, don't worry about it," he assured Luke. "I'll have Beru call you when we're ready for the next scene, okay?"

"All right," Luke nodded. "I'll give it a try." Owen gave him a reassuring smile, leaving him alone in the garage; and then Luke sighed thoughtfully, focusing his thoughts as he attempted to get into character. _I'm a farm kid, stuck here on this planet cleaning droids, when I really want to be a star pilot..._

"Well," Luke began unhappily, turning his gaze to Artoo and Threepio. "I guess I'd better get you two cleaned up... Or I'll be in trouble," he sighed, turning on the switch to prepare Threepio's oil bath. "All right; in you go," Luke told the protocol droid impatiently, scanning Dale's workbench for a suitable tool to deal with Artoo's carbon scoring; but then he glanced down at the model spaceship in his hand, and sighed again, hanging his head.

"'You can waste time with your friends when your chores are done'," Luke grumbled, mocking Owen's previous words. "Yeah right," he said, flopping down into the chair and putting his feet up. _First I'm going to play with my toy spaceship,_ Luke decided, pretending to make it fly around.

"Thank the Maker," Threepio sighed now, as he was lowered into the bath. "This oil bath is going to feel _so_ good... I've got such a bad case of dust contamination, I can barely move."

_Owen wasn't kidding,_ Luke laughed to himself, still playing with his little spaceship. _Threepio DOES love to talk... And is this really how normal kids play?_ Luke wondered, realizing how utterly pointless it was to fly a model spaceship without using the Force. But he set his thoughts aside now, focusing on his role.

"It just isn't fair," Luke complained, rolling his eyes dramatically as he got up from the chair. "Oh, Biggs is right; I'm never going to get out of here," he lamented, flailing his arms helplessly as he headed over to the workbench. _Ahh! My voice kind of squeaked there,_ Luke cringed. _Gotta be more careful about the whining..._

"Is there anything I might do to help?" Threepio asked hopefully.

"No," Luke sighed, going over to clean up Artoo next. "Not unless you can alter time, speed up the harvest, or teleport me off this rock," he grumbled, setting to work on the little astrodroid. _Yeah, that was better: complain, but don't whine... And I'm supposed to make lots of facial expressions, so I don't look like a Jedi,_ Luke reminded himself, wincing and clenching his teeth as he chipped away at Artoo's carbon scoring.

"I don't think so, sir," Threepio apologized. "I'm only a droid, and not very knowledgeable about such things. Not on this planet, anyway. As a matter of fact, I'm not even sure which planet I'm on," the protocol droid confessed.

"Well," Luke replied, grunting dramatically as he tried to dislodge a large chunk of carbon. "If there's a bright center to the universe, you're on the planet that it's farthest from," he told Threepio wryly.

"I see, sir," Threepio replied politely.

"Uh..." _Would he really be calling me 'sir'?_ "You can call me Luke," he told the protocol droid, getting up to push the button for the oil bath lift.

"I see, sir Luke," Threepio corrected himself.

"No, just Luke," he laughed, amused. _Haha, I like Threepio. He's funny..._

"Oh," Threepio nodded agreeably. "And I am See-Threepio, human-cyborg relations," he introduced himself proudly, as he was raised back out of the oil bath. "And this is my counterpart, Artoo-Detoo."

"Hello," Luke nodded, as the little astrodroid beeped in reply. "You got a lot of carbon scoring here," he added thoughtfully. "It looks like you boys have seen a lot of action." _Yeah, those Jawas must have blasted him pretty hard to do this much damage,_ Luke admitted now. _I hope Leia's recording hasn't been ruined..._

"With all we've been through, sometimes I'm amazed we're in as good condition as we are," Threepio confessed. "What with the Rebellion and all."

_The Rebellion!_ Luke whipped his head around, remembering his role. "You know of the Rebellion against the Empire?" he asked, instantly getting to his feet. _Because I think the Rebellion is cool!_

"That's how we came to be in your service; if you take my meaning, sir," Threepio replied carefully.

_Awesome..._ "Have you been in many battles?" Luke asked, wide-eyed with wonder. _I want to to be in a battle too! Actually, I think I'll get to be in one later this afternoon,_ he reminded himself, eagerly anticipating his heroic rescue scene aboard the Death Star with Julian, Dorian, and Jonah.

"Several, I think," Threepio replied. "Actually, there's not much to tell," he confessed, as Luke feigned disappointment, setting back to work on Artoo again. "I'm not much more than an interpreter, and not very good at telling stories," Threepio admitted. "Well, not at making them interesting, anyway."

"Oh," Luke nodded, still struggling to dislodge the carbon scoring around Artoo's disc drive. "Well, my little friend, you've got something jammed in here real good," Luke told him. _Yeah, that's really stuck..._ "Were you on a star cruiser, or - " _Ahh!_ Luke jumped back suddenly, zapped by a high-voltage spark. _What the...?_

_"Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi... You're my only hope,"_ Leia Amidala's holographic image pleaded.

* * *

><p><em>Oh, crap!<em> Artoo panicked, as his private message for Obi-Wan Kenobi suddenly became glaringly public. _Noooo! Stop! Or at least... There - yeah, just keep looping,_ Artoo agreed worriedly, quickly setting the partial message to repeat over and over again, as he couldn't seem to turn it off. _Ahh, this is embarrassing!_

"What's this?" Luke was asking now, pointing in confusion at the holographic image.

_Um..._ "What is _what?_" Artoo whistled innocently. _You didn't see that... Ahh, come on - PLEASE stop playing!_ he cringed, trying to override his recording system.

"What is _what?_" Threepio repeated, indignant. "He asked you a question: what is _that?_" he chided Artoo crossly, gesturing toward Senator Amidala's holo recording.

"Oh... That?" Artoo blinked, pretending to just now notice it. "It's nothing," he blipped dismissively, trying to sound casual. "Just an old message. Tell him to ignore it," Artoo told Threepio. "Just keep going with the acting stuff; I'll try to get it to turn off."

"Oh," Threepio nodded. "He says it's nothing, sir," he translated for Luke. "Merely a malfunction; old data. Pay it no mind." _Hey! I didn't say it was a malfunction,_ Artoo sulked indignantly, still scanning his processors for an override command. _Ah, Owen had better cut this..._

But Luke didn't take the hint, and kept gazing at Senator Amidala's holographic image in awestruck wonder. "Who is she?" he asked Threepio, mesmerized. "She's beautiful."

_Oh no... Come on, Threepio; please change the subject..._ "I'm afraid I'm not quite sure, sir," Threepio apologized. "I think she was a passenger on our last voyage; a person of some importance, as I believe," he said vaguely. "Our captain was attached to - "

"Is there more to this recording?" Luke asked, cutting off Threepio's polite attempt to steer the conversation in a better direction.

_Ahhh!_ "No!" Artoo retorted. "Tell him to quit asking about that! This has nothing to do with the show," he added, frustrated; he had finally managed to turn off the sound on the holo recording, but still couldn't to figure out how to make it stop looping. _This is really embarrassing..._ "Just keep going with your acting exercise, and let me work on this, okay?" Artoo grumbled impatiently.

But of course, the etiquette droid took offense at this. "Behave yourself, Artoo," Threepio scolded him now. "You're going to get us in trouble. It's all right, you can trust him," he added reassuringly. "He's our new master."

_Yeah, right... I don't know who he is, but he's NOT our new master... Oh!_ Artoo blinked, an idea coming him. _Yes! This is perfect!_ "Hey - tell him I belong to Obi-Wan Kenobi," Artoo instructed Threepio. "Tell him this is a private message, and he needs to return me to him immediately," Artoo blipped gleefully. _That way I can find Obi-Wan Kenobi and film for SITH at the same time!_ "He's not far from here," Artoo promised. _Just 6.803 kilometers away!_

"He says he's the property of Obi-Wan Kenobi, a resident of these parts," Threepio translated for Luke, improvising a bit. "And it's a private message for him." _Yes, perfect! Thanks, Threepio!_ "Quite frankly, sir, I don't know what he's talking about," Threepio continued. _What? Hey!_ "Our last master was Captain Antilles; but with all we've been through, this little R2 unit has become a bit eccentric," Threepio apologized.

_Arrghh... Why does he always have to say that stuff in front of the cameras?_ "I'm _not_ eccentric," Artoo sulked, still searching for an override command to stop Senator Amidala's recording.

"Obi-Wan Kenobi," Luke repeated thoughtfully. _Yes! Come on... Take me to him!_ "I wonder if he means old Ben Kenobi?" _Nooo! NOT old Ben Kenobi... Obi-Wan Kenobi!_

"I beg your pardon, sir, but do you know what he's talking about?" Threepio asked.

"Well, I don't know anyone named Obi-Wan," Luke said casually, putting his tools away. _Aw, crap..._ "But old Ben lives out beyond the Dune Sea... He's kind of a strange old hermit," he explained vaguely.

_Yeah, he's a strange old hermit,_ Artoo agreed, sighing. _Actually, he's just an actor... Whereas Obi-Wan Kenobi is a Jedi Master - who is 6.803 kilometers away,_ Artoo reminded himself, focusing once again on his _real_ mission. _Primary Objective: Find Obi-Wan Kenobi. Secondary Objective: Film for SITH with C-3PO..._

_"Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi... You're my only hope,"_ Senator Amidala's holographic image interjected suddenly.

_Ahh!_ Artoo blinked, startled out of his thoughts. _Crap, I thought I turned the sound off already... There, STAY off this time,_ he grumbled in exasperation, turning the volume down again.

"I wonder who she is," Luke mused. "It sounds like she's in trouble; I'd better play back the whole thing," he decided, reaching for Artoo's transmitter controls.

_Ahh! Help!_ "Get away from me, you stupid... whoever you are," Artoo blipped defensively. _That's not for you... It's for Obi-Wan Kenobi._ But now Artoo blinked in surprise. "Hey! I figured out what's wrong here," he told Threepio. "The restraining bolt is short-circuiting my recording system... Tell him to take it off, okay?"

"He says the restraining bolt has short-circuited his recording system," Threepio translated for Luke. "He suggests that if you remove the bolt, he might be able to play back the entire recording." _Uh... Well no, I didn't actually say that... But technically it's true,_ Artoo conceded. _Just because I'm ABLE to play it back, doesn't mean that I WILL..._

"Hmm?" Luke blinked, surprised by the request. "Oh, yeah," he nodded. "Well, I guess you're too small to run away on me if I take this off," he agreed cheerfully. _Uh... Actually it HELPS to be small when you're trying to hide,_ Artoo sighed wearily. _This kid's kind of dumb. And he's a total weakling, too,_ Artoo realized now as Luke grunted pathetically, struggling to detach the restraining bolt. _It's not on there THAT hard._ "Okay... There you go," Luke said, removing the device.

_Finally..._ "Thank you," Artoo sighed in relief, immediately turning off his holo-transmitter.

"Wait a minute, where'd she go?" Luke asked. "Bring her back! Play back the entire message," he chided Artoo, irritated.

"What message?" Artoo whistled innocently. _I don't have any messages... Except the private one for Obi-Wan Kenobi, which you're NOT getting,_ he decided stubbornly.

"What message?" Threepio repeated, bashing Artoo on the head. _Ow! Stop that!_ "The one you're carrying inside your rusty innards," he scolded Artoo. _Hey! My innards are NOT rusty..._

"Luke!" came a woman's voice now, from outside the garage. "Luke!"

"All right, I'll be right there, Aunt Beru," Luke called back to her. _Yes!_ Artoo sighed in relief, realizing Luke's 'acting exercise' was finally over. _Ahh, that was painful..._

"I'm sorry, sir, but he appears to have picked up a slight flutter," Threepio was apologizing now, still trying to save the disastrous scene. _No... Just let it go, Threepio. It's best if Owen just cuts this._

"Here," Luke said, pressing his tool into Threepio's hand. "See what you can do with him; I'll be right back," he instructed him, running off to join Beru. _Uh... Did he just ask THREEPIO to try to fix me?_ Artoo blinked in confusion, as the golden protocol droid turned to watch Luke go, equally baffled.

"Ugh... Are we done now?" Artoo sighed wearily, after Luke had left.

But now Threepio turned to him indignantly. "Just you reconsider playing that message for him," he scolded Artoo.

"No," Artoo blipped stubbornly, accessing his memory chip and scanning his data files to make sure everything was in order. But now he sighed unhappily as he ran across Cliegg's latest memo: _To all SITH employees, from Cliegg Lars,_ the header began. _Re: Employee conduct and respectful treatment of guest actors._

_Oh, crap!_ Artoo quickly re-read Cliegg's memo, reminding _SITH_ employees to treat guest actors with consideration and respect at all times. _Um... Oops..._ "Threepio," Artoo asked hesitantly. "Do you think he likes me?" _Because we want people to LIKE us... It says so in the memo._

"No," Threepio replied crossly. "I don't think he likes you at all."

_Ahh!_ Artoo's blinked worriedly. _Now I've disobeyed a direct order from Cliegg._.. But it wasn't the first time this sort of thing had happened, and Artoo knew how to deal with it. _Cliegg loves Threepio; I'll just get him to put in a good word for me._ "You still like me though, don't you, Threepio?" Artoo asked, twittering innocently. _Haha, it's so easy to manipulate this schmuck._

"No," Threepio retorted, turning away. "I don't like you either."

_Crap,_ Artoo sighed. _This sucks... Eh, he'll come around eventually,_ he reassured himself. _All right... Primary Objective: Find Obi-Wan Kenobi,_ he resolved, returning to his official mission and heading out the door_._

_Okay... Obi-Wan Kenobi is 6.798 kilometers in this direction,_ Artoo determined, consulting his homing sensor. _Ahh, that's kind of far,_ he confessed, peering out toward the rocky ridge in the distance. _Let's see: if I go 2.3 kilometers per hour, it will take me 2 hours, 57 minutes and 20 seconds to get there,_ he determined.

_Well, I guess I'd better get started, then,_ Artoo whistled cheerfully, heading out across the desert and switching on his internal video game to keep himself entertained as he went off in search of Obi-Wan Kenobi.


	139. Uh, we might be a little late

**Chapter 139**

_A few minutes later..._

"You know, I think that R2 unit we bought might have been stolen," Luke announced, coming into the kitchen and joining Owen and Beru for breakfast.

"What makes you think that?" Owen asked.

"Well, I stumbled across a recording while I was cleaning him," Luke told him, pretending to help himself to some non-existent oatmeal. _Aw, I wish Beru had made more of this stuff..._ Luke had hungrily wolfed down two bowls during their rehearsal take, so now that they were actually filming, there was none left. _I guess that's why they call it acting,_ he sighed, dishing out another spoonful of imaginary oatmeal.

"He says he belongs to someone called Obi-Wan Kenobi," Luke continued. "I thought he might have meant old Ben." _Because Obi-Wan's nesting right now..._ "Do you know what he's talking about?"

Owen grunted, shaking his head; but Luke kept pushing the subject. "I wonder if he's related to Ben," Luke mused, trying to steer the conversation toward Ben Kenobi, as he had done in his previous acting exercise out in the garage. Owen had liked the idea, and they had decided to use Artoo's partial message as an excuse for Luke to go off in search of Ben, since now _Luke_ had the droids and Ben didn't.

"That wizard's just a crazy old man," Owen said grumpily. "Now, tomorrow I want you to take that R2 unit into Anchorhead and have its memory erased," he instructed Luke. "That'll be the end of it; it belongs to us now."

"But what if this Obi-Wan comes looking for him?" Luke asked, pouring himself a glass of blue Nerf milk.

"He won't," Owen promised. _Yeah, I know... He might not leave his nest for another week,_ Luke admitted. "I don't think he exists any more," Owen shrugged dismissively. "He died about the same time as your father."

"He knew my father?" Luke asked curiously, taking a sip of his Nerf milk; but then he blinked worriedly, remembering the local custom. _Ahh! It's impolite to drink left-handed..._ "Sorry," Luke cringed apologetically, switching his cup to his right hand now; but Owen just chuckled dismissively, gesturing for him to keep going. _Crap, hopefully nobody will notice that._ "He knew my father?" Luke repeated hopefully, this time holding his milk glass in the proper hand.

"I told you to forget it," Owen warned him. "Your only concern is to prepare those new droids for tomorrow. In the morning I want them up there on the south ridge and working on those condensers."

"Yes, sir," Luke replied, looking sadly at his nearly-empty oatmeal bowl. _I only have one spoonful left,_ he sighed. _And I can't eat it, or else I'd have NONE left,_ he realized, setting his spoon down again and pretending to stir it around_._

"I think those new droids are going to work out fine," Luke continued, remembering that he was supposed to bring up his ambition of attending the local Flight Academy along with his old friends, Biggs and Tank. "In fact, I, uh, was also thinking about our agreement... about me staying on another season?" he reminded his uncle. "And if these new droids do work out, I want to transmit my application to the Academy this year," Luke suggested hopefully.

Owen frowned. "You mean the next semester, before the harvest?"

"Sure, there's more than enough droids," Luke pointed out. _Come on, Uncle Owen... Please?_

"Harvest is when I need you the most," Owen complained. "It's only one season more," he assured him, as Luke fidgeted with his remaining spoonful of oatmeal. "This year we'll make enough on the harvest that I'll be able to hire some more hands," Owen continued. "And then you can go to the Academy next year," he promised. "You must understand I need you here, Luke."

"But it's a whole 'nother year," Luke protested unhappily.

"Look, it's only one more season," Owen countered.

"Yeah, that's what you said last year when Biggs and Tank left," Luke sighed in frustration, getting up from the table. _This is so unfair... I always wished I could have an uncle like Obi-Wan does, and I finally get one and he's a mean old grump._

"Where are you going?" Beru asked worriedly.

"It looks like I'm going nowhere," Luke sulked, giving Owen a resentful look. "I have to finish cleaning those droids," he grumbled, heading back out toward the garage.

_Hopefully I can figure out what's wrong with Artoo's recording system,_ Luke thought, climbing up the steps to Dale's workshop as Owen and Beru finished up the breakfast scene. _I have no idea why Leia's message keeps looping like that..._ But now he heard a strange grunting sound coming from outside the igloo, and looked up in surprise.

"Uuuuunnngghhh! Uuuuunghh Uuuuunnghh Uuuuuunghh!" yelled a Sand Person, standing outside Owen's ship and brandishing a gaffi stick.

"Haha!" another one laughed, coming down the ramp of the ship, along with a third Sand Person. "That was great! How do you do that?" the second Sand Person asked, in a voice sounding very much like Julian Organa's.

"I don't know; I was just yelling," the first Sand Person replied cheerfully, in Dorian Solo's voice. "Come on, give it a try!" he encouraged the others.

"Aaaaarrrghh!" Julian grunted experimentally.

"Uuuugghh?" Jonah echoed uncertainly.

"Yeah, that's great!" Dorian told them; then he noticed Luke, and waved to him good-naturedly. "Hey, Luke! We're playing Sand People," he explained, pulling his mask off momentarily. "Want to play?"

"Haha... Sure," Luke said cheerfully, joining the others outside Owen's ship. "Actually, I need to get back to work on Artoo in a minute," he apologized. "Thought I'm not sure if I'm supposed to be filming that or not," he admitted, deciding to wait for Owen's instructions first.

"Come on," Dorian said, leading the way back onto Owen's ship. "We came up with a couple of other ideas for the Anchorhead scene this afternoon... Take a look!" Luke nodded, following the others up the ramp; then he laughed as he saw the massive pile of costumes strewn all over the floor of the ship.

"Yeah, we kind of made a mess," Jonah admitted, with a rueful grin. "Ahh, I'd better clean some of this up before my dad sees it," he said, making a completely pathetic effort to stuff thirty Stormtrooper uniforms into a small cabinet.

"Look at this," Dorian said, picking up another mask from the floor. "I want to be this guy!" He pulled on the mask, adjusting the goggles and blowing experimentally through the long snout to produce a buzzing sound. "Look, it's got a built-in kazoo!" Dorian added ecstatically, making more buzzing noises.

"We thought he looks like some kind of spy, maybe one of Jabba's minions," Julian explained. "He's going to tail you and Ben in Anchorhead, just to be mysterious," he told Luke; then he blinked thoughtfully. "What _is_ that, anyway?" he asked uncertainly, peering at the long, elephant-like snout on Dorian's mask.

"Haha... That's a Woozle," Luke told them, as Dorian pulled the mask off again, his sandy-brown hair a ruffled mess. "They're native to Ryloth."

"Oh! Cool," Dorian nodded, grinning. "Hey Julian, show him that other costume you found," he reminded his friend.

"Oh, right," Julian nodded, rummaging through the pile of costumes on the floor. "Here it is," he showed Luke, pulling out a Walrusk mask, with large black eyes and rounded tusks. "The jacket is ripped," Julian explained, showing Luke an orange jacket with furry dark-brown hands attached to the sleeves; one of the sleeves was detached at the elbow, obviously in need of repairs. "But we thought maybe I could attack you guys in Anchorhead, and Ben could chop my arm off with his lightsaber," Julian suggested cheerfully, holding up the severed furry arm.

"Ha! Good idea," Luke agreed; but now they all looked up as Owen joined them aboard the ship.

"Well you guys have been busy," Owen observed, blinking at the costumes strewn all over his floor.

"Sorry," Jonah cringed; he was still trying to pack away the Stormtrooper costumes. "I'll clean it up," he promised his father. "Hey Dad, can we film a scene with us attacking Luke on the way to meet Ben?" Jonah asked hopefully, gesturing toward their Sand People costumes.

Owen nodded. "Sure, go for it," he agreed; but now he blinked in surprise as his transmitter buzzed. "Hang on, let me get this... Owen Lars," he answered politely, unclipping the transmitter from his belt.

"So we were thinking," Dorian continued quietly to Luke, as Owen spoke over the transmitter. "Dale's friend - the Bantha herder, who's letting you guys film in his house today? Maybe he'll let us ride a couple of his Banthas, and chase after you - " But now Dorian broke off, as he and Luke sensed Owen's sudden anxiety.

"What?" Owen blinked worriedly, still talking on the transmitter. "No one met you at the spaceport?"

_Uh oh,_ Luke cringed, sharing a worried look with the others. _This doesn't sound good..._

* * *

><p>"No," Ben Kenobi replied, over the transmitter. "I'm still here on Geonosis; I called my agent a few minutes ago, and she said my part in the Tatooine shoot has been cancelled," the actor added, his confusion obvious.<p>

_What the...?_ "No," Owen told him, his heart sinking. "Ben, I'm sorry; I have no idea why she told you that," he apologized. "Let me figure out what's going on, and I'll call you back in a couple minutes, okay?"

"That would be wonderful; thank you," Ben replied, as they said goodbye.

_Damn it..._ Owen sighed in frustration, immediately dialing his assistant on Geonosis; but now he blinked in surprise as he felt a tap on his shoulder.

"Master Owen?" See-Threepio asked politely, cocking his golden head. _Ahh! What's he doing here? I thought I told him to wait in the garage..._

"Not now," Owen said brusquely, waving his father's protocol droid away. _Go bother somebody else..._ "Trisha?" he said into his transmitter, as his assistant answered. "It's Owen. I just got a call from Ben Kenobi," he continued. "He's at the Geonosis spaceport; he said no one ever showed up to escort him here to Tatooine - he's been waiting there for over an hour," Owen chided her. "And then when he called his agent a minute ago, she told him his part was cancelled," Owen added, completely baffled.

"Oh," Trisha replied, obviously dismayed. "I'm sorry, Owen; I thought you knew about that... The legal team denied your request to send Ben to Tatooine," she explained. "He's not up to date on his Womp Rat vaccination."

_Womp Rat vaccination?_ "What?" Owen blinked, caught off guard.

"Yes," Trisha apologized. "The legal team said they sent you an official memo; have you checked your messages?" she reminded Owen gently.

_Ahh..._ "No," Owen admitted, seeing the little blinking red light now. _Great,_ he sighed. "Well... Can you get someone to pick Ben up and get him his vaccinations, and then send him out here?" Owen asked hopefully. _That might set us back a couple hours, but if we film quickly we can still make it to Alderaan by tonight..._

"No," Trisha told him regretfully. "The vaccination has to be administered at least a week before exposure to Womp Rats."

_Well this sucks..._ "Okay," Owen sighed. "Let me give Ben a call, and let him know what's going on... Thanks, Trisha," he added, ending the transmission and immediately dialing Ben's number again.

But now he felt another annoying tap on his shoulder. "Master Owen?" Threepio asked hopefully; but Owen simply shook his head, waving the droid away again.

"Hi, Ben?" Owen said politely, when the actor answered. "It's Owen; sorry about that," he apologized again. "Well, I've got some bad news... The legal team says you're not up to date on your Womp Rat vaccination, and that's why they can't send you out here," Owen explained regretfully.

"Womp Rat vaccination?" Ben repeated, baffled. "I'm not going to be bitten by Womp Rats," he protested. "I'll be with Luke the whole time, won't I?" he asked Owen, concerned.

"Yeah, I know," Owen agreed. _This is completely ridiculous._ "But the legal team is very strict about that sort of thing," he sighed. "So I guess we'll stop by Geonosis on our way back to the Death Star, and film your parts on the sound stage there," Owen proposed. _Which completely defeats the purpose of us coming here to begin with..._

"Can't I just sign a waiver of liability, to keep the legal team happy?" Ben asked. "I'm _not_ going to be bitten by a Womp Rat; not with a Jedi Knight with me the entire time," he pointed out good-naturedly.

Owen blinked in surprise. _Yeah, that would work..._ "Would you mind?"

"Of course not," Ben assured him. "And if you'd like, I can hire one of the local taxi services to bring me to Tatooine within the hour; I was just about to do that anyway, before I called my agent," he confessed.

"Yes... That would be perfect," Owen agreed gratefully. "Thank you, Ben. I can't tell you how much I appreciate your help with all of this."

"Oh, not to worry," Ben replied cheerfully. "To be honest, I was thrilled to get your call yesterday; I'm looking forward to working with Luke," he confessed. "Obi-Wan tells me he's incredibly talented."

"Yes; yes, he is," Owen nodded, smiling quietly; it was no great secret that Ben Kenobi was Obi-Wan's uncle, though neither of them had ever admitted it openly. _Heh, he wants to work with Obi-Wan's padawan..._ "All right, let me give you our coordinates here," Owen continued, sending Ben the location of Dale's moisture farm. "If you can get a limo escort out this way, I'll have the legal team send me a waiver for you to sign when you get here," he proposed.

"Excellent," Ben agreed. "Very well, I shall see you within the hour, then," he promised, hanging up.

_Thank goodness,_ Owen sighed, running a hand wearily through his hair. "Okay," he said, turning to Jonah and the others now. "Ben will be here in an hour; if you guys want to go ahead and film some Sand People stuff - "

"Excuse me, sir," Threepio interrupted cautiously, tapping Owen on the shoulder again. _Ahhh! Not now..._ Owen casually switched off his father's protocol droid, turning back to Jonah.

"So, if you want to head out and film some Sand People attacking Luke, that would be great," Owen nodded to Jonah, giving his son an encouraging smile.

"Cool! Thanks, Dad." Jonah grinned appreciatively, as Dorian and Julian set aside the random costumes they had been trying on, picking up their Sand People masks.

"All right; I'll catch up with you when Ben gets here," Owen promised Jonah. "Oh - and Luke, you should take Artoo and Threepio along," he reminded the Jedi, who nodded in agreement.

"Which reminds me," Owen sighed, switching the protocol droid on again. "Yes?" he asked Threepio, attempting to mask his impatience.

"Master Owen!" Threepio exclaimed, the lights in his eyes blinking to life again. "It wasn't my fault; I promise!"

Owen's eyes narrowed. "_What_ wasn't your fault?" he asked cautiously. _Do I really want to know...?_

"Artoo; he's missing," Threepio explained worriedly. "I had just shut down for some rest, and when I woke up, he was gone," the protocol droid lamented, hanging his head. "I'm afraid he may have gone looking for Obi-Wan Kenobi again; he's obsessed with finding him," Threepio apologized.

_Ahh! I forgot to deprogram him..._ "Luke, can you find him?" Owen asked the young Jedi, who nodded cheerfully, heading for the door. "I'm sorry about that... Hopefully he hasn't gotten far this time," Owen sighed.

"No problem," Luke assured him, stepping outside the ship and squinting as he looked toward the rocky ridge. "Yeah, I see something shiny out there; that's probably him."

"Great," Owen nodded appreciatively, following the Jedi down the ramp along with Jonah, Julian, and Dorian. "If you could abort his program, that would be terrific; otherwise he'll be trying to chase after Obi-Wan all day," Owen admitted. "Once you program Artoo to do something, there's no stopping him," he laughed ruefully.

"Haha," Luke laughed. "No problem... And I'll try to get his recording system working before Ben gets here too."

"Thanks, Luke," Owen nodded. "All right, good luck with the filming," he added cheerfully, to Jonah and the others. "I'll meet you guys at Buck's house in an hour or so," he promised them; Dale's friend Buck lived out beyond the Dune Sea, and had offered them the use of his home to serve as Ben's hovel for this episode.

"Okay, Dad... See you later," Jonah agreed, waving goodbye as the four of them piled into Dale's little red hovercraft along with Threepio, heading out toward the rocky ridge in the distance.

_And now to let the Flight Academy guy know we might be a little late..._ "Hi, Rocco?" Owen said politely, contacting the local Flight Academy instructor over his transmitter. "It's Owen Lars. I just wanted to let you know, we're running a little late this morning, and might not make it there by noon," he apologized. "Is it possible to reschedule for an hour later?"

"Oh," Rocco sighed, obviously put out. "Let me check my schedule... Ahh, I'm really busy this afternoon," he told Owen. "And like I said yesterday, I need twenty-four hours' notice to reschedule an appointment; I think I can manage to squeeze you in right after lunch, but I'll have to charge you for two sessions today... _And_ the one you missed yesterday," he reminded Owen pointedly; they'd planned to film the Anchorhead flight academy scene yesterday, but had been forced to cancel once already, since Obi-Wan had been off nesting dragon's eggs.

_Ahh, this is a mess..._ "All right," Owen sighed, agreeing to pay for three hours of the flight instructor's time in order for Jonah to film his ten-minute scene. _Jonah's really been looking forward to this..._ "Thanks, Rocco; I appreciate it," Owen added politely. "We'll try to get there shortly after noon," he promised.

_Ugh... That guy's a bit full of himself,_ Owen sighed, hanging up. The ad in the local directory had proudly proclaimed Rocco's Flight Academy to be 'Anchorhead's Finest'; but after a quick search, Owen had come to realize that it was Anchorhead's _only_ flight school. _I guess he can afford to call his own shots, with no competition within fifty miles,_ Owen confessed. _But hopefully it'll be worth the extra cost,_ he told himself optimistically.

_Good thing I had Trisha send me some more of the local money,_ Owen sighed; but then he blinked worriedly, remembering that the money was supposed to be delivered by Ben's studio-appointed escort, which had now been cancelled. _Oh, crap!_

"Trisha," Owen said urgently, speed-dialing his assistant on Geonosis. "It's Owen... I just realized, I still need a courier to deliver a thousand Wupiupi before noon today," he told her.

"Oh!" Trisha exclaimed. "Of course," she agreed. "I'll send someone out there right away," she promised.

"Thanks... Actually, you'd better make it two thousand," Owen told her. _Who knows what else will go wrong by the time we get off this planet,_ he sighed wearily.

"Two thousand Wupiupi... No problem," Trisha assured him. "The courier should be there within an hour."

"Great," Owen nodded. "Thanks, Trisha," he added appreciatively, hanging up.

_Ugh,_ Owen sighed in exhaustion, praying that he would never have to film on Tatooine again. _And as usual, Jonah has made a colossal mess of the ship,_ Owen laughed ruefully, setting to work at tidying up the costumes that his son had characteristically left strewn all over the floor. _Kill me now..._

But now he blinked thoughtfully, eyeing a couple of burned skeleton props amidst the jumble of costumes. _Kill me now,_ Owen considered seriously. "Actually, that's not such a bad idea..."

"Owen Lars, are you talking to yourself again?" Beru teased him, joining him aboard the ship.

_Ha!_ "No, of course not," Owen said, kissing her. "Only crazy people do that," he added, giving her an affectionate hug. "Ahh... I'm so glad you're here," he sighed, as they both proceeded to tidy up after their son's mess. "This planet is driving me nuts... No, wait; I need those," Owen said, taking the crispy burned skeletons from Beru, who had been trying to stuff them back into the props cabinet.

"You do?" Beru blinked in surprise, eyeing the skeletons worriedly. "What exactly do you have in mind?"

Owen grinned mischievously, pulling out a couple of smoke bombs from another cabinet. _A white one, and a giant black one - yeah, that should do the trick._ "I'm making it so we never have to film here again," Owen informed his wife, gleefully planning their gruesome demise.


	140. Getting to Alderaan

**Chapter 140**

_Meanwhile..._

"Welcome to Alderaan, Your Highness," Bail Organa said with a respectful bow, greeting Emperor Palpatine in the throne room of the royal palace. "To what do we owe the honor of your visit?"

"King Organa," Sidious replied icily. "I'm afraid I've received some rather troubling news, concerning your daughter."

"My daughter?" Bail repeated, trying to look concerned and innocent at the same time. "What have you heard?"

"Lord Vader informs me that she was a passenger aboard a Rebel ship that he captured yesterday. Oh, don't worry," Sidious added, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "He's taking very good care of her."

"A - a Rebel ship?" Bail blinked, his dark eyes shifting uncomfortably. "She must have been captured by the Rebels - "

"Interesting, that she made no such claim, when Lord Vader questioned her," Sidious observed.

"Your Highness, I - I don't know what to say," Bail apologized. "If Leia were involved with the Rebellion in any way, I would - "

"You would know about it," Sidious finished for him, gazing at him coldly. "In which case it would be your duty to report her treachery to me immediately," he pointed out.

"Yes, Your Highness," Bail agreed, bowing his head. "I am your loyal servant, and Alderaan is grateful for your protection," he assured the Emperor. "Leia has always been headstrong; I cannot believe that she would aid the Rebellion, but if she has - "

"Lord Vader will deal with her," Sidious assured him. "As for you, King Organa; your concern now is to do a better job of promoting loyalty to the Empire among your subjects, than you seem to have done with your own daughter," he warned him. "For _all_ of your sakes," the Emperor added pointedly, gazing toward the doorway and the city of Aldera beyond.

"Of course, Your Highness," Bail replied, bowing. "As always, I remain your humble servant."

"Excellent," Sidious agreed. "I shall be on my way, then," he continued, taking his leave; but then he stopped. "Oh," the Emperor added thoughtfully, turning back. "I trust that the flags of Alderaan and the Empire will be flying proudly at full mast tomorrow, in celebration of your daughter's execution."

"Yes, Your Highness," Bail nodded, barely masking his dismay. "The execution of a traitor is a glorious day for the Empire, as it is for the people of Alderaan," he assured the Emperor.

"Good... Good," Sidious smiled in evil satisfaction. "The House of Organa has brought peace and prosperity to Alderaan for eight hundred years; it would be unfortunate if I were forced to instate a regional governor here in the royal palace," he warned the King. "It has been a pleasure, as always," Sidious added, heading for the door again.

Bail watched him leave, his expression stoic; but when Sidious was out of sight, he bowed his head in grief, squeezing his eyes shut.

"And... Cut," Cliegg Lars said, grinning cheerfully. "Bail - that was incredible; thank you," he said, nodding respectfully to the King. "All right; one more quick scene out in the courtyard, and then we'll break for lunch," he proposed, turning to Mara and giving her an encouraging pat on the shoulder. "Mara, are you ready for this?" he asked, his eyes twinkling.

"Yes, sir," Mara nodded shyly. _Ahh... I can't believe I'm really on a whole different planet, all by myself!_ This was the first time Mara had been on her own, _ever,_ and her heart was fluttering with excitement. _I love Master Anakin; I do, but... Ohhh, this is amazing,_ Mara admitted, unable to hide her happy grin as she followed Cliegg outside to the courtyard.

_I'm glad Cliegg is here, though. And Palpatine,_ Mara confessed, smiling as she bowed politely to the former Chancellor. _I love working with them._ Mara had spent her entire life in the Jedi Order, where every single person knew that she was a death stick baby, and a freak; but Master Anakin had never told Cliegg or Owen about her condition, and the directors of _SITH_ had always treated her as they would any other Jedi padawan.

_Cliegg thinks I'm really talented... and cute,_ Mara admitted, giggling to herself. _All he knows is that I'm the first human girl to be chosen as a padawan in over a decade, so he thinks I must be really special,_ she knew. _He doesn't know that my grades are awful, or that I fling lightning at people when I get upset..._

_I don't know if Palpatine knows about that either,_ Mara confessed uncertainly, as Cliegg prepared for their next scene in the courtyard. Her condition was common knowledge within the Jedi Order; but if the Chancellor had ever been informed of Mara's circumstances, he didn't let on. _He treats me like a normal person, the same as Cliegg does,_ Mara admitted, returning Palpatine's friendly smile.

"All right," Cliegg said, coming over to join them. "This should be real quick... Palpatine, I need you to come down the palace steps and walk back toward your ship, then give Mara a very subtle nod as you pass by her," he instructed the former Chancellor. "Mara, you'll be hiding behind that statue - hood up, there you go," Cliegg nodded, as Mara pulled up the hood of her black cloak, covering her dazzlingly bright red hair. _Luke thinks it's pretty, but - gah, it's not very practical for sneaking around,_ Mara sighed.

"And... Action," Cliegg said a moment later, after they had taken their places. Mara hid behind the statue, keeping her expression sober as Sidious descended the palace steps; then as he passed by, she nodded to him quietly, before slipping away from the courtyard and vanishing into the grove of trees beyond.

"Cut!" Cliegg nodded. "That was perfect! Great job," he congratulated them, as Mara came back out of the woods, pulling her hood back down. "And that's it for now," Cliegg said. "We just need to film one more scene tonight, when Owen and the others arrive to bring Leia home," he reminded Mara, who nodded in understanding.

_Right,_ Mara remembered, laughing to herself. _That's when I get to spy on Luke!_ Mara's role in tonight's scene was to scale the castle wall from the outside, climbing up to the highest turret; and then she would overhear King Organa's secret conversation with Leia, when Luke and the others came to deliver her home. _Oh, I can't wait..._

"All right... Lunch time," Cliegg announced cheerfully, heading back toward the palace with Palpatine; King Organa had invited them to join him for lunch, and Mara as well. _But then I get the afternoon off, to explore the city with the rest of the tourists,_ Mara reminded herself, dutifully following Cliegg and Palpatine back inside.

But now Cliegg put a hand on her shoulder. "Mara, you don't have to join us, if you'd rather explore the city," he suggested thoughtfully. "You're not here on official Jedi business; you're on vacation, the same as everyone else," Cliegg pointed out good-naturedly. "Go on; have a good time."

Mara smiled appreciatively. "Okay... Thank you," she said, her heart fluttering happily. _I'm really on vacation!_

"Try to stay out of trouble," Palpatine added, smiling affectionately; there was a kindly twinkle in his eyes, but Mara distinctly felt his veiled unease. _Ahh! He DOES know..._

"Don't worry... I will," Mara promised, giving the former Chancellor a look of subtle understanding; then with a polite bow, she took her leave, heading toward the palace gates and the city of Aldera beyond.

_Palpatine DOES know,_ Mara realized now, as she walked along the ancient cobblestone road toward Aldera's Old Town district. _And he likes me anyway; I've felt it,_ she confessed, trusting her instincts. _He knows I'm a death stick baby, and he still believes in me... Just like Master Anakin does,_ Mara admitted, touched by the realization.

_I won't let them down,_ Mara resolved, heading toward the old village. Master Anakin had seen her off this morning in the Death Star's docking bay, when Mara had left for Alderaan aboard the _Executor_ along with Cliegg and the rest of the cruise guests. _Master Anakin said he's proud of me, and that he knows I can handle this,_ she reminded herself.

_Not that I completely deserve it,_ Mara confessed, remembering the stupid trick she played on Senator Amidala yesterday. _I never told Master Anakin what I did... And neither did Leia,_ Mara realized once again. She had finally decided to confess to her father about the incident, mainly to clear her own conscience; but then she had caught him writing on his _leg_ yesterday afternoon, and had decided that he didn't need any more stress right now.

_Something's really wrong,_ Mara admitted worriedly, her heart sinking. _That isn't normal... Even for HIM..._ Mara had glimpsed the strange symbols on Anakin's arm enough times to know that he was recording numbers; she had done her best to research the subject in her spare time, and had reluctantly concluded that her father was becoming increasingly obsessed with the occultist practice of Numerology.

_It's not the Jedi way,_ Mara lamented once again. _We're supposed to trust in the Force, not ancient superstitions..._ Mara didn't want to get her father in trouble, but she admitted that _someone_ needed to confront him about his Numerology obsession.

_Maybe Obi-Wan can do it, when he's done nesting,_ Mara hoped. _Master Anakin listens to Obi-Wan; if Luke casually mentions to him that he saw Master Anakin writing on himself... Ahh, hopefully this will all be straightened out soon,_ Mara sighed worriedly, praying that her father would once again return to his slightly eccentric but not completely deranged self.

_And in the meantime, I'm going to be on my best behavior,_ Mara resolved, smiling cheerfully as she entered Aldera's Old Town district, with its quaint shops and food vendors lining the ancient cobblestone streets. _I won't lose my temper, or attack people for no reason... Ever again,_ Mara chided herself, still feeling incredibly stupid about her stunt yesterday.

_I'm better than that,_ Mara thought stubbornly. _Master Anakin believes in me. And so does Luke..._ She smiled wistfully, thinking of him now. _Oh, I can't wait until he gets here tonight..._

But now she stopped in her tracks, blinking as she smelled something delicious. "Fresh baked scones, just three copper pennies," a street vendor announced, nodding politely to Mara. _Wow... I don't know what a scone is, but it sure smells good._

"Sorry... I don't have any copper pennies," Mara apologized. "Do you take credits?" she asked hopefully, pulling out her electronic credit device.

"Of course I do," the woman replied. "But not from a Jedi," she insisted, her eyes twinkling fondly as she handed Mara a freshly-baked scone.

Mara smiled gratefully. "Thank you, ma'am," she said appreciatively, accepting it. "It smells delicious," she added sincerely.

"You're very welcome," the woman nodded, beaming. "Enjoy your stay on Alderaan."

"Thank you; I will," Mara promised, giving the vendor a polite Jedi bow as she continued down the little cobblestone street. _Ohh... This IS really good,_ Mara confessed, taking a bite of her scone. _So much better than anything we get at the Jedi Temple... I love filming for SITH,_ she sighed happily, enjoying her delicious lunch as she took in the sights and sounds of Aldera's Old Town district.

_I wish Luke could have been here, though,_ Mara admitted, wishing the Tatooine shoot hadn't been delayed. _But he'll be here tonight,_ she reminded herself cheerfully. _I wonder what he's doing right now..._

* * *

><p>"Look - there's a droid on the scanner... Dead ahead," Luke announced, turning on the radio and pretending that Dale's beat-up old hovercraft actually <em>had<em> a scanner. "Might be our little R2 unit... Hit the accelerator!" he instructed Threepio, who had been eager to fly the small craft.

But now Luke grinned in surprise, recognizing the song on the radio. _"Yah yah yah... Yah yah yah..._ "Hey!" Luke exclaimed cheerfully. "We used to sing this in Boys' Choir!"

"Did you?" Threepio asked, clearly delighted. "Why, Master Jonah's school choir sang it as well! And _I_ was asked to conduct their performance," Threepio added proudly, waving his hands along with the music.

"Wow," Luke blinked, impressed by the protocol droid's conducting skills. "How do you do that?" he asked curiously, trying to follow the pattern of Threepio's hand motions.

"Oh, it's quite easy, Master Luke!" Threepio assured him. "Down, left, right, up," he instructed him, as Luke mimicked his conducting pattern. "Down, left, right, up... Down, left, right, up!"

_Down, left, right, up... Hey, this is cool,_ Luke thought appreciatively. _I can't wait to show this to Obi-Wan..._ Luke and Obi-Wan had always loved attending symphony performances on Coruscant, but were completely mystified as to what the conductor was actually _doing_ up there on his podium.

_Obi-Wan's going to love this,_ Luke thought, practicing his conducting skills with Threepio to the tune of the Yah Yah song as they sped through the canyon in Dale's hovercraft. _Down, left, right, up... Down, left, right, up..._

* * *

><p><em>What the hell are they doing?<em> Julian blinked in confusion behind his Sand Person mask, as Luke and Threepio appeared in the canyon below, making flourishing hand gestures as they traveled along. _Are they... conducting?_

But there was no time to think about that right now. "Arrrggghh... Urrrgg!" Dorian grunted urgently, tapping Julian on the shoulder and running back toward their awaiting Bantha. _Right... Let's kill them._

Dorian leapt from the rocky ridge onto the back of the Bantha, brandishing his gaffi stick in one hand and landing perfectly in the saddle; but Julian stumbled along pathetically, adjusting his mask and trying to find a better launching point. _Argh... Some of us aren't half Jedi,_ he grumbled, finally giving up in defeat.

"Sorry," Julian apologized, as Jonah stopped filming. "I can't do it," he confessed.

"That's all right," Jonah laughed sympathetically. "Why do you think I'm operating the camera? Try getting on the normal way," he suggested, as Julian nodded, climbing carefully down to the ground from the rocky ridge.

_Crap, this is really hard..._ "Dorian, can you hold this?" Julian asked, handing him his rifle as he tried to climb onto the Bantha from the ground. _Okay, come on... Don't embarrass yourself on a galactic holo-broadcast. Leia might see this,_ he reminded himself, struggling to mount the gigantic beast. _And my Mom and Dad... And Uncle Bail, and Aunt Breha... And Ariel..._

But now Julian's heart sank as he thought of his cousin on Alderaan. _I have to see her tonight,_ he remembered unhappily. _For the first time in three months..._ Julian had been dreading his upcoming visit to Alderaan as part of this week's _SITH_ tour, and had been secretly grateful that their arrival today had been delayed; but he knew he must face his cousin tonight, when they delivered Leia to the royal palace.

_What am I going to say to her?_ Julian sighed, his heart aching. _Crap, I've been such a jerk..._ "Sorry," Julian apologized dejectedly, giving up on his pathetic attempt to mount the Bantha. "I can't do it."

"Hey, it's okay," Dorian assured him cheerfully, giving him a hand and hauling him up onto the Bantha. "You're doing great," he added gently; Dorian had an innate ability to sense people's emotions, and Julian nodded now, grateful for his friend's encouragement.

"Thanks," Julian said appreciatively, still trying to quell the anxiety that gripped him. "All right; let's go," he agreed quietly, forcibly pushing away his troubled thoughts as Dorian urged the Bantha forward.

* * *

><p><em>Meanwhile...<em>

"So tonight, when Luke and the others deliver Leia to the palace," Bail Organa asked curiously, over dessert. "Will she already know that Luke is supposed to be her brother?"

"No," Cliegg replied, shaking his head. "They're never going to find out about that," he told the King.

"Never?" Bail blinked in surprise. "So I'm saying goodbye to my only daughter tonight, sending her into a lifetime of exile with the Rebels on Yavin IV; perhaps never to see her again... And I don't mention that she'll be with her brother?" he asked, troubled by the thought. "Wouldn't it be a comfort, for her to know?"

"Yes; yes, it probably would," Cliegg laughed. "Ah, I don't pretend to understand it," he apologized. "Actually, it was your nephew's idea," he told the King. "I'm sure Julian could explain it better; he said the idea is based on an Alderaanian literary tragedy?"

"Oh," Bail nodded, giving Ariel an appreciative smile now. "Ariel, you must know that one?"

_Ahh!_ "Yes," Ariel nodded, blinking back her sudden tears at the mention of Julian. "It's... by the playwright Telzykk; it's the tragic story of - of a brother and sister who fall in love, not knowing that - that they're related," she stammered helplessly. _Julian and I read it together, when we were younger..._

"Ariel?" Bail asked worriedly, as he and Breha shared a concerned glance. "Are you feeling all right?"

"Yes," Ariel nodded, smiling bravely. "I'm fine," she reassured her father.

Bail gave her an appreciative smile, then turned back to Cliegg. "Well, it must be a good idea, if Julian came up with it," he agreed. "Although I still think I would tell Leia about her brother, under the circumstances," he added. "I'm a realist; I can't help myself," he admitted cheerfully.

"Haha," Cliegg laughed, amused. "Realism on _SITH_; now there's a concept."

"Yes," Palpatine chimed in. "Actually, if we're going for realism, I wouldn't bother sending Mara to spy on your conversation tonight," he pointed out. "I've got my Death Star positioned outside Alderaan right now; and I've just found out that _you're_ the traitor I've been looking for all these years," Palpatine added, giving Bail an accusatory look. "I don't see why I wouldn't just blow up the entire planet, and be done with it."

"Ha," Bail laughed, shaking his head. "You _are_ evil," he reproached the former Chancellor.

"Thank you." Palpatine beamed, clearly pleased with himself.

"Actually," Cliegg mused. "That's not a bad idea," he said, giving Bail a questioning look. "It would explain why you never tell Leia about her brother," Cliegg pointed out. "Owen was having trouble with that point too," he confessed. "In the end we decided that he never bothered telling Luke the truth about his parents, basically because he's a mean old grump."

Bail laughed. "No, I like it," he agreed. "If we blow up Alderaan, Julian gets to keep his tragic misunderstanding - which I still don't quite follow," he admitted. "And yet my silence on the matter suddenly becomes completely believable," he confessed. "I say we do it."

Cliegg blinked in surprise. "You're serious?"

"Why not?" Bail chuckled in amusement. "Actually, it's a great development for the show," he pointed out. "I'm sure everyone is tired of seeing my wrinkly old face on their holo-monitors," he sighed; but now his expression quickly turned to concern. "Ariel?" Bail asked worriedly. "Sweetheart, are you all right?"

"Yes," Ariel nodded, fighting tears; but then she shook her head. "I'm sorry," she whispered, getting up from the table and excusing herself. "I have to - " she broke off miserably, fleeing from the dining hall.

_I'm sorry,_ Ariel wept, running up the spiral stairway and out onto the terrace overlooking the lake. _They talk about blowing up Alderaan, like it's funny,_ she cried tearfully, gazing out across the crystal lake toward the snow-capped mountains beyond. _This is my home... The only home I've ever known..._

_And Father's not old and wrinkly,_ Ariel blinked unhappily. _He's only - _ she broke off, hanging her head. _He's sixty-one,_ Ariel confessed. _Okay, so he's a little wrinkly but - he's not going to die... EVER,_ she told herself stubbornly. _He's going to be King forever, and nothing will ever change..._

But now Ariel sighed. _Father won't live forever,_ she admitted, facing the painful truth. _I hope he'll be around for a long time; but one day... he'll be gone, and then - _ Ariel hung her head. _And then Julian will be King,_ she reminded herself. _And I'll have to leave,_ she cried, gazing longingly at the beautiful lake and mountains that had been her home all of her life.

_Julian's coming tonight,_ Ariel knew. _Along with - HER,_ she choked miserably, feeling a knot in her stomach. _And I'll have to smile, and be gracious... And apologize to everyone for running off just now,_ Ariel confessed. _But I won't look at him,_ she resolved. _I can't..._

_This is where it happened,_ Ariel smiled sadly, casting a wistful glance around the lakeside terrace. _This is where we kissed, for the first time... When we were eight,_ Ariel remembered, unable to suppress a giggle. _We were just children, playing King and Queen... But Julian told me that he loved me, and that he wanted to marry me one day,_ Ariel sighed, her heart aching with longing. _We were only children; we didn't know it was wrong..._

Ariel had proudly told her mother of the happy news, that she and Julian would marry one day, and be King and Queen of Alderaan; but Breha had scolded her sternly. _"Julian is your cousin,"_ her mother had reproached her, as Ariel had blinked back innocent tears. _"Ariel, you must never say such things."_

_He's not really my cousin,_ Ariel lamented, tears stinging her eyes as she thought of her sweet, beautiful Julian. _We're not even related..._ Ariel had been adopted as a baby, and she and Julian had no blood relation; but they were cousins by law, and the law forbade such unions, especially among royalty. _We don't want to end up like the Solos,_ Ariel admitted, remembering her mother's words. _That's why they adopted me in the first place,_ Ariel knew; Breha's grandmother had been a Solo, and her younger brother had spent his entire life in a mental institution; Bail and Breha had reluctantly decided against having children of their own.

And so Ariel and Julian had dutifully kept their feelings for each other a secret through their teenage years, finding quiet moments alone together to hold each other lovingly, sharing sweet words and tender kisses. _It wasn't wrong,_ Ariel insisted, blinking back her tears. _Even Julian said so... But I was stupid to believe it could last,_ she admitted, sighing_._

_The people of Alderaan expect Julian to take a queen, to continue the Organa bloodline,_ Ariel realized. _A queen who isn't his own cousin_. Julian had always been dismayed by the pressure to marry royalty, and had sworn to Ariel that he could never possibly love anyone else; but three months ago he had left for Coruscant to serve on the Senate, and then _she_ had come into his life.

_He wasn't even gone a month, before he fell in love with HER,_ Ariel cried, heartbroken. _Julian... How could you?_ Ariel had heard the news on the holo, just over a month ago; she'd been proudly following Julian's career on Coruscant, and had smiled delightedly at the mention of Julian's name on the local news. But then her heart had sunk as she learned of his courtship with Leia Amidala - Princess, Senator, and former Queen of Naboo.

The people of Alderaan were ecstatic over the news of their crown prince's fairy-tale romance; but Ariel was devastated, and had cried herself to sleep that night, and every night since. _He hasn't even spoken to me,_ Ariel confessed bitterly. Julian hadn't come home for even one weekend in the three months since his election to the Senate, and Ariel could only guess that he didn't want to see her. _Probably ever again,_ she admitted tearfully.

_And today he's rescuing HER aboard the Death Star, for this stupid SITH show,_ Ariel remembered unhappily. _It should have been me..._ Ariel had played the part of baby Leia on _JEDI_ eighteen years ago, along with Jonah Lars as Luke. _And now SHE'S playing ME - sort of - except with her own first name... It's like I don't even exist,_ Ariel cried sadly.

_I won't get in the way,_ Ariel resolved once again, her heart aching as she gazed out over the tranquil lake toward the majestic mountains beyond. _And when Julian moves back to Alderaan permanently, to live at the palace with his new queen, I'll - _ Ariel gulped, frightened tears stinging her eyes. _I don't know where I'll go,_ she confessed. _But I can't stay here. Not with HER around..._

_And I won't be here tonight, when they arrive,_ Ariel decided stubbornly. _I'll pretend to be sick so I don't have to see them; and then when it's dark and everyone is asleep, I'll run away..._

* * *

><p>"Hey - whoa! Just where do you think you're going?" Luke asked, catching up with the little astrodroid.<p>

_"Blip blip twitter twitter twitter blip!"_ Artoo replied innocently.

"Master Luke is your new owner now; we'll have no more of this Obi-Wan Kenobi gibberish," Threepio scolded him. "And don't talk to _me_ of your mission either; you're fortunate he doesn't blast you into a million pieces right here," he added, as Artoo spat back a defensive retort.

"No, that's all right," Luke assured him. "But I think we'd better go," he decided; then he looked worriedly at Artoo, who had begun to whistle anxiously, waddling back and forth on his little legs. "What's wrong with him now?" Luke asked, demonstrating his complete lack of Jedi skills in sensing the nearby Sand People.

_Haha,_ Dorian grinned, watching from behind the camera. _Luke is a good actor, but he has no clue what it's really like for people like Leia and me,_ he admitted, amused by Luke's attempt to play the child of a Jedi who had received no formal training. _Actually, we're a lot more perceptive than that...__  
><em>

"There are several creatures approaching from the southeast," Threepio translated worriedly.

"Sand People," Luke realized now, running back to Dale's hovercraft to grab his rifle. "The worst," he sighed; in truth, the Sand People of Tatooine had been at war with the rest of the planet since the dawn of time, and no amount of negotiations could get them to stop fighting. "Come on; let's go have a look," Luke told Threepio.

_Uh... Luke, I don't think Threepio can handle rock climbing,_ Dorian cringed worriedly, seeing the protocol droid's hesitation; but Luke seemed to have bonded with the golden droid, and obviously overestimated his talents. "Come on," he insisted with cheerful confidence, waving for Threepio to follow him.

Dorian laughed to himself, quietly climbing up to the next ridge behind the cameras. _One day when Luke finds out he's really playing himself, he's going to be mortified._ Luke was clearly enjoying the chance to play a hapless farm kid, and seemed to have no inhibitions against making a fool of himself on a galactic holo-broadcast. _Though who am I to talk,_ Dorian confessed. _I look like an idiot too._

"Well... There _are_ two Banthas down there," Luke said now, peering through his binoculars. "But I don't see any - Wait a second... There's Sand People all right; I can see one of them now," he confirmed, spotting Julian.

_Crap... Julian's really feeling down about something today,_ Dorian noted, as Julian trudged dejectedly toward the Bantha. _Maybe he's just missing Leia... I miss Kyra too,_ Dorian confessed, smiling regretfully. Kyra had wanted to come along on the _SITH_ tour this week, but had gotten sick the morning of their departure; Dorian had suggested that they both cancel the trip, but Kyra had insisted that he go without her, and was staying with her mother on Coruscant this week.

_Thankfully she's feeling better today, though,_ Dorian sighed; he'd talked to Kyra this morning, and she had assured him she was all right, although Dorian had sensed... _Something,_ he confessed, unable to shake the feeling that Kyra wasn't telling him the whole truth. _Ah, she's just being brave about it, and doesn't want me to worry_...

_Oh!_ Dorian blinked suddenly, realizing that he was supposed to attack Luke now. _Oops! Sorry!_ "Aaarrrggg!" Dorian yelled, jumping up in front of the camera and brandishing his gaffi stick. "Ugggg Uggghhh Ugghhh Uggggggh - " _Oh, crap!_ Dorian cringed as Threepio toppled over backwards, startled by his sudden attack. _Ahh, sorry! I hope he's not hurt..._

"Urrrrrggghhh!" Dorian grunted again, bashing Luke with his gaffi stick. _I'm glad he IS a Jedi,_ Dorian admitted, blindly swinging at Luke with his gaderffii and leaving it up to the Jedi to make sure that he didn't get killed. _I can't see a thing in this mask._ But Dorian knew that the young Knight was perfectly capable of handling himself, and so he continued to blindly clobber him full-force.

_There,_ Dorian decided, smacking at Luke one last time. _That's probably enough..._ "Aaaarrrgghh! Ugghh Ughh Uggh Uggggghhh!" he yelled triumphantly, lifting his gaderffii high over his head.

"Did it look like I hit you?" Dorian asked hopefully now, adjusting his goggles so he could actually see something.

"Uh... Well, no," Luke admitted, blinking. "I rolled out of the way on that last one," he confessed.

_Oops..._ "Eh, I'm sure the editors can fix it," Dorian told him confidently. "Here, just lie down and pretend to be unconscious," he suggested, as Luke nodded agreeably, lying back down again.

A minute later Julian and Jonah caught up with them, and they dragged Luke's unconscious body back down to the canyon road, dumping him on the ground before continuing on to raid Dale's hovercraft.

_Yay! Free stuff!_ Dorian thought happily, randomly pulling things out of the hovercraft along with Jonah and Julian. _What the hell is this thing anyway?_ he wondered, picking up a weird flappy object and squinting at it through his goggles. _I have no idea,_ Dorian admitted, tossing it aside. _Whatever it is, it's not something any self-respecting Sand Person would want..._

But now Dorian froze in alarm, hearing an all-too-familiar sound. _Ohh, please tell me that's just Obi-Wan,_ Dorian blinked anxiously, turning to Luke now; but the young Jedi was cautiously motioning for them to take cover, and so Dorian and the others quickly ran to the nearby rocky crevice, squeezing inside.

The chilling sound repeated again, echoing throughout the canyon, and Dorian gulped worriedly. _I don't think that's Obi-Wan,_ he confessed, forcing himself to remain very still. _I think that's the real thing._

* * *

><p><em>What?<em> Asha blinked in surprise, hearing the beautiful mating call. _Who could that be?_ she wondered. _It wasn't Red-Haired Man,_ Asha realized, peeking down through the tiny hole above her lair. _Red-Haired Man is still nesting... And his Mommy is hunting for pretty rocks_. Asha had quickly deduced that the taller human with long grey hair was Red-Haired Man's mother; he had arrived shortly after Red-Haired Man's capture, and had brought him some human snacks, just as any proper dragon mother would do.

_I'm glad he's here,_ Asha admitted; Red-Haired Man had acted immensely pleased with Asha's gifts of frogs, snakes, and Mynocks, but so far he hadn't eaten a single one of them, and obviously preferred his own Mommy's food, and the special treats that Shaggy Blond Boy had brought for them last night.

But now Asha heard the dragon call again, and cocked her head curiously. _That's a lovely call... If I weren't nesting right now, I'd answer him,_ she admitted wistfully. _I wonder who it is...? Maybe I'll just go take a peek,_ Asha decided, getting up quietly to spy on the mysterious suitor.

_This is fun,_ Asha thought mischievously, sneaking through the canyon toward the direction of the dragon's call. _There he is... Hey!_ Asha blinked indignantly, recognizing the male dragon. _It's Kree... That no good loser!_

"Woooooaaaaahhhhhh!" Asha yelled angrily, charging toward her ex. _You abandon me when our eggs are in danger, and then you come back to MY canyon looking for another pretty girl? I don't think so..._ "Wwwwoooooahhh!" Asha roared again, launching off the edge of the cliff and throwing herself at Kree.

"Wrrrreeeeeeee!" Kree shrieked worriedly, quickly scrambling out of her path. "Wrrreeee! Wrrrreeee! Wreeeeeeeeee!" he whimpered pathetically, fleeing from Asha's canyon.

"Wwwwooooooahhhh!" Asha roared again, coming to a stop and holding her ground as Kree ran away. _That's right... Get out of here, you big coward... And don't come back,_ she snorted indignantly.

_I don't need you anyway,_ Asha sniffed, returning toward her nest. _I have Red-Haired Man now,_ she consoled herself, smiling appreciatively as she peeked down into the hole again, making sure he was still there.

But now Red-Haired Man was looking up at her cautiously. "Blah blah blah blah blah?" he asked worriedly.

"Wreeeeee," Asha whistled softly, laying down to watch over her nest again. _Don't worry, that was just Kree... I got rid of him._

"Murmur murmur," Red-Haired Man replied, settling back between Asha's eggs again and patting one of the shells reassuringly; but now he blinked in surprise, laying his ear against it. "Blah!" Red-Haired Man exclaimed softly. "Blah blah blah blah blah..."

_Oh?_ Asha's heart leapt as she realized what was happening. _They're hatching! At least, one of them is..._ Now she could hear faint tapping sounds coming from within the shell.

"Murmur murmur," Red-Haired Man said softly, patting the shell where a small crack had begun to form. "Murmur murmur murmur..."

A few moments later the entire shell burst open, and a tiny greenish dragon opened its eyes, blinking in confusion as it found itself face-to-face with a strange human man. "Chick-Chick?" Asha's baby asked uncertainly, sitting up straighter and attempting to stand on its little legs; but it quickly lost its balance and fell again, collapsing back into the eggshell.

"Chick-Chick," Red-Haired Man repeated gently, calling Asha's son by name. "Murmur murmur, Chick-Chick," he said, carefully lifting the baby dragon into his arms and cuddling him against his chest. Chick-Chick snuggled closer, sighing appreciatively; but now Red-Haired Man pointed upward, and Chick-Chick looked up at Asha, curious.

"Chick-Chick," Asha called gently, blinking lovingly at her son. "Wreeee," she added softly, teaching him his first proper dragon word.

"Wreeee," Chick-Chick called back to her, feebly reaching a tiny hand toward his mother; but he quickly grew tired, and lay his head down again, closing his eyes.

"Wreeee," Asha repeated softly, as Chick-Chick drifted off to sleep in Red-Haired Man's arms. _Hello, Chick-Chick,_ Asha smiled, blinking appreciatively at Red-Haired Man. _Welcome to the world._

* * *

><p>"What was that?" Jonah asked worriedly, emerging from the rocky crevice with Dorian and Julian.<p>

"A Krayt dragon," Dorian told him, as they pulled their masks off. "Sounded like two of them, actually," he added, giving Luke a worried look.

"Yeah," Luke nodded in agreement. "They're gone now, though," he assured the others. "Sounds like they were fighting..." Luke could sense that Obi-Wan was feeling at ease now, and that there was no danger.

But now he sensed someone else approaching, and a moment later the others looked up in surprise. "Hey!" Jonah grinned cheerfully, as Owen's ship appeared overhead, then landed on the canyon road. "Ben's here!"

_Cool!_ Luke grinned, going over to greet him with the others. "How's it going?" Owen asked hopefully, coming down the ramp along with Ben Kenobi, who was already in costume, wearing his tattered old Jedi tunic and brown cloak.

"Fine," Jonah told his father. "We got some good footage with Sand People, and then - um... Yeah, it's fine," he lied cheerfully, deciding not to mention to his father - in front of Ben Kenobi, who was here on a Womp Rat waiver - that their filming had just been interrupted by giant man-eating dragons. "Hello, Ben," Jonah added politely.

"Hello, Jonah," Ben nodded, his blue eyes twinkling. "Hello, Luke; hello, Dorian," he added, greeting them cheerfully. "And you must be Julian," he guessed, shaking his hand warmly.

"Yes, sir; it's nice to meet you," Julian said, as Luke and Dorian nodded in greeting. _Wow... He reminds me so much of Obi-Wan,_ Luke realized once again. He had only met Obi-Wan's uncle twice before, though he'd seen him many times on the holo; but in person, the similarity was uncanny.

"So," Ben continued, with a mischievous smile. "I've signed my Womp Rat waiver, and now I'm ready to go to work... What are we doing here?" he asked hopefully, giving Jonah a curious look now

"Uh... Am _I_ directing this?" Jonah blinked in surprise, looking at this father uncertainly.

"Yes," Owen nodded. "I've got some other things I need to take care of before the Anchorhead shoot, so you're in charge here," he said, patting Jonah encouragingly on the shoulder. "Don't worry... Ben's a pro; he'll help you out if you get stuck," Owen reassured his son, as Ben nodded in cheerful agreement. "Basically we just need to you to play back Artoo's message... Luke, have you had any luck with that?" Owen asked hopefully.

"Not yet," Luke admitted. "But I've deprogrammed him, so at least he'll stop chasing after Obi-Wan," he added; Luke had been working on Artoo inside the little recessed cave while they had hidden from the Krayt dragons. "And I should be able to fix his recording system; it just needs a little more work," he assured the director.

"Great," Owen nodded appreciatively. "Aside from that, just - wing it," he instructed Jonah cheerfully, waving confidently as he headed back up the ramp of his ship. "Try to make some sense of Artoo's message, if you can... And give me a call when you're done here - just before you leave, okay?"

"Okay, Dad," Jonah nodded obediently, failing to notice the mischievous twinkle in his father's eyes; but Luke saw it now, and sensed Owen's quiet amusement. _What's he up to?_

"All right... Good luck," Owen said, retracting the ramp to his ship. "And Luke - keep those Womp Rats away," he added pointedly. "That's the most important thing," he reminded him.

"I will; don't worry," Luke promised, laughing quietly as Ben dramatically clung to his arm, casting a worried look around the canyon. _Haha... As if Womp Rats really come out of their holes and bite people for no reason..._ Luke waved to the director as the ship's hatch closed, and a moment later Owen took off, heading back toward Dale's moisture farm.

"So," Jonah said, trying to decide how to proceed. "At this point Luke is unconscious, and this is where Ben comes along and fights off the Sand People," Jonah proposed, reminding them of their plan. "Actually," he said, his brows furrowing. "How about if you _scare_ us off?" he suggested to Ben. "Because we already ran away, before you got here," Jonah confessed. "We were - uh, pretending to be scared of something," he explained vaguely, as Ben nodded seriously, and Luke and the others tried to keep straight faces.

"Hey!" Dorian blinked thoughtfully now. "I have an idea... Obi-Wan likes making dragon calls, right?" he asked, feigning innocence. "What if we pretend that Ben has just made a Krayt dragon call to scare us off, and - well, I'm sure the editors can figure out a way to add the sound effects in later, right?" he proposed.

Julian laughed quietly, shaking his head; but Jonah played along. "Wow... That's a great idea, Dorian," he agreed. "Let's do that... Ben, maybe you could come down from that ridge over there?" he suggested.

"Very well," Ben agreed, hiking up the rocks; but now Luke chased after him, remembering his duty.

"Let me just do a quick check for Womp Rats," Luke said, running up to the top of the ridge. _No Womp Rats... No dead carcasses lying around... No Krayt dragons galloping through the canyon..._ "Okay, all clear," Luke announced, giving Ben a reassuring smile as he climbed back down the ridge again.

"All right... Action!" Jonah called from below, as Ben dutifully emerged at the top of the rocky ridge; but suddenly Ben lost his footing, flailing his arms around in an attempt to regain his balance. _Ahh!_ Luke blinked anxiously, seeing Jonah's worried cringe; they had been so busy worrying about Womp Rats and Krayt dragons that they hadn't considered the basic fact that perhaps the terrain itself wasn't entirely safe for the elderly actor.

But thankfully Ben regained his footing, coming down the ridge to join them, though he covered his face in embarrassment. "I'm sorry about that," Ben laughed, shaking his head. "Let me try that again," he said, climbing back up the ridge.

But Jonah stopped him. "No, actually - that was perfect," he assured Ben quickly. "It looked like you were doing... something scary," he added tactfully, as Luke, Dorian and Julian nodded in heartfelt agreement, not wanting to risk sending Ben up there again.

"Oh? Very well," Ben agreed good-naturedly, as they continued back down to the road.

"All right... Luke, do you remember where we dumped you?" Jonah asked, looking around uncertainly.

"Yeah," Luke said cheerfully, nodding. "I was right here," he remembered, lying down in his previous spot and dutifully pretending to be unconscious.

"Okay... Action!" Jonah called, as Ben approached Luke now, kneeling beside him and checking for his pulse. _Uh, Ben? We don't do it that way,_ Luke thought worriedly, feeling a gentle squeeze on his wrist; but thankfully Ben quickly realized his mistake and let go, putting a hand on Luke's forehead, in the manner of a Jedi healer. _Yeah, perfect..._

But now Luke suddenly realized the awkward position he was in. _Oh, crap! This is exactly what Obi-Wan warned me about..._ Luke had heard horror stories of his Master's old _JEDI_ experiences with pretending to be unconscious or injured; poor Obi-Wan always ended up looking a bit silly, being completely incapacitated one moment, then miraculously healed the next.

_At least Master Yoda isn't levitating a giant pillar over my head,_ Luke consoled himself, hoping he didn't look completely ridiculous. _But would it make sense for me to wake up now?_ he wondered. _Ahh, I don't know!_

"Hello there," Ben announced in a loud, dramatic voice, obviously trying to rouse him. _Haha! Okay, I guess that's my cue,_ Luke laughed to himself, blinking groggily awake. _Wow, this is going to look really silly..._ But now he realized his mistake, and quickly closed his eyes again. _Oops... He was talking to Artoo._

"Come here, my little friend," Ben said to Artoo, as Luke continued to feign unconsciousness. _Or maybe I SHOULD wake up?_ "Don't be afraid," Ben reassured the astrodroid. "Oh, don't worry; he'll be all right," he added dismissively.

_Ahh, this is awkward..._ Luke subtly rolled his head to the side, opening his eyes a tiny crack to see what was going on; but now Ben was attending to him, and Luke decided to make his move, moaning quietly and blinking groggily awake.

"Rest easy, son; you've had a busy day," Ben said, helping him to sit up. "You're fortunate to be all in one piece."

Luke blinked at him, pretending to be surprised and disoriented. "Ben?" he asked tentatively. "Ben Kenobi? Boy, am I glad to see you," he confessed; in truth he had been looking forward to working with Obi-Wan's uncle since yesterday. _Oh! Obi-Wan says hello, by the way,_ Luke cringed, realizing he'd forgotten to extend his Master's regards. _And Qui-Gon too..._

"The Jundland Wastes are not to be traveled lightly," Ben reproached him gently, helping him to his feet. "Tell me, young Luke; what brings you out this far?"

"Ugh," Luke groaned, staggering over to a rock and sitting down to rest. "This little droid," he told Ben, pointing to Artoo. "I think he's searching for his former master," Luke explained. "But I've never seen such devotion in a droid before," he added, truly impressed. _I wish MY astrodroid had his dedication. And personality,_ Luke admitted ruefully. Most Jedi bonded with their astrodroids, and even enjoyed talking to them while flying; but Luke's R5 unit had never shown any interest in conversation whatsoever.

"Ahh..." _Oops! Is it still me?_ Luke blinked in surprise, when Ben didn't respond. _I guess so..._ "He claims to be the property of an Obi-Wan Kenobi," Luke added, thinking quickly. "Is he a relative of yours? Do you know who he's talking about?"

Ben raised his eyebrows dramatically, pretending to be gravely concerned by this revelation. "Obi-Wan Kenobi," he repeated thoughtfully. "Obi-Wan... Now that's a name I've not heard in a long time," Ben confessed. "A long time."

_And...?_ Luke waited patiently for Ben to reveal his true identity; but the actor appeared to be lost in his own thoughts. _Ahh! ME again? Um..._ "I think my uncle knows him," Luke improvised quickly, trying to remember their conversation this morning. "He said he was dead," Luke added uncertainly. _I think?_

"No, he's not dead," Ben assured him, casting a dramatic glance upward. "Not yet," he conceded; but once again he declined to elaborate on the point, and Luke realized it was his turn again.

_Wow, he really likes to draw things out... I guess that's why he's a famous actor, and I'm not._ "Well - you know him?" Luke asked next, trying not to laugh. _Haha! This is like playing twenty questions..._

"Well of course I know him," Ben replied. "He's me," he finally confessed, pointing to himself for added believability. "I haven't gone by the name of Obi-Wan since - oh, before you were born," Ben added vaguely.

"Well, then, the droid _does_ belong to you," Luke concluded, pointing to Artoo again and attempting to steer the conversation toward Leia's message.

But Ben didn't take the hint. "I don't seem to remember ever owning a droid before," he countered. _Ahh! Are we really going to argue over every little detail? Obi-Wan's a Jedi; he's owned a droid his entire life... Though technically it belongs to the Jedi Order,_ Luke confessed; but farm-boy Luke wouldn't know about any of that, and so he just sat there helplessly.

"Very interesting," Ben mused noncommittally._ Ahh! What do I say to that?_ Luke wondered; but now he looked up in surprise, hearing a loud grunting noise. _Huh?_

"Urrrrrggghhh!" Dorian yelled, cupping his hands to his mouth from behind the cameras, as Julian stifled a laugh. _Haha! Dorian's really good at that,_ Luke admitted, truly impressed; but now Jonah cringed in apology, gesturing for them to finish up the scene. _Oh, right! We have to get through this; we're expected in Anchorhead by noon..._

"I think we'd better get indoors," Ben said quickly, abandoning their previous conversation. "The Sand People are easily startled; but they'll soon be back, and in greater numbers," he warned Luke. _And clearly Obi-Wan would be terrified by that prospect,_ Luke laughed to himself, following Ben back toward the hovercraft. _Poor Master Obi-Wan..._

But now Luke looked back at Artoo, who was blipping and whistling anxiously. _What's his problem?_ Artoo had been interjecting worried twitters throughout the entire scene, and Luke hadn't been able to figure out what was wrong with him. _Ahh, I'll get Threepio to translate..._

"Threepio!" Luke remembered suddenly, running up to the ridge where Dorian had attacked him earlier. _Crap, I completely forgot... Oh no, his arm's fallen off,_ Luke realized, cringing worriedly.

"Where am I?" Threepio asked, as Luke and Ben helped him to sit up. "I must have taken a bad step."

_Uh... No, Dorian scared the crap out of you with all his grunting... And I guess we're still acting,_ Luke realized, as Jonah indicated for them to keep going. "Can you stand? We've got to get out of here before the Sand People return," Luke warned him, as Ben looked around anxiously for the fearsome creatures. _Great; now Obi-Wan has a Sand Person phobia..._

"I don't think I can make it," Threepio lamented. "You go on, Master Luke," he insisted selflessly. "There's no sense in you risking yourself on my account; I'm done for."

"No you're not," Luke chided him. "What kind of talk is that?" _We'll have you fixed up and conducting symphonies again in no time._

"Quickly," Ben warned them, as he and Luke helped Threepio to his feet. "They're on the move..."

"And... Cut," Jonah announced, grinning in relief as he finished directing his first full-length scene. "Thank you guys," he added gratefully, as they all continued up toward Buck's cliff-top hovel for the next scene. "That was really great."


	141. That's all right

**Chapter 141**

_Fifteen minutes later..._

"No, my father didn't fight in the wars," Luke laughed quietly, continuing to work on Threepio as they sat together in Buck's living room. "He was a navigator on a spice freighter."

"That's what your uncle told you," Ben countered regretfully. "He didn't hold with your father's ideals; he thought he should have stayed here, and not gotten involved."

"You fought in the Clone Wars?" Luke asked, feigning surprise.

_Did I say that?_ Ben laughed gently, amused by his grand-nephew's eagerness to jump straight to the point, rather than allowing the conversation to flow naturally. _I don't recall mentioning that..._ "Yes," Ben conceded good-naturedly. "I was once a Jedi Knight, the same as your father," he confessed, dropping a subtle hint at Anakin's identity. _I'm not supposed to tell him who his father truly is,_ Ben reminded himself regretfully. _Art imitates life..._

"I wish I'd known him," Luke said quietly now.

_You DO know him,_ Ben thought, smiling wistfully. _You just don't KNOW that you know him._ "He was the best star pilot in the galaxy," Ben told him proudly. _Still is..._ "And a cunning warrior," he added quietly. "I understand you've become quite a good pilot yourself," Ben continued, smiling fondly at his grand-nephew. _He reminds me so much of Anakin..._ Luke had inherited his father's blue eyes and golden-brown hair, though Luke's was a bit less unruly.

_And he shares Anakin's love for acting,_ Ben noted, seeing the happy sparkle in Luke's eyes now. _Meanwhile Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon can't be bothered; they're off nesting dragon's eggs and chasing after crystals,_ Ben laughed to himself. _But I'm glad,_ he confessed, grateful for the chance to spend some time with his grand-nephew.

"And he was a good friend," Ben added fondly; but now he caught Jonah's subtle gesture toward the little chest where they'd hidden Luke's lightsaber. _Ah! Time to move on,_ he chuckled to himself; Ben normally acted in more serious dramatic productions, and had never quite gotten used to _SITH's_ fast-paced action.

"Which reminds me," Ben said agreeably, getting to his feet and abandoning his previous attempt at conversation. "I have something here for you," he said cheerfully, going over to the little chest by the window. "Your father wanted you to have this when you were old enough; but your uncle wouldn't allow it," Ben improvised; then he hesitated. _Actually, does Anakin even know you exist?_ he wondered suddenly, trying to recall the details of the show.

_And for that matter... Didn't Obi-Wan simply TAKE his lightsaber from him, after chopping him to pieces and leaving him to burn? Hmm..._ But Jonah hadn't called for him to cut, and so Ben assumed that what he had said was all right. _Jonah is a third-generation Lars director,_ Ben reassured himself confidently. _He would know._

"He feared you might follow old Obi-Wan on some damn fool idealistic crusade, like your father did," Ben added, picking up Luke's lightsaber and holding it gingerly. _Ahh! Which end is the dangerous one?_ Ben had forgotten his own fake lightsaber aboard Owen's ship, and so they were forced to use Luke's real one for this scene. _There's the button,_ he noted worriedly, keeping it on top where he could see it. _As long as I don't press that, I should be all right..._

"Sir, if you'll not be needing me, I'll close down for a while," Threepio suggested now.

"Sure, go ahead," Luke nodded, as the protocol droid switched itself off. "What is it?" Luke asked Ben, coming over to inspect the hilt of his lightsaber, which Ben still held gingerly in his hands, avoiding the button at all costs. _Oh dear, I've got it the wrong way round,_ Ben cringed, realizing that the bad end was pointed straight toward his chest.

"Your father's lightsaber," Ben told him dramatically, masking his terror as he handed it to Luke. _Please, take this away from me before I kill myself._ "The weapon of a Jedi Knight," Ben continued proudly. _Ahh... I had it the right way after all,_ Ben realized gratefully, as Luke took it from him now. _At least Obi-Wan won't laugh at me for that._

"Not as clumsy or random as a blaster," Ben explained, as Luke switched the weapon on, missing Ben's head by mere centimeters and proceeding to wave it whimsically through the air, pretending not to know what he was doing. _Is he TRYING to give me a heart attack?_ "An elegant weapon, of a more civilized age," Ben added, cautiously moving out of the path of Luke's lightsaber and taking a seat again.

"For over a thousand generations the Jedi Knights were guardians of peace and justice in the Old Republic," Ben continued. _Generations?_ he wondered suddenly; history had never been his strong point._ Ah; no matter_. "Before the dark times... Before the Empire," he added gravely, as Luke switched off his lightsaber.

"How did my father die?" Luke asked curiously, sitting less than a foot away from Ben with the hilt of his lightsaber pointed straight at him, his thumb on the button. _Luke, have mercy on your poor old uncle..._

_Actually..._ Ben frowned uncertainly. "I'm sorry," he apologized, to Jonah. "How shall I answer this?" he asked. _Luke's father isn't technically dead; but I'm not allowed to say who he is..._

"Um... I'm not sure," Jonah confessed, his brows furrowing. "Hang on, let me ask Julian," he said, going into the other room, where Julian and Dorian were playing a board game.

"Ah, yes," Ben chuckled quietly, smiling at Luke. "I've heard that Julian is the mastermind behind this week's episode." _And he and your sister are dating, so I hear..._

"Right," Luke agreed, grinning cheerfully. "Julian is incredible; he came up with all of this at a party one night," he told Ben, obviously impressed. "He should write books," Luke added seriously.

"All right," Jonah announced, joining them again. "Here's what Julian said... You blame Anakin's death on Darth Vader, and say that _he_ killed him," he explained to Ben. "Brilliant, eh?"

"Oh my," Ben exclaimed, blinking in surprise. "Yes, that is quite... poetic," he agreed, truly impressed with Julian's idea. _He's a very bright young man... Leia has excellent taste,_ Ben thought fondly, happy for his grand-niece.

_And Dorian is married to my OTHER grand-niece,_ Ben laughed to himself. _Meanwhile Luke is in love with Anakin's padawan; they could be married already, for all I know._ Qui-Gon had told him of their secret romance years ago, but had sworn Ben to secrecy, insisting that not even Obi-Wan and Anakin were to know about it. _Ahh, Ana... __You would have had a good laugh over all this._

But now Jonah was indicating for him to continue, and Ben nodded, gathering his thoughts. "A young Jedi named Darth Vader - who was a pupil of mine, before he turned to evil - helped the Empire hunt down and destroy the Jedi Knights," Ben told Luke regretfully. "He betrayed and murdered your father." _That really is quite brilliant..._

"Now the Jedi are all but extinct," Ben lamented. "Vader was seduced by the Dark Side of the Force," he added, remembering the tragic bout of appendicitis that had reduced Anakin to a groveling wretch.

"The Force?" Luke asked uncertainly, pretending to have never heard of it.

_Ah, yes..._ "The Force is what gives a Jedi his power," Ben explained proudly. _I might not be able to teach you how to hold a lightsaber, but THIS I can manage._ "It's an energy field created by all living things," he continued reverently, remembering how Qui-Gon had first explained it to him, when _he_ had asked. "It surrounds us, and penetrates us; it binds the galaxy together." _And there was some bit that had to do with midichlorians, but I don't even pretend to understand that,_ Ben confessed, deciding to keep things simple.

Luke nodded, looking vaguely confused by this explanation; but now Artoo whistled at them, indicating that he was finished with his systems check after Luke's emergency repairs. _My goodness, he's happy to be working again,_ Ben chuckled in amusement, as the little astrodroid continued to chirp and twitter joyfully.

"Now, let's see if we can't figure out what you are, my little friend," Ben smiled affectionately, patting the little droid on the head and pressing the message button. "And where you come from." _Actually... Oh dear; yes, Obi-Wan would immediately recognize that this is an astrodroid,_ Ben realized. _And it's likely he would remember Artoo in particular, from working with him before..._ But once again, Jonah seemed pleased with his performance, and so Ben sat down again, turning his attention to Leia's transmission.

"I saw part of a message," Luke told him, resuming his work on Threepio's arm.

"I seem to have found it," Ben agreed, as Leia's holographic recording began to play.

_"General Kenobi,"_ Leia began. _"Years ago you served my father in the Clone Wars. Now he begs you to help him in his struggle against the Empire. I regret that I can't present my father's request to you in person; but my ship has fallen under attack, and I'm afraid my mission to bring you to Alderaan has failed," _she explained._  
><em>

_"I have placed information vital to the survival of the Rebellion into the memory systems of this R2 unit,"_ Leia continued. _"My father will know how to retrieve it. You must see this droid safely delivered to him on Alderaan,"_ she begged. _"This is our most desperate hour,"_ Leia pleaded. _"Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi... You're my only hope."_

Ben sat back thoughtfully, contemplating the message; they had all listened to it before the scene, and thankfully Leia's message was relatively straightforward. _She even tried to do a bit of an Alderaanian accent,_ Ben noted, proud of his grand-niece's acting talent. _That was quite good, actually._ "You must learn the ways of the Force," Ben suggested to Luke now, tying in their previous discussion. "If you are to come with me to Alderaan."

"Yes, sir," Luke nodded obediently, already on his feet and heading for the door. "I'm ready." But now he cringed, remembering. "Ahh! Sorry," Luke apologized, coming back inside. "I forgot to mention Owen," he confessed, sitting down again.

"That's all right," Jonah said cheerfully. "Just take it from there."

"Okay... Alderaan?" Luke repeated, as if baffled by the concept. "I'm not going to Alderaan! I've got to get home," he protested. "It's late; I'm in for it as it is," Luke said worriedly, getting up and heading for the door.

"I need your help, Luke!" Ben pleaded. "_She_ needs your help," he added, appealing to Luke's sense of chivalry. "I'm getting too old for this sort of thing," Ben admitted. _But apparently not too old to fight against Anakin in a lightsaber duel this afternoon,_ he chuckled to himself, deeply amused. _That will be interesting... Very interesting indeed._

Luke hesitated, obviously conflicted. "I can't get involved," he protested again. "I've got work to do! It's not that I like the Empire; I hate it, but - there's nothing I can do about it right now," he lamented. "It's all such a long way from here," Luke sighed dejectedly.

"That's your uncle talking," Ben countered, undeterred by Luke's impressive fit of whining.

"Oh, boy; my uncle," Luke sighed unhappily. "How am I ever going to explain this?"

"Learn about the Force, Luke," Ben urged him again.

Luke shook his head, turning to leave; but then he stopped. "Look, I can take you as far as Anchorhead," he offered reluctantly. "You can get a transport there to Mos Eisley, or wherever you're going," he suggested.

_Ah, yes... And then we will run into your friends at the local flight academy, and continue on to Alderaan - where we will happen to find the Death Star, and rescue Leia, before returning her home to her father,_ Ben recalled, trying to keep the plot of this episode straight. _Which means I still have time to talk Luke into coming with me..._ "You must do what you feel is right, of course," Ben agreed, accepting Luke's offer to escort him to Anchorhead.

"Cut," Jonah said, grinning cheerfully. "That was perfect! All right, I just have to give my dad a quick call, and then we'll head back," he told them, unclipping the transmitter from his belt and hitting the speed-dial button. "Hi Dad! We're done here... You said you wanted me to give you a call before we left?"

_Jonah's doing a wonderful job,_ Ben thought fondly, as he spoke with his father. _Ah, I remember when he was just a toddler..._ But now Jonah blinked in surprise, listening over the transmitter. "You're dead? Oh no! What happened?" he asked, sharing an amused grin with Ben and Luke; Julian and Dorian appeared in the doorway too now, their expressions curious. "Mom too?" Jonah asked, feigning horror.

"Okay," Jonah said now, nodding seriously. "Yeah, I remember the broken Sandcrawler; we passed by it on the way out here... Sure, we'll film a quick scene there, and then I'll send Luke back home to behold the carnage," he agreed. "All right... Bye, Dad."

"Bad news," Jonah announced, turning to the others. "My parents have been burned to death by Stormtroopers."

* * *

><p><em>A few minutes later...<em>

"It looks like the Sand People did this, all right," Luke observed, approaching the broken Sandcrawler. "Look, there's gaffi sticks, Bantha tracks," he improvised, holding Dorian's gaderffii and pretending to see Bantha tracks amidst the rubble. "It's just - I've never heard of them hitting anything this big before," Luke admitted worriedly.

"They didn't," Ben told him. _No kidding,_ Luke agreed, looking around at the bits and pieces of metal strewn about the site, evidence of the Jawas' battle against Jabba's bounty hunters a few months earlier. Dale had told them about the incident; the Jawas had stolen two Sandcrawlers from Jabba's warehouse, and the Hutt had sent his bounty hunters out to get them back.

_Looks like they put up quite a fight..._ Judging by the metal parts scattered around the Sandcrawler, Luke guessed that the Jawas had done some serious damage to their opponents. According to Dale, the bounty hunters had eventually given up in defeat, unable to fight back against the heavily-armored tanks, though one of the Sandcrawlers was no longer operable. In the end, the Jawas had accidentally launched a stink-bomb at their attackers, which not even Jabba's toughest minions could tolerate; the Jawas themselves had fled the battleground moments later, leaving their contaminated cloaks behind as they escaped in their remaining Sandcrawler.

_Thankfully the smell has worn off now,_ Luke noted gratefully, glancing at the little brown cloaks strewn about the battle site, amidst the bits and pieces of metal debris. _No, the Sand People couldn't possibly have done this._

"But we are meant to think they did," Ben said, continuing their detective work. "These tracks are side-by-side," he observed, pointing to the non-existent Bantha tracks. "Sand People always ride single file, to hide their numbers," he improvised. _Haha! Actually, no; Sand People are pretty disorganized,_ Luke laughed to himself.

_Hey..._ "These are the same Jawas that sold us Artoo and Threepio," Luke deduced brilliantly, pretending to recognize them from their little brown cloaks.

"And these blast points," Ben added, examining the broken transport. "Too accurate for Sand People. Only Imperial Stormtroopers are so precise," he observed, as Luke peered at the massively totaled Sandcrawler, trying to find any part of the wreckage that could be described as 'precise'. _This is so fun..._

"But... Why would Imperial troops want to slaughter Jawas?" Luke asked, baffled; then he looked over at Artoo and Threepio. _Oh no!_ "If they traced the robots here," Luke continued, using the quaint local term. "They may have learned who they sold them to, and that would lead them back... Home," he realized suddenly, running toward Dale's hovercraft.

"Wait, Luke!" Ben called after him. "It's too dangerous!"

_Like that's going to stop me,_ Luke thought mischievously, hopping into the vehicle. _Okay, off I go... And thanks a lot, Ben,_ Luke grumbled resentfully, speeding back toward Dale's homestead. _You'd think a Jedi Master would offer to come along and help, rather than letting a poor, helpless little farm kid go off to face Force knows what, all by himself..._

_Whoa... Owen's been busy,_ Luke realized, stopping his hovercraft and staring in feigned horror at Dale's moisture farm, which was now spewing thick black smoke. _That's pretty intense..._ Luke walked cautiously closer, peering at the grisly, burned skeletons that lay outside the garage now, sprawled in decidedly undignified poses. _Yep... They're definitely dead,_ Luke admitted, deciding that an impassioned attempt to revive the skeletons would just look silly.

_Damn it,_ Luke sighed unhappily, hanging his head. _I wanted to do some kind of heroic rescue scene..._ But there was nothing left to be done here, and so Luke just gazed at the carnage sadly.

_Okay... Yeah, that's enough,_ Luke agreed, waving to Owen as he emerged from behind the garage. "We'll be back in a few minutes!" Luke yelled to him, as the director nodded, giving him the thumbs-up signal.

_Aww... Now I'm very sad,_ Luke sighed as he arrived back at the wrecked Sandcrawler, climbing out of Dale's hovercraft and hanging his head dejectedly as he trudged back toward Ben, who was now burning the ruined Jawa cloaks.

"There's nothing you could have done, Luke, had you been there," Ben said gently, in an attempt to console him. "You would have been killed too; and the droids would now be in the hands of the Empire."

_Yeah, you're right..._ But Luke hung his head for a moment, remembering that he had just lost his aunt and uncle, the only family he had ever known. _I should be going through the five stages of grief,_ he reminded himself. _Let's see: Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression, Acceptance... Yep, I'm done._ "I want to come with you to Alderaan," Luke told Ben, finally ready to move on with his life. "There's nothing for me here now." _Except maybe giving Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru half as good a burial as you've done for these Jawas,_ Luke realized suddenly. _Oops... _"I want to learn the ways of the Force, and become a Jedi like my father," he decided bravely.

"Cut!" Jonah said, as Dorian and Julian grinned in enthusiastic approval. "Great job! All right, we'd better head back to Dale's place," Jonah reminded them. "We're expected in Anchorhead in a few minutes."

* * *

><p><em>Meanwhile...<em>

"Don't worry about it," Dale laughed, as Owen cringed in dismay, realizing that the black paint he'd smeared all over his garage was not as 'washable' as the label had claimed. _It'll come off, but this is going to take a couple hours... And Rocco's expecting us - NOW,_ Owen realized, checking his watch.

"Go on ahead," Dale said; Jonah and the others were returning in the hovercraft now, gaping at the black, sooty mess that Owen had made of the moisture farm. "I'll clean up here," Dale assured him. "It's no problem."

_Ahh..._ "No," Owen said. "We'll do it, after we shoot the Anchorhead scene," he promised Dale. "And I'm not just being nice," Owen added, grinning. "We need to shoot a couple more scenes here, to make sense of what we've done," he admitted, realizing that they'd never explained _why_ Luke had gone off in search of Artoo. "And we can't very well do it with the place looking like this," Owen pointed out, giving Dale another apologetic look. "We'll be back this afternoon," he assured him, as Dale nodded agreeably.

_But I'd better give my dad a call, and let him know we're running a little late..._ "Hi, Dad?" Owen said, speed-dialing his father on Alderaan.

"Owen!" Cliegg replied cheerfully. "How's the shoot going?"

"Pretty well," Owen assured him. "Oh - I'm dead by the way; Beru too," he informed his father casually.

"I'm sorry to hear that, son," Cliegg sympathized. "Hang on, let me just write that down so I don't forget... _Owen and Beru: dead..._ Okay," Cliegg continued brightly. "Otherwise things are good?"

"Yes," Owen nodded. "We're just about to head into Anchorhead to film Jonah's scene at the flight academy, but I realized I'll need to come back here to Dale's afterward, to finish up a few things," he confessed. "And depending on how the Death Star shoot goes, we might be a little late getting to Alderaan," Owen admitted. "But if you could have Mara wait for us at the palace - "

"Eh, don't worry about it," Cliegg told him dismissively. "I just blew up Alderaan."

"Oh." _Of course you did._ "All right then," Owen continued calmly. "So I guess we'll just continue straight to Yavin IV after we film the Death Star scenes," he proposed; but now he frowned. "Dad... How are we going to _find_ the Death Star, if it's not outside Alderaan?"

"Good question... Uh, how about you guys get some quick footage of the asteriod field off Geonosis," Cliegg suggested. "And we'll say _that's_ Alderaan."

"All right; sounds good," Owen agreed, nodding. "Okay, we're heading into Anchorhead now," he told his father. "I'll see you on Yavin IV."


	142. Cliegg just blew up Alderaan

**Chapter 142**

_Half an hour later..._

"I wonder how many X-wings the flight academy has," Jonah chattered excitedly, as Owen set his ship down outside Rocco's Flight Academy in Anchorhead. "Dad, you said he has at least five, right?"

"So he says," Owen nodded good-naturedly. "Though mostly he specializes in Y-wings, and T-16 Skyhoppers," he confessed. _Ah, I'll be glad to get this over with..._ Rocco had been difficult to work with from the very beginning; but he _did_ run the only flight academy in Anchorhead, and Owen was grateful to find a school that wasn't in Mos Eisley.

_We'll just get through Jonah's scene, and then be on our way..._ Owen pressed the buzzer on the door, as Jonah and the others continued to discuss their plans for the upcoming scene.

_Huh,_ Owen frowned, pressing the buzzer again. _No one's answering..._ He shared a concerned glance with Ben Kenobi now, peering in through the window. _Lights are off... Ahh, do I have the right address?_ Owen checked his datapad, making sure. _14 Trillian Way,_ he confirmed. _Yeah, this is the place..._

"Let me give him a call," Owen said, as the others peered inside the window, confused. "Hi, Rocco? It's Owen Lars. We're at the - Academy," he told him, frowning uncertainly at the run-down building. _Eh, I should have known this place wasn't everything he claimed it was..._ "We're at the front entrance now," he told him politely.

"All right, I'll be right out," Rocco said brusquely. "You know, we _do_ have a doorbell," he added wryly. "You could have saved yourself the call."

_Ah. How silly of me._ "Sorry; I see it now," Owen said politely, not wanting to get into an argument with the man.

"Okay, I'll be there in a second," Rocco told him, hanging up.

_Ugh, let's just film this and get out of here._ Owen managed to smile pleasantly at the others, not wanting to spoil Jonah's excitement; he had been looking forward to directing this scene for the past two weeks. But a minute passed, and then two; and still Rocco didn't show up.

_Damn it..._ Owen pressed the buzzer again; then, deciding it wasn't working, he called Rocco on the transmitter. "Hi, Rocco?" he said politely. _He must be really busy..._

"Yeah, where are you?" Rocco asked, annoyed. "I'm at the front entrance."

_Huh?_ Owen looked around for him. "So are we," he told him. _At least, I THINK we are..._ "Let me just make sure I have the address right," Owen said. "You're at 14 Trillian Way, in Anchorhead?"

"Ahh," Rocco sighed. "No, no, no," he told Owen. "I'm in Mos Eisley; that's just our old warehouse in Anchorhead," he told him.

"It is?" Owen asked, valiantly trying to keep his temper. "Your ad in the directory claims that you run the best flight academy in _Anchorhead,_" he pointed out.

"Eh, I used to teach in Anchorhead, but I moved to Mos Eisley, a little over a year ago," Rocco explained. "It takes a while for the local directory to update their information."

"Ah." _Damn it,_ Owen sighed. _I should just cancel the whole thing..._ But he saw the dismayed look on Jonah's face now, and managed a reassuring smile. _We can still do this..._ "All right," Owen said, deciding to roll with the punches, as always. "What's your address there in Mos Eisley?"

"42 Luzoch Street," Rocco told him. "Not far from Jabba's Palace," he added importantly. _Perfect..._ Owen had hoped to avoid Mos Eisley for precisely that reason; but he nodded wearily, resolving to keep a low profile.

"All right," Owen told Rocco. "We'll be there in about fifteen minutes."

"Ahh," Rocco sighed in annoyance. "I've got a class starting ten minutes from now," he told Owen.

"What?" Owen blinked. "You said you had time to squeeze us in after lunch," he reminded him.

"I said I _might_ be able to," Rocco countered. "Like I told you yesterday - I'm booked solid this afternoon," he reminded Owen. "But I have an opening first thing tomorrow morning... Nine a.m.," he offered.

_Ahh..._ Owen sighed, weighing his options. _I could try to find another flight academy in Mos Eisley,_ he considered. _But the more people I talk to, the higher the chance that Jabba will get wind of what we're doing..._ "All right," Owen agreed. "Nine a.m. tomorrow... We'll be there," he confirmed, giving Jonah a rueful smile as he hung up.

"Sorry," Owen apologized to the others, as they boarded his ship once again, heading back to Dale's homestead. _Thankfully the Alderaan shoot has been cancelled anyway,_ Owen consoled himself, as he and the others set to work on cleaning up Dale's soot-covered garage. _We can film the Death Star scenes tomorrow, and still make it to Yavin IV, hopefully before the Executor gets there._

It was sunset by the time they finished cleaning off the last of the soot, and Owen stepped back to inspect Dale's garage, making sure they hadn't missed anything. "Ahh," he sighed wearily, smiling in appreciation as Beru joined him, massaging his tense shoulders. "I will be _so_ glad to get off this planet," Owen confessed, with a rueful grin.

Beru smiled sympathetically. "It _is_ beautiful though; in its own way," she admitted, still massaging his shoulders as they gazed quietly at the double sunset. "I remember when we filmed here the last time," Beru said, smiling fondly. "Jonah was just a baby."

"You're right," Owen realized, blinking in surprise. "I had forgotten," he confessed, giving Beru a grateful smile as he wrapped an arm around her, admiring the twin sunset for a moment_. _

But then a thought occurred to him. "We should get a shot of Luke, right there on that ridge," Owen suggested. "The same spot where Obi-Wan brought him to us, as a baby," he pointed out, pleased with the idea.

"That would be perfect," Beru agreed, smiling. "Don't take too long though," she scolded him affectionately, as she headed back toward the house. "Dinner will be ready in a few minutes."

"All right," Owen agreed, nodding obediently. "We'll be right there."

* * *

><p><em>That really is a beautiful sunset,<em> Luke thought, climbing up to the little sandy ridge and gazing at the twin suns. _Ahh, but I'm frustrated,_ he reminded himself, trying to look troubled. This scene was being filmed out of order, to explain why Luke had sped off in Dale's hovercraft this morning, chasing after Artoo.

_I'd better get back to work on those droids,_ Luke sighed, hanging his head sadly and turning back toward Dale's garage. _Though what the heck I've been doing all day since this morning's breakfast conversation, I don't know,_ he laughed to himself, as he entered the workshop.

"Oh!" Threepio exclaimed suddenly, jumping out from behind Dale's speeder.

"What are you doing hiding back there?" Luke chided him. _Haha... I love working with Threepio._

"It wasn't my fault, sir!" Threepio protested. "Please don't deactivate me! I told him not to go, but he's faulty; malfunctioning," the protocol droid explained. "Kept babbling on about his mission."

"Oh no," Luke exclaimed, running back outside. In truth, Artoo was in the kitchen helping Beru with dinner; but Luke scanned the horizon now with his night-vision binoculars, searching for the runaway astrodroid.

"That R2 unit has always been a problem," Threepio confessed, joining him outside the garage. "These astrodroids are getting quite out of hand. Even I can't understand their logic at times," he admitted.

"How could I be so stupid," Luke lamented, still searching for the missing droid. _Seriously... It takes a LOT of stupidity to lose a droid, when your only task for the day was to clean it up... This is even worse than the whining,_ Luke laughed to himself, amused by his character's astounding ineptitude.

"He's nowhere in sight," Luke confessed. "Blast it!" he cursed in frustration, using the naughtiest word that Master Obi-Wan had ever allowed him to say out loud.

"Pardon me, sir, but couldn't we go after him?" Threepio suggested.

"It's too dangerous with all the Sand People around," Luke told him. "We'll have to wait until morning."

"Luke!" Owen called, from inside the house. "I'm shutting the power down!"

"All right, I'll be there in a few minutes!" Luke yelled back to his uncle. "Boy, am I gonna get it," he muttered unhappily. "You know, that little droid's going to cause me a lot of trouble," he told Threepio.

"Oh, he excels at that, sir," Threepio agreed.

"Come on," Luke grumbled, heading back inside for dinner. But then he smiled delightedly as he entered Dale's kitchen, where Beru and Artoo were making dinner. _Wow... Whatever they're making sure smells good..._

* * *

><p>"What is this?" Obi-Wan asked curiously, taking a bite of Beru's delicious leftovers, as he sat nestled between the remaining two dragon eggs.<p>

"Potato cheesy poofs," Luke told him, sitting cross-legged on the cavern floor and holding the baby dragon in his arms. _Chick-Chick is so cute,_ Luke thought, petting his nubbly little forehead. "Beru and Artoo made them," he explained. "You have to keep the temperature absolutely even while you're cooking them, or else they don't turn out right," he added. "That's why you need an astrodroid to monitor the oven temperature."

"Really?" Obi-Wan asked, surprised. "Goodness, that's quite involved," he admitted. "They're delicious though," he confessed, nodding appreciatively.

"Yes, it's a Tatooine specialty," Qui-Gon agreed, enjoying his dinner as he sat beside Luke. "And you would know about potato cheesy poofs," he reproached his former padawan, "if you had accepted Shmi's dinner invitation the _last_ time we filmed here on Tatooine, instead of chasing after your precious dragons."

Luke grinned shyly, catching the amused twinkle in Qui-Gon's eyes by the light of the campfire. _Poor Master Obi-Wan,_ he laughed to himself. _He's fifty-five years old, and still getting in trouble for things he did as a padawan..._

But now Obi-Wan blinked in surprise. "Is _that_ what Anakin was going on about?" he asked, peering at his potato cheesy poof with newfound appreciation. "When I first took him as my padawan, he kept asking for poofy - cheesy - something-or-others," Obi-Wan confessed. "I had no idea they actually existed."

Qui-Gon smiled quietly, gazing into the campfire; but now he turned to Luke, his expression thoughtful. "How did the filming go today?"

"Oh! Good," Luke told them. "Well, mostly," he conceded, grinning. "Artoo kept running away, Threepio's arm fell off... and you're terrified of Sand People," Luke informed Obi-Wan, with a mischievous smile.

"Oh dear," Obi-Wan laughed. "I see Ben's been up to his usual tricks... I'm afraid of Sand People now?"

"Apparently," Luke nodded apologetically. "Ben says hello, by the way," he added, to Qui-Gon as well. Although he was Obi-Wan's uncle, both Ben and Qui-Gon had specifically asked to be remembered to each other, and Luke had been surprised to learn that the two of them were actually quite close. _I guess they've worked together a lot on SITH,_ he realized now; Ben usually played Obi-Wan's part on the show, but Qui-Gon had no stand-in.

But now Obi-Wan's brows furrowed thoughtfully. "What are you still doing here?" he asked Luke. "Weren't you supposed to film on the Death Star this afternoon?"

"Yes," Luke nodded. "But... well, a lot of things went wrong," he confessed, sharing a rueful grin with Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon. "And in the end we couldn't film Jonah's flight academy scene; we're doing that tomorrow morning... in Mos Eisley," Luke admitted. _Ahh... I'll have my work cut out for me, if Jabba hears we're filming there..._

"Oh dear," Obi-Wan murmured, sharing a worried look with Qui-Gon.

"What time will you be there?" Qui-Gon asked.

"We're expected at nine," Luke told him. "And hopefully the scene will just take a few minutes... We're going to try to keep a low profile," he promised.

Qui-Gon nodded. "I'll be there, just in case," he told Luke. "Not that you can't handle it," he added, smiling fondly. "But it doesn't hurt to have an extra pair of eyes and ears," he pointed out. "Besides, I'll need to get some more supplies," he confessed. "Since no one will be delivering potato cheesy poofs to our door, after you leave for Alderaan."

"Oh!" Luke blinked, remembering. "Actually, we're not going to Alderaan," he told the others. "Cliegg blew it up," he explained, with a rueful laugh.

"Oh my," Obi-Wan chuckled. "This is turning out to be quite an episode; I can't wait to see the final broadcast," he said. "Now, you two had better hatch before the end of the week, if you know what's good for you," Obi-Wan added sternly, to his remaining eggs.

Luke grinned, catching Qui-Gon's amused look. _Ah, I'll miss camping with them tomorrow night,_ he confessed, gazing quietly into the campfire; but now he looked up through the little hole above the cave, out toward the starry night sky beyond.

_I wonder how Mara's doing..._

* * *

><p><em>Ohhhhhhh,<em> Mara sighed blissfully, laying her head against the feather pillow and sinking down into the soft mattress of her bed. _This is definitely the nicest castle I've ever stayed in._

It had been a wonderful day. After spending the entire afternoon exploring the city of Aldera - all by herself - she had returned to the castle for a delicious dinner, followed by a live theatrical production. Mara had expected the play would be boring, as it had been written by some dead poet hundreds of years ago; but she had found herself strangely drawn to the story of two forbidden lovers, whose planets were at war with each other.

_It's not so different from Luke and me,_ Mara thought, gazing out the window at the starry sky as she lay in bed. _We have to keep our love a secret as well,_ she admitted; but then her brows furrowed indignantly as she remembered the play's tragic ending. _We're not going to get ourselves killed stupidly, though,_ Mara decided. _Those two were really dumb..._

But now Mara blinked in surprise as she heard a soft thump against her window. _Huh?_ She sat up quietly in bed, peering cautiously outside. _Someone's out there..._

_But who?_ Quietly, Mara got out of bed, tip-toeing over to her window to investigate. _A burglar?_ she wondered, her senses on the alert. _No,_ she frowned, sensing no malicious intent. _Whoever it is, they're frightened,_ Mara could tell. _And upset..._

_And they're not trying to break INTO the castle,_ Mara realized, as a shadowy figure appeared over her bedroom window, climbing slowly downward. _They're trying to get out... What the heck?_ Mara wondered, going over to her window now and opening it up.

"Hello?" Mara asked softly, curious as to who might be trying to scale the castle walls in the middle of the night.

"Ahh!" came a frightened gasp; Mara reached a hand out, grabbing the mysterious climber by the arm. It was a girl her own age, dressed in a fine silk nightgown and clinging to a rope made of linen sheets. _Well that's not entirely safe,_ Mara blinked in concern, peering down at the lake a hundred feet below her window.

"What are you doing?" Mara asked the girl, pulling her inside to safety.

"Nothing," the girl protested unhappily, keeping her voice low; she had dark hair, and big brown eyes which glistened with tears. "I was just - nothing," she insisted again, shaking her head pathetically.

"Actually... _Nothing_ is what everyone else in this castle is doing right now," Mara corrected her. "It looks like you're doing _something,_" she pointed out, glancing at the rope of sheets. _She came from the top of the turret... Oh!_ "You're the princess," Mara realized, blinking in surprise. "Ariel," she added, remembering the girl's name.

Ariel hung her head, nodding reluctantly. "Yes," she confessed, still blinking back tears.

Mara nodded quietly, concerned for the girl. _I heard she wasn't feeling well; that's why she wasn't at dinner tonight._ "I'm Mara," she said politely, remembering her manners. "Mara Jade."

"Yes, I know." Ariel smiled shyly, giving Mara a hesitant glance. "I've seen you on _SITH_."

"Oh," Mara nodded; then her brows furrowed in concern. "Are you all right, Milady?" she asked. "I'd heard you were sick," she confessed, blinking in confusion at the rope of sheets again.

"Yes, I - " Ariel sighed, tears springing to her eyes again. "I'm fine," she insisted. "I'm sorry to disturb you; I'll be out of your way," she apologized, heading for the door.

"Wait," Mara called after her quietly. _Something isn't right here..._ "What were you doing?" she asked again, glancing toward the window. "You can tell me," Mara added gently. "I mean... As long as you're not committing a crime, I don't have to report you," she promised. _Gah, that sounded lame..._

Ariel laughed ruefully. "No, I wasn't committing a crime," she assured Mara; then she hung her head. "I was running away," she confessed, looking at the floor.

Mara nodded. "I thought maybe that's what you were doing," she admitted. "Why?" Mara asked, sitting down on the edge of her bed and offering her blanket to the shivering princess.

"Thank you," Ariel said, sitting down next to her and wrapping the blanket around her shoulders. "I - " she began to explain herself, then sighed, looking down. "It's complicated," Ariel apologized.

"Yeah," Mara sighed, nodding. "These things usually are," she agreed sympathetically. "I tried to run away once," Mara confessed. _I always like when Master Anakin tells me he's done the same stuff I have... It makes me feel less stupid about it._ "It was complicated too," she agreed, giving the princess a commiserative smile.

"Really?" Ariel asked; but then she nodded in acceptance, a look of understanding in her brown eyes. "It must be strange, being a Jedi."

"Ha," Mara laughed. "Definitely," she agreed. "Well... sometimes," she admitted, grinning. But suddenly it occurred to her what Ariel was hinting at. _She's adopted,_ Mara realized. _She probably doesn't meet a lot of other orphans..._ "Sometimes I wonder about my real mother," Mara confessed; she was trying to cheer Ariel up, but it felt strangely comforting to talk to someone about her own feelings. "Who she is... What she's like... What she would think of me, if she ever met me," Mara admitted shyly.

Ariel nodded, smiling sympathetically. "And your father? Do you wonder about him?"

"Oh! Of course," Mara nodded quickly, giving Ariel a rueful grin. _Actually, I wonder about him a LOT... But not for that reason,_ Mara sighed, thinking of her father's disturbing Numerology obsession. "What about you, Milady?" she asked gently. "Do you ever wonder, about your real parents?"

"Sometimes," Ariel confessed. "Although most people don't dare to bring that up," she added, giving Mara a look of mild reproach. "At least not to my face," Ariel sighed regretfully.

"I'm sorry, Milady," Mara apologized, bowing her head. _Ahh! I'm not good at talking to people... Especially princesses..._ But now she caught the twinkle of amusement in Ariel's dark eyes.

"No... it's nice," Ariel assured her, smiling appreciatively. "It's nice to meet you; really," she insisted graciously, remembering her manners. "I'm sorry I missed you at dinner; I - " Ariel sighed, shaking her head. "How did the filming go, this evening?"

"Oh," Mara blinked, surprised. "We didn't do it... It was cancelled," she told the princess. "Cliegg and Palpatine decided to blow up Alderaan," Mara explained, grinning ruefully.

"Oh." Ariel nodded quietly; Mara could sense her very real dismay at this news. _Ahh! I shouldn't joke about blowing up her home planet,_ Mara realized, too late. "So... Are the others here?" Ariel asked hesitantly.

"No," Mara told her, masking her own regret. _I wish Luke could have come..._ "They're still on Tatooine."

"Oh," Ariel blinked. "So... they're not coming here at all?"

"No," Mara replied cautiously. _Why does she keep asking about them?_ "No, they're continuing straight on to Yavin IV, after they rescue Senator Amidala aboard the Death Star," Mara explained.

"Oh," Ariel nodded again; but now Mara peered at her curiously, trying to understand. She had felt Ariel's subtle flinch at the mention of Senator Amidala, and sensed her obvious relief to learn that they weren't coming here. _Force... Do OTHER people hate Leia that much?_ Mara wondered, blinking in surprise.

But then she realized what this was about. _Oh,_ Mara sighed regretfully, looking down. _Julian's the crown prince of Alderaan, and Leia might be his queen one day,_ she knew. _And Ariel was passed over for the crown, simply because she's adopted... Yeah, that totally sucks,_ Mara admitted, suddenly understanding Ariel's unhappiness, and the reason behind her feigned illness this evening. _I wouldn't want to see them either, if I were her._

_But it's not my place to bring that up,_ Mara decided regretfully. _Except... If I don't, who will? Gah, I suck at this sort of thing..._ Mara sighed, trying to think what to say. _All I know is that when I'm upset about something, I NEED somebody to push me, and force me to talk about it. And then I feel better..._

"Forgive me," Mara said quietly. "But... I've heard the news - about Prince Julian, and Senator Amidala," she confessed gently, as Ariel gulped, trying to mask her unhappiness. "I know it's not my place, but... That's really unfair," Mara sympathized, giving Ariel an apologetic smile. "That's why you were running away... isn't it?"

Ariel laughed quietly, embarrassed. "Yes... I suppose," she conceded, nodding. "That probably sounds really stupid," she admitted, sighing unhappily.

"No," Mara assured her gently. _Well... Maybe a LITTLE stupid, but..._

"It's not that I care about being passed over for the crown - I don't," Ariel insisted; Mara could sense the truth behind her words. "I agree, that it should go to Ju... to Julian," she added bravely, though she had trouble saying his name. _Wow... She doesn't like him either..._ "I just can't help feeling like - " Ariel gulped sadly. "Like there's no place for me," she whispered, tears stinging her eyes.

Mara smiled sympathetically. "You'll find your place," she told Ariel gently. "This is a big castle," Mara pointed out. "And - I don't know Prince Julian very well, but he seems like a nice person," she continued, as Ariel nodded in quiet agreement. "And so is Senator Amidala," Mara promised, with a reassuring smile. _Whoa... Did I just say that?_ "They're not going to kick you out of your own home," she assured the princess.

Ariel laughed quietly. "I know," she nodded, giving Mara an appreciative smile.

"Good," Mara said, grinning. "And even if they _do_ - which they _won't,_" she insisted again. "Ariel, you'll find your place, where you _are_ wanted," Mara told her. "I'm sure there are lots of princes out there, who would want to marry you, and have you come live at _their_ castle," she pointed out, with an encouraging smile. "Not that I would know anything about that," Mara grinned shyly, looking down. _I'm just a Jedi; I know nothing of love... Aside from the fact that I'm getting married in - four more days!_ Mara giggled excitedly to herself, realizing that it was past midnight now.

Ariel nodded. "You're right," she agreed, with a shy smile. "I don't know... I love Alderaan," she confessed wistfully, gazing out the window. "But like you say, there are plenty of other princes out there," Ariel agreed, sighing. "I've already had offers from at least a dozen Solos," she confessed. "I could marry one of them, and be queen of the funny farm," she laughed, her brown eyes twinkling mischievously.

"Haha! There you go," Mara said cheerfully. "Although I'm sure you can do better than _that_," she added.

"Thank you." Ariel smiled appreciatively. "Really," she added sincerely, glancing toward the window where her rope of sheets still hung. "I'm glad I ran into you.. before I fell into the lake," she admitted.

"Yeah, so am I," Mara agreed, grinning. "I'm going to have to confiscate your sheets though," she informed the princess, raising an eyebrow in reproach.

"Ahh! Please do," Ariel cringed. "I was going to have a hard time explaining that to the maidservants."

"Don't worry about it," Mara assured the princess. "I'll take care of it."

"Thank you, Mara," Ariel said, getting up from the bed where they had been sitting. "I guess I should get back to bed," she added apologetically, heading for the door. "I'll see you at breakfast?"

"Yes," Mara nodded, smiling cheerfully. "It was nice meeting you, Milady," she said, bowing politely as they said goodbye. "I'll see you in the morning."

_This has been an interesting day,_ Mara thought, climbing out the window and up Ariel's rope of sheets, untying the end from the windowsill above her. _Wow, she must have strung about ten of these things together... Ahh, where should I put them?_ Mara wondered, frowning at the long rope of sheets, all tied together. _Laundry room, I guess,_ Mara decided, unclipping her retractor cable and rappelling down the side of the castle.

_Here we go,_ Mara thought cheerfully, finding the laundry room in the basement and slipping inside, then proceeding to untie the long rope of sheets, one by one. _This is kind of fun,_ she laughed to herself. _Ahh, I wish Luke were here, though,_ she sighed. _I wonder if he's still awake..._ Mara reached out with the Force, trying to sense him.

_Yeah, there he is,_ Mara thought happily, sensing her fiance on Tatooine. _Hi Luke... I love you,_ she sighed, closing her eyes and basking for a moment in his gentle, comforting presence.

But then she opened her eyes again, feeling something else: a presence that was actually quite similar to Luke's, but more intense, with a wild edge to it. _Haha... Hi, Master Anakin,_ Mara smiled fondly, her heart warming to realize her father was thinking of her. _Yeah, I'm fine,_ she assured him, sending out a happy feeling in return, as she continued to untie the last of Ariel's sheets.

_Thanks for asking._

* * *

><p><em>Meanwhile...<em>

"Is everyone all right?" Padmé asked hopefully, joining Anakin at her bedroom window, where he had been gazing thoughtfully across the sea of stars.

"Yes," Anakin said, kissing her tenderly as she wrapped her arms around him. "Everyone's fine... Although Mara still hasn't gone to bed yet," he added, his brows furrowing in disapproval. "She's doing really well, though," he admitted, his blue eyes glimmering with pride.

"I'm glad," Padmé sighed, laying her head against his chest as he stroked her hair softly. "I was sure you'd have to go out after her today," she admitted. "And then _I'd_ be left here on the Death Star to fight against your uncle Ben tomorrow," Padmé giggled.

"Ahh! Don't remind me," Anakin cringed, mortified.

Padmé laughed, kissing him again. "I'm glad the filming got delayed," she admitted.

"So am I," Anakin agreed, smiling wistfully. With everyone off filming on Tatooine and Alderaan today, Padmé and Anakin had spent most of the day together in Padmé's hotel room, while Leia and Saskia attended to the HOPE store.

"Well," Padmé giggled mischievously, taking him by the arm and leading him over to the bed. "Are you up for round seven?" They'd had to take a break for dinner, and Anakin had gotten waylaid by fans afterward, wanting to chat with him about the show; but finally he had managed to make his escape, and had dropped down through Padmé's ceiling a few minutes ago.

"Seven... is that what we're on?" Anakin blinked, impressed. "You know I can't count," he said, kissing her again as she helped him out of his Jedi clothes. "Speaking of which... eh, they're still there," Anakin sighed, pulling off his shirt and examining the faint marks on his arm. Padmé had finally convinced him that it was time to re-think his notation system, after discovering even _more_ numbers on his left leg this morning; they'd tried to wash them off twice already, but the black ink was still faintly visible.

"Maybe we can have another bubble bath after this," Anakin suggested, his blue eyes twinkling impishly as he crawled under the covers with Padmé, kissing her softly on the forehead. "Or two," he said, kissing her nose playfully, as Padmé giggled in delight. "Or three," Anakin sighed happily, kissing her on the lips. "Or four..."

_Here we go again..._ Padmé smiled in tender amusement as Anakin continued to plant little kisses all over her, counting as he went along. "Five," Anakin murmured, kissing her neck. _Haha... Help me..._ "Six..."

"You can have all the bubble baths you want," Padmé promised him, lovingly stroking his golden curls. Pillow talk had never been Anakin's strong point, and Padmé kissed her dear husband's soft, tender lips now in a desperate attempt to shut him up.

"I love you, sweety," Padmé murmured, sinking back against her satin pillow and smiling blissfully as he caressed her silky nightgown, snuggling closer. _But for the love of all things good, please stop counting,_ she giggled to herself, closing her eyes and sighing in relieved gratitude as Anakin finally gave up on foreplay, getting down to business.

* * *

><p><em>Meanwhile...<em>

_How am I going to get out of this?_ Han wondered once again, lying awake in his bunk aboard the _Millennium Falcon_ and staring anxiously at the ceiling. It had been two days since he'd been forced to dump his shipment of death sticks just off Coruscant, just minutes before being boarded by Anakin Skywalker and Mara Jade; Jabba had given him three days to set things right, but Han knew that tomorrow evening his time would be up.

_I have less than a day to come up with fifteen thousand credits,_ Han realized. _And I can't ask Lando for it; I WON'T,_ he scowled, still wounded over their recent falling out, and Victoria's cruel betrayal. _Besides, he doesn't have fifteen thousand anyway... Especially after what I did,_ Han confessed, recalling that he'd sold Lando's last shipment of Tibanna gas on the black market in retaliation. _And now Greedo's in Jabba's dungeon..._

"Ahh," Han groaned, sitting up in bed and pulling on his boots. _I'm not going to get any sleep tonight anyway,_ he admitted, buckling on his holster. _And fifteen thousand credits aren't gonna just magically appear overnight,_ he confessed, heading for the _Falcon's_ doorway and pushing the button to open the hatch.

"Rrraaauuughh?" came a surprised grunt from the other bedroom, as Chewbacca appeared, scruffing his hair sleepily. _"Where are you going?"_

"I don't know," Han said, shaking his head. "But I have to do _something,_" he told Chewie, shrugging. "You don't have to come," he added, though he knew it was futile to argue over that point.

"Rrrrrauugghhh," Chewbacca scolded him stubbornly, following Han down the ramp of the _Falcon_ and out into the dimly-lit streets of Mos Eisley. _"We'll find a way out of this,"_ he insisted bravely, as he had been saying for the past two days. _"We always do."_


	143. You will never find

**Chapter 143**

_The next morning..._

"Luke! Luke!" Owen called, looking around the recessed courtyard. "Luke!"

"Have you seen Luke this morning?" Owen asked, coming back into the kitchen, where Beru was making breakfast. _Oh no... Not another one of those damned vegetable shakes,_ Owen cringed, as Beru proceeded to stuff pieces of leafy greens into the whirring blender. _Can't we have oatmeal again?_

"He said he had some things to do before he started today, so he left early," Beru told him. Luke and Ben had left for Mos Eisley nearly an hour ago in Dale's hovercraft, getting a head start to film some scenery along the way.

"Did he take those two new droids with him?"

"I think so," Beru replied.

"Well he'd better have those units in the south ridge repaired by midday, or there'll be hell to pay," Owen grumbled, heading back outside to the courtyard.

_I hope they make it through the canyon all right,_ Owen sighed, climbing up the stairs to the garage, where Julian, Dorian, and Jonah were preparing Dale's speeder for their own trip to Mos Eisley. They had decided against taking Owen's ship into the city, as Jabba's spies kept a careful watch over the docking bays, alerting the Hutt of any unusual visitors; but smaller, local vessels attracted less notice, and so Owen and the others had decided to approach the city in two separate vehicles.

"She's all ready to go," Dale assured Owen now, patting the hood of his sporty little speeder. "I checked the fuel gauge; there's plenty to get you to Mos Eisley and back again," he promised.

"Thanks, Dale," Owen said appreciatively, as Jonah and the others packed the last of their costumes into the speeder, preparing for their scene at the flight academy. "Nice paint job," he remarked, admiring the snazzy white stripes on the front, and the little hood ornament on top. "Did you do that yourself?"

"Yeah," Dale nodded, grinning. "I bought her used, a few years back; she was in pretty bad shape, but I've had fun fixing her up again," he told Owen cheerfully. Owen had admired the sleek, triangular-shaped speeder in Dale's garage when they'd first arrived; but for the purposes of filming, he had decided to feature his older red hovercraft instead, to capture the backwards quaintness of Tatooine's rural areas.

"We'll take good care of her," Owen assured the moisture farmer, nodding appreciatively. "Hopefully we'll be back before noon... Ahh, I'll be glad to get this scene finished," he admitted, with a rueful grin. "And I hope Luke and Ben can find a way through the canyon pass," Owen sighed, casting a worried glance out toward the rocky ridge. Dale's sporty red speeder was better suited for the trip into Mos Eisley, as it was able to fly _over_ the ridge, avoiding the canyon road entirely; but the little hovercraft could only fly low to the ground, and Dale wasn't certain if the road to Mos Eisley was passable at the moment.

"Yeah, I was telling Luke before - I heard there was a pretty bad rockslide a few weeks back," Dale admitted, following Owen's gaze out to the canyon. "I'm not sure if it's been cleared by now, but hopefully they'll find a way through," he agreed. "Good thing he's a Jedi," Dale said, grinning ruefully.

"No kidding," Owen agreed, nodding. "And I'm glad Qui-Gon will be there," he confessed; Luke had returned from camping early this morning, and Owen had been relieved to hear that the Jedi Master had volunteered to come along for their trip into Mos Eisley.

"Yeah," Dale nodded confidently, gazing out across the desert. "They'll make it over the ridge, just fine."

* * *

><p><em>End of the line,<em> Luke realized, coming to a stop at the top of a high, rocky cliff. They'd managed to navigate their way through the canyon's winding dirt roads, though Luke had been forced to get out and levitate the hovercraft several times, in places where rockslides had made the road impassable. But now he got out, peering down over the edge of the cliff to the rock-strewn desert floor three hundred feet below him.

_Ahh... I MIGHT be able to levitate the hovercraft down there,_ Luke cringed; he'd never tried such a big job on his own before, especially over such a long distance, but theoretically he knew that it was possible. _And then Ben and I can rappel down there using my retractor cable..._

"Oh, my," Ben exclaimed now, joining Luke at the edge of the cliff and holding onto his arm for safety as he peered down over the edge. "That's quite a drop," he admitted, blinking in concern. But it was the only way to get to Mos Eisley; Luke gazed out across the desert now, seeing the white buildings of the city in the distance. "Do you think you can manage it?"

"Ahh," Luke sighed, peering downward again. "Yes, I think so," he nodded. "But... I've never done anything this big before, from such a long distance," he confessed. "I don't want to wreck Dale's hovercraft; especially with Artoo and Threepio aboard," he admitted. "I think we'd better wait for Qui-Gon," Luke told him, deciding to play it safe.

Ben nodded in agreement; then his brows furrowed. "What's taking him so long, anyway?" he asked, surprised. They had stopped by Obi-Wan's cave on their way out here, and Ben had been delighted to say hello to them, and meet the baby dragon; Qui-Gon had assured them that he'd be along in a few minutes, but that had been nearly half an hour ago.

"He's probably having trouble getting the love-craft started," Luke guessed, reaching out with the Force to sense the Jedi Master; but now he blinked in surprise. "No," he frowned, sensing something else. "He's... laughing, about something." Luke grinned, sharing an amused look with Ben now. _I wonder what that's about..._

"Oh dear," Ben chuckled. "Well, hopefully he'll be along soon," he sighed, peering out across the desert toward Mos Eisley. "That's a lovely view, actually," he remarked. "We could film a short scene here, while we're waiting for Qui-Gon."

"Sure," Luke nodded, helping Ben to unload Artoo and Threepio. _Yeah... Let's film a scene proving that we CAN'T get to Mos Eisley in a hovercraft,_ Luke laughed to himself. _Ahh, I love this show..._

"Mos Eisley, the spaceport," Ben announced dramatically, as they all stood at the edge of the cliff. "You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy," he warned Luke. "We must be cautious."

_I have to agree with you on that,_ Luke sighed, gazing at the city beyond. _But with any luck, we'll be in and out of there, before Jabba gets wind of what we're doing_. But now he looked up, sensing a familiar presence. "Qui-Gon's coming," Luke announced, sharing a relieved smile with Ben. _I'm glad,_ Luke confessed, peering over the edge of the cliff again. _I didn't want to try this by myself._

A minute later Qui-Gon's powder-blue WV71 Dove appeared over the ridge, folding its wings neatly overhead as it landed beside Dale's hovercraft. "Hello," Qui-Gon greeted them cheerfully, opening the rooftop hatch; but now Luke gaped in disbelief as the Jedi Master emerged from the cockpit. _What the...?_

Qui-Gon's grey hair, which he normally wore in a neat half-ponytail, now sported a blue paisley-patterned bandana, tied around his head; he was wearing a brightly-colored shirt, tie-dyed in a rainbow of swirls, over natural-fiber hemp pants, with brown leather sandals on his feet. _Whoa... That's some disguise._

"I see you're ready for our little trip," Ben observed politely, his blue eyes twinkling with amusement.

"Yes," Qui-Gon agreed, coming over to join them. "I thought Karro wouldn't mind if I borrowed some of his clothes," he explained, nodding toward his friend's love-craft. "Sorry I'm late," he added. "I had a bit of trouble getting the Dove started, and then when I asked Obi-Wan for help - dressed like this," Qui-Gon sighed, glancing down at his outfit - "Well, one of the eggs became curious as to what all the laughing was about," he explained. "And I'm afraid Asha's second hatchling is now named _'Aaack!'_," Qui-Gon laughed, a mischievous twinkle in his eyes.

"Oh my," Ben chuckled, shaking his head. "Obi-Wan will have his hands full now."

"That he will," Qui-Gon agreed. But now he peered down over the edge of the cliff curiously. "End of the road, eh?" he noted, glancing back toward Dale's little red hovercraft.

"Yes," Luke nodded, giving Qui-Gon an apologetic look. "I didn't want to try it by myself."

Qui-Gon smiled, patting him on the shoulder. "Well now you're not by yourself," he reassured him. "Go ahead."

Luke grinned, nodding appreciatively. _Okay, I can do this..._ Focusing his concentration, he reached out a hand, levitating the hovercraft toward the edge of the cliff, then slowly downward toward the rocky desert floor, three hundred feet below. _Ahh... Actually, this isn't nearly as hard as I thought it would be,_ Luke confessed; still, he was grateful to have an experienced Jedi Master by his side, ready to lend a hand in case he lost control.

"There you go," Qui-Gon nodded approvingly, as Luke gently set the hovercraft down on the desert floor. "Now, that wasn't so hard, was it?"

Luke grinned shyly. "No, Master," he agreed, grateful for his confidence. "Thank you."

Qui-Gon nodded. "I'll take Ben and Artoo the rest of the way," he proposed, glancing toward Mos Eisley in the distance. "The droids are less likely to be recognized, if they arrive separately," he pointed out. "Can you handle getting Threepio down there?" Qui-Gon asked, peering down at the hovercraft below them.

"Yes, Master," Luke nodded. "Thanks again," he said, waving to Ben and giving Qui-Gon a respectful bow as they boarded the love-craft once again. "I'll see you in Mos Eisley," Luke called after them cheerfully, unclipping his retractor cable from his belt and mercifully switching Threepio off as he prepared for their three-hundred-foot descent to the hovercraft below.

* * *

><p><em>Meanwhile...<em>

_"This is a bad idea,"_ Chewbacca warned Han, as they made their way through the streets of Mos Eisley. _"I don't like it,"_ he protested stubbornly.

"Well _I_ don't like it either," Han agreed defensively. "But we've run out of _good_ ideas," he pointed out, continuing through the streets toward Rocco's Flight Academy. "Bad ideas are all that's left to us."

_"Rocco's with the Nar Shadaa Mafia,"_ Chewbacca reminded him. _"You don't want to get involved with them."_

"It's just this one time," Han promised, leading the way toward Luzoch Street. "I'll make it clear that we're only freelancing." Han and Chewie had spent two whole days trying to come up with the fifteen thousand credits that Jabba was demanding by this evening; but they had less than ten hours left, and now was the time for desperate measures.

_Rocco will give us a job,_ Han knew. It was no secret to anyone on Tatooine that Han Solo was Jabba's top smuggler, possessing both the fastest ship in the galaxy _and_ a free ticket through the Jedi Border Patrol. _And smuggling crystalstim is where the big money is,_ Han admitted reluctantly.

Crystalstim was a man-made drug, derived from natural glitterstim and various other chemical compounds. It was extremely dangerous to produce, often resulting in massive explosions, but it was the hottest-selling drug on the market, as it gave users the exhilarating sensation that they were flying. It was available in a variety of forms, which were given aviatory nicknames such as 'X-wings', 'Y-Wings', and 'T-16 Skyhoppers'; and Rocco's Flight Academy was in fact a front for the Nar Shadaa Mafia's biggest crystalstim operation on Tatooine.

"I still don't like this," Chewbacca protested again, as they arrived at Rocco's main entrance.

"Neither do I," Han admitted quietly, pressing the buzzer.

* * *

><p><em>Finally,<em> Rocco sighed in annoyance, going to answer the door. Owen Lars had been a pain in his rear end over the past couple of days, insisting on reserving the entire place for a private appointment, then canceling several times at the last second; but Rocco had tried to accommodate him, knowing that the director of _SITH_ was obviously rich, and would probably bring him some good business in the future.

_He's got a lot of clout on Geonosis,_ Rocco knew. _And those actor types are all into drugs... Maybe Lars is interested in dealing for me,_ Rocco hoped, managing a courteous smile as he opened the door.

But the visitor at his front entrance was not Owen Lars; Rocco's brows furrowed in suspicion as he found himself face to face with Jabba's top smuggler, Han Solo, and his Wookiee partner.

"What do you want?" Rocco asked, eyeing the smuggler distrustfully.

"It's not what _I_ want," Solo countered, his voice low. "It's what _you_ want," he replied. "One shipment to Nar Shadaa - as much as the _Falcon_ can hold," he offered quietly. "Fifteen thousand, all in advance."

Rocco nodded, thinking it over. _One shipment, guaranteed to pass through Jedi Border Patrol,_ he mused. _Yes, that's easily worth fifteen thousand,_ he agreed. _I haven't got it at the moment... But if I can work out a deal with Lars, maybe I can get HIM to pay me in advance..._ "Come back in an hour," he told Solo.

Solo nodded in agreement. "One hour," he repeated, pointing a finger at Rocco in warning. "I won't offer again."

Rocco nodded in understanding, closing the door as the smuggler took his leave. But a few minutes later the buzzer rang again, and this time Rocco greeted the director of _SITH_.

"Hello; I'm Owen Lars," the middle-aged man introduced himself, shaking Rocco's hand. "Thanks for making time for us this morning," he added appreciatively, as Rocco invited him inside along with three younger men, all carrying bulky, nondescript bags over their shoulders. "We're not all here yet," Lars apologized, setting his bag on the floor and kneeling down to open it up. "The others should be along soon," he promised.

"Great," Rocco nodded, managing a courteous smile. _What's in all the bags?_ he wondered. Lars and the others were opening them now, and Rocco blinked in surprise as they pulled out several cameras, switching them on and setting them to hover around main lobby. "Hey," he protested worriedly. "No cameras."

"What?" Lars blinked, taken aback. "You said we could shoot here, at your academy," he reminded him, gesturing toward the flight simulators in the adjacent classroom. "That was the point of our coming here."

_What?_ Rocco's heart sank as he suddenly realized their misunderstanding. _When he asked if he and his crew could shoot here, I thought they wanted to shoot UP..._ Crystalstim was a dangerous and unpredictable drug, and Rocco - in addition to running a legitimate flight academy - also had drug dens in the back of his lot, where customers could shoot up in safety and privacy, remaining in the dens until the effects of the drugs wore off.

_But he's really here to film, for SITH,_ Rocco realized now, masking his anxiety as Lars and the others prepared to shoot a scene in the classroom. _This is a nightmare._ "Hey," Rocco said now, approaching the director and trying to look casual. "I didn't realize this was going to be for the show," he apologized to the director. "I thought you just... wanted flight lessons," he shrugged, nodding toward the flight simulators. In truth, Rocco _did_ teach classes here at the academy occasionally, but the school was merely a convenient front for his glitterstim operation.

"It's okay," Rocco added, nodding. _Ugh... I want to at least get paid for SOMETHING,_ he confessed, deciding to cut his losses. "You can go ahead and film inside the classroom," he told them. "But I don't want any publicity," he warned the director now. "You can't use my name, or show the outside of the building," he stipulated.

"That's fine," Lars nodded. Then he looked down the hallway, curious. "You did say you had a few X-wings?" he asked. "I'd like to start with the three of them taking a quick run through Beggar's Canyon, then returning back here to the classroom," the director proposed. "Don't worry; they're all licensed pilots, with excellent records," he assured Rocco, seeing his sudden worried expression.

_Uh... There IS no hangar. And the 'X-wings' I promised you aren't the kind you're talking about._ "No," Rocco said, shaking his head. "All of our training crafts have our logo painted on the outside," he bluffed. "I can't allow you to film them."

"We can work around that," Lars assured him. "We'll try to avoid close-ups, and I'll make sure the logo isn't visible in any of the shots we use," he promised.

_Ahh!_ "No," Rocco repeated stubbornly. "You can film in the classroom, on the flight simulators; that's it," he insisted, more sternly this time. _Because I haven't got anything else..._

Owen Lars sighed, nodding. "All right," he agreed reluctantly. "We'll film a couple of quick scenes, and then we'll be out of your way," he promised, managing a civil smile.

* * *

><p><em>A few minutes later...<em>

"Hey, Wedge!" Dorian greeted Jonah cheerfully, as they walked from the hallway toward the classroom, pretending to have just gotten in from flight practice. "What was your time?"

"Eighteen seconds," Jonah said proudly. "How about you, Tank?"

"Eh," Dorian sighed. "Twenty-one seconds," he confessed, shrugging. "I had a little trouble going into Beggar's Canyon." But now they looked up as Julian joined them. "Hey Biggs! How did you do?"

"Not bad," Julian replied, smiling mysteriously.

"And?" Jonah asked. "What was your time?"

Julian grinned. "Thirteen seconds," he confessed, obviously proud of himself.

"Thirteen seconds?" Dorian repeated, stunned. "Biggs... You didn't...?"

"You _did!_" Jonah gaped at Julian, incredulous. "You threaded the Needle!" The Needle was a tall rock formation in Beggar's Canyon, with a hole near its top; it was extremely dangerous to pass through, but in doing so, a pilot could shave several seconds off his total time. Jonah had put quite a bit of research into writing this scene, and Dorian stifled a laugh now at his eager enthusiasm.

"Shhh!" Julian warned him, looking around the classroom. "Wedge, not so loud."

"Seriously," Dorian agreed quietly, casting an anxious look toward the door. "Biggs, if Professor Torval finds out you threaded the Needle, you'll be grounded for a month."

"I know, I know," Julian nodded ruefully.

"Still," Jonah added, keeping his voice low. "Thirteen seconds through Beggar's Canyon... That's got to be the all-time record," he said, amazed.

Dorian and Julian shared a knowing look. "No," Julian said. "Tank and I know a kid who can do it in under twelve."

"Yeah," Dorian agreed. "In a little T-16 Skyhopper."

"No way!" Jonah blinked in astonishment. "Who's that?"

"Luke Skywalker," Julian told him. "He lives out on the other side of Anchorhead."

Dorian glanced toward the doorway, pretending to see Luke in the lobby. "Speak of the devil..."

"And... cut," Jonah said. "Ahh! That was perfect! You guys were terrific!" he told them, proud and excited that his big scene had gone off so well. "Thank you so much." Julian and Dorian nodded cheerfully, grateful that they had remembered all of their lines.

_We sure practiced it enough times,_ Dorian laughed to himself, as Owen congratulated his son on his first official _SITH_ scene, complete with original characters, scripted dialogue, and accurate details of the local terrain. _Yeah,_ Dorian agreed, impressed by Jonah's efforts. _That was really good._

_Aside from the fact that we didn't actually get to FLY any X-wings,_ Dorian sighed, glancing at Rocco now; he could sense Owen's frustration as well, but the director was valiantly keeping his cool. _We came all the way into Mos Eisley for this, and the guy will barely let us film anything at all._

But now the buzzer rang again, and Dorian went over to the door, answering it. "Luke," he exclaimed, seeing his little cousin-in-law standing there, along with Threepio. Then he blinked in concern. "Is Ben here?" _Or Artoo, for that matter?_

"No," Luke apologized, greeting the others as he came inside. "Ben and Artoo will be along in a few minutes," he explained. "Qui-Gon's working on a way to get them here without being recognized."

"Ah," Owen nodded. "Well, we're all ready for your entrance with Ben, as soon as he gets here," he told Luke. "Jonah and the others did their scene in one take," he informed him, patting Jonah proudly on the shoulder.

"Wow," Luke blinked in surprise. "You already went out in the X-wings?"

"No," Jonah said, casting a quiet glance toward Rocco's office. "We couldn't do it... Long story."

"Oh," Luke nodded; but Dorian caught the troubled look in the Jedi's eyes, and gave him a nod of silent understanding. _Yeah,_ Dorian agreed quietly. _Something doesn't feel right about this place._

_But then, why WOULD it feel right,_ Dorian sighed. _We are in Mos Eisley, after all... Crime capital of the galaxy._ It was obvious to all of them that Rocco's Flight Academy wasn't entirely legitimate, as he was completely paranoid about his place being recognized on _SITH_.

"Well," Owen proposed thoughtfully. "While we're waiting for Ben... Luke, do you think it's safe to film the street scenes we had planned, with Julian and Dorian?" he asked. "We can't film Ben out on the street; he'd be recognized... I might be too," Owen admitted. "Hovercams would attract too much attention; but if you think it's safe, Jonah could film a couple of quick shots with a little hand-held camera," Owen suggested.

"Yeah, that would be fine," Luke agreed, nodding. "There's plenty of people around; this area's as safe as any," he assured them; Luke had entered Mos Eisley in Dale's hovercraft, and had seen most of the city on his way here. "I'll take a quick walk around the block while you guys get into costume, just to make sure," he offered, heading toward the door again.

"Thanks, Luke," Owen nodded appreciatively. "All right," he continued, turning to Jonah and the others. "Try to keep a low profile," he instructed them. "Which means - Julian, we're going to have to give up on the arm-chopping scene," Owen told him regretfully; originally they had planned for Julian to attack Luke and Ben in Anchorhead wearing his furry Walrusk costume, at which point Ben would chop his arm off with a lightsaber. "But maybe you could just bump into Luke roughly, as you pass him in the street."

"Okay, sounds good," Julian agreed, glancing regretfully at the torn sleeve of his costume as he pulled it on now; he had chosen the costume specifically because the orange jacket was already severed at the elbow. "I'll try to keep this side away from the camera," he said, grinning ruefully as he pulled out his tusked mask.

"And Dorian," Owen continued, turning to him; then he laughed, shaking his head. "Eh, you'll do fine," he said, waving a hand dismissively. "Just follow Luke at a distance; you definitely look mysterious," Owen assured him, as Dorian pulled on a hooded black cloak over his long-snooted Woozle mask and goggles.

_"Zzzzip zzzip bzzzzzt,"_ Dorian replied, through his built-in kazoo. _Ahh, I love this costume..._

"I wish mine made noises," Julian laughed. "How do Walrusks talk, anyway? They just grunt, don't they?"

"Yeah," Dorian nodded. "Kind of like this... _Hnnnghhf,_" he grunted roughly, demonstrating.

"Urghh," Julian repeated uncertainly. "Ahh, I'm no good at that," he admitted, sighing.

"That's okay," Owen assured him, his eyes twinkling with amusement. "That's why we have sound editors, back at the studio," he told him. "Just do your best to grunt, and they'll add a voice modulator afterward - it'll sound just like the real thing," Owen explained. "Same thing with your Sand Person calls yesterday," he added, to Dorian.

"Really?" Dorian blinked, surprised. _Aww, I thought I did pretty good on my own..._ But he grinned cheerfully, curious to hear how it would sound when the episode aired. _That's actually really cool._

Luke returned a moment later, assuring them that the area was safe; then the four of them went out onto the street, with Dorian and Julian in costume, and Jonah quietly operating a small hand-held camera.

"Grrrr," Julian grunted now, bumping roughly into Luke as they passed each other; Luke gave him a distrustful look, but continued on bravely.

_Now it's my turn..._ Dorian quietly followed Luke in his Woozle costume, staying close to the side of the street and trying to look suspicious; to his surprise, he began to notice that total strangers were giving him a wide berth, not wanting to mess with him. _Ha! I really do look like one of Jabba's minions,_ Dorian realized, impressed.

"All right; I think we got some good footage," Jonah told them, as they returned to Rocco's Flight Academy. "That was great," he said cheerfully, as Julian and Jonah pulled off their masks.

Owen was speaking with Rocco now in the office, and Ben still hadn't arrived yet; Jonah sat down at one of the two flight simulators now, switching on the monitor screen. "Hey! There's a Beggar's Canyon simulator," he realized, starting the program. "Anybody want to race me?" Jonah asked hopefully.

Dorian laughed. "Yeah... Go on, _Biggs,_" he prodded Julian. "You're the expert; see if you can thread that Needle."

"Ha! Okay, I'll try," Julian agreed, sitting at the other flight simulator. "I'll probably blow myself up," he laughed, switching on the program.

Jonah and Julian proceeded to race through the simulated Beggar's Canyon program on their monitor screens, as Luke and Dorian watched over their shoulders; but a minute later Dorian blinked in surprise, realizing that the Jedi had disappeared. _Where did he go?_ Dorian wondered, peering down the hallway. _Ahh... He's probably checking out whatever's in the hangar, that Rocco didn't want us to see,_ Dorian guessed, sighing regretfully.

But as he turned his attention back toward the flight simulators, something else caught Dorian's eye, outside the classroom's window. _What the...? _He blinked in disbelief._ Is that who I think it is?_ Dorian wondered, peering out the window again.

Sure enough, it was an enormous Wookiee, accompanied by a tall, dark-haired human man. _Whoa. It's my cousin Han,_ Dorian realized in surprise. He had never met Han before, but the spice smuggler was quietly regarded as the black sheep of the royal family, being the only Solo who seemed to be _criminally_ insane.

_That's because most of them aren't smart enough to get away with the stuff that he does,_ Dorian sighed. The royal palace in Corellia also served as a licensed psychiatric hospital, and most of Dorian's relatives never wandered past the safety of the castle grounds. _Han's one of the luckier ones..._

_And Anakin says he's not such a bad guy,_ Dorian admitted, thoughtful. Anakin had approached Dorian two days ago - completely off the record - telling him that he'd boarded Han's ship off Coruscant the day before, but had found nothing illegal aboard. Anakin had accepted a bribe as a donation for HOPE, but had confessed to Dorian that he was concerned for the smuggler.

_He thinks Han's in trouble with Jabba,_ Dorian recalled, gazing after his cousin regretfully. _Anakin said he seemed afraid of something... And suspected that he'd dumped whatever shipment he'd been carrying_. As senator of Corellia, it was Dorian's job to act as an advocate for his citizens, and ever since Anakin's confession two days ago, Dorian had been troubled over the situation with Han.

_If he's in trouble with Jabba, his life could be in danger,_ Dorian realized. _And Anakin sensed that he doesn't WANT to be doing what he's doing, any more than Chewbacca does_. Anakin had warned Dorian not to get involved; and that by doing so, he could very well make the situation worse. But Dorian couldn't help feeling guilty, and responsible.

_Maybe I could help him,_ Dorian wondered again, peering out the window toward Han and Chewbacca, who had made it nearly to the end of the street now. _I'd have to do it legally, though; and Han's in trouble for a LOT of things,_ Dorian confessed. _But if we get him a good lawyer, he would probably get off on an insanity plea,_ he hoped. _And the royal palace on Corellia is a licensed mental institution; we could have him incarcerated there, and at least he'd be home, with his family... And safe,_ Dorian admitted, sighing. _That's got to be better than getting executed by Jabba; which will probably happen if he keeps this up..._

_Anaeryn would be thrilled to have him home,_ Dorian confessed. Anaeryn was Dorian's favorite cousin, and Han's younger half-brother; he had never met Han either, but thoughtfully sent him his finger-painting works on a regular basis. _Yeah... Anaeryn would love to finally meet him,_ Dorian thought, smiling affectionately.

_Ahh... I have to do SOMETHING,_ Dorian decided, glancing around cautiously. Owen and Rocco were still in the office, negotiating the payment for today's dazzling lack of service, and Luke was nowhere to be seen; Jonah and Julian were engrossed in their simulated flight program, and now Dorian slipped away quietly, toward the lobby. _I'll just try to talk to him, for a minute,_ Dorian resolved, heading for the door.

_And I'll keep my eyes open for Ben and Artoo,_ Dorian reminded himself; they still needed to film the second half of Jonah's flight academy scene, in which Luke and Ben would recruit their help in rescuing Leia aboard the Death Star. _But Ben's not here yet,_ Dorian noted, looking up and down the street from the doorway.

_I'll just be a minute,_ Dorian resolved, setting down his Woozle mask and pulling off his black cloak; but then he blinked, reconsidering. _Actually... Yes, this is probably safer,_ Dorian confessed, strapping the mask back onto his face and pulling his hood up over his head as he went out into the streets of Mos Eisley, following quietly after Han and Chewbacca.

* * *

><p><em>Ahh, Rocco's teaching a flight class,<em> Han sighed, continuing down the street with Chewbacca. _That's why he needed us to come back in an hour._ Han and Chewie had quietly scoped the place out, making a pass around the building; but they had spotted a couple of kids through the classroom window, training on the flight simulators, and realized that Rocco would probably be tied up for at least another half hour.

_"We have time to get some breakfast,"_ Chewbacca suggested, eyeing a little cafe on the side of the street. The two of them had been up all night, wandering through the streets of Mos Eisley in search of job leads, and Han nodded now, realizing that the Wookiee must be hungry.

"Sure," Han agreed, following Chewie into the cafe. _I'm not hungry though.._. Han's stomach was tied up in knots, and he was anxious to get back to Rocco's. _I hope he offers us the job,_ Han confessed regretfully. _'Cause we're running out of options here..._

_"Don't you want anything?"_ Chewie asked, concerned.

"No... Not right now," Han apologized, as they sat down at a little table together. _I'll eat again after I pay back Jabba._ Chewie nodded in understanding, munching on his breakfast sausage roll.

_"Ha,"_ Chewie chuckled softly, with his mouth full. _"Artoo-Detoo,"_ he joked, nodding toward the window at the little blue and white astrodroid that rolled by.

"Heh... Yeah," Han agreed, nodding. _It does look like him..._ "You don't see a lot of those." People-watching was always a fun hobby in Mos Eisley, and Han and Chewie continued to peer out the window at the busy street outside their cafe.

_"Is that a Turovian?"_ Chewie blinked in surprise, seeing an older man with a full silver beard, wearing off-white pants, a dark brown turtleneck, and an ivory turban wrapped around his head. _"He's a long way from home,"_ Chewbacca remarked, as the man walked past, carrying a bundle of clothes under his arm.

"Yeah, he sure is," Han agreed. _You see all kinds here..._ "Heh," Han laughed, seeing another stranger pass by their window: a tall, elderly man with long grey hair, wearing a brightly-colored tie-dyed shirt, hemp pants, and sandals. "A tree-hugging peacenik, here in Mos Eisley." Han grinned, shaking his head. "And I thought I'd seen everything."

But now Chewbacca let out a low growl. _"A Saurin,"_ he pointed out, as Han noticed the horned, leathery humanoid slinking through the crowd, wearing only a weapons holster and leather pouch over his lizard-like torso as he padded barefoot through the street. Saurins were relatives of Trandoshans, and were long-time enemies of the Wookiees. _"He's going after that old hippie,"_ Chewie observed, watching the Saurin pickpocket quietly trail after the poor, defenseless old man.

"Well he's not gonna get him," Han agreed, instantly on his feet. Chewbacca took the rest of his breakfast with him as they quickly left the cafe, setting out after the thief.

"Rrraauughh," Chewbacca growled fiercely, grabbing the Saurin by the neck and hauling him into an adjacent alleyway.

"That old man ain't worth it," Han told the Saurin in a low voice, nodding toward the elderly hippie. _Poor old guy's obviously off his rocker, to be on this planet in the first place,_ Han confessed regretfully. "You'd better get out of here, before my friend loses his temper," he added, giving the Saurin a warning look.

The pickpocket let out an angry curse in Huttese; but finally Chewie let go of him, and the Saurin grudgingly skulked away, back in the direction he'd come from.

Han and Chewbacca trailed after him for a little ways, making sure he didn't double back; but as they turned onto the next street, Han became aware of a shadowy, dark-cloaked figure following them.

"A Woozle," Han said quietly to Chewie, after glancing back at the long-snouted creature. "You think he's one of Jabba's?" he asked worriedly, wondering if Jabba was having him tailed. _Crap, if Jabba finds out I'm talking to Rocco, he won't be happy..._ Rocco was a member of the Nar Shadaa Mafia, which was headed by Gardulla the Hutt.

_"Could be,"_ Chewie agreed quietly. _"Or maybe he's one of Rocco's men,"_ he suggested; but one thing became glaringly clear, as the Woozle silently followed them around the next corner, into the dark alleyway. _Whoever he works for, he's after us._

_And I ain't waiting to find out if he's one of Jabba's spies, or Nar Shadaa Mafia,_ Han decided, slipping inside the doorway of a run-down warehouse as Chewbacca joined him. "He's coming," Han whispered, peeking around the corner and spotting the shady-looking cloaked figure again. _Three... two... one..._

"Looking for me?" Han growled softly, grabbing the Woozle by the arm and yanking him inside the empty warehouse, his blaster pressed against his chest.

_"Bzzzzzzzzt!"_ the Woozle buzzed frantically, startled by Han's sudden attack. "Don't shoot!" he added quickly, in a decidedly human voice. "Please," he said quietly. "I just want to talk to you."

_What the...?_ "Who are you?" Han asked suspiciously, as the man pulled down his hood and unstrapped his Woozle mask, revealing a mop of sandy-brown hair, and blue-grey eyes which now peered at Han nervously. "Who do you work for?" Han demanded.

"Uh - I work for the Galactic Senate," the younger man blurted out, eyeing Han's blaster cautiously, which was still planted firmly against his chest. "I'm Dorian... Dorian Solo," he added quickly. "_Senator_ Dorian Solo... of Corellia," he elaborated, as Han blinked at him in disbelief. "Please don't shoot me," he gulped nervously.

Han scowled, grudgingly removing his blaster from his cousin's chest and deciding that the younger man was not a physical threat. _But what the hell is he doing here?_ Han wondered. _Ehh... Nothing my family does makes any sense,_ he admitted, eyeing Dorian's Woozle costume and realizing that Senator Solo was obviously nuts.

"What do you want?" Han asked warily. _Damn it... Now I've got to try to keep HIM out of trouble,_ Han sighed, realizing that his lunatic cousin would quickly get himself killed, if left to himself in this town. _I don't have time for this..._

"I just want to talk to you; that's all," Dorian insisted. "I promise, I'm not going to report you. I just want to help... I'm a friend of Anaeryn's," he added, managing an apologetic smile. "He's worried about you."

"Huh?" Han blinked, caught off guard. "You know Anaeryn?" he asked, holstering his blaster. Han had never met his younger half-brother, but kept a gallery of his finger-paintings on his bedroom wall aboard the _Falcon._

"Yes," Dorian nodded. Han studied his cousin's blue-grey eyes now, searching for the familiar glimmer of insanity, which he unfortunately had come to recognize in his own father's eyes; but it wasn't there, and Han took another look at Dorian now, noting his sandy-brown hair, blue-grey eyes, and relatively unimposing stature.

"You don't look like a Solo," Han observed cautiously.

"Yeah... I take after my mother," Dorian agreed. "Siri Tachi; she used to be a Jedi, before she married my dad," he explained. "I'm only half royal," Dorian confessed gently.

_Oh._ Han nodded quietly. _Well then he's not crazy._ For centuries, the Corellian royal family had been decidedly eccentric; but only in the past hundred years had their mental illness become a true epidemic. It was now understood that the Solo family shared too many common genes with the Organas and several other royal families throughout the galaxy, and that centuries of inbreeding had led to their current predicament.

Han's own mother was an Organa, a cousin of King Bail himself; but Solo offspring with even one non-royal parent seemed to be spared from the family curse, and Han sighed quietly now, realizing that Dorian was probably saner than _he_ was. But now he blinked, recalling what his cousin had just said. "A Jedi," he repeated, looking at his cousin in surprise. "You're Marco's kid," Han realized suddenly.

"Yes," Dorian nodded, grinning ruefully. Han had met Marco Solo once on Dantooine, when he was a young boy. Along with Han's own father, Marco was among the handful of Solos of their generation who had left the confines of the royal palace on Corellia, seeking to live a normal life elsewhere in the galaxy.

_Not that Marco's entirely normal... Or my father either, for that matter,_ Han admitted. "So, let me get this straight," he said, trying to understand the reason behind his cousin's unexpected visit. "Anaeryn's worried about me," Han recounted thoughtfully. _My little brother, who can barely even spell his own name._ "So he sends you out here - dressed as a Woozle," Han observed, noting Dorian's disguise. "What exactly were you planning to do?" he asked, blinking at his cousin in bafflement.

"Um... Well, Anaeryn didn't actually _send_ me," Dorian confessed. "But he _is_ worried about you; and so is King Ludec," his cousin insisted. "Han, whatever you're in trouble for - with Jabba, or the Republic... We can get you legal counsel," Dorian offered, his eyes filled with regret. "Most likely you'll get off; you probably won't have to serve any prison time... You can come home," Dorian promised him gently.

_Ah... So that's it._ Han nodded in understanding, looking down at the floor. "Home," he repeated quietly. _A life sentence at the Solo palace..._ "You're talking about an insanity plea," Han reproached his cousin.

Dorian gave him an apologetic look. "You'd be safe," he pointed out. "Han, it's got to be better than this place," Dorian argued, glancing toward the streets of Mos Eisley.

"Heh... I'm not so sure about that," Han laughed regretfully . _Yeah, I'd be safe... But not my dad,_ he admitted quietly. _Besides, I ain't THAT crazy..._ "Look, I appreciate your offer," he told his cousin sincerely. "But I can't," he said, shaking his head. "I'm sorry."

Dorian nodded sadly. "All right," he said, accepting Han's decision. "I understand." But now he blinked suddenly, remembering something. "Ahh!" he exclaimed. "I'm sorry - I have to go," Dorian apologized, heading for the door. "But - if there's ever anything I can do to help, you let me know, okay?"

"Thanks," Han nodded appreciatively. _No, there's nothing he can do... But that was really nice of him to ask._ "Hey, we'll walk you back to your ship," Han offered, as he and Chewie followed him out into the alley.

"Uh... No, that's all right," Dorian shook his head, smiling nervously. He couldn't seem to decide whether to put his Woozle mask back on, or leave it off; finally he hid it beneath his cloak, pulling his hood back up over his head and glancing anxiously around the corner as they reached Luzoch Street. _Ahh... That kid's a walking target._

"It's no problem," Han insisted. "We were going out toward the docks anyway, weren't we, Chewie?" he asked cheerfully, as Chewbacca roared in agreement.

"Uh... I'm not going to the docks," Dorian apologized; he seemed to be in a hurry to get somewhere. "I, um..." Han suddenly got the feeling that his cousin was trying to get rid of him. _What the...?_ "I have a - a flying lesson," Dorian confessed reluctantly, finally turning down the street toward Rocco's Flight Academy.

"A flying lesson?" Han blinked in bafflement, still following him. "At Rocco's?"

"Ahh... Yes," Dorian nodded, attempting a casual smile. _What's he so nervous about? Oh no... No no no..._ Han's heart sank as he suddenly realized what his cousin was doing. _He didn't come all the way to Tatooine - dressed as a Woozle - for flying lessons,_ Han knew. _And he didn't come to see me either,_ he confessed reluctantly, finally understanding the reason behind his cousin's visit. _He's a crystalstim addict._

"Sorry... I'm late," Dorian apologized again, glancing anxiously toward Rocco's; Han fought tears now, seeing the look of urgency in his cousin's blue-grey eyes. _He's desperate for a hit..._ Crystalstim was a painfully addicting drug, and it clearly held the young Corellian senator in its deadly grasp.

"Dorian..." Han broke off unhappily, at a loss for words. _Don't do it..._

"I have to go," Dorian cringed apologetically. "But it was really nice meeting you, Han," he said again, managing a regretful smile. "You call me if there's ever anything I can do."

Han nodded numbly, still in shock. "Okay," he agreed unhappily, as Dorian nodded goodbye, giving him one last friendly smile before finally turning to leave, hurrying down the street toward Rocco's.

"Damn it," Han muttered, tears stinging his eyes. _He's the one Solo to escape the family curse, and he throws it all away, frying his brain on that stuff..._

"Come on, Chewie," Han said quietly, turning away. "I don't think I'll take that job for Rocco after all," he confessed, continuing his search with a heavy heart as Chewbacca moaned in sorrowful agreement.


	144. A more wretched hive

**Chapter 144**

_Meanwhile..._

"Fifteen thousand," Rocco insisted.

"What? You said you charged three hundred an hour," Owen reminded him. He was prepared to pay Rocco twelve hundred, to cover today's session plus the three that he had missed; but fifteen thousand was out of the question, even if he had the cash. _Which I don't..._

"Fifteen thousand," Rocco repeated flatly. "Or I don't sign the consent form."

_Ahh..._ Without Rocco's consent, they wouldn't be able to use any of the footage they'd shot today. _Jonah worked so hard on that scene,_ Owen sighed. _But fifteen thousand is ridiculous..._

"I'm sorry," Owen said, shaking his head. "The studio would never authorize that much money," he told Rocco truthfully. "I can pay you twelve hundred, as we agreed yesterday; that's all."

"Twenty-four hundred," Rocco countered now, doubling his original price. "Or I bring our dispute up with Jabba."_ Crap!_ Owen tried to mask his alarm; but now he heard a familiar voice behind him.

"You don't want to get Jabba involved," Luke told the flight instructor calmly, standing in the office doorway.

"I don't want to get Jabba involved," Rocco repeated, nodding. _Ahh... Thank you, Luke..._

"Today's session is free," Luke continued. _What?_ Owen blinked in surprise.

"Today's session is free," Rocco grumbled unhappily.

"You can continue with your filming." _Uh, slight problem with that..._

"You can continue with your filming," Rocco agreed; but now Owen gave the Jedi a concerned look, glancing toward the unsigned electronic consent form on Rocco's desk. Luke's eyes rested on the datapad for a moment; but then he shook his head regretfully. _We can't force him to sign it,_ Owen agreed, nodding quietly.

"Twelve hundred... If you'll sign the consent form," Owen offered, one last time.

Rocco laughed, shaking his head. "Twelve hundred is nothing to me," he said, casually tossing Owen's datapad back to him. "Go on... Get out of here," he added dismissively, nodding toward the door.

_Fine with me._ "Thank you for your time," Owen nodded, taking his leave. "We'll be out of your way in a minute," he assured Rocco, returning to the lobby with Luke. _Arghhh... Get me off this planet..._

"What's wrong?" Jonah asked, getting up from the flight simulator.

"He won't sign the consent form," Owen explained quietly, as Jonah, Julian and Ben gathered around, their expressions concerned. "We can't use the footage we filmed here," Owen told them, switching off one of the hovercams and proceeding to pack it away in his bag. "I'm sorry; we'll have to figure out something else." But now he blinked in concern, looking around the lobby. "Where's Dorian?"

"Uh..." Jonah looked around worriedly. "I thought he was with Luke?"

"No." Luke frowned, his expression thoughtful. "He's outside," he told them, going to the door.

"Sorry," Dorian apologized, coming inside the lobby. "I was - " he broke off, blinking in surprise as he saw Jonah and Julian packing up the cameras. "Ahh! Did I miss it?"

"No; we couldn't do it," Jonah explained, glancing anxiously toward the office door, which Rocco had now closed.

"Oh." Dorian blinked worriedly, nodding. Ben had pulled off his Jedi cloak, and was now re-wrapping his ivory belt cloth around his head in the manner of a Turovian, preparing for their escape from Mos Eisley. Owen pulled on his own hat, which had disguised him well enough on their way into the city.

But now Julian gave his friend a curious look. "Where were you?" he asked Dorian.

"Ahh, I ran into my cousin," Dorian said, helping to pack away the cameras.

Owen blinked. "Your cousin?" he asked, baffled. "You have a cousin in Mos Eisley?"

"Yeah," Dorian nodded. "Han Solo," he told them. "He used to live with his dad on Dantooine; they're Nerf herders... But then - eh, it's a bad situation," he confessed unhappily. "He works for Jabba now," Dorian admitted. "Don't worry; I didn't tell him we were filming here," he promised Owen, with an apologetic look.

Owen nodded, saddened by this news. _Poor kid... He's probably mentally challenged,_ he realized, guessing that he worked as a laborer at the nearby docks. Owen knew that Jabba would have had no trouble manipulating a hapless young Solo into his service; his thoughts turned now to Boba Fett, the innocent young boy Owen had met once on the set of _JEDI_, who had tragically fallen into Jabba's greedy clutches as well.

"How is he doing?" Owen asked gently, concerned for Dorian's cousin.

"Eh... All right, I guess," Dorian sighed. "I think he's in some kind of trouble with Jabba, though," he confessed. "Well... obviously," he added ruefully. "That's why he's working for him to begin with."

Owen nodded, regretful. Hutts were not known for their patience, and Solos were not known for their competence; Owen's heart sank as he realized the predicament Dorian's cousin was in. _I wasn't able to help Boba,_ Owen admitted. _But perhaps I can do something for this boy,_ he thought, resolving to speak to Dorian about it later.

As the director of _SITH_, the most popular show in the entire galaxy, Owen Lars had always tried to use his influence to help people who were less fortunate; he and Cliegg had always taken a special interest in disadvantaged children, frequently offering their families free vacations aboard the Death Star, and supporting roles on the show. But Owen realized that he also held a unique bargaining chip when it came to Jabba: the Hutt was crazy about _SITH_, and Owen had been called upon by the Jedi several times in the past to help resolve minor political disputes.

No amount of bargaining would convince Jabba to part with Boba Fett, who was now both his top bounty hunter and favorite collector's item; but Owen hoped that perhaps the Hutt might release Dorian's cousin from his service, if he offered him something special in return. _Maybe if I reinstate his posting access on the HoloNet message boards,_ Owen considered; Jabba was constantly being banned from the _SITH_ fan sites due to his inappropriate "trolling" behavior, but a few months ago he had written Owen a letter personally, promising to behave himself if he could be granted membership again.

But all of that would have to be negotiated from the safety of his office on Geonosis, and at the moment Owen had other matters to deal with. "All right," Owen proposed, as they finished packing the cameras away. _They came all the way out here; they at least deserve a say._ "Who wants to look for another flight academy here in Mos Eisley?" he asked the others, taking a quick vote. Dorian shrugged good-naturedly, and Jonah's eyes flickered with momentary hope; but then he shook his head, accepting that it wasn't worth the risk of attracting more attention.

Owen nodded regretfully. "And who just wants to get out of here?" he asked quietly, as the others all raised their hands in reluctant agreement. Even Luke's hand was raised; Owen sensed that the Jedi had discovered more about Rocco's establishment than he was letting on. "Okay," Owen sighed, nodding. "We'll re-film this scene when we get back to the Death Star," he told them, managing an encouraging smile. "There's a sound stage we can use; it'll all be in front of a blue screen, but it's the best we can do at this point," Owen apologized, as Jonah and the others nodded agreeably. _Ah, they're all being such good sports about this..._

"Okay," Owen continued, planning their escape from Mos Eisley. "I guess we'll go back the same way we came: Ben and Artoo will go with Qui-Gon; and Luke - can you manage Threepio in the hovercraft again?" Owen asked, as the Jedi nodded confidently. "All right; the rest of us will take Dale's speeder," Owen said, smiling appreciatively. "We'll meet back at Dale's house."

Ben made his exit first, nodding goodbye to the others as he headed out the door in his Turovian headdress, his Jedi robes bundled neatly under his arm. Owen could see Qui-Gon across the street now in his tie-dyed shirt, and a few moments later he sent Artoo out after them, to follow at a discreet distance.

Luke and Threepio left next, heading back to their hovercraft; and a minute later Owen and the others finally set out onto the street, returning to Dale's speeder.

"I'm sorry it didn't work out here," Owen apologized to Jonah, Julian, and Dorian, as they walked down Luzoch Street. "You guys did a terrific job on that scene," he added proudly, patting his son on the shoulder. _He's really doing incredibly well with all of this._ Owen hadn't wanted to push his son into the family business, but it was becoming clear to him that Jonah loved the work, and had a natural talent for it.

_It's in his blood,_ Owen confessed, as they continued down the street. _Too bad his directorial debut is going to be in front of a blue screen,_ he sighed; Jonah had worked hard to research Tatooine in an effort to capture the local color, and now there would _be_ no local color. _He deserves something more memorable, for his first scene..._

_Maybe we can get a shot of some X-wings when we get to Yavin IV,_ Owen considered. The Rebel Base set on Yavin IV boasted several modified X-wings that tourists could fly around the planet, though their weapons and hyperdrives had been disabled for safety purposes. _But they all have red stripes on them,_ he sighed. _It's obvious they're Rebel fighters, not training crafts._

_Same thing with the X-wings in the flight simulator,_ Owen admitted. _No, we can't use any of the equipment on Yavin IV,_ he decided regretfully. _Unless..._ Owen blinked in surprise, an idea coming to him.

"Jonah, can I talk to you for a minute?" he asked quietly, falling back a few paces behind Dorian and Julian as they walked back toward Dale's speeder. "You did a wonderful job researching that scene," Owen told him proudly, as Jonah smiled in shy appreciation. "You're a good director, Jonah," he added sincerely. "But part of being a good director is knowing when to cut something you've worked really hard on, for the good of the show," Owen confessed.

Jonah nodded. "I know," he agreed, trying not to show his disappointment. "So... We're going to cut it altogether?"

"Yes; I'd like to," Owen admitted, sighing. "Jonah, one thing you'll learn working on _SITH_ is that the harder you try to stick to your plan, the worse things tend to get," he laughed. "But sometimes when one door closes, another opens, and you stumble onto something that's even better than before," he told his son encouragingly. "Jonah, I have another idea..."

"What?" Jonah's eyes widened in surprise as Owen explained his plan. "You want me to blow up the Death Star?"

Owen nodded. "It's something your grandfather and I have been discussing for a while, and saving for a rainy day." _And today's looking pretty rainy,_ he sighed, still frustrated over their pointless visit to Mos Eisley. "We have no idea _how_, though," he admitted; the Death Star was supposedly invincible, utterly impossible to blow up.

"You'd have to fly ahead to Yavin IV today," Owen told Jonah, who nodded eagerly. "Talk to the engineers who program the flight simulator; see if you can come up with a plausible way to destroy the Death Star, with only a small fleet of X-wings," he instructed him. "Maybe write a short conference scene, where General Dodonna explains your tactic to the Rebel pilots; and then we'll film your assault using the flight simulator program," Owen proposed. "Do you think you can do that?"

"Yes," Jonah nodded enthusiastically. "I can do that," he promised, his eyes sparkling with excitement.

"Good." Owen grinned proudly, patting Jonah on the shoulder. "All right... Change of plans," he announced to the others, as they caught up with Julian and Dorian again. "The flight academy scene has been cut," Owen informed them. "Ben and Luke will find another way to get to the Death Star, and rescue Leia single-handedly," he told them. _Actually, it'll look a lot more heroic that way..._ "And the three of you are now full-fledged Rebel pilots," Owen informed them proudly.

"Really?" Julian asked, sharing a surprised grin with Dorian now.

"We get to wear orange jumpsuits?" Dorian asked hopefully.

"Absolutely," Owen nodded. "And when Luke and Leia return to the Rebel Base on Yavin IV, the Death Star will be right behind them," he explained. "You guys are going to launch an assault on the Death Star, and blow it up."

"Whoa!" Dorian exclaimed, his eyes widening.

"Cool," Julian agreed excitedly; but then his brows furrowed. "But... Doesn't it supposedly take years to build one of those things?" he asked. "What are you going to do for the rest of the season, with no Death Star?"

"Ah," Owen laughed. _I should hire him as a writer._ "Next week Emperor Palpatine will reveal his _second_ Death Star, which he's been keeping a secret all this time," he proposed mischievously.

"Haha! That's great," Julian said, as they arrived at Dale's speeder.

"All right," Owen proposed, setting his camera bag in the trunk as they all climbed into the little red speeder. "You three will be continuing straight to Yavin IV today, while we film the Death Star rescue scenes," he told them, starting the engine; then he sighed. "Now we just have to think of another way to get Luke and Ben to the Death Star," he admitted, as they headed back through the streets of Mos Eisley in Dale's speeder.

"Hey, they could go in Qui-Gon's love-craft," Dorian suggested.

"Haha!" Jonah laughed. "Yeah, that would be awesome."

"They board the Death Star in a beat-up old ship with no weapons or shields... Brilliant," Julian agreed, laughing.

"I love it," Jonah giggled. "Dad, can they do it? It would be funny," he insisted.

"Heh," Owen chuckled, shrugging. "Sure... Why not," he agreed, as they drove down the street. "I haven't got any better ideas," he admitted ruefully. "An old man and a farm kid, assaulting the Death Star in a WV71 Dove... Yeah, they'll definitely be heroes if they can pull that off," Owen agreed, suddenly impressed by the idea. "Hopefully Qui-Gon's friend won't mind if we use his ship."

But now Julian frowned. "Will they have time to fly there in that thing?" he asked. "It's got a really slow hyperdrive; that's why Qui-Gon was late to begin with," he reminded them. "It would take about twelve hours just to get there," he pointed out.

"Ah," Owen sighed. _It's always something..._ "No, they won't have time for that," he confessed. "Luke and Leia are barely going to make it to Yavin IV on time as it is," he admitted. _We're expected there tomorrow afternoon, and we still haven't left Tatooine._

"Hey," Dorian suggested, his expression thoughtful. "If you're looking for a fast ship to get Ben and Luke to the Death Star... Maybe my cousin Han could take them," he offered.

"Your cousin?" Owen asked, blinking. "He has a ship?"

"Yeah," Dorian nodded. "He uh... Well, mostly he works for Jabba - he's a freighter pilot - but sometimes he takes other jobs," Dorian explained. "I could see if he's available."

_I did want to try to help him out,_ Owen admitted. _I didn't realize he had his own ship; but if I offered him a small part on the show... This could work out well for all of us,_ he realized. _And as long as Luke is with them to fly the ship, it'll be safe,_ he reassured himself, not at all confident of Dorian's cousin's piloting skills.

"Okay," Owen agreed, nodding. "Do you know where we can find him?"

"Ahh... No," Dorian confessed. "But I'm sure we can ask around... Wookiees are hard to miss," he pointed out cheerfully. "That's how I found him in the first place."

"Wookiees?" Owen blinked in confusion.

"Oh - yeah, his friend is a Wookiee," Dorian explained, as if that were the most normal thing in the world.

"Ah," Owen nodded, surprised; he'd never met a Wookiee before, but his father had filmed on Kashyyyk once, back in the days of _JEDI_. "All right," he agreed, pulling Dale's speeder over to the side of the busy street. "Would you mind asking?" Owen asked Dorian hesitantly, eyeing the rough-looking characters around them.

"Sure, no problem," Dorian nodded, hopping out of the speeder. "I'll be right back," he promised, going over to talk to a group of Twi'leks now. _Ahh... I'm glad he's with us,_ Owen confessed; at first he had dreaded the idea of bringing a Solo along on their trip to Tatooine, but as it turned out, Dorian had proved an asset to the group, and had more street smarts than the rest of them combined, being the son of both a Jedi and an avid galactic traveler.

"Okay... Down this next street," Dorian told them, climbing back into the speeder. "They saw him going that way ten minutes ago."

"Great," Owen nodded appreciatively, starting up the speeder again. _Dorian's a smart kid,_ he confessed, as they turned onto the next street. _He seems a bit nutty at first, but it's all just an act... Family pride,_ Owen chuckled to himself, quietly amused. _And if he thinks his cousin can handle this, I'm happy to give him the job_.

"There he is," Dorian said, pointing toward a group of Pacithhip traders, who were speaking with a tall, dark-haired human and an even taller Wookiee. Owen pulled over to the side of the street, leaving Jonah and Julian to watch Dale's speeder as he and Dorian got out, approaching the traders.

"Han," Dorian called to his cousin, hurrying to catch up with him.

The dark-haired man turned around, blinking in surprise. "Dorian!" he exclaimed; Owen thought he saw a glimmer of relief in his eyes. "How was your... flying lesson?" Han asked hesitantly.

"Oh... I, uh - I couldn't do it," Dorian apologized vaguely. "Actually, that's what I wanted to talk to you about... I wasn't there for flying lessons," Dorian confessed. "Han, this is Owen Lars; we're here filming for _SITH_," he explained.

"_SITH?_" Han blinked in confusion; but then he quickly remembered his manners. "Han Solo," he introduced himself, shaking Owen's hand. "Nice to meet you."

"Owen Lars; good to meet you too," Owen said, nodding courteously. "Dorian tells me you're a freighter pilot?"

"Ahh... yes," Han nodded politely. He was dressed for the part, in a white shirt, black vest, and dark blue captain's pants; Owen eyed his weapons holster warily, realizing that Dorian's cousin wasn't nearly as innocent and helpless as he had imagined. _This guy looks like he can take care of himself,_ he admitted, smiling nervously at the fierce-looking Wookiee beside him. "So - you're really here filming for _SITH?_" Han asked now, curious.

"Yeah," Dorian nodded. "We were supposed to film a scene at the flight academy, but it didn't work out; Rocco wouldn't let us use any of his X-wings... What?" Dorian blinked curiously, seeing Han's sudden amused look.

"Eh... Nothing," Han shook his head, grinning to himself. "No, it's just as well," he confessed, keeping his voice low. "You don't want to get involved with Rocco," Han warned them.

"No kidding," Dorian agreed ruefully. "So now we need to find another way to get Luke and Ben Kenobi to the Death Star," he explained. "I was hoping maybe you could take them?"

"Me?" Han blinked, surprised. "For the show?" But then he shook his head. "No, I'm sorry... I can't do it," he apologized. "I'm grounded at the moment; I can't take off without every bounty hunter on the planet after me," he confessed, with a rueful sigh. "But maybe I can help you find somebody - "

"You're grounded?" Dorian asked, interrupting him. "Han... you're in trouble with Jabba?"

"No," Han scowled indignantly; then he sighed, looking down. "I owe him fifteen thousand credits by sundown," he confessed reluctantly, giving Dorian an apologetic look.

"Fifteen thousand?" Dorian repeated, concerned. "And if he doesn't get it?"

Han shrugged. "Then there might be one less Solo in the galaxy," he admitted quietly.

_Crap!_ Owen and Dorian exchanged a worried glance. "Fifteen thousand," Owen repeated seriously. "That can be arranged; it's about what we pay for a major role on the show," he told Han. "We can find something else for you to do," he suggested, thinking quickly. "You could help Luke rescue the princess, and maybe take them back to Yavin IV..."

"Princess?" Han blinked, caught off guard; but then he shook his head again. "No, no... I ain't acting," he protested, his brows furrowing at the thought.

But now the Wookiee let out a proud roar; Han looked at him in surprise, then nodded, turning back to Owen.

"Hey... Chewie can do it," Han suggested. "The acting part - rescuing the princess, or whatever you need him to do... And I'll fly the ship," Han proposed, giving Owen a hopeful look. "Look, I really appreciate the offer... If you've got a job that pays fifteen thousand - we'll do anything," Han agreed gratefully. "But I can't act... I'm sorry."

"Heh," Owen grinned sympathetically. "Bad experience, eh?"

Han sighed, looking down. "Yeah... You could say that," he confessed. "But Chewie's a great actor," Han insisted. "He's been on _JEDI_ before."

"Really?" Owen asked, surprised. "You were part of the battle scene on Kashyyyk?"

"Rrraauugghh," the Wookiee replied proudly, nodding.

"Wow... terrific," Owen nodded. "All right, that's great," he agreed. "Chewie can help Luke rescue the princess, and then deliver them to Yav - " Owen broke off worriedly, remembering. "We need to get them to Yavin IV by tomorrow afternoon," he confessed, giving Han an apprehensive look. "Is your ship fast?"

Han stared at him blankly, caught off guard. "Yeah... She's fast," he assured Owen. "Actually, that could be a problem," he confessed. "I've got a lot of outstanding traffic violations; I can't land at any of the major Republic spaceports... And I'm not so sure about the Death Star either," Han admitted cautiously. "Will there be any Jedi on board?"

Owen and Dorian exchanged worried glances. "It's all right," Dorian said quietly. "Anakin Skywalker will be the ranking Jedi aboard the Death Star; he's a friend of mine," Dorian assured Han, who blinked worriedly at this news. "He's not interested in arresting you on _traffic violations,_" Dorian pointed out. "And neither is Death Star security; am I right?" he asked Owen quietly.

"That's right," Owen nodded. "We're not in the business of checking records, and getting our hotel guests arrested," he promised Han. _He's in more trouble than I thought. But he seems like a decent guy..._

Han nodded quietly. "All right," he agreed. "And thank you; I really appreciate the offer," he added, to Dorian as well. "We'd like to take the job," Han confessed gratefully.

"Great," Owen nodded; but then he frowned, remembering his trouble with Rocco. "I'll need you to sign a consent form, allowing us to film aboard your ship, and use the footage on the show," he told Han, pulling out his datapad and showing him the electronic consent form. "Interior and exterior shots, if possible," Owen added hopefully. "Will that be all right with you?"

"Uh... sure," Han nodded, signing the form. "Absolutely; you can film anywhere you like," he assured Owen. "As long as I ain't in the shot, I'm happy," he agreed, handing the datapad back to Owen.

"Ha," Owen laughed. _Wow... He really hates acting._ "Thank you," he said appreciatively, tucking his datapad back into his pouch. "All right... Fifteen thousand credits," Owen added, pulling out his electronic payment device.

But now Han gave him a worried look. "Uh... Jabba doesn't accept electronic transfers," he warned Owen. "Only cash."

"What?" Owen blinked in surprise. "I thought you owed him fifteen thousand _credits?_"

"Ahh... Sorry," Han apologized. "Republic Dataries; that's what we call 'credits' around here," he explained, seeing Owen's sudden look of concern. "How much have you got with you?"

"Two thousand Wupiupi... That's all," Owen confessed, sighing. _I swear, I hate this planet..._ "I can get you the cash, but it will take a couple of days," he told Han; all Republic banks had a daily cash withdrawal limit of ten thousand Dataries, which was enforced specifically to discourage criminal dealings.

Han nodded in quiet acceptance. "It'll be all right," he assured Owen. "Jabba will accept two thousand now, with the promise of fifteen in a couple of days... But we'll need a bargaining chip," he sighed, thoughtful.

"Rrrauughhh," the Wookiee interjected, pointing toward Jabba's palace.

Han blinked in surprise. "Yeah, that would work," he agreed. "Jabba's nuts about _SITH,_" he reminded Owen. "Give him a part on the show," he suggested. "Just a short cameo appearance; you won't even have to pay him - "

"No," Owen protested, shaking his head. "I don't want Jabba knowing we're here," he told Han. "I've got two senators here, plus Ben Kenobi... and my son," he confessed worriedly. "My main concern is to keep them safe."

"Safe," Han repeated, casting a wary glance at a Saurin assassin slinking past them on the street. "This place ain't exactly _safe,_ with or without Jabba knowing you're here," he pointed out. "But if you're worried about safety, you're better off getting Jabba on your side," Han told him seriously. "Offer him a role on the show, and you'd have his protection."

Owen sighed. "I _was_ hoping to get some local color," he confessed. "Do you think he'd let us film a couple of scenes here in Mos Eisley?"

"_Let_ you?" Han repeated, startled. "_Make_ you is more like it." He grinned ruefully. "And you wouldn't have to go skulking around dressed as Woozles," he added, giving Dorian an amused look.

Owen nodded quietly. "All right," he agreed. "If you think Jabba will behave himself, and let us do our work?" he asked Han. _He's a complete tyrant on the HoloNet message boards..._

"If that's the deal, Jabba will honor it," Han promised. "I'll make it clear that he gets five minutes of your time to film his scene; that's all," he assured Owen.

"All right," Owen nodded, trusting his judgment. "I just need to clear this with my security team," he told the others, excusing himself to make the call. _Hopefully Qui-Gon hasn't gone back to the dragon cave already..._ "Ben," Owen said, contacting him over the transmitter. "Is Qui-Gon still with you?"

"Owen!" Ben replied cheerfully. "Yes, he's right here," he assured him. A moment later the Jedi Master answered, and Owen quickly filled him in on his proposal to involve Dorian's cousin and Jabba the Hutt.

"I'd really like to film here, and capture some local color," Owen told Qui-Gon. "And if we hire Han and Chewie to take Ben and Luke to the Death Star, then on to Yavin IV, that will tie the show together, and make sense of all this," he admitted. "Han seems like a good kid; I'd really like to help him out," Owen confessed. "And he thinks that Jabba will behave himself, and let us work... And that we'd actually be safer _with_ his protection, than _without_ it," he added hopefully.

"I agree," Qui-Gon replied a moment later, over the transmitter. "Jabba can behave himself when he chooses to; for a short time, anyway," he conceded. "Luke and I will remain watchful, but I don't foresee any trouble," the Jedi Master confessed. "And I daresay Obi-Wan and Asha would make quite an impression, if we need them to," Qui-Gon assured him, chuckling softly.

"Heh," Owen laughed nervously. _This is all child's play to him... Meanwhile I'm having a heart attack._ "Thank you, Qui-Gon," he said. "All right; I'll tell Han to go ahead and make the deal with Jabba," he agreed. "I don't suppose Luke is back at Dale's house yet?" Owen asked; Qui-Gon and Ben had made the short trip back in the love-craft, but Luke was probably still making his way through the canyon in Dale's little hovercraft. _He doesn't have a transmitter on him..._

"No," Qui-Gon replied. "He's just a few miles outside Mos Eisley," he informed Owen, sensing Luke's Force presence. "Shall I tell him to turn back?" he offered.

"Yes; that would be great," Owen said appreciatively. "And if you and Ben could come back here too, we'll start filming as soon as we can," he proposed. "Sorry for making you fly all the way back here," he apologized.

"Not to worry," Qui-Gon replied, as Owen heard the sound of a WV71 engine revving to life. "We haven't left Mos Eisley yet," the Jedi Master confessed good-naturedly, as the Dove's engine once again sputtered and died.

_Oh dear..._ Owen laughed, shaking his head as he returned to Han, Dorian, and Chewie. "Security team says it's all right," Owen told them. "You can go ahead and make the deal with Jabba," he told Han. "Here," Owen added, reaching into his pouch and pulling out his two thousand Wupiupi. "Take this, for whatever it's worth," he said, handing the money to Han.

"Thank you," Han nodded. "All right, we'll be back in a few minutes," he promised, giving Owen and Dorian a grateful look before heading up toward Jabba's palace with Chewie at his side.

Dorian turned to Owen now, amused. "Your 'security team'?" he asked, his eyes twinkling mischievously.

"Yeah," Owen nodded, grinning. "If Jabba tries to mess with us, he'll have three Jedi on his tail, with a hovercraft, a Dove, and a Krayt dragon," he told Dorian, laughing at the absurd image. "He won't know what hit him."

"Ha," Dorian laughed. "I'm putting my bet on Obi-Wan."

"No kidding," Owen agreed. "But Qui-Gon thinks it'll be all right," he assured Dorian. "Hang on, let me give Dale a call," Owen said, contacting him on his transmitter. "Dale," Owen said cheerfully, as the moisture farmer answered. "Change of plans," he told him. "If you and Beru wouldn't mind bringing my ship out here in a few minutes..." _We'll need Stormtrooper costumes, more cameras, maybe a ground-air missile, and plenty of blasters..._

"We're filming in Mos Eisley," Owen announced cheerfully, making his plans for a dramatic escape from Tatooine.

* * *

><p>"Solo," Jabba nodded gravely, as his top smuggler appeared before him, with Chewbacca by his side. "Do you have my money?" he demanded impatiently, masking his anxiety. <em>Please, say yes, Han. I want this problem to go away.<em>

"I'll have it by tomorrow," Han promised him. "I've got a job - "

"Aaaaaaahhhh!" Jabba roared, frustrated. "Today!" He frowned. "You were supposed to have it by _today._"

"And I _would_ have had it by today," Han replied calmly, "if I'd taken a job with the Nar Shadaa Mafia - who are the only ones in this town offering that kind of money," he pointed out, as Jabba glowered at him in frustration. _Ahhhh! He's right..._ "But you know I wouldn't do that to you, Jabba," Han assured him. "I ain't taking a job with that filth," he insisted loyally.

"I've got something better, though," Solo continued. "Something big... _Real_ big," he promised Jabba, casting a meaningful glance around the audience chamber, which was filled with Jabba's courtiers.

"Leave us," Jabba commanded the others abruptly, as they bowed respectfully, filing out into the hallway. "This job," he continued quietly, to Han. "What is it?"

"I ran into Owen Lars," Han told him. _What?_ Jabba struggled to hide his surprise. "The director of _SITH,_" Han added importantly.

"I know who Owen Lars is," Jabba retorted, frowning. _He's the one who banned me from the HoloNet message boards_. "He's here in Mos Eisley?" _I'll have him kidnapped, and make him reinstate my posting access..._

"Yes," Han nodded. "He's offered Chewie and me a job, filming for this week's show," Han continued. "He wants us to rescue some princess aboard the Death Star, and deliver her to Yavin IV," he explained, as Jabba listened eagerly to the details of the upcoming episode. _Ohhh... Princess...? That sounds interesting._

"It'll take a day to film," Han told him. "Like I said, I'll have your money by tomorrow," he promised. "And I can give you two thousand Wupiupi today," Han added, placing the money beside Jabba's coffer.

"Ahhhh!" Jabba grumbled, frustrated. "I should feed you to the Rancor right now," he told Solo. _But then I wouldn't get to watch him rescue this princess,_ Jabba sighed ruefully. _Yes, I want to see that..._

"I know," Solo agreed calmly, nodding. "That's why I said no to Lars, at first," he added. "He doesn't like you, Jabba," Han pointed out bluntly, as Jabba sighed in unhappy agreement. _I know... He says I'm a troll; that I broke lots of rules, and used inappropriate language,_ he admitted, wishing once again that he'd bothered to read the fine print before gleefully posting on the HoloNet message boards. _I tried to read the Terms of Service, but it was so boring.._.

"But I fought for you, Jabba," Han continued. "I got you something special," he assured him, with a dramatic pause. _Ohhh... Did he get my HoloNet posting access reinstated?_ Jabba wondered. "I got you a role on the show."

Jabba blinked, startled. _"WHAT?"_

"Just a small one," Han added quickly. "Maybe a minute at the most," he apologized, as Jabba smiled ecstatically at the news. "But I told Lars the only way I'd take the job is if he offered you at least a cameo appearance."

_Ohhhhh! A cameo appearance!_ "Today?" Jabba asked, his heart fluttering with excitement.

"Yes, today," Han confirmed, nodding.

Jabba struggled to contain his emotions. "All right," he agreed. "Yes... We will accept his offer."

"Thank you," Solo nodded respectfully; but now he gave Jabba a reproachful look. "Jabba," he said quietly, changing the subject. "You know Greedo's my friend."

"Greedo is Rancor fodder!" Jabba frowned grumpily. "He embarrassed me." Greedo operated the local power station in Mos Espa, and had rudely cut the power to Jabba's palace last week, due to a shortage of Tibanna gas.

"Embarrass him back," Han proposed. "You feed him to the Rancor, and thirty people will see it. Execute him on _SITH,_" he suggested, giving Jabba a meaningful look. "And the entire _galaxy_ sees it," Han pointed out.

"Ahhhh," Jabba nodded, smiling in satisfaction. "I like it," he agreed. _Greedo will look like a fool, in front of everyone,_ Jabba laughed gleefully, deciding to use his cameo appearance to personally mock-strangle the hapless Rodian. _And I DO need him back at work, running the power station,_ Jabba confessed. _Yes, this works well for all of us..._

But now Jabba frowned, remembering Owen Lars. _He already thinks I'm a 'troll'; a monster,_ Jabba realized unhappily. _If I behave like a tyrant in front of him, he'll never give me back my HoloNet posting access..._ "No," Jabba told Han stubbornly. "I won't execute Greedo as my cameo appearance," he protested. "I will show Owen Lars that I'm a friendly, reasonable person," he decided, resolving to be on his best behavior. "_You_ will kill Greedo," he informed Han abruptly.

"Me?" Han blinked, shaking his head. "No... I'm not going to be on the show," he told Jabba. "I'm just flying the _Falcon_... But Chewie could do it," Han suggested quickly, as the Wookiee roared in agreement.

"What?" Jabba frowned. "No... You _will_ be on the show," he corrected Han. "You're rescuing the princess."

"No," Han shook his head again. "Chewie's doing that," he told him. "_I_ ain't acting," Han insisted emphatically.

"Hahahaa," Jabba laughed, guessing what this was about. "Han Solo... Greatest smuggler in the galaxy," he announced magnanimously, with a dramatic gesture. "And he's afraid of acting," Jabba chuckled, amused.

"No," Han scowled, his brows furrowing. "I ain't afraid of it," he protested indignantly.

"Haha," Jabba laughed again. "Good," he agreed, nodding. "Then you will rescue the princess," he informed him. "_And_ you will kill Greedo."

"No - Jabba," Han protested desperately, a glimmer of panic in his eyes. "Chewie's doing that - "

"_YOU_ will rescue the princess!" Jabba roared, frustrated. "Or I feed Greedo to the Rancor right now," he threatened. _I don't want to watch a Wookiee rescuing a princess,_ Jabba pouted. _I want HAN to rescue the princess._

Han sighed, looking down. "Jabba, please," he pleaded; but then he saw Jabba's stubborn glare, and nodded dejectedly. "All right," he agreed, shrugging helplessly. "I'll rescue the princess," he conceded. "Can I get Greedo out of the dungeon now?" he asked Jabba quietly, a look of pained reproach in his brown eyes.

_I have never seen him so dejected,_ Jabba frowned, surprised and a bit disturbed. _But I wanted to punish him for dumping his shipment; this will teach him not to disappoint me again._

"Yes," Jabba agreed, as Solo nodded in respectful obedience. "Guards!" Jabba called out, summoning his Gamorrean security team. "Greedo is to be released to Solo's custody," he informed them. "And send out a city-wide security alert: Owen Lars and his team are under my protection, for the duration of their stay in Mos Eisley," Jabba declared.

"And Solo!" Jabba called after him, as the smuggler turned back from the doorway. "Tell me when Lars is ready for my cameo appearance," Jabba instructed him importantly, valiantly masking his gleeful delight at the prospect of his upcoming role on _SITH_.


	145. Of scum and villainy

**Chapter 145**

"Having engine trouble?" Luke asked politely, pretending to be a helpful stranger as he approached the broken-down WV71 Dove in docking bay ninety-two. He had been on his way back to Dale's homestead in the hovercraft a few minutes earlier, but had returned to Mos Eisley upon receiving Qui-Gon's Force signal.

"Yes," Qui-Gon nodded, his blue eyes twinkling cheerfully. Ben was sitting inside the cockpit in an attempt to avoid recognition, and gave Luke a friendly smile now. "I think the trouble is here," Qui-Gon said thoughtfully, pointing to the ignition system as the two of them huddled closer to the Dove's engine, pretending to work on it together.

"There's been a change of plans," Qui-Gon informed Luke quietly. "Dorian ran into his cousin, Han Solo; he works for Jabba as a spice smuggler," he explained, as Luke nodded, masking his concern. Mara had told him of her encounter with Solo three days ago, but Luke wasn't officially supposed to know about that.

"Anakin has had dealings with him before," Qui-Gon continued, unscrewing the control box to the ignition system. "He believes that Han is being forced to work for Jabba against his will," Qui-Gon told Luke. "And Owen says he's in trouble at the moment; it seems he owes Jabba fifteen thousand credits by sundown, or he could face execution," Qui-Gon added.

"So Owen has offered Han a job on the show, to help him out of this crisis," Qui-Gon continued, still working on the Dove's ignition system. "Han will be taking you and Ben to the Death Star, then on to Yavin IV; and his friend, Chewbacca, will be helping you to rescue Leia," Qui-Gon informed him.

Luke nodded, trying to make sense of this. "And the others? Jonah and Julian, and Dorian?"

"Ahh," Qui-Gon nodded. "Owen seems to have something else planned for them; I'm not quite certain what," he chuckled softly. "But we will need to be vigilant," he told Luke seriously. "Jabba has been informed of our presence, as part of the negotiations; Owen has offered him a cameo appearance, in exchange for his protection while we film here in Mos Eisley."

Luke blinked in alarm. "Do you think that's safe?"

Qui-Gon smiled. "Trust in the Force, Luke," he reminded him gently. "What do your feelings tell you?"

_My feelings..._ Luke sighed, shaking his head. "I don't like this," he admitted.

"You're frustrated," Qui-Gon observed quietly, replacing the cover to the ignition control box. "What happened, at Rocco's?"

"Ahh," Luke sighed. "There _was_ no hangar," he told Qui-Gon. "Rocco's got a crystalstim lab in the back," he confessed. "I counted over thirty kilos of the stuff... Found two drug dens... And about fifty more crates of raw glitterstim in the warehouse," Luke informed him.

Qui-Gon nodded, sighing. "I can't say I'm surprised," he admitted. "You did well, Luke," he added, with a regretful smile. "And of course, we will report your findings to the Council," he assured him. "But Tatooine isn't part of the Republic; this is beyond our jurisdiction," he reminded Luke gently. "We're not authorized to even be here," Qui-Gon pointed out, glancing ruefully at his own tie-dyed shirt.

Luke nodded unhappily. "Yes, Master," he said, trying to quell his disappointment. "I understand." _But I still think we should do SOMETHING..._

Qui-Gon sensed his frustration, and smiled in amusement. "You want to blow it up," he reproached Luke, a mischievous glimmer in his blue eyes.

"No," Luke protested; then he sighed. "Yes," he confessed quietly. "I mean - not _now_; not with Owen and everyone here, but - " Luke gave Qui-Gon a hesitant look. "Crystalstim labs are always exploding accidentally," he pointed out. "No one would ever know we did it."

"Hmm," Qui-Gon laughed softly. "I agree; it's not likely that the Jedi would fall under suspicion," he admitted. "We _do_ have a reputation for obeying the law, and honoring the Republic's peace treaty with the Hutts," he pointed out, raising an eyebrow in reproach. "And perhaps the time for aggressive negotiations will come, one day," he conceded. "But that time is not now," Qui-Gon told Luke gently.

"And in any case, it would do very little good to blow up Rocco's," Qui-Gon sighed. "If he's dealing in crystalstim, then he's with the Nar Shadaa Mafia; one crystalstim lab won't even put a dent in that operation," Qui-Gon confessed regretfully. "And if Rocco's lab suffers a mysterious 'accident' here in Mos Eisley, Gardulla will suspect Jabba is behind it," he pointed out. "Like it or not, Jabba is our greatest ally among the Hutts," Qui-Gon reminded Luke. "We don't want to do anything to jeopardize his position."

Luke nodded, sobered by the realization. "I understand," he said. _This is more complicated than I thought..._ "Forgive me, Master."

Qui-Gon smiled fondly, screwing the ignition cover on again. "There's nothing to forgive," he assured him. "Your heart is in the right place, Luke. But Obi-Wan is right: you have much to learn, young one," he teased him affectionately. "But you will make an excellent Master yourself, one day," Qui-Gon said, his eyes twinkling with proud approval.

"Thank you, Master," Luke said shyly. _Ahh... He and Obi-Wan are obsessed with me becoming a Master_. In truth, Luke was grateful for their encouragement and support; but he'd only just been knighted, and found their enthusiasm a bit overwhelming at times.

"And in answer to your question," Qui-Gon added, nodding. "Yes, I think it will be safe to film here today," he told Luke. "But we shall remain watchful, as always."

Luke nodded. "And what about Han Solo?" he asked cautiously. "Is he not to be arrested?"

Qui-Gon sighed. "We will follow the Code," he instructed Luke. "Once you are within Republic territory, if you have reason to believe Han is engaging in illegal activities, you have the authority to search his ship, and detain him if necessary," Qui-Gon conceded. "But Luke... Outer Rim business is more complicated than you know," he warned him. "Trust your instincts; but if you are forced to arrest Han, I would recommend speaking with Anakin before filing your official report," Qui-Gon advised him.

"Yes, Master," Luke agreed. Mara had told him of Anakin's decision to accept a bribe for HOPE the other day, rather than waste the courts' time by arresting Han on minor traffic violations, and Luke trusted the more experienced Knight's judgment. _He was with Jedi Border Patrol for fifteen years before he took Mara as his padawan,_ Luke realized. _Master Anakin will know what to do._

But now they both looked up as Ben emerged from the Dove's cockpit, still dressed in his Turovian disguise. "Owen just called," he told them quietly. "He's ready to begin filming. And Jabba has issued a city-wide security mandate for our protection," Ben warned Qui-Gon. "It won't be long before the news spreads."

"Ah," Qui-Gon nodded, as Luke loaded Artoo into the back of the hovercraft, next to Threepio. "Well then I shall say my goodbyes now." He smiled warmly. "Best of luck with your filming," he wished them both. "And may the Force be with you," Qui-Gon added to Luke, his eyes twinkling with affection.

"Thank you, Master." Luke smiled gratefully. "May the Force be with you," he reciprocated. "And tell Obi-Wan I say hello," he added, with a shy grin.

"For me as well," Ben said cheerfully. "It was wonderful to see you both, as always," he assured Qui-Gon, waving goodbye as they took their leave in Dale's hovercraft.

"And now to get into character," Ben announced, a twinkle of amusement in his eyes as he removed his Turovian headdress. "Don't tell Obi-Wan I wore my belt as a turban," Ben reproached Luke sternly. "He's already cross with me for being afraid of Sand People," he confessed, chuckling softly as he pulled on his ivory tunic, wrapping the cloth belt around his waist once again.

"Ha," Luke laughed, sharing an amused grin with the actor. "All right, I won't tell him," he promised, as they turned onto the next street. "Where are we going, anyway?"

"Just to the edge of town," Ben told him, pulling on his brown cloak. "Then we are to drive back into the city; Owen has supposedly sent some hovering cameras after us - ahh, yes, there they are," Ben noted cheerfully, spotting one now. "How do I look?" he asked Luke, pulling his hood up.

"Perfect," Luke assured him. "Just like Obi-Wan," he added impishly.

"Hmm," Ben chuckled, amused. "I used to pull it off a lot better, you know," he told Luke. "When I first began working as Obi-Wan's stunt double, I didn't even have a touch of grey hair," he insisted proudly. "But that was eighteen years ago," Ben sighed. "And nearly eighteen pounds," he confessed, cringing. "Ah, it's a good thing Anakin is finally putting an end to this farce," Ben laughed, his eyes twinkling. "I'm looking forward to being a Force ghost."

"And I'm sure you'll make an excellent one, Master," Luke said, nodding respectfully; then he blinked in surprise. "I mean - Ben," he corrected himself quickly. "Sorry," Luke apologized, with an embarrassed grin. "You _do_ look like him, though," he pointed out shyly, in his defense. "And you talk like him," he confessed. "And... you _feel_ like him," Luke admitted quietly.

"Do I?" Ben asked, curious. "Well that's one I've not been accused of before," he chuckled. "And don't think I don't know what you're getting at," he scolded Luke indignantly. "You should know better than to believe everything you read in the _Galactic Enquirer._"

"Heh," Luke laughed, letting the matter drop. "Yeah, I know," he assured Ben. They had reached the outskirts of the city now, and Luke turned onto Mos Eisley's main street, heading back into town.

"What I _can_ tell you," Ben continued thoughtfully. "Is that my sister Ana - may she rest in peace - had a son named Obi-Wan; a long time ago," Ben told Luke, with a wistful smile. _What?_ Luke blinked in surprise. "She was only nineteen, and unmarried when she became pregnant; it was quite the scandal in our little village," Ben chuckled softly, as Luke listened in rapt disbelief. _He's actually telling me this?_

"But the child didn't survive," Ben told Luke regretfully. "He was a perfectly healthy baby, but at five months he succumbed to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome," Ben confessed. "Ana was devastated; she had his remains cremated, and by the time I even knew what had happened, all that was left of little Obi-Wan was a handful of black ashes," Ben sighed.

"Black?" Luke blinked, frowning. "Aren't cremated remains usually white?"

"No, no... not Obi-Wan's," Ben told him, shaking his head. "They were just as black as the ash from Kilaui's volcanoes," he mused, as Luke stifled a laugh. _Awesome..._ "And we sprinkled them into the river together," he continued quietly.

"I was thirteen at the time, and took it quite badly," Ben admitted. "But Ana was very strong; she told me that Obi-Wan had gone to a better place... That he'd gotten his wings." Ben smiled wistfully. "Now, there are some who would say those wings came in the form of a Jedi Starfighter," he conceded, his eyes twinkling. "But I of course would know nothing about that."

"Haha!" Luke laughed. "It's true, then." He grinned in delight; but then he remembered what Ben had said. _Obi-Wan's mother is dead,_ Luke realized. _And I guess they never knew who the father was..._ "I'm glad he has you," Luke told Ben, smiling appreciatively.

"And I'm glad to have him," Ben agreed. "Ah - here we are," he said, as they spotted a group of Stormtroopers up ahead.

Luke nodded, continuing toward them. "What are we supposed to do here?"

"I have no idea," Ben confessed, chuckling. "Ah, but that's the fun of it," he said, his eyes twinkling good-naturedly as they pulled to a stop beside the Stormtroopers.

"How long have you had these droids?" a tall Stormtrooper asked them; it wasn't Dorian or Julian, though Luke guessed that the shorter Stormtrooper beside him was Jonah. _He must have recruited some of the locals..._

_Uhh..._ "About three or four seasons?" Luke improvised uncertainly. _Ahh! No rehearsal?_

"They're for sale, if you want them," Ben offered. _That's right,_ Luke agreed, laughing to himself. _Yeah, Artoo and Threepio are just your typical farm droids. And obviously Stormtroopers need those..._

"Let me see your identification," the Stormtrooper demanded, unimpressed.

_Uh, do we HAVE identification?_ "You don't need to see his identification," Ben assured the trooper, with a subtle wave of his fingers. _Haha... Good one,_ Luke thought, trying to look confused.

"We don't need to see his identification," the Stormtrooper repeated obediently.

"These aren't the droids you're looking for," Ben added calmly.

"These aren't the droids we're looking for."

"He can go about his business," Ben suggested.

"You can go about your business." _Haha! We could do this all day..._

"Move along."

"Move along," the Stormtrooper instructed them casually, waving them through. "Move along."

"Heh," Luke laughed, as they continued along the street in the hovercraft. "That was great... Obi-Wan will love that scene," he assured Ben, grinning. "He always loves when you do mind tricks," Luke told him. _But he's mortified whenever you pull out your lightsaber..._ But now Luke looked around, curious. "What now?"

"I'm not sure," Ben admitted. "Hold on, let me ask Owen," he decided, pulling out his transmitter. "Owen... We've gotten past Jonah's little welcoming committee," Ben told him. "What shall we do next?" he asked. "Ah," Ben nodded, listening to Owen's reply. "Very well; we'll be there in a minute," he assured him, ending the transmission.

"Owen's preparing a scene for us at the local cantina," Ben told Luke. "It should be just up ahead... We're to go inside, and hire Chewbacca to take us to Alderaan," he explained.

"Okay," Luke nodded agreeably, hiding his disappointment. _Ahh... I wish we could have kept the flight academy scene, with Jonah and Julian and Dorian,_ he admitted. _That was going to be really exciting, and heroic; it was all about friendship, and honor, and courage... But now I have to go rescue Leia with a couple of drug smugglers,_ Luke sighed. _This sucks..._

But he tried to set aside his frustration as he parked outside the cantina, resolving to keep a positive attitude. _You're a Jedi,_ Luke reminded himself. _You can't let the scumbags get you down._ But after their experience at Rocco's this morning, Luke had to admit that his patience with Outer Rim lawlessness was wearing thin.

"I can't abide those Jawas," Threepio said now, as a brown-cloaked creature immediately scurried toward them, ignoring Jabba's security mandate. "Disgusting creatures," Threepio added disdainfully, as the Jawa proceeded to wipe down Dale's hovercraft with his black-gloved hands.

_Yeah, I've had enough of these guys too..._ "Go on," Luke said, shooing the Jawa away. "Go on." This was about the tenth Jawa to attempt to "wash" Dale's hovercraft in the hope of payment; Luke had generously paid a few of them to do the job earlier this morning, but had finally been informed by the locals that the Jawas were doing more harm than good, slowly ruining Dale's paint job by grinding sand and dust into it.

_Ahh... I hate being rude, but it's the only way to get rid of them,_ Luke lamented, as the Jawa scurried off, frightened. He had tried to politely decline several others who had offered their speeder-washing services, but the Jawas simply would not stop unless threatened with physical violence, and Luke had a responsibility to protect Dale's vehicle.

_I'll be glad to get off this planet,_ Luke admitted, sighing unhappily. _Oh, right... The acting..._ "I can't understand how we got by those troops," Luke said, giving Ben a questioning look. "I thought we were dead."

"The Force can have a strong influence on the weak-minded," Ben replied sagely.

_Yeah..._ Luke sighed, casting a distrustful gaze toward the cantina across the street. "Do you really think we're going to find a pilot here that will take us to Alderaan?" he asked Ben skeptically.

"Most of the best freighter pilots are to be found here," Ben assured him. "Only watch your step," he warned Luke, glancing toward the cantina. "This place can be a little rough."

"I'm ready for anything," Luke grumbled, following Ben toward the entrance. _Seriously... If this place sucks half as much as Rocco's did, I swear I'm gonna..._

_Huh?_ Luke blinked in surprise as he entered the cantina and was greeted by a diverse assortment of alien creatures, all peacefully intermingling. _Aww... It's an interspecies dating bar._ Luke smiled, his heart warming. _How sweet..._ Interspecies couples often faced cruel prejudice and discrimination, and Luke was glad to learn that they had a special club here in Mos Eisley, where they could socialize without fear of ridicule.

_Boy... This is like nothing I've ever seen,_ Luke admitted, gazing around the room at the cantina's patrons. There seemed to be exactly one of each species, representing dozens of different planets, all gathered together in the name of love and companionship. _There ARE some nice places in Mos Eisley,_ Luke realized appreciatively. _Cool music, too..._

But now he blinked in surprise as the bartender yelled at him. "Hey! We don't serve their kind here," the man informed him, pointing to Artoo and Threepio.

"What?" Luke frowned, confused.

"Your droids," the bartender explained. "They'll have to wait outside. We don't want them in here."

_Oh!_ Luke nodded, gulping. _Yeah, no kidding..._ Interspecies couples were one thing, and Luke had always tried to keep an open mind about other people's dating preferences; but ever since Mara's green boot experience, he had to confess that the idea of droid relations gave him the creeps.

"Why don't you go wait by the speeder," Luke told Threepio. "We don't want any trouble," he said quietly, patting him affectionately on the shoulder. _What am I doing? Crap! No touching..._

"I heartily agree with you, sir," Threepio replied gratefully, quickly fleeing the dating club along with Artoo, who was already waiting by the door, tottering back and forth on his little legs in sheer panic.

_Oops..._ Luke blinked worriedly as he was greeted by blank stares from half the cantina's patrons. _Great, now they all think I'm into droids,_ he cringed, as the aliens turned hesitantly back to their drinks, obviously trying to put that image out of their minds. _Sorry guys... Yeah, that wasn't cool._

Ben was already at the bar, speaking with a large Wookiee, and Luke went over to join them now. _That must be Chewbacca... And there's Julian,_ Luke realized, noticing the Walrusk beside him. Julian was sitting next to a half human, half pig-face, who seemed to be here with his - _girlfriend?_ - Luke wondered curiously, spotting the adorable little furry creature beside him, who was drinking a large glass of Jawa juice with both hands.

_Actually, that looks really good..._ Luke tugged politely on the bartender's shirt, nodding toward the Jawa juice dispenser. _Thanks,_ he nodded again politely, as the bartender handed him a glass, giving him a confused look. _Yeah, I know... We're both humans, and speak Basic... But it seems kinda rude to flaunt it, in front of all these other folks,_ Luke reasoned, deciding to stick to gestures and grunts.

Ben was also politely nodding to Chewbacca, pretending to understand his quiet roaring noises, and Luke sipped on his Jawa juice thoughtfully, wondering where Owen was, and how they were supposed to recruit a pilot to take them to Alderaan without using words. _I guess we can play charades,_ Luke thought, amused.

_And what are we doing here anyway?_ he wondered, looking around the place. Then it hit him. _Oh,_ Luke realized suddenly, glancing at the Wookiee with newfound understanding. _This must be their usual hangout... Which means that Han and Chewbacca are - Oh,_ Luke blinked again, taking a sip of his Jawa juice. _Well... He IS a Solo,_ Luke reasoned, not entirely surprised.

_And that was nice of Dorian to help his cousin out,_ Luke confessed. _Maybe he's not such a bad guy... Even Master Anakin thinks he's being forced to work for Jabba against his will,_ Luke remembered. _Still... I don't have a lot of sympathy for drug smugglers,_ he admitted. _Voluntary or not, how many people's lives has he ruined by supplying them with that stuff? How many innocent children have suffered with developmental disorders, because of their parents' choices?_ Luke wondered sadly, thinking of Mara.

_Meanwhile we're paying this guy fifteen thousand credits to bail him out of trouble... And he's basically doing nothing,_ Luke thought resentfully. _Chewbacca is at least trying to help out with the show, but Han is just along for the ride; apparently he can't be bothered to act,_ Luke sighed. _Either that, or he's hiding something,_ Luke considered, recalling their trouble with Rocco. _No... I don't trust him one bit,_ he decided, taking another sip of his drink.

But now he looked up as Julian pushed him roughly in the shoulder. "Hey Luke," Julian grunted quietly. "Pretend I'm making Walrusk noises - Owen will add them later," he told him. "Orley here is going to throw you across the room in a second, okay?" he explained, nodding to the pig-face man beside him. "Ben... You know what to do," he added, gesturing toward his severed jacket sleeve.

Luke gave him an understanding glance, turning back to his drink. A moment later he felt a tap on his shoulder, and turned to face Julian's partner in crime.

"He doesn't like you," Orley the half-pig-face-man told Luke bluntly.

"I'm sorry," Luke apologized, slightly hurt. _I guess I'm not his type.._.

"I don't like you either," Orley stated flatly. _Yeah... Nobody here likes me, ever since I fondled Threepio,_ Luke sighed. "You'd better watch yourself," Orley warned him. _No kidding..._ "We're wanted men," Orley continued proudly. "I have the death sentence on twelve systems."

Luke laughed to himself, sensing his lie. _No, you're actually really nice... And your girlfriend is SO cute,_ Luke confessed, eyeing the little furry critter again. "I'll be careful," he assured Orley, turning back to his drink.

"You'll be dead!" Orley yelled fiercely.

"This little one's not worth the effort," Ben said calmly, stepping in. "Come, let me get you something."

"Ahhhhhh!" Orley yelled, throwing Luke across the cantina, where he crashed into a nearby table. _Haha! Cool..._

Luke lay there, pretending to be stunned; and a moment later he heard the ominous hum of a fake lightsaber, and looked up to see Ben slashing fiercely at his attackers. _Yeah! Go Ben!_

"Ahhhhhh!" Julian yelled, crumpling to the floor and pulling off the sleeve of his Walrusk costume.

"Ohhh... Ohh," Orley moaned miserably, collapsing beside him against the bar.

Ben cast a warning gaze around the cantina, then deactivated his blue lightsaber. "What now?" he asked uncertainly, peering at Julian's amputated costume sleeve.

"Uh... I guess we should get a shot of the severed arm," Julian proposed, carefully re-positioning his orange costume sleeve with its furry hand and blaster. "Eh, that doesn't look very realistic," he confessed, examining the shapeless, floppy sleeve. "Maybe if we stuff it with something?" he suggested, pulling off his Walrusk mask so he could see better.

"Here," the bartender offered, handing him some napkins. "Want some ketchup?" he suggested helpfully.

"Thank you... Yeah, ketchup would be perfect," Julian said appreciatively, crumpling up the napkins and stuffing them into his empty costume sleeve. "That looks much better," he nodded in satisfaction, proceeding to squirt ketchup liberally all over the severed sleeve.

"Uh... I think that's enough," Luke pointed out cautiously.

"Oh! Crap, you're right," Julian cringed, nodding. "Ah, I forgot; lightsaber wounds don't really bleed... Do you think that's too much?" he asked Luke hesitantly.

"Ahh... Looks good to me," Luke shrugged, pretending to be clueless. _What would I know about lightsabers? I'm just a farm kid from the desert._ He gave Julian a subtle warning look; they were trying not to advertise Luke's Jedi status here in Mos Eisley. Julian nodded in quiet apology; but now he looked up toward the cantina's entrance as Owen came inside.

"Sorry," Owen sighed wearily, joining them. "I got stuck talking to Jabba... How's it going?" he asked, eyeing the bloody arm on the floor with baffled curiosity.

"All right so far," Julian told him. "We did the arm-chopping scene... Do you think this looks okay?" he asked Owen, showing him the bloody, severed arm.

"Ahh... yeah, that's fine," Owen nodded quickly; Luke could sense his obvious stress. "Great, let's get a shot of that," he agreed, switching one of the hovercams to manual mode and filming a quick close-up of the amputated Walrusk arm. "Perfect... Okay, here's what's happening," Owen told them. "There's been some - complications," he explained vaguely, glancing toward the cantina's exit. "Jabba wants Han to be on the show now," he sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"So if you guys can pick up where you left off," Owen proposed. "Ben, Luke, and Chewie - I need you to head back to one of those tables, closer to the band," he instructed them, nodding toward the back of the cantina. "Han will join us in a minute," he explained, as the others nodded agreeably, taking their places. "And... Action."

Ben and Chewbacca shared a quiet glance, then came over to assist Luke, who was sitting on the floor by the overturned table. "I'm all right," Luke insisted bravely, as Ben helped him to his feet.

"Chewbacca here is first mate on a ship that might suit us," Ben explained, leading the way toward the back of the cantina. Luke followed him obediently, taking a seat at one of the larger tables to wait for Han.

"That was perfect," Owen said appreciatively, joining them a moment later. "I just spoke with Dorian; he says Han will be here in a minute," Owen told them. "So here's what I need you guys to do..."

Luke listened intently as Owen explained the next scene; but a minute passed, then two, and Han still hadn't joined them. _Ahh,_ Luke sighed, frustrated. _Owen's going out of his way to help this guy; he's giving him fifteen thousand credits, and jeopardizing everyone's safety by involving Jabba... And he can't even be bothered to show up for filming.._.

_No,_ Luke decided once again, unimpressed by Han's conduct thus far. _I don't like him one bit._


	146. The cantina is nice though!

**Chapter 146**

"Han," Dorian said sternly, physically dragging him by the arm toward the entrance to the cantina. "You _have_ to," he insisted, gesturing toward the doorway.

"I know," Han nodded seriously. "Okay..." Gulping anxiously, he stepped inside the cantina.

But a moment later he came out again, charging past Dorian and escaping into the adjacent alleyway, as Dorian chased after him. "Han!"

_Ahhh,_ Han shuddered, slumping down against the wall in the alleyway outside the cantina, trying not to hyperventilate. "No," he protested miserably, as Dorian caught up with him again. "I can't..."

"Han, you _have_ to," Dorian reminded him worriedly, crouching down beside him. "Or Jabba's going to put Greedo back in the dungeon again... Maybe execute him," he pointed out.

"I know... I know," Han agreed unhappily. "Ahhh... I told Jabba I'd _rescue the princess,_" he lamented. "I never said I would - " he broke off, gulping. "If people see Chewie and me together in that place, they're gonna think we're... Ahhh," Han sighed miserably, hanging his head. "No... I can't do it," he protested.

"Han, it's okay," Dorian assured him again. "Hey - Greedo's in there right now, hitting on Snowball," he pointed out, laughing. "And everybody knows Greedo's married - to a nice Rodian girl - who's expecting a baby next month," Dorian reminded him; he'd met Greedo and Snowball a few minutes earlier, when they had reconvened to plan the cantina scene. "It's just a silly holo-broadcast... No one takes this stuff seriously," Dorian promised. "Look, I'm going around in a Woozle suit - how dumb is that?" He grinned cheerfully.

Han sighed, hanging his head. "Ahhh... Why did it have to be _this_ place?"

"Because Jabba wants his favorite band to be featured on the show," Dorian reminded him. "And they happen to be playing _here_ today," he pointed out. "Han, come on... You _have_ to do this," he pleaded. "Before Jabba gets any more ideas, and screws things up again," Dorian added worriedly.

"Ohhhh," Han groaned, shuddering involuntarily. "I can't," he whispered. "I can't act," he confessed miserably. "I _can't_..."

"What?" Dorian blinked, surprised. "Is that what this is about? Han, it's easy; I promise... Hey - did you ever do school plays when you were a kid?" he asked; then his brows furrowed. "Did you even _go_ to school?" Dorian asked uncertainly.

"Yes," Han retorted indignantly. "I went to a military academy on Coruscant," he informed his cousin. "I almost graduated," he added, sighing. "Yeah, I was in a school play once... I sucked," Han grumbled.

"Yeah?" Dorian asked, concerned. "What play was it?"

"Ahhh... _The Enchanted Forest,_" Han admitted. "I played a tree," he confessed, shrugging.

"A tree?" Dorian blinked in surprise. "Han," he asked hesitantly. "How can you suck at playing a tree?"

"I - " Han gulped, shaking his head. "I felt like I was growing leaves everywhere, and birds were nesting on my head, and - " he sighed unhappily. "And then I hyperventilated and passed out," he confessed.

"Wow," Dorian blinked. "Yeah, that sucked... Leaves? And birds?" he asked, fascinated; then his expression sobered. "Oh," he nodded quietly, suddenly understanding. "This is about your father," Dorian said gently.

"Yeah," Han nodded. "I can't do it," he whispered miserably, giving his cousin a pleading look. _Next I'll be thinking I'm Maximilian Quintillius, and challenging people to duels..._

"Han..." Dorian smiled regretfully, shaking his head. "It's not inherited," he argued. "I mean - not _specifically_," he told him. "There's absolutely no reason why what happened to your father should happen to you."

"But it did," Han protested. "I _felt_ them... The leaves, and the birds... I swear, I felt them."

Dorian sighed. "It's a self-fulfilling prophecy," he told him. "You're paranoid about losing yourself in the role, so you _make_ it happen," Dorian explained. "My dad's the same way... He thinks he's accident-prone, so he goes around _looking_ for things to trip over, and bump into; at least subconsciously," he admitted. "But if that's what you're worried about..." Dorian broke off, his expression thoughtful.

"Han, this is perfect," Dorian said, grinning suddenly. "Think about it: you're not playing a tree, and you're not playing Maximilian Quintillius... You're playing _yourself_," he pointed out. "What are you going to do? Go around telling people you're Han Solo?"

Han blinked. "Oh," he said, frowning in surprise. "You're right," he admitted cautiously.

"Of course I'm right." Dorian grinned. "I _am_ the Senator of Corellia," he pointed out, as Han laughed, shaking his head. "Han, it's going to be all right," he promised; then he cast an anxious glance down the alleyway, where Jabba was slithering back and forth impatiently, waiting for his cameo appearance.

"Go," Dorian whispered, nodding toward the cantina. "Before Jabba gets bored and makes this worse than it already is," he warned Han, with a sympathetic smile. "You can do this; there's nothing to worry about," he assured him gently.

"Ahh... Okay," Han nodded, getting up. _I can do this..._ "But I still say this sucks," he insisted grumpily, sharing a rueful grin with his cousin as he headed back toward the cantina.

_He's right,_ Han told himself, steeling his resolve as he entered the cantina. _This place is ridiculous though,_ Han sighed in annoyance, stubbornly refusing to look at the cantina's regular patrons as he continued toward the table where Chewie and the others were waiting. _Okay, let's get this over with..._

"Han Solo," he introduced himself, taking a seat next to Chewbacca. _Not a tree... Not Maximilian Quintillius... Han Solo._ "I'm captain of the Millennium Falcon," he added casually. "Chewie here tells me you're looking for passage to the Alderaan system?" he asked, skeptically eyeing Ben Kenobi and the little blond kid beside him. _Ah, this is embarrassing..._

"Yes, indeed," Ben Kenobi replied. "If it's a fast ship," he added importantly.

"Fast ship?" Han repeated, taken aback; Owen Lars had asked him the same question earlier. "You've never heard of the _Millennium Falcon?_" he asked, wondering exactly how clueless these people were.

Ben shook his head, shrugging innocently. "Should I have?"

_Okay, that does it,_ Han scowled. _Yes, you SHOULD have..._ "It's the ship that made the Kessel Run in less than twelve parsecs," Han informed him, stating the record for cameras, to be broadcast across the entire galaxy. _Take that, Lando._ For two years Han had dutifully remained quiet about his impressive feat, respecting Lando's plea to keep his precious home planet a secret; but that was before Lando had stabbed him in the back and stolen Victoria from him.

Ben Kenobi was still staring at him blankly. _Crap, he doesn't even know what the Kessel Run IS,_ Han realized, sighing in annoyance. _Okay, let me put this into terms you can understand, Mr. Pansy Actor._ "I've outrun Imperial Starships," Han boasted, trying to think what kind of ships they used on _SITH_. "Not the local bulk cruisers, mind you; I'm talking about the big Corellian ships, now," Han blurted out, slightly disturbed by how easily all of that rolled off his tongue. _Okay... Stop with the acting NOW,_ he warned himself, gulping anxiously. _You're Han Solo... And SITH ain't real..._

"She's fast enough for you, old man," Han told him, pushing away the unsettling feeling that had briefly taken over him. _Okay, that was scary..._ "What's the cargo?" he asked, focusing on business.

"Only passengers," Ben replied. "Myself; the boy," he said solemnly, nodding to the blond kid beside him. "Two droids... And no questions asked," he emphasized dramatically.

Han grinned, shaking his head. _Ahh, this is ridiculous... He's acting all serious, and we're sitting here in a damned interspecies dating club._ "What is it, some kind of local trouble?" Han asked, trying to keep a straight face.

"Let's just say we'd like to avoid any Imperial entanglements," Ben said, giving him a knowing look.

_Ahh... Imperial entanglements,_ Han laughed to himself. "Well, that's the real trick, isn't it?" he agreed, playing along. "And it's going to cost you something extra," he told him. "Ten thousand... all in advance."

"Ten thousand?" the blond kid repeated, staring at Han in disbelief. "We can almost buy our own ship for that!"

"But who's gonna fly it, kid? You?" he asked, amused by the idea. _Who is this kid, anyway?_ Han wondered, trying to figure out if he was a professional actor, or a local farm boy they'd recruited for this episode.

"You bet I could," the blond kid retorted hotly. "I'm not such a bad pilot myself... We don't have to sit here and listen to - "

The whiny little boy was quickly cut off by Ben Kenobi. _Thank you..._ "We can pay you two thousand now," Ben told him calmly. "Plus fifteen, when we reach Alderaan."

"Seventeen?" Han repeated, impressed. _Yeah... It's because they're paying me seventeen thousand that I agreed to take this crazy job in the first place,_ he confessed, truly grateful for Owen and Dorian's help. "Okay, you guys got yourselves a ship," Han agreed. "We'll leave as soon as you're ready... Docking bay ninety-four," he told them.

"Ninety-four," Ben agreed solemnly. But now Han looked up as several Stormtroopers entered the cantina.

"Looks like somebody's beginning to take an interest in your handiwork," Han improvised, remembering what Owen had explained earlier about the arm-chopping scene. _Yeah, I missed that... But this isn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be,_ Han admitted, giving the Stormtroopers his best disinterested stare as Ben and the blond kid escaped out the back door.

_Uh... Are we done?_ Han wondered, looking at Owen uncertainly. "That was great," Owen told him, obviously impressed. "And you said you couldn't act?" The director grinned, shaking his head. "You're doing terrific... All right, let's finish up with Greedo's scene, and then we need to move on to Jabba's cameo," Owen reminded them.

"Let's take it from there," he continued. "Han, you're happy about the seventeen thousand, and you send Chewbacca to get the ship ready... That's when Greedo comes in," Owen reminded them; Han and Greedo had practiced this scene briefly outside the cantina, while waiting for Ben Kenobi to arrive. "All right... Action."

_Okay..._ "Seventeen thousand," Han exclaimed in disbelief. _Yeah... I AM happy about that._ "Those guys must really be desperate; this could really save my neck," he confessed, getting up from the table. _This is about the easiest money I've ever made,_ Han admitted, realizing that the acting was nothing to be afraid of. _And half of it isn't even acting at all..._ "Get back to the ship; get it ready," he instructed Chewie, following him out of the cantina.

But now Greedo confronted him, placing a blaster to his chest. "Going somewhere, Solo?" the Rodian asked in Huttese.

"Yes, Greedo; as a matter of fact, I was just going to see your boss, to tell Jabba that I've got his money," Han retorted, pretending that Greedo was one of Jabba's bounty hunters.

"It's too late," Greedo replied, sitting across from him at the table, his blaster still pointed straight at Han's chest. "You should have paid him when you had the chance. Jabba's put a price on your head so large, every bounty hunter in the galaxy will be looking for you," Greedo told him. "I'm lucky I found you first."

_This is actually kind of fun._ "Yeah, but this time I've got the money," Han told Greedo calmly, resting a foot on top of the table. _And it's way more interesting than playing a tree..._

"If you give it to me, I might forget I found you," Greedo suggested.

"I don't have it _with_ me," Han said casually, surreptitiously reaching for his blaster. "Tell Jabba - "

"Jabba's through with you," Greedo interrupted him. "He has no time for smugglers who drop their shipments at the first sign of an Imperial cruiser."

"Even I get boarded sometimes," Han retorted defensively, remembering his encounter with Skywalker and Mara Jade three days earlier. "Do you think I had a choice?"

"You can tell that to Jabba," Greedo suggested. "He may only take your ship."

"Over my dead body," Han replied, unafraid.

"That's the idea," Greedo agreed smugly. "I've been looking forward to this for a long time."

"I'll bet you have," Han said, firing straight at the explosive device on the wall behind Greedo. He had replaced his blaster cartridge with mild stun rounds for the purpose of filming, but he and Greedo had both agreed that they'd rather not actually shoot each other. _It's my fault that he wound up in Jabba's dungeon in the first place,_ Han sighed regretfully, as Greedo dutifully slumped forward onto the table, carrying out Jabba's wishes by dying stupidly on _SITH_.

"Sorry about the mess," Han apologized to the bartender, tossing him a gold Datari on his way out of the cantina. Two Jawas were coming inside now; news of _SITH's_ presence in Mos Eisley had spread, and the cantina was quickly filling with curious onlookers in addition to its usual interspecies dating crowd.

_Well that wasn't so bad,_ Han confessed, as he emerged out onto the street. _It was actually kind of fun..._ After three days of nonstop headaches from his desperate search to find a way to pay back Jabba, Han had to admit that acting on _SITH_ was a nice vacation from his usual job. _Though I'll have to get back to that soon,_ he realized; Han had fallen woefully behind on his spice deliveries as a result of being grounded in Mos Eisley for the past three days.

_Is Dorian around?_ Han wondered hopefully, looking up and down the street; but he couldn't spot his cousin, and a moment later Owen emerged from the cantina, followed by Greedo.

"Han, that was fantastic," Owen congratulated him, impressed. "Both of you were terrific," he added, to Greedo. But now he blinked in alarm, hearing Jabba's loud cursing from across the street. "Ahh... We'd better film his cameo now," Owen confessed anxiously, as they headed toward the docking bay. "Sounds like he's getting impatient."

"Yeah... That's Jabba for you," Han agreed, giving the director a commiserative look as they entered docking bay ninety-four.

"Solo!" Jabba was yelling loudly, slithering back and forth outside the _Falcon_. "Come out of there, Solo!"

_Ahh... He still thinks I'm afraid of acting, and hiding inside my ship like a sissy,_ Han realized, sighing. "Right here, Jabba," he told him. _Guess what... I ain't afraid of acting anymore._

But now Han became aware of Owen crouching down behind him, filming the scene from a low angle. _What the...? Is he filming my butt?_ Han wondered, blinking worriedly; then he grinned, realizing what the director was doing. _He's getting a close-up of my holster... Just like those famous blaster-duel scenes from the old holo-films,_ Han thought, amused. "Been waiting for you," he added dramatically, quoting a line from his favorite classic movie.

"Have you?" Jabba blinked, startled. _Yeah... He's not a big classic film fan,_ Han realized, deciding to stick to what they had rehearsed.

"You didn't think I was gonna run, did you?" he asked, boldly approaching the Hutt.

"Han, my boy," Jabba said, slithering toward him. "You disappoint me." Boba was acting as his main bodyguard today, and stayed close by the Hutt's side as several other bounty hunters kept a watchful eye over the docking bay. "Why haven't you paid me... And why did you fry poor Greedo?" Jabba asked, pretending to be hurt.

_Yeah, yeah,_ Han sighed, dutifully playing the bad employee. _We all know you're trying to act like a nice, friendly guy in front of Owen Lars, so you can get your fan club HoloNet access back._ "Look, Jabba," Han told him, pointing a finger in his face. "Next time you want to talk to me, come see me yourself. Don't send one of these twerps."

"Han," Jabba sighed sympathetically. "I can't make exceptions," he argued. "What if everyone who smuggled for me dropped their cargo at the first sign of an Imperial starship? It's not good business."

_Arg... I just had this conversation with Greedo..._ But now Han's eyes darted back and forth worriedly as he became aware of a disgusting but ominously familiar sound. _Oh, crap!_ Han realized suddenly, hearing a nasty squishy sound. _His Kreech-Crab is hatching!_

Kreech-Crabs were parasites that attached themselves to Hutts, incubating beneath their skin for weeks until they were ready to hatch, at which point the adult Kreech-Crab would scurry all over the place, pinching and biting everything in sight. Jabba had been plagued by these creatures for years, and found it extremely embarrassing when they hatched in front of other people.

_Ahh! The entire galaxy will be watching this. And Jabba's trying to make a good impression in front of Owen..._ Chewie was following behind Jabba now, eyeing his tail worriedly, and Han realized he had to do something, and fast.

"Look, Jabba," Han said, continuing with his acting and subtly moving toward Jabba's tail. "Even I get boarded sometimes," he protested. _Crap! There it is..._ Han could see the Kreech-Crab breaking through Jabba's skin now, and quickly stepped on his tail, squishing the parasite beneath his boot. The Kreech-Crab let out a hideous dying shriek, and Jabba roared indignantly; but the Hutt immediately realized what Han had done for him, and frowned worriedly.

"You think I had a choice?" Han continued, as Jabba regained his composure, trying to pretend that hadn't happened. "But I got a nice, easy charter, and I'll pay you back; plus a little extra," Han promised. "I just need a little more time."

"Han, my boy," Jabba replied, smiling in sincere gratitude as he put a hand to his heart. "You're the best." _Yeah... Hopefully he'll remember this, next time he's tempted to feed me to the Rancor._ "So for an extra twenty percent - "

"Fifteen, Jabba," Han countered. "Don't push it." Jabba was trying to portray himself as a strict but fair boss in front of Owen; but Han knew that the Hutt wasn't just acting, and was truly expecting an additional percentage by tomorrow evening. _Now I've got to score another three thousand credits,_ Han realized worriedly. _WHILE I'm filming for SITH..._

"Okay, fifteen," Jabba agreed magnanimously. "But if you fail me again, I'll put a price on your head so big you won't be able to go near a civilized system," the Hutt warned him. _Yeah, I know... I can barely go anywhere as it is._ But Han's job was to make Jabba look good in this scene, and so he set aside his own frustration, accepting the Hutt's terms.

"Jabba," Han said, trying to look appreciative. "You're a wonderful human being."

"Come on," Jabba ordered his bodyguards, slithering out of the scene and stubbornly pretending there wasn't a dead Kreech-Crab splattered all over his tail, as Han and Chewie climbed up the ramp to the _Falcon_.

"And... Cut," Owen said a moment later, as Han and Chewie came back outside; but Jabba was already boarding his own transport back to the palace, not waiting to say goodbye to the director. "Uh... I guess that's it, then," Owen said uncertainly, still staring after the Hutt in baffled surprise. "Well that was pretty easy," he confessed, with a relieved smile. "All right, we're just waiting for Ben and Luke to finish up a couple of scenes, and then we're ready to go."

"Great," Han agreed, nodding politely. _Ahh..._ "I just have to take care of something, before we leave," he told the director. "I'll be back in a few minutes," he promised, as Owen nodded good-naturedly.

_We'll be on Yavin IV tomorrow,_ Han remembered, thinking quickly. _That's a big vacation place; they say there's a huge drug scene there, if you know where to look,_ he had heard. _Jabba's always wanting to make new contacts; maybe I can set something up,_ Han decided, making his way through the streets of Mos Eisley with Chewie at his side.

_And if anyone in this town knows of a dealer on Yavin IV, Torran will,_ Han guessed. In addition to his day job as a humble street vendor, Torran was one of the few independent spice dealers here in Mos Eisley, and had distributors all over the galaxy. _Maybe he'll hook me up with someone on Yavin IV, if I give him a percentage as well,_ Han hoped, continuing toward Torran's Fish Stick Stand.

* * *

><p><em>Meanwhile...<em>

"All right; give it to me, I'll take it," Luke grumbled, pretending to sell Dale's hovercraft to a passer-by in the street. "Look at this," he sighed, showing Ben his solitary Wupiupi coin. "Ever since the SB-38 came out, they just aren't in demand."

"It will be enough," Ben assured him, as they continued along the street. Dorian was skulking behind them in his Woozle costume, and Luke dutifully ignored him as they passed by, turning onto the next street.

But now he blinked, smelling something delicious. "Fish sticks, here in Mos Eisley?" Ben laughed in surprise, spotting the vendor up ahead. "Come, let's have some lunch," he suggested, his blue eyes twinkling.

Luke smiled appreciatively as they approached the street vendor; _Torran's Fish Stick Stand,_ the sign proclaimed proudly. "That does smell really good," Luke confessed, as they stood in line behind a few other customers. Dorian joined them a moment later, pulling off his Woozle mask and smiling cheerfully as they waited for their lunch.

But now Luke noticed the customer in front of him quietly slipping the vendor several gold Dataries; his order of fish sticks was served with an extra condiment package, which he quickly tucked into his pocket. _Ahh... This guy's a drug dealer,_ Luke realized unhappily; but Ben and Dorian hadn't noticed the exchange, and so Luke masked his frustration, smiling politely as the vendor handed him his lunch.

"Oh my, these are delicious," Ben remarked, as they headed back toward the docking bay.

"Yes," Luke agreed, munching on his fish stick. "Thank you," he added to Ben appreciatively, trying to push away his disappointment. _Ahh... I hate this town,_ he confessed, glancing back toward the fish stand; but now his brows furrowed as he spotted Han and Chewbacca speaking with the vendor.

_Please tell me he's not doing what I think he's doing,_ Luke sighed, noting that Han was taking far too long to order his lunch, and lingering to chat with the vendor while he and Chewbacca ate their fish sticks. _He's up to something,_ Luke realized unhappily. _And I don't have the authority to arrest him here... But I'm keeping an eye on him,_ he vowed, reluctantly turning away.


	147. Escape from Mos Eisley

**Chapter 147**

_Meanwhile..._

"Thanks, Torran," Han nodded appreciatively, as he and Chewie left the fish stand, heading back toward the docking bay. Torran had given them the name and address of a crystalstim dealer on Yavin IV, not far from the _SITH_ set in Massassi.

_"Crystalstim?"_ Chewbacca reproached Han skeptically. _"That's a bad idea."_

"No kidding," Han agreed, as they continued through the streets. "But Torran thinks this guy might have other stuff; maybe even death sticks," Han pointed out, thinking of the fifteen crates he'd dumped outside Coruscant the other day. "Back to work, eh?" He grinned, giving Chewie an apologetic look.

_"Yeah,"_ Chewbacca agreed quietly, accepting it. But now he peered inside docking bay ninety-two, his expression concerned. _"The old hippie,"_ he pointed out, nodding toward the love-craft across the way. _"He's still having engine trouble."_

Han nodded, following Chewie into the docking bay to offer their assistance. They had noticed the old man working on his Dove earlier, but had decided that he was safe enough, at least while the _SITH_ crew was around. But they would soon be taking off, and Han knew that the local thieves and murderers would be back to their usual tricks as soon as their famous visitors left.

_He'd better get out of here, before someone kills him, and takes his ship,_ Han worried, approaching the old man. "Hey," he nodded politely, as the elderly hippie looked up in surprise. "Having engine trouble?" he asked, peering at the love-craft in concern. _Ah, these old things are complete junkers; but I think I have some spare parts that might work for it..._

"No, no," the hippie assured him, smiling appreciatively. "I'm just giving it a bit of a tune-up," he told Han cheerfully, continuing his work.

Han peered curiously at the man, surprised by his calm attitude, as well as his proper Coruscant accent; something about him seemed strangely familiar. _I've seen him before; maybe on Tandor, or someplace like that..._ "Well, you'd better hurry it up," Han advised him, with a meaningful nod toward the street, where several Stormtroopers were marching past. "Once the _SITH_ crew clears out of here, this ain't gonna be the safest place to work," he warned the old man.

"I would have to agree with you, there," the hippie nodded regretfully. "Thank you, for your concern," he added, his blue eyes twinkling in appreciation. "I promise, I'll be out of here in just a few minutes."

_I swear I know this guy..._ Han tried to place him, and suddenly got a bizarre image of a brown cloak, surrounded by a ghostly blue shimmer; then he stared at the old man in startled disbelief. _Holy crap, it's Qui-Gon Jinn._ "Oh." He blinked, backing away. "Sorry - I, uh..."

"Not to worry," Qui-Gon laughed cheerfully. "And I _do_ appreciate your kind offer," he added. "But you'd better be getting back to your own ship; Owen and the others are getting ready for the final scene," he told him quietly.

"Yes, sir," Han nodded respectfully, sharing an amused look with the Jedi as he and Chewie turned toward the doorway. _Obviously Owen brought his own security team,_ Han realized, laughing at his own naivete as they headed back to docking bay ninety-four.

"Oh good - you're back," Owen nodded, as Han and Chewie returned to the Falcon. "Just in time," he told them, smiling appreciatively. "Ben and Luke are on their way back here; maybe you could be working on the ship, and welcome them aboard," he suggested, as Han and Chewie nodded in agreement.

_Sure... May as well clean off some of this dirt,_ Han decided, picking up a rag and proceeding to polish the _Falcon's_ underside. _Though it would take me months to do this all by hand,_ he sighed, admitting that it had been far too long since he'd treated the _Falcon_ to a professional fly-through shipwash. But the important thing was that it was in working order again; Kitster had helped Han to repair the hyperdrive since his breakdown off Coruscant three days ago.

A few minutes later Ben and the kid entered the docking bay, and Han looked up from his polishing as Chewbacca courteously greeted them at the door. _Hello; welcome aboard Millennium Falcon... Uh, no, that sounds lame,_ Han confessed, trying to think of a better line.

But now the blond kid stopped in his tracks, gaping in wide-eyed disbelief. _Yeah, I know,_ Han thought, suppressing a proud smile as the farm boy stared at his beloved _Falcon_, his pride and joy... _The kid's probably never seen a real starship up close before_. But nothing could prepare him for the words that came out of the boy's mouth.

"What a piece of junk!" Luke exclaimed, his expression conveying utter disdain. _What?_ Han blinked, caught off guard. _Oh, crap... He's not a farm kid at all,_ he realized suddenly. _He's some spoiled little actor boy from Geonosis._

"She'll make point five past lightspeed," Han told the little brat condescendingly. _He probably doesn't even know what that means._ "She may not look like much, but she's got it where it counts, kid. I've made a lot of special modifications myself," he added. _Gah, I don't have time for this..._ "But - we're a little rushed, so if you'll just get on board, we'll get out of here," Han gestured with dramatic sarcasm, ushering them aboard.

"Hello, sir," Threepio said politely, following Ben and Luke up the ramp as Artoo toddled behind him.

_Damn, this is embarrassing,_ Han sighed, shaking his head in disbelief and returning to his futile task of cleaning the ship's exterior with a tiny white rag. _People are actually going to watch that..._

But now he looked up in surprise, hearing another familiar voice from the doorway. "Han!" Dorian called, waving cheerfully as he came over to talk to him. He still wore his black cloak, but held the Woozle mask in his hand.

"Dorian!" Han grinned, glad to see him. _Heh... I'm never going to be able to picture him without that silly Woozle costume,_ he admitted, greeting his cousing. "How did the spying go?" he asked, amused.

"Ahh, great," Dorian said cheerfully. "I got some pretty good kazooing in, too," he laughed. "Ben said the cantina scene went really well... He says you were terrific," Dorian added, impressed.

"Yeah, you were right," Han confessed. "It's a lot easier than I thought it would be... it's actually pretty fun." _I wish Dorian were coming with us, instead of stupid Actor Boy..._ "So, on to Yavin IV, eh?" Han asked, nodding toward Owen's ship.

"Yep," Dorian agreed. "Jonah's already trying to plan how to blow up the Death Star; it's going to be fun... Hey, you should do the Rebel attack scene with us," Dorian suggested. "You could join the Rebellion too."

"Heh... Maybe," Han shrugged, with a regretful smile. "I probably won't have time though; Jabba's expecting me back tomorrow night," he confessed. "But... thank you," Han added. "I really appreciate what you did for me," he told him sincerely. "I won't forget it."

Dorian smiled, nodding. "I'm happy to help," he agreed good-naturedly. "Well... Good luck rescuing Leia," he said, with a cheerful grin. "I'll see you on Yavin IV."

"All right," Han nodded; then his brows furrowed. "Leia?" he asked cautiously.

"Leia Amidala, of Naboo; she's playing the princess," Dorian explained. "Oh!" he blinked, waving to Owen. "I gotta go," Dorian apologized. "Time to send the Stormtroopers after you." He grinned mischievously, pulling on his Woozle mask. "See you tomorrow," he nodded, waving to Han as he quickly exited the docking bay.

"Okay - see you later," Han called after him, as Owen approached.

"All right, this is it," Owen said, grinning. "Jonah's directing the final scene, so I'm boarding now," he told Han, nodding toward the _Falcon._ "Your job is pretty simple: when the Stormtroopers come in here, fire a couple shots at them, then run on board, and we'll take off as quickly as we can, okay?"

"Great," Han nodded confidently. "No problem," he assured the director, as Owen smiled appreciatively, climbing up the _Falcon's_ ramp.

Han turned back to his task of polishing the _Falcon_ with his little white rag. _Leia,_ he mused. _So she's the princess..._ Han had first heard of Leia Amidala years ago, when she had been elected Queen of Naboo. _She's Boba's little cousin,_ Han realized; Leia and her mother were too snobbish to admit it openly, but everyone quietly knew that Typho was her father.

_She's what... About fourteen now?_ Han thought, trying to remember. _Heh... Between her and Actor Boy, I got stuck doing the kiddie episode,_ he laughed to himself.

But now he looked up in alarm as several Stormtroopers swarmed into the docking bay, blasters drawn. _What the...?_ "Stop that ship! Blast them!" their leader commanded, opening fire on the _Falcon._

_Holy crap!_ Han gasped, automatically firing back at them. _This is no joke... Those are REAL Stormtroopers! Ahh, we're in serious trouble,_ Han confessed, running up the _Falcon's_ ramp and quickly closing the hatch behind him.

"Chewie, get us out of here!" he yelled urgently, running toward the cockpit. _Crap, why are they after us? Is Vader here?_ Han wondered anxiously. _Or maybe the Emperor? Ahh, I'm not sticking around to find out..._

A moment later the _Falcon_ took off, blasting out of the docking bay and away from Mos Eisley. _Whew... That was too close,_ Han confessed, sitting back in his pilot's seat. _But this ain't over yet,_ he realized, as his scanner indicated another ship following them.

_"That was great,"_ Chewie said excitedly. _"Ahh! Attack Droid - right behind us,"_ he warned Han.

_Attack Droid?_ Han blinked in confusion. _No, that's a Star Destroyer..._ "Looks like an Imperial cruiser; our passengers must be hotter than I thought," Han admitted worriedly. _Well DUH... It's Obi-Wan Kenobi,_ he realized, cursing himself for not seeing the inherent danger in harboring an ex-Jedi, and a known enemy of the Empire. _Crap, how do I always get myself into these things?_ But there was no time to think about that.

"Try and hold them off," Han told Chewie urgently. "Angle our deflector shields while I make the calculations for the jump to lightspeed," he instructed him quickly, getting up from his seat and attending to the navicomputer; then he checked his scanner again. _Oh, crap!_ "Stay sharp - there's two more coming in; they're gonna try and cut us off," Han warned Chewie, sitting back in the pilot's seat.

_It's risky to make the jump to lightspeed this quickly, but I don't exactly have a choice..._ Han's brows furrowed as he proceeded to make the calculations; but now he heard an annoying voice behind him.

"Why don't you outrun them?" Farm Boy asked, suddenly appearing in the cockpit. "I thought you said this thing was fast!"

"Watch your mouth, kid, or you're going to find yourself floating home," Han warned the little twerp. "We'll be safe enough once we make the jump to hyperspace," he assured him. "Besides, I know a few maneuvers; we'll lose them."

_Yeah, we got this..._ Han grinned in mischievous determination. "This is where the fun begins."

"How long before you can make the jump to lightspeed?" Obi-Wan asked quietly.

"It'll take a few moments to get the coordinates from the navicomputer," Han told him.

"Are you kidding?" Farm Boy whined, panicking. "At the rate they're gaining?" _WHY is he here, anyway?_

"Traveling through hyperspace ain't like dusting crops, boy," Han retorted. "Without precise calculations we'd fly right through a star, or bounce too close to a supernova; and that'd end your trip real quick, wouldn't it?"

"What's that flashing?" Farm Boy asked worriedly, pointing toward the control panel. _Ahh! Don't do that,_ Han scowled, smacking him away. _What IS that flashing...?_

_Oh, crap! It's the Total Engine Failure warning light..._ "We're losing our deflector shields," Han lied, not wanting to alarm his passengers. "Go strap yourselves in; I'm going to make the jump to lightspeed."

_Come on; it's now or never..._ Han held his breath, pulling the hyperdrive lever downward; and a moment later the stars turned to streaks as they blasted safely into hyperspace.

_Whew,_ Han sighed heavily, sharing a relieved grin with Chewie. _We did it..._ But now he blinked in surprise, noticing the little hovering droids all around them. _What are these things, anyway?_ Han wondered, peering at one in confusion. He'd been too busy fighting off the Imperials to notice them before; but now he could see that they were little hovering cameras. _What the...?_

"That was amazing," Owen Lars said cheerfully now, as he joined them in the cockpit. "Han, you're a natural," he congratulated him, patting him on the shoulder. "And you said you couldn't act?"

_Ohhh,_ Han gulped nervously. _Holy crap..._ "Yeah," he agreed, managing a smile. "It's a lot easier than I thought," he said, trying to quell the sick feeling in his stomach.

_I'm Han Solo,_ he reminded himself, taking a deep breath. _Captain of the Millennium Falcon,_ he told himself carefully. _Not a tree; not Maximilian Quintillius,_ he frowned, disturbed. _And SITH ain't real._

* * *

><p>"That's the last of them," Jonah said cheerfully, stuffing the Stormtrooper costumes back into the closet aboard Owen's ship. "Everything's accounted for... We're ready for takeoff," he told the others. Dorian and Julian nodded agreeably, following Jonah back down the ramp to the docking bay.<p>

"Thank you so much for all of your help, Dale," Beru was saying now. "It's been wonderful working with you."

"I've had a blast," Dale admitted, grinning. "If you ever need to come back here, you just let me know."

Dorian waved goodbye along with the others, as they boarded Owen's ship. "Next stop: Yavin IV," Jonah announced, as they took off from Mos Eisley. "We'll probably get there before the _Executor_ tour does," he guessed, making the calculation for the jump to lightspeed.

"This is going to be fun," Julian said, grinning. "I can't wait to try out the flight simulator at the Rebel Base."

"Me too," Dorian agreed good-naturedly; but then he sighed, unable to shake the anxiety he'd been feeling for three days now. "Hey," he said hesitantly, giving the others an apologetic look. "Do you mind if I give Kyra a quick call?"

"Of course not," Jonah assured him, nodding toward the ship's transmitter.

"She's still not feeling well?" Beru asked sympathetically.

"Eh," Dorian sighed, shaking his head. "No, she keeps saying she's fine; but this morning she didn't sound so good," he confessed worriedly, dialing Leila's apartment on Coruscant, where Kyra had been staying this week. "Hi Leila," Dorian said cheerfully, as his mother-in-law answered.

"Dorian!" Leila exclaimed. "How's the filming going?"

"Great; we're all done with the Tatooine stuff, and we're on our way to Yavin IV," Dorian told her. "We're about to make the jump to lightspeed, but I wanted to see how Kyra was feeling?"

"Oh, she's fine," Leila assured him. "Hang on, here she is."

"Hi Dorian!" Kyra answered brightly. "How's it going?"

"Fine..." Dorian smiled, his heart warming as he heard Kyra's cheery voice. _Aw, I miss you._ "I don't have time to talk," he apologized. "I just wanted to make sure you were feeling okay?"

"Yes," Kyra said cheerfully. "I'm fine... I'm perfect," she promised.

"Are you sure?" Dorian asked, concerned. "You didn't sound so great this morning," he reminded her gently.

"Oh," Kyra replied. "No, I was - ahh, it's nothing," she assured him, as she had been doing for the past two days. "I'll tell you when you get back," she added cryptically.

"Tell me what?" Dorian asked, blinking.

Kyra giggled. "The thing that I'm going to tell you, when you get back," she insisted, laughing. "It's a surprise."

"A surprise?" Dorian grinned, shaking his head. _Ahh, Kyra loves surprises..._ "Okay," he conceded good-naturedly. "Well, I have to go," he apologized. "I'll call you when I get to Yavin IV, okay?"

"Okay," Kyra agreed. "Have fun... I miss you," she added, a hint of longing in her voice.

"I miss you too," Dorian agreed. _Ahh, this is embarrassing, in front of everyone.._. "I love you, Kyra," he said softly.

"I love you too," Kyra replied sweetly. "Talk to you later."

"Goodbye," Dorian said, forcing himself to switch the transmitter off; then he gave the others an apologetic smile. "Thanks," he said appreciatively. "Okay, I'm done," he told them, nodding toward the navicomputer.

But now he noticed their amused stares. "What?" Dorian asked cautiously.

"Dorian," Julian laughed, his eyes twinkling mischievously. "Exactly how stupid _are_ you?"

"Huh?" Dorian blinked, caught off guard.

"Kyra," Julian explained. "For three days now, she hasn't been feeling well in the mornings, and then she insists she's fine later in the day," he pointed out. "She's cheery beyond belief," Julian added, with an impish smile. "And she has a _surprise_ to tell you when you get back," he finished, spelling it out for him.

Dorian gaped at him, stunned. "No..." _Holy crap..._ "You think...?" he asked hesitantly, looking at the others. Jonah nodded in shy agreement, and Beru smiled warmly, as Dorian blinked in disbelief. "Whoa..." _She's pregnant?_

"Change of plans," Julian proposed, sharing a cheerful grin with Jonah. "_Wedge_ and I are going to blow up the Death Star - all by ourselves," he said. "And you, my friend, are going home," he told Dorian. "So that Kyra can tell you the thing that she's going to tell you, when you get back," Julian laughed affectionately, patting him on the shoulder.

"Ahhhh," Dorian exclaimed, grinning in disbelief. "Jonah... Do you mind?"

"Of course not," Jonah agreed good-naturedly, recalculating their coordinates. "It's on our way... And _Biggs_," he added to Julian, with an impish grin. "There's a whole shipful of tourists on the way to Yavin IV right now, who I'm sure will want to help us blow up the Death Star," he reminded him.

"Oh, right," Julian nodded thoughtfully, impressed. "Excellent."

"All right, strap yourselves in," Jonah announced importantly, reaching for the hyperdrive lever. "Next stop: Coruscant."


	148. That's no moon

**Chapter 148**

"Padmé!" Saskia exclaimed, looking up from the register in surprise as Padmé entered the HOPE store. "Are you feeling better?"

"Yes, much better," Padmé assured the Tryskorian girl, ignoring Leia's quiet amused smile. "Thank you, Saskia." Over the past two days while Anakin had been left alone aboard the Death Star with his padawan halfway across the galaxy, Padmé had mysteriously taken ill, and had barely left her hotel room the entire time. _Luke and the others must be on their way back,_ Leia guessed, judging by her mother's sudden recovery. _Dad must have sensed them._

"My goodness," Padmé said, looking around the gift shop. "You two have done an amazing job! It looks wonderful," she added, admiring the store's impressive display of handmade crafts from all over the galaxy. "Leia says you've had quite a few customers already?" she asked Saskia.

"Yes," Saskia nodded. "We have - fourteen customers yesterday," she told Padmé proudly, checking the computer screen on the counter. "And two this morning." Saskia's family operated a general store back on Tryskoria, and the blonde girl was already an expert at greeting customers and handling sales; she was quickly learning the computerized check-out and inventory system, and had expressed an interest in remaining aboard the Death Star to manage the gift shop full-time, once she turned eighteen.

"That's wonderful," Padmé said, truly impressed. "Saskia, you're doing an incredible job," she praised her again, sharing an appreciative smile with Leia. Then she blinked thoughtfully, as if remembering something. "Oh! I just ran into Anakin on the way down here," Padmé added casually. "He says Luke and the others are on their way back from Tatooine."

"They are?" Saskia asked, looking up from the register; then she caught Padmé and Leia's amused looks, and grinned shyly. "It will be a pleasure to see them," she said, her blue eyes sparkling mischievously. "Was that right?"

"Haha... Perfect," Padmé nodded in approval. They had explained to Saskia about her mistake two days earlier, which the Tryskorian girl found both hilarious and mortifying; she was looking forward to seeing Jonah again, and was hoping to make a better impression on him this time.

_Though I think she did pretty well before,_ Leia confessed, getting up from her own computer terminal, where she had been half-heartedly checking the Senate news. _Same boring stuff as always..._ "Well, I guess I'd better go change," Leia told the others. "Time to be the damsel in distress," she apologized, heading for the doorway.

"All right; good luck with the filming," Padmé said, as Saskia waved goodbye from behind the register.

"Thanks," Leia said appreciatively, heading back to her hotel room. _This will be fun,_ she decided, as she changed into her white dress. _I can't wait to see Julian again..._

She'd had two days to think about it, and realized now that her father was right. _First kisses are usually awkward,_ Leia admitted. _It doesn't mean anything. And hopefully the next one will be better,_ she thought optimistically, tying her hair into cinnamon buns. _I've missed Julian,_ Leia confessed, smiling.

_And it will be fun getting rescued by Luke and Dorian too,_ she thought, as she left her hotel room and headed back down to the main level. _And Jonah..._

She was greeted by her father as she arrived on the main level. "There you are," Anakin said, already dressed in his Vader costume, with his mask strapped above his helmet. "Tarkin sent me to find you; he wants to film a scene with us on the command deck," he told her good-naturedly, leading the way. "We're blowing up Alderaan."

"Are we?" Leia laughed ruefully; she had heard rumors of Cliegg's decision yesterday, and was both disappointed and secretly relieved that they would not be filming her clandestine meeting with Bail Organa on Alderaan. _The whole planet already thinks of me as their future queen,_ Leia admitted nervously. _I'm not sure I'm ready to face that just yet..._

"Yes," Anakin nodded. "So here's your chance to vent all that frustration," he reminded her, his blue eyes twinkling. "Have you thought of a good insult for Tarkin yet?"

"Ahh... no," Leia confessed. "And I'm not frustrated any more," she added; Leia still hadn't told her father about the childish prank Mara had played on her two days ago, but she was over it now, and felt more sorry for the girl, than angry. _Poor thing; it's not her fault she's such a basket case._

Anakin nodded, glad to see her in better spirits. "Well, you know my suggestion," he reminded her. "Big ugly poodoo-head."

"Ahh! I'm not calling him that!" Leia cringed, embarrassed by the thought. "I'm not four, you know," she reproached her father, giving him an indignant look.

"Okay, uh... I don't know," Anakin sighed, unable to come up with a better insult. "I usually just call people 'short', when I can't think of anything else," he confessed.

Leia laughed. "I saw an old _JEDI_ rerun, where you said that to General Grievous," she told him. "That was impressive."

"Ha!" Anakin laughed, embarrassed. "Okay, so maybe it's not the best insult ever," he admitted, as they arrived at the command deck. "Eh, you'll think of something," he reassured Leia, strapping his mask back over his face and switching on his chestplate. "I have faith in you, Your Highness," he added, his voice suddenly sounding robotic and menacing.

Leia laughed, sharing an amused grin with the two Imperial guards who were joining them now in the hallway; but she quickly frowned again, furrowing her brows angrily as the others marched her toward the command deck.

"We have entered the Alderaan system," an Imperial officer informed Tarkin now, stepping aside as Leia and the others approached. _Ahh! I still can't think of a good insult..._

"Governor Tarkin," Leia spat scornfully, as she was brought before him. "I should have expected to find you holding Vader's leash," she added, her mind racing as she tried to think of a fitting insult. _I can't call him short,_ she lamented, noting that she came up to Tarkin's chin. _And I WON'T call him a poodoo-head..._ "I recognized your foul stench when I was brought on board," Leia improvised, deciding to subtly allude to his poodoo-headedness, rather than point it out directly.

"Charming, to the last," Tarkin replied. "You don't know how hard I found it, signing the order to terminate your life," he told her, reaching out a hand and rudely squeezing her face.

_Grrrr! Don't do that..._ "I'm surprised you had the courage to take the responsibility yourself," Leia retorted, suddenly finding it much easier to be mad at Tarkin. _Oh, he's good at this..._

"Princess Lia," Tarkin taunted her mercilessly, mispronouncing her name. _Hey! It's LEIA,_ she scowled, glaring at him. "Before your execution, I'd like you to be my guest at a ceremony that will make this battle station operational," Tarkin informed her, gesturing dramatically around the command deck. "No star system will dare oppose the Emperor now."

_Ohhh... You wish,_ Leia glared at him, trying to think of a demeaning way to mispronounce _his_ name. _Torkin? Teerkin? Damn, that just sounds stupid..._ "The more you tighten your grip, Tarkin, the more star systems will slip through your fingers," Leia countered, pouring on her most snobbish Alderaanian accent. _Ha! Take that!_

"Not after we demonstrate the power of this station," Tarkin replied calmly. "In a way, you have determined the choice of the planet that will be destroyed first," he continued, raising a finger authoritatively. _He really is good with the physical gestures,_ Leia confessed. _Dad is right; he's an incredible actor._ "Since you are reluctant to provide us with the location of the Rebel base, I have chosen to test this station's destructive power on your home planet of Alderaan," Tarkin informed her, turning his gaze toward the window.

"No!" Leia blurted out pathetically, realizing that Tarkin had beaten her, both with the evil insult exchange, and the dramatic acting. _I can't do any physical gestures,_ she lamented, struggling against her binders. _And I can't pace around without Dad following me,_ she sighed, taking a step forward as Anakin quickly moved behind her again. "Alderaan is peaceful," Leia protested. "We have no weapons. You can't possibly - "

"You would prefer another target; a military target? Then name the system! I grow tired of asking this, so it will be the last time," Tarkin said quietly, advancing upon Leia; she tried to step back, but collided with her father's chestplate. "Where is the Rebel base?"

Leia sighed unhappily, realizing she was beaten. _If I call him a big ugly poodoo-head now, I'll look REALLY stupid... But I can still bluff my way out of this,_ she decided. _Where did the Rebels used to live...?_ "Dantooine," she blurted out, remembering last season's show. "They're on Dantooine."

"There; you see, Lord Vader? She can be reasonable," Tarkin said, turning to his officer. "Continue with the operation; you may fire when ready."

"What?" Leia exclaimed, trying to look panicked.

"You're far too trusting," Tarkin chided her. "Dantooine is too remote to make an effective demonstration; but don't worry," he assured her, raising a finger authoritatively. "We will deal with your Rebel friends soon enough."

"Ohh..." Leia cringed, making a pathetic attempt to break free of her father's grasp; but once again Anakin clamped a hand firmly on her shoulder, pulling her back.

"Commence primary ignition," one of the guest actors instructed his colleagues, making dramatic gestures as the control room operators gleefully pressed an assortment of buttons and levers, activating the Death Star's imaginary superlaser.

Leia clenched her teeth bravely as she pretended to witness the destruction of her home planet through the Death Star's window; and a moment later Tarkin nodded in satisfaction, raising a hand and calling for them to cut.

"Thank you all; that was excellent," Tarkin said, as the guest actors grinned enthusiastically, chatting amongst themselves as they took their leave. "Anakin, you think Owen and the others will be here in about an hour?"

"Yes," Anakin nodded, pulling his mask up over his helmet; but then his brows furrowed in surprise. "That's strange," he murmured, frowning.

"What is it?" Tarkin asked, as Leia gave her father a curious look.

"I sensed them leaving Tatooine a few minutes ago," Anakin confessed, peering out the window. "But... They're going the wrong way," he said, turning around and looking over his shoulder in confusion. "What the heck are they doing?"

"Oh dear," Tarkin chuckled, shaking his head. "I'm not sure I want to know."

* * *

><p><em>"Uh... Han?"<em> Chewie asked uncertainly, peering at the navicomputer. _"Why are we going the wrong way?"_

"Huh?" Han blinked, getting up to check their coordinates. _Oh, crap!_ In his delusional haste to outrun the imaginary Imperial cruisers, Han had actually set a course for Alderaan, rather than the Death Star. "Uh, I..." _Damn, this is embarrassing,_ Han sighed. _Now we have to stop and turn around..._

But now Owen appeared in the cockpit, nodding to them cheerfully. "Han, what's our ETA for the asteroid field?" he asked.

"Asteroid field?" Han repeated, baffled. _Asteroid field?_

"Oh! I forgot to tell you," Owen apologized, shaking his head. "We're not going to the Death Star right away; I'd like to get some footage of the asteroid field just off Geonosis if we could, and say _that's_ what's left of Alderaan," he explained. "Sorry about that."

"No; no problem," Han insisted, grateful for the excuse to change course. "All right, go strap yourselves in; it'll just take a minute to get the coordinates," he assured the director.

"Thanks, Han," Owen nodded, heading back to the main control room; but then he turned back. "Try to stay out of the worst of it, okay? We're going for safety over drama," he reminded Han, glancing at their other passengers, who were playing holo-chess in the lounge.

"Of course," Han nodded agreeably. _Yeah, Actor Boy would probably wet his pants if we tried to fly through an asteroid field,_ Han thought, remembering the blond kid's panic during takeoff. "Sure, I'll stay on the outside of it."

"Thanks," Owen said appreciatively, heading back to take a seat.

But Chewbacca gave him a concerned look as they aborted their course, changing directions. _"Han, are you all right?"_

"Yeah, yeah," Han assured him, calculating the coordinates for the Geonosian asteroid field. "I'm fine; I just - " he shrugged. "I just got a little flustered, with the acting," he confessed, sitting back down in the pilot seat as Chewie scruffed his hair reassuringly.

A moment later they blasted into hyperspace once again, this time in the proper direction; Han shared an embarrassed glance with Chewie as they got up from their pilot seats, joining the others in the _Falcon's_ main control room.

_All right, that's it,_ Han told himself stubbornly, taking a seat by the control panel. _No more getting carried away with this acting stuff,_ he decided, watching with casual aloofness as Owen and the others planned to film a scene aboard the _Falcon._

"Okay," Owen said, glancing around the lounge. "That's a great holo-chess table; let's use that," he proposed. "Chewie, why don't you play against Artoo and Threepio, while Ben trains Luke in the ways of the Force," he suggested.

Chewbacca nodded good-naturedly, taking a seat next to the droids; but now Owen gave Actor Boy a questioning look. "I'm not quite sure how to do this," the director confessed. "I figured Obi-Wan would be here to take care of the Jedi training," he admitted, as Ben chuckled in amusement. "Luke, do you have any ideas?"

Han laughed quietly, shaking his head. _Ben Kenobi has to teach Actor Boy the ways of the Force... This ought to be interesting._

"Uh... Maybe we could work on some lightsaber techniques?" Luke suggested, as Ben nodded agreeably.

But now Chewie spoke up. _"Hey,"_ he said, nodding toward Han's room. _"They could use your toy training saber,"_ he suggested.

_Ahh! Nooo!_ Han cringed. _We don't tell people about that!_

"What's this?" Owen asked, curious.

_Damn it..._ "Ahh," Han stammered nervously, trying to hide his embarrassment. _He WOULD have to bring that up..._ Chewbacca had given him a toy lightsaber and training remote for his birthday a few months ago, and in truth Han enjoyed playing with it now and then; but it _was_ a kiddie toy after all, and Han didn't necessarily want to advertise the fact that he owned such a thing.

_"I'll get it,"_ Chewie offered, getting up and going into Han's room. _"Here you go,"_ he said, emerging a moment later with a lightsaber hilt and training remote, which he handed to Owen.

"Hey, thanks," Owen nodded, chuckling. "Is this yours?" he asked Chewie, curious.

_"No."_ Chewbacca shook his head. _"It's Han's,"_ he said proudly, pointing to Han.

Han managed an indulgent smile, not wanting to offend his Wookiee friend. _Great; now the director of SITH thinks I play with kiddie toys._ But then he saw Actor Boy's dumbfounded stare, and scowled indignantly.

_Laugh it up, kid,_ Han frowned, turning back to the control panel and stubbornly pretending to be busy with something. _I bet he can't do it anyway,_ he thought, as Luke activated the kiddie saber, peering at it curiously.

"Uh... It's green," Luke pointed out hesitantly. "My lightsaber's blue."

"Eh, no one will notice that," Owen assured him. "All right, this is perfect," he said, as Chewie took a seat next to the droids again. "Luke, you'll be practicing with the remote, and Ben - you're going to sense that Alderaan's just been destroyed," Owen directed them.

"And Han," he added. "Keep going with what you've been doing; that's great," Owen told him. "Remember, you think Ben is just some delusional old hermit who calls himself 'Kenobi' and thinks he's a Jedi... And now he's found this gullible farm kid who believes in his crap," Owen chuckled with amusement.

"So you'll be watching all of this, thinking they're a couple of nut jobs," he instructed Han. "Besides, you don't even believe in the Force," Owen reminded him. "The Jedi are extinct, and you're from the Outer Rim anyway; you think it's just a bunch of superstitious nonsense," Owen said, as Han nodded agreeably. _Sure, I can do that._

"All right, places everyone," Owen said, as Luke activated his green kiddie training saber again, setting the remote to hover. "Han, why don't you give Ben a minute to sense that Alderaan has been destroyed - because we don't want you witnessing any _actual_ Jedi powers," Owen pointed out, grinning. "And then you can come in and announce that you've outrun the Imperial cruisers, and we'll take it from there," he suggested, as Han nodded, heading back to the cockpit. "And... Action."

_This should be fun,_ Han thought, as Ben and Luke began their scene. He could hear the hum of his training saber, but no zapping sounds; obviously Actor Boy was playing it safe, and was afraid to activate the remote's harmless laser blasts. _They don't hurt that much, kid,_ Han laughed to himself. _It just stings a little..._

But now Luke deactivated his training saber. "Are you all right?" he asked Ben. "What's wrong?"

"I felt a great disturbance in the Force," Ben replied solemnly. "As if millions of voices suddenly cried out in terror, and were suddenly silenced," he added, pausing for dramatic effect. "I feel something terrible has happened... You'd better get on with your exercises," he told Luke quietly.

_All right; my turn,_ Han decided, enjoying his role of making fun of Actor Boy. "Well, you can forget your troubles with those Imperial slugs; I told you I'd outrun them," he announced, coming into the main room and taking a seat by the control board.

Luke had activated his green kiddie saber once again, but this time he had switched on the remote's attack lasers; he was too busy concentrating on his toy to bother with acting, and Ben was just sitting there, chewing his fingernails unhappily.

"Don't everybody thank me at once," Han said, when they failed to answer.

_"Thanks,"_ Chewie roared dejectedly; he was playing holo-chess against Artoo, and losing miserably.

"Anyway, we should be at Alderaan in about oh-two-hundred hours," Han told them, turning back to the control panel and pretending to look busy.

"Now be careful, Artoo," Threepio warned the astrodroid. _Seriously,_ Han thought, as Artoo's bishop violently murdered Chewie's queen. _There's not gonna be much left of that droid if this keeps up._

"Aaarrrghh!" Chewie roared. _"I hate this stupid game,"_ he complained, frustrated.

But now the protocol droid turned to him. "He made a fair move," he told Chewbacca, in an annoyingly superior tone of voice. "Screaming about it can't help you."

_"I know,"_ Chewbacca moaned dejectedly. _"Ahh... What now?"_ he sighed, peering at his remaining chess pieces.

"It's not wise to upset a Wookiee," Han warned the golden protocol droid, coming to Chewie's rescue.

"But sir, nobody worries about upsetting a droid," Threepio replied idiotically.

"That's 'cause a droid don't pull people's arms out of their sockets when they lose," Han pointed out. "Wookiees are known to do that," he added, feeling a painful twinge in his shoulder at the memory; it had become accidentally dislocated once when Chewie had forcibly dragged him back to the holo-chess table after losing eight games straight.

"Hmmmph," Chewie grunted self-importantly, leaning back against the couch with his hands behind his head, a glimmer of dangerous satisfaction in his eyes.

"I see your point, sir," Threepio agreed. "I suggest a new strategy, Artoo: let the Wookiee win."

_"Aww,"_ Chewie roared miserably. _"Did he have to say that out loud?"_

_Sorry, pal,_ Han sighed, giving him a sympathetic look. _Yeah, that protocol droid gets on my nerves too,_ he agreed, shaking his head. Actor Boy was still practicing with the training saber and remote, and Han turned to watch him now.

_He's doing a pretty good job,_ Han conceded, though it wasn't terribly difficult; Luke had it set on the easiest level, and the hovering remote was programmed to aim its laser blasts within a few inches of the lightsaber's blade.

"Remember, a Jedi can feel the Force flowing through him," Ben instructed Luke with an air of dramatic wisdom, pretending to know what he was doing.

"You mean it controls your actions?" Luke asked uncertainly, keeping a wary eye on the training remote.

"Partially," Ben replied. "But it also obeys your commands." _He has no idea what he's talking about,_ Han laughed to himself, trying to keep a straight face. _This is like the blind leading the blind..._

Luke had been doing pretty well so far, but now a laser blast got past his lightsaber, zapping him in the butt. "Ahhh!" Luke yelped, reeling in pain from the teeny-tiny shock.

"Hahaha," Han laughed out loud, unable to hold it in any longer. _Damn, it takes talent to get hit on the beginner level..._ "Hokey religions and ancient weapons are no match for a good blaster at your side, kid," he told him.

Luke deactivated his saber, frustrated by his inability to master the kiddie toy. "You don't believe in the Force, do you?"

_Heh... No, not really,_ Han confessed. He'd seen specials on the holo explaining the science behind midichlorians and Jedi abilities, and knew that obviously that aspect of the Force was real; but in truth, Han thought that the Jedi took themselves a bit too seriously, creating a mystical religion out of what was essentially a purely scientific phenomenon.

"Kid, I've flown from one end of this galaxy to the other," he told Actor Boy casually. "I've seen a lot of strange stuff," he conceded. _I know the Jedi are hiding Solaris Three behind a massive Force field, disguised as a black hole..._ "But I've never seen anything to make me believe there's one all-powerful 'Force' controlling _everything,_" he told Luke honestly.

"There's no mystical energy field controls _my_ destiny," Han argued. _And if the Force is responsible for half the crap that's happened in my life, then it ain't worth trusting in to begin with..._ But this was _SITH,_ not a philosophical debate, and so Han set his personal thoughts aside, remembering his role. "It's all a lot of simple tricks and nonsense," he shrugged, turning back to his control panel.

Ben smiled quietly. "I suggest you try it again, Luke," he said, getting up and reaching for Han's blast-shield helmet on the wall. _Hey! Don't touch my stuff!_ "This time, let go your conscious self," Ben continued, putting the helmet over Luke's head. "And act on instinct."

"With the blast shield down, I can't even see," Actor Boy whined, clearly nervous about this turn of events. "How am I supposed to fight?" _Haha! He's gonna get zapped again..._

"Your eyes can deceive you," Ben replied, unconcerned. "Don't trust them."

Han watched as Luke activated his kiddie saber again, doing his best to follow the sound of the training remote. _Actually, that looks kind of fun... I want to try that sometime,_ Han confessed, intrigued by the challenge.

"Ahh!" Luke winced, gasping in pain as a laser blast hit him in the hand; Han tried to suppress a laugh, turning back to his control panel. _That kid is a wimp... It doesn't hurt THAT bad._

"Stretch out with your feelings," Ben instructed him. Luke tried again, following the sound of the remote with his lightsaber; and a moment later Han looked up in surprise as Actor Boy managed to ward off three laser blasts in rapid succession. _Damn, that was pretty good,_ Han admitted, startled.

"You see?" Ben said proudly, as Luke deactivated his saber. "You can do it."

"I call it luck," Han countered skeptically, playing his part. _Yeah, it's probably pretty easy to do that on the beginner setting._

"In my experience, there's no such thing as luck," Ben replied calmly.

"Look, good against remotes is one thing," Han pointed out. _Especially when they're programmed to aim straight at your lightsaber._ "Good against the living?" he added sarcastically. "That's something else." But now he heard a warning signal coming from the control panel, and realized they were about to emerge outside the Geonosian asteroid belt.

"Looks like we're coming up on Alderaan," he improvised, getting up from his seat and returning to the cockpit to attend to business, as Chewie quickly followed.

_There,_ Han sighed in relief, flopping down in his captain's chair and sharing a quiet grin with Chewie, as Ben and Luke continued with their acting. _That wasn't so bad..._

_Dorian was right,_ Han reassured himself once again, as he and Chewie prepared to emerge from hyperspace. _This acting stuff is nothing to be afraid of._

* * *

><p><em>Hmm...? They've stopped again,<em> Anakin sensed, cocking his head in surprise. _And they're not far away... I'd better tell Tarkin,_ he decided, heading down the hallway toward the conference room, where the veteran _SITH_ actor was teaching a beginner's acting workshop.

"Never underestimate the value of a simple hand gesture," Tarkin was saying now, addressing the dozen or so hotel guests who had gathered for today's acting class. "Ah, Anakin," he said, seeing him in the doorway. "Are Owen and the others on their way here?"

"I think so," Anakin nodded. "But they're not here yet," he said, taking a seat with the other students. "We still have a few minutes," he assured Tarkin, gesturing for him to continue.

_I should pay attention to this stuff,_ Anakin confessed, listening intently as Tarkin explained how hand gestures could convey a variety different meanings, depending on how they were used. _Wow, that's cool..._

"Pointing a finger, for example," Tarkin demonstrated, raising his own finger. "Holding a finger up while you're talking commands authority, and tells others to pay attention to what you're saying," he showed them. "Whereas pointing directly _at_ someone is perceived as a threatening gesture," Tarkin demonstrated, advancing upon one of the guests and pointing directly at him, as the man backed away instinctively.

"It can also serve as a reprimand; the 'I-told-you-so' gesture," Tarkin showed them, shaking his finger sternly at the group. _Ahh... The 'I-told-you-so' gesture,_ Anakin grinned, practicing it along with the others. _Cool, I like that one..._

"And then of course, pointing can indicate directions," Tarkin continued. "Which is very useful for those of you playing commanders: _you_ go _here,_ and the rest, go _that way_," he demonstrated, gesturing dramatically. "It's clear, authoritative, and effective, and eliminates lengthy dialogue," Tarkin explained, as the guests nodded in understanding.

"All right then; you'd better report to Costuming right away," Tarkin instructed the guests, who instantly got up from their seats, eager to take part in today's filming. "Owen and the others will be arriving shortly to rescue Princess Lia, and I'm counting on all of you to put up a good fight," Tarkin admonished them, with a playful smile.

_Ahh..._ "Actually, it's _Leia,_" Anakin corrected Tarkin quietly, as the guests filed out of the conference room. _Why is that so hard for people to get right?_ he wondered, empathizing with his daughter's frustration.

"Leia?" Tarkin repeated, blinking in surprise. "Are you sure?"

"Pretty sure," Anakin confirmed; then he gave Tarkin a curious look. "You said you wanted to do another scene before Owen and the others get here?" he asked, glancing at the other costumed guests who had remained in the conference room.

"Oh! Yes," Tarkin nodded. "Just to tie up a loose end, with Lia - _Leia's_ mention of Dantooine," he explained. "Karl here is about report that our scouts have found a deserted Rebel base," Tarkin said, nodding to the grey-haired general. "And you and I will act frustrated," he told Anakin, with a mischievous grin.

"Heh... Okay," Anakin nodded agreeably, pulling on his face mask. _Frustrated... Is there a finger-pointing gesture for that?_ he wondered, hoping to try one out in this scene. _Nah, I guess not,_ he confessed. _Maybe next time... But I can hold onto the back of this chair,_ Anakin decided, grabbing onto it. _That's better than just standing here like a big hulking idiot,_ he sighed, realizing that _that_ was basically all he'd done in his previous scene with Leia.

General Karl was entering the conference room now, and Tarkin looked up from his work, acting mildly interested. "Yes?"

"Our scout troops have reached Dantooine," Karl reported, in an important tone of voice. "They found the remains of a Rebel base; but they estimate that it has been deserted for some time. They are now conducting an extensive search of the surrounding systems," Karl finished with a polite nod, turning quickly and taking his leave.

"She lied!" Tarkin exclaimed, getting up from his seat. "She lied to us!" he repeated, outraged.

_Haha! What did you expect?_ "I told you she would never consciously betray the Rebellion," Anakin replied; then he blinked, remembering. _Oh! The 'I-told-you-so' gesture!_ It was a little late, as he had already finished saying his line; but Anakin was eager to try it out, and so he raised a finger now, shaking it at Tarkin in reproach. _Better late than never..._

_Haha! This is fun,_ Anakin thought cheerfully. _Wow, it really DOES work... Maybe a little too well,_ he realized, as Tarkin stood there fuming, unable to respond while Anakin's finger still commanded his attention. _Oops, I'd better stop now..._

"Terminate her, immediately!" Tarkin ordered Anakin crossly, frustrated.

_Uh oh,_ Anakin laughed, as Tarkin called for them to cut. _Luke and the others had better get here soon, or there won't BE a Princess to rescue..._

_They're not far from here,_ Anakin sensed again, furrowing his brows. _What the heck are they doing?_

* * *

><p>"Stand by, Chewie; here we go... Cut in the sublight engines," Han announced, flipping the switch. <em>It's not exactly smart to come out of hyperspace this close to an asteroid field, but it should be all right,<em> he told himself, trusting his calculations.

_Perfect,_ Han grinned triumphantly, as they emerged right on the edge of the Geonosian asteroid belt, and were promptly bombarded by a cluster of harmless, mid-sized rocks.

"What the...?" Han exclaimed, feigning alarm.

_"Oh no!"_ Chewie roared, panicking. _"We're getting clobbered!"_

_Great line, pal..._ "Ahh, we've come out of hyperspace into a meteor shower; some kind of asteroid collision," Han improvised quickly. "It's not on any of the charts."

"What's going on?" Actor Boy whined, joining them in the cockpit.

"Our position's correct, except... no Alderaan," Han informed them worriedly.

"What do you mean? Where is it?" Luke asked, peering out the window.

"That's what I'm trying to tell you, kid," Han explained. "It ain't there. It's been totally blown away."

"What? How?" Luke yelped, panicking.

"Destroyed, by the Empire," Ben informed them dramatically.

"The entire starfleet couldn't destroy the whole planet," Han countered. "It'd take a thousand ships with more firepower than I've - " he broke off suddenly as an alarm beeped.

_Crap!_ "There's a big asteroid cluster heading for us," Han warned the others, abandoning the acting. _Sorry..._ "Strap yourselves in; prepare for evasive maneuvers," he instructed them.

"Gently," Han reminded Chewie, as they pulled back, turning around and flying safely outside the asteroid field. _We don't want to make Actor Boy wet his pants._ "Sorry about that," Han apologized, as Owen joined them in the cockpit again. "Everybody all right?"

"Fine," Owen assured him, nodding. "Okay, I think that's enough," he added. "We've got some good footage; let's move on to the Death Star," he suggested, as Han nodded in agreement, making the calculations.

A few minutes later they emerged from hyperspace once again, and were promptly greeted by the Death Star's valet parking service. _"Do not deviate from your current course,"_ came an authoritative voice over the transmitter, as a TIE fighter sped past their windshield, escorting them toward the Death Star.

Owen chuckled, picking up the transmitter. "This is Owen Lars," he said, contacting the TIE fighter. "Would you mind doing that again? But without the dialogue; we'll pretend to chase you back to the Death Star," he instructed the parking attendant.

_"Yes, sir,"_ the pilot replied, coming around for another pass.

"All right," Owen said, turning back to Han and the others. "Remember, you have no idea what's going on here; you don't know what the Death Star _is,_ or what happened to Alderaan... We need a lot of tension," he instructed them, stepping away from the cameras. "And... _Action_."

"There's another ship coming in," Han warned the others, spotting the TIE fighter on his scanner.

"It's an Imperial fighter," Ben noted worriedly.

"There aren't any bases around here," Han pointed out. "Where did it come from?"

"He must have gotten lost; been part of a convoy or something," Luke said.

"Well, he ain't gonna be around long enough to tell anybody about us," Han decided, chasing after it.

"Look at him," Actor Boy exclaimed, spotting the Death Star now. "He's heading for that small moon."

"I think I can get him before he gets there," Han assured them. "He's almost in range."

"That's no moon," Ben said, in a dramatic tone. "It's a space station."

"It's too big to be a space station," Han countered.

"I have a very bad feeling about this," Luke said quietly, quoting the famous _JEDI_ line.

_"Aw, I wanted to say that,"_ Chewie moaned. They were approaching the Death Star's tractor beam now, and soon the hotel's valet parking service would take over their controls.

"Turn the ship around," Ben advised him cautiously.

"Yeah, I think you're right," Han agreed, switching into neutral and allowing the tractor beam to take hold. "Full reverse," he improvised quickly. "Chewie, lock in the auxiliary power!"

_"Locking in the auxiliary power!"_ Chewbacca announced obediently, flipping the switch; but nothing happened, and they continued to be pulled toward the Death Star.

"Chewie, lock in the auxiliary power!" Han repeated urgently.

_"I did!"_ Chewie protested, pulling on the switch again. _"It won't work; we're caught in a tractor beam! Somebody should really explain that in Basic,"_ he added wryly.

_Yeah, yeah,_ Han laughed. _Don't worry, pal; I got it covered..._

"Why are we still moving towards it?" Luke asked, panicking.

"We're caught in a tractor beam," Han told him. "It's pulling us in."

"There's got to be something you can do!" Luke protested. _Yeah, right. Blame the pilot..._

"There's nothing I can do about it, kid," Han retorted defensively. "I'm at full power; I'm going to have to shut down," he said, switching off the engine. "But they're not gonna get me without a fight," he vowed, glaring fiercely at the massive battle station.

_"Uh, Han?"_ Chewie asked, curious. _"How are you planning to fight that thing with your engine turned off?"_

_Crap,_ Han sighed. _Yeah, that didn't make any sense at all... Now what?_

"You can't win," Ben told him gently, rescuing the scene with his brilliant acting skills. "But there are alternatives to fighting," he suggested, as they were drawn toward the Death Star's docking bay.

* * *

><p><em>Yay!<em> Deek thought excitedly, pointing to his group of Stormtroopers. _Here's my chance to try out my new acting skills!_ "To your stations!" he ordered them, pointing dramatically down the hallway.

Then he pointed his finger at the two black-clad Imperial guards. "Come with me!" Deek instructed them, pointing in the opposite direction as he broke into a run, leading the way.

_Wow, that was awesome,_ Deek thought, grateful for his acting lessons. _I got to point at FOUR different things in one scene!_ he realized ecstatically, tremendously proud of his five seconds of fame. _Wait 'til my wife sees that!_


	149. It's a space station!

**Chapter 149**

_A few minutes later..._

"Yes?" Tarkin said, pressing a button on the conference room's transmitter.

"We've captured a freighter entering the remains of the Alderaan system," an officer informed him. "Its markings match those of a ship that blasted its way out of Mos Eisley."

_Well this is interesting,_ Anakin thought; they'd just heard the news that Owen and the others had arrived in a private freighter, rather than the director's ship. _What the heck is going on?_ "They must be trying to return the stolen plans to the princess," Anakin deduced. "She may yet be of some use to us."

_I guess they hired a local freighter pilot,_ he thought, heading down to the docking bay to greet Luke and the others. _Owen was having trouble with the flight academy; I guess had to scrap the idea altogether..._

_Holy crap!_ Anakin blinked in sudden alarm, recognizing the _Millennium Falcon_ in the docking bay. _It's Han Solo. Dorian must have talked to him,_ Anakin realized worriedly. _Ahh, he'd better not have any drugs on board..._

"There's no one on board, sir," an officer informed him now. "According to the log, the crew abandoned ship right after takeoff. It must be a decoy, sir," he added. "Several of the escape pods have been jettisoned."

_No... They're in there, all right,_ Anakin realized, sensing Luke and the others. _But I guess we're getting smarter about those escape pods,_ he laughed to himself. "Did you find any droids?" he asked, curious.

"No, sir," the officer replied. "If there were any on board, they must also have jettisoned."

_Heh... I know exactly where they are._ "Send a scanning crew aboard," Anakin ordered him. "I want every part of this ship checked."

"Yes, sir," the officer nodded.

"I sense something," Anakin said, cocking his head; he could tell that Solo was feeling anxious, but not completely panicked, which he took as a good sign. "A presence I've not felt since - "

_About three days ago,_ he sighed, turning quickly and leaving the docking bay. _What the heck is he doing here?_

* * *

><p><em>What am I doing here?<em> Han sighed ruefully, as he and Luke emerged from beneath the floor panel. _I must be crazy._

"Boy, it's lucky you had these compartments," Luke remarked, impressed.

_Yeah, and thanks to you the entire galaxy will know about them now,_ Han sighed. They had been planning this scene a few minutes ago; Actor Boy had innocently asked if the _Falcon_ had any secret compartments, and Owen had of course thought the idea was brilliant.

"I use them for smuggling," Han confessed, realizing that the secret was already out; Skywalker and Mara Jade had found them the other day anyway. "I never thought I'd be smuggling myself in them," he added. "This is ridiculous," he said, glaring at Ben in annoyance. "Even if I could take off, I'd never get past the tractor beam."

"Leave that to me," Ben said mysteriously, attempting to haul himself out of the compartment.

"Damn fool, I knew that you were gonna say that," Han grumbled. _Especially since we just discussed this scene a minute ago._

"Who's the more foolish: the fool, or the fool who follows him?" Ben countered, once again making a pathetic attempt to pull himself up out of the compartment, to no avail.

_"The fool,"_ Chewie declared emphatically, sticking his head up from beneath the compartment.

_Yeah, I think that was a rhetorical question, Chewie,_ Han sighed sympathetically, scruffing him on the head. _But thanks for sticking up for me there._

Ben was still struggling to haul himself out of the compartment, and Han got up now to give him a hand; Actor Boy joined him a moment later, and together they helped the old man back to his feet. _This is going to be an interesting rescue,_ Han laughed to himself, catching Owen's look of quiet appreciation. _Yeah, it's a good thing Chewie and I are here to deal with the action stuff,_ Han admitted, smiling modestly at the director.

_He thinks I'm a pretty good actor, too,_ Han realized, flattered that Owen had chosen him to say the next line. "Hey down there," Han called to the Stormtrooper guards below. "Can you give us a hand with this?"

_Haha! Now I get to be a Stormtrooper!_ Han grinned, strapping on his armor along with Actor Boy. Then he frowned worriedly. _But I'm not REALLY a Stormtrooper,_ he reminded himself carefully, as he and the others came down the ramp. _And Ben isn't REALLY mind-tricking all these people,_ Han realized, as they sneaked past an entire battalion of Stormtroopers in the docking bay on their way to the control room, with a Wookiee and two droids in tow.

_I'm not a Stormtrooper,_ Han told himself as they arrived at the control room. _This blaster ain't real,_ he prayed fervently, shooting at the commander. _That guy's not really dead... Whew,_ Han sighed, pulling his helmet off as Luke joined them in the control room. _See? That wasn't so bad._

"You know, between his howling and your blasting everything in sight, it's a wonder the whole station doesn't know we're here," Actor Boy told Han indignantly, closing the door.

"Bring 'em on! I prefer a straight fight to all this sneaking around," Han retorted. _Seriously... Let's go blow some stuff up,_ he thought, looking forward to the next scene; Owen had mentioned they would be destroying an entire command room on their way to rescue Boba's cousin. _This is fun._

"We've found the computer outlet, sir," Threepio announced.

"Plug in," Ben instructed him. "He should be able to interpret the entire Imperial network."

Artoo plugged into the computer, blipping and whistling happily. "He says he's found the main controls to the power beam that's holding the ship here," Threepio translated. "He'll try to make the precise location appear on the monitor. The tractor beam is coupled to the main reactor in seven locations," the protocol droid continued. "A power loss at one of the terminals will allow the ship to leave."

"I don't think you boys can help," Ben said, heading for the door. "I must go alone."

"Whatever you say," Han agreed indifferently, pretending to be annoyed by the entire situation. "I've done more than I bargained for on this trip already."

"I want to go with you!" Luke protested.

"Be patient, Luke," Ben told him. "Stay and watch over the droids."

"But he can - "

"They must be delivered safely, or other star systems will suffer the same fate as Alderaan," Ben reminded him sadly. "Your destiny lies along a different path from mine," he added cryptically, opening the blast door. "The Force will be with you... Always," Ben finished, with a gentle smile.

Luke frowned unhappily as Ben hurried away down the hall; then he reluctantly closed the door again.

_"That guy is crazy!"_ Chewie roared angrily. _"He's going to get us all killed!"_ he reproached Luke, putting his hands on his hips in a grumpy Wookiee stance. _"Where did you dig up that old fossil?"_

"Boy, you said it, Chewie... Where did you dig up that old fossil?" Han repeated, playing the skeptic.

"Ben is a great man!" Luke retorted indignantly.

"Yeah, great at getting us into trouble," Han grumbled.

"I didn't hear _you_ give any ideas," Actor Boy challenged him.

_Yeah, you and Chewie were doing a pretty good job of that all by yourselves,_ Han sighed, still dismayed that both his toy lightsaber and secret smuggling compartments would now be featured on a galactic holo-broadcast. "Well anything's better than just hanging around, waiting for them to pick us up," Han retorted. _Except maybe being seen with Chewie in an interspecies dating bar... Yeah; that was worse,_ Han conceded ruefully.

"Who do you think - "

_"Bleep! Bleep!"_ Artoo bleeped suddenly, excited.

"What is it?" Luke asked.

"I'm afraid I'm not quite sure, sir," Threepio replied. "He says _'I've found her'_ and keeps repeating _'She's here'_."

"Well, who...?" Luke asked, curious. "Who has he found?"

"Princess Leia," Threepio told them.

"The princess?" Actor Boy squealed. "She's here?"

"Princess?" Han repeated, pretending not to know what he was talking about.

"Where? Where is she?" Luke demanded.

"Princess? What's going on?" Han asked again.

"Level five, Detention Block AA-23," Threepio told them, translating for Artoo. "I'm afraid she's scheduled to be terminated."

"Oh, no!" Actor Boy gasped, wide-eyed with horror. "We've got to do something!"

_Heh... Great delivery, kid._ "What are you talking about?" Han protested, shaking his head.

"The droids belong to her," Luke told him. "She's the one in the message... We gotta help her!"

"Now look, don't get any funny ideas," Han scolded him. "The old man wants us to wait right here."

"But he didn't know she was here," Luke argued. "Just find a way back into that detention block," he instructed Threepio now.

"I'm not going anywhere," Han declared, taking a seat and putting his feet up. _I'm just going to sit here like a big jerk, while Actor Boy pees his pants... This is more fun than I've had in a long time,_ he confessed, laughing to himself.

"But they're gonna execute her!" Luke protested. "Look, a few minutes ago you didn't want to just wait here to be captured. Now all you want to do is stay?" he challenged him.

"Marching into the detention area is not what I had in mind," Han retorted, stubbornly keeping his feet up on the counter. _I'm trying to take a nap here... Go away._

"But they're gonna kill her!" Luke yelped frantically.

"Better her than me," Han told him, annoyed. _Ahh, now you've ruined my nap,_ he grumbled, sitting up again and turning his back on Luke in frustration. _I can't sleep with all that yapping..._

But then Actor Boy remembered the magic words. "She's rich," he told Han slyly.

_"How rich?"_ Chewie asked, immediately interested.

"Rich?" Han repeated uncertainly.

_"Really, really rich?"_ Chewie wanted to know. _"Or just sort of rich?"_

"Mm-hmm," Luke nodded. "Rich, powerful... Listen, if you were to rescue her, the reward would be - "

"What?" Han asked skeptically.

"Well, more wealth than you can imagine," Luke assured him.

"I don't know," Han grumbled. "I can _imagine_ quite a bit."

"You'll get it," Luke promised.

"I better," Han insisted grumpily.

"You will!" Luke squeaked.

"All right, kid," Han agreed reluctantly. "You better be right about this... What's your plan?"

"All right... Um... Threepio, hand me those binders there, will you?" Luke asked the protocol droid. "Okay," he continued gleefully, approaching Chewbacca. "Now, I'm gonna put these on you - "

_"NOOOOOOOOOOOO!"_ Chewie roared loudly, refusing to be taken captive.

"Okay, Han, you - you put those on," Luke suggested cautiously, stepping away from the Wookiee.

"Don't worry, Chewie," Han reassured him, clamping the binders loosely around his furry paws. "I think I know what he has in mind."

"Master Luke, sir," Threepio spoke up worriedly. "Pardon me for asking, but what should Artoo and I do if we're discovered here?"

"Lock the door," Luke told him, as they headed toward the hallway.

"And hope they don't have blasters," Han added wryly.

_"Yeah,"_ Chewie agreed, following them out of the control room.

_I'm not a Stormtrooper,_ Han reminded himself, as he and Luke marched Chewbacca toward the detention wing. _I'm not a Stormtrooper... I'm not a - Hey!_ Han grinned, spotting a tiny black droid rolling toward them. _It's a scaredy-droid!_

"Rrrrrraaaauuuuggghhhhhh!" Chewie roared fiercely, frightening the little droid away. _"Go away, little scaredy-droid! Hehehe,"_ Chewbacca chuckled happily, as they continued down the hallway. _"That was fun."_

_Yeah, this place is amazing,_ Han admitted, marching Chewie toward the elevator. Owen had explained to them that the Death Star was full of trap doors, hidden passageways, and other interactive props, and that nearly every part of the hotel was rigged with mild explosives, programmed to release sparks and smoke if hit by a low-voltage laser blast.

_Owen said we can shoot up the entire command room,_ Han recalled, looking forward to the upcoming scene. _He told us not to hold back... Haha, this is gonna be great..._

_Oh, right... the acting,_ Han remembered, as they arrived at the elevator. _I'm a Stormtrooper... Wait - no, I'm not REALLY a Stormtrooper; I'm just PLAYING a Stormtrooper,_ he told himself carefully.

"I can't see a thing in this helmet," Actor Boy complained, as they got onto the elevator; another costumed hotel guest tried to get on with them, but Han waved him away apologetically, gesturing toward Chewie.

"This is not gonna work," Han told Actor Boy, still playing the skeptic.

"Why didn't you say so before?" Luke asked worriedly.

"I _did_ say so before," Han reminded him, as they arrived on the detention level.

"Where are you taking this... _thing?_" an officer asked them suspiciously.

"Prisoner transfer from Cell Block 1138," Actor Boy improvised.

"I wasn't notified," The officer said, frowning. "I'll have to clear it."

_"Here we go!"_ Chewie roared gleefully, tossing one of the guards out of the way.

"Look out! He's loose!" Han yelled, handing his blaster rifle to Chewbacca. _YEAH! This is awesome,_ he thought, grabbing another blaster and proceeding to shoot at everything in sight. _Owen wasn't kidding... EVERYTHING explodes when you hit it,_ he realized, aiming for anything that looked like it might contain a hidden explosive charge.

A few seconds later they had shot up the entire command room, including all of the guards, who had dutifully fallen down dead. "We gotta find out which cell this princess of yours is in," Han reminded Actor Boy, pulling a body off the command console and pretending to check the computer. "Here it is - 2187," he improvised. "You go and get her... I'll hold them here."

Now the transmitter was beeping, and Han remembered that he was supposed to make up a story to cover for their presence. _Right; no problem,_ Han assured himself. _I'm good at making up excuses... I do it with Jabba all the time._

But as he pulled off his helmet and approached the transmitter, Han suddenly realized that all of his excuses had to do with drug dealers and Jedi Border Patrol, neither of which would work in this situation. "Uh... Uh..." _Crap, what do I say?_ "Everything's under control... Situation normal," he blurted out. _Yeah, okay... That worked._

"What happened?" the commander wanted to know.

"Ah... Had a slight - weapons malfunction," Han improvised quickly. "But, uh, everything's perfectly all right now," he assured the commander. _Crap, that sounded dumb..._ "We're fine... We're all fine, here - now - thank you..." _Ahh! Stop talking!_ "How are you?" Han blurted out, cringing.

"We're sending a squad up," the commander told him, unimpressed by Han's report.

"Ahh! Uh, negative - negative, we have a - a reactor leak here - ahh, now," Han stammered helplessly. "Give us a few minutes to lock it down," he warned him. "Uhh, large leak; very dangerous - "

"Who is this?" the commander demanded. "What's your operating number?"

"Uh - " _Ahh, I give up..._ Grabbing the nearest blaster, Han shot out the transmitter in frustration. "Boring conversation anyway... Luke! We're gonna have company!" he yelled, warning him.

_Okay, that was embarrassing,_ Han confessed, sitting down to wait for the next assault.

_"Nice dialogue,"_ Chewie remarked, standing guard by the doorway.

"Yeah, thanks," Han sighed, hanging his head. _Hopefully Owen will cut most of that,_ he tried to reassure himself. _Ehh... Maybe I should try to get into character; at least a little bit,_ Han admitted, dismayed.

* * *

><p><em><em>They're coming to rescue me,<em>_ Leia sensed, smiling languidly as she lay on the hard metal slab of her detention cell. She had fallen asleep while waiting for Julian and the others to arrive, and had been dreaming of their heroic rescue; it had been a good dream, but she was vaguely aware of muffled blaster sounds beyond her cell, and knew she should wake up soon.

_But it's a really nice dream,_ Leia sighed, lapsing back to sleep for a moment. _Mmm... Hi Julian..._ She smiled, kissing him now. _That was so nice of you to rescue me... Ohh... I see unicorns... And rainbows..._

_Huh?_ Leia blinked groggily awake as the door to her cell opened. _Oh! Luke's here!_ she realized, sensing her brother inside the Stormtrooper costume. _But Dad says I'm supposed to insult him,_ she remembered._ Gah... Well, if I'm ever going to get away with calling someone 'short', here's my chance,_ Leia sighed, unable to think of anything better.

"Aren't you a little short for a Stormtrooper?" she chided her brother gently. _Sorry, Luke..._

"Huh?" Luke asked, caught off guard. "Oh, the uniform," he realized, pulling his helmet off. "I'm Luke Skywalker; I'm here to rescue you!"

Leia blinked in confusion. "You're _who?_" she asked worriedly. _They're calling him 'Skywalker'?_ It was already weird enough that Luke had been 'hiding' with his own family on Tatooine all these years; but naming him 'Skywalker' was beyond stupid. _Was this Jonah's idea?_ Leia wondered. _Or Julian's?_ she cringed, hoping her boyfriend had more sense than that.

"I'm here to rescue you," Luke repeated. "I've got your R2 unit; I'm here with Ben Kenobi!"

"Ben Kenobi?" Leia exclaimed, playing along. "Where is he?"

"Come on!" Luke said, following her out to the hallway.

"So what's the plan?" Leia asked hopefully, as they continued toward the command room.

"Uh," Luke grinned mischievously. "There's a bunch of Stormtroopers headed this way; we have to shoot our way out of here, and get back to the _Falcon_," he explained.

"The _Falcon?_" Leia blinked, confused.

"Oh," Luke sighed, rolling his eyes. "Yeah... Change of plans," he told Leia. "Jonah and Julian and Dorian are heading straight to Yavin IV; we'll meet them there," he explained. "And now Han and Chewie are doing the rescue," he told her, with an annoyed glance down the hallway toward the command room.

"Han and Chewie?" Leia repeated blankly. _Who the heck are they?_ "So... Julian and the others aren't coming here?" she asked, disappointed. _Aww... I wanted Julian to rescue me..._

"No," Luke apologized, shaking his head. "It's - complicated," he sighed; he didn't seem very happy with this turn of events either. "Sorry," he added, managing a rueful smile.

_Wow... I've never known Luke to NOT like someone,_ Leia confessed, sensing her brother's obvious frustration. _And if he doesn't like these guys, then I don't either,_ she decided with a resentful frown, preparing to meet her substitute rescuers.

* * *

><p><em>Okay,<em> Han sighed, trying to get into character. _I have to do this, or else I'll end up blundering my lines,_ he admitted ruefully.

_All right: so we're trapped aboard the Death Star,_ Han reminded himself, getting into the _SITH_ mindset. _And now we have to rescue this princess and get back to the docking bay, before Vader kills us all..._ But now he looked up in surprise, hearing an ominous sizzling sound on the other side of the wall. _Crap! What's that?_

_"They're coming through!"_ Chewie roared anxiously, grabbing his blaster rifle.

_Ahh! I'm not a real Stormtrooper... But THOSE guys are,_ Han realized, his heart suddenly racing as he braced himself for the oncoming assault. _Crap! Chewie's not wearing any armor... How did we get into this mess?_ "Get behind me! Get behind me!" Han yelled urgently, as the Stormtroopers blasted through the wall.

_No way we can fight our way out of here,_ Han realized worriedly, taking cover by the entrance to the cell block as he and Chewie desperately shot back at the attacking Stormtroopers. _Even if we get past these guys, there are hundreds more waiting outside... Damn, what the hell was I thinking?_ Han cursed himself, suddenly realizing the flaw in his plan.

_All we can do is retreat,_ Han admitted, covering for Chewie as they escaped into the narrow hallway of the detention block. _Ahh, I hope there's another way out of here..._

_There's Farm Boy,_ Han noted in relief, spotting him now. _And that must be the princess,_ he decided, his brows furrowing in momentary surprise. _Huh; somehow I thought she'd be younger..._ But there was no time to think about that. "Can't get out that way," Han warned them, firing back at the Stormtroopers at the end of the passageway.

"Looks like you managed to cut off our only escape route," the princess berated him, with an annoyed glare; she didn't even seem concerned by the fact that they were being shot at by deadly laser blasts. _What the...?_

"Maybe you'd like it back in your cell, Your Highness," Han retorted indignantly, still firing at the attacking Stormtroopers. Farm Boy wasn't being any help at all; he was chatting over the transmitter with Threepio. _Thanks a lot, kid..._

"There isn't any other way out," Luke informed them, clipping his transmitter back on his belt.

"I can't hold them off forever!" Han yelled, still desperately firing back at the Stormtroopers. "Now what?"

* * *

><p><em>Ugh... I can see why Luke doesn't like this guy.<em> "This is some rescue," Leia said sarcastically, glaring at her substitute rescuer. "You came in here, and you didn't have a plan for getting out?"

"He's the brains, sweetheart!" the man retorted hotly.

_Can't argue with that,_ Leia agreed, sighing in annoyance. _If Julian and Dorian had been here, they'd have fought past those Stormtroopers by now, and we'd be halfway back to the ship,_ she suspected. _But I know how to get out of here,_ Leia thought, remembering the secret tunnels her father had shown her.

"Well I didn't - " Luke protested; but now Leia grabbed his blaster, shooting out the grating across from her. It was labeled 'Garbage Chute', but obviously it was a decoy; the false grating was rigged with a mild explosive charge, and instantly disintegrated when struck by her low-voltage laser blast. _A real garbage chute wouldn't have done that..._

"What the hell are you doing?" her substitute rescuer yelled angrily.

"Somebody has to save our skins," Leia retorted, firing at the Stormtroopers as she made her way to the other side of the tunnel. "Into the garbage chute, flyboy," she instructed him, tossing Luke's blaster back over to him.

_Dad says all of these secret tunnels lead back to the main level eventually,_ Leia remembered, climbing inside; but then she blinked in alarm as she suddenly felt herself falling. _Oh, crap!_

* * *

><p><em>What the hell is she doing?<em> Han wondered, peering after the princess in disbelief; but then he felt a sharp pain in his side, and reeled in shock, falling back against the wall. _Ahh... I've been hit,_ Han realized, stunned. _I'm dead..._

_Uh... Wait a minute,_ Han blinked in confusion. _I'm not dead... Actually, that barely even hurt,_ he admitted, picking up his blaster again and firing back at the Stormtroopers.

_"Ow!"_ Chewie roared, wincing in pain. _"I don't care what Owen said; those lasers really sting,"_ he protested, as he was hit by one of the Stormtroopers' blasts as well.

_Owen?_ Han blinked, confused; then he sighed, remembering. _Gah, it happened again..._ Scowling resentfully, Han continued to fire back at the Stormtroopers along with Chewie and Actor Boy. _Damn it..._

_So what's going on?_ Han tried to figure out. The princess had just blasted her way into the garbage chute - which Han found annoying, amusing, and admirable all at once; never in his life had he met a girl with the guts to do such a thing, princess or otherwise. _That's definitely something Boba would do,_ Han laughed to himself, realizing that she _was_ after all his cousin. _He's gonna love that... Eh, maybe she's not as princessy as I thought,_ he realized, truly impressed.

But now he frowned, realizing that _he_ was supposed to be rescuing _her,_ not the other way around. _Great; now we ALL have to go down there, or we'll look like a bunch of wusses..._ "Get in there!" he yelled to Chewie now, covering for him.

_"No!"_ Chewie protested. _"It smells horrible!"_

_No kidding,_ Han agreed; but with each passing second they were looking more like pansies, and Han was still admittedly disturbed by the first impression they had made, back at the interspecies dating bar. _Aw, crap..._

"Get in there, you big furry oaf!" Han scolded Chewie, realizing he had to play it tough. "I don't care what you smell," he added, kicking him in the butt. _There. Did everybody see that? We're not lovers._ "Get in there and don't worry about it," Han told him, still firing back at the Stormtroopers.

_"Ohhhhh... This sucks,"_ Chewbacca moaned unhappily, climbing down into the garbage chute.

"Wonderful girl," Han added to Actor Boy, in an attempt to rescue his image. _See that everybody? I like girls. Human girls. And Chewie's married, by the way. To a Wookiee..._ "Either I'm gonna kill her, or I'm beginning to like her," Han blurted out inanely, wondering what the hell that even meant.

"Get in there!" Han told Actor Boy now, covering for him.

_Haha! He did it,_ Han realized, surprised and impressed as Actor Boy dove headfirst into the garbage chute. _I didn't think the kid had the guts... Crap, it's my turn now,_ he laughed, firing off two last shots at the Stormtroopers before diving in after him.

"Aaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh!" Han yelled dramatically, deciding to put on a good show.

"Aaaghh," he grunted, landing on a pile of garbage. Actor Boy and the princess appeared to be all right, and Chewie was already at the door, trying to find a way out; Han turned to Boba's cousin now, venting his frustration.

"The garbage chute was a really wonderful idea," he congratulated her sarcastically. "What an incredible smell you've discovered... Let's get out of here," Han grumbled in frustration, aiming his blaster toward the door. "Get away from there," he warned Chewie, who had been straining against the heavy durasteel door, to no avail.

_This whole place is filled with trap doors, rigged to explode if you hit them with these laser blasts,_ Han remembered, firing at the door with his special low-voltage _SITH_ blaster. _That's gotta be the way out of here..._

"No, wait!" Luke protested; but Han had already fired off a round, which now ricocheted around the chamber, nearly hitting them all several times as it gained intensity. _Ahh!_ Han cringed, instinctively ducking down. _What the hell...?_

"Will you forget it?" Actor Boy yelled. "I already tried it; it's magnetically sealed."

"Put that thing away!" the princess added, glaring at him in annoyance. "You're gonna get us all killed!"

"Absolutely, Your Worship," Han retorted. _This is why I hate princesses..._ "Look, I had everything under control till you led us down here," he reminded her, frustrated. "You know, it's not gonna take them long to figure out what happened to us," Han pointed out, remembering that they were still acting. _Ahh, we look like idiots..._

* * *

><p>"It could be worse," Leia protested defensively; she was still trying to figure out how they'd gotten down here in the first place. <em>This is obviously a real garbage chute; it shouldn't have had a false grating... Owen wouldn't want tourists down here,<em> Leia realized worriedly, eyeing their hazardous surroundings.

But now she heard a strange noise in the distance; a deep clanking, groaning sound. _What the heck is that?_

"It's worse," her substitute rescuer pointed out.

"There's something alive in here," Luke warned them, his Jedi senses on the alert.

"That's your imagination," his assistant countered stupidly; but Leia peered at the water apprehensively, realizing that her brother wasn't joking. _Crap... What is it?_

"Something just moved past my leg," Luke warned them. "Look!" he pointed, as Leia caught sight of a dark green tentacle, covered in suction rings. _Ahhh!_ "Did you see that?"

"What?" the other man asked, not seeing it.

"Aaauughh," the Wookiee roared unhappily, desperately trying to force the door open.

_What the hell is that thing?_ Leia wondered, eyeing the water worriedly.

* * *

><p><em>Hello?<em> Snuggles peeked his eyeball out of the water, curious. He'd heard noises in the mechanical refuse bin, and had come over to investigate. _Oh, wow!_ he blinked, incredulous. _They're throwing out PEOPLE now? Awesome!_ Snuggles immediately let go of his pathetically tattered pillow, picking out a new cuddle toy.

_Oooh... That one looks soft,_ he noted wistfully, seeing the one in the silky white dress. _But it wouldn't last long,_ Snuggles admitted reluctantly; he'd learned from experience that softer materials usually ended up getting ripped to shreds within days. _And who knows when they'll throw out people again,_ he reminded himself, sighing.

_I'd better pick one that's more durable,_ Snuggles decided, eyeing the other two that were dressed in armor. _They have fluffy hair; they both look pretty cuddly,_ he thought. _Okay... ummm... THAT one,_ Snuggles decided, reaching for the smaller one; he liked the way its golden hair shimmered in the light.

_Come with me, little cuddle toy!_ Snuggles grinned happily, grasping it by the ankle and pulling it under the water. _Ohh, it's so fluffy and soft!_ Snuggles realized ecstatically, petting its hair with his tentacle. _I picked a good one... No, don't struggle,_ he chided his new pet gently. _Come on, I'll show you where they keep the kitchen scraps!_

* * *

><p><em>Oh, crap!<em> Han gasped in alarm. _It's got Actor Boy!_ "Kid!" he yelled frantically, lunging toward the spot where he'd disappeared a moment earlier.

"Luke!" the princess exclaimed anxiously.

_Right, that's his name..._ "Luke!" Han called again, searching for him beneath the rubble. "Luke!"

_"It's the Oogey-Boogey monster!"_ Chewie wailed, panicking. _"It's going to eat us all!"_

_Huh?_ Han blinked, startled. _Oogey-Boogey monster?_ "Luke!" he yelled again.

Thankfully, a second later Actor Boy emerged, with a giant green tentacle wrapped around his neck. "Luke!" the princess exclaimed. "Luke, grab hold of this!"

_Uh, what's your plan there, sweetheart?_ Han wondered, as the princess attempted to hand Luke a short length of ventilation pipe. _Well, at least she's trying,_ Han conceded, quickly grabbing Luke and trying to pry him away from the beast.

_"Oogey-Boogey monster!"_ Chewie roared again, fleeing to the corner. _"Run for your lives!"_

"Blast it, will you?" Luke choked, clutching at one of the monster's tentacles. "My gun's jammed!"

"Where?" Han asked. _Oogey-Boogey monster? What the hell is this thing?_

"Anywhere!" Luke yelled.

_"Help! Help!"_ Chewie wailed, banging on the door. _"Oogey-Boogey monster! Let us out of here!"_

Han quickly shot into the water, aiming for what he hoped was the rest of the monster's body; but a moment later Luke was pulled under again. "Luke!" Han called after him, reaching down into the water to try to find him; but this time he was gone completely, leaving only a swish of settling water and an ominous silence.

_Oh no,_ Han blinked, his heart sinking. _It got Actor Boy..._

* * *

><p><em>Crap!<em> Anakin blinked, startled. _What's going on?_ He had been going for a stroll through the Death Star's hallways, with Ben stealthily trailing after him; but now he stopped in his tracks, sensing his children's distress.

_Ahhh! Not good!_ Breaking into a run, he sprinted back toward the elevators, nearly bowling over half a dozen tourists and causing every scaredy-droid in the entire hallway to flee in panic. _Hang on, Luke! I'm coming..._

* * *

><p><em>Ow! That stings,<em> Snuggles frowned, fleeing from the laser blasts. _Come on, little cuddle toy! This way,_ he decided, leading the way out of the mechanical refuse bin.

_No, no; don't struggle,_ he scolded his pet again; then he blinked in surprise. _What? Let go of you?_ he frowned uncertainly, somehow sensing his cuddle toy's thoughts. _No,_ he scowled stubbornly. _I'm Snuggles... I snuggle things; it's what I do,_ he protested, keeping his tentacle firmly wrapped around his pet.

_Oh? Just for a second?_ Snuggles blinked, sensing his cuddle toy's request. _Hmm... Well, okay,_ he shrugged, letting go of him for a moment and watching him curiously. _What's he doing?_

_Noooo, don't touch that lever!_ Snuggles gasped, realizing what his pet was doing. _That's the - _

_Aw, crap,_ Snuggles sighed dejectedly, as the gate slammed shut behind him, and his cuddle toy escaped back through the narrow bars. _Now I'm stuck... Ohh,_ he blinked unhappily, tears springing to his eye. _Now I've lost my cuddle toy AND my pillow..._

_Aw,_ Snuggles cried, curling up in a ball in the corner and sobbing miserably. _I'm so lonely..._

* * *

><p><em>There he is,<em> Han sighed in relief, as Actor Boy suddenly emerged from the water again, gasping for air. "Help him!" the princess yelled, as Han grabbed him, helping him to his feet. "What happened?" she asked worriedly.

"I don't know!" Luke replied, catching his breath. "He let go of me and disappeared!" He was coughing a bit, but otherwise seemed to be all right. _Wow, that kid's tougher than I thought..._

"What was that thing?" Han asked now, blinking in worried confusion.

_"Oogey-Boogey monster,"_ Chewie moaned unhappily, cautiously climbing back down to join them.

"I think it was a Dianoga," Luke said uncertainly, sharing a surprised look with the princess.

"Dianoga?" Han repeated, off guard. "What's that?"

"It's an ancient sea creature from Naboo," the princess explained. "They're nearly extinct... Luke, are you sure?" she asked, giving him a hopeful look.

"Yeah, I think so," Luke nodded. "It had one eye, and I counted seven legs... I think," he told her uncertainly, as Han blinked in baffled confusion. _Uh... Is Actor Boy some kind of amateur zoologist?_

_"Noooo,"_ Chewie protested unhappily, shaking his head. _"It's the Oogey-Boogey monster..."_

_What the hell is an Oogey-Boogey monster?_ Han wondered again; but now he gasped in alarm as Darth Vader suddenly dropped down into their midst. _Oh, crap!_ Instinctively, Han drew his blaster, rapid-firing at the evil Sith Lord.

Vader drew his red lightsaber, effortlessly absorbing Han's laser blasts; then a moment later Han's blaster was torn from his hands as the Sith Lord forcibly disarmed him, pulling the weapon toward himself. _Aaaahhh! We're all dead!_

"Cut," Owen Lars said hesitantly, poking his head down through the garbage chute and peering at them all in utter confusion. "Uh... What's going on here?"

_Oh, crap,_ Han sighed, feeling a sinking sensation in his stomach. _Not again... Sorry,_ he cringed in embarrassment, as Skywalker pulled his mask up over his helmet, staring at Han blankly. _Yeah... That wasn't cool._

"Are you guys okay?" Skywalker asked, with a concerned glance at Actor Boy and the princess. "What happened?"

"We're fine," the princess assured him, with a rueful smile. "There was some kind of sea creature in here... Luke thinks it was a Dianoga," she explained, as Actor Boy nodded in confirmation.

"Oh." Skywalker nodded, blinking in surprise. "Where did it go?" he asked Actor Boy.

"That way," Luke gestured, pointing toward the other side of the chamber. "I managed to shut the gate; it should be contained for the moment," he told Skywalker, who nodded seriously.

"Good job," Skywalker told him, giving Actor Boy an appreciative smile. "All right, I'll see what I can do about it," he sighed, turning to Owen now. "We'll need to arrange for it to be transferred to an aquatic sanctuary," Skywalker explained. "I think there's one on Naboo; right?" he asked the princess, curious.

"Yes; in Theed," the princess nodded. "We've got a female Dianoga there, but no male... We've been trying to find one for years," she added, giving Actor Boy a hopeful look.

"Sorry," Luke shrugged, grinning apologetically. "I didn't get a real good look at it," he confessed.

_Ahh,_ Han gagged, rolling his eyes. _Those two are making me nauseous with all their flirting... Just 'cause Actor Boy was dumb enough to get caught by this thing, suddenly he's the big hero,_ Han grumbled. _Meanwhile I just went all Maximilian Quintillius on Skywalker... Ahh, this is a nightmare,_ he sighed.

"How did you guys get in there to begin with?" Owen asked now, peering down at them from the opening above. "You shouldn't have been able to shoot through this grating," he said worriedly, inspecting it.

"I'm sorry, Owen," the princess apologized. "I thought it was a secret tunnel; I didn't know."

"Ahh," Owen sighed, shaking his head. "No, it wasn't your fault; that should have been a real durasteel grating," he told them, obviously concerned. "You guys are okay though?"

"Fine," Actor Boy nodded; he seemed completely unconcerned by the fact that he'd almost been killed a minute earlier. _And Chewie's still panicking over this Oogey-Boogey monster,_ Han noted ruefully, seeing the Wookiee's obvious unease. _Come on, buddy,_ he frowned, giving his friend a reproachful look. _What the heck's wrong with you?_

"All right," Owen said, sighing. "Well, since you guys are already down there... How about if we activate the trash compactor?" he suggested, giving Skywalker and Actor Boy a hopeful look. "We'll control it, obviously, but Luke - you could talk to Threepio over the transmitter, and pretend to have Artoo shut it down, just before you all get squashed," Owen proposed, with a mischievous grin.

"Sure," Luke nodded in agreement, along with Han and the princess.

But Skywalker looked up at Owen curiously. "Uh... Am I doing this too?" he asked uncertainly.

"Heh... No," Owen shook his head, laughing quietly. "We'll cut that last part - that was great, though," he added to Han, obviously impressed by his quick-draw blaster reflexes. "No, I need you to get back to your duel with Ben," Owen told Skywalker, who nodded in agreement, hopping back up toward the exit.

"Okay," the director continued, turning back to Han and the others. "Give me a minute to set up a few things, and then we'll get started," he said appreciatively, pulling out his transmitter.

* * *

><p><em>A few minutes later...<em>

"Open up in there... Open up in there!" the lead Stormtrooper demanded, banging on the door to the control room, where Threepio and Artoo were hiding; then he shot out the controls with his blaster, charging inside the room.

_Haha!_ Troy grinned happily, following behind. _I get to be on SITH! Hi Mom... Owwww,_ he cringed, reeling in pain as he smacked his head against the top of the doorway. _Ohh, that hurt..._

_I'm okay though,_ Troy decided bravely, nodding subtly to Tarkin, who was directing this scene. The order had come from Owen Lars himself just a moment ago, and Troy was ecstatic to have been in the right place at the right time, when they'd quickly grabbed some Stormtroopers for this impromptu scene.

"Take over! See to him," the lead Stormtrooper said now, nodding to an injured commander on the floor; Troy was still reeling a bit from hitting his head, and decided to stand guard by the doorway, as the others continued inside.

_Okay, so that wasn't the most impressive entrance ever. But hey, I get to be on a galactic holo-broadcast!_ Troy thought cheerfully, ignoring his throbbing head. _That's totally worth a little pain..._

"Look, there!" the lead trooper said now, spotting the droids' hiding place.

"They're madmen!" Threepio exclaimed, as the Stormtroopers discovered him. "They're headed for the prison level! If you hurry, you might catch them!"

"Follow me!" the leader commanded, quickly heading back out to the hallway. "You stand guard," he added, to Troy.

_Okay,_ Troy agreed cheerfully, glad to have been chosen for a special assignment. _Uh, what do I do? I guess I'll just watch the hallway..._ But now he blinked, hearing Threepio's voice behind him.

"Come on," the protocol droid said, as he and Artoo came over to where Troy was standing. _Whoa... What's this about?_ Troy wondered, turning around. He could see Tarkin out of the corner of his eye; the assistant director was gesturing for him to let the droids through. _Right; I can do that!_

"Oh!" Threepio exclaimed, pretending to notice Troy now. "All this excitement has overrun the circuits in my counterpart here," Threepio told him. "If you don't mind, I'd like to take him down to maintenance."

"All right," Troy nodded agreeably, letting him through. _Haha! That was awesome!_

* * *

><p>"You guys ready?" Owen asked, as Han and the others nodded. "Great," the director said cheerfully. "All right... Action," he said, flipping the switch to the garbage masher.<p>

"I got a bad feeling about this," Han said, hearing an ominous clanking sound outside the chamber. _This is gonna be fun..._

"The walls are moving!" Luke exclaimed, as the massive gears engaged.

"Don't just stand there!" Leia scolded Han impatiently. "Try and brace it with something!"

_Ugh,_ Han sighed, ignoring the princess for a moment. _YOU try and brace it with something,_ he grumbled, looking for something else to do. _I'm tired of her always ordering me around..._

"Aaaarrrghh! Arrggh!" Chewie groaned, straining against the moving wall.

"Help me!" Leia yelled again, obviously annoyed by Han's disobedience. _Yes, Your Worship..._ Han reluctantly went to her aid, helping the princess to lift a long metal pole, which they attempted to use as a brace. _This looks ridiculous,_ Han sighed, as the flimsy pole bent under its own weight; but he didn't have any other ideas, so he went along with it.

"Wait a second!" Luke exclaimed now, remembering. "Threepio?" he asked, picking up his transmitter. "Come in, Threepio... Threepio!"

"Aaarrghh," Chewie roared anxiously, still pressing against the wall. _"I can't stop it!"_

_Ah, this isn't working,_ Han decided, abandoning his attempt to brace the walls with the lightweight pole. _And Her Majesty is gonna get caught in that stuff,_ he noted worriedly, climbing over the trash to help the princess now. "Get on top!" he instructed her, lifting her up. _Whoa,_ Han blinked in surprise. _She's soft..._

"I can't!" Leia protested, frustrated; she was trying to stay above the crumpling debris, but she was just so tiny and delicate... _Well she's totally adorable,_ Han realized suddenly, his heart fluttering. _Now I want to do that again..._

"Threepio!" Luke yelled, trying to contact the protocol droid.

_Ahhh,_ Han sighed, lifting the soft, silky little princess up again. _This rescue is more fun than I thought... Crap, what's wrong with me?_ he scowled, furrowing his brows. _I don't even LIKE princesses... Come on, think of something clever to say,_ Han told himself stubbornly, remembering that they were supposed to be acting.

"One thing's for sure, we're all gonna be a lot thinner," Han remarked, as the walls continued to close in on them. _Heh... that was pretty good..._ But now Leia gave him an indignant glare, taking his comment personally. _Typical... No, I didn't say you were fat,_ he sighed in frustration. "Get on top of it!" Han chided her impatiently.

"I'm trying!" Leia retorted, exasperated. _Yeah, I hate princesses,_ Han scowled, hoisting her up again. _Crap, why does she have to be so soft and silky? Not to mention completely beautiful,_ he sighed, trying not to look at her.

"Threepio?" Luke asked now, finally contacting him. "Will you shut up and listen to me? Shut down all the garbage mashers on the detention level, will you?" he yelled. "Do you copy? Shut down all the garbage mashers on the detention level!"

_Wow... That kid sure can yap when he wants to,_ Han laughed to himself, finally realizing that Actor Boy had just been playing his role all along. _He's not such a whiny little twerp after all..._

The walls continued to close in on them, until they were nearly crushed; but finally Owen flipped the switch again, deciding that was enough. _Come on, we could have gone another two or three feet,_ Han sighed, disappointed; but he shared a relieved grin with the others now, pretending to be grateful that their ordeal was over.

"Hahaha!" Han laughed out loud, as Chewie roared triumphantly; Han shared a shy grin with Leia, and the two of them hugged rather awkwardly, before quickly letting go of each other, retreating to opposite sides of the tiny chamber.

Meanwhile, Actor Boy was whooping and yelling loud enough for all four of them. "What?" Luke exclaimed, surprised. "Haha!" he cackled insanely, as Han grinned in quiet amusement, watching the show.

"Hey, you did it, Threepio!" Luke yelped gleefully. "We're all right! We're all right! You did great!" he congratulated the protocol droid. "Hey! Open the maintenance hatch on unit number - where are we?" Actor Boy squealed in excitement, looking around the chamber before making up a random series of numbers. "Three-two-six-three-eight-two-seven!"

_Ahh,_ Han laughed quietly, shaking his head. _That kid cracks me up._


	150. The circle is now complete

**Chapter 150**

_Five minutes till transfer,_ Tarv reminded himself nervously, stepping onto the elevator and pressing the button for the detention level. _It's time..._ After a week of careful preparations, Tarv's plan to rob the Death Star's casino vault was finally in place, and in exactly five minutes he would be a multi-millionaire, with plenty of money to pay off his old debt to Jabba and retire in comfort on Nimban.

_All I have to do is switch the casino vault chute with the garbage chute,_ Tarv thought mischievously, amused by the cleverness of his plan. He had put a false grating over the entrance to the garbage chute two days ago; now he just had to shoot his way in there with his fake _SITH_ blaster, and he would have access to the Death Star's entire maintenance tunnel system.

Tarv had already positioned his garbage-collection ship in the docking bay, where it was waiting to receive the contents of the garbage chute; but in a minute he would switch the two chutes, and then Tarv would follow the money back to his own ship, while the _real_ armored banking vessel would be filled up with kitchen waste.

_This is my best plan ever,_ Tarv decided smugly, as the elevator door opened onto the detention level. Then he blinked in surprise, noting the damage to the command room. _Somebody really shot up this place... I guess they were filming in here,_ he realized, heading for the cell block tunnel.

But as he approached the tunnel, he stopped abruptly, quickly hiding by the entrance. _Someone's in there,_ Tarv realized anxiously, spotting a middle-aged man wearing normal civilian clothes. _Come on... Hurry it up,_ he sighed impatiently. _What's this guy doing...?_ Tarv peeked down the hallway again; the man was just sitting there, and seemed to be talking to someone in one of the detention cells.

_Oh, crap!_ Tarv realized suddenly, recognizing him. _It's Owen Lars..._

* * *

><p>"Great job," Owen said appreciatively, peering down from the hallway above. "Everybody okay?"<p>

"Fine," Leia assured him, along with the others; they had gotten through the garbage compactor scene without incident, although Leia was secretly disturbed by her own performance.

_What's wrong with me?_ Leia blinked worriedly, glancing in dismay at her white dress, which was now smeared with blackish grease and grime from the mechanical refuse. She'd been making a good show of pretending to get pulled beneath the crushing garbage, for dramatic effect; but then her assistant rescuer had come to her aid, lifting her up as if she weighed nothing, and setting her gently on top of the pile.

Leia had yelled at him, feigning annoyance; but then she had pretended to get stuck again, and again, and _again,_ just to feel his strong hands holding her, helping her to safety... _Ahh,_ Leia gulped, trying to quell the fluttering in her heart. _Stop it..._

_I was playing the damsel in distress; that's what I was doing,_ Leia told herself. _I just got a little carried away, that's all..._ But there was more to it, she confessed. _He was... attracted to me,_ she admitted; Leia was good at sensing people's emotions, and had felt her assistant rescuer's eagerness and longing, and the gentle tenderness of his touch as he had lifted her repeatedly to safety.

_It felt really nice,_ Leia confessed, her heart still fluttering. _I've never felt that way before..._ But then she furrowed her brows, realizing what had just happened. _Yuck,_ Leia shuddered, cringing. _This creep just had his hands all over me. And I'm barely wearing any underwear..._

_He's probably some kind of pervert,_ Leia realized, horrified. She'd never felt _anyone_ desire her sexually before; not even Julian. _He's the sort of guy my mom and dad warned me about... And I LET him do it,_ Leia gulped, horrified by her own actions.

"All right, so next we're going to - Leia?" Owen broke off worriedly, noticing her obvious distress. "Are you all right?"

"Yes," Leia nodded quickly, managing a reassuring smile. Luke was giving her a concerned look too, and Leia could feel her assistant rescuer's eyes on her as well, but she stubbornly ignored him. "I'm fine," she assured Owen, smiling bravely.

"Okay," Owen nodded regretfully. "Ahh... I'm really sorry about this," he apologized again, glancing down at the garbage compartment in dismay. "You guys should never have been able to get in there; I'm going to talk to maintenance right now, and try to figure out how that grating got switched," he assured Leia.

"And I don't know _how_ that Dianoga got in here," Owen added emphatically, with an apologetic look at Luke. "Our safety team's going to have a field day with this one," he sighed, shaking his head.

"But you four had better get to the decontamination chamber," Owen continued seriously. "Here; let me open that door for you," he said, pressing a button on the control board. "The decontamination chamber is right down the hallway," he instructed them, nodding toward the heavy durasteel door, which was now lifting open.

"Ahh; I need to set up another scene with Anakin and Tarkin now," Owen sighed, checking his watch. "But if you guys could start making your way back toward the ship," he suggested, with a hopeful look. "The Stormtroopers are still waiting for you," Owen said, grinning ruefully. "They're patrolling every hallway."

Leia gave the director a reassuring smile, nodding along with the others. _This will be fun,_ she told herself optimistically, climbing over the garbage as she made her way toward the door. _I could use a distraction._

"Here," her substitute rescuer offered, trying to help her up through the doorway now; but Leia glared at him indignantly. _I can do it myself,_ she scowled, pulling herself up over the ledge and getting back to her feet again as she emerged in the next hallway. _Don't touch me, you pervert._

* * *

><p><em>Finally,<em> Tarv sighed, as Owen Lars left the detention block. _One minute until transfer,_ he realized, checking his watch. _Crap, I'd better hurry..._

Tarv ran through the tunnel toward the entrance to the garbage compactor, pulling out his _SITH_ blaster to shoot his way through the false grating; but then he stopped in his tracks, blinking in alarm at the gaping hole. _Crap! Someone already shot it out? No no no..._ But the money in the casino vault was about to be transferred to the awaiting armored bank ship in less than one minute, and so Tarv quickly slipped through the opening, dropping down into the trash compartment below.

Then his heart sank as he saw that the walls had been closed in, crushing the garbage and partially blocking the access to the maintenance tunnel on the other side of the chamber. _Nooo!_ Quickly, Tarv climbed over the garbage pile toward the tunnel; but now he froze, hearing voices just outside the open doorway on the opposite side of the chamber.

_I'd better be quiet about this,_ Tarv cringed anxiously, as he began to pull aside pieces of mechanical debris in a desperate attempt to gain access to the maintenance tunnel. _Forty seconds left..._

* * *

><p>"Uh... Are we acting?" Actor Boy asked, as they pulled off their Stormtrooper armor in the hallway outside the garbage pit, preparing to go into the decontamination chamber.<p>

"Sure," Han shrugged agreeably, as Leia nodded, giving Actor Boy a friendly smile. _She glared at ME a second ago, when I tried to help her,_ Han scowled. _You'd think a princess would have better manners than that,_ he sighed. _Fine; be that way._

"If we can just avoid any more female advice, we ought to be able to get out of here," Han said sarcastically, handing Actor Boy his blaster and ignoring the princess's indignant glare.

"Well, let's get moving," Actor Boy agreed; then they both looked up in surprise as an alarm sounded behind them. _They must be getting ready to dump the garbage..._

_"Oogey-Boogey monster!"_ Chewie yelled in panic, fleeing down the hallway. _"Run for your lives!"_

_Great. This again..._ "Where are you going?" Han called after him. "Ahh," he sighed in annoyance, aiming his blaster back toward the garbage pit. _Look, there's no Oogey-Boogey monster..._

"No, wait! They'll hear!" the princess screamed, at the top of her lungs. _Yeah, they'll hear THAT too,_ Han grumbled, firing a shot through the open doorway.

* * *

><p><em>Owww!<em> Tarv winced, as the low-voltage laser blast hit him in the shoulder. _Quit shooting at me..._ The alarm had sounded a few seconds ago, indicating that the money was about to be transferred from the casino vault; Tarv cringed anxiously, quickly setting back to work at clearing junk away from the tunnel entrance.

* * *

><p>"Come here, you big coward," Han reproached his Wookiee friend. "Chewie, come here!" <em>It's all right, pal; there's nothing to be afraid of.<em>

But Chewbacca cowered in the corner, hunching over in fear and shaking his head pathetically. _Chewie... What the heck is wrong with you?_ Han wondered, seriously concerned.

* * *

><p><em>Okay, I've had enough of this guy,<em> Leia decided, outraged. _I take full responsibility for letting him grope me before, but I'm not going to stand here and allow him to mistreat that poor Wookiee._

"Listen," Leia seethed quietly. "I don't know who you are, or where you came from," she told him. _Really, I don't._ "But from now on, you do as I tell you... Okay?" she said impatiently, walking away from him in annoyance. _I can't believe I let this creep touch me..._

"Look, Your Worshipfulness," her assistant rescuer retorted, following after her. _It's 'Milady', or 'Your Highness',_ Leia sighed, rolling her eyes. _'Worshipfulness' isn't even a word... This guy is a moron._

"Let's get one thing straight," the moron said indignantly. "I take orders from just one person - me."

"It's a wonder you're still alive," Leia told him, annoyed. _I'm supposed to fling insults, but I can't think of anything bad enough for this jerk... Crap!_ "Will somebody get this big - walking carpet out of my way?" Leia blurted out in frustration, charging past the Wookiee.

"No reward is worth this," her assistant rescuer said, offended by her comment.

_Gah... __I didn't mean to insult the Wookiee,_ Leia confessed, hanging her head in remorse. _I'm sorry_, she sighed, giving the big walking carpet an apologetic glance as she continued on toward the decontamination chamber down the hallway. _That guy just makes me so mad..._

* * *

><p><em>Ahh, I hate when people fight,<em> Luke blinked uncomfortably, following after the others. His Jedi senses were screaming that something was wrong; he furrowed his brows now, trying to sort out the bombardment of feelings he had been sensing.

_Han and Chewie were having some kind of lovers' spat back there,_ Luke had observed, disturbed by Solo's degrading treatment of his boyfriend. _And now Leia's mad at him for that,_ Luke could feel quite strongly. _Those two really don't like each other,_ Luke sighed.

_I thought I felt something else, though,_ Luke frowned uncertainly, looking back over his shoulder. Tensions were high within their group, but amidst all the arguing, Luke thought that he had sensed something more sinister; something deceitful, and secretive...

Luke sighed, shaking his head. _I KNOW Han is up to something,_ he reminded himself, recalling the conversation he'd witnessed back at Torran's Fish Stick Stand in Mos Eisley. _I'm going to keep my eye on him,_ Luke decided once again, as they arrived at the decontamination chamber to get cleaned off.

* * *

><p>"Damn it," Tarv cursed under his breath, his heart sinking as he heard a tell-tale clanking sound. <em>They've started the casino vault transfer; I'm too late.<em> Sighing in frustration, he climbed back over the garbage toward the open doorway, realizing his plan had been foiled. _I'm getting out of here,_ he decided angrily, heading back to his ship.

But as he arrived at the docking bay, he blinked in surprise, seeing a large freighter vessel docked in the adjacent hangar. "What the...?"

"The _Millennium Falcon,_" a Death Star maintenance worker told him now, seeing his awestruck stare. "She's a beauty, isn't she?" the worker said cheerfully. "Could use a wash though," he confessed, eyeing the layer of dirt and grime that covered the entire ship.

_Yes, I know it's the Millennium Falcon,_ Tarv scowled; he had lost the _Falcon_ to Lando Calrissian in a Sabacc game years ago, back on Coruscant. _That's my ship..._

* * *

><p>"There she is," Han-the-assistant-rescuer said, spotting his ship through the window; Leia had finally gathered that <em>that<em> was his name, as they had made their way back through the hallways. _It's kind of a dumb name,_ Leia thought, deciding it suited her assistant rescuer well.

"See-Threepio, do you copy?" Luke said, contacting the protocol droid over his comlink. His hair and clothes were dry now, thanks to the sanitizing heat lasers in the decontamination chamber. _My dress still looks awful though,_ Leia admitted, glancing at it now. _But at least we all smell better..._ "Are you safe?" Luke asked hopefully, listening to Threepio's reply. "We're right above you; stand by."

_Well that was easy,_ Leia confessed; they had managed to sneak all the way down here without encountering a single Stormtrooper, thanks to Luke's Jedi instincts. _Maybe a little TOO easy,_ she laughed ruefully, realizing that aside from falling into the garbage pit, their heroic rescue scene had been rather uneventful.

_At least there are some Stormtroopers in the docking bay,_ Leia noted, spotting them through the window. They seemed to be guarding a large freighter vessel; Leia peered around the hangar curiously, trying to spot her rescuers' ship. _It would have to be small, to escape the tractor beam,_ she knew, recalling Jonah and Julian's original plan. _Probably a four-person shuttle..._

_Huh... I don't see it,_ Leia frowned; but Han had just assured them it was down there. _All I see is that beat-up old freighter... Oh, good Lord,_ Leia laughed, shaking her head. _So much for subtlety..._

"You came in that thing?" Leia asked her substitute rescuer now, pointing to the huge freighter, which was now heavily guarded by Stormtroopers. "You're braver than I thought," she conceded sarcastically.

"Nice," Han grumbled. "Come on," he told the others impatiently, leading the way around the corner.

* * *

><p>"Yeah," the maintenance worker told Tarv, nodding toward the <em>Falcon<em>. "They're here filming today; rescuing a princess," he explained cheerfully. "Then they'll head out to Yavin IV, back to the Rebel base," he explained, filling Tarv in on this week's filming schedule.

"Really?" Tarv asked thoughtfully. "Interesting," he said, giving the man an appreciative nod as he headed back to his own ship in the next hangar.

_So they're going to Yavin IV next,_ Tarv mused, taking off from the Death Star in his garbage-collection ship, which was now filled with kitchen waste rather than half a billion credits. _All right,_ he nodded agreeably, unceremoniously dumping his garbage into space as he formulated a plan to get his old ship back.

_Yavin IV it is,_ Tarv decided, setting the coordinates and blasting into hyperspace.

* * *

><p>"<em>He<em> is here," Anakin declared.

"Obi-Wan Kenobi?" Tarkin asked skeptically. "What makes you think so?"

_I DON'T think so,_ Anakin laughed ruefully. _But Uncle Ben is right outside the door now, waiting to practice our lightsaber duel,_ he realized. _Haha, this is going to be fun..._ "A tremor in the Force," Anakin informed Tarkin mysteriously. "The last time I felt it was in the presence of my old Master."

"Surely he must be dead by now," Tarkin protested, his tone disdainful.

"Don't underestimate the Force," Anakin warned him.

"The Jedi are extinct," Tarkin countered. "Their fire has gone out of the universe," he insisted. "You, my friend, are all that's left of their religion," he added dismissively, as the transmitter beeped.

_Well if I'M all that's left of their religion, shouldn't you believe ME when I say I felt his presence?_ Anakin frowned. _Come on, I'm a Sith Lord; that should count for something._

"Yes," Tarkin said, answering the transmission.

"We have an emergency alert in Detention Block AA-23," a voice announced.

"The princess?" Tarkin asked, surprised. "Put all sections on alert."

_See?_ "Obi-Wan _is_ here," Anakin told him. "The Force is with him," he insisted grumpily. _Do you believe me now?_

"If you're right, he must not be allowed to escape," Tarkin conceded reluctantly.

_Of course I'm right._ "Escape is not his plan," Anakin informed him. "I must face him alone," he added importantly, storming out of the conference room and turning down the hallway.

"There you are," Ben said cheerfully, as Anakin joined him. "So, what's the plan?"

"Well," Anakin said, pulling his mask up over his helmet. "I was thinking we could start with some basic saber techniques; here, I'll show you some good moves that are pretty easy - "

"Anakin, Anakin," Ben cut him off, laughing good-naturedly. "I'm afraid it's much too late for that," he confessed, with a fond smile. "No, I was just wondering what you and Obi-Wan had planned, in terms of dialogue?" he asked hopefully.

"Oh," Anakin blinked, caught off guard. "Right... Dialogue," he nodded agreeably, filling his uncle in on the details of their upcoming fight as they continued down the hallway.

* * *

><p>"So when Luke and the others get here," Owen was explaining to the Stormtroopers guarding the <em>Falcon<em>. "I want you guys to put up a good fight... Oh!" the director exclaimed, seeing them now. "You're here already?"

"Yeah," Luke said cheerfully, as Leia and the others followed him out to the docking bay.

"Wow," Owen nodded, impressed. "Great... Did you get some good action footage in on the way down?"

"Uh..." Luke cringed apologetically. "Actually, we didn't run into any Stormtroopers," he confessed.

"None?" Owen blinked in surprise; then he chuckled softly, shaking his head. "No, no, no; that won't do at all... Go on - back out there," he ordered them, shooing them away from the _Falcon_. "Anakin and Ben haven't even started their lightsaber duel yet; you still have time," Owen assured them, his eyes twinkling mischievously.

"Okay," Luke nodded obediently, as the four of them headed back out to the hallway. "So what do you guys think?" Luke asked, as they arrived at the elevators. "Should we start at the detention level, and make our way back down again?"

"Sure," Leia nodded in agreement. _That makes sense..._

But now the Wookiee moaned unhappily, and Han rolled his eyes in exasperation. "Ahh... Can you give us a minute?" Han asked apologetically, as the elevator door opened. "We'll meet you up there," he promised.

Luke gave him a suspicious look, but nodded reluctantly, getting onto the elevator.

_Seriously... I don't trust him either,_ Leia agreed, sharing a sympathetic smile with her brother as she joined him in the elevator. "Who is that guy?" Leia asked quietly, as the door shut behind them.

"Ahh," Luke sighed, shaking his head. "Han Solo... He's - "

"Solo?" Leia blinked, surprised. _What?_

"Yeah; he's Dorian's cousin," Luke nodded. "We ran into him in Mos Eisley; he's in some kind of trouble with Jabba... Eh, it's complicated," Luke apologized, sighing in annoyance. "Money problems... So anyway, Owen offered him a part on the show, to help him out," he shrugged, managing a rueful smile.

"Oh," Leia nodded quietly, sobered by this knowledge. _He's Dorian's cousin,_ she realized now, suddenly feeling much more sympathetic toward him. _And he's a Solo..._ Leia had been annoyed by her substitute rescuer's obvious stupidity, but now she regretted her sharp words, realizing that he couldn't help himself.

_I wouldn't have snapped at him like that, if I'd known,_ Leia sighed regretfully. _It's not his fault that he's slow; he's actually doing a great job, all things considered,_ she admitted. _And as for the feelings I sensed before, back in the garbage compactor..._ Leia shook her head sadly.

_He's simple,_ Leia realized now, her heart aching for him. As Queen of Naboo, she had often visited with mentally challenged children, and knew that they tended to be very innocent and open with their feelings. _I can't blame him for having emotions,_ Leia confessed, forgiving him.

_He really is incredibly competent,_ Leia marveled, impressed by the fact that Han was managing to make a life for himself outside the confines of the royal palace on Corellia. _So he's gotten into some kind of trouble with Jabba; it happens all too easily,_ she admitted, thinking of Typho's younger cousin, Boba.

_Luke is being really harsh with him, though,_ Leia thought, disturbed by her brother's lack of sympathy toward Dorian's cousin. _He doesn't realize... This guy is family,_ Leia sighed, resolving to treat Han with kindness and encouragement from now on.

* * *

><p>"All right," Han sighed wearily, after the princess and Actor Boy got onto the elevator. "Chewie... What the hell is this Oogey-Boogey monster?" he asked his friend, keeping his voice low.<p>

_"Ohh,"_ Chewie sighed anxiously. _"It's horrible,"_ he protested, shaking his head.

"Horrible... how?" Han asked, giving him a worried look.

_"Ahhh,"_ Chewie gulped. _"It lives in the ocean,"_ he told Han. _"It's a hundred feet tall; covered in barnacles and dripping with seaweed, with giant crab claws for hands,"_ he moaned unhappily. _"It has fiery red eyes, and three rows of fangs, and it can smell you from a mile away..."_

"Chewie - Chewie," Han cut him off, shaking his head. _What the hell is he talking about?_ "Pal... That thing we saw in there - it ain't anything like what you're describing," he pointed out, trying to reassure his friend.

_"No,"_ Chewie protested. _"That was just its hair..."_

"Its _hair?_" Han asked, blinking in disbelief. "This - Oogey-Boogey thing - has slimy green tentacles for hair?"

_"Yes,"_ Chewbacca nodded unhappily.

"Ahh," Han sighed, shaking his head. "Chewie, that's just some kind of Wookiee ghost story," he chided his friend. "It ain't real, pal. Don't worry about it."

_"No; it's real,"_ Chewbacca protested. _"Why do you think we all live in trees?"_

"Chewie," Han argued, trying not to laugh at his friend's ridiculous superstition. "All right, let's say it _is_ real," he conceded. "You keep calling it 'THE' Oogey-Boogey monster," he pointed out. "There's only one?"

Chewie frowned thoughtfully. _"Yes,"_ he confessed.

"And it lives on Kashyyyk?"

_"Yes,"_ Chewie admitted reluctantly.

"So what's it doing here, pal?" Han asked gently, glancing around the Death Star's hallways. "You think this thing is a _SITH_ fan? It came here on vacation?"

_"Ahhh,"_ Chewie sighed ruefully, shaking his head. _"You're right,"_ he conceded, as the next elevator arrived. _"Besides, there's no spaceport on Kashyyyk that would ever allow the Oogey-Boogey monster through Customs,"_ Chewie confessed.

"That's right," Han nodded confidently, giving his friend a reassuring smile. "Don't worry; that thing we saw before was just a harmless little Dianoga," he promised.

_"Yeah... okay,"_ Chewie agreed, nodding. _"Now I feel kind of silly,"_ he admitted, embarrassed.

"Heh... Don't worry about it," Han grinned, patting him on the shoulder. _It's not like I've kept a solid grip on reality this whole time either,_ he admitted, as they arrived on the detention level.

_Ugh... And now these two hate me,_ Han sighed, joining them in the hallway. But then he blinked in surprise, catching the princess's gentle smile. _Huh?_ Han stared at her blankly, caught off guard; but Leia's brown eyes were twinkling with warmth as she smiled back at him fondly.

_Ahh! Why is she looking at me like that?_ Han wondered nervously, looking away. _She's being nice to me all of a sudden?_ Actor Boy was leading them back through the hallway now, this time _trying_ to run into Stormtroopers, and Han quickly overtook him, stubbornly trying to quell the strange fluttering in his heart.

_Damn it... Stop thinking about her,_ Han scowled, continuing around the corner. _She's a princess; you don't even LIKE princesses,_ he reminded himself; but then he blinked in alarm, suddenly finding himself face-to-face with a dozen armed Stormtroopers. _Oh no! The princess! She's in danger!_

"It's them! Blast them!" the leader said now.

_Crap!_ "Get back to the ship!" Han ordered the others quickly, firing back at their attackers. _If you guys think you're gonna get your filthy hands on Leia, you'll have to get past me first,_ Han vowed fiercely, chasing the Stormtroopers down the next hallway.

* * *

><p>"He certainly has courage," Leia confessed, watching in admiration as Han chased the Stormtroopers down the hallway, with Chewie right behind him. <em>He's a crazy Solo all right... But that was really brave of him...<em>

"What good will it do us if he gets himself killed?" Luke grumbled, annoyed. "Come on," he said, leading the way back toward the docking bay.

_Don't be so hard on him, Luke,_ Leia sighed regretfully, following her brother through the hallway. _He's trying..._

* * *

><p>"Aaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh!" Han yelled, herding the Stormtroopers down the hallway. <em>Get away from Leia, you lousy Imperial slugs - oh, crap!<em> he blinked in alarm, suddenly running into twenty more of them.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh!" Han yelled desperately, firing off a shot before fleeing in the opposite direction.

* * *

><p>"Uh... Han?" Chewie called after him, utterly baffled. <em>I'm a little worried about him,<em> he admitted, as Han appeared from around the corner again, running for his life.

* * *

><p><em>Haha!<em> Darrel laughed, chasing after the crazy Rebel along with the other Stormtroopers. _It was only one guy! Ahh, we look like idiots,_ he grinned in amusement, sprinting after him. _No; there's the Wookiee too..._

"Close the blast doors! Close the blast doors!" Darrel yelled over his comlink, hoping to cut them off. But the Wookiee was already going through, and the man quickly jumped through the closing doors behind him. _Crap!_

"Open the blast doors! Open the blast doors!" Darrel yelled helplessly; but finally he stopped, shaking his head in defeat. _Ahh,_ he laughed ruefully, catching his breath along with the others. _Those two are quick,_ he admitted, realizing they were halfway back to the docking bay by now. _Heh,_ Darrel grinned, still getting over the excitement of the chase. _That was fun._

* * *

><p>"You sure about this?" Anakin asked, as he and Ben arrived at the Death Star's reactor core.<p>

"Absolutely," Ben agreed, his blue eyes twinkling mischievously.

"All right," Anakin nodded. "If anything goes wrong, I've got your back, okay?" he assured his uncle.

"Not to worry," Ben said confidently. "You forget; I'm from Kilaui," he reminded Anakin cheerfully, patting him on the shoulder. "I grew up climbing along the cliffs; heights don't bother me at all," he insisted proudly.

"Heh," Anakin nodded, impressed by his uncle's fortitude. "Okay, just don't fall off," he instructed him, stepping back and hiding in the shadows. "All right... Action," Anakin whispered loudly. _Ha! I get to direct a scene,_ he realized, as Ben made his way out onto the bridge toward the control terminal.

_Of course, if Owen knew we were up here, he'd kill us,_ Anakin confessed; but he and Ben had both decided that Owen didn't need to know about this scene until _after_ it was filmed.

_Ahh, this is where Obi-Wan and I were supposed to have our lightsaber duel,_ Anakin sighed wistfully, glancing down into the reactor core. _That was going to be awesome..._ He and Obi-Wan had planned to fight along the catwalks, Force-jumping across the entire reactor core and leaping up and down between several different levels as they hacked at each other at a dizzying rate of speed.

_He was going to hold me off, and keep me distracted while Luke and the others rescued Leia,_ Anakin recalled. _But then we were going to get locked into a stalemate..._ He and Obi-Wan had planned to match each other's moves blow for blow, with neither of them able to gain the advantage for more than a few seconds.

Obi-Wan would finally sense that Luke and the others had reached the docking bay, and were waiting for him to join them; but tragically, he wouldn't be able to escape from Vader's relentless onslaught. _And Luke would never leave without him,_ Anakin confessed.

So in the end, Obi-Wan would sacrifice himself to save Anakin's children. They had even planned the special effects: Obi-Wan would vanish immediately, and his cloak would float gracefully down into the depths of the reactor core, indicating that he had already transcended, and was now a Force ghost.

_And then he would warn Luke to get out of here,_ Anakin recalled, smiling proudly. Obi-Wan had been eager to make his first blue-shimmering appearance, and had planned to sky-dive straight down to the docking bay to appear before Luke; but Qui-Gon had been offended by this idea, pointing out that it had taken _him_ thirteen years to become a Force ghost. And so Obi-Wan had reluctantly agreed to just do the voice, calling out to Luke over the Death Star's intercom system, and warning him to run from the Stormtroopers.

_Ahh... It was going to be really cool,_ Anakin sighed. _Oh well... At least Ben and I get to fight,_ he consoled himself, grinning mischievously as he peered over at his uncle, who was making his way along the catwalks to the circular control terminal.

_Owen told us to go ahead and film this scene at one of the control terminals,_ Anakin reminded himself smugly. _He didn't specify which one._ There were seven main control terminals aboard the Death Star, and a power loss at any one of them would deactivate the tractor beam; most of the terminals were located in relatively safe places, but of course Anakin and Ben had chosen the one that was directly over the reactor core.

_Eh... This one's safe too,_ Anakin reassured himself; the reactor core was filled with motion sensors, programmed to release an inflatable crash pad if anyone fell from the catwalks. _Ben's doing just fine, though,_ Anakin noted, watching as his uncle made his way out onto the narrow circular platform.

_Wow, he really isn't afraid of heights,_ Anakin realized, failing to sense even a hint of fear in his uncle. But now he blinked anxiously, sensing something else. _Ahh! Stormtroopers!_ Luckily Ben heard them too, and remained hidden behind the control terminal, calmly proceeding to shut down the power. _Ha! Way to go, Ben..._

_Those guys are pretty brave, too,_ Anakin admitted, impressed by the tourists who were now crossing the bridge over the reactor pit, making their way carefully to the other side. _I guess they wanted to get the full Death Star experience..._

_Okay; they're gone..._ Anakin gestured to Ben now, indicating that the coast was clear; but then he immediately waved him back, shaking his head in warning. _Crap! They're coming back!_

"Give me regular reports, please," the leader instructed the others, continuing across the bridge and leaving two Stormtroopers behind to guard the terminal. _Ahh! They're onto us..._ Owen had instructed all of the hotel guests to be on the alert for Luke and the others, and they were obviously taking their roles very seriously. _They must have spotted Ben's hovercams..._

"Right," another Stormtrooper nodded, remaining behind with his accomplice. "Do you know what's going on?" he asked his partner, as they stood guard on the bridge.

"Maybe it's another drill," the other man replied, making conversation for the cameras. _They know Ben's hiding behind there... They're just waiting for him to come out,_ Anakin guessed. _All right, I can deal with this..._ Reaching out a hand, Anakin created a subtle Force disturbance on the other side of them.

"You seen that new VT-16?" the first Stormtrooper asked, as they both automatically turned to check out Anakin's diversion. _Okay - now!_ Anakin waved to Ben, indicating for him to come out from behind the control terminal. _Do this,_ he motioned, showing Ben another hand gesture. _Haha... This is great..._

"Yeah, some of the other guys were telling me about it," the second Stormtrooper improvised, still making conversation for the cameras. "They say it's - it's quite a thing to see..."

_Now,_ Anakin motioned, creating another Force disturbance as Ben mimicked his dramatic hand gesture, emerging from his hiding place. _Force-Directing is fun..._

"What was that?" the first Stormtrooper asked, as they both turned to look. _Haha! That was me,_ Anakin grinned mischievously, as Ben quickly escaped over the bridge and out to the hallway.

"Ahh, that was nothing," the second trooper decided, turning back. _Yeah... Nothing at all,_ Anakin laughed quietly, sneaking out into the hallway after Ben. "Outgassing," the Stormtrooper added. "Don't worry about it."

But now Anakin blinked, caught off guard. _Outgassing?_ Ben stopped too, turning around and sharing a confused look with Anakin, as if wondering if he'd heard properly. _Uh... I dunno,_ Anakin grinned, shrugging in good-natured confusion as they continued stealthily back through the hallways, avoiding detection.

* * *

><p><em>Ahh! They're after us!<em> Leia giggled, as she and Luke fled from the Stormtroopers. _This way,_ she decided quickly, ducking around the corner and running up the ramp toward the next bridge.

_Oops! No bridge,_ Leia realized, stopping suddenly; but Luke kept plowing forward, nearly falling into the reactor pit as Leia quickly grabbed his arm, pulling him back. _Sorry about that..._ The reactor core was lined with motion sensors, which would activate an inflatable crash pad in case anyone fell, and Leia knew that there was no real danger here_._

"I think we took a wrong turn," Luke confessed, his voice echoing throughout the reactor core. Hearing his voice, the Stormtroopers appeared behind them a moment later, firing at them with their blasters. _Crap, those things really hurt..._ Quickly, Leia pressed the button to close the door.

_Okay, now to lock it... Ah, there's no lock!_ Leia turned to grab Luke's blaster again, deciding to take care of it herself; but then she stopped, realizing that _she_ was supposed to be the damsel in distress, and _he_ was supposed to be the hero.

"There's no lock!" Leia exclaimed helplessly. _Oh no! Save me, Luke!_

Thankfully her brother had the same idea, and quickly shot out the control box, which dutifully exploded when hit by his special low-voltage blaster. "That ought to hold them for a while," Luke said.

"Quick! We've got to get across," Leia urged him. "Find the controls that extend the bridge!" _Because I'm just a girl; obviously I can't do it myself!_

"I think I just blasted it," Luke confessed worriedly.

"They're coming through!" Leia gasped, feigning horror. _Uh... Oops... No, they're not,_ she admitted, looking at the closed door in dismay. _Yeah, that was just stupid... I'd better stop talking._

Luke was reaching for his retractor cable now, and Leia smiled excitedly. _We actually get to do a stunt together..._ But now more Stormtroopers appeared on the opposite side of the pit. _Ah!_ Leia cringed, trying to take cover as Luke quickly shot back at them.

Luckily the Stormtroopers had horrible aim, and didn't shoot anywhere close to where Luke and Leia were standing; but Luke hit several of them, including one who fell off the platform and into the reactor pit, stunned by a laser blast to his neck. _Oops..._

"Here, hold this," Luke said quickly, handing his blaster to Leia. _Yeah, no kidding,_ Leia agreed, taking it from him and shooting back at the Stormtroopers. _Luke, you're going to slaughter these guys if you keep doing that._ Leia peered down into the pit now, making sure the other Stormtrooper was all right. _Yeah, he's fine,_ she noted in relief, as a crash pad inflated below them, catching him safely.

But now the door behind them was opening. "Here they come!" Leia warned her brother, continuing to shoot at the Stormtroopers across the way. _Really! I mean it this time!_

Luke had been preparing his Stormtrooper-issue retractor cable, which was a bit more unwieldy than his normal Jedi gear; but he had it ready now, and tossed it up toward the hanging structure above them, fastening it around a sturdy exhaust pipe.

_Haha! Now we get to swing across!_ Luke was grabbing her securely in one arm now, and Leia quickly wrapped her arms around him. _I never get to hug Luke properly,_ she realized, sighing wistfully; and before she knew what she was doing, Leia gave her brother a tender little kiss on the cheek. _Aww, I've missed being able to do that..._

But now she sensed Luke's sudden shock and alarm, and cringed in apology. _Ahh! Sorry!_ "For luck," Leia said quickly, trying to reassure him. _Damn it... What was I thinking? Gah, now I've confused him..._

* * *

><p><em>What the...?<em> Luke blinked in alarm, trying to ignore what had just happened. _Mara's going to kill me when she sees that..._ Forcing the thought out of his mind, he swung quickly across to the other side of the reactor pit, immediately letting go of Leia and running away from her. _Ahh, that was horrible..._

Luke had dreamed about Leia kissing him once, no doubt as a result of Mara's paranoia over the subject; it had felt nauseating and _wrong_ in his dream, and he had to admit that it was no different in real life. _Yuck... Don't think about it,_ he told himself, as he continued to run through the hallway two paces ahead of her.

But now Leia called after him; he could sense her dismay and regret. "Luke! Luke," she said, catching up with him as he finally came to a stop, ducking around the corner to avoid the next group of Stormtroopers.

"Luke, I'm sorry," Leia apologized. "That was inappropriate; I - I got carried away," she admitted, with a rueful smile. "I didn't mean anything by it," she promised.

Luke could feel her sincere remorse, and smiled shyly, nodding. "Yeah, I know," he assured her. _Ah, she was just acting... It's no big deal. Anyway, she likes Julian..._ "It's okay," he said, as they shared an embarrassed grin. _Change the subject..._ "Oh!" Luke exclaimed, remembering. "I have something for you... From Qui-Gon," he told her cheerfully, reaching into his pocket and pulling out the crystals Qui-Gon had given him.

"Oh," Leia exclaimed quietly, admiring the stones. "Luke, they're beautiful!"

"This one's from Tandor," Luke said, handing her the iridescent opal. "And this one," he added, checking to make sure no one was near. "This is from Tatooine," Luke explained, whispering. "Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon found a cave full of crystals; nobody knows about it," he told her, with a conspiratorial grin. "Shh... Qui-Gon wants to keep it quiet." _But he said it was okay for Leia to know..._

"Haha!" Leia giggled, delighted by the secrecy. "Of course," she nodded in agreement. "Oh, Luke; they're beautiful... Thank you," she said sincerely. Then she gave him a hopeful look. "Would you mind if we stopped by the HOPE store for a minute? We can put them on display there," she suggested.

"Oh! Sure," Luke agreed. "Uh... Do you think we got enough action footage?" he asked uncertainly.

"Yes, I think so," Leia said, as Luke nodded agreeably, leading them stealthily back through the hallways toward the HOPE store, avoiding Stormtroopers along the way. "This was really fun," Leia confessed, smiling quietly. "And I'm sorry... again," she cringed in apology.

"Heh... It's all right," Luke laughed gently, already putting the incident behind him. _Aw, she really feels bad,_ Luke sensed, giving her a shy, reassuring smile now. _It's okay, Leia._

* * *

><p><em>Here we go,<em> Anakin sighed, pulling his mask down over his face and igniting his red lightsaber. _This should be interesting..._ "I've been waiting for you, Obi-Wan," he said ominously, approaching Ben in the hallway outside the docking bay. "We meet again, at last."

_Okay... This is when Obi-Wan was supposed to start attacking me, full force..._ But Ben simply stood there, holding his blue lightsaber up with both hands. _Uh... Right; let's just skip the opening skirmish._

"The circle is now complete," Anakin continued, moving on. "When I left you, I was but the learner... Now _I_ am the Master," Anakin taunted him. _Yeah, that would have made more sense if I'd just countered his attack and thrown him clear across the reactor pit, instead of us just standing here chatting..._

"Only a master of evil, Darth," Ben countered solemnly. _Heh... 'Darth',_ Anakin laughed in amusement; Obi-Wan had settled on the nickname during their practice fights, unable to decide whether to call him 'Anakin' or 'Vader'. _Ahh, it was funnier the way Obi-Wan said it..._

But now Ben took a swipe at him with his lightsaber, and Anakin countered his blow; then the next one, and the one after that. _Hey, this is pretty good!_ Anakin grinned, gently pushing Ben back a pace. But then Ben made a dramatic swishing motion with his lightsaber, and Anakin blinked in startled confusion, uncertain how to counter this unorthodox attack. _Uhh...?_

Before Anakin could react, Ben did a complete three-sixty, spinning around in a graceful pirouette for no apparent reason. _Wow... okay..._ Anakin patiently waited for his uncle to come around, before carefully meeting his lightsaber again. _Well that was pretty fancy, Uncle Ben,_ Anakin admitted, impressed.

_Ugh... Lightsaber lock,_ Anakin cringed, as they got stuck, pushing against each other's sabers. _Yeah, this looks dumb... Okay, you go over there,_ Anakin decided quickly, pushing Ben around to the other side. _And I'll slash at the wall here, so it looks like SOMETHING happened,_ he improvised, hacking at the explosive device on the wall, which momentarily burst into flames.

_Heh... Qui-Gon will like that,_ Anakin thought; attacking walls with his lightsaber had always been his father's unique specialty. _Uh... What next?_ he wondered, turning back to face Ben again. _Oh right; the dialogue..._

"Your powers are weak, old man," he taunted his uncle mercilessly. _Ahh... That was way funnier when I said it to Obi-Wan,_ Anakin confessed. _After he tried to Force-shove me into the reactor pit..._

"You can't win, Darth," Ben warned him now. "If you strike me down, I shall become more powerful than you can possibly imagine."

_Ha! Yeah, I know..._ "You should not have come back," Anakin countered. _He's actually doing really well,_ Anakin thought proudly, as he and Ben clashed lightsabers a few more times; but then Ben abruptly changed tactics, pointing and stabbing straight at Anakin while simultaneously backing away.

_Uh... What's this?_ Anakin wondered, blinking uncertainly as he advanced upon his uncle, trying to counter his strange, swatting, jabbing motions. _Uncle Ben, you can't do pointy-stabby fighting with a lightsaber! It doesn't work,_ Anakin laughed, doing his best to fight against him. _Ahh, this is pathetic..._

_And where's Luke?_ Anakin wondered suddenly; Luke was supposed to already be in the docking bay, waiting to leave; but now Anakin sensed him on the other side of the hallway, in the direction of the HOPE store.

_Luke,_ Anakin laughed helplessly, swatting back at Ben's pointing, stabbing thrusts. _Quit yakking with your mom and get back here so we can end this crazy fight,_ Anakin pleaded, continuing to drive his uncle back toward the entrance of the docking bay.

* * *

><p>"Luke, these crystals are beautiful," Padmé exclaimed brightly. "Oh, that was so nice of Qui-Gon..."<p>

"Oh!" Luke exclaimed suddenly, sensing Master Anakin's signal. "Sorry," he apologized. "Leia, we have to go," he told her quietly, glancing back out toward the hallway as Leia nodded in understanding.

"Well, it was good to see you, Luke," Padmé said warmly now, her dark eyes twinkling with fond affection. "I hope you both have a wonderful time on Yavin IV."

"Thank you, Milady," Luke said shyly. _Aw, she's so nice..._ "Bye, Saskia," he added, to the Tryskorian girl.

"Bye Luke... Bye Leia," Saskia said, waving cheerfully. "Have fun!"

"Thanks," Leia said appreciatively as they left the HOPE store, quickly heading back toward the docking bay. But then she noticed Luke's quiet smile, and gave him a curious look. "What is it?"

"Oh..." Luke grinned shyly. "Your mom," he confessed, shrugging. "She's really nice."

Leia's eyes twinkled affectionately. "Yes," she agreed simply, as they arrived at the docking bay. "She is."

* * *

><p><em>Ahh... Now she's flirting with Actor Boy again,<em> Han noted ruefully, spotting the two of them now. "Didn't we just leave this party?" he asked, glancing toward the Stormtroopers in the docking bay.

_"Yeah,"_ Chewie agreed, as Actor Boy and the princess joined them.

"What kept you?" Han asked them, curious. _Seriously - where the heck have you guys been?_

"We, uh, ran into some old friends," Leia apologized vaguely.

"Is the ship all right?" Actor Boy asked hopefully.

"It seems okay, if we can get to it," Han told them. "I just hope the old man got the tractor beam out of commission," he added, with an apprehensive glance toward the Stormtroopers guarding the _Falcon_.

* * *

><p><em>I'm guarding the ship,<em> Torro reminded himself importantly, marching around the _Millennium Falcon_ for the eight hundredth time. _Ahh, I hope the Rebels get here soon; this is getting kind of boring..._

_Ooooh!_ Torro blinked in surprise, hearing a humming sound out in the hallway. _Hey! Lightsaber fight!_ he grinned ecstatically, running over to watch with all of the other Stormtroopers. _Cool!_

* * *

><p>"Look!" Leia said, as the Stormtroopers all ran over to watch the lightsaber duel, abandoning their posts.<p>

_Uh,_ Han blinked uncertainly. _Weren't we supposed to fight our way back to the ship?_ But he realized if they _didn't_ take advantage of this opportunity, they would look incredibly stupid. _Heh... Oh well..._ "Now's our chance - go!" Han whispered to the others, as they quietly ran toward the _Falcon_.

Artoo and Threepio were joining them now, and Han knew they could easily get aboard the ship and take off before anyone would be able to stop them; but that wasn't the plan, and thankfully Actor Boy was taking charge of the situation now.

"Ben?" Luke called out hesitantly, trying to get the Stormtroopers' attention.

* * *

><p><em>Yeah! This is awesome!<em> Torro grinned excitedly, watching the lightsaber duel. _Vader vs. Kenobi... This is the big fight we've been waiting for all these years... And I get to watch it in person!_

But now Torro's eyes widened in surprise as Ben lifted his saber in an attitude of peaceful submission. _No,_ Torro gasped in horror, as Vader's red lightsaber swung straight for Kenobi's neck. _Noooooo!_

"NOOOOOOO!" screamed a voice from behind him, in the docking bay. _Huh?_

_Oh, crap!_ Torro laughed ruefully, turning around to see the Rebels getting back onto their ship. _I forgot all about them... Haha,_ he grinned in embarrassment, shooting back at them now. _We suck..._

* * *

><p><em>Uh... Now what?<em> Anakin wondered, pacing around aimlessly as Luke and the Stormtroopers shot at each other. _Should I go out there? Ahh! We didn't really think this through,_ he realized too late.

He'd already done his stunt with Ben's cloak, slashing at it and letting it fall to the floor; Anakin walked over to inspect it now, realizing he probably should have been surprised by this phenomenon.

_Obi-Wan, where did you go?_ Anakin blinked in confusion, prodding at his cloak with his boot. _Are you still in there? Come on out, Obi-Wan; quit trying to hide... Ahh, this looks silly,_ he laughed, finally giving up.

_Uh... Okay, now I'll just pace around again,_ Anakin decided. _Crap! Luke, get out of here, before I end up looking completely stupid..._ But thankfully Leia noticed Anakin's plight now, and rescued the scene.

"Come on, Luke!" Leia called to her brother. "Luke, it's too late!"

"Blast the door, kid!" Solo yelled.

_Thank you,_ Anakin sighed in gratitude, storming resolutely toward the doorway as it closed in front of him.

* * *

><p><em>Ahh!<em> Luke cringed, as another Stormtrooper fell to the floor. _I have to quit hitting these guys, or there won't be any left to run away from,_ he realized worriedly; now there were only two left.

Ben was still making his way up to the command room to contact Luke over the Death Star's loudspeaker; Han and Leia had already escaped onto the _Falcon_ along with the others, so Luke continued to fire at the Stormtroopers, carefully making sure he didn't actually _hit_ any more of them.

But finally he heard Ben's voice. "Run, Luke! Run!" Ben instructed him over the loudspeaker, his ghostly voice echoing throughout the docking bay. _Nobody else heard that, right?_

_Yes, Master!_ Luke obeyed immediately, running up the ramp and onto the _Falcon_.

* * *

><p>"I hope that old man got that tractor beam out of commission, or this is gonna be a real short trip... Okay, hit it!" Han yelled, as he and Chewie backed the <em>Falcon<em> out of the hangar, blasting away from the Death Star.

_"Hey... There's a text message from Owen,"_ Chewie noticed, pressing a button on the transmitter. _"He says to call him before we leave for Yavin IV."_

"Ah. Okay," Han nodded, reaching for the transmitter now as Chewie connected him.

"Han," Owen answered cheerfully. "Thanks for calling back... Sorry I didn't get a chance to see you off; it's been a little crazy," he apologized. "But you guys did a terrific job; I've seen some of the footage, it's incredible," he told them, truly impressed.

"And I just had another idea... How about if I send some attack droids out after you? We've got some TIE fighter droids, loaded with explosives; I was noticing your gun turrets earlier, and I was thinking maybe you and Luke could fight them off?" Owen asked hopefully.

_Haha!_ "Sure," Han agreed quickly, trying to mask his excitement. _Yeah, we get to blow stuff up!_

"Great," Owen replied. "Okay, I'm sending out four attack droids now... Set your weapons to low power," he instructed him. "Security will be keeping the area clear, but I don't want the camera droids getting blown up," Owen added, chuckling good-naturedly.

"Right," Han agreed. "Okay, I see the attack droids now," he told Owen, spotting four TIE fighters launching away from the Death Star. "We're on it," he assured the director.

"We're coming up on their sentry ships," Han told Chewie now. "Hold them off; angle the deflector shields while I charge up the main guns," Han instructed him, going over to the control board to set the _Falcon's_ weapons to low power.

_I shouldn't be acting anywhere NEAR a real weapon,_ Han confessed nervously, grateful that the power level was controlled from the cockpit, rather than in the gun turrets themselves. _Not that Actor Boy ought to be around real guns either,_ he realized, sighing. _This should be interesting..._

* * *

><p>"I can't believe he's gone," Luke said sadly, as Leia gently draped his farmer's poncho around his shoulders, trying to comfort him. <em>I remember when we thought Obi-Wan was dying for real,<em> Leia sighed, disturbed by the memory._ That was awful..._

"There wasn't anything you could have done," Leia consoled him gently; but now Han emerged from the cockpit, giving Luke a questioning look.

"Uh, Luke?" Han asked hopefully. "I just talked to Owen; he's sending four TIE fighter attack droids after us, and we're supposed to shoot them down," he explained. "I've got the guns set to low power; here, let me show you how they work," he offered, nodding toward the access to the gun turrets.

_Show me how they work?_ Luke's brows furrowed worriedly. "Well... Aren't they just regular quad laser cannons?" he asked Han uncertainly. _Has he got something illegal up there?_

"Uh... Yeah," Han blinked in surprise. "You know how to use them?"

_Well of course I know how to use them,_ Luke frowned indignantly. _I'm a Jedi Knight; I've been trained in every weapon known to the galaxy... How dumb is this guy?_ he wondered, for the hundredth time. "Yeah... sure," Luke nodded agreeably, not wanting to get into an argument.

* * *

><p><em>What's with the attitude?<em> Han wondered, caught off guard. "Okay," he agreed, shrugging indifferently. "All right, uh... Let me try this again," he told Luke, going back to the cockpit.

_Right,_ Han remembered now, sighing. _Actor Boy is a graduate of Rocco's Flight Simulator Academy,_ he laughed to himself. _Ehh, there's lots of video games that teach this stuff too,_ Han admitted, coming back out into the hallway.

"Come on, buddy; we're not out of this yet," Han warned Actor Boy now, heading for the access ladder and quickly climbing up to the gun turret.

"You in, kid?" Han asked, pulling on his headset. "Okay, stay sharp." A moment later the attack droids swooped in on them, and Han grinned mischievously, shooting back. _Ha! This is great..._

"They're coming in too fast!" Actor Boy complained, unable to target the fighter droids. _Sorry, kid,_ Han laughed to himself. _This ain't some video game your mommy bought you; there's no beginner level._

But now he heard an all-too-familiar hissing, exploding sound from the hallway below. _Crap, the lateral controls blew up again,_ Han sighed ruefully; it happened all too often, for no reason whatsoever. _Kitster told me he fixed it..._

"We've lost the lateral controls!" Leia warned them urgently, from the cockpit.

"Don't worry; she'll hold together," Han promised. _I hope..._ "Hear me, baby, hold together," he muttered quietly, under his breath. _Ahh, this is embarrassing..._

* * *

><p><em>Uh oh... Fire,<em> Artoo noticed worriedly, quickly extinguishing it. _Whoa, these lateral controls are really messed up,_ he realized, blinking at the massive jumble of crossed wires.

_Okay, I can fix this,_ Artoo whistled cheerfully, setting to work. _No problem..._

* * *

><p>"Haha!" Han laughed triumphantly, as the first TIE fighter droid exploded outside his window. <em>Yeah, this is really fun,<em> he admitted wistfully. _I wish we could film for SITH every day..._

"Got him!" Actor Boy exclaimed now. "I got him!" he yelled gleefully, looking up at Han from the lower gun turret.

_What do you want, a medal?_ "Great, kid!" Han congratulated him. "Don't get cocky," he added, scowling.

"There's still two more of them out there!" the princess warned them.

_Yeah, I got one now,_ Han nodded confidently, targeting it. _Ahh, no I don't,_ he sighed, as his cannon lasers missed it by a few inches. _I WOULD have had it, if we'd been at full power..._ But now Luke hit another one, and Han grinned despite himself, impressed by Actor Boy's skills.

_He's a marine zoologist, AND a video game expert,_ Han laughed, amused by the boy's odd talents. _Heh, I've never met anyone quite like him,_ he confessed. _He's all right..._

The fourth TIE fighter was coming around now, and Han targeted it carefully, this time making sure it didn't miss. _Haha,_ he grinned cheerfully, watching in fascination as it exploded in a dazzling ball of flame; then he remembered the cameras, and sighed in relief for dramatic effect, pulling off his headset.

"That's it!" Actor Boy exclaimed happily, from the lower turret. "We did it!"

* * *

><p>"We did it!" Leia grinned, hugging Chewie affectionately. <em>And I'm sorry for calling you a walking carpet before...<em>

* * *

><p>"Help! I think I'm melting!" Threepio exclaimed, lying amidst a tangle of burning wires. "This is all your fault," he added reproachfully, to Artoo.<p>

_No, it isn't!_ Artoo blipped defensively, still trying to fix the lateral controls. _Ahh! This ship is weird!_

* * *

><p>"Not a bad bit of rescuing, huh?" Han said, casually pulling off his gloves as he joined Leia in the cockpit. "You know, sometimes I amaze even myself," he admitted, taking a seat beside her.<p>

"That doesn't sound too hard," Leia chided him, pretending to be annoyed by his cockiness. _It's all just an act_,__ she realized now._ He has to act overconfident, to cover up for his slowness_. "They let us go," Leia told him gently. "It's the only explanation for the ease of our escape."

"Easy?" Han retorted indignantly. "You call that easy?" _There's a touch of blue in his eyes,_ Leia realized now, noticing them for the first time. Now that she knew he was a Solo, Leia could see the family resemblance quite clearly. _He doesn't look like Dorian, though; he looks more like Anaeryn,_ Leia admitted, recalling the handsome but tragically dull-witted young man she'd met at Kyra's wedding two years ago. _Han has that same innocent look, sometimes..._

"They're tracking us," Leia told him; Owen had asked them to film a scene explaining this point, and Leia had volunteered for the job, sensing that Luke was still annoyed with Han.

"Not this ship, sister," Han insisted, shaking his head.

Leia laughed quietly at his innocent confidence. "At least the information in Artoo is still intact," she said optimistically, setting up the plot for their arrival on Yavin IV.

"What's so important?" Han asked. "What's he carrying?"

"The technical readouts of that battle station," Leia explained. "I only hope that when the data's analyzed, a weakness can be found," she sighed; Jonah and Julian were still working out their plan to destroy the Death Star. "It's not over yet."

"It is for me, sister," Han told her. "Look, I ain't in this for your revolution, and I'm not in it for you, Princess," he added, pointing a finger at her emphatically. "I expect to be well paid," he reminded her. "I'm in it for the money."

_I know,_ Leia sighed regretfully, remembering what Luke had told her before. _He owes Jabba money for something... I'm really glad Owen could help him out,_ she confessed. _I can't even imagine what it must be like, living on the Outer Rim,_ she admitted, eyeing Han's blaster warily. _It's amazing he's doing as well as he is..._

But now Leia noticed something else on his holster: a small, bronze medallion, engraved with a seal that Leia had never encountered before personally, but recognized immediately. _What?_ Leia gasped, her breath catching as she recognized the official seal of Jabba the Hutt. _No..._

Leia had been warned of Jabba's seal during her reign as Queen of Naboo; the medallion was worn only by Jabba's top-ranking employees, and served as a warning to all who recognized it. _If you mess with one of Jabba's top advisors, you're messing with Jabba himself,_ Captain Panaka had warned her, in no uncertain terms. _These guys are untouchable._

_Holy crap,_ Leia gasped, suddenly realizing what that meant. _He's not in trouble with Jabba... He's one of Jabba's top henchmen! He ran into Dorian in Mos Eisley, and figured out a way to take advantage of his kindness... And Owen's,_ Leia realized now, furious. _Ahh, no wonder Luke hates this creep! Damn, we're still filming..._

"You needn't worry about your reward," Leia said icily, glaring at Han. "If money is all that you love, then _that's_ what you'll receive," she assured him, getting up from her seat. Luke was coming into the cockpit now; Leia realized he'd probably sensed her sudden anger, and gave him an apologetic look, rolling her eyes in annoyance.

"Your friend is quite a mercenary," Leia told him, with a scornful glance in Han's direction. "I wonder if he really cares about anything... Or anybody," Leia grumbled, storming out of the cockpit in frustration.

"I care," Luke called after her innocently, obviously baffled by her angry outburst.

_I know you do, Luke,_ Leia sighed ruefully, continuing back to the lounge area. _What a jerk,_ she scowled, taking a seat at the holo-chess table next to Threepio. _And to think I actually tried to stick up for him..._

* * *

><p><em>What's her problem?<em> Han blinked, baffled by the princess's sudden moodiness. _Ehh... She's a princess,_ he sighed, frustrated. _THAT'S what's wrong with her._

"So," Actor Boy said, sitting in the captain's seat now. "What do you think of her, Han?" he asked casually, glancing back toward the doorway. _Is he making fun of me?_ Han wondered suddenly, uncomfortable. _And are we still acting?_

"I'm trying not to, kid," Han told him truthfully. _Seriously, I have to stop thinking about her..._

"Good," Luke replied; Han caught his quiet smile, and the glimmer of satisfaction in his eyes. _What..? Haha!_ Han laughed to himself. _Actor Boy has a crush on the princess! Oh, this is fun..._

"Still," Han countered thoughtfully. "She's got a lot of spirit," he confessed. "I don't know, what do you think?" he asked innocently. "You think a princess, and a guy like me - "

"No," Luke said quickly, shaking his head; he was clearly disturbed by this idea.

_Hahaha,_ Han grinned, turning away. _I love messing with that kid._

* * *

><p><em>Yeah,<em> Luke laughed to himself, realizing that his suspicions were correct. _He has no idea I'm a Jedi,_ Luke sighed, admitting that they'd never actually been properly introduced. _Oops..._

_And now we're heading to Yavin IV,_ Luke mused thoughtfully. _Popular vacation spot... Massassi Temple; Rebel base; SITH resort; forests, hiking trails, secluded beaches... huge underground drug scene,_ Luke sighed, resolving to keep a close eye on Han's activities once they landed. _This ought to be interesting._


	151. This will be a day long remembered

**Chapter 151**

"Julian!" Leia exclaimed, coming down the _Falcon's_ ramp along with the others.

"Leia," Julian said warmly, embracing her and giving her a little kiss on the cheek; Leia's heart fluttered as she returned his kiss. _Yes, that felt much better than our last one,_ she confessed, sharing a happy smile with her boyfriend. _I'm so glad things are finally getting back to normal._

After yesterday's adventures aboard the Death Star - during which Leia had stupidly allowed one of Jabba's minions to grope her repeatedly inside the trash compactor - Leia was profoundly relieved to see Julian again. "Oh, this place is beautiful," she exclaimed now, gazing toward the Massassi Temple across the street from their landing platform, which gave way to miles of lush rain forest beyond.

"Isn't it?" Julian agreed. "Jonah and I have already explored a bit; the Temple is incredible," he added. "Hello Luke; Han, Chewie," Julian nodded courteously, smiling in friendly greeting. "How did the rescue go?" he asked Leia, as they walked out toward the street to wait for a transport to the _SITH_ resort.

"Oh, it was - interesting," Leia told him, giggling. "We ended up in the trash compactor at one point... Actually, you guys are lucky you didn't come," she admitted, laughing ruefully. "Wow," she added softly, admiring the ancient stone temple which loomed over them now, its pyramidal form rising above the tallest trees. "It's incredible to think this place was built five thousand years ago."

"Yes," Julian agreed. "The Massassi people were amazing architects; Jonah and I were reading a bit about them this morning," he told her, gazing toward the ancient temple, which now served as a historical museum. Although the Massassi Temple was currently being featured as _SITH's_ Rebel base, the actual _SITH_ film set was located across the street, amidst the cluster of modern high-rise hotels that made up Yavin IV's popular resort area.

Leia nodded absently, still admiring the magnificent stone structure; but now her brows furrowed as she realized what Julian had said. "You and Jonah?" she asked, curious. "Dorian didn't take the museum tour?" _Haha... Knowing him, he's probably off exploring the jungle..._

"No," Julian grinned, shaking his head. "Actually, he's not here; he went home."

"Home?" Leia blinked, startled. "Is something wrong?"

"No, everything's fine," Julian assured her vaguely; but then he gave the others a conspiratorial grin. "Ahh, you guys can know," he decided. "We think Kyra might be pregnant," he told them quietly.

"What? No," Leia exclaimed; then she smiled ecstatically. _Pregnant?_ "Ahh! That's so exciting!"

"Yes," Julian nodded, delighted. A small, wheeled transport was arriving now, and Julian waved for it to stop as the five of them climbed aboard, continuing toward the _SITH_ Rebel base. "So anyway, we dropped Dorian off on Coruscant on our way here," Julian told Leia. "Oh! But you know who _is_ here... Vanden Willard; he's here on vacation," Julian added.

"Governor Willard?" Leia smiled in delight. Vanden Willard was the current Governor of Naboo, and Leia had worked closely with him during her reign as queen. "Oh, it will be good to see him," she confessed wistfully.

"Actually, you're about to see him in just a minute," Julian told her, with an impish grin. "He wanted to be the one to greet you when you arrive - hey, there he is," Julian said as they entered the Rebel hangar, nodding toward a middle-aged Rebel commander on the other side of the room.

"Well, I should get off here," Julian apologized cheerfully, hopping off the little wheeled transport as it stopped for a moment. "But I'll meet you in a minute," he promised. "Jonah's getting ready to film the Rebel conference scene next; but then I'll help you get settled into your hotel room," Julian offered, smiling tenderly.

"Thank you, Julian," Leia said appreciatively, giving her boyfriend an adoring smile as their transport continued toward the other side of the hangar, where Governor Willard was waiting, along with a _SITH_ cameraman.

"You're safe," Vanden Willard exclaimed in dramatic relief, greeting Leia with a warm embrace. "When we heard about Alderaan, we feared the worst."

"We have no time for our sorrows, Commander," Leia told him regretfully, continuing toward the Rebel command room. "You must use the information in this R2 unit to help plan the attack," she added, as Artoo and Threepio were unloaded from another wheeled transport. "It's our only hope."

* * *

><p>"The battle station is heavily shielded, and carries a firepower greater than half the starfleet," General Dodonna explained to the Rebel pilots, bringing up the plans to the Death Star on the monitor screen. "Its defenses are designed around a direct large-scale assault; a small, one-man fighter should be able to penetrate the outer defense."<p>

_Great,_ Han sighed, as the general droned on. _This is fun..._ He and Chewie were standing at the back of the room, where they had been waiting for the past fifteen minutes; Han had politely tried to catch Jonah's attention to remind him about his payment, but the avid young director had been busy dealing with other matters.

Chewie gave Han a worried look now, realizing that they probably shouldn't be present for this scene, but Han just rolled his eyes, waving dismissively. _Who cares... I just want to get paid, so we can get out of here._

Yesterday's adventure aboard the Death Star had actually been kind of fun, or so Han had thought; but the flight here to Yavin IV had been somewhat uncomfortable, as both Actor Boy and Leia had been giving him the silent treatment. _They've barely spoken to me today,_ Han admitted, perplexed. _I don't know what the hell their problem is..._

Thankfully, they had all slept most of the way here, with Leia taking the couch by the holo-chess table, and Actor Boy camped out on the floor nearby. Han had offered them coffee and nutri-bars for breakfast - which was all that he could find in his kitchen cabinets - and the four of them had shared a rather uncomfortable meal together, with no one really talking.

_They're just a couple of rich snobs; that's what it is,_ Han decided, trying not to take their aloofness personally. _Ahh, I wish Dorian were here,_ he admitted regretfully. _I was looking forward to seeing him again... But it's great that he's going to have a kid,_ Han confessed, with a quiet smile. _I bet he'll be a terrific dad..._

_The rest of these people get on my nerves, though,_ Han scowled, glancing toward Actor Boy and the princess. _Well... Luke isn't so bad,_ he conceded reluctantly; they'd actually had a fairly decent conversation this morning inside the _Falcon's_ engine room, and Han had been surprised at the boy's interest in machinery. Leia, on the other hand, had been stubbornly ignoring Han since yesterday, meeting his attempts at friendly conversation with annoyed glares.

_And Julian... Ugh, I don't like him at all,_ Han decided, frowning. He had been introduced to Julian briefly back on Tatooine, just before they had filmed the cantina scene; but Han had been far too busy panicking over his own acting role to notice him much. _I didn't realize he and Leia were dating,_ Han admitted, still somewhat nauseated by the flirting he had been subjected to on the way here.

_Though he's welcome to her,_ Han sighed, reminding himself that he hated Leia anyway; and princesses in general, for that matter. _Come on, let's just get this stupid scene filmed so I can get paid,_ he pleaded, realizing that he still needed to look up Torran's friend here in Massassi, and try to score some death sticks before returning to Tatooine.

_Preferably BEFORE Skywalker's hell-bitch padawan arrives with the Executor tour,_ Han thought worriedly, admitting that he would be cutting it dangerously close.

* * *

><p>"Pardon me for asking, sir," a Rebel pilot inquired now, politely interrupting General Dodonna. "But what good are snub fighters going to be against that?"<p>

"Well, the Empire doesn't consider a small, one-man fighter to be any threat, or they'd have a tighter defense," Dodonna explained, as Leia listened in fascination, impressed by Jonah and Julian's plan. _Wow... They've really given this some thought._ "An analysis of the plans provided by Princess Lia - "

_Hey!_ Leia blinked, startled. _It's LEIA,_ she pouted indignantly, trying to maintain her composure for the cameras. _Why is that so hard for people to get right?_

" - has demonstrated a weakness in the battle station," Dodonna continued. "The approach will not be easy," he warned the Rebel pilots. "You're required to maneuver straight down this trench..."

_Arg,_ Leia sighed, as the General droned on. _This is kind of boring..._

* * *

><p><em>Wow,<em> Luke grinned, fascinated by the military attack plan. _This is awesome!_

"The target area is only two meters wide," General Dodonna was explaining now. "It's a small thermal exhaust port, right below the main port," he indicated, as Luke listened carefully along with the other pilots. "The shaft leads directly to the reactor system; a precise hit will start a chain reaction which should destroy the station. Only a precise hit will set up a chain reaction," Dodonna warned them. _Right..._ "The shaft is ray-shielded, so you'll have to use proton torpedoes." _Cool!_

"That's impossible, even for a computer," the pilot beside Luke protested.

"It's not impossible," Luke assured him cheerfully, remembering his part. "I used to bull's-eye Womp rats in my T-16 back home; they're not much bigger than two meters," he pointed out.

"Then man your ships," Dodonna instructed them. "And may the Force be with you," he finished solemnly, invoking the ancient Jedi phrase, which the Rebels had taken up in honor of their fallen heroes.

"And... Cut," Jonah said, smiling. "Thank you everyone... That was perfect," he nodded appreciatively. "All right; we're still working out some programming issues with the flight simulator, but if we could meet back here in an hour, we should be ready to film our attack run," Jonah told them.

_Heh... That will be fun,_ Luke thought, heading out to the hallway along with the other Rebel pilots; but now he stopped, spotting Han and Chewie near the doorway.

_He's still waiting to get paid,_ Luke realized, glancing back toward Jonah, who was talking with some of his production assistants. _And then..._ Luke sighed, remembering that Yavin IV - and the Massassi area in particular - was home to one of the biggest underground drug rings in the Republic. _I have a bad feeling about this..._

* * *

><p>"Han," Jonah said cheerfully, finally coming over to join him. "Thanks for waiting... I've got your payment," he assured him, leading the way over to a private office and opening the door. "Well, most of it," he confessed with an apologetic cringe, as Han blinked in surprise at the large stack of green crates. <em>Huh? He's paying me in Datari coins?<em> Han had been expecting printed cash; but money was money, and so he managed a polite smile, nodding appreciatively.

"So this is the first ten thousand," Jonah explained; all Republic banks had a daily withdrawal limit of ten thousand Dataries, to discourage criminal transactions. "The rest should be delivered in about half an hour," Jonah told him. "Would you like me to call for security, to escort you back to your ship?" Jonah offered, eyeing the crates of cash with concern.

"No, that's all right," Han assured him. "Chewie and I can handle it." _Besides, we're not going back to our ship right away._ "Thank you," Han added sincerely, as he and Chewie began to load the small green crates onto an empty wheeled transport out in the hallway. _Ahh, this isn't exactly discreet..._

"All right; we'll be back for the rest in half an hour," Han promised, giving Jonah a grateful nod as they drove away.

_And now to find Torran's friend,_ he resolved, continuing through Massassi's tourist district toward the Five Crowns Casino, where Torran's drug contact was based. "Here we are," Han said quietly, as he and Chewie drove toward the casino's service entrance. "Keep your eyes open, huh?" Now that they had finished filming for _SITH,_ Han's blaster was once again loaded with a real laser cartridge, and he was ready for business.

A security guard stopped them now, holding up a hand. "Can I help you?" he asked, eyeing their green crates suspiciously.

"Yeah, I've got a delivery for Lorak," Han said casually, nodding toward the crates on the back of his transport.

The man nodded quietly. "I'm Lorak," he confirmed, giving Han a knowing look. "Go on in," he instructed them, pressing a button to open the gate. "I'll meet you in the back."

Han nodded, driving into the delivery warehouse and coming to a stop as Lorak waved him down again. "All right," Lorak said quietly, walking over toward them. "What have you got for me today?"

"Standard delivery," Han improvised casually, climbing down from the transport. "Han Solo," he added in a low voice, introducing himself. "I'm a friend of Torran's, from Mos Eisley."

"Ah," Lorak nodded; his gaze rested momentarily on Han's holster, where Jabba the Hutt's personal seal was subtly displayed on a small bronze medallion. "I see," Lorak continued calmly. "How is Torran?"

"Fine," Han replied. "Actually, he's come up with a new recipe: Fish Sticks a la Oregano," Han improvised, subtly slipping in the code word for death sticks. "He asked me to pick some up while I was here."

"Oregano?" Lorak repeated, surprised; then he shook his head. "Sorry; can't help you there," he told Han regretfully. "But I've got some Paprika, and iodine crystals," he offered, dropping the street name for raw glitterstim, plus one of the chemicals used to produce crystalstim. "I can give you a ten percent discount."

"Ahh," Han sighed, looking down. _Crystalstim is where the big money is,_ he confessed reluctantly, thinking it over. _And they say it's not that hard to produce, if you know what you're doing,_ Han had heard; but the combination of raw glitterstim with the other chemicals created a highly volatile reaction, which could result in a massive explosion if anything went wrong.

_No,_ Han decided, shaking his head. _I ain't THAT crazy._ "Sorry," he told Lorak. "My boss ain't interested in Paprika," he apologized. _That's Gardulla's specialty..._ "It interferes with his digestion," Han added jokingly, with a rueful grin.

"Ah. So I've heard," Lorak nodded, accepting his decision. But now he gave Han a curious look. "Perhaps he'd be interested in some Massassi Curry?" he asked quietly.

Han's brows furrowed. "Massassi Curry?"

Lorak glanced around the warehouse cautiously. "Yavinese Lovestim," he explained, in a low voice. "It's real popular with the vacation crowd here; a mild stimulant, with aphrodisiac qualities," Lorak told him.

_Aphrodisiac?_ Han blinked thoughtfully, considering it. _Yeah, Jabba would be into that..._ "How much?" he asked quietly.

"Five thousand per kilo," Lorak said. "But it goes for ten times that on the street," he assured Han, who nodded in understanding; a thousand percent markup was standard in the spice trade.

_Five thousand,_ Han considered. Jabba was expecting fifteen tonight, plus an additional percentage, as they had discussed during his _SITH_ cameo. _But if I bring him ten thousand, plus a kilo of Yavinese Lovestim... Yeah, he'll go for it,_ Han decided. Jabba was fascinated by all things exotic, and would undoubtedly be curious to try the new drug; at the very least he would appreciate the business opportunities it presented.

"All right, I'll take a kilo," Han agreed.

"Great," Lorak said, leading him toward a storage room in the back, as Chewie followed behind them, driving the transport. "Here you go," he said, giving Han a restaurant-sized cooking spice canister labeled 'Massassi Curry'.

"Thanks," Han nodded appreciatively, accepting the spice canister from him as Chewie began to unload several crates from their transport. "There... that's five thousand," Han confirmed, opening each crate and checking the contents just to be certain, as Lorak nodded in agreement.

"It's a pleasure doing business with you," Lorak said solemnly, as Han climbed back onto the transport next to Chewie. "You tell Torran I say hello."

"Will do," Han agreed with a courteous nod, as he and Chewie drove back out to the street, this time with only half of their crates of money, plus a canister of Yavinese Lovestim.

A few minutes later they arrived back at the landing platform where the _Falcon_ was docked, and quickly loaded their cargo aboard the ship, before returning to the _SITH_ base to collect the rest of Han's payment.

"Ah - there you are," Jonah said cheerfully, as they arrived in the hangar. "The bank delivery just came; here's the last five thousand credits," he told them, nodding toward another stack of green crates nearby.

"Thanks, Jonah," Han said gratefully, shaking the young director's hand. "Really... Please tell your father I appreciate his help," he added sincerely.

"I will," Jonah promised. "Thanks again." He smiled appreciatively, giving them a friendly wave as he continued toward the other side of the hanger. _Whew,_ Han sighed in relief, as he and Chewie began to load the crates onto their wheeled transport. _We'll be out of here before the Executor arrives..._

"All flight crews, man your stations," a voice announced over the loudspeaker now. "All flight crews, man your stations." _They must be getting ready to film,_ Han guessed; then he looked up as Luke walked toward him.

"So," Luke said, in the same cool, distant tone that he and Leia had been inflicting on Han since this morning. "You got your reward, and you're just leaving, then?" he asked, glancing at Han's crates of money.

_What the hell is his problem? And is he STILL acting?_ "That's right; yeah," Han replied, trying to ignore Actor Boy's hovercams. "I got some old debts I got to pay off with this stuff," he added defensively. "And even if I didn't, you don't think I'd be fool enough to stick around here, do you?" Han grumbled, loading another crate onto his transport.

But then he paused, remembering their conversation earlier this morning inside the _Falcon's_ engine room. He and Luke had chatted a bit about motivator switches and such things; but then Luke had tried to ask him about his 'regular' job as a freighter pilot. _He knows I'm a spice smuggler,_ Han had guessed. _A lot of actors are into drugs... Maybe he knows some people who would be interested in this Yavinese Lovestim,_ Han realized suddenly.

"Why don't you come with us?" Han suggested quietly, giving Luke a meaningful look. _Let's discuss this outside, away from the cameras._ "You're pretty good in a fight," he improvised quickly, realizing they were being filmed. "We could use you." _Seriously; if Luke could hook us up with a dealer on Geonosis..._

"Come on," Luke chided him. "Why don't you take a look around?" he reproached Han, glancing toward another group of Rebel pilots inside the hangar. _Damn... This kid's still acting._ "You know what's about to happen; what they're up against," Luke protested. "They could use a good pilot like you; you're turning your back on them."

_Gah... I've already been paid; I'm done with this acting stuff,_ Han sighed in frustration. "What good's a reward if you ain't around to use it?" he challenged Luke, annoyed. "Besides, attacking that battle station ain't my idea of courage," he told him. "It's more like - " _A bunch of dumb tourists sitting around in a flight simulator..._ "Suicide," Han grumbled, continuing to load his money onto the transport.

"All right," Luke said coldly, giving Han a look of barely-concealed contempt. "Well, take care of yourself, Han. I guess it's what you're best at, isn't it?" he fumed angrily, turning to leave.

_What the hell is his problem?_ Han wondered again. _I rescued the princess; she'd be buried under a pile of garbage if it weren't for me,_ he scowled. _Why am I suddenly the bad guy?_

"Hey, Luke," Han called after him, as Actor Boy reluctantly turned around, glaring at Han resentfully. _This kid takes everything way too seriously._ "May the Force be with you," Han said solemnly, trying very hard to keep a straight face as he quoted the Rebel Alliance's sacred mantra.

Actor Boy gave him a quiet glare, realizing he was being mocked; but for once he was unable to think of a witty comeback, and so he just stormed off in silence toward the other side of the hangar.

_"Han... That wasn't nice,"_ Chewbacca said now, giving him a look of reproach.

"What are you looking at?" Han retorted defensively. _You're not the one who's been treated like crap all day long by these people._ "I know what I'm doing," Han grumbled, loading another box onto the transport.

* * *

><p>"All pilots to your stations," a voice announced over the loudspeaker. "All pilots to your stations."<p>

_Yeah, yeah; I'm coming,_ Luke sighed, trying to shake his frustration as he walked through the hangar toward his assigned X-wing. _Ahh, I know Han's up to something..._ Luke had quietly trailed after Han during the break, and was fairly certain that he'd conducted a drug transaction back at the Five Crowns Casino.

_He entered the warehouse with twenty crates of Dataries, and came out with only half as many,_ Luke had observed. _And the sort of things you buy in the back of a warehouse - with five thousand Dataries, in cash - are generally not legal,_ he sighed; but now he looked up as Leia approached him.

"What's wrong?" Leia asked quietly, seeing his obvious dismay.

"Oh, it's Han," Luke confessed; Leia had questioned him about Han last night, and Luke had let her in on his suspicions. "I don't know," Luke shrugged, realizing that they were on camera, and couldn't talk openly. "I really thought he'd change his mind."

"He's got to follow his own path," Leia told him gently, empathizing with his frustration. "No one can choose it for him."

_Yeah, I know..._ "I only wish - Ben were here," Luke blurted out unhappily. _Actually, I wish Master Anakin were here; he'd know what to do about this..._

Leia smiled sympathetically; but then she gave him a little kiss on the cheek. _Huh? Oh, right,_ Luke remembered now, gazing after her curiously. _I'm supposed to be her brother, but I don't know it..._

_Ah, I hope Mara gets here soon,_ Luke sighed, continuing on toward his X-wing to film the next scene. _I don't want to arrest Han myself..._ Luke hadn't exactly lied to Han about his Jedi status, but he realized that he hadn't been completely up front about it either.

_If Mara makes the arrest, it's more likely to stick,_ Luke admitted, trying to sense her presence now; he could feel her somewhere in hyperspace, not too far away, but it was impossible to judge the exact distance. _Hopefully she'll get here before Han tries to leave,_ Luke sighed worriedly, running his fingers along the underside of his X-wing and absently admiring the fighter's design.

"Hey, Luke!" Julian said now, coming over to join him. _Oh! Here we go..._

"Biggs!" Luke exclaimed, temporarily setting his other thoughts aside as they filmed their enthusiastic greeting.

"I don't believe it!" Julian grinned. "How are you?"

"Great!" Luke said cheerfully.

"Hey... Coming up?" Julian asked, glancing toward his X-wing.

"I'll be right up there with you," Luke assured him. "And have I got stories to tell you..."

"Skywalker," a middle-aged man interrupted, coming towards them. "Are you sure you can handle this ship?" _Uh... Who is this guy?_

"Sir," Julian replied calmly. "Luke is the best bush pilot in the Outer Rim territories," he assured him. _Oh; he must be our boss,_ Luke decided, as the man gave him an approving smile.

"You'll do all right," the older man nodded, satisfied.

"Thank you, sir; I'll try," Luke replied politely.

"I gotta get aboard," Julian said now. "We'll hear all your stories when we get back, all right?"

"All right," Luke agreed. "Hey Biggs," he added proudly. "I told you I'd make it someday."

"It'll be like old times, Luke." Julian grinned, pulling on his helmet. "They'll never stop us."

Luke patted Julian on the shoulder as he took his leave, then climbed up into his X-wing. "This R2 unit of yours seems a bit beat up," one of the technicians noted, concerned. "You want a new one?"

"Not on your life," Luke told him. "That little droid and I have been through a lot together. You okay, Artoo?" he asked hopefully, as Artoo whistled in cheerful reply. "Good," Luke said, hopping into the cockpit.

"Gold squadron, begin takeoff procedure," a voice announced over the loudspeaker.

"Hang on tight, Artoo," Threepio pleaded now, seeing them off. "You've _got_ to come back," he implored him, as Artoo blipped confidently. "You wouldn't want my life to get boring, would you?"

_Heh... You'll get him back,_ Luke laughed to himself, pulling on his helmet. _Unlike me,_ he sighed, remembering that tomorrow he would return to his regular job, with the most boring R5 unit in the galaxy. _Ah, it's been fun filming this week,_ Luke admitted, as he closed the hatch to his X-wing.

But a moment later he heard Jonah's enthusiastic _"Cut!"_ over the loudspeaker, and pulled his helmet off again, climbing down from his X-wing. The rest of the scene would be filmed inside _SITH's_ famous flight simulator, and Luke made his way toward the exit of the hangar now, along with the other Rebel pilots.

_Come on, Mara,_ Luke pleaded silently, trying to sense her again. _Please get here soon..._

* * *

><p><em>There it is,<em> Tarv noted in relief, spotting the _Millennium Falcon_ on the landing platform next to the _SITH_ resort. _Whew... I made it..._

Tarv's garbage-collection ship was not nearly as fast as the _Falcon,_ but thankfully he'd gotten a head start from the Death Star, and had managed to make it here to Yavin IV in time to steal his old ship back.

_They're probably all busy filming for the show,_ Tarv guessed, approaching the _Falcon_ cautiously. _Haha... They'll never know what happened..._ But now he blinked worriedly as the hatch suddenly opened, and a tall, dark-haired man came down the ramp, along with a Wookiee.

"All right," the man said now. "Let's grab a few supplies, and then we're out of here." The Wookiee roared in reply, as the two of them continued across the landing platform toward a small convenience store just down the street.

_Ahh! They're planning to leave soon,_ Tarv realized anxiously. _I DID just get here in time..._ He watched quietly as the strangers entered the convenience store; then he cautiously approached the _Falcon,_ keying in a code on his own remote lockpad.

_Hehe... It still works,_ Tarv grinned in satisfaction as the ramp lowered once again; he had programmed a secret access code for the _Falcon's_ main hatch years ago in case of emergency, and thankfully it hadn't been changed. _Well this is ridiculously easy,_ Tarv laughed to himself, climbing aboard and closing the hatch behind him. Continuing straight to the cockpit, Tarv flipped the ignition switch to start the engine; but now he frowned in concern as nothing happened. _What the...?_ He tried it again, and _again;_ but still the engine refused to start.

"Damn it," Tarv cursed, quickly going back to the engine room to try to pinpoint the problem. _Something's wrong with the ignition system..._ "Oh, crap," Tarv muttered, noticing that the motivator switch was missing. _Ahh, this guy's smarter than I thought..._ Obviously the pilot had disabled the ignition system and taken the small motivator switch with him, to prevent theft.

_Now what?_ Tarv wondered, sighing unhappily. _This is a resort town; it's not likely I'll find a YT-1300 ignition motivator switch in the museum shop,_ he confessed, glancing toward the Massassi Temple across the street. _And those two will be back before long,_ Tarv realized; he had noticed the man's blaster, as well as the Wookiee's bandoleer, and decided that an armed assault would not end well.

_Crap... I can't do this,_ Tarv confessed, reluctantly heading back down the ramp of the _Falcon_ and abandoning his plan to steal it. _I hadn't counted on him taking that stupid motivator switch with him,_ he sighed.

_But I didn't come all the way here to Yavin IV for nothing,_ Tarv frowned stubbornly, leaving the landing platform behind him as he continued through the streets of Massassi. _Time to look up my old buddy, Lorak,_ he resolved, heading toward the Five Crowns Casino.

* * *

><p><em>Yavin IV...<em> Mara smiled happily, gazing out the window aboard the _Executor_ toward the lush green and blue moon in the distance. _And Luke is here already!_ she sensed now, her heart tingling happily.

But then her brows furrowed as she sensed Luke's anxiety. _Uh oh... That's not good,_ Mara thought worriedly, trying to send him a reassuring signal. She could feel his momentary relief at her presence, but still he was unhappy about something... _Aw, he missed me,_ Mara sensed, smiling wistfully. _I missed you too, Luke..._

She'd had a wonderful time visiting Alderaan, and had spent the entire day with Ariel yesterday; they had explored the city together, and the princess had shown Mara all of her favorite places to visit. _It's a beautiful planet,_ Mara admitted. _And Ariel is really nice..._

_Yavin IV is gorgeous too,_ Mara realized now, smiling in delight as the _Executor_ entered the moon's atmosphere, heading for a cluster of modern high-rise hotel buildings. Surrounding the small resort complex was a vast rain forest reaching as far as the eye could see, with a handful of ancient stone structures peeking out above the treetops.

_Wow... This place is a lot more interesting in real life, than in the educational files I read,_ Mara confessed, spotting the Massassi Temple now. Master Anakin had made her study about Yavin IV in preparation for her trip, and she had spent hours learning boring facts about the planet's climate and history; but she hadn't guessed that it would be so beautiful and relaxing here. _No wonder people like to come here for vacation._

But amidst the peaceful serenity of the place, with its lush rain forests and happy tourists, Mara still felt a distinctly anxious presence, and as the _Executor_ touched down on the landing platform outside the _SITH_ resort, she headed straight down the ramp, continuing on toward the source of the disturbance.

She found Luke inside the hangar of the _SITH_ film set, and smiled in amusement, seeing his orange Rebel jumpsuit. _He looks so cute in that,_ Mara giggled to herself, trying to mask her expression as she approached him. But now she could see the concerned look in his eyes, and gave him a questioning look.

"What's wrong?" Mara asked quietly, as they stepped behind a false stone support, modeled after the architecture of the Massassi Temple.

"Hi Mara," Luke said, smiling tenderly; then he shook his head apologetically. "I have to go; we're about to begin filming," he told her, glancing toward the entrance of the flight simulation studio. "But... Could you give Master Anakin a call?" he asked, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a small mechanical device.

"Sure... What's that?" Mara asked, peering at the device curiously.

"The ignition motivator switch for the _Millennium Falcon,_" Luke explained, handing it to her. "I took it out this morning..." _Ha!_ Mara stifled a laugh, taking the device from him. _Good one, Luke..._

"I've been keeping my eye on Han; I'm pretty sure he's got something illegal aboard the _Falcon_ right now," Luke continued regretfully. "I saw him drive into a casino warehouse half an hour ago with twenty crates of Datari coins, and he came out with only half as many," Luke told her; then he sighed, looking down.

"I can't make the arrest," Luke confessed apologetically. "Han doesn't know I'm a Jedi," he admitted, as Mara giggled in delight. _This just keeps getting better..._ "I didn't lie to him about it," Luke protested, seeing her amused look. "He just - hasn't figured it out yet," he shrugged, managing a rueful grin.

"Anyway, Qui-Gon told me to talk to Master Anakin before doing anything," Luke continued; then he blinked worriedly, noticing a group of Rebel pilots filing inside the flight simulation studio now. "Ahh - I have to go," Luke apologized quickly. "Can you take care of this?" he asked Mara, with a hopeful smile.

"Of course," Mara assured him, nodding. "I'll give Master Anakin a call right now," she promised; then she returned his smile, gazing at him in wistful affection. "Good luck in there," she added softly, with an amused glance toward the flight simulation studio. "Try not to get blown up, okay?" she giggled quietly.

"Ha! Okay, I'll try." Luke grinned appreciatively, turning to join the other Rebel pilots. "I'll talk to you when I get out," he added, giving Mara a grateful nod as he headed inside the flight simulation studio.

_I've missed you,_ Mara confessed wistfully, her heart tingling with longing as she watched him leave. But then she remembered her duty, and suppressed a delighted grin as she tucked the _Falcon's_ ignition motivator switch into her cloak pocket, quickly heading for the nearest transmission console to contact Master Anakin.

* * *

><p>"Orbiting the planet at maximum velocity," an Imperial officer's voice announced over the Death Star's intercom. "The moon with the Rebel base will be in range in thirty minutes."<p>

"This will be a day long remembered," Anakin declared ominously, as he and Tarkin gazed out the window of the command deck. "It has seen the end of Kenobi, and will soon see the end of the Rebellion."

"Cut," Owen said; then his transmitter beeped, and he answered it politely. "Hello?"

Anakin pulled his mask up over his helmet, switching off his ventilator; but now he blinked in surprise as Owen handed the transmitter to him. "It's Mara," the director said, his expression concerned.

_Uh oh..._ "Hi Mara," Anakin answered, trying to sense her now. _She's on Yavin IV..._ "Is everything all right?" he asked worriedly, stepping into the adjacent hallway for some privacy.

"Hi, Master Anakin... Yes, I'm fine," Mara assured him, as Anakin smiled in relief. _Aw, I've missed you..._ "But we've got a bit of a situation here, with Han Solo," Mara confessed.

"Yeah? What's going on?" Anakin asked, listening in concern as Mara told him about Luke's undercover efforts. _Heh... Way to go, Luke,_ Anakin thought quietly, proud to hear of his son's vigilance.

"So Luke thinks he's got something illegal aboard the _Falcon_ now," Mara finished. "And I've got his... motivator - thingy - in my pocket," she reminded him. "Should I search his ship?" she asked hopefully.

Anakin grinned in amusement, noting the tone of barely-concealed eagerness in his padawan's voice; but now he sighed, recalling what she had said. _If Solo spent five thousand Dataries on whatever he's got aboard the Falcon, the street value is probably ten times that much,_ Anakin realized. _And fifty thousand credits worth of drugs is enough to make an arrest that will finally stick; he'd go to prison for years..._

Anakin shook his head, not liking where this was leading. _Solo doesn't want to be involved in this stuff,_ Anakin admitted, recalling their previous encounter. _Jabba's got something on him; and it's probably not his own life that he's worried about,_ Anakin had guessed. _If he goes to prison, his friends could be in danger..._

_Crap,_ Anakin sighed, realizing once again that Solo's friends were _his_ friends. _If Mara arrests him, Greedo and Kitster could be Rancor fodder... And Boba too,_ he confessed worriedly.

"Let me talk to him first," Anakin instructed Mara now. _I'll give him one last chance to talk to me, and try to figure out exactly what Jabba's holding against him._ "Stay close to the ship; he'll want his - motivator thingy - back," Anakin told her. "I'll have him invite you on board, and then I'll let you know whether to search the ship, okay?"

"Yes, Master," Mara replied obediently, respecting his decision.

"Thanks, Mara," Anakin said, truly grateful for his padawan's unwavering loyalty. _She knows this isn't exactly by the Code, but she trusts me anyway._ "You're doing a terrific job," he reassured her. "Oh - and Mara?" he asked hopefully. "Is there a part number for that - motivator thingy?" _If I'm going to threaten Solo with twenty years in prison, I'll need something more solid than 'My padawan has your motivator thingy',_ Anakin admitted.

"Oh! Right," Mara said, reading off the number. "It's - U5487932J," she told him.

"U5487932J," Anakin repeated, carefully marking it down. _Great, now I'm writing numbers on my arm again... But at least I can look that up._ "Thanks, Mara," he said appreciatively. "All right, I'll talk to you in a few minutes."

"Yes, Master," Mara agreed. "I'll go wait by the _Falcon_."

* * *

><p>"Luke," Jonah said cheerfully, greeting him as he entered the flight simulation studio. "There you are... Have you met Garven?" he asked, introducing the middle-aged man beside him.<p>

"Ahh - not properly," Luke said with an apologetic smile, recognizing the man from his previous scene with Julian.

"Garven Dreis," the man said, nodding in friendly greeting. "Pleasure to meet you."

"Garven is our on-site flight instructor here at the resort," Jonah told Luke. "He trains tourists on the X-wings out in the hangar, and takes them out for group flights," he added. "Anyway, he'll be playing 'Red Leader' for today's simulated attack," Jonah explained.

"Oh! And this is Jon Vander... And Jek Porkins," Jonah continued, introducing two other men dressed as Rebel pilots. "They're the programmers for the flight simulator; these guys were up all last night, working out the final details of our attack run," Jonah added, with an appreciative grin. "So Jon's going to be 'Gold Leader', and Jek is...?"

"Uh, some random guy," Jek Porkins said cheerfully. "Red Six; that's it," he remembered now.

"And you're Red Five," Jonah told Luke, gesturing toward one of the flight simulators; the individual consoles were shaped like fighter cockpits, and were arranged in tiered rows, in front of a large viewscreen. "So this one's yours," Jonah showed him, as Luke nodded, climbing up into his cockpit.

"Julian and I will be right beside you," Jonah added. "The rest of us already did a practice run this morning, before you got here; but you'll do fine," he assured Luke cheerfully.

"Oh! And your dialogue will show up here," Jonah said, showing Luke the monitor screen inside his cockpit. "The whole scene's scripted; Julian and I wrote most of it, and Garven helped out with the military talk," Jonah explained, giving Red Leader an appreciative grin. "So basically you just read off the screen - but feel free to improvise, if you can think of something better to say," he told Luke.

"Okay," Luke nodded. "Ha... I think I'd better stick with the script," he confessed, not wanting to mess things up.

"That's fine," Jonah agreed; then he cringed. "Ahh! I forgot... We still need somebody to read Ben's part; he has a few voice-over lines, when his ghost talks to you," Jonah explained.

"I'll do it," said a voice behind them now, as Jonah turned around in surprise. "If you're looking for a volunteer," Cliegg Lars added cheerfully, beaming proudly at his grandson.

"Grandpa!" Jonah exclaimed, grinning. "You're here!"

"Of course I'm here," Cliegg replied, scruffing Jonah's dark hair affectionately. "Wouldn't miss this for anything... So do I get the part?"

"Ahh! Sure," Jonah nodded, still grinning happily. "Okay, why don't you take that one on the end," he instructed his grandfather, who climbed into the simulator cockpit. "It's just a couple of lines... So Luke, when you hear my grandfather's voice, pretend it's Ben talking to you, okay?"

"All right," Luke nodded, checking out the controls to his simulator. _Haha! This is fun..._

"Okay, let's get started," Jonah proposed, climbing into his own cockpit and pulling on his helmet as the hatch closed over his head. "Are you guys ready?" he asked the simulator technicians, who nodded in confirmation. "All right... Action," Jonah said, as the room suddenly darkened, and an image of the Massassi Temple appeared on the large viewscreen in front of them.

Luke watched in fascination as a group of X-wings took off from the Rebel base, flying out past the red planet of Yavin toward the Death Star beyond. _Hehe! That's us,_ Luke realized, smiling cheerfully; he had watched a show about _SITH's_ famous flight simulation studio, and knew that it combined interactive flying with pre-filmed _SITH_ footage, to add drama and excitement to the experience. _Cool..._

But now his script monitor flashed as dialogue appeared, and Luke watched it carefully, waiting for his turn.

"All wings report in," Red Leader instructed the Rebel pilots now.

_"Red Ten, standing by." _

_ "Red Seven, standing by."_

"Red Three, standing by," Julian confirmed.

"Red Six, standing by," Jek Porkins said.

_"Red Nine, standing by."_

"Red Two, standing by," Jonah replied.

_"Red Eleven, standing by."_

"Red Five, standing by," Luke reported in, as the viewscreen showed a brief clip of Artoo whistling cheerfully. _Haha! They've even got stock footage of Artoo in this thing,_ Luke noted, impressed.

"Lock S-foils in attack position," Red Leader instructed them. "We're passing through the magnetic field; hold tight," Garven added, as Luke felt his simulator console lurch momentarily. "Switch your deflectors on; double front."

Luke nodded solemnly, following Garven's orders; but now Jonah decided to improvise. "Look at the size of that thing!" he exclaimed, as an image of the Death Star appeared on the large viewscreen in front of them.

"Cut the chatter, Red Two," Garven chided him. _Ha... Jonah WROTE this scene, and he's getting yelled at,_ Luke laughed, watching his dialogue monitor carefully and deciding not to deviate from the script. "Accelerate to attack speed," Red Leader continued. "This is it, boys."

"Red Leader, this is Gold Leader," Jon Vander announced.

"I copy, Gold Leader," Garven replied.

"We're starting for the target shaft now," Jon continued, in a dramatic tone of voice.

"We're in position," Garven told his pilots. "I'm going to cut across the axis and try and draw their fire."

_Here we go!_ Luke grinned cheerfully, following in formation as the Red group swerved down toward the surface of the Death Star, trying to evade its powerful laser cannons.

"Heavy fire, boss," Red Seven warned Garven. "Twenty-three degrees."

"I see it," Garven confirmed. "Stay low," he instructed the others.

_My turn..._ "This is Red Five; I'm going in," Luke announced calmly, diving straight down toward the Death Star and shooting full-blast at everything in sight. _Uh oh,_ Luke realized suddenly, nearly crashing into the massive battle station. _This thing doesn't handle like a Jedi Starfighter..._

"Luke! Pull up!" Julian yelled. "Are you all right?"

_Um... I think so,_ Luke cringed, looking up at the viewscreen just in time to see a rain of red sparks trailing behind his X-wing. _Oops..._ "I got a little cooked, but I'm okay," he improvised. _Ah, so much for sticking to the script..._

But now an image of the Death Star's interior appeared on the viewscreen. "We count thirty Rebel ships, Lord Vader," an Imperial officer announced. "But they're so small, they're evading our turbo-lasers."

"We'll have to destroy them ship to ship," Vader decided. "Get the crews to their fighters." _I remember when Master Anakin filmed all of these clips,_ Luke recalled; Mara said he had spent an entire afternoon filming hundreds of short tactical scenes, which would be inserted into the flight simulator program as needed. _No wonder Jon and Jek were up all night programming all of this,_ Luke realized, truly impressed by their efforts. _This is amazing..._

"Watch yourself," Red Leader said now. _Gah, my nose itches..._ Luke squirmed, rubbing it on his sleeve. _Jonah will cut that..._ "There's a lot of fire coming from the right side of that deflection tower," Garven warned them.

"I'm on it," Luke assured him, reading his script.

"I'm going in," Julian announced now. "Cover me, Porkins."

"I'm right with you, Red Three," Jek replied, following him down; but now Luke caught a sudden movement in the corner of his eye, and looked over to see Jek's simulator cockpit lurching wildly. _Uh oh... That's not good._ "I've got a problem here," Jek confessed vaguely, as his cockpit continued to bounce around.

"Eject!" Julian instructed him anxiously. _Yeah, we're gonna lose Porkins,_ Luke realized, quickly reading the next several lines of dialogue on his monitor. _Aw, this is sad..._

"I can hold it," Jek insisted, with stubborn bravery.

"Pull up!" Julian yelled again.

"No, I'm all right - Ahhhhh!" Porkins screamed dramatically, as the viewscreen showed an image of an X-wing bursting into flames before crashing into the Death Star.

_One down,_ Luke sighed regretfully, continuing his attack run along with the others.

* * *

><p>"Ugh... Chewie," Han grumbled, exiting the convenience store and trying to carry three large bags full of supplies. "Did we really need twenty boxes of Wookiee-ookies?"<p>

_"Yes,"_ Chewie insisted defensively. _"They're hard to find; it's not like I can get them on Tatooine,"_ he pointed out, carrying six more bags in his furry arms as they made their way back to the ship. _"Besides, we got a really good deal on these,"_ he reminded Han.

"Yeah," Han agreed, giving his friend a rueful grin. "I can't say I would have expected to find any here," he conceded, glancing around at the resort town's other tourists, who were virtually all human; Han had rarely seen a place so completely devoid of other species. _No wonder we got a deal on Wookiee snacks; the store owner was probably glad to get rid of them._

"Anyway," Han said good-naturedly, reaching awkwardly for the remote key on his belt and pushing the button to open the _Falcon's_ hatch. "Just don't make _me_ eat them," he teased Chewie, wrinkling his nose in disgust.

_"Fine,"_ Chewie agreed, as they continued back to the kitchen area to restock their supplies. _"More for me,"_ he said cheerfully, stacking his twenty boxes of Wookiee-ookies onto the top shelf of the cabinet.

"All right," Han said, after they had put everything away. "Come on; let's get out of here," he proposed, heading for the cockpit. "We should be back on Tatooine before sundown," he added optimistically, flipping the ignition switch as he sat down in his pilot's seat.

But now his brows furrowed as nothing happened. "Huh?" Han flipped the switch again, then shook his head wearily, getting up again. "Something's wrong with the ignition system; I'll go check it out," he told Chewie, continuing back to the _Falcon's_ engine room.

_I was just looking at it this morning,_ Han thought worriedly, recalling his conversation with Actor Boy. He'd stumbled upon Luke in the engine room, and had shown him the various components of the _Falcon's_ ignition system, fielding the boy's curious questions. _Everything was fine then..._

_Crap! The motivator switch is missing,_ Han saw now, sighing in frustration. _Ahh... Actor Boy must have messed with it,_ he scowled indignantly. _First he's some kind of amateur zoologist, and now he thinks he's a mechanic,_ Han grumbled; then he looked up, hearing a beeping signal coming from the cockpit.

_"Han! Incoming transmission,"_ Chewie announced, coming out to find him; for obvious reasons, the Wookiee didn't answer voice transmissions on his own.

"Okay, I got it," Han sighed wearily, heading back to the cockpit and pressing the button. "Han Solo," he replied, flopping back down in his pilot's seat.

"Hello," came a strange but eerily familiar voice. "This is Anakin Skywalker." _What?_ Han blinked nervously, sitting up straighter. _What does he want?_ "I just got a call from my padawan," Skywalker continued. "She says she found a YT-1300 ignition motivator switch; that wouldn't happen to be yours, would it?"

_Uh..._ "Maybe," Han replied, peering worriedly out the _Falcon's_ window; then he cringed as he spotted the black-cloaked padawan, her green eyes gazing back at him fiercely. _Ahh! Hell-bitch is here already?_

"Maybe?" Skywalker repeated, mildly surprised. "Well, anyway, Mara doesn't have much use for it herself; I'll tell her to give it to you, if you'd like," he offered.

"Thanks," Han replied, trying to conceal his nervousness. "I'd appreciate it." _What the hell is going on?_

"Great," Skywalker agreed. "Oh - you wouldn't mind if she did a quick search of your ship, would you?" he asked casually. "She's a little bored, and could use the practice," he admitted.

_Damn it... I'm never going to get this guy off my back._ "I'd rather she didn't," Han replied cautiously. "But I'd be happy to make a donation to HOPE," he offered. "Three thousand credits," he proposed, deciding to start low. _I've got ten thousand to bargain with... Though Jabba won't be happy about this..._

"If you want to make a donation, sure, go ahead," Skywalker replied calmly. "But it doesn't change the fact that my padawan is bored, and has your motivator switch," he pointed out. "By the way, you were spotted going into a casino warehouse with ten thousand Dataries in cash, and coming out with only half as much... What was that all about?" Skywalker asked, curious.

_Crap!_ Han's mind raced as he suddenly realized the trouble he was in. _I've got fifty thousand credits worth of Yavinese Lovestim on board; that's a twenty year prison sentence... And Skywalker's not going to accept a bribe this time,_ Han sensed, trying to figure another way out of this. _Ahh! What else have I got to bargain with?_

_No,_ Han frowned worriedly as a rather disturbing idea came to him. _It'll never work..._ But he couldn't think of anything else, so he gathered his courage, hoping to bluff his way out of this. "I'd like to speak with Mace Windu," Han said quietly, trying to sound more confident than he felt.

Skywalker paused for a moment at this unorthodox request. "All right," the Jedi agreed hesitantly. "I'll have my padawan do a quick search of the ship, and give you back your motivator switch," he proposed. "And then you can go talk to Master Windu; I won't hold you up," Skywalker promised.

_Ahh!_ "Wait," Han protested. "I have information," he said, in a low voice. "Information that the Jedi Council has been hiding from the Hutts for a thousand years," he added carefully. "Mace Windu will know what I'm talking about."

There was another brief silence. "This - information," Skywalker repeated cautiously. "Can you be more specific?"

"Sorry," Han apologized, standing his ground. "That's classified." Lando had warned him that only the top Jedi Council members knew about Solaris Three, and Han had vowed to keep it a secret. "But if anything happens to me, this information will find its way to Jabba," Han bluffed, hoping that the Jedi Knight wouldn't sense his lie from clear across the galaxy. "We're talking galactic war," he warned Skywalker, keeping his voice low.

"I see," Skywalker replied quietly. "So let me get this straight... Instead of letting my padawan search your ship today, you want to march into the Jedi Council chamber, threatening galactic war?"

"Well that ain't exactly how I was planning to do it," Han retorted defensively. "But yeah, that's the general idea," he conceded. "Mace Windu knows what this is about; trust me, he'll take it _very_ seriously."

"Yes, he will," Skywalker agreed. "You're absolutely right: Master Windu is not one to take threats against his own home planet lightly," he pointed out casually. _What?_ Han blinked, startled. _'His own home planet'... Skywalker knows?_ "So if you want to go that route, be my guest," Skywalker continued. "I would expect a pretty intensive Force-interrogation, followed by a life sentence in a maximum-security prison - not just for you, but for your friend Lando Calrissian as well... And Chewbacca," Skywalker confessed unhappily. "And whoever else the two of you have told about this," he finished, with a sigh of frustration.

_Crap!_ "We haven't told anyone else," Han scowled indignantly; but his heart began to race as he realized Skywalker was right. _If I go to Windu with this, he'll put us all away for life..._

"I hope not, for their sakes," Skywalker replied. "And I agree; Master Windu will take your threats very seriously," he conceded. "I, on the other hand, do not," he continued quietly. "I know exactly what you're talking about, and I think that what you told me - about this information finding its way to Jabba - is a load of Bantha crap," he confessed. "Tell me I'm wrong," he challenged Han; there was a tone of pleading in his voice.

Han sighed, looking down. "You're not wrong," he assured the Jedi. _I would never let the Hutts know about Solaris Three,_ he confessed, blinking worriedly at the thought. _Ahh, what the hell am I doing?_

"Good," Skywalker replied quietly. "All right, here's what we're going to do," he continued. "I'm going to tell Mara to explore the Massassi Temple museum a bit, before giving back your motivator switch," Skywalker proposed. "And when she returns, I'd suggest that you not have anything illegal aboard the ship," he added pointedly.

_What?_ Han blinked in surprise. "Yes, sir," he replied quickly, nodding. _He's letting me off?_

"Though I should warn you," the Jedi continued. "Mara has a short attention span... She could easily get through the entire museum in five minutes," Skywalker mentioned casually. "And _then_," he continued, with a weary sigh. "I want you to stop by the Death Star tomorrow morning... And we'll have a little chat about that _other_ thing," Skywalker proposed quietly. "Do we have a deal?"

_Ahh..._ Han cringed anxiously at the thought; but he knew he had very little choice in the matter. _I should never have brought that up..._ "Yes," he promised the Jedi, gulping nervously. "Absolutely."

"All right," Skywalker replied, satisfied. "Now if you wouldn't mind; I'd like to speak to Mara for a minute, and let her know what's happening."

"Right... of course," Han nodded, blinking anxiously. "Just a minute; I'll go get her." _This is a complete nightmare,_ Han sighed unhappily, leaving the cockpit and heading down the ramp to invite Hell-bitch inside.

"Hello... Mara?" Han said tentatively, approaching the black-cloaked padawan. The girl scowled at him, her green eyes full of suspicion. "Uh... Your Master wants to talk to you," he told her, trying to hide his nervousness.

At this, the red-haired girl gave him a furious glare, but nodded quietly, following him aboard the _Falcon_ and into the cockpit. "Yes, Master," Mara Jade answered respectfully.

"Mara," Skywalker replied. "I want you to search the ship; and if everything checks out, you can give Solo his motivator switch back," he instructed her. _Hey!_ Han blinked worriedly. _That wasn't the deal..._

"Yes, Master," Mara Jade nodded obediently, barely concealing her gleeful smile.

"But first," Skywalker continued, as Han breathed a sigh of relief. "I want you to go to the Massassi Temple, and explore the history museum - _all four floors,_" he admonished her strictly. "And then you can come back and do your search."

Mara frowned resentfully at this stipulation; but then Han caught a triumphant glimmer in her eyes, as the corners of her mouth turned faintly upward. "Yes, Master," she agreed, embracing the challenge. _So it's a race, then..._

"Thank you, Mara," Skywalker replied appreciatively. "All right then, I'll let you get started... Skywalker out," he finished, ending the transmission.

"I'll be back," Mara Jade informed Han now, giving him a look of warning; then she headed out of the cockpit and down the ramp, storming toward the Massassi Temple across the street.

_That will take her all of five minutes,_ Han realized anxiously, continuing quickly back to the hold and releasing the floor panels above the smuggling compartments. "Chewie, can you get me a bag from the kitchen?" he asked, pulling out the large canister labeled 'Massassi Curry' and carefully closing the floor panels again.

_"Sure... Here you go,"_ Chewbacca said helpfully, bringing him one of the bags from the convenience store. _"You want me to come?"_ he offered uncertainly, as Han headed for the _Falcon's_ exit.

"Ahh... No," Han sighed regretfully; the resort town of Massassi was entirely human, and Chewie didn't exactly blend in. "I gotta do this myself," he apologized, as Chewie nodded in understanding. "Watch the ship; I'll be back in a few minutes," Han promised, giving Chewie a reassuring pat on the shoulder as he continued down the ramp.

_Where can I hide this?_ Han wondered, looking around the landing platform worriedly. The _Falcon_ was the only ship docked here on the visitor platform; the _Executor_ had its own landing pad on the other side of the hotel, and smaller, private vessels were kept inside the hangar nearby.

_But there's a security guard at the entrance,_ Han noted now, abandoning that option as he continued across the platform. _And the entire forest is walled in; which leaves only a bunch of hotel buildings, gift shops, and restaurants..._

_Restaurants!_ Han realized suddenly. _They've got storage pantries; nobody would notice an extra canister of Massassi Curry,_ he decided quickly, ducking inside the _SITH_ resort and heading straight for the Emperor's Buffet.

* * *

><p>"Watch your back, Luke! Watch your back," Julian warned him, as an image of six TIE fighters suddenly appeared on the big viewscreen in front of them. "Fighters above you, coming in."<p>

Luke watched his scope, doing his best to evade the enemy fighters; but they were programmed to hit him, and a moment later he felt his simulator cockpit lurch. "I'm hit, but not bad," Luke said, following the script. "Artoo, see what you can do with it," he added, as stock footage of Artoo appeared briefly on the viewscreen. _This is awesome..._ "Hang on, back there," Luke improvised, getting into his role.

"Red Six, can you see Red Five?" Garven asked worriedly.

_Uh... Red Six is dead,_ Luke realized, cringing. _That was Porkins..._ But thankfully Jonah quickly covered for the mistake.

"There's a heavy fire zone," Jonah replied, taking over Porkins' line. "Red Five, where are you?"

"I can't shake him!" Luke confessed anxiously, still trying to evade the TIE fighter on his tail.

"I'm on him, Luke," Jonah assured him. "Hold on."

"Blast it, Biggs, where are you?" Luke muttered, reading his script. "Thanks, Wedge," he sighed in relief, as Jonah heroically swooped in, shooting down the TIE fighter.

_Ha,_ Luke grinned, watching quietly as the Gold group started their attack run. _This is really cool._

* * *

><p><em>Whew,<em> Han sighed in relief, returning to the _Falcon._ "We're all good," he reassured Chewie, joining him in the cockpit. "I hid it in the restaurant pantry; I'll go back for it after Mara finishes her search," he told him. Han had been careful to hide the canister way in the back of the shelf, behind the other spices; it would be safe there, at least for a few minutes.

But now he shared an anxious glance with Chewie as they spotted the red-haired padawan approaching. "Just in time," Han muttered ruefully, getting up from his pilot's seat.

"Hello," Han greeted the Jedi courteously, lowering the ramp. "Come on in."

Mara nodded civilly, climbing up the ramp; and without a word, she proceeded to conduct her search of the _Falcon,_ starting with the main hold, then continuing on to the secret smuggling compartments, and finally Han and Chewie's living quarters.

_Ahh... This is embarrassing,_ Han sighed, as the red-haired padawan rifled through his personal belongings, her brows furrowing as she stumbled across his toy lightsaber, which he'd attempted to hide in the bathroom cabinet. _Yeah... That looks weird,_ he confessed, trying to ignore Mara's bewildered expression as she glanced at the brightly-colored finger-paintings tacked all over his bedroom walls.

"I need to look inside your safe," Mara informed him, after completing her search of the ship.

"Sure," Han agreed, opening it up now; it was completely filled with cases of Datari coins, identical to the small green crates Mara had already found beneath the floor panels.

"That's a lot of money," Mara observed, opening each case and dutifully checking the contents.

"Yeah... I just got paid, for being on the show," Han told her.

Mara nodded, accepting his answer. "I'll need to see your registration, too," she added, continuing to check the crates.

"No problem," Han agreed, going to get it. "Here it is," he said, handing it to her; he'd just gotten it renewed a few days ago, since their last encounter outside Coruscant.

"All right," Mara said, closing the last of the crates and stacking them back inside the safe. "Everything checks out... Except for three illegal smuggling compartments," she added, glancing toward the hallway. "And - about four hundred outstanding traffic violations, wasn't it?" she recalled now, giving Han a curious look.

_Crap..._ "Here," Han sighed wearily, pulling one of the crates back out of the safe and handing it to her. "A donation for HOPE," he gestured magnanimously.

Mara scowled, her brows furrowing indignantly; but then she shrugged in annoyance. "Fine," she agreed, pulling Han's ignition motivator switch out of her cloak pocket and handing it back to him now. "Have a nice day," she added civilly, managing a polite bow as she headed back down the ramp.

"You too," Han replied unenthusiastically, pressing the button to close the hatch again.

_"That wasn't so bad,"_ Chewie said, scruffing Han's hair sympathetically as he came back inside.

"Yeah," Han sighed. "At least I got my motivator switch back," he conceded, trying to focus on the positive. "I'll go replace it now; but we should do a complete systems check, before I go back for the Lovestim," Han told Chewie. _Because we might have to get out of here in a hurry,_ he confessed, heading into the control room.

_Who knows what else Actor Boy messed with,_ Han thought worriedly, replacing the ignition motivator switch and carefully checking all of the other engine parts for signs of tampering. _First he's a zoologist, then a mechanic... And now he thinks he's some kind of wonder-boy detective,_ Han scowled, frustrated and annoyed.

_Skywalker said I was 'spotted' going into the casino warehouse, half an hour before Hell-bitch even got here,_ Han realized unhappily. _It doesn't take a genius to figure out who was behind this mess..._ But despite Han's personal frustration over the problems Luke had created for him, he was more concerned for the boy, than angry with him.

_That kid has no grip on reality,_ Han realized now, truly worried for him. _He watches too many holo-films; he thinks playing amateur detective is just a game... He has no idea how dangerous this stuff really is,_ Han confessed, recalling Actor Boy's complete lack of fear after being attacked by the Dianoga.

_But real life ain't an adventure movie,_ Han frowned, disturbed by the boy's lack of common sense. _There's no guaranteed happy ending, and the hero doesn't always prevail... If that kid keeps this stuff up, he's gonna get himself killed one of these days,_ Han admitted unhappily, continuing with his systems check.

* * *

><p><em>Meanwhile, aboard the Death Star...<em>

"Are you sure about this?" Owen asked, smiling regretfully.

"Yes," Wilhuff Tarkin said, nodding. "I've had a wonderful time on the show these past eighteen years; but it's time to move on," he confessed, with a wistful smile.

Owen nodded in understanding. Tarkin had been with _SITH_ since the very beginning, and had made a huge contribution toward the show's success; but Owen knew that Wilhuff's true passion had always been for theater, and he smiled now, accepting the actor's decision to pursue stage work full-time.

"All right, then," Owen said, as they prepared to film Tarkin's farewell performance. "Places, everyone," he called to the guest actors. "And... _Action,_" he said quietly, as an Imperial officer approached Tarkin now.

"We've analyzed their attack, sir; and there is a danger," the officer warned Governor Tarkin quietly. "Should I have your ship standing by?"

"Evacuate?" Tarkin's brows furrowed indignantly. "In our moment of triumph? I think you overestimate their chances," he reproached the officer, turning his gaze back toward the window of the command deck.

"And... Cut," Owen said quietly, a moment later. _Well I guess that's it..._ "Thank you, everyone," he said, as the guest actors took their leave; then he gave Tarkin an appreciative smile. "Wilhuff... We're going to miss you around here," Owen confessed. "You've done an incredible job," he said, shaking his hand. "Best of luck with your stage career."

"Thank you, Owen," Wilhuff said, smiling. "And I will miss all of this too," he admitted, taking a last wistful glance around the command deck. "It's been a lot of fun."

* * *

><p><em>And back on Yavin IV...<em>

"Biggs, Wedge, let's close it up," Luke said, as they began their final attack run. "We're going in; we're going in full throttle. That ought to keep those fighters off our back."

"Right with you, boss," Jonah assured him, swooping down toward the Death Star. All of the other Rebel pilots had been shot down by Vader, and now it was up to Luke, Jonah, and Julian to succeed in their mission.

"Luke," Julian asked worriedly. "At that speed, will you be able to pull out in time?"

_Heh... Probably not, in this thing; but we'll pretend I can..._ "It'll be just like Beggar's Canyon back home," Luke replied confidently, as he entered the narrow trench that led to the thermal exhaust port.

"We'll stay back far enough to cover you," Julian said now, following him into the trench.

"My scope shows the tower, but I can't see the exhaust port!" Jonah pointed out anxiously. "Are you sure the computer can hit it?" he asked; but just then they came under a rain of laser fire from the Death Star's cannons.

"Watch yourself," Luke warned them. "Increase speed, full throttle."

"What about that tower?" Jonah asked again.

"You worry about those fighters; _I'll_ worry about the tower," Luke told him, glancing at his script. "Artoo, that - that stabilizer's broken loose again; see if you can't lock it down," he added, as another external image of Artoo appeared on the viewscreen in front of them.

But now he saw two TIE fighters, along with Darth Vader's special customized fighter. _That thing is so cool,_ Luke thought, grinning. _Master Anakin says it's really hard to fly though..._

"Fighters, coming in - point three," Jonah warned them now; and a moment later Luke watched on the viewscreen as Jonah's X-wing was hit by a laser blast. "I'm hit!" Jonah exclaimed worriedly. "I can't stay with you."

"Get clear, Wedge," Luke told him. "You can't do any more good back there."

"Sorry," Jonah apologized, pulling up and abandoning his attack. _But he'll be back,_ Luke thought mischievously; Jonah's role was to swoop back in at the last second, heroically shooting Vader off Luke's tail and saving the day.

"Let him go," Vader said now, as another pre-filmed clip appeared on the viewscreen. "Stay on the leader." _All of these clips are conveniently vague,_ Luke realized, grinning in amusement. _This simulator program is awesome. I want to play again before we leave,_ he decided cheerfully.

"Hurry, Luke!" Julian warned him. "They're coming in much faster this time. We can't hold them!"

"Artoo, try and increase the power," Luke said, reading his script.

"Hurry up, Luke!" Julian repeated urgently. "Quick... Quick!" he pleaded; but now Luke looked up at the viewscreen to see Julian's X-wing exploding in mid-flight. _Aw; there goes Julian..._

"I'm on the leader," Vader declared ominously, appearing briefly on the screen.

"Use the Force, Luke," Cliegg said now, temporarily filling in for Ben's part. "Let go, Luke." _Right..._

"The Force is strong with this one," Darth Vader declared; Luke grinned cheerfully, realizing that clip was probably reserved for people who mastered the flight simulator's highest difficulty level.

"Luke, trust me," Cliegg insisted again. _Okay; time to switch off my targeting computer..._

"His computer's off," came a voice from the command room now, where Leia and General Dodonna were keeping an anxious vigil. "Luke, you switched of your targeting computer! What's wrong?"

"Nothing; I'm all right," Luke assured them, continuing through the narrow trench at full speed. But then his simulator cockpit lurched suddenly, and the viewscreen showed an image of Artoo screaming in pain, struck by Vader's laser fire. "I've lost Artoo!" Luke exclaimed anxiously, reading from his script.

Then he stifled an amused laugh as Darth Vader appeared once again on the viewscreen, twisting his special steering device with a black-gloved hand. _That ship has the weirdest controls,_ Luke laughed to himself, remembering Master Anakin's frustration over trying to fly the darned thing.

"I have you now," Vader declared ominously, firing at Luke; but then he turned his head in surprise as one of his wingmen was shot down. "_WHAT?_"

"Yeah!" Jonah yelled triumphantly, swooping down out of nowhere and shooting Vader's other wingman, who then crashed into Vader's custom-built fighter, sending him spinning off into space. _Haha! Way to go, Jonah!_ Luke grinned, continuing through the trench toward his target.

"You're all clear, Luke!" Jonah told him. "Now let's blow this thing and go home!"

_Here we go..._ Luke aimed carefully, then fired his proton torpedoes at the thermal exhaust port, sighing in dramatic relief as he watched them go down into the reactor shaft.

A moment later there was an image of two X-wings and a Y-wing speeding away from the Death Star. _Uh... Who's the Y-wing?_ Luke wondered, blinking in surprise. _I thought they were all dead..._ But now he grinned as the Death Star exploded dramatically, bursting into a dazzling rain of light.

"Great shot, Luke!" Jonah congratulated him enthusiastically. "That was one in a million!" _Yeah, that was fun..._

"Remember," Cliegg finished quietly. "The Force will be with you... Always."

"And... Cut," Jonah said now, popping open his cockpit hatch and climbing down from his simulator along with Luke, Julian, and the others. "That was amazing!" he exclaimed, as Cliegg gave him a proud smile. "Thank you so much; you guys did an incredible job," Jonah told them, nodding gratefully to Jon, Jek, and Garven as well.


	152. Don't try this at home, boys & girls

**Chapter 152**

"Welcome to the _SITH_ Hotel," the receptionist said, smiling in friendly greeting. "How may I help you?"

"I'd like a room, please," Tarv replied. "Actually, a suite with a kitchen."

"All right; let's see... I've got a suite available on the forty-sixth floor," she told him. "It's two hundred credits per night; would you like that one?"

"That would be perfect," Tarv agreed, handing her his electronic credit device.

"All right, you're all set," the receptionist confirmed a moment later, handing the device back to him. "Thank you, Mr. Kosto," she added cheerfully, reading the name on Tarv's stolen credit device. "Enjoy your stay."

"Thanks," Tarv nodded politely, heading toward the elevator. _Okay, I've got cold medicine, acetone, methanol, and petroleum,_ he thought, going over his plans as he rode the elevator up to the forty-sixth floor. _And Lorak gave me a huge discount on glitterstim and iodine crystals..._

_Yep; I've got everything I need,_ Tarv reassured himself, as he entered his hotel suite. _And now to turn all of this stuff into a hundred thousand credits,_ he resolved, heading into the kitchen to set up his makeshift crystalstim lab.

* * *

><p><em>Finally, I can change out of this dress,<em> Leia thought, glancing ruefully at the dirty grease stains as she came out of the Rebel command room. _And then -_

"Milady?" came a tentative voice from behind her.

Leia turned around in surprise to see her father's padawan approaching, carrying a small green crate. "Mara!" she exclaimed. "It's good to see you," she added sincerely; she had snapped at the girl the last time they talked, and truly regretted her lack of patience. _Mara was trying to apologize, and I told her to go away..._ But now her gaze rested on Mara's green crate. "What's this?" Leia asked, curious.

"It's - a donation... for HOPE," Mara explained hesitantly. "Datari coins."

"Oh." Leia blinked, caught off guard. _Where the heck did she get Datari coins?_ But she quickly remembered her manners, and smiled graciously. "Thank you, Mara; that's very kind of you."

"You're welcome," Mara said. "Um... Where should I put this?" she asked uncertainly, glancing around the Rebel hangar.

"Good question," Leia said, masking her own concern. _Seriously: WHERE did she get that...?_ Leia had long suspected that the money her father had 'collected' for HOPE over the years came from questionable sources, but she had always trusted that Anakin knew what he was doing. _I'm not so sure Mara does, though,_ Leia confessed worriedly, resolving to speak with her father about this later.

"I should probably keep it in my room," Leia told her. "I was on my way up there now," she added, giving Mara a hopeful look. "Would you mind coming with me?" _I've been wanting to try to talk to her..._

"Yes, Milady," Mara said. "I mean - no, Milady," she corrected herself, blinking anxiously. "Sorry," Mara cringed. "No, I don't mind," she said, following Leia back through the hangar.

_She's nervous around me,_ Leia sensed, wishing she could take back her harsh words aboard the _Tantive IV_. "Did you have a good time on Alderaan?" she asked, trying to make casual conversation as they headed across the courtyard toward the _SITH_ Hotel.

"Yes, Milady," Mara replied, declining to offer details of her visit to Alderaan. _She's not easy to talk to,_ Leia admitted, as they entered the hotel together in silence. _But she seems to be in a decent mood today..._

"I'm staying in the penthouse suite," Leia said as they got onto the elevator, pressing the button for the fiftieth floor. "It's really a nice hotel," she added, giving Mara a friendly smile. "The view is incredible."

Mara nodded politely, but made no attempt to reply.

_Ah, this is awkward..._ "Mara," Leia said gently. "I want to apologize, for what I said the other day; I was - "

"No, Milady," Mara protested, shaking her head. "I don't blame you," she said, giving Leia an apologetic cringe. "I'm sorry too... for letting you fall," she admitted. "It was stupid; I never should have done that."

"It's all right," Leia assured her. _It took a lot of courage for her to say that._ "Really... I'm a lot tougher than I look."

"I know," Mara said; there was a brief mischievous sparkle in her eyes as she glanced at Leia's grease-smeared dress. "I heard about what happened, in the trash compactor," Mara added, grinning shyly; but then her expression sobered, and she looked down again.

"But I'm really sorry, Milady," Mara said quietly. "And what I said before that... about your hair? I meant it," she insisted, giving Leia an apologetic look. "I think your cinnamon buns are really pretty."

"Thank you," Leia said. "Although I'm getting pretty tired of cinnamon buns," she admitted good-naturedly. "I've worn them for four days straight now; I'm trying to think of something different to do for Luke and Jonah's ceremony."

Mara nodded quietly, and Leia sighed, trying to think of something else to say; but then she blinked in surprise as Mara spoke up. "How about the big giant hoop?" Mara suggested helpfully, remembering the royal headdress of Naboo. "That's pretty," she added; but Leia caught the flicker of uncertainty in her green eyes.

"Ha," Leia laughed, amused. _She's trying to be nice..._ "I don't have to be a Jedi to see through _that_ lie," she told Mara, giving her a reproachful look.

"Sorry," Mara cringed. "It's not so bad," she insisted, as the elevator came to a stop on the fiftieth floor.

"Well, you're not the one who had to wear it for eight years," Leia pointed out wryly, as they got off the elevator. "Besides, I can't wear the big giant hoop; I'm supposed to be Alderaanian."

"Oh," Mara nodded, following her down the hallway toward her hotel suite. "Oh!" she exclaimed. "Milady... I was just on Alderaan yesterday; maybe you could do your hair like Princess Ariel's," she suggested.

"Oh?" Leia gave her a questioning look as she opened the door to her hotel room. "How did Ariel do her hair yesterday?" _That's actually a great idea..._

"Um... Well she had one long braid down the back," Mara began hesitantly, trying to remember. "And another one on top, all twirled around itself," she added, following Leia inside the room.

"That sounds really pretty," Leia confessed. _Dad is right; she's really not so bad, once she warms up to you._

"It was pretty," Mara agreed. "Where should I put this?" she asked, glancing at her crate of Datari coins.

"Let's see... How about in the closet," Leia suggested, opening the door as Mara set the crate down inside. "Thanks again, Mara," Leia said with an appreciative smile, resolving to question her father about this later.

"You're welcome, Milady," Mara replied, heading back toward the door. "Well... Goodbye," she said awkwardly, giving Leia a polite bow as she turned to leave.

"Wait," Leia called after her. _This is the first halfway decent conversation we've ever had._ "If you're not too busy," Leia said, "I'd like to try that Alderaanian hairstyle you were describing... I want to surprise Julian," she added, as Mara stifled an impish smile, her green eyes sparkling. "But I want to make sure I get it right," Leia confessed. "Do you think you could help me with that?"

"Um... Sure," Mara agreed. "I mean... Yes, Milady," she corrected herself, nodding respectfully to Leia as she came back inside the room.

"Thanks, Mara," Leia said with an appreciative smile, leading the way over to her dresser. "And you don't have to call me 'Milady' all the time," she added gently, pulling apart her cinnamon buns. _We're practically sisters..._ "Please, call me Leia."

"Yes, Milad- " Mara broke off, laughing nervously. "_Leia,_" she repeated, managing a shy smile as she sat on the edge of the bed to supervise Leia's new Alderaanian hairstyle.

* * *

><p>"Systems check is done," Han announced, joining Chewie in the cockpit. "I'm going back for the Lovestim," he told him. "Be ready for takeoff, huh?" he added, with a worried look.<p>

_"No problem,"_ Chewie assured him, flipping the ignition switch as the _Falcon's_ engine spun to life. _"I'm ready whenever you are."_

"Thanks, Chewie," Han said appreciatively, heading for the door. _Though hopefully Hell-bitch won't come after me again,_ he prayed, climbing down the _Falcon's_ ramp. _She doesn't have her Jedi Starfighter here; she can't chase after us,_ Han reassured himself, continuing toward the Emperor's Buffet to retrieve his canister of Yavinese Lovestim.

But now he spotted Luke standing outside the _SITH_ Rebel base, watching him quietly. _Ahh,_ Han sighed in annoyance. _He's STILL trying to play detective?_ But amateur or not, Han had to admit that Actor Boy was doing a damned good job of foiling his efforts, and so he approached him now, deciding to teach the kid a lesson. _I'll scare him, just enough to get him off my back,_ Han resolved, frustrated. _This is for his own good._

Luke saw his annoyed look, but held his ground, his expression blank. "Hi, Han," he said civilly. "Still here?" he asked, with a curious glance toward the _Falcon._

"Yeah," Han replied calmly. "Funny thing; my ignition motivator switch went missing," he told Actor Boy. "The one I was just showing you this morning," he added casually.

"Oh." Luke nodded. "You got it back, though?" he asked, curious.

"Yes, I got it back," Han replied, giving him a dangerous look. "I got a call from Anakin Skywalker a few minutes ago, saying that his hell-bitch padawan had 'found' it - "

"Her name is Mara," Luke interrupted him coldly.

"Whatever," Han conceded, shrugging. "You ratted me out," he said angrily, pointing an accusing finger in Actor Boy's face. _If I scare him, it might teach him a lesson..._ "Do you know what Jabba does to rats?"

"I'm not afraid of Jabba," Luke replied calmly.

_Yeah, that's the problem..._ "Well, you should be, kid," Han said, frustrated. "This is no joke; I'm telling you this for your own good," he warned Actor Boy. "Stay out of stuff that's none of your business, or you're gonna get yourself killed one of these days," Han threatened him, trying to make a lasting impression.

"It _is_ my business - " Luke broke off suddenly, alarmed.

_Huh?_ But a moment later Han heard it: a massive explosion, coming from the direction of the _SITH_ Hotel. "What the...?" Suddenly there was screaming and panic all around, and Han rushed out to the courtyard along with everyone else, looking up to see the top four floors of the building on fire.

Then he realized whose room it was. "Leia!" he exclaimed anxiously. _She's in the penthouse suite..._ Without a second thought, Han sprinted back across the landing platform toward the _Falcon_.

"Chewie!" he yelled, leaving the hatch open as he ran toward the cockpit. "Get us up there!" _We'll need the ramp down, to help people aboard..._

"Wait!" yelled another voice from outside the ship; Han looked out the window to see Actor Boy running toward them full-tilt. _Oh, crap..._ But a moment later Luke jumped aboard, and Chewie took off, flying up over the _SITH_ Rebel base toward the top of the fifty-story hotel building, which was spewing flames and black smoke.

"There!" Han pointed urgently, spotting an open window on the top floor with people hanging halfway out of it, waving frantically. "That's got to be Leia's room... Get us closer!" he told Chewie, running back to the open hatch.

Luke was already out on the ramp, and Han joined him now, holding cautiously onto the door frame for safety. _I gotta hand it to him; the kid has guts,_ he confessed, trying not to look down at the unyielding duracrete courtyard fifty floors beneath them.

A moment later Chewie maneuvered the _Falcon_ into position, with the ramp nearly touching the hotel room window, and Han and Luke quickly began to pull people aboard. _Ahh! Where's Leia?_ Han peered frantically into the smoke-filled room, unable to spot her; but finally she appeared, helping an elderly man to safety.

_She's all right,_ Han sighed in relief, holding the old man securely by the arm and helping him aboard the _Falcon_. _And she's done her hair differently..._ "Come on!" Han yelled to Leia now, reaching out a hand to help her.

"No," Leia yelled back to him. "There are still people trapped in the stairway... Go down to the next level!" she told him, gesturing to the window below her, before quickly running back into the smoke-filled hotel suite.

_Crap..._ For a moment Han wanted to rush in after her; but then he saw the people on the balcony below, screaming desperately for help. _Damn it..._ Reluctantly, he kept his hold on the door frame as Chewie began to lower the ship.

But unfortunately Actor Boy had the same idea, and - with his usual stupidity - jumped off the ramp at the last second, straight in through the window where Leia had disappeared a moment earlier.

"Luke!" Han yelled worriedly; but Actor Boy continued through the smoke-engulfed room, not looking back. "Damn it," Han muttered in frustration. "That kid's gonna get himself killed one of these days... Chewie, get us down there!"

A moment later they were down on the next level, and Han quickly helped the other hotel guests aboard the ship. He breathed a sigh of relief as he spotted Leia once again, helping another woman with two small children.

"That's everyone on this side," Leia said, finally climbing aboard as Han helped her inside. "Go around to the other side!" she yelled, gesturing to Chewie in the cockpit.

"Wait!" Han protested. "Luke's still in there," he told her, peering worriedly into the smoke-filled room and seeing that the interior hallway was already consumed by fire. _Crap..._

"Go!" Leia insisted, shaking her head. "He's all right!"

_How is he all right?_ Han wondered, blinking anxiously at the billowing smoke and flames which were quickly engulfing the entire building; but something in Leia's tone defied challenge, and so Chewie quickly obeyed, flying around to the other side as Han and Leia stood in the open hatch, holding onto the door frame.

They arrived on the other side of the building to find yet another group of tourists gathered on a balcony, waving and screaming for help. Han began to pull them aboard; but then he heard a tremendous roar, as flames shot up through the roof of the building. A moment later the balcony pitched sideways as a support beam gave out beneath them, and the top four floors of the hotel tilted precariously to the side. _Well that can't be good..._

"There's still more people down there!" Leia yelled, pointing toward a window below them. "Hurry!" she urged Han, as they continued to rescue the guests on the broken balcony; now they were both standing out on the ramp, not bothering to hold onto anything as they frantically pulled people inside. _Where the hell is Luke?_

"That's it - go!" Leia yelled, grabbing the door frame as Chewie lowered the ship down to the final group of stranded guests. The top of the building was pitching dangerously to the side now, ready to topple any second.

_Luke's still in there,_ Han realized anxiously, continuing to help the guests aboard; everyone was gasping and choking from the smoke, and the entire room was engulfed in fire. But now he looked up in surprise to see Mara Jade storming through the fiery blaze toward the window, where she jumped out and onto the _Falcon_.

"Go around! There's one more group!" Mara yelled, as Chewie quickly obeyed, flying around the corner of the building. _Crap,_ Han blinked worriedly, glancing up at the top four floors of the building, which now loomed precariously above their heads. _If that thing goes, it's going to take us all down..._

But now he saw the source of the collapse: a gaping hole in the side of the building where the wall had been blown out, and a solitary durasteel support beam was straining and buckling under the weight of the upper stories. Mara jumped inside, disappearing into the flaming room as Han and Leia began evacuating people; but now there was another collective scream as the top of the building pitched again, teetering even further over their heads.

"Mara!" Leia yelled frantically, as the nearby support beam continued to bend. _That thing's gonna go..._

A moment later the Jedi padawan reappeared, quickly bracing the failing support beam with her entire body, closing her eyes in concentration. _She's doing it,_ Han realized in relief, as the durasteel beam slowly straightened under the Jedi's efforts. "Hurry!" he yelled to the last of the stranded guests, as he and Leia helped them to safety.

_That's everyone..._ "Come on!" Han yelled to Mara now, reaching out a hand to pull her aboard.

"No!" Mara yelled, straining with exhaustion. "There's still more... They're coming," she gasped, struggling to hold the durasteel beam in place. A few seconds later another group of stragglers arrived, coughing and choking through the smoke and flames, some helping others who were succumbing to exhaustion.

And then Han spotted Luke. _He's all right..._ Luke was carrying a man nearly twice his weight over his shoulder, coughing as he arrived at the opening, and Han and Leia quickly grabbed the barely-conscious man, pulling him inside the ship. "Come on!" Han yelled to Luke now; but the boy shook his head, still coughing.

"There's still three more people trapped in the stairwell - all unconscious," Actor Boy gasped, running back into the flames to rescue them; but now the building pitched once more, and Mara yelled to him in warning.

"Luke! I can't hold it!" she cried desperately, her green eyes flashing with anxiety.

Luke immediately ran back toward them, and Han reached a hand out again to help him aboard. "Come on, kid! This thing's gonna go any second!" he warned him. "There's nothing more you can do!"

But instead of climbing aboard the _Falcon_ to safety, Actor Boy decided to take this opportunity to play make-believe Jedi, and he joined Mara now, straining against the collapsing durasteel beam with all of his might. "Kid!" Han yelled to him again. _What the hell does he think he's doing?_ "Get on here!"

But Leia put a hand on Han's shoulder now, giving him a quiet look of reassurance. _What?_ Han blinked at her in confusion, then turned back to Luke, who was now closing his eyes in intense concentration as he helped Mara to push against the buckling support beam; amazingly, the two of them managed to straighten it together, moving it one inch, then two, then three...

"I'll hold it," Luke gasped, still coughing. "There's still three more people trapped in the stairwell - Go!" he ordered Mara, straddling the gap in the wall and bracing the durasteel beam with his entire body.

Mara nodded obediently, quickly running back into the smoke-filled room, as Han continued to stare at Luke in stunned disbelief; then his gaze turned upward, to the four upper stories that Actor Boy was holding in place. _Huh?_

"Han!" Leia yelled now, giving him a pleading look; he nodded quickly in agreement, climbing in through the gaping hole in the wall and giving Leia a hand as she came in after him. Holding her arm securely, Han led the way through the fiery debris, continuing on toward the smoke-engulfed hallway.

A moment later Mara appeared, carrying an unconscious hotel guest over her shoulder. "Two more - that way," Mara gasped, continuing back to the _Falcon_, as Han and Leia ran toward the stairwell.

They found the last two guests in the stairwell: a married couple who had passed out in each other's arms, succumbing to smoke inhalation. Han helped Leia to lift the woman over her back, then quickly hauled the man over his own shoulder; and together they carried them back through the hallway to the _Falcon,_ where three other rescuees helped them aboard.

"That's everyone," Luke gasped, still straining against the durasteel beam. "Go!" he said. Mara had joined him again, and now they both struggled to hold the support beam in place, but Han could see that it was a losing battle.

"Come on!" Han urged them, reaching out a hand to help them aboard; but Luke shook his head.

"No... It's gonna fall the second we let go," he told him, gasping under the effort; the building was looming dangerously over their heads now, and Han nodded quickly, trusting the Jedi's advice. "Go!" Luke ordered them again.

"All right - Chewie, let's go!" Han yelled, as Chewie nodded from the cockpit, maneuvering away from the burning building and flying back toward the landing platform.

Han and Leia held onto the _Falcon's_ open door frame, watching anxiously as Luke and Mara simultaneously let go of the durasteel beam, diving headfirst down toward the courtyard below. _Holy crap..._ With a sickening crunch, the beam collapsed, and the top of the building instantly tore away, plummeting down after them.

Han watched as the two Jedi activated their retractor cables in mid-air, hooking them onto the falling structure and swinging out of its way at the last moment, hitting the ground running. A moment later Leia's penthouse suite crashed into the courtyard, spewing dust and pieces of fiery rubble in all directions.

_So Actor Boy is a Jedi,_ Han realized, grinning with amusement as Luke and Mara ran from the burning wreckage. The fire and rescue ships were finally arriving to put out the flames, and Han and Leia shared a relieved smile as Chewie set the _Falcon_ down on the visitor landing platform once again.

"We did it!" Leia grinned happily, giving Han an ecstatic hug. Han blinked in surprise, wrapping his arms around her; but Leia quickly let go, a somewhat disturbed look in her eyes. _Right... She hates me,_ Han remembered, awkwardly looking away and busying himself with the rescued passengers.

"This way," Han instructed them, herding the relatively uninjured passengers off the _Falcon_ to make way for the medics, who were arriving with gurneys to take the unconscious victims to the hospital.

The fire and police chiefs were arriving as well, investigating the cause of the fire, and Han turned his gaze upward to the source of the explosion now. _There's no way anyone could have gotten a bomb up there,_ he realized; the hotel was equipped with security scanners which would have detected a weapon that size.

_There's only one other thing that could have blown out an entire wall of that hotel,_ Han admitted worriedly, sharing an anxious glance with Chewie now. _This was a crystalstim lab explosion._


	153. Now let's blow this thing and go home

**Chapter 153**

_Half an hour later..._

_Thank goodness everyone's all right,_ Chef Mario sighed in relief, going back to the kitchen. _Well... Almost everyone,_ he conceded regretfully; Mario had heard the early reports that a makeshift crystalstim lab had exploded on the forty-sixth floor of the _SITH_ Hotel, and that a solitary charred body had been found amidst the wreckage, burned beyond recognition. The police were trying to identify the victim, but the man had paid with a stolen credit device, and no one seemed to know him.

_But thankfully the others are alive and well... And hungry,_ Chef Mario grinned to himself, getting back to work. Everyone was still a bit shocked in the aftermath of the hotel fire, but people were starting to find their way into the Emperor's Buffet for lunch, and Mario knew he would soon have a full crowd on his hands.

_I'll make some Yavinese Delight,_ he decided cheerfully, pulling down his canister of Massassi Curry from the kitchen shelf; but now he peered into it worriedly, realizing that it was nearly empty. _Uh oh... Better get another,_ he decided, heading out to the pantry. _Hopefully we have one..._ Mario had to hunt a bit, but finally he found another canister of Massassi Curry, hidden way in the back behind some other spices.

_Though I'd better put in another order,_ Mario realized, heading back to the kitchen. _This was our last canister._

* * *

><p>"All right, the area is secure," the fire chief said, coming over to talk to Luke and Mara. "Thank you both so much for your help," he added, casting a regretful gaze up toward the fire-ravaged hotel building. "I hate to think what would have happened if the two of you hadn't been here."<p>

"I'm glad it wasn't any worse than it was," Luke admitted, as Mara nodded respectfully.

"So am I," the fire chief agreed. "Well I'll let you two go now," he said, giving them a grateful smile. "Thanks again."

Luke and Mara bowed politely, then turned to rejoin Leia, who was talking with Julian and Jonah. Luke could feel Mara's barely-concealed exhilaration from their rescue efforts, and shared a secret grin with her now, seeing the gleeful sparkle in her green eyes; but then he noticed Han and Chewie on the other side of the platform, by the _Falcon_.

_Looks like they're getting ready to leave..._ "Go on ahead," he said quietly to Mara. "I'll catch up with you in a minute." Mara nodded in understanding, and Luke gave her a grateful smile, heading over to talk to Han.

Han was standing underneath the _Falcon_ now, inspecting the engine for fire damage, and Luke joined him, eyeing the freshly-scorched area worriedly. "Is everything all right?" he asked, concerned.

"Yeah... Fine," Han replied, eyeing Luke cautiously. "Nothing a good shipwash won't fix," he added, shrugging.

"Good," Luke said. _Ah, this is awkward..._ "Hey, Han," he added. "Thank you, for what you did... You were great up there; both of you," he said, nodding appreciatively to Chewbacca as well.

"No problem," Han said; then he gave Luke a conciliatory shrug. "You weren't so bad yourself."

"Ha." Luke laughed quietly, sharing a look of guarded amusement with the spice smuggler. "Sorry," Luke said, grinning apologetically. "I guess we've never been properly introduced... I'm Luke Starkiller," he told Han, trying not to cringe at his stupid Jedi orphan name. _That's why I usually just go by 'Luke'..._

"Heh," Han laughed nervously, nodding. "Nice to meet you."

"Yeah," Luke agreed. _Crap, he still thinks I'm going to arrest him._ "Look," he said quietly, giving Han an apologetic glance. "About that other thing - " He broke off, turning around as he sensed the others approaching.

"Luke," Leia said brightly, joining them along with Julian, Jonah, and Mara. "We're going to the Massassi Bistro for lunch," she told him, nodding toward the Temple across the street. "Do you guys want to come?" she asked, with a hopeful look at Han and Chewie as well.

"Oh! Sure," Luke agreed, following the others; but Han shook his head apologetically.

"No, you guys go ahead," Han told them; he seemed uncomfortable. _He's still nervous around Mara and me,_ Luke realized, attempting a reassuring smile. _Seriously, we're not going to arrest you, after what you did._

"Aren't you hungry?" Julian asked, surprised. "Come on," he urged Han, grinning cheerfully. "Jonah says they make the best Yavinese Delight you've ever had."

"Heh," Han laughed, shaking his head. "No, I was just going to grab something at the Emperor's Buffet," he confessed, with an apologetic shrug.

"Oh," Jonah said, casting a dismayed glance toward the Emperor's Buffet, which was the restaurant of choice for tourists on a low budget. "Hey, no," he told Han quickly. "The Massassi Bistro is way better... My grandfather owns the place," Jonah added cheerfully. "And it just so happens they're having a special today: rescue twenty-five hotel guests, get a free lunch," he reassured Han, with an impish grin.

Han laughed appreciatively; but still he shook his head. "Thanks... But it's not really my kind of place," he admitted good-naturedly. "You guys go ahead."

_Crap..._ Luke's heart sank as he realized what this was about. _Not his kind of place..._ Luke's thoughts returned to the interspecies dating bar back in Mos Eisley, where he had first met Han and Chewbacca. _This whole town is almost exclusively human; no wonder he feels awkward here,_ Luke realized, dismayed.

"Hey," Luke said. "Let's all go to the Emperor's Buffet," he proposed, sensing Han and Chewie's obvious discomfort. _The people there are less likely to give them dirty looks..._

"No; really," Han protested quickly. "Don't worry about it - "

"No, that's fine," Leia insisted, as Julian and Jonah nodded agreeably. "I'm not really dressed for anything fancy either," she confessed, glancing ruefully at her clothes. Leia's hair was done differently, with a long braid down the back, and another twirled around on top; but the fire had broken out while she was changing, and she still wore the same grease-stained white dress from this morning.

"Sure; let's go there," Jonah agreed. "Actually, the Emperor's Buffet is great too," he said amiably, leading the way across the landing platform. "I know the head chef, Mario; he's really nice," Jonah assured them. "Come on," he encouraged Han and Chewie, who were still lingering behind, their expressions doubtful.

"Ahh... Okay," Han agreed, sharing an apprehensive look with Chewie as they reluctantly followed the others toward the Emperor's Buffet.

_It looks like a nice place,_ Luke thought, as they entered the buffet; but now he looked up as one of the restaurant patrons approached them, his arms outstretched in a gesture of welcome.

"My heroes!" the man said, embracing Luke in a fierce bear hug, then Mara, and finally Han, who blinked in surprise, uncertain how to respond to the stranger's greeting. "I love you all!" the man proclaimed exuberantly, proceeding to hug Leia, Chewbacca, Julian, and Jonah.

"You have to try the Yavinese Delight," the man continued, grinning ecstatically. "It's fantastic," he insisted, heading for the exit. "It's amazing... Stupendous... Brilliant!"

Luke shared an amused look with Mara and the others now. _Wow, that guy really likes Yavinese Delight._ But he smiled modestly as several other patrons came up to them, thanking them for their heroic rescue efforts. _Everyone's just happy to be alive,_ Luke sensed, glancing around the restaurant; after the tension and panic surrounding the hotel fire, people were finally beginning to relax, and spirits were high all around.

"All right, let's try some of this Yavinese Delight," Jonah said cheerfully, as they arrived at the buffet line. "I hear it's fantastic," he added loudly, in the direction of the kitchen on the other side of the counter.

"Jonah!" the chef exclaimed, coming over to talk to them. "I didn't expect to see you here," he added, beaming happily; then he gave him a concerned look. "Were you in the hotel, when it...?"

"No," Jonah assured him. "Julian and I were in the hangar," he said, introducing the others. "But Leia and Mara were up there," he told the chef. "And Luke, Han, and Chewbacca were the ones who got everyone out," he added, gesturing toward them. "Guys, this is Mario; he's the head chef here."

"Oh my!" Mario exclaimed, his eyes widening. "You're the ones who - and you're eating _here?_" he asked, with a delighted grin. "It's an honor to meet you... Please, try the Yavinese Delight," he offered, gesturing toward the curried vegetarian dish at the start of the buffet counter. "I must say, I've outdone myself today," Mario confessed, beaming proudly.

"So I've heard," Jonah agreed, grinning. "Wow, this smells delicious," he admitted, helping himself to a big spoonful of it, over some rice. _It really does,_ Luke agreed, serving himself some Yavinese Delight as they continued down the buffet line. _Hehe... This is kind of like the Jedi Temple..._

_But THAT'S not,_ Luke laughed to himself, sharing a private amused look with Mara as they noticed another restaurant patron hopping on both feet back toward the buffet line for seconds, his wife giggling as she hopped behind him. Han and Chewie were staring at them in bewilderment as well, and Luke grinned cheerfully.

_I'm glad we came here,_ he confessed, as they headed over to a table to eat. No one was paying any notice to Han and Chewie at all, except to thank them for their rescue efforts. _These people aren't judgmental snobs; they're just ordinary folks, on vacation,_ Luke realized gratefully, smiling at the people at the next table who were exuberantly singing the old _JEDI_ theme song, waving their forks and spoons in the air while wearing their napkins as hats.

"Wow," Jonah exclaimed now, taking a bite of his food. "This Yavinese Delight really _is_ good - it's even better than at the Massas-" he broke off cautiously. "It's better than at the Massassi Bistro," Jonah confessed, keeping his voice low. "Mario's a genius," he added, grinning.

Several more restaurant patrons approached their table now, thanking them once again for rescuing them from the hotel fire. Luke smiled as a married couple introduced him to their three-year-old daughter; they had all been trapped on the forty-eighth floor, and Luke vaguely remembered helping them to safety amidst the smoke and flames.

"Thank you for saving us," the little girl said now, giving Luke a hug.

"You're welcome," Luke said, smiling shyly as he hugged her back. "I'm glad you're all right." _She's adorable,_ he thought wistfully, sharing a secret glance with Mara as the little girl left with her parents. _I wish we could have one of those one day..._ But they had discussed it before, and knew that it simply wasn't possible.

_We're getting married tomorrow, though,_ Luke remembered once again, his heart fluttering with joy as he felt Mara's excitement as well. _Just one more day... I can't believe it..._ Mara was sitting across from him, and Luke quietly reached out his foot now, caressing her leg beneath the table. _Hee! Everyone's too distracted to notice us,_ he realized, seeing the mischievous sparkle in her green eyes as she returned the gesture.

"Seriously, you guys did an amazing job up there," Julian said now, taking a bite of his Yavinese Delight; he and Jonah had anxiously watched the rescue from below.

"Yeah," Jonah agreed, talking with his mouth full. "You all deserve medals." Then he stopped chewing for a moment, his eyes widening. "Medals!" he exclaimed. "We're filming the Rebel ceremony next - you guys should all get medals, along with Luke and me!" Jonah proposed, clearly pleased with his plan.

"Yeah," Julian agreed enthusiastically. "That's a great idea!"

"Heehee! I want a medal," Leia giggled, taking a bite of her lunch. "Mara, do you want a medal?"

"Um... Sure!" Mara said cheerfully; but then her brows furrowed. "Except I'm supposed to be a Sith assassin," she pointed out. "Would it really make sense for me to get a medal?"

"Who cares!" Julian laughed. "I'm supposed to be dead; can I get a medal?"

"Why not?" Jonah agreed. "They give out posthumous medals, don't they? Han, Chewie - do you guys want medals too?"

"Sure," Han said, shrugging amiably. "How 'bout you, Chewie?" he asked, nudging his boyfriend; but Chewbacca just sat there dully, a glazed look in his eyes. "Chewie?" Han asked again worriedly.

_"Rrrrrrrrrrrrrr,"_ the Wookiee replied, nodding his head sleepily.

_Uh oh..._ Luke looked at him, concerned. _That's not normal..._ But Han grinned good-naturedly, shoveling in another forkful of his Yavinese Delight, and so Luke set aside his worries, trusting Chewbacca was all right. _This stuff really is delicious,_ he admitted, taking another bite of his own lunch. _I wish they had this at the Jedi Temple..._

"Hey!" Jonah exclaimed suddenly.

"What?" Julian asked, curious.

"I was just thinking... The _Falcon_ is a really cool ship," Jonah confessed, his expression thoughtful.

"I know," Han replied with a cocky grin, digging into his food again.

"So I was thinking... Han, maybe you guys could be the ones to swoop in at the last second, and shoot off Vader's wingmen?" Jonah suggested.

"Huh?" Han asked, blinking in confusion.

_Huh?_ Luke thought, staring at Jonah blankly.

"That's brilliant!" Julian said enthusiastically. "Jonah, you're a genius!"

"I know!" Jonah grinned, immensely pleased with his plan.

_Um..._ "Wait," Luke said worriedly. "How are we going to get the _Falcon_ inside the flight simulator?"

"There's no way it would fit through the door!" Mara giggled.

"Huh?" Han asked again, not following.

"It doesn't _have_ to fit through the door!" Jonah laughed, amused by the thought. "No, I was thinking Han and Chewie could take the _Falcon_ up just beyond Yavin IV, and film a couple of lines... Up in space," he clarified.

"Oh," Leia said, looking up from her plate. "In spaaaaaaace..."

Luke giggled, sharing an amused look with Mara. _I never knew Leia was so funny..._

"Would you mind?" Jonah asked now, giving Han a hopeful look.

"Sure," Han said, shrugging agreeably. "No problem."

"Cool!" Jonah grinned, as Julian and the others nodded enthusiastically. "Okay, let's film that after lunch!"

"And then we can all get medals!" Julian added happily, digging back into his Yavinese Delight.

* * *

><p><em>A few minutes later...<em>

"Yeaaaaahhhoooooo!" Han yelled, flying randomly through space just off Yavin IV. _This is great!_

"Haha! Cut!" Jonah giggled, peeking out from his hiding place behind the copilot's seat, as Chewie continued with his stoned-Wookiee impersonation. _That Yavinese Delight made him kinda sleepy,_ Han admitted, surprised by Chewbacca's uncharacteristic lack of enthusiasm. _Usually he loves acting..._

"That was perfect!" Jonah said, grinning. "Okay, hang on... Let me see what's next," he added seriously, consulting his datapad. "Oh! Here we go... _'You're all clear, Luke! Now let's blow this thing and go home!'_" Jonah reminded Han. "And... Action!"

_Sure..._ "You're all clear, kid!" Han yelled exuberantly. "Now let's blow this thing and go home!" _What the hell is this even about?_

"Cut!" Jonah grinned, nodding. "Okay... _'Great shot, Luke! That was one in a million,'_" Jonah continued, reading from his datapad again. "Except - call him 'kid' again; that was great... Action!"

_Okay..._ "Great shot, kid!" Han repeated. "That was one in a million!"

"Cut!" Jonah said again. "Perfect! Okay, we're done... Let's go back to the base!"

"Huh?" Han blinked, confused. "I thought I was supposed to shoot down Vader's wingmen?"

"No, I already did that," Jonah told him. "In the flight simulator!"

"Oh," Han said, disappointed; but then he shrugged, grinning amiably. _Whatever..._ "Okey dokey, we're heading back down; Chewie, lock in the landing gear."

_"Rrrrrrrr,"_ Chewie moaned listlessly, reaching out a furry paw and flipping the switch.

* * *

><p><em>Okay... I've got my cinnamon buns back in,<em> Leia confirmed, checking the mirror quickly before heading out to the hangar. _But I have to try Ariel's hairstyle again,_ she resolved cheerfully. _That was really pretty..._ "Luke!" she exclaimed now, greeting her brother as he climbed down from his X-wing.

"Carrie!" Luke yelled randomly, hugging her enthusiastically and spinning her around. _Wheeeeeee!_

"Hahaha!" Leia giggled, as they both nearly fell down from dizziness. _Who's Carrie?_ she wondered briefly. _Who cares?_ she decided, still giggling happily. _At least he didn't call me Lia!_

"Hey!" Han yelled, running over to join them now, as Chewbacca loped sleepily behind him. _Poor Chewie... He's not feeling like himself,_ Leia had sensed earlier. _Maybe it was something he ate...?_

"Hey!" Luke said, tackle-hugging Han now. "I knew you'd come back; I just knew it!" Luke grinned happily, as Leia watched them with a shy smile. _Ohh... I want to hug Han too!_

"Well, I wasn't going to let you get all the credit and take all the reward," Han blurted out, shoving Luke playfully.

_Oooh! My turn for a hug!_ "Hey, I knew there was more to you than money," Leia said, snuggling close to Han and giggling in delight as she felt his arms around her. _Ohh, he's so cuddly! Let's do that again!_

"Oh, no," Luke said worriedly, as Artoo was lowered from his X-wing, covered in black slime; even Chewbacca was momentarily jarred out of his stupor, and stared at the droid blankly, his mouth hanging open.

"Oh my!" Threepio exclaimed. "Artoo, can you hear me?" he asked hopefully. "Say something!" he pleaded. "You can repair him, can't you?"

"We'll get to work on him right away," the technician promised, as Han and Leia shared a happy grin, hugging again. _Mmmm,_ Leia smiled blissfully, basking in Han's warm, cuddly embrace. _This feels so nice..._

"You must repair him," Threepio lamented, turning to Luke now. "Sir, if any of my circuits or gears will help, I'll gladly donate them."

"He'll be all right," Luke promised, patting Threepio reassuringly on the shoulder. _Uh oh..._ Leia was still hugging Han, but now she quickly rescued her brother from his faux pas. _No, no, Luke; we don't fondle droids... Come on, this way!_ she giggled cheerfully, as the three of them marched happily out of the hangar together, arm in arm. _Yay!_

* * *

><p><em>Okay... Something's really wrong here,<em> Han confessed, sharing a nervous look with Luke as they prepared for their march toward the steps of the Massassi Temple's throne room. They had discussed this scene over lunch, and it was agreed that Luke, Jonah, Julian, Han, Chewie, Leia, and Mara would _all_ get medals for their heroism; but a few minutes ago Cliegg Lars had stepped in and ruined all of their fun, pointing out that Mara was a Sith assassin, Julian was dead, and that in any case, there were only two medals to give out.

So in the end it was decided that Luke and Han would get the medals, though Chewie would march with them down the aisle. _Does this make sense?_ Han wondered, as he and Luke began walking toward the front.

_For that matter... Has ANYTHING we've done since lunch made sense?_ A few minutes ago Han and Luke had been hugging like old buddies, and Leia hadn't been able to keep her hands off either of them. _I have a bad feeling about this,_ Han confessed, suspecting that the spices in their lunch may have been more potent than they realized.

* * *

><p><em>Ooooohhh... Pretty lights,<em> Chewie sighed admiringly, gazing at them in wonder as he followed Han and Luke toward the front of the Massassi Temple, with its majestic columns of pure white light. _They're so beautiful..._

But now Chewie noticed Cliegg Lars standing just behind the camera, raising a hand above his head, then lowering it deliberately again. _Oh! That's the signal for all these people to turn to the front!_ Chewie remembered; he'd zoned out through most of the meeting earlier, but _this_ he remembered.

_"Turrrrrnnn Arrrrooooouunnnnnd!"_ Chewie roared now, giving the entire Rebel army a helpful reminder as they dutifully faced front. _Hehehe... Where did they find all these guys anyway?_ he wondered vaguely; but then he noticed the magical, shimmering lights ahead of him again. _Ohhhhh,_ Chewie sighed blissfully, continuing toward them. _Those are amazing... I wish Malla were here..._

* * *

><p><em>Hee!<em> Luke grinned to himself happily, marching proudly toward the front of the room. _I get to wear real-people clothes!_ They had all changed before the scene, as most of their other clothes were dirty; Han had been given a new shirt, and Jonah had loaned Luke an entire outfit, complete with brown pants and a light yellow jacket. _Lucky thing we're about the same size,_ Luke thought cheerfully, as he continued down the aisle. _Real-people clothes are fun!_

* * *

><p><em>Ahh... I hate this shirt,<em> Han cringed in embarrassment, as they walked up the steps. _Why couldn't I just wear my regular one?_ he wondered again. _Oh yeah; Cliegg didn't think it was 'proper' enough... Ahh, I look like a priest with this silly collar,_ he sighed ruefully. _But I'm not REALLY a priest... I'm just PLAYING a priest... I think?_

_Ohh,_ Han sighed, his heart fluttering as he approached Leia. _She's done her hair in rescue-style again,_ he noticed, recognizing the little twirled braid on top, and the longer one down her back. _It looks beautiful like that..._ But then he blinked nervously, avoiding her gaze. _Ahh! I keep forgetting... She hates me..._

But now Leia smiled at him warmly, her brown eyes twinkling with affection; and Han grinned happily back at her despite himself. _No, she doesn't hate me! And she looks so pretty in her new dress..._ Han bowed his head now as Leia presented him with his medal; and as he stood up again he gave her a subtle little wink. _Hehe... No one will notice that... Just us!_

Leia smiled back at him graciously; but again, there was a disturbed glimmer in her eyes, and Han's heart sank as he remembered. _Crap! What the hell am I doing? She's dating Julian... Yeah, there's something really strange going on,_ Han admitted again, resolving to go back to the Emperor's Buffet and retrieve his canister of Yavinese Lovestim from the pantry as soon as possible.

_Though I have a feeling it ain't there any more..._

* * *

><p><em>Yay! My turn!<em> Luke smiled happily, as Leia turned to him next. _Look, Mara! I'm getting a shiny gold medal!_ Mara was peeking out from behind a big stone pillar near Threepio and some of the other Rebel officers, and Luke turned to her now, giving her a subtle flirting look. _What do you think of my new real-people clothes?_

But Threepio mistook his glance, and nodded courteously in return. _Oops! Now it's gonna look like I'm flirting with Threepio again,_ Luke realized, stifling a giggle as he turned back to Leia. _Oh, wow... That's a pretty medal..._ Luke bowed politely as Leia put it around his neck. _Yay! Thanks, Leia!_

Then he heard a happy chirping sound, and looked over to see Artoo wobbling inside on his two little feet, coming to a stop by Threepio's side. _Aw, he's all cleaned up! Nice and shiny!_ But now Luke gave in to a fit of giggles, unable to hold it back any longer. _I have to stop staring at them,_ he reminded himself, trying to regain his composure. _Now the entire galaxy is going to think I'm into droids!_

_I don't care, though,_ Luke decided cheerfully, turning around proudly to face the Rebels. _It's been a lot of fun filming for SITH this week._

* * *

><p><em>Oh? They weren't lights at all,<em> Chewie realized now, curiously eyeing the spaces between the columns at the front of the Temple. _They're just windows... Wow, that's pretty tricky..._ But now Chewie saw Cliegg Lars again, making another signal for the Rebels to begin applauding.

_"Claaaaaaaaaaap,"_ Chewie reminded the tourists helpfully, as they dutifully began applauding; but then another idea came to him. _"Hi Malla!"_ he roared happily, just before Cliegg called for them to cut.

_Hehehe,_ Chewbacca chuckled, pleased with his performance. _That was good._


	154. Where are we, anyway?

**Chapter 154**

_A few minutes later..._

_Something is really wrong,_ Leia realized worriedly, as she joined the others outside the Massassi Temple. Luke had giggled childishly throughout the entire medal ceremony, and Han had given her a suggestive wink... _And I liked it,_ Leia confessed, truly concerned by her own reaction. _What the heck is wrong with me?_

"Ariel!" Julian exclaimed, greeting her with a warm hug and a tender kiss on the lips; then he blinked anxiously, realizing his mistake. "I mean... _Leia,_" he corrected himself quickly. "Ahh! Sorry!" Julian cringed, mortified. "It's the hair..."

But Leia simply laughed, patting him on the shoulder. "It's okay," she reassured Julian, sensing his profound anxiety and remorse. _Seriously... Don't be so upset about it; there's something wrong with all of us..._

"Hey!" Jonah suggested. "Let's go play in the flight simulator again!"

"Sure," Julian agreed, as Luke and Mara nodded excitedly. "Leia, you're going to love this," he told her cheerfully, as they headed back toward the Rebel base. "Hey, maybe we can play Y-wings this time!"

"Cool! Yeah, I want to try one," Luke said, grinning eagerly.

"Do they have TIE fighters?" Mara asked.

"Absolutely," Jonah assured her, nodding proudly. "You can fly anything you want."

"Leia, what do you want to fly?" Julian asked; but now Leia blinked worriedly, spotting Han and Chewbacca on the nearby landing platform, where the _Falcon_ was docked. _What... They're leaving already?_

"Leia?" Julian asked again, confused.

"Oh... Sorry," Leia apologized. "No; you guys go ahead," she told the others, with a regretful smile. "It's not really my thing." _I wanted to talk to Han, before he left..._

"Oh." Julian blinked, nodding. "All right... We'll see you when we get out, okay?"

"Okay; have fun in there," Leia said, smiling good-naturedly as Julian and the others continued on toward the Rebel base; then she sighed, walking across the visitor landing platform toward the _Falcon_. _He's leaving, without even saying goodbye,_ Leia realized sadly. _And I didn't get a chance to thank him, for saving my life; for saving ALL of our lives..._

Han spotted her approaching, and emerged from beneath the _Falcon,_ his expression guarded. "Hi."

"Hi," Leia said, attempting a friendly smile; but she quickly looked away, her heart fluttering as she caught the soulful look in his brown eyes. _He's attracted to me,_ she knew. _I can feel it..._ Leia struggled to control her own mixed emotions, still disturbed by the realization. "You're leaving?" she asked, glancing up at the _Falcon._

"Yeah," Han replied cautiously. "That's right."

Leia nodded, still avoiding his gaze. _Don't be an idiot,_ she scolded herself. _You're a senator, and a former queen, and you're dating the crown prince of Alderaan; you can't get swept away like a giddy schoolgirl, just because some crazy half-wit thinks you're pretty._ "I... I just wanted to - " _Crap, why is this so hard?_ "Cliegg's planning a special dinner tonight," Leia reminded him, glancing up at the fire-ravaged hotel building. "He'll be disappointed if you're not there." _And so will I..._

"Sorry," Han apologized. "Jabba's expecting me back by sundown; I'm late as it is," he confessed; there was an anxious glimmer in his brown eyes. _He's really worried about something..._

"So it's true?" Leia asked, concerned. "You're in trouble with Jabba?" Her gaze fell to the bronze medallion on his belt; but then she blinked uncomfortably, feeling a strange, tantalizing sensation as she eyed his holster, slung so casually against his slender hip. _Ahh! Quit looking at him..._

"No," Han protested, scowling indignantly at her question; but then he sighed, shrugging. "Yeah... maybe," he conceded, gazing absently in the direction of the Emperor's Buffet.

"What's wrong?" Leia asked gently.

"Ahh..." Han sighed, looking down; but then he laughed despite himself, shaking his head. "Can you keep a secret?" he asked Leia, a sparkle of amusement in his brown eyes.

_I really shouldn't,_ Leia chided herself; but she nodded, giving him a questioning look. "Of course... What is it?"

"Eh... I was supposed to bring back a spice shipment for Jabba," Han confessed, his tone apologetic. "A kilo of Yavinese Lovestim... But I think it got served to us for lunch," he admitted with a rueful laugh.

_What...?_ "No," Leia whispered, her eyes widening as she looked back toward the Emperor's Buffet; then she giggled despite herself. "So that's what's wrong with everybody," she realized suddenly, sharing an amused look with Han. But then she saw the troubled glimmer in his eyes, and smiled regretfully. "I'm sorry," Leia said softly. "What's going to happen?" she asked, concerned.

"Eh," Han sighed. "Same as always... Jabba will demand the money I owe him, plus twenty percent - if he's in a good mood," he told her, grinning ruefully; then he looked down. "And by the time I get it to him, I'll owe him for something else," he confessed, a look of apology in his brown eyes.

Leia nodded in quiet understanding, her heart aching for him. _He can't get away from Jabba, any more than Boba can,_ she realized sadly. _And he owes him money..._ Impulsively, Leia unclasped the silver necklace from around her throat.

"Here," she said, holding the necklace out to him. "It's Yavinese Silver, made by a local artisan... I bought it for two thousand credits in the museum gift shop, but it will probably go for twice that much, once this episode airs," Leia told him, glancing back toward the Massassi Temple, where they had just filmed their ceremonial scene.

"No," Han protested; but Leia gave him a reassuring smile.

"I was going to give it to HOPE," she told him. "It stands for 'Helping Other People Everywhere'," Leia explained, laughing quietly at the silly name she had come up with as a child. "_You're_ a person," she said gently, pressing the silver necklace into his hand and closing his fingers around it.

Han laughed softly, looking down; but then he nodded, accepting her gift. "Thank you," he said, his deep brown eyes gazing into hers for a moment. "I won't forget this," he promised, giving her a grateful smile; but then he sighed regretfully. "I gotta go," Han apologized, stepping onto the _Falcon's_ ramp. "But... it was really nice meeting you," he confessed, with a shy grin. "This has been fun."

"Yes," Leia agreed. "It has," she admitted, smiling fondly. "Have a good trip back," she added, her heart suddenly aching at the thought of saying goodbye.

"Thanks... you too," Han replied, nodding respectfully as he climbed up the ramp, closing the hatch behind him.

_Goodbye,_ Leia sighed wistfully, watching as the _Falcon_ took off from the landing pad, vanishing into the blue sky above; then she turned back toward the Rebel base to rejoin Julian and the others.

* * *

><p><em>Several hours later...<em>

Luke sat atop an ancient stone structure, gazing out across the forest and listening to the calls of the evening birds as twilight descended over Yavin IV. It was after sunset, and the forest was closed to tourists; but Luke had climbed over the wall, and was waiting for Mara to come.

He'd finally changed back into his Jedi clothes, and had to confess he was glad to be returning to his normal life on Coruscant tomorrow. It had been fun filming for _SITH_ this week; but he missed Master Obi-Wan, and Master Anakin, and the others... _And Mara,_ Luke confessed, his heart fluttering once again as he thought of their wedding tomorrow night.

_She's coming,_ he sensed; he could feel her presence drawing closer as she crept quietly through the forest. Luke hadn't had a chance to talk to her properly amidst the chaos of today's events, but he had been proud and impressed to see Mara managing so well, for her first time away from Master Anakin's constant guidance.

_She's even getting along with Leia,_ Luke admitted, surprised. _And it's not just the drugs..._ After playing in the flight simulator with the others this afternoon - and crashing his Y-wing five times - Luke had come to suspect that perhaps Mario's Yavinese Delight had been a little _too_ spicy; he had shared his concerns with the others, and finally Leia had broken down into a fit of giggles, confessing that Han had accidentally misplaced a kilo of Yavinese Lovestim back at the Emperor's Buffet. Luke and Mara had quietly removed the offending spice canister from Mario's kitchen, and they had all agreed that the incident was best kept under wraps.

_There's been enough excitement today,_ Luke confessed, grinning. And in light of Han's involvement in rescuing the hotel guests, Luke didn't have the heart to press charges against him; in any case, there was no specific law against _not_ being in possession of fifty thousand credits worth of aphrodisiacs, and so he and Mara had decided to let the matter drop.

_I still don't think it's right, though,_ Luke admitted. He wasn't an expert in the underground spice trade, but he realized that as Jabba's top smuggler, Han was most likely in the business of smuggling death sticks - the very same drug that was responsible for Mara's condition. _He's ruining people's lives, with what he's doing..._ But Luke set aside his troubled thoughts for the moment, resolving to speak with Obi-Wan about this later.

He could sense Mara's presence drawing near, and a moment later she appeared in the little grove, smiling as she climbed atop the ancient stone platform and sat beside him. "Hello," she said, playfully nudging his leg.

"Hello." Luke grinned, wrapping an arm around her. "How was Alderaan?"

Mara shrugged. "It was fun. I hung out with Princess Ariel yesterday; she's really nice." Mara snuggled closer, laying her head against Luke's shoulder. "How was Tatooine?"

"It was - " Luke's heart fluttered as he stroked her soft, curly hair, admiring the way it glistened and shimmered in the starlight. "I don't remember," he laughed softly, gazing into her eyes.

"Mmm," Mara sighed, wrapping her arms around him lovingly as they kissed for a moment. "I've missed you."

"I've missed you too."

"So... Tomorrow?" Mara asked hopefully.

Luke smiled, kissing her again. "Of course."

But Mara sensed his uncertainty, and gave him a worried look. "You don't want to?"

"Of course I want to," Luke reassured her. "I want to be married to you, Mara," he said, his heart fluttering with joy. "Forever and ever, and ever," he promised, kissing her again. "It's the _getting_ married part I'm a little worried about," he confessed ruefully. Their plan was to sneak out of the Jedi Temple after bedtime tomorrow night, pay a visit to a little wedding chapel on the other side of Coruscant, and - after pledging their undying love to each other - persuade the priest that they had never been there.

"Oh," Mara agreed, nodding; they'd discussed this problem before. "You're good at mind tricks," she told him confidently. "You learned from Obi-Wan; he's the best."

Luke sighed. "I'm not Obi-Wan." _And you're not supposed to use mind tricks except for official Jedi business..._

"It'll be okay," Mara assured him gently, stroking his hair. "Right?" she asked hesitantly.

"Yeah." Luke smiled; but then he shrugged, looking down. "I still feel guilty... about not telling your father," he confessed. It was because of Master Anakin's example that Luke _didn't_ feel guilty about getting married, in general; but he _did_ feel pretty awful, marrying Anakin's own daughter behind his back. "I wish I could ask him, for his blessing," Luke admitted regretfully. _He deserves that much..._

Mara sighed, hanging her head. "I know," she agreed. But they had discussed this before, and realized that Anakin wasn't just Mara's father; he was her Master as well, and she was still his padawan. _If we tried to ask for his blessing, it would be his duty to forbid us from marrying, and keep us apart,_ Luke admitted.

But now he sensed Mara's deep concern, and gave her a questioning look. "What is it?"

"I'm worried about him," Mara confessed; her green eyes flickered with anxiety.

"The Numerology thing?" Luke asked gently. "He's still doing it?"

"Yeah," Mara said. "At least, he was, the last time I saw him," she admitted, troubled. "He ran out of space on his arm... Luke, he was writing on his _leg_," Mara told him worriedly.

_Uh oh..._ Luke gave her a concerned look. "You think I should talk to Obi-Wan about it?" They had both hoped that Master Anakin's Numerology obsession was just a temporary whim, and that he would soon grow bored of it; but even Luke had to admit this was getting out of control. _Obi-Wan will know what to do..._

"I think it's time," Mara confessed, as Luke nodded in agreement. "Anyway," she continued regretfully. "I don't think we should tell my dad about - _us,_" Mara whispered, her green eyes sparkling - "until after I'm knighted, and he's a Master... He's _so_ close," she told Luke, smiling proudly. "I don't want to do anything to stress him out."

Luke nodded, giving her a reassuring smile. "All right," he agreed. "We'll tell him in another year or so, huh?" he said, patting her shoulder encouragingly as he kept his arm around her, holding her close.

"Aaaghh..." Mara sighed ruefully. "Hopefully," she said, shrugging. Mara would be facing the preliminary trials back on Coruscant tomorrow, and was resigned to the fact that she was nowhere near ready, and that knighthood was still at least a year or two away.

"It'll be okay," Luke reassured her, kissing her softly on the lips. "You'll pass the lightsaber preliminary tomorrow... and the flying test," he pointed out, giving her another playful kiss and stroking her hair. "And the rest - " Luke smiled, gazing into her emerald eyes. "You just need a little more time; that's all," he promised.

Mara smiled appreciatively; then she rested her head against his shoulder again as they sat together quietly for a moment, listening to the sounds of the evening birds, and the babbling stream nearby.

"It's beautiful here," Mara said softly, gazing up at the stars through the canopy of leaves overhead.

"Yes, it is," Luke agreed, breathing in the fresh air of the rain forest. "I wonder what this place was for?" he mused, glancing curiously around at the ancient stone statues which encircled the grove.

"Hmm..." Mara peered thoughtfully at the stone platform they were sitting on. "Master Anakin made me study all of this stuff, before I came here," she said, examining the intricate designs carved into its base. "Oh!" she exclaimed softly, blinking.

"What?" Luke asked.

"Um..." Mara stifled a laugh, her green eyes sparkling with mischief. "This is the sacred matrimonial altar," she told him. "If a man and a woman had - um... _you know_," she giggled, eyeing the stone platform with newfound appreciation. "Here on the altar, in front of all the gods... Then they were married, according to ancient Massassi law."

"Really?" Luke grinned, amused by the thought. _Haha, I picked the sex grove..._

But now Mara's impish smile faded as she gave Luke a hesitant look. "Luke... please?"

"Heh..." Luke laughed quietly, shaking his head; but as he gazed into her eyes, he felt an aching, longing sensation deep down inside. "I wish," he whispered, kissing her again. "Especially after today," he admitted with a rueful grin; they were still feeling the effects of the Yavinese Lovestim, and Luke valiantly struggled to quell the feelings that threatened to take control of his body. "But... we can't," he insisted, gulping back the sudden hoarseness in his voice. "You're not eighteen yet."

"I'll be eighteen tomorrow," Mara pleaded. "It's just one day; three more hours..." Then her brows furrowed thoughtfully, and she looked up at the stars. "Luke," she asked uncertainly. "What time is it, on Coruscant?"

"Good question," Luke agreed, pulling his pocket datapad from his pouch and pressing a button. "It's... after midnight," he told her, unable to suppress a surprised grin. _Whoa..._

"I'm eighteen," Mara said, her eyes shining with excitement.

Luke smiled, tears springing to his eyes as he embraced her lovingly. "Happy birthday, Mara," he said, kissing her tenderly. _Ohhhhh..._ He stopped for a moment, catching his breath and gazing into her eyes, his whole body aching with a tantalizing, sweet longing.

"Please?" Mara said again softly, glancing around the ancient grove, where the seven gods kept a silent watch over the sacred matrimonial altar. "Our marriage won't be legal, no matter what we do..."

"I know," Luke agreed, resting his forehead against hers and smiling tenderly. "If... you're sure?" he asked gently, stroking her soft, curly red locks. _Ohhh... Please say yes..._

Mara smiled, kissing him on the lips. "I'm sure," she said softly, releasing Luke from her loving embrace and proceeding to unclasp his Jedi belt with her graceful, delicate fingers.

* * *

><p>"It's a beautiful evening," Julian said, as he and Leia stood on the balcony of their substitute hotel, gazing out across the lush rain forest.<p>

"Yes, it is," Leia agreed, smiling quietly. Her hair was still braided in the Alderaanian style that Ariel so often wore, and Julian's heart ached as he thought of his cousin again. _I need to talk to her,_ he confessed, feeling suddenly guilty that he had put it off for so long. _Ariel deserves at least that much..._

"What's wrong?" Leia asked gently, seeing his troubled look.

"Nothing," Julian assured her. "I'm just - feeling a bit strange," he admitted, with a rueful grin.

Leia giggled softly, her brown eyes twinkling with amusement. "So am I," she confessed; Leia had valiantly tried _not_ to tell them about the Yavinese Lovestim that had been accidentally served to them for lunch, but Luke had eventually gotten the truth out of her, and Julian found the incident deeply amusing.

_I can't stop thinking about Ariel, though,_ he admitted worriedly, trying once again to set aside his thoughts of his cousin; but with her elegant Alderaanian hairstyle and shimmering white dress, Leia wasn't making this any easier for him. Julian smiled at her now, leaning closer and giving her a soft, tender kiss on the lips.

Leia returned his kiss, and he held her gently, closing his eyes for a moment; but again, it was Ariel's face that he saw, and he broke away, disturbed by his own feelings. _Ahh... This is awful..._ "Sorry," he apologized awkwardly; but Leia's expression was troubled as well, and Julian laughed, shaking his head. "Maybe we should say goodnight," he offered gently.

Leia gave him a grateful smile, a look of apology in her own brown eyes. "Yes; maybe we should," she agreed, as they shared a rueful laugh. _This has been a crazy day..._ "Goodnight, Julian," Leia said, smiling fondly. "Sleep well."

"Thank you, Milady," Julian replied courteously, with a respectful nod. "You too." Leia smiled, her brown eyes twinkling with warmth and affection as she turned to leave, retiring to her own room for the night.

* * *

><p><em>Meanwhile, back in the forest...<em>

"Luke," Mara murmured softly, gazing lovingly into her husband's eyes and kissing him once again as they lay atop the ancient stone altar, their naked bodies intertwined. "We're married."


	155. Anakin vs Snuggles

**Chapter 155**

"Come now, Roo," Obi-Wan said gently, gathering the tiny baby dragon in his arms. "It's time to go." Force-jumping up to the opening above the cave, he squinted as they emerged in the bright Tatooine sunlight. Chick-Chick and Aaack were playfully chasing insects nearby as their mother kept a close watch over them, and Obi-Wan joined Asha now, gently placing her youngest hatchling at her feet.

"We're going now, Asha," Obi-Wan told her, scratching her scaly forehead affectionately. He could hear the pathetic sputter of the love-craft's engine in the canyon below, and smiled in amusement, sensing Qui-Gon's mounting frustration with the accursed junker. "Take good care of these young ones, all right?" Obi-Wan said, smiling fondly.

_"Wreeeeeee,"_ Asha replied softly, as Roo looked up at his mother, blinking curiously.

"Goodbye, Roo," Obi-Wan said, gently scratching the soft nubs on his forehead, where his horns hadn't yet formed. _He reminds me of my own grandchildren,_ Obi-Wan thought affectionately, remembering when Zak and Maia had been newborns. "Goodbye, Chick-Chick; Goodbye, Aaack."

Hearing their names, the other two dragon hatchlings bounded over, leaping up against Obi-Wan as he cuddled them lovingly. "You two be good," he admonished them sternly; then, with an approving smile, he turned back to their mother. "Goodbye, Asha," he said fondly, patting her on the shoulder. "Until next time."

With a polite bow, Obi-Wan turned, smiling wistfully as he made his way back down to the narrow canyon below, where his father was still attempting to get the love-craft started.

* * *

><p><em>Hello?<em> Snuggles peeked his eyeball out of the water, looking around the mechanical refuse compactor. _Is someone there?_ The gate to this compartment had been closed for two days now, ever since the incident with the golden-haired boy; but a moment ago Snuggles had heard it open again, and had eagerly come over to check out the latest offerings.

_Not that there's ever anything good in here, but... YES!_ Snuggles grinned ecstatically, spotting a black-cloaked figure amidst the bits of mechanical trash. _They ARE throwing out people in here... This is the best bin ever,_ Snuggles realized happily, swimming over to collect his new cuddle toy. _Ohh, this one has sparkly golden hair too,_ Snuggles noticed, admiring the man's soft, curly locks, which fell nearly to his shoulders. _He's even more cuddly than the last one!_

_Yep... Nice and soft,_ Snuggles confirmed, reaching out a tentacle and wrapping it firmly around the man's waist, admiring the softness of his black cloak. He had learned his lesson with the golden-haired boy, whom he had only grasped tentatively by the ankle; this man was struggling a bit too, and Snuggles wrapped two more tentacles around him now, determined not to let go this time.

_Come on! I'll show you around,_ Snuggles decided cheerfully, swimming back toward the kitchen waste compartment. _They just threw out the breakfast trash... Want a waffle?_ he offered, spotting one amidst the garbage and grabbing it in a spare tentacle. _Maybe if I give him a yummy treat, he won't be afraid of me,_ Snuggles hoped, attempting to feed the waffle to his new cuddle toy. _Come on, open your mouth... Trust me, these are delicious!_

But his new pet squirmed in Snuggles' grasp now, turning his head away and refusing to eat his waffle. He had been sending Snuggles signals to let go of him, the same as the first boy had; but Snuggles wasn't going to fall for _that_ trick again. _No, I WON'T let go,_ Snuggles frowned stubbornly. _You'll just try to swim away and close the gate like the other one did._

_Here,_ Snuggles offered, tossing aside the waffle and picking up a half-eaten bagel instead. _Do you like this better? Or maybe some scrambled eggs?_ Eggs were a bit tricky to grasp, but Snuggles gingerly managed to pick up a few pieces in another tentacle, waving them temptingly in front of his cuddle toy's face.

But the man continued to struggle and squirm, and Snuggles reluctantly dropped the bagel and eggs, realizing that his attempts to feed his new pet were only making it more agitated and grumpy. _Maybe he needs a nap; I get grumpy too when I'm overtired,_ Snuggles admitted thoughtfully, clutching his cuddle toy securely by the waist as he swam over toward the laundry refuse compartment. _Come on; I'll show you a nice, soft place where you can sleep..._

_Huh?_ Snuggles blinked in surprise as the man struggled again, straining toward the entrance to the sewage treatment compartment. _No; you don't want to sleep in there,_ Snuggles advised his pet. _That's the bathroom..._

_Oh._ Snuggles stopped, finally realizing what this was about. His pet had managed to free one arm, and had grabbed onto the latch to the bathroom door with a desperation and urgency that Snuggles couldn't deny. _When you gotta go, you gotta go,_ Snuggles commiserated, helping his pet to unlock the latch.

_Ugh... Let's hope they've cleaned this recently,_ Snuggles thought, holding his breath. _It can get kind of smelly in here..._ But as they opened the door to the sewage treatment compartment, Snuggles blinked in surprise, noting the freshly-scoured walls, the clean, sanitized scent, and the pool of crystal-clear water where normally there was a murky, smelly mess. _Wow... What's going on in here?_ Snuggles wondered. _Have they turned it into a swimming pool?_

He gave his pet a curious look now, uncertain what to do. _I'm not sure if we should pee in there any more..._ Obviously his pet was thinking the same thing, as he had made no move to unzip his pants, but instead was gesturing toward the clear pool, murmuring in a soft, low voice. _He's asking if I want to go for a swim,_ Snuggles sensed.

_Actually, yes; I'd love to,_ Snuggles confessed, eyeing the sparkling clear water wistfully. _That's really nice of him,_ Snuggles admitted, giving his cuddle toy an appreciative look. _I'll be real quick,_ Snuggles promised his pet, diving happily into the water and splashing his tentacles around playfully. _And then I'll show you the other bathroom, on the other side..._

_What?_ Snuggles looked up worriedly, hearing a loud clanking sound near the doorway, where his pet was standing; except that his pet wasn't standing there any more, and now the heavy durasteel door was shut. _Oh no,_ Snuggles sighed dejectedly, hearing the unmistakable sound of a lock being secured from the other side. _Not again..._

_Argh! Why do I keep falling for that stupid trick?_ Snuggled chastised himself, frustrated. _All right; next time I find a new cuddle toy, I'm going to hold onto it really tight, and not let go, no matter what,_ he resolved. But now he blinked in alarm as yet another gate opened beneath him; instinctively, he reached out with several tentacles, grabbing onto the walls with his strong suction cups. _I hate when this happens... _This wasn't the first time that the toilet had randomly flushed while Snuggles had been in it; but he was puzzled as to why it would be flushing _now_, since it was obviously clean.

But now another hatch opened above the chamber, and Snuggles looked up worriedly, hearing an ominous rush of water coming from the direction of the main holding tank. _What the - Aaaahhhhhh!_ Suddenly Snuggles was bombarded by several tons of water from overhead, and he squeezed his eye shut, desperately grabbing the slippery, wet walls with all of his tentacles.

He could feel his suction cups slipping as the torrent of water continued to rush past him, and he held on for dear life; but the current was too strong, and a moment later he felt himself being swept down the drain. _Help..._ Snuggles grasped desperately at the walls of the passageway as he was sucked through the plumbing system.

After being dragged helplessly along with the torrential current for what felt like an eternity, Snuggles suddenly found himself being plunged into another massive holding tank, as a durasteel gate quickly clanked shut above him. _Uh... Where am I?_ he wondered, peering around his new tank worriedly; there was a window on one side, and he quickly swam toward it now.

_Whoa..._ Snuggles blinked in surprise as he looked out at a large room full of people beyond his window, all coming and going in different directions. _This is different... _Some of the people were standing near his window now, staring at him curiously, and Snuggles looked around at them uncertainly, pressing his suction-cupped tentacles against the window. _Hello?_

* * *

><p>"Yep; that's a male, all right," the Nabooan wildlife rescue official confirmed, examining the Dianoga which was now peering out through the window of his ship's holding tank. "You can tell from the size of his suction cups..."<p>

"You see?" Han said to Chewie in a low voice, as they observed the creature in the Death Star's docking bay along with some of the other tourists. "It's just a little Dianoga," he reassured his Wookiee friend.

_"Yeah,"_ Chewie agreed, eyeing the creature warily; but still he lingered several paces back, away from the window. Han laughed to himself, quietly amused by his friend's bizarre paranoia; but his grin instantly faded as he spotted Skywalker entering the docking bay.

_Crap... What am I going to say to him?_ Han wondered anxiously, looking down at the floor as the Jedi approached. _I should never have brought up that Solaris Three stuff,_ he admitted. Though it _had_ worked, at least temporarily: Skywalker had given Han a few minutes to hide the Lovestim before Mara had searched his ship yesterday, on the condition that they meet face-to-face this morning aboard the Death Star, to discuss the _other_ matter.

_Could he possibly know about Solaris Three?_ Han wondered again. He hadn't gotten any sleep on the way back from Yavin IV, plagued by nightmares of being fed to the Rancor upon returning to Jabba with only ten thousand credits, thanks to the misfortunate Yavinese Lovestim incident. But his waking thoughts had been far worse, as Han had desperately tried to think of _any_ reason why Skywalker would ever allow him to go free, knowing the things he did about Solaris Three.

_Skywalker doesn't know,_ Han had finally concluded, after hours of anxious pondering. _He CAN'T know; if he did, he would have had Mara arrest me right then and there._ Skywalker had warned Han that Mace Windu would take his threats _very_ seriously, though he himself did not; for a moment Han thought that the strange Jedi Knight actually understood what he was talking about, but in retrospect he realized that Skywalker had already come to a different conclusion.

_"Master Windu is not one to take threats against his own home planet lightly,"_ Skywalker had said during their conversation over the _Falcon's_ transmitter; Han had played back the recording countless times, trying to make sense of this point. Skywalker had warned Han that Windu would most likely confine him to a maximum-security prison, and Lando and Chewbacca as well.

At the time Han had taken this as proof that Skywalker knew about Solaris Three; but now he admitted that there was another interpretation of the Jedi's warning. _Mace Windu claims to be from Haruun Kal,_ Han realized. And Haruun Kal was the galaxy's largest source of Tibanna gas, a thousand times bigger than Lando's operation on Bespin.

_I told Skywalker that I had information that the Jedi Council has been hiding from the Hutts for a thousand years; information that would lead to galactic war._ Han was vaguely aware of an unproven but admittedly disturbing scientific theory, that Tibanna gas could potentially be made into a chemical weapon, powerful enough to destroy an entire planet. The Hutts had hired scientists to try to create this horrific weapon, but so far they had been unsuccessful in their efforts.

_Skywalker thinks that Lando has found a way to do it, since he's in the Tibanna gas business,_ Han realized, sobered by the concept. _And he thinks THAT'S what I'm threatening to tell Jabba about..._ And if the Hutts discovered the secret to making these powerful chemical weapons, Haruun Kal would obviously be one of the first planets they would take over.

_How the hell do I get myself into these things,_ Han wondered again, sighing ruefully. He'd tried to come up with a plausible story to appease Skywalker's concerns, promising that he had only been bluffing about the chemical weapon, and that Lando had no idea how to make bombs out of Tibanna gas. It was true, after all, and he prayed that Skywalker would believe him, and let the matter drop. _I don't want this to get back to Windu... Or Lando,_ Han admitted unhappily, remembering that they were no longer on speaking terms.

Skywalker was talking with the Nabooan wildlife rescue official now; Han glanced over at the Jedi nervously, waiting for him to finish his business. But then he blinked in surprise, recognizing the dark-haired woman beside him. _That's Padmé Amidala,_ Han realized. _Leia's mother..._ She was the same height as Leia, with the same delicate, slender build; it was obvious where Leia had inherited her exquisite beauty from.

_Ah... I have to stop thinking about her,_ Han scolded himself, pushing away the thought. _It's just because of that stupid Lovestim, that's all..._ But now Han looked up as two more figures approached. _Hey! It's Typho,_ Han realized, recognizing Boba's cousin from the old _JEDI_ re-runs he'd seen. _So that's Leia's father..._

"Mika!" Padmé exclaimed brightly, greeting the dark-skinned Nabooan woman at his side. "Hello, Typho," she added politely, though her eyes sparkled with obvious fondness.

"Milady," Typho replied, bowing his head respectfully; Han rolled his eyes, annoyed by their ridiculous charade. _Why do they even bother trying to hide it? The entire galaxy knows they're married._

"Thanks for coming, Mika," Padmé said, turning back to the other woman now. "I really appreciate your help. And wait until you see the store; Leia and Saskia did an amazing job setting everything up."

"So I've heard," Mika said, smiling. "So Saskia's really interested in managing the store?"

"Yes," Padmé replied, her eyes sparkling mischievously. "Although I think she may have ulterior motives," she added, glancing toward Owen Lars, who was talking with a group of tourists nearby.

"Oh?" Mika asked, blinking.

"You'll figure it out," Padmé assured her. "Especially once the _Executor_ tour gets back," she added cryptically.

"Okay," Mika said, laughing. "Well, I'd better go help her out; I can't wait to see the new store... And thank you, for looking after Shoko while I'm here," she added appreciatively. "She's got a school dance tomorrow night; I couldn't tear her away from Coruscant," Mika said, her eyes twinkling. "She's staying with a friend, but she'll probably stop by your apartment tomorrow; I told her you'd help do her hair."

"Oh! Of course," Padmé said, delighted. "Thanks again, for helping to train Saskia."

"You're welcome," Mika replied cheerfully. "I'll see you next week, then; good to see you, Anakin... Typho," she added with a friendly smile as she took her leave, heading back toward the main hallway.

"We should be going as well, Milady," Typho said now, glancing toward the sleek, silver Nubian vessel nearby.

"All right," Padmé agreed, trying to act as if they weren't married. "Anakin, it was wonderful to see you," Padmé said warmly, turning to the Jedi Knight. "Thank you so much, for helping with the Dianoga."

"You're welcome, Milady," Skywalker replied, bowing his head respectfully. "Have a good trip back to Coruscant."

Han watched surreptitiously as Padmé and Typho left together, wondering how they could possibly think they were fooling anyone. _Skywalker has to know,_ Han realized, seeing the Jedi's thoughtful expression as he gazed after them; but now Skywalker caught his look, and nodded quietly, turning to the Nabooan wildlife rescue official.

"I have business I need to attend to," Skywalker apologized, glancing toward the ship's holding tank, where the Dianoga was still pressed against the window, peering out curiously with his single eye. "Are you all set here?"

"Yes; I'm about to get going as well," the man assured him, smiling. "Thanks again for your help."

"No problem," Skywalker said. "I hope he enjoys his new home... and his new friend," he added, with a curious look. "Do you think they'll get along?"

"I'm sure they will," the wildlife rescue official nodded. "Dianogas are social creatures; they hate to be alone," he explained. "Our Lizzie will be thrilled to see him," he said, smiling gratefully. "Thanks again."

Skywalker nodded respectfully as the rescue official returned to his ship; then he turned to Han, his expression serious once again. "Han; Chewbacca," he greeted them politely. "If you wouldn't mind?" he asked, glancing toward a small private office nearby.

"Yes, sir," Han replied, trying to quell his nerves as he and Chewie followed the Jedi into the private office.

"Thanks for coming," Skywalker said, closing the door behind him. "Please, have a seat." Han sat down obediently next to Chewie, as Skywalker took the chair across from them. "So," Skywalker continued quietly, fixing his blue gaze on Han. "This... _information,_" he began cautiously. "Am I correct in assuming it came from your friend, Lando Calrissian?"

_Crap._ Han had been hoping to keep Lando out of this conversation, and looked down uncomfortably. "This has nothing to do with him," he assured Skywalker. "And he ain't my _friend,_" Han added emphatically, meeting the Jedi's gaze.

Skywalker continued to stare at him, his expression unreadable. "I see."

"I promise," Han said, forcing himself to continue. "I don't know anything about Tibanna gas, or bombs; I was bluffing," he admitted, shrugging uncomfortably.

But Skywalker was visibly alarmed by this confession. "Bombs?" he repeated, instantly concerned. "What bombs?"

"No; that's what I'm saying... There _are_ no bombs," Han assured him quickly. "I promise," he added, managing to meet his gaze again and praying that the Jedi would sense the truth behind his words.

Skywalker nodded quietly, though he still looked troubled, and slightly confused. _He thinks I'm crazy,_ Han realized glumly, recognizing the disturbed glimmer in Skywalker's eyes. "So let me get this straight," the Jedi Knight continued. "You were planning to march into the Jedi Council chamber, threatening galactic war... With bombs that don't exist?"

"Yeah; that's right," Han replied, scowling defensively as he sat back against his seat. "I _am_ a Solo," he pointed out sarcastically. _Go ahead. Have a good laugh._

But Skywalker wasn't laughing; his expression remained solemn, and Han squirmed uncomfortably under his intense gaze. "You're lying," the Jedi said quietly.

"No," Han protested. "I swear, I don't know the first thing about how to make bombs out of Tibanna gas... And neither does Lando," Han added. "He nearly flunked Chemistry back at the academy; and I never graduated," he admitted. _Better that he thinks we're stupid, than some kind of crazy mad scientists..._

Skywalker gazed at him suspiciously; but now there was a flicker of confusion in his eyes. "You can make bombs out of Tibanna gas?" the Jedi asked, clearly baffled by the concept.

"No; I can't," Han insisted again. "Like I said - " He broke off suddenly, realization hitting him. _He has absolutely no idea what I'm talking about._ Han had dealt with Jedi Border Patrol Knights often enough to realize that their strength lay in their piloting skills; they were not necessarily considered the most brilliant minds of the Jedi Order, and like Skywalker, it was rare for any of them to ever achieve the rank of Master. _He didn't even know you COULD make a bomb from Tibanna gas._ And yet Skywalker himself had immediately made the connection to Mace Windu's home planet, and had guessed that Han's secret information came from Lando Calrissian. _If he wasn't thinking about Tibanna gas bombs... Is it possible he DOES know about Solaris Three?_

"What is it you're not telling me?" Skywalker asked quietly. "Or would you prefer to discuss this with Master Windu?" he suggested, giving Han a warning look.

_Crap._ As much as Han was hating this conversation, the thought of repeating it in front of Mace Windu was even more terrifying. _He WILL guess the truth, and throw me in prison_...

"You can tell me," Skywalker promised quietly. "If this is about what I _think_ it's about," he continued, giving Han a meaningful look. "Then I know about it too."

Han glanced at him uncertainly; his eyes held a look of quiet understanding, but Han realized his claim of knowledge could be a simple interrogation trick. _All right..._ "What do you think it's about?" Han asked cautiously.

"Heh." Skywalker laughed, shaking his head. "I can't tell you that."

"Well I can't tell you either," Han replied, sounding more sarcastic than he intended.

Skywalker nodded. "Good," he said, with an amused smile; then he looked at Han sharply. "Have you been there?"

"No," Han protested, blinking. _I wouldn't even know how to enter the system, without getting fried..._ Then he stared at Skywalker in surprise. "You've been there?" _He DOES know..._

"Yes," Skywalker admitted quietly; his expression was troubled. "Han... You understand why this information must never get to the Hutts?" he asked, a concerned look in his eyes.

Han nodded emphatically. "Absolutely," he promised, truly disturbed by the thought. "Look, what I said before - about this information finding its way to Jabba - I really _was_ bluffing," Han apologized. "I promise... I ain't _that_ crazy," he insisted, praying that Skywalker would believe him.

The Jedi nodded. "I know," he agreed, keeping his gaze fixed intently on Han. "And for the record, what you told me, about - Tibanna gas bombs," Skywalker continued, blinking uncertainly. "If I hadn't known the truth, I would have believed you," he conceded quietly. "But don't do this again," he admonished Han.

"I won't," Han promised quickly. _Trust me..._

"I'm serious," Skywalker insisted. "No one else in the Border Patrol Division knows about this; not even Master Chi'nala." Han nodded quietly; Lando had warned him that only a handful of Jedi knew about Solaris Three, and he was sobered to realize that Skywalker was among them. "Now," Skywalker said, his tone regretful. "I'm going to give you a list of six names. These are the people you can talk to about this; and these people _only_," he warned Han.

Han nodded, giving the Jedi an apologetic look. "Master Windu," Skywalker continued quietly. "Master Yoda. Qui-Gon Jinn. Obi-Wan Kenobi. Cory Suncatcher; and myself," he finished. "That's it," he insisted. "No other Jedi know about this."

"I understand," Han said, memorizing the names. Most of them he recognized; but now he gave Skywalker a curious look. "Who's Cory Suncatcher?"

"Qui-Gon's former padawan," Skywalker explained. "He's our main operative on Solaris Three," he added quietly, as Han nodded in understanding. "He's been keeping the _Star Wars_ situation under control for the past fifteen years."

Han blinked worriedly. "_Star Wars?_" he asked, concerned. _Are we already at war?_

Skywalker gave him a surprised look. "You don't know?"

"No," Han said, sobered by this news.

The Jedi nodded quietly. "Better that you don't," he told Han. "And don't ask Lando about it either," he warned him.

"Don't worry, I won't," Han assured him. "We're not exactly on speaking terms," he added, with an unhappy laugh; then he looked down, shrugging. "Honestly... I wish he hadn't told me what he did."

Skywalker nodded. "What's done is done," he said regretfully. "And I _will_ have to report this to Master Windu, and the others," he added, as Han nodded glumly, accepting the Jedi's decision. "But Han," he continued, looking down uncomfortably. "I want you to know, you can talk to me... about _anything_," he insisted, meeting Han's gaze again. "I know the situation with Jabba is... complicated," Skywalker admitted, giving Han a concerned look. "Han, what has he got on you?"

"Heh..." Han looked down apologetically. "If Jabba ever found out I told you, he'd - " he broke off, shrugging.

"Jabba won't find out," Skywalker assured him quietly.

Han nodded; as uncomfortable as this conversation was, he realized that Skywalker knew how to keep secrets, and oddly enough, Han found himself trusting the strange Jedi Knight. "He's got a slave device in my father's head," Han confessed quietly, looking at the floor.

Skywalker gave him an alarmed look. "Jabba did that?"

"No," Han explained. "Gardulla did it; she was trying to get me to work for her... But Jabba bought it back; he's got the remote control now," he told Skywalker. "I don't think he'd be stupid enough to use it, but..." he shrugged unhappily.

Skywalker sighed. "I see," he said, nodding regretfully. "And - your father is...? I'm sorry," he apologized, his expression a mixture of curiosity and respect.

"Arthur Solo," Han told him. "He's thirteenth in line for the throne," he confessed, shrugging. "He works as a Nerf herder, on Dantooine."

"Ah." Skywalker nodded, giving Han a regretful smile; then he looked down. "You're right," the Jedi agreed quietly. "Short of waging war against the Hutts, there's very little the Republic can do," he confessed. "And even if we _did_ declare war... it's not likely to save your father," he told Han, his blue eyes filled with regret.

"I know," Han said. "So what's going to happen?" he asked uncertainly.

"Nothing," Skywalker said. "I'll talk to Master Yoda and Windu about the slave device, but... nothing will happen," he told Han regretfully. "It's a delicate situation," he confessed, sighing. "And it may come to war one day; but not just yet. The Republic has no interest in Hutt Territory; we want only continued peace," Skywalker told him. "And Han," he added, with a meaningful look. "You know that Jabba plays an important role, in maintaining that balance."

Han nodded, looking down. "I know," he agreed quietly. Jabba was the most reasonable of the Hutts, and the least tyrannical; he was a bit of an outcast among his own kind, which is why he had set up his own operations on Tatooine centuries ago, beyond the borders of Hutt Territory, and thus far he had managed to coexist peacefully with the Republic.

"The Jedi don't want to weaken Jabba's position," Skywalker told Han quietly. "_That's_ why you haven't been arrested, and most likely won't be, as long as you help Jabba to prosper, and strengthen his influence among the Hutts," he admitted. Han nodded humbly; he had guessed as much, but it was sobering to hear the Jedi admit to it. "Speaking of which," Skywalker continued, his expression mildly curious. "My padawan found a canister of Yavinese Lovestim in the kitchen of the Emperor's Buffet yesterday, after you left; that wouldn't happen to be yours, would it?"

Han laughed ruefully, looking down. "Not anymore," he conceded.

"Hmm." Skywalker grinned, quietly amused. "I heard it was an interesting afternoon." Then his expression sobered. "Be careful, Han," he warned him. "The Jedi don't want to arrest you. You're Jabba's best smuggler, and his main source of revenue; if you were out of the picture, Gardulla could easily take over his operations on Tatooine, and things would be worse for all of us," Skywalker admitted. "So try to keep a low profile, and stay out of trouble... all right?" he pleaded quietly, a look of regret in his blue eyes.

"Heh." Han looked down; then he nodded appreciatively, meeting the Jedi's concerned gaze. _Skywalker's a decent guy,_ he confessed, realizing that Greedo and Kitster had been right about 'Ani' all along_. I like him._ "Thank you... Master Skywalker," Han said sincerely, getting up to leave. "Really... I appreciate it," he added earnestly.

Skywalker nodded, standing up as well. "You're welcome," he said. "And you can call me Anakin," he added, with a rueful grin. "I'm not a Master yet." Then he turned to the Wookiee. "Take care of yourself, Chewbacca," he said, patting him on the shoulder. "And try to keep him out of trouble, you hear me?"

_"I will,"_ Chewie promised, nodding proudly; then, impulsively, he embraced the black-cloaked Jedi in a fierce Wookiee hug.

"All right," Anakin laughed, disentangling himself from the Wookiee's furry arms. "Go on; get out of here," he told them, giving Han an appreciative look. "I'm sure you have work to do," he added pointedly, a hint of reproach in his voice.

"Yes, sir," Han nodded agreeably. "Thanks again," he said sincerely, as they made their way out the door of the private office, returning to the main docking bay. "I won't forget this," he promised.

The Jedi nodded, and a look of mutual understanding passed between them; then with a respectful nod, Han turned to leave, heading back toward the _Falcon_ with Chewie to pick up their next shipment of death sticks.

* * *

><p>Anakin stood in the Death Star's docking bay, watching thoughtfully as the <em>Falcon<em> took off, vanishing into hyperspace; but then his brows furrowed as he sensed a familiar presence. _Two _familiar presences, to be exact. A moment later an old, beat-up WV71 Dove entered the docking bay, folding its powder-blue wings neatly overhead as it landed beside Anakin.

_No,_ Anakin laughed in disbelief, as the tiny cockpit hatch opened up and his father's head appeared, beaming proudly. _He did NOT fly out from Tandor in that thing... No wonder he missed the filming,_ Anakin realized suddenly, shaking his head.

"Need a ride?" Qui-Gon asked, gesturing magnanimously toward the love-craft's back seat, where Obi-Wan sat looking decidedly cramped and frowning doubtfully.

_Haha..._ "Sure," Anakin agreed, a mischievous grin on his face as he clambered into the tiny love-craft, squishing in beside Obi-Wan and taking up as much room as humanly possible. "So how was Tatooine?" he asked cheerfully, ignoring his brother's annoyed glare as he stretched his legs out, making himself comfortable. "Did you have fun nesting?"

"As a matter of fact, I did," Obi-Wan replied, trying to sound dignified. "We managed to rescue three Krayt dragon hatchlings; they're nearly an endangered species, you know," he added with an air of importance, shifting uncomfortably in his seat in an attempt to politely regain a bit of space from Anakin.

"Are they?" Anakin asked, pretending to be fascinated. "I didn't know that," he conceded. "Speaking of endangered species; I just rescued a Dianoga this morning," he said casually. "They're nearly_ extinct,_ you know," he added pointedly, leaning back against the seat and claiming another three inches of elbow room. "This one was probably the last male in existence."

Obi-Wan gave him an annoyed look. "You _would_ have to go and do that."

"And I didn't even have to breastfeed him," Anakin added calmly.

"Hey!" Obi-Wan retorted defensively. "I did _not_ - "

"Enough!" Qui-Gon called sharply, from the pilot's seat. "No more bickering, you two," their father admonished them sternly, as they took off from the Death Star's docking bay.

"Sorry, Master," they both replied meekly, though Anakin kicked at Obi-Wan's boot surreptitiously, stifling a mischievous giggle as his brother kicked him back.

"A Dianoga... Really?" Obi-Wan asked, truly impressed.

"Yeah," Anakin nodded. "A pretty big one... Luke found him," he added, grinning cheerfully.

"Did he?" Obi-Wan beamed proudly at the news of his padawan's achievement. "How was your lightsaber duel, with Ben?"

"Ohhhhh," Anakin groaned, hanging his head. "I don't want to talk about it."

"Hmm." Obi-Wan chuckled in amusement. "You _did_ win, though?"

"Yes," Anakin conceded glumly. "I guess it wasn't a complete disaster."

"There you go," Qui-Gon said encouragingly, from the front seat. "So, I hear we're having a birthday party tonight?"

"Oh! Right," Anakin nodded, grinning. "I almost forgot... Yeah, Dex is expecting us around six." _Right after Mara fails the preliminary trials,_ Anakin thought, smiling affectionately. _I've missed her..._

"Well, then," Qui-Gon said cheerfully, setting the coordinates for the jump to lightspeed. "Let's go home."


	156. Luke's top secret mission

**Chapter 156**

"Welcome to Dex's," the waitress droid exclaimed with pre-programmed cheerfulness, greeting the small Jedi party at the door. "This way please," she continued, zipping along on her single wheel as she showed them to a table. "What can I get you folks tonight?" she asked, as Mara took a seat along with Master Anakin, Obi-Wan, Luke, and Qui-Gon.

But now the droid turned her head in surprise, feeling a hand on her shoulder. "I've got this, WA-7," an attractive red-haired woman told her, smiling appreciatively.

"Oh! Of course, Tessa," the droid replied. "I'll check on the other tables," she proposed, zipping off to take care of the other customers in the diner.

Tessa smiled appreciatively, turning back to the Jedi. "I hear it's someone's birthday today," she said, her green eyes sparkling with friendly warmth as she smiled at Mara.

"That's right," Master Anakin said proudly. "Mara faced the preliminary trials today; she passed her lightsaber techniques, piloting skills, and Force usage preliminaries with flying colors," he told Tessa, conveniently failing to mention the six academic subjects that Mara had failed rather miserably.

"Wow! Congratulations," the red-haired waitress said, obviously impressed. "And happy birthday," she added cheerfully. "So, how does it feel to be eighteen?"

Mara grinned shyly. "Pretty good."

"Ah... I barely remember eighteen," Tessa sighed good-naturedly, pulling out her order pad. "Enjoy it while it lasts," she told Mara, her eyes twinkling fondly.

"Thanks... I will," Mara promised, returning Tessa's mischievous smile. _It's not like she's an old hag..._ Tessa was perhaps in her late thirties, or early forties; there were some fine lines around her eyes, but not a touch of grey in her strawberry-blonde hair, and she was delicate and slender: Mara thought she was beautiful. _I wish my hair were straight like hers,_ she sighed; Luke loved Mara's thick, wavy curls, but they could be a pain to deal with at times.

"So, what can I get you guys?" Tessa asked; then her brows furrowed. "And where are Cory and Zak?" she asked, noticing that two members of their usual group were missing.

"They had business on Iridonia," Qui-Gon explained; Cory and Zak were often chosen for assignments on Iridonia, as they represented both of the species who lived on that planet. "They had hoped to make it back by today, but it looks like they'll be delayed until at least tomorrow morning."

"Ah," Tessa nodded, turning her attention back to her order pad. She proceeded to take their orders, and smiled warmly when she came to Mara. "The usual, sweety?" the waitress asked cheerfully.

"Yes, please," Mara said, smiling appreciatively.

"All right: one slice of Velusian pizza, extra artichokes, no mushrooms," Tessa said, marking it down on her order pad; she always remembered how Mara liked her pizza. "Great; I'll be back with your drinks in a minute," she promised, heading back to the kitchen, where Dex was hard at work, cooking for tonight's busy crowd.

"So," Master Anakin said cheerfully. "Who's up for mini-golf tonight?" It was a tradition he had started on Mara's thirteenth birthday: dinner at Dex's, followed by an evening of kiddie games at the nearby family playland.

"Absolutely," Qui-Gon nodded, his blue eyes twinkling; but Obi-Wan sighed, shaking his head.

"I can't; I have Confessional duty from seven to nine," he told them, glancing up at the clock on the wall. "And _then_ I have Night Watch until dawn," Obi-Wan added, laughing ruefully.

"You do?" Anakin asked, blinking.

"Force, who's in charge of scheduling?" Qui-Gon wondered, his brows furrowing.

"Master Yoda, of course," Obi-Wan said. "I'm afraid he and Master Windu are rather cross with me, for missing our lightsaber duel aboard the Death Star," he admitted regretfully.

"Yeah, they're not the only ones," Anakin muttered, giving Obi-Wan a reproachful look. Mara stifled a giggle; her father had stubbornly refused to speak of his duel with Ben Kenobi, and Mara couldn't wait until this week's episode aired. _Poor Master Anakin; it must have been really bad..._

"We'll be around, if you need backup," Qui-Gon assured Obi-Wan, as always. "I'll take the first shift, and Anakin will cover you from two until dawn," he proposed, as Anakin's brows furrowed doubtfully at this plan.

Mara valiantly masked her excitement, resisting the urge to look at Luke; with Anakin and Obi-Wan both covering Night Watch, it would be even easier for them to spend the entire night together, without fear of being caught. _And Master Anakin will probably go to see my mom anyway,_ Mara guessed. _He hasn't seen her in a week..._

But now Luke spoke up, sensing Anakin's obvious reluctance. "I'll take the morning shift, Master," Luke offered. "You should get _some_ sleep tonight," he pointed out, concerned.

At this, Obi-Wan beamed, nodding politely. "Thank you, Luke," he said, accepting his offer. "Have I ever told you: you're by far the most thoughtful, considerate padawan I've ever had the pleasure to train?" Obi-Wan added appreciatively, ignoring Master Anakin's dark glare.

Mara giggled, seeing the amused twinkle in Luke's eyes as well; but then she masked her disappointment, realizing that they would only have a few hours together tonight. _Come on, Luke; it's our honeymoon,_ Mara sighed. But Luke wouldn't be Luke if he selfishly lounged around in bed all night while allowing his Master to suffer from sleep deprivation, and Mara smiled quietly to herself, respecting her husband's decision. _At least we'll have a few hours together..._

"Here you go," Tessa said cheerfully, returning to their table with a tray full of drinks. "Blue stuff; blue stuff; _Green_ stuff," she said with an affectionate smile, setting Anakin's drink down in front of him. "And Jawa juice for you two," she finished, handing out Luke and Mara's drinks.

"Thanks, Tessa," Master Anakin said, smiling appreciatively as she returned to her work, checking on the other customers. _She's really nice,_ Mara confessed, taking a sip of her Jawa juice. _And so is Dex..._ Mara smiled wistfully, remembering her father's first attempt to bring her here, the day he took her as his padawan. _I thought he was some kind of creep, trying to give me ice cream,_ she laughed to herself, embarrassed by the memory.

But now Mara looked up, hearing an exclamation of surprise. "Tessa?" one of the customers asked, smiling in delight as if recognizing an old friend. "Tessa Jade? Oh my goodness! How are you?" she asked cheerfully. "You look wonderful..."

_What?_ Mara blinked, stunned. It wasn't just Tessa's last name that had startled her, but also Master Anakin's fleeting sense of alarm and panic, a moment before he had masked it. _Tessa Jade...?_ Mara struggled to mask her own feelings, resisting the urge to look over at Tessa. _She's got red hair, and green eyes... Just like me..._ Mara had long known that her mother lived here on Coruscant, and that Master Anakin slipped away to see her, nearly on a daily basis.

_It's Tessa?_ Mara suppressed a delighted smile as the realization hit her. _Master Anakin has been taking me to see her, all these years!_ Tessa had been working at Dex's Diner for as long as Mara could remember; she hadn't paid much notice to the waitress at first, but Tessa always greeted her with a warm smile, and made a point of asking how she was doing, listening fondly as Master Anakin filled her in on the details of their latest missions together.

_She's... She's my mother?_ Mara tried to steady her breathing, and her racing heartbeat. _So THAT'S who Master Anakin goes to visit, when he sneaks out at night,_ Mara realized, delighted. _Oh... She's so nice... And beautiful,_ Mara confessed, fighting tears. _My mom..._

* * *

><p><em>Crap!<em> Anakin blinked, masking his sudden alarm. _Has she guessed?_ He had sensed Mara's surprise upon hearing Tessa's last name; but otherwise she hadn't reacted, and was just smiling quietly to herself, as she had been doing for the past minute. _No; she's just happy it's her birthday,_ he decided, quelling his anxiety.

"So," Obi-Wan said quickly, covering _that_ awkward moment. "I have some interesting news, from today's Council meeting: we're discussing the possibility of dividing the Level IV Chemistry curriculum into two separate units, to be studied by fourth and fifth-year padawans," he informed them.

"Well that _is_ fascinating," Qui-Gon agreed, as Anakin nodded, pretending to be interested. "Half the workload, spread out over two years... I like it," he decided, as Luke smiled, nodding agreeably.

But Mara grinned ruefully. "_Now_ they tell me," she sighed, as Anakin gave her a commiserative smile; Mara had struggled to learn the entire Level IV Chemistry material this past year, and Anakin had to admit it had been an overwhelming amount of work. _I don't know how I ever passed it myself,_ he confessed.

The conversation moved on to other topics, and Anakin sighed in relief, grateful that Mara hadn't paid any particular notice to what had just happened. Jade wasn't a common last name, but it wasn't unheard of either; Mara had registered only passing surprise upon hearing Tessa's last name.

_It's not even really her last name,_ Anakin confessed. He had found Tessa in a nightclub five years ago, a few weeks after he'd taken Mara as his padawan. Tessa had run away from home as a teenager, and - like her older sister, Jade - had quickly become lost in a world of drugs and prostitution. But Jade's death from a drug overdose fifteen years ago had shaken Tessa badly, and she had taken her sister's name in tribute.

Unlike Mara's mother, Tessa had managed to overcome her death stick addiction, and had been working as a waitress at a local nightclub when Anakin found her five years ago. It was decent work, though part of her unspoken contract had involved granting sexual favors to the nightclub's owner from time to time; a duty which Tessa had carried out reluctantly, for lack of better employment options.

Anakin had helped her to get a job working for Dex, and had quietly told her about her niece; Tessa had been delighted to learn that Mara was doing so well, and had agreed to keep her own identity a secret, not wanting to sabotage Mara's chances of rising above the dismal circumstances that Tessa and Jade had known all of their lives. Since then, Anakin had always tried to bring Mara by whenever he could, as they were the only family each of them had.

_Not that Mara will ever know,_ Anakin realized sadly. While he firmly believed that Mara would one day pass the trials and be knighted, he knew that it was extremely unlikely that she would ever become a Master. _But at least they can see each other,_ Anakin consoled himself, giving his padawan an affectionate smile now. _That's something, I guess._

* * *

><p><em>Later that night...<em>

"Luke!" Mara exclaimed softly, as he climbed in through her window. "Can you believe it?" she squeaked excitedly, greeting her husband with a quick, tender kiss as she wrapped her arms around him. They had managed to exchange a few secret glances during their mini-golf game earlier this evening, but hadn't had a chance to talk properly until now. "So... Do you think it's true?" Mara asked him hopefully.

Luke smiled, kissing her as she led him over to the bed. "Yeah... I think so," he agreed, obviously delighted. "I stopped by the Archives just now, and looked up her public record," Luke said, as Mara listened eagerly, unbuckling his belt as they sat together on the edge of the bed. "She's thirty-nine; she has a couple of drug possession charges on her record, but they were all from around twenty years ago," he told her, as Mara grinned ecstatically.

"She's never been married, and there's absolutely no record of her ever having a child," Luke added, as they shared a mischievous grin; obviously Master Anakin would have covered that up, when he brought Mara to the Temple as a baby. "Mara," Luke said, his eyes shining happily. "I think... I think she's - "

"She's my mom," Mara whispered, tears springing to her eyes. _I've known her, all along..._ Luke was hugging her lovingly, and Mara lay her head against his shoulder, smiling happily. "Luke... She's beautiful, isn't she?"

"Yeah... She sure is," Luke agreed, kissing her again. "She looks so much like you, Mara... I don't know how I never saw it," he admitted, smiling tenderly. "You've got her red hair, and green eyes..."

"And my dad's curls," Mara pointed out, giggling ruefully.

"Hehe," Luke laughed gently, stroking her hair. "No, trust me: your curls are way prettier than his," he assured her, cuddling her close and kissing her on the cheek.

Mara smiled, basking in her husband's embrace, still overwhelmed with joy at finally learning of her mother. But then she caught the wistful look in Luke's eyes, and gave him an apologetic look. "Oh, Luke," she whispered, her heart aching as she remembered. _You'll never know your parents..._

"It's all right," Luke assured her, smiling bravely as always; Mara gave him a tender kiss, stroking his shaggy blond hair.

"So... You have until two?" she asked hopefully, pulling off his Jedi belt and helping him out of his cloak.

"Yeah," Luke nodded. "And then I have to go meet Obi-Wan," he told her, with an apologetic smile; it was nearly midnight already. "But at least we have a couple of hours," Luke said softly, kissing her again as Mara proceeded to remove his white Jedi tunic.

* * *

><p>"So... You have until two?" Leila asked, pulling off Obi-Wan's white Jedi tunic; she had already made her way past his three belts and brown cloak, and realized they'd better hurry this up.<p>

"Yes," Obi-Wan nodded, sighing. "Luke offered to cover for me," he laughed ruefully. "Which completely defeats the whole purpose of being on Night Watch," Obi-Wan confessed, his eyes twinkling with amusement.

"Haha," Leila giggled, kissing him playfully. "So you had a good time on Tatooine?" she asked. "Dorian says you rescued some baby Krayt dragons."

"Yes," Obi-Wan nodded. "Chick-chick, _Aaack_ - that one was Qui-Gon's fault," he added pointedly, as Leila giggled in amusement. "And Roo," Obi-Wan finished, smiling wistfully.

"I bet they were cute," Leila said, giving her husband a secret smile. _You're about to become a grandfather again..._

"Yes, they were," Obi-Wan agreed, pulling off his boots. Whenever he came back from longer assignments he seemed to have re-learned the skill of dressing himself, at least temporarily; but Leila knew that he would soon forget how again, and watched him with quiet amusement, enjoying the show.

But now Obi-Wan caught her look, and stopped for a moment. "What is it?" he asked, curious.

Leila smiled, kissing him tenderly. "Kyra's pregnant," she told him.

"Kyra's - what?" Obi-Wan asked, his eyes widening. "Leila, that's - " he smiled in delight, embracing her and giving her an ecstatic kiss. "We're going to hav Grand-Solo," Obi-Wan exclaimed, obviously astonished by the concept.

"Yes," Leila said, laughing. "Yes, we are." She closed her eyes, laying her head peacefully against his shoulder as he held her for a moment. "I love you, Obi-Wan," she said softly, gazing into his beautiful green-blue eyes.

"I love you, Leila," Obi-Wan murmured, kissing her tenderly; then he lay back against the pillows, pulling her into bed next to him. Leila smiled, snuggling beside him for a moment as he showered her in little kisses; but then she gently extracted herself from his embrace, sitting up to resume her wifely duties.

_It's a tough job,_ Leila giggled to herself, pulling off Obi-Wan's second boot before starting on his pants. _But somebody has to do it,_ she admitted, as her husband lay lazily against the pillows, a dreamy smile on his face.

* * *

><p><em>Two hours later...<em>

_Ahh! I'm late,_ Luke cringed, striding quickly through the streets of Coruscant as he continued toward his Master's presence. _Crap..._ Luke ran his fingers quickly through his hair, untucking his tunic a bit and doing what he could to reverse Mara's attempts at dressing him neatly. _Master Obi-Wan's sure to suspect something if he sees me with my hair combed properly in the middle of the night,_ Luke admitted, with a rueful laugh.

_Heh... Maybe THAT'S been Master Anakin's strategy all along,_ he realized suddenly. _Keep your hair a perpetual shaggy disaster, and no one will guess that there's a female in this galaxy who actually likes you,_ Luke laughed to himself. _It's brilliant, come to think of it,_ he confessed, grateful once again for his father-in-law's example.

He could sense Obi-Wan's presence just ahead, and carefully masked his thoughts. "Hello, Master," Luke said, nodding respectfully. "Sorry I'm late," he apologized. "Has it been busy tonight?"

"No, not terribly," Obi-Wan replied cheerfully. "Did you manage to get some sleep?"

_Ahh!_ "No," Luke confessed, with a rueful grin. _It's best if I don't completely lie to him..._ "I've... had a lot on my mind lately," he admitted truthfully.

"Oh?" Obi-Wan asked, concerned. "Such as...?"

"I don't want to keep you up," Luke apologized; the whole reason he had offered to cover for Obi-Wan's shift was to allow his Master to get some much-needed sleep after his long trip back from Tatooine.

"Oh, you're not keeping me up," Obi-Wan insisted good-naturedly. "Hold on..." He pulled out his transmitter, pressing a button to place a call. Luke waited patiently as his Master reported back to base; but a moment later his own transmitter beeped, and he blinked in surprise, answering it. _Wow, busy night..._

"Jedi Night Watch," Luke answered professionally. "This is Luke Starkiller; can I help you?"

"Yes," came the polite reply. "This is Obi-Wan Kenobi, requesting an escort back to the Jedi Temple," he continued, as Luke stifled a laugh. "I'm at - " Obi-Wan looked up at the nearest street sign. "Fifty-eighth and Capitol."

"All right," Luke agreed. "I'll be there - _now,_" he promised, shaking his head as he ended the transmission.

"Ah! There you are," Obi-Wan exclaimed, pretending to just see him. "Now, what was it you didn't want to keep me up for?" he asked curiously, heading back toward the Temple as Luke dutifully escorted him, keeping his senses attuned to fend off any would-be attackers.

"Ahh..." Luke sighed, focusing his thoughts; in truth, he'd had a lot on his mind lately, and it was hard to know where to begin. "You heard about what happened, with the Yavinese Lovestim?"

"Hmm... Yes," Obi-Wan nodded, chuckling in amusement; but then he caught Luke's troubled look, and his expression sobered. "What is it?"

Luke shook his head unhappily. "That's just it," he told his Master apologetically, as they continued back toward the Temple. "Everyone thinks it's funny... And it _was,_ kind of," he conceded, with an amused grin. _Seriously, you should have been there..._ "But - " Luke sighed. "Master, it's _not_ funny," he protested seriously.

"No; you're right," Obi-Wan agreed, nodding regretfully. "Forgive me."

Luke nodded. "It's not just that," he continued. "Master, I know the situation with the drug trade is complicated; Master Qui-Gon explained to me, how interfering with Jabba's business is not necessarily in our best interest," Luke confessed regretfully. "And I understand that," he insisted. "But it's not just Lovestim we're talking about," he reminded Obi-Wan. "It's death sticks, and glitterstim... These are hard drugs, that are ruining people's lives," Luke protested. "While we sit around and do nothing... Except to arrest the _users;_ the addicts, here in the Republic," he argued. _The true victims of the drug trade,_ Luke sighed unhappily. _People like Mara, and Tessa..._

"I understand what you're saying, Luke; and I agree with you," Obi-Wan said gently. "But Luke, these addicts... No one forced them to choose that path," he pointed out regretfully.

"I know," Luke nodded, sighing quietly. _And before tonight, I would have agreed with you..._ Unlike Mara, who had always been starry-eyed over thoughts of her mother, Luke had held his doubts; he had not found it so easy to forgive a woman who would do drugs throughout her pregnancy, inflicting permanent brain damage on her unborn child. But now that he realized it was Tessa, and not just some faceless woman, Luke found it impossible to be angry with her.

_Tessa's a good person,_ Luke sensed instinctively. _She would never willingly harm an innocent child,_ he confessed. _It's the drugs themselves that are to blame; the addiction is too powerful,_ Luke admitted sadly. _If we are to stop the devastation they're causing, we have to go after the dealers, not the users._

"Master," Luke said hesitantly, as they continued along the street. "I've been doing a lot of thinking lately, and... Master, I think I want to go into drug enforcement," he told Obi-Wan. _I want to prevent other innocent children from suffering, the way Mara has..._

"Do you?" Obi-Wan asked, surprised and impressed.

"Yes, Master," Luke nodded. "This past week, I saw so much of what goes on... Not just on Tatooine, but on Yavin IV too; right here in the Republic, under everyone's noses," he confessed ruefully. "And..." Luke broke off, not certain how to phrase this. "I think I'd be good at it, Master," Luke said humbly. "I tailed Han Solo a couple of times; I was wearing my costume for _SITH,_ but - Master, he had absolutely no idea I was a Jedi."

"Hmm," Obi-Wan laughed quietly. "It's every Master's dream come true: to train an apprentice who bears no resemblance whatsoever to a Jedi Knight," he teased Luke affectionately, his eyes twinkling. "When was the last time you combed your hair, by the way?" he asked, furrowing his brows in feigned disapproval.

"Heh," Luke laughed, giving him an apologetic grin. _Actually, Mara tried to comb it just a few minutes ago..._ But Obi-Wan smiled fondly, patting him on the back.

"I'm sure you will make an excellent drug enforcement agent; or anything you set your mind to, for that matter," he told Luke, with a proud smile. But then he frowned suddenly. "Hold on; no, I'm not certain of that at all," he confessed, blinking worriedly. "Oh dear..."

"What is it, Master?" Luke asked, blinking. _He thinks I won't be good at it?_

"Luke," Obi-Wan said uncomfortably. "As I was saying: I think you would make an excellent drug enforcement agent," he conceded. "But I fear your undercover career will be short-lived," he admitted, sighing. "Once this week's episode of _SITH_ airs, you're likely to be recognized, anywhere you go," Obi-Wan pointed out regretfully.

"Oh." Luke blinked, taken aback by this revelation. _Crap why didn't I think of that before?_ "Well - I could - I could wear a disguise," Luke suggested optimistically. _Yeah, I could dress up as a Woozle; that'd be brilliant..._

"I'm sure you could," Obi-Wan conceded, a proud twinkle in his eyes. "And I'm certain one day you will," he added quietly, with a fond smile. "But Luke, we've discussed this before," he reminded him gently. "It's exactly because of ideas like this that we need you on the Council," Obi-Wan pointed out. "We need someone with your passion: someone with the intelligence to come up with innovative new strategies, and the determination to carry them out," he admitted.

"And should a position open up within the next few years..." Obi-Wan sighed quietly, looking down. "Luke, it's up to you, of course... But in my opinion, your time now is best spent studying," he confessed once again. "And then, once you're a Master, you will be in a better position to carry out your plans," Obi-Wan told him seriously.

Luke nodded respectfully, thinking it over. _He's right; I'd probably do more good as a Master and Jedi Council member, than as a lone undercover Woozle._ "Yes, Master... I understand," Luke said quietly. "And thank you," he added sincerely, grateful for his Master's counsel.

"You're welcome," Obi-Wan replied cheerfully. They were nearly at the Temple steps now, and Obi-Wan gave him a questioning look. "Was there anything else?" he asked thoughtfully.

"Heh." Luke grinned, shrugging. _Yeah, there's lots more..._ "Actually, there is one thing," Luke admitted. _I promised Mara I'd ask about this..._ "Back aboard the Death Star, I thought I saw - " he broke off hesitantly. "Master Anakin's been writing numbers all over himself," Luke confessed awkwardly. "Do you know what that's about?"

Obi-Wan laughed, amused. "Yes, I do," he assured Luke. "It was a special assignment I asked him to help me with," he explained. "Though it was Anakin's own idea to record the data on _himself_," Obi-Wan confessed, his brows furrowing in disapproval. "As I've said all along, Luke: you are by far the brightest, most intelligent padawan I've ever had the pleasure to train," he declared proudly, his eyes twinkling. "You don't see me trying to get _that_ one on the Council," Obi-Wan added, glancing up toward Anakin's window.

Luke laughed quietly, looking down; he would have said something in his father-in-law's defense, had he not known the truth. _Yeah, I'm the brightest, most intelligent, polite, thoughtful, and considerate padawan you've ever trained,_ he conceded. _But Master Anakin will always be your favorite,_ Luke realized, smiling quietly.

"Well, then," Obi-Wan said. "I seem to have arrived at my destination, unmolested and in one piece," he observed gratefully, as Luke grinned in amusement. "Thank you, Luke," he added sincerely, with a polite nod. "And wake me in a couple of hours; I'll take the four-to-dawn shift," Obi-Wan insisted. "You have a lot of studying to do if you're to become a Master, and you'll need your sleep as well," he admonished Luke sternly.

Luke grinned. "Yes, Master," he agreed, nodding respectfully. "Goodnight," he added, as Obi-Wan nodded politely, heading inside the Temple. _Ahh..._ Luke sighed heavily, turning back down the street toward the seedier part of Coruscant, where his presence was more likely to be needed in the middle of the night. He still had a lot on his mind; what he'd discussed with Obi-Wan hadn't even been the half of it.

_I'm married,_ Luke realized once again, his heart fluttering. _I'm really married..._ He and Mara had slept together twice now; seven times to be exact, though it had been spread out over two nights. _Two wonderful, amazing nights..._ And the strangest part was that Luke didn't feel the least bit guilty about it; not even around Master Obi-Wan.

_He knows about Master Anakin and Tessa, and keeps their secret,_ Luke realized once again. He had witnessed Obi-Wan's rather awkward attempt to change the subject back at Dex's this evening, when Tessa's last name had been revealed. Luke and Mara had dutifully masked their surprise and suspicion, but it was obvious that Obi-Wan knew exactly who Tessa was; and probably Qui-Gon did as well.

_They wouldn't cover for Master Anakin, if they thought it was wrong,_ Luke told himself. He still didn't exactly like the idea of sneaking around behind Obi-Wan's back, and lying to him; but he and Mara had agreed that it was best to keep their marriage a secret for the time being, at least until she was knighted, and Anakin was a Master. _And THEN we'll tell Master Anakin,_ Luke sighed, still somewhat dreading that day. _Which means Master Obi-Wan will find out too,_ he realized, dreading _that_ day even more.

_Will they be angry?_ Luke wondered again, as he walked through the streets. _Or will they think it's funny? Or both?_ he considered, honestly not knowing the answer. But for the moment he had more immediate worries, and as he passed through Coruscant's busy night club district, he kept his eyes open, looking for a suitable establishment.

_No; not seedy enough,_ Luke decided, peering inside a brightly-lit liquor store as he continued along the sidewalk toward the more run-down area of the city. _Still not seedy enough,_ he observed cautiously, reaching the next corner and turning onto another street, which was lined with strip clubs and adult entertainment shops.

_Here we go,_ Luke sighed apprehensively, steeling his resolve as he headed toward a dimly-lit, somewhat musty convenience store. _This place won't have security cameras..._ But as he approached the entrance, his nerves suddenly failed him. _No... Not like this._ Luke kept his head down, continuing quickly past the store and slipping into the dark alleyway around the next corner.

_There,_ Luke decided, spotting a tattered, dark-colored jacket hanging out of one of the trash bins in the back alleyway. _That's better,_ he sighed gratefully, pulling off his Jedi cloak and quickly tucking his white tunic into his pants before donning his new short jacket, zipping it up as far as it would go and pulling the hood over his head. _Okay, I'm ready._ Taking a deep breath, Luke headed back out to the street, ducking inside the convenience store.

"Hello," the owner said gruffly, eyeing Luke warily from behind the counter. The store was otherwise empty, and Luke nodded to the man quietly, continuing through the aisles of snacks and drinks in search of his quarry. The owner, deciding that Luke posed no threat, turned back to his holo-monitor, watching the latest sports broadcast.

_Crap! Where do they keep these things?_ Luke wondered, scanning the next aisle, which offered a selection of antacids, painkillers, and basic toiletries. _Maybe they're not here..._

"Can I help you with something?" the store owner asked indifferently, from behind the counter.

"Ahh..." Luke cringed, taking a last look at the toiletry items before admitting defeat. "Yeah," he said awkwardly, heading back toward the entrance. "I'm looking for c- " Luke gulped, quelling his nerves. "Condoms," he said, trying to sound casual. _I can't believe I'm doing this..._

"Ah," the man nodded, waving him over toward the counter. "What kind do you want?" he asked, nodding toward the collection of colored boxes, all boasting strange and somewhat embarrassing names.

"Um..." _There's different kinds?_ Luke blinked at the selections helplessly.

The owner sighed wearily. "We got regular, lubricated... extra large," he said, eyeing Luke doubtfully. "Ribbed, spotted, flavors..." _Flavors?_ Luke blinked, confused. "Colors..."

"Colors," Luke repeated, an idea coming to him. _Mara might go for this..._ He and Mara had had their very first marital spat tonight; Luke had awkwardly tried to bring up the subject of protection, concerned about last night's drug-induced wedding orgy atop the ancient Massassi altar, but Mara had insisted that there was nothing to worry about.

_We don't need protection,_ Mara had assured him, as they'd gone at it for the second time tonight. _We just have to be careful, and keep track of my biorhythms,_ she had told him confidently. Luke had listened with guarded skepticism as Mara explained to him about the ancient practice of natural biorhythms, which she had learned from a databook that had mysteriously appeared on her bedside table one day: _Things Every Woman Should Know (And Men Don't Want To)._

According to the biorhythm theory, there were only a few days out of each month when a woman was most likely to become pregnant, and Mara had assured Luke that as long as they kept careful track of her cycles, there was no need for "artificial" means of protection. _I'm not even sure it's morally right,_ Mara had argued defensively. _If everyone used birth control all the time, none of us would be here,_ she had pointed out stubbornly.

Luke tried to keep an open mind about these things, and had patiently listened to Mara's claims, honestly wishing that _anything_ she was saying made sense at all; but the truth was, it simply didn't, and in the end Luke had confessed that he would feel safer relying on a more mainstream, statistically reliable method of birth control. It was then that Mara had angrily called him a 'Stupid-Math-Brain-Science-Head' - an insult which she had only grudgingly revoked after they had engaged in unprotected sex for the seventh time in two days.

_She's not going to like this,_ Luke confessed, eyeing the boxes of condoms unhappily. _But maybe if they were her favorite color..._ "Do you have green?" Luke asked the owner hopefully.

"Sure," the man said, pulling the box off the shelf with an air of boredom. "How many do you want?"

_Uh..._ Luke eyed the little box of green condoms doubtfully; there couldn't be more than twenty or thirty of them in there. _At the rate we're going, that won't last a week..._

"All of them," Luke told the man confidently, pulling out his electronic credit device.


	157. The SITH episode airs!

**Chapter 157**

_A few days later..._

"Well I'll be damned," Mace muttered softly to himself, grinning in fascination as he watched this week's episode of _SITH_ in his private quarters. "Greedo _did_shoot first."

_This is just like the Special Edition on Solaris Three,_ Mace realized, recalling his surprise years earlier, when the oldest of the _Star Wars_ films had been transferred into digital format.

The original movies - which had been accidentally intercepted decades ago, during a freak lightning storm - had been captured on film reels: an older technology, which did not translate particularly well from _SITH's_ three-dimensional holographic format.

But Mace had never realized just how much was missing from those original film reels, until many years later - with the advent of digital technology on Solaris Three. The Earthling director was in fact a pioneer of this new technology; but in the process of converting the _Star Wars_ films into digital format, he had been shocked to discover whole new objects cropping up all over the place: aliens, spaceships, explosions - even portions of the soundtrack, which had been missing from the original film version.

The Earthling director had been utterly baffled by these inexplicable new objects, and Mace had been forced to brainwash the poor man yet _again_ - convincing him that these changes had in fact been his own idea, and encouraging him to release the new version as a Special Edition collection.

_Yep... Greedo definitely shot first,_ Mace confirmed with a triumphant grin, replaying the scene now on his holo-monitor. The blaster fire had barely shown up at all in film format, and even the digital version had been somewhat unclear; but it was definitely there now, in all its three-dimensional glory._ Yoda owes me fifty credits,_ he laughed to himself, recalling the bet they had made years ago.

Master Yoda and the others were watching this evening's broadcast in the Jedi Temple's common lounge, as usual; but Mace had his reasons for wishing to be alone tonight. _Duke will be here soon,_ he realized, quelling his excitement as he glanced up at the clock. _I asked him to stop by at eight._

Earlier this afternoon, Duke Lightbringer, Mace and Janessa's firstborn son, had finally been granted the rank of Master, in an official ceremony before the Jedi Council. Duke was thirty-seven years old; it was an impressive achievement, bested in recent history only by Obi-Wan Kenobi, who had become a Master at thirty-five, and Mace himself, who had achieved the rank of Master at the age of twenty-eight, thanks to Yoda's expert tutelage.

_And Duke would have made Master a lot sooner, if it hadn't been for his own attachment issues,_ Mace admitted, grinning ruefully. The Council had almost granted him the rank five years ago, during his annual review; but Mace and Yoda had sensed Duke's hesitancy and conflict, and had reluctantly decided he needed more time.

Mace had quickly discovered the source of Duke's conflict: he'd tailed his son quietly to a small town in southern Naboo, where Duke had paid a visit to a lovely young woman and her newborn daughter; and Mace - being Mace - had immediately knocked on their door, apologizing for his intrusion but explaining that he needed Duke's advice on something.

Duke had masked his obvious panic, making up a rather lame excuse for his presence there; and after listening to the sad story of the abandoned woman and her fatherless child, Mace had praised Duke for his kindness, and had decided to become a personal mentor for the young girl himself. And so over the past five years, Mace had paid frequent visits to his daughter-in-law and granddaughter; Kari was now five years old, and had a little brother, Seth.

Mace had never confronted Duke on the subject, nor had his son confessed to his secret marriage. But Mace knew that Duke knew that _he_ knew; and that Duke_knew_ that he knew that he knew. _Damn, this is confusing..._ Still, as far as Mace could tell, none of his other six Jedi sons were involved in any romantic relationships.

Mace and Janessa had had seven sons together, all of whom had been sent to the Jedi Temple as infants. They had discussed the subject of birth control when they had first been married; but Janessa was ninth in a family of eleven children, and had been firmly against the idea, pointing out that she and her two younger siblings - including her favorite brother, the baby of the family - would never have been born, had her own parents chosen to use birth control.

And so they had left it to the will of the Force, agreeing that their sons would be sent to the Jedi Temple, where they could achieve their full potential, but that Janessa would raise any daughters they might have, as in those days girls had very little hope of being chosen as padawans.

As the Force willed it, Mace and Janessa had had seven sons in a row. Janessa had explained her multiple pregnancies by claiming to be a volunteer surrogate mother, helping women who were not able to carry their own children. It was a bizarre alibi, and most of Janessa's Earthling friends regarded her volunteer efforts with a mixture of respect and guarded confusion; but Janessa had been strong, insisting that she was happy to do it, and that it was no trouble at all handing the infants over to their true mothers, after carrying them for nine months.

Janessa herself had nearly given up hope of ever having a daughter, but finally they'd had a girl, whom Janessa had been raising in their Las Vegas home as a single mom. Tasha was sixteen now, and of course knew the truth about her family; in fact, she and Janessa had been spending their summer vacations on Naboo these past five years, renting a little cottage near Duke's home. Janessa had become fast friends with her daughter-in-law, Nyla, and Tasha was delighted to babysit Kari and Seth; Mace had visited them all frequently, under the pretense of checking up on his 'adopted' grandchildren, and in their own strange way, the Windu family had managed to remain close over the years.

_Though half of them don't know it,_ Mace chuckled in amusement. He and Janessa had been looking forward to this day for years, and Mace had been trying to rehearse what to say to his son tonight. "Duke," he said solemnly, practicing his speech. "_I_ am your father... Damn it," Mace broke off, laughing quietly. "No, I can't say that," he admitted, shaking his head. _Ahh, I've watched those Star Wars episodes too many times._

But now his heart skipped a beat as he heard a tentative knock on his door. _Duke..._ Switching off the holo, Mace went to the door to greet his son. "Master Lightbringer," he said, with a respectful nod. "Please, come in."

* * *

><p>"Master Windu," Duke said politely, desperately trying to mask his nerves. <em>Crap... What is this about?<em> Duke had suspected for years now that Master Windu had guessed about his secret marriage, and he had been panicking all afternoon, ever since Mace had asked him to stop by his private quarters this evening. _Is he finally going to bring it up?_

"Have a seat," Mace offered, gesturing to one of the chairs in his chamber as he sat across from him. Duke obediently sat down, managing a polite smile; Master Windu smiled back, which somehow Duke found even more disconcerting. "Congratulations, again," Mace said warmly. "A Master at thirty-seven... That's quite an accomplishment."

"Thank you, Master," Duke replied, nodding humbly. In truth, he hadn't expected to be granted the title today - or ever, for that matter - considering that Master Windu knew of his secret marriage. _He DOES know... Doesn't he?_ Duke wondered again, suddenly uncertain. The vote among the Council members had been unanimous today; even Master Windu had agreed to grant him the rank of Master. _Maybe he doesn't know, after all?_

"Thank you for coming by," Mace continued seriously. "Duke, there's something I need to talk to you about; and this might not be easy for you to hear," he confessed, looking down. _Yeah; he knows,_ Duke realized for certain now, his heart sinking. "Duke," Master Windu said quietly, looking into his eyes. "I - " Mace broke off, searching for words.

"I know, Master," Duke blurted out, cringing. _Might as well get this over with._ "I mean - I've guessed," he added, bowing his head humbly. "Master... Nyla is my wife, and Kari and Seth are our children," Duke confessed quietly; it felt good to finally get it off his chest. "You've known all along," he added, meeting the Jedi Master's gaze again. "Haven't you?"

Mace smiled, a wistful look in his eyes. "Yes," he admitted, gazing at Duke quietly. "They're beautiful children, Duke," he added gently; then he grinned, giving Duke a teasing look. "They take after their mother."

"Ha!" Duke laughed despite himself, nodding. "Yes, they do," he agreed. "Thank you, Master," he added quietly, giving him a look of sincere appreciation. "Master... You voted for my promotion today," Duke said, truly confused. "Why?"

Mace smiled regretfully. "Because you're not the first one to have done this," he told him. Duke nodded; he had guessed as much, from Master Windu's silence on the matter. _He checks up on us, but keeps it quiet..._ "I've got you beat, by about thirty-seven years," Mace added, with a rueful grin.

_What?_ Duke blinked in surprise. "Master... _You - ?_" he broke off, startled. "You're married?" Then he realized what Mace had said, and his heart began to race._Thirty-seven years..._

"Yes," Mace nodded, smiling gently. "I'm married," he told Duke. "My first son was born thirty-seven years ago; we named him after the priest who married us," Mace added cheerfully; then he looked down. "I brought him to the Jedi Temple, and left him on the steps, passed off as an orphan," he continued, as Duke gulped, fighting tears. "Duke... _I_ am your - " Mace broke off, shaking his head. "I love you," he choked softly, tears in his eyes. "I'm so proud of you," he whispered, smiling tenderly. "And so is your mother."

Duke tried to fight his own tears; but he failed, and a moment later he felt his father's arms around him, holding him tight. _I'm not an orphan after all..._ "My - my mother?" Duke asked, giving Mace a hopeful look.

His father smiled, patting him on the back. "Janessa," he told him, as Duke blinked in surprise, then broke into a happy grin. _Hey! I know her..._ Duke had always tried to keep a low profile in his own home, but he had met Janessa a few times before, when she had been visiting Nyla and the children. _She's really nice..._"And Tasha is your little sister."

"She is?" Duke smiled incredulously, tears in his eyes. "She's adorable," he blurted out, grinning happily.

"Yeah, she is," his father agreed, his dark eyes twinkling proudly. "And there's more," he continued; Duke listened in quiet amazement as Mace listed off the names of his six younger brothers, all Jedi Knights. But now he looked up in surprise, hearing the final name.

"Luke Skywalker?" Duke asked, grinning. _He's my little brother too?_ Luke had been famous since childhood, as he had acted on _SITH_ with Mace and his exiled band of Jedi padawans. He'd also been Mace's real-life padawan until his knighting a few months ago, and had often accompanied him on visits to Duke's home on Naboo.

"Yes," Mace nodded. "Master Yoda was against me training any of my own sons, but he relented when it came to the youngest," he told Duke, with an apologetic smile.

Duke smiled quietly, nodding; but then he blinked in surprise. "Master Yoda knows?"

Mace laughed softly. "Yes, he knows. He - " his father broke off, giving Duke a warning look. "This is not to be repeated," he cautioned him, as Duke nodded in agreement. "Yoda's married too," Mace said quietly. "To Master Yaddle; she's been living on Dagobah these past thirty years, with their son, Kermit," he explained.

"There are a few other Jedi who are married as well," Mace continued; Duke listened in fascination as his father told him about Qui-Gon Jinn, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin Skywalker, and Cory Suncatcher - who, oddly enough, was training his own son, who had turned out to be a Zabrak.

"Speaking of Cory," Mace said, his expression serious once again. "Duke, I'd like you to help him with an ongoing assignment he's been handling for the past fifteen years," he said, as Duke nodded agreeably. Then his father gave him a questioning look. "What do you know about Solaris Three?"

"Solaris Three?" Duke blinked, startled. "It's a mythical planet; it doesn't exist," he told Mace; then his brows furrowed doubtfully. "Does it?"

"Heh," Mace chuckled softly, an amused twinkle in his eyes. "Yeah, it exists all right," he told him gently. "You were born there," he added, with a wistful smile. "Duke... Solaris Three is our home planet."

Duke looked at him in surprise. "What?"

Mace grinned, standing up. "Come on," he said, patting Duke on the back. "Let's go visit your mother and sister," he proposed cheerfully, heading for the doorway. "I'll fill you in on the details on the way."


	158. The price of fame

**Chapter 158**

_The next morning..._

"Oh dear," Obi-Wan murmured, casting a commiserative glance back at Anakin as he and Luke left the cafeteria together. "Mara's not having a good day," he observed; they'd all been subjected to her angry green glare during breakfast, and she had barely spoken to anyone this morning. "Do you know what that's about?"

"Um..." Luke broke off vaguely, shrugging helplessly. _I can't answer that without lying..._ But thankfully Obi-Wan misinterpreted his apologetic look.

"Of course you don't," Obi-Wan realized, smiling sympathetically. "You've been far too busy studying lately... How is your report coming along?" he asked.

"Uh, I'm still working on the research," Luke admitted. "I've got a lot of notes, but I need to put them in order," he told Obi-Wan, trying to mask his guilt. _If I'd really been studying last night, instead of arguing with Mara, I'd have gotten it done by now._

"Not to worry," Obi-Wan assured him, his eyes twinkling. "You're doing well, Luke," he said encouragingly, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Though I think these late night study sessions are doing more harm than good," he added, concerned. "You look tired, Luke... When I said your time was best spent studying, I was referring to daytime, _not_ the middle of the night."

"Yes, Master; I know," Luke nodded. "You're right... I'm sorry," he said ruefully, wishing he had his Master's ability to function on only a few hours of sleep. _He's always going to the library in the middle of the night, or the Confessional chamber, or out for a walk... I don't know how he does it,_ Luke confessed.

Obi-Wan smiled good-naturedly. "Live and learn," he said, patting Luke on the back. "Now, we'll go over your notes together after my Council meeting, and see if we can't make sense of them," he offered, as they stopped by the elevator. "And no more of these midnight study sessions, young one," he added, in mock reproach.

Luke grinned sheepishly. "Yes, Master," he agreed, as Obi-Wan smiled cheerfully, stepping onto the elevator to go to his Council meeting; Luke gave him a respectful nod before continuing toward the library to work on his notes.

_Ahh... I don't know how Master Anakin does it either,_ Luke sighed wearily. _He goes to see Tessa just about every night, and he's studying to be a Master too... Although they probably don't fight all night long,_ Luke conceded ruefully; but now he stopped, an idea coming him.

_Coffee,_ Luke realized suddenly. Master Anakin was always running out to the little coffee shop down the street; he wasn't much of a tea drinker, and said that the coffee in the Jedi Temple cafeteria tasted like speeder fuel. Luke had never personally drunk speeder fuel, _or_ coffee for that matter, taking Master Anakin's word that it wasn't something he wanted to try. _But maybe it would help me to focus, and get this report finished...?_ Sighing, Luke turned back down the hallway, continuing toward the Temple's main entrance.

The last few nights had not been good. Mara had reacted to Luke's little green condoms with disgust and scorn, vehemently refusing to have anything to do with the offensive things. Luke had tried to reason with her, pointing out that they couldn't afford for her to get pregnant right now, and Mara had grudgingly agreed on that point; but they still hadn't been able to settle their differences over their preferred method of birth control.

_Why does it always have to be YOUR way?_ Mara had cried, frustrated. _Marriage is supposed to be an equal partnership; not the man telling the woman what to do,_ she had grumbled defensively. Mara had proposed that they use Luke's method _half_ the time - on the days that she was most likely to conceive - and rely on biorhythms during the "safe" periods; but Luke had found even this arrangement to be unacceptable.

_It's too risky,_ he had argued. _Mara, we can't afford for you to get pregnant._ But unfortunately this had spurred Mara into full-on argumentative mode. _Well maybe I WANT to get pregnant,_ she had retorted. _If it's the will of the Force... Maybe I wasn't supposed to be a Jedi,_ Mara had said, frustrated. _If we'd gone into the Agricultural Corps like you promised five years ago, we'd be out now, and free to do whatever we liked - be married, and have children... And we wouldn't be having any of these problems,_ Mara had grumbled.

_She's impossible to argue with,_ Luke sighed, heading down the steps of the Temple and continuing toward the coffee shop down the street. Logic simply didn't work with Mara; she took it as a personal assault, and would strike back with completely unrelated arguments, escalating their disagreement to _two_ topics rather than just the one. And so for the past three nights they had been locked in a stalemate, and hadn't had any sex at all.

_The honeymoon's over,_ Luke admitted sadly, heading into the coffee shop. _And it didn't even last a day, before we started fighting,_ he realized, hanging his head. _I must be the worst husband in the history of the galaxy._

But now he looked up in surprise, hearing his name. "Luke?" came a woman's voice, from the corner of the coffee shop. "Luke Starkiller? Oh my goodness!" Luke looked over at her, managing a friendly smile; but his mind was reeling as he tried to place the woman. _Do I know her?_ he wondered, drawing a complete blank. _Crap, who is she?_

"Hi," Luke said, masking his confusion as she and her friend came over to talk to him. "How are you?"

"Ahh!" the woman squealed ecstatically, as her friend giggled in excitement. "It's really you! I can't believe it! Can I get your autograph?" the woman asked, handing him one of the cafe's paper napkins and fumbling in her purse for a pen.

_Oh,_ Luke blinked, realizing what this was about. _She saw me on SITH last night..._ "Uh... Sure," he agreed cheerfully, signing her little paper napkin, then her friend's. _Haha... This is really weird..._ A couple of other people approached him, and Luke quickly found himself surrounded by _SITH_ fans, all asking questions about his involvement on the show.

"Are you going to be a regular now?" one of the customers asked hopefully.

"Uh, no," Luke said, grinning. "It was just the one time."

"What about Leia Amidala, and Han Solo? Will they be back?" another woman asked.

"I don't know," Luke said, smiling apologetically. _Probably not..._

"Is it true, what the _Galactic Enquirer_ says?" a third woman asked uncertainly.

"Heh," Luke laughed, amused. "I don't know; what does it say?" _This should be interesting..._ The woman handed him her copy of this morning's _Galactic Enquirer,_ and Luke blinked in surprise, seeing his picture on the cover, along with Leia, Padmé, and Darth Vader.

_SHOCKING FAMILY SECRET REVEALED!_ the headline read, as Luke shook his head in rueful amusement. _Luke Starkiller is actually the son of Padmé Amidala and Anakin Skywalker, and is the long-lost Prince of Naboo!_

Luke laughed out loud, grinning from ear to ear. _I'm the Prince of Naboo? Cool..._ He read the rest of the article in fascination, learning about how he had been secretly brought to the Jedi Temple as an infant, and that he and Leia were actually long-lost twins, the love children of Padmé Amidala and Darth Vader. _Haha! This is funny..._

"So?" the woman asked again. "Is it true?"

"Ha," Luke laughed again. "No," he assured her, handing the paper back to her. _Ah, what'll they think up next...?_ "You should know better than to believe everything you read in this thing," he added, with a good-natured grin.

"What can I get you, Luke?" the girl behind the counter asked now.

"Oh! Uh..." Luke blinked uncertainly at the menu on the wall, overwhelmed by the number of choices. _This is even more confusing than shopping for condoms..._ "Just a regular coffee," he said, deciding to keep it simple.

"Sure," the girl said cheerfully, pouring him a cup. "Here you go; it's on the house," she insisted with a shy smile, handing it to him.

"Oh! Thank you," Luke said, smiling appreciatively. _It's nice being famous... And the Prince of Naboo,_ he grinned to himself in amusement, saying goodbye to the other customers as he left the coffee shop and headed back to the Temple. _Wait 'til Mara hears this one..._ But then he sighed unhappily, remembering their argument.

_Ahh... What am I going to say to her?_ Luke wondered again dejectedly, taking a sip of his coffee; then he cringed in disgust at the bitter taste. _Ugh,_ Luke winced, managing to swallow it, and feeling a slight burning sensation in his stomach. _How does Master Anakin drink this stuff?_ He took another tentative sip, and it wasn't much better; but he could feel the jolt to his system, as his senses were suddenly on heightened alert.

_Whoa... That's kind of weird,_ Luke admitted, not certain he liked the feeling. But he had to confess that he felt more awake, and managed a few more sips as he made his way back to the Temple. _Okay; that's enough for now,_ Luke decided, tossing the rest of his coffee in a trash can before heading up the Temple steps. _That stuff's stronger than I realized,_ he admitted, resolving to learn more about the effects of caffeine on midichlorian activity before trying coffee again. _Just because Master Anakin drinks it all the time doesn't mean that it's necessarily a good idea,_ Luke confessed with a rueful grin, continuing through the Temple hallways toward the library.

But as Luke sat down on a padded bench by the window, switching on his datapad and trying to make sense of his notes, he had to admit that he felt more alert, and better able to concentrate. _Here we go..._ Luke focused intently on his datapad, organizing his notes and finally beginning to write his report.

He was so engrossed in his typing that he didn't notice Obi-Wan until he spoke. "Hello there," his former Master said cheerfully, taking a seat beside him. _Ahh!_ Luke jumped slightly, startled; then he grinned, seeing the amused glimmer in Obi-Wan's eyes. "How's it coming along?" Obi-Wan asked, curious.

"Oh... Good," Luke told him, nodding. "I managed to figure out what I was doing; I've gotten a few pages written," he said, showing his datapad to Obi-Wan.

"Excellent work," Obi-Wan nodded approvingly, reading over his report. "This is coming along nicely, Luke," he told him, with a proud smile.

"Thank you, Master," Luke said; then he laughed quietly. "And it's _Prince_ Luke," he corrected Obi-Wan, grinning impishly.

"What?" Obi-Wan frowned in confusion.

"It says so in the _Galactic Enquirer,_" Luke informed him importantly. "I'm the long-lost Prince of Naboo, and the love-child of Anakin and Padmé; Leia's my twin sister," he told Obi-Wan.

"Oh dear," Obi-Wan said, his brows furrowing.

"No kidding," Luke said, grinning; but then his grin faded as he sensed Obi-Wan's genuine concern. _Ahh! Not good,_ Luke realized suddenly, understanding his Master's anxiety. _Master Anakin really IS married..._

But Obi-Wan quickly regained his composure, laughing quietly. "What will they come out with next?" he asked, with an amused smile. "Ah, I have to confess, I'm a bit jealous," he added, feigning dismay. "Last I knew, _I_ was dating Padmé," Obi-Wan told Luke, his eyes twinkling mischievously.

Luke grinned, surprised. "You?"

"Yes," Obi-Wan nodded. "She and I were secret lovers; we used to go to the opera together... Ah, those were good times," Obi-Wan sighed, with a wistful smile. "And before that..." He broke off, giving Luke a conspiratorial look. "Can you keep a secret?"

"Of course," Luke promised solemnly, masking his amusement.

"Very well; come, then," Obi-Wan said, getting up from the bench and leading the way to one of the library's computer terminals. "Ah; here it is," he said a moment later, bringing up an old issue of the _Galactic Enquirer._ "The truth, at last," Obi-Wan declared, showing Luke the article.

"No," Luke laughed, seeing the picture of Obi-Wan clinging to Anakin - who was wearing only his undershorts, his naked body glistening with some kind of viscous substance. Then he read the article, and giggled. "Master... I had no idea," he said, giving Obi-Wan a shocked look. "You and Master Anakin...?"

"Yes, there you have it," Obi-Wan confessed, his eyes twinkling with humor. Luke grinned, listening with sincere curiosity and amusement as Obi-Wan told him about their mishap on Cato Neimoidia; but he quietly realized what his Master was trying to do. _He's showing me all this crazy stuff to throw me off from the truth,_ Luke sensed. _This latest article hit too close to the mark,_ Luke admitted, hoping that it would quickly blow over, and that Master Anakin wouldn't come under public scrutiny.

But as Luke returned to his studies, sitting on the padded bench and switching on his datapad again, another thought occurred to him. _Master Anakin isn't the only one affected by that article,_ Luke realized, his heart sinking. _This has got to be hard on Padmé and Leia as well,_ he confessed, admitting that it really wasn't a laughing matter at all.

* * *

><p>"I'm sorry, Leia," Julian said gently, as they ate lunch together in a little restaurant near the Senate hall. Dorian had gone home for lunch with Kyra, but not before regretfully showing them the article that he had discovered in this morning's <em>Galactic Enquirer.<em> "You know nobody believes that stuff," Julian offered sympathetically.

"I know," Leia nodded, managing a brave smile; but Julian could tell she was dismayed by the article, and realized that it was a sensitive subject. _She's never spoken to me about her father,_ Julian admitted regretfully, wondering when Leia would get around to telling him about Typho. _Does she not trust me?_

"Anyway," Julian said with a cheerful grin, trying to lighten the mood. "It's obvious it's not true," he pointed out, giving Leia a knowing look as he took a bite of his salad.

"Oh?" Leia peered at him questioningly, not following.

"Anakin Skywalker," Julian said quietly, keeping his voice low. "It's obvious he's... _You know,_" he told Leia.

"He's what?" Leia's brows furrowed in confusion.

Julian blinked, surprised. _She hasn't picked up on it?_ Leia had known Anakin a lot longer than Julian had; but then again, Skywalker hadn't asked _her_ to the ballet. "I'm pretty sure he's gay," Julian said quietly, though he kept his tone respectful. "I mean, if Jedi were one way or the other," he added quickly, seeing Leia's obvious disturbance at the idea.

"What?" Leia asked, blinking in shocked horror.

"No, I'm not saying he _is_ gay," Julian reassured her. "He's a Jedi; obviously that's not even a fair judgment to make," he conceded respectfully. "But look at the way he dresses," Julian pointed out gently. "The black leather... And those boots are like something you'd see in the red light district," he confessed. "Not that I ever go there," Julian added quickly, as Leia shot him an accusatory look. "I swear," he promised, with an apologetic grin. "But I mean, really," Julian continued seriously. "Why do you think he took a female padawan?" he asked her, with a meaningful look. "It's obvious he doesn't feel comfortable around boys."

Leia blinked, profoundly disturbed by this revelation. "Well... He could have had other reasons," she argued helplessly, not wanting to accept Julian's assessment of the black-clad Jedi.

"Yes; you're right," Julian conceded, smiling gently. _Ah, I shouldn't have said that..._ "Forgive me, Milady."

"No, it's all right," Leia assured him. "I just... I've never thought of him that way," she confessed.

"Well I hope I haven't scarred you for life," Julian apologized with an impish smile, still trying to lighten the mood. _Ah, I wish Dorian were here; he'd know how to cheer her up..._

"No; of course not," Leia laughed, though she looked down at her salad uncomfortably; she was pushing it around absently with her fork, her appetite suddenly gone. _Crap, I just keep making this worse,_ Julian realized unhappily. He knew that from a political standpoint, Leia was a supporter of equal rights for homosexuals; but that didn't necessarily mean she was comfortable with the idea of one of her personal friends being gay. _Okay, I'll never bring THAT up again..._

But now Julian sighed quietly, remembering the other topic he needed to talk to her about. "Speaking of awkward subjects," he said, managing a rueful smile. "Leia... I assume you've been following the news from Alderaan these past few months?" Julian asked gently, giving her an apologetic look.

Leia nodded quietly. "Yes," she admitted, with a nervous smile. Leia and Julian had only been dating for two months, and it was far too soon to even think of engagement, let alone marriage; yet the entire planet of Alderaan already considered Leia their future queen. It had also been reported that Princess Ariel was bitter about being passed over for the crown herself, and that she and Julian - once close friends - were no longer on speaking terms.

"Leia... I have to go there this weekend," Julian told her quietly. It had been three months since he'd visited Alderaan, and as much as he dreaded the prospect of having to face Ariel, he confessed that he could not put it off any longer. _I need to talk to her,_ he admitted regretfully. _She deserves at least that much._ "It will only be a short visit," Julian continued. "I'm expected for dinner at the royal palace Saturday evening, and I'll be returning Sunday morning," he explained; then he gave Leia a hopeful, questioning look. "Would you like to come with me?"

"Oh..." Leia blinked, caught off guard; but then she nodded bravely. "Of course," she assured Julian. "Sorry," she added, with an apologetic smile. "I'm just a little nervous," she confessed.

"I know," Julian said gently. "So am I," he admitted, as they shared a commiserative smile. "And I understand if you don't want to come, but - " he broke off, giving her a pleading look. "Leia, I would feel a lot less awkward if you were there with me," Julian admitted truthfully. _And it would be easier to say what I have to say to Ariel, with you there..._

Leia smiled, her brown eyes filled with warmth and reassurance. "Of course I'll come," she promised; Leia had an uncanny ability to sense Julian's feelings, and he was grateful for her sympathy right now. "Don't worry, Julian," she said, reaching across the table and and squeezing his hand encouragingly. "It will be all right."

"Thank you, Milady," Julian said shyly, gazing into her eyes with sincere gratitude.

* * *

><p><em>Hahaha,<em> Jabba laughed in deep amusement, reading the latest edition of the _Galactic Enquirer_. _Padmé and Ani... Ahh, I wish it were true,_ he sighed dreamily; it was because of their touching, brilliantly-scripted romantic scenes together that Jabba had first fallen in love with _JEDI_ years ago.

_But there's nothing to it, of course,_ Jabba knew, tossing the _Galactic Enquirer_ aside with a final amused chuckle. After all, Jabba himself had written their most famous love scene ever: _Hold me, like you did by the lake on Naboo..._ Jabba sighed wistfully, recalling the lovely sound of Padmé's voice as she had recited his poetry to Skywalker, so long ago.

_Ahh..._ Jabba sighed again, turning his attention back to his computer. _I hope Owen Lars approves my request for access to the SITH fan site._ The director had made no specific promises during his recent visit to Mos Eisley, and Jabba had decided it best not to push the issue, lest he come across as even _more_ of a 'troll'; he had written Lars another polite message asking to have his posting access reinstated, but for now he could only hope, and wait.

In the meantime, however, Jabba had taken another approach, and just yesterday he had set up his own HoloNet site: The Official Jabba The Hutt Fan Site, where fans could read about his involvement on the show, view behind-the-scenes pictures, request autographs, and chat with each other on his official message board.

_Let's see if anyone has visited..._ Jabba logged on to the site now, checking for new messages. _Ohhhh..._ His eyes widened in excitement as he saw that he had eight visitors already, in just the first twenty-four hours... _Let's see what they have to say,_ Jabba thought cheerfully, smiling in delight.

_"Hahahahaha!"_ the first message read. _"Is this a joke?"_

Jabba frowned, uncertain what to make of the message; then he read the next one. _"Haha! A fan site for the big slimy blob,"_ the second visitor had written.

_What?_ Jabba blinked, hurt and confused. _I'm not slimy..._ He reached absently for his food dish, picking up a snack-critter and munching on it anxiously as he read through the rest of the messages. _They didn't like my performance?_ He reached for another critter, then another; and soon his snack bowl was empty.

_Ohh,_ Jabba sighed, looking down at his bowl unhappily. _My therapist was right: I DO eat when I'm upset,_ he confessed, suddenly wishing he hadn't fed the man to the Rancor years ago. _I could use his advice right now,_ Jabba admitted. Business was not going well lately, and Jabba had been suffering from terrible anxiety; it didn't help that Han had come back from Yavin IV last week with only ten thousand credits, rather than the fifteen he had promised.

But now another message appeared on his fan site; Jabba frowned doubtfully, but clicked on it, his curiosity getting the better of him. _"Dear Jabba,"_ the latest visitor had written. _"I'm so happy you have an official fan site now! I love your poetry, it's so beautiful; I keep your book under my pillow! I'm absolutely in awe of your talents..."_

Jabba blinked, a big smile crossing his face as he continued to read. _"I thought your performance on the latest SITH episode was brilliant,"_ the message continued. _"Don't listen to what some of the people have said here; they obviously don't know anything about acting,"_ the visitor promised him. _"Jabba, you are noble and wise, and utterly magnificent. Thank you for making this fan site. I will definitely be a regular visitor! Sincerely, Tiffany xoxox"_

_Ohhhhh?_ Jabba smiled, wiping a tear from his eye. _She loves me..._ It had been so long since anyone had said such sweet words to him; Jabba's heart melted as he read Tiffany's message, again and again... And again... Then, sighing happily, he clicked on the Reply button, responding to her note.

_"Dear Tiffany,"_ Jabba wrote, smiling tenderly. _"Thank you for visiting my fan site. I am glad you enjoyed my latest performance, as well as my poetry book,"_ he continued, his heart fluttering; then he blinked thoughtfully, an idea occurring to him. _"I hope that you will visit again soon,"_ he added. _"I am thinking of writing some new poetry, exclusively for the fans on my site,"_ Jabba told her; it had been quite some time since the muse had inspired him to write love poems, but he was suddenly feeling in the mood again.

_"Thank you again for your message; and may happiness blaze upon your existence, like the twin suns of Tatooine,"_ he finished, feeling his poetic muse flowing through him once again. _"Sincerely, Jabba the Hutt."_ Then, with a fond smile, he typed _"xoxox"_ after his signature, before sending the reply.

_Ahh... I'm glad I made this fan site,_ Jabba decided, smiling happily. _This is fun._ Then, recalling Tiffany's words, he frowned indignantly, reading back through the previous messages. _Tiffany is right,_ Jabba realized, scowling angrily as he deleted the offensive comments, one by one. _These people are all trolls._


	159. Nerfs, Shaaks, and Goats

**Chapter 159**

_A few days later..._

Han sighed wearily, flopping onto his bed aboard the _Millennium Falcon._ It had been a long day. He was supposed to have delivered twenty cases of death sticks to one of Jabba's customers on Kiffu, then pick up another shipment to bring back here to Mos Eisley; but his contact on Kiffu hadn't shown up for the transaction, and so now Han would have to make _two_ deliveries tomorrow, on opposite sides of the galaxy.

_Sleep... I need sleep..._ Han still hadn't paid Jabba back the fifteen thousand - plus interest - that he owed him from two weeks ago; and on top of working insanely long hours, he had been suffering from nightmares of what the Hutt would do to him if he didn't pay him back soon. Over the past few nights, Han had dreamt of being devoured by the Rancor, licked to death by the Sarlaac, and - worst of all - forced to dance before Jabba wearing only a skimpy gold bikini.

Even more unsettling was the fact that in reality, Jabba had not threatened to do any of those things to him. He had simply yelled at Han, demanding that he "fix" things immediately and find the money somehow. _He must really be in trouble, if he can't afford to waste time punishing me,_ Han realized worriedly. For the past several months he had been hearing rumors that Gardulla was threatening to take over Jabba's operations on Tatooine, but Han had never taken the rumors seriously.

_Maybe there's something to them?_ he wondered now, concerned. _That would be bad,_ Han admitted, recalling his conversation with Anakin Skywalker last week.

_Ugh,_ Han sighed, rolling over in bed and pulling his pillow over his head. _I have to stop thinking about these things..._ In addition to his chat with Skywalker, Mace Windu had paid him a visit a few days ago; now Han felt like he was walking a tightrope between trying to keep Jabba afloat, his father alive, and convince the Jedi that he really _wasn't_ going to leak information about Solaris Three to the Hutts.

_I wish Lando had never told me about any of that stuff,_ Han sighed unhappily, trying to drift off to sleep. _It's not like I need my life to be any more complicated than it already is._

_Okay... Sleep,_ Han reminded himself, closing his eyes. _One Nerf... Two Nerfs... Three Nerfs... Four Nerfs..._

* * *

><p><em>Finally,<em> Leia sighed, closing her eyes in exhaustion as she lay down in her guest bed at the Alderaanian royal palace. _I thought that play would never end._ She and Julian had arrived on Alderaan earlier this evening, just in time for a formal dinner with King Bail, Queen Breha, and Princess Ariel; their dinner had been stressful enough, but then they had been forced to sit through a five-hour performance of _Kiran and Teleria,_ a tragic play in seventeen acts by the classic Alderaanian poet, Telzykk.

_That has to be the most screwed-up play I've ever seen in my life,_ Leia confessed, truly disturbed by the story. It was about two young lovers who had been torn apart by the horrifying discovery that they were in fact brother and sister, separated at birth. Julian had told Leia about the classic tragedy a few weeks ago, as parts of it had been the inspiration for Luke and Leia's storyline on _SITH_; but she hadn't realized how utterly bizarre - and long, and boring - the original play was, until tonight.

_Why did Bail make us watch that?_ Leia wondered again worriedly. _Does he know?_ Bail had always been a close friend of Padmé; did he suspect that what the _Galactic Enquirer_ had printed was true, and that Luke and Leia were actually brother and sister? _No,_ Leia chided herself, pushing the thought from her mind. _He doesn't know; it's just my conscience overreacting,_ she admitted.

_At least it's over,_ Leia told herself optimistically. She and Julian would be returning to Coruscant tomorrow morning after breakfast, and Leia was grateful that their visit to the royal palace had gone well, at least on the surface. She had smiled graciously throughout their dinner, as had Princess Ariel; but Leia had felt Ariel's deep bitterness and resentment, beneath her pleasant smile.

_Poor Julian,_ Leia sighed; she had just said goodnight to him a minute ago, and had sensed once again his profound dismay at the situation. _He didn't ask to be the last of the Organa bloodline, or have the fate of an entire planet resting on his shoulders._ Julian was technically only half royal, since his mother had been a commoner before she married Prince Leif; but thanks to the ambiguous wording of the ancient planetary law, Julian was qualified to become King of Alderaan as long as he married a royal princess himself.

_Not that I'm royal by blood,_ Leia confessed; but in this case, that was a very good thing. The Organa family, like nearly every other royal family in the galaxy, had its fair share of Solo blood, thanks to centuries of intermarriage; so in order for Julian to ensure that his children would escape the Solo curse, it was safest if he married someone with absolutely no Solo blood in her lineage. And at this moment in time, Leia Amidala happened to be the only eligible female in the entire galaxy who qualified as being both royal _and_ free of Solo genes.

_It's not exactly romantic,_ Leia admitted, though the people of Alderaan seemed to think so. They saw Leia as their heroine and savior, destined by fate to marry Prince Julian and continue the Organa bloodline. But Leia herself felt the exact opposite about their circumstances. _It almost doesn't matter whether we truly love each other or not,_ she confessed unhappily. _I'd marry Julian even if I hated him, given the political situation._

The disturbing reality was that if Julian failed to produce an heir of royal blood, Alderaan's crown would then pass on to Gorlan Organa, Julian's distant older cousin. Gorlan was the so-called Duke of Tirolia, Alderaan's famous picturesque alpine region, though he had no official legal authority; but Gorlan - frustrated by his lack of power - had rallied many of Alderaan's lesser nobles to his cause, promising to reinstate their authority if he became King.

_It will be feudalism, all over again,_ Leia realized unhappily. In the old days, Alderaan had been made up of hundreds of smaller countries, each ruled by its own local Duke or Count; these overlords had the authority to impose taxes on their people, living in luxury and growing ever richer, while the commoners grew poorer and poorer. It was King Liam Organa I who had put an end to the feudal system eight centuries ago, and since then Alderaan had become a shining example of economic prosperity for the rest of the galaxy, a beacon of hope for smaller, less advanced planets such as Naboo.

_But if Gorlan comes to power, that will all be thrown away,_ Leia knew. _And the people of Alderaan will be cast into indentured servitude._ It wasn't technically slavery, and thus the Republic would be forced to allow it, but it would be a huge step backwards in human rights - an issue which both Leia and Julian held dear to their hearts.

_I'd marry Julian, even if he were the biggest jerk in the galaxy,_ Leia admitted ruefully. _If it would save billions of people from suffering that fate..._ Thankfully, Julian _wasn't_ the biggest jerk in the galaxy, and was in fact a very nice person; but still, the fact that Leia felt obligated to marry him for political reasons put an additional strain on their relationship.

_Julian isn't stupid,_ Leia realized. _He knows he has to marry me, if he wants what's best for his people._ And Julian truly was a kind-hearted, intelligent, handsome, genuinely fun person; if it weren't for his unfortunate political situation, Leia would be thrilled and honored to be the object of his affection. But as it was, deep down she couldn't help wondering if he was only dating her out of necessity, rather than true love.

_He cares for me,_ Leia reminded herself stubbornly, trusting her feelings. _Just as I care for him..._ Still, she had always felt an underlying sense of guilt in Julian, and a complete lack of physical attraction, such as she had felt with - _No. Don't go there._ Leia sighed wearily, turning over in her bed and laying her head against the satin pillow.

_It doesn't matter, in the end,_ Leia told herself once again. _Julian needs me; and more importantly, the people of Alderaan need me,_ she confessed. _I won't let them down. I'll marry Julian, and we'll make it work... We'll learn to love each other, and we'll live happily ever after..._

But as she drifted off to sleep, Leia felt a familiar aching in her heart, and her thoughts turned to her own home planet of Naboo, with its beautiful lake country and gentle, rolling meadows filled with wildflowers...

_One Shaak,_ Leia counted, smiling wistfully as she pushed her other thoughts aside. _Two Shaaks... Three Shaaks..._

* * *

><p><em>One goat,<em> Ariel sniffed, choking back her tears as she tried to fall asleep. _Two goats... Three goats... Ohhh, this isn't working,_ she cried, her heart aching terribly.

_He barely even looked at me,_ Ariel sobbed, dismayed by Julian's attitude of complete indifference toward her this evening. _He smiled, and was polite and courteous, but only because he had to be,_ she confessed. _And SHE was there with him, the whole time..._

_I hate her,_ Ariel decided bitterly. _She hasn't changed at all..._ Ariel had only met Leia once before, when they were both five years old. Her father - who was Senator at the time - had taken Ariel on her first (and only) visit to Coruscant. Ariel had been overwhelmed and frightened by the huge, sprawling urban planet, and had been grateful when her father had brought her to visit another little girl named Leia; the two of them had colored pictures together as their parents chatted in Padmé's living room, but it hadn't been long before Leia started bossing Ariel around, telling her she was using the wrong colors and scribbling outside the lines. The visit had ended in hair-pulling and name-calling, and Ariel had been grateful that her father never tried to bring her along on business trips to Coruscant again.

_She's a control freak,_ Ariel realized, scowling. _Being born a princess wasn't enough for her; she had to be queen too... And now she wants to take over Alderaan..._ But then Ariel sighed regretfully, sniffing back her tears. _Better her than Gorlan,_ Ariel confessed. As much as she personally detested Leia, Ariel was grateful that she at least shared Julian's political ideals, and that the people of Alderaan would be safe under their rule.

_I may not like it,_ Ariel admitted unhappily. _But it's the best thing for our people..._ Still, her heart ached as she thought of Julian again. _Does he really love her?_ she wondered, tears filling her eyes. _He barely even looked at me tonight..._ And now Ariel felt stupid for the childish stunt she had pulled, convincing her father to arrange a five-hour performance of _Kiran and Teleria_ for their guests this evening.

_It really IS a boring play,_ Ariel confessed. _And depressing,_ she admitted. _But it's OUR play..._ Ariel and Julian had read it together for school when they were younger, and despite its melancholy dullness, they had identified with the tragic young heroes who had fallen deeply in love with each other, only to find out that they were brother and sister, and that their relationship was forbidden. _It's the same for Julian and me... or at least, it WAS,_ Ariel sniffed sadly.

But now she lifted her head, hearing a faint tapping sound outside her bedroom door. "Ariel," came a hushed whisper. "Ariel, it's me... Please, open the door..."

_Julian..._ Instantly Ariel was on her feet, tears blinding her vision as she padded quietly over to the door to let him in. "Julian," she choked tearfully, laying her head against his chest as she felt his strong arms around her, holding her close. _I love you..._

"Ariel," Julian whispered, stroking her silky black hair and kissing her lovingly on the forehead. "Oh, Ariel... I've missed you," he cried softly. "I'm so sorry..."

"I've missed you too," Ariel sobbed quietly, burying her face in his soft velvet cape.

"Shh," Julian whispered, stroking her back consolingly. "I'm sorry, Ariel," he said again, looking into her eyes; Ariel met his gaze, and saw the sadness and longing in his own beautiful brown eyes. "How have you been?" he asked, managing a tender smile as he gently brushed a tear from her cheek.

_Horrible..._ "Okay," Ariel said bravely, not wanting to worry him. "How about you?"

"All right," Julian said, smiling apologetically. "Aside from nearly dying of boredom tonight," he added, giving Ariel a reproachful look. "If you were trying to torture me - congratulations; it worked," Julian assured her.

Ariel laughed despite herself, seeing the amused twinkle in his eyes. "I know," she giggled ruefully. "It was really boring... And awful," she agreed, holding Julian's hands tenderly. "I'm sorry..."

"Hmm." Julian laughed softly; there was look of tender longing in his eyes as he gazed at her, smiling wistfully. "I love you, Ariel," he whispered, kissing her on the forehead again. "I always have, and I always will," he promised gently. "And I'm sorry for being such a moron," he sighed, shaking his head. "I've just - "

Ariel stopped him, pressing a finger to his lips. "Shh," she whispered, smiling lovingly. "It's all right," she assured him, as they shared a look of sympathy and understanding, holding each other's hands.

"Ariel... We're the Prince and Princess of Alderaan," Julian reminded her, his eyes filled with loving affection. "We have a duty to our people," he told her regretfully.

"I know." Ariel nodded, smiling up at him tearfully.

"Leia's a good person, Ariel," Julian continued, still holding her hands. "I'm going to ask her to marry me one day," he told her gently, as Ariel nodded in quiet understanding. "And I will be faithful to her, and a good husband," Julian added, giving Ariel an apologetic look. "But... Please, Ariel," he said, gazing into her eyes lovingly. "Let's always be friends," he begged, whispering. "I couldn't bear to not have you in my life."

Ariel smiled tearfully, nodding. "Of course," she whispered, squeezing his hands reassuringly. They gazed into each other's eyes for a moment; and then, gently, Julian leaned closer, kissing her softly on the lips. Ariel closed her eyes, treasuring this last moment of sweet, exquisite tenderness; but then it was over, and they smiled tearfully, letting go.

"Goodnight, Ariel," Julian said softly, with a tender smile. "I'll see you in the morning?"

"Yes," Ariel promised, smiling lovingly. _And I'll try to talk to Leia, and be friends with her,_ she resolved bravely. _We'll make this work, somehow..._ "Goodnight, Julian."

Julian smiled gratefully, his dark eyes full of love and admiration; then, with a respectful nod, he turned, leaving her chamber as quietly as he had come.

* * *

><p><em>Meanwhile, in Dreamland...<em>

"Ugh," Julian grunted, trying to shove a large bag of garbage into the chute. "It won't fit... Is there a trick to this?" he asked Leia uncertainly.

"Yes," Leia told him, smiling tenderly. "Here; this is how I usually do it," she showed him, casually pulling out her Stormtrooper-issue blaster rifle and shooting out the grating. "There we go," Leia said cheerfully, tossing the trash bag inside; but suddenly she felt herself falling after it... "Julian, help!" she gasped, landing amidst the garbage. _I'm sinking..._

But then she felt strong arms around her, lifting her to safety; Leia smiled in blissful gratitude, closing her eyes as she felt his gentle hands caressing her so tenderly... "Oh, Julian," she whispered, feeling a sweet, tantalizing, yearning sensation deep inside as they shared a passionate kiss. "I DO love you..."

"I know," Julian said breathlessly, groping her amorously. "Your Worshipfulness..." _WHAT?_ Leia opened her eyes, staring in shock as she found herself face-to-face with -

_Ohhhhh,_ Leia sighed unhappily, waking from her dream. _Not again..._ She'd been having these dreams for over a week now, and they always left her feeling unsettled; dirty, and somehow guilty... _It's not my fault,_ she told herself with stubborn annoyance, trying to push aside the disturbing images as she closed her eyes again. _One Shaak... Two Shaaks... Three Shaaks..._

* * *

><p><em>Five hundred and eighty-two Nerfs... Five hundred and eighty-three Nerfs... Ahh,<em> Han sighed miserably, shaking his head in defeat as he sat up in bed. _Who am I kidding,_ he admitted, pulling on his boots and vest jacket, then buckling his holster around his waist as he headed for the bedroom door. _I'm never gonna get to sleep that way..._

He could hear muffled snoring sounds coming from Chewie's bedroom, and sighed gratefully as he continued toward the _Falcon's_ exit, lowering the ramp. _I don't need his lectures right now..._ Han had counted thousands of Nerfs over the past week, to no avail; but there was one thing that was guaranteed to knock him out. _I need a Tatooine Sunset,_ Han decided, climbing down the _Falcon's_ ramp and continuing on toward the nearest nightclub.

Chewbacca sternly disapproved of Han's midnight drinking ventures, which had admittedly become more frequent lately. _But Chewie ain't the one having these stupid dreams,_ he grumbled, continuing through the dimly-lit streets. When he wasn't suffering from insomnia, Han had been plagued by nightmares lately; and when he didn't awaken in terror after being fed to one of Jabba's pets, his dreams continued on to whole new levels of torture.

_"Han!"_ Dream-Leia would yell urgently, suddenly appearing from out of nowhere to save him from certain death. _"This way!"_ Dream-Leia would then blast a hole in the nearby grating with her trusty Stormtrooper rifle, and they would escape together down the garbage chute to safety. Then, once the danger was past, they would share a tender kiss, and Han would close his eyes for a moment, basking in Leia's warm, passionate embrace.

But when he opened his eyes, Han would suddenly find himself surrounded by disapproving glares: Mara Jade's scornful green gaze, along with Luke's cold blue one; Julian Organa's righteous outrage, and Dorian's sad regret; even Anakin Skywalker and Mace Windu would be there, giving Han a look of stern warning. And then he would let go of Leia, hanging his head and returning to Jabba's audience chamber to begin his punishment all over again.

_But not tonight,_ Han resolved stubbornly, heading into the nightclub. _Tonight, I will sleep the dreamless sleep of the severely inebriated._ The beauty of a Tatooine Sunset - or the danger, as Chewie put it - was that it was a mixture of the exact _wrong_ kinds of drinks, and had a tendency to cause blackouts. _I won't have to lie to Chewie about this tomorrow,_ Han reassured himself, taking a seat at the bar. _Because I ain't even gonna remember being here._

"Tatooine Sunset," Han said casually, as the bartender nodded, fixing his drink. But then he looked up in mild surprise, hearing his name.

"Hi, Han," came a soft, seductive voice behind him, as Han turned to see a voluptuous blonde girl, wearing a lot of makeup and not a lot of clothes. "I saw you on the Holo the other night," she added with an alluring smile, wrapping her arms around his neck as she took a seat next to him.

"Good for you," Han replied indifferently, shrugging the girl away. "Thanks," he added to the bartender, as the man set his drink in front of him.

"I'm Kandi," the blonde girl continued, getting up from her seat again and slowly massaging Han's neck and shoulders. "I'm a massage therapist."

_Congratulations..._ "That's nice," Han said equably, reaching for his drink; but Kandi stopped him, putting her hand over the glass.

"You know," she said with a suggestive smile. "There are better ways of ending a bad day," Kandi murmured, running a hand down his chest.

"Yeah... I can't think of any," Han countered cynically, wriggling away from her groping hands and managing to take a sip of his drink. _And even if I wanted to, it wouldn't be with you,_ he sighed, hoping she would get the hint and leave him alone.

But Kandi just giggled, continuing her seductive ministrations. "I'll tell you what," she murmured, tracing a finger along the red stripe on his pants. "Give me fifteen minutes in the back room," Kandi offered, glancing toward the dimly-lit hallway at the back of the night club. "And if you're not completely satisfied," she added softly. "I'll buy you another drink," she promised, nibbling playfully at his ear.

"Sorry," Han said, shrugging away from her. "I ain't interested."

At this, Kandi smiled mischievously. "That's because you don't know what you're missing out on," she told him, reaching beneath the counter and caressing his inner thigh.

_Ahh..._ Han sighed unhappily, taking a sip of his drink. _She has a point,_ he confessed, once again painfully aware of the fact that he was the only twenty-eight-year-old virgin on the Outer Rim. _I've got no idea what I'm missing out on._

But now a thought came to him, and he reconsidered. _Leia managed to get me to stop thinking about Victoria,_ Han admitted, realizing that his bitterness over her betrayal had already dulled considerably. _Maybe Kandi will get me to stop thinking about Leia,_ he reasoned. _And at any rate, it's time to put an end to this twenty-eight-year-old virgin curse, once and for all..._

"All right," Han nodded casually, setting his Tatooine Sunset back down on the counter, along with a few credits for the bartender. "You're on," he agreed, getting up from his bar stool and following Kandi toward the back room.

But five minutes later - unable to get Leia out of his mind, and feeling vaguely sickened by Kandi's attempts to seduce him - Han stormed out of the back room, continuing past the bar and out onto the street. "Hey!" Kandi called after him, giggling. "Your drink!"

"No thanks," Han grumbled, making his way back to the _Falcon_.

But as he returned to his room and flopped onto his bed, Han sighed, dismayed by his behavior. _If this sort of thing keeps up I WILL be a twenty-nine-year-old virgin,_ he confessed unhappily. _It's that stupid Lovestim; that's what it is._ Han closed his eyes, trying once again to put Leia out of his mind and get some much-needed sleep. _One Nerf... Two Nerfs... Three Nerfs..._

* * *

><p><em>Later that week...<em>

"Haha!" Dorian grinned, checking out the latest edition of the _Galactic Enquirer_ as they sat in their circular Senate box, waiting for this morning's session to begin. "Jabba has a secret admirer!"

"No," Julian laughed, peering at the headline. "For real?"

"Heh... Of course not," Dorian said cheerfully, as Leia cringed in disgust at the thought. "But there's someone going onto his fan site, pretending to be in love with him," he told them, scanning the article with an amused grin.

"Whoever it is better not get caught, or they'll be Rancor fodder," Julian pointed out apprehensively.

"No kidding," Dorian agreed. "Anyway, it looks like the thing from last week has blown over," he added, giving Leia a reassuring smile as he flipped through the rest of the pages.

Leia smiled gratefully, turning back to her datapad to check her messages. _There's one from Cliegg Lars..._ Surprised, Leia clicked on it, curious to see what it was about. _Dear Senator Amidala..._ Leia continued to read the message, blinking in surprise. _They want me back on the show?_ Lars Studios was offering her a hundred thousand credits to appear in six more episodes of _SITH_ over the next two seasons.

_I don't know,_ Leia frowned doubtfully; she'd only just gotten back from her last filming adventure, and was still catching up on the Senate business that she'd missed while she was away. And between overseeing three HOPE stores, dating the Prince of Alderaan, and attending Parliament sessions on Naboo twice a month, it wasn't like she had a lot of free time. _I haven't even seen my own family in nearly two weeks,_ Leia confessed ruefully. Her father had been making himself scarce since last week's _Galactic Enquirer_ article came out, and with Saskia managing the store on the Death Star, Luke was no longer paying daily visits to Padmé's apartment to help with her Basic lessons.

But now Leia blinked thoughtfully, an idea coming to her. _Luke..._ Cliegg Lars' message had indicated that he was extending the same offer to Luke and Han as well, as their recent episode had elicited overwhelming enthusiasm among the fans. _If Luke and I did six more episodes together, I'd probably get to see him more often than I do here on Coruscant,_ Leia admitted. _And maybe my dad too..._

_Okay,_ Leia resolved, saving Cliegg's message to respond later. _If Luke says yes, then so will I._

* * *

><p>"A hundred thousand credits?" Luke asked incredulously, blinking in disbelief. "Master, is he serious?"<p>

"It would appear so," Obi-Wan agreed, reading over Cliegg Lars' message. "For six episodes... Force, that's more than twice what they used to pay me," he confessed, his brows furrowing.

Luke grinned, giving Obi-Wan an amused look. "Master, how many episodes have you been in - where you _didn't_ go off chasing dragons?"

Obi-Wan frowned, trying to think. "Well there was one," he insisted stubbornly. "I visited Kamino, and then Geonosis... Oh dear," Obi-Wan sighed. "There _are_ no dragons on those planets," he conceded, chuckling quietly. "So are you going to accept the offer?"

"A hundred thousand credits?" Luke grinned, turning his attention back to Cliegg's message and clicking on the Reply button. "Heck yeah..."

* * *

><p>"No," Han said, grabbing a crate of death sticks and carrying it up the ramp. "I ain't doing it." <em>I'm not going back to a job where I completely lose touch with reality on a regular basis.<em>

_"Han,"_ Chewie protested, following him back onto the _Falcon_ with two more crates. _"It's a hundred thousand credits."_

"I don't care," Han said stubbornly, as they loaded their crates beneath the floor panels. "We're two days behind on our deliveries; I don't have time for this." _And if I have to keep seeing Leia, I'll NEVER sleep again..._

_"If you take this job, you'll have almost enough money to pay off Jabba permanently,"_ Chewie pointed out, with a reproachful look.

Han sighed, hanging his head. "I know," he admitted reluctantly. _With a hundred thousand credits, I'll almost be able to buy back my dad's slave device from Jabba,_ he confessed, thinking it over. _And then I'll be out of this mess for good..._

"All right," Han agreed grudgingly, heading back toward the cockpit as Chewbacca scruffed his hair encouragingly. "I'll do it."


	160. Ben gives Luke a bit of advice

**Chapter 160**

_A week later, on Geonosis..._

"Good luck, Luke," Leia said, as he climbed up into the cockpit of his X-wing fighter. "Come back soon."

"I will," Luke promised, pulling on his helmet. "And don't worry," he added, with a reassuring grin. "I've got Artoo with me," he pointed out, as the little astrodroid whistled cheerfully from behind him.

Luke nodded in farewell, pretending to take off from the sound stage on Geonosis, which served as the new Rebel base. Darth Vader had invaded Yavin IV on last week's episode of _SITH_, only to find the Massassi Temple deserted; the Rebel Alliance had evacuated safely, and had set up a temporary new base here at this undisclosed location.

Leia looked up at the ceiling, pretending to watch Luke take off into the sky; but then she blinked in surprise, losing her balance momentarily as someone bumped into her. "Hey!" Leia exclaimed indignantly; then she rolled her eyes in annoyance, seeing who it was. "I should have known."

"Sorry, your Highness," Han apologized sarcastically over his shoulder, as he and Chewie carried a large crate of supplies across the docking bay. "Just trying to help," he muttered, lugging the heavy crate.

_Those two are funny together,_ Luke thought, watching quietly from the cockpit of his X-wing. The fans had loved Han and Leia's constant bickering in their previous episode, and Luke had to admit it was entertaining to watch. _I'm glad Cliegg asked them back too._

"Han," Leia said now, following him. "Where's your uniform?" she asked, eyeing his civilian clothes with disapproval.

"Heh," Han laughed dismissively, as he and Chewie loaded the crate onto the nearby transport. "Look, your Worshipfulness," he said. "I told you I'd help you get settled at your new base," he reminded her. "I didn't say anything about dressing up as a walking target," he added, glancing around at the other Rebels milling about the docking bay in their bright orange jumpsuits.

"Anyway, I thought you people were trying to _hide_ from the Empire," Han pointed out, as he and Chewie lifted another crate together. "May as well give everyone a sign saying 'Shoot me, I'm a Rebel'," he grumbled, bumping into her again as they lugged the crate past her.

"Aaaghh," Leia sighed, rolling her eyes in exasperation; but now General Dodonna was approaching, and so she managed a polite smile, as Han and Chewie escaped from the scene.

"Your Highness," Dodonna said, nodding respectfully. "Our scouts have reported that Darth Vader has abandoned his search of Yavin IV, and has returned to Imperial Center on Coruscant," he told her. "It appears he has discovered no clues to our current location."

"Thank you, General," Leia said appreciatively. "Let's hope it stays that way," she added, as the two of them shared an apprehensive look.

"And... Cut," Owen said, nodding in approval. "Thanks, everyone, great job! All right - Luke, I need you for the next scene in Ben's hovel," he reminded him. Luke nodded agreeably, climbing down from his X-wing and following the director across the sound stage to the adjacent set, as Artoo rolled obediently behind them.

"Here we are," Owen said, switching on a couple of hovering cameras as they entered Ben's humble Tatooine dwelling. "Ben's in the sound editing room... Ben, can you hear me?"

"Yes, I'm here," came a familiar, ghostly voice from the overhead speakers.

"Good," Owen said cheerfully. "Okay, let's give this a try... Action," he said, nodding to Luke.

Luke sighed sadly, looking around Ben's old hovel. "Ahh... I don't know, Artoo," he confessed, pulling a dusty, leather-bound book off the shelf and flipping through it dejectedly. "I just thought maybe I'd find... something," Luke sighed ruefully, sitting down and hanging his head.

"Such as...?" came Ben's ghostly voice from the overhead speakers.

"Ben!" Luke exclaimed, looking up. "Where have you been?" he asked. "I've been trying to talk to you for weeks!"

"Have you?" Ben asked, sounding mildly surprised. "I fear time has no meaning, in the Force," he apologized. "I was just speaking with my old Master; it felt like only a few minutes, to me," he promised.

Luke nodded quietly, accepting his answer. "Ben... What am I to do now? Am I to continue with my training?" Luke looked up, waiting for Ben's answer; but when it didn't come, he hung his head again, sighing dejectedly.

"Come on, Artoo," Luke said, casting a final regretful glance around Ben's old dwelling. "Let's go back to the base," he said reluctantly, heading for the doorway. "There's nothing more for us here."

"And... Cut," Owen said. "Great job, that was perfect! Thanks, Ben," he added, glancing up at the speakers. "I just have one more scene to film with Anakin and Palpatine... Are you joining us for lunch?" Owen asked the actor hopefully; he'd invited them all for a business lunch, to discuss their upcoming filming plans.

"Of course," Ben replied good-naturedly. "I'll meet you when you're finished."

"Great," Owen nodded, switching off the hovering cameras. "Thanks, Luke; I'll see you for lunch, okay?"

"All right," Luke agreed cheerfully, as Owen left to film Anakin and Palpatine's scene. _Heh... That was fun._ But now Luke raised his head, sensing a familiar presence. _Mara!_ He hadn't seen her in nearly a week; she and Master Anakin had been called away unexpectedly on a special assignment to Alzoc III.

_Hopefully she's not still mad at me,_ Luke thought, cringing worriedly; they still hadn't resolved their disagreement over birth control, and had been in the middle of a stalemate when Mara left last week. But arguments with Mara tended to blow over with time and distance, and Luke gave her a tender smile now as she joined him on the set of Ben's hovel.

"Mara," he said, greeting her with a gentle kiss; but she drew away from him, her green eyes flickering anxiously. _Oh, right; the cameras..._ "Don't worry; they're turned off," Luke said, glancing toward the studio's hovercams which now rested on the floor nearby. Then he turned back to her, smiling lovingly. "I've missed you," he said, taking her hands and gazing into her beautiful green eyes. _My lovely wife..._

But Mara drew back again, shaking her head. "Luke, no..."

"What is it?" Luke asked.

"I... I can't do this," Mara said; she was masking her emotions, since Master Anakin was filming in the studio nearby, but Luke could see the distress in her eyes. "Luke, I thought... I always thought things would be better, once we were married," she confessed, looking down. "But... it's not," Mara whispered sadly. "Everything's worse..."

"What - what do you mean?" Luke asked, blinking.

"I - " Mara broke off. "All we've done is fight, ever since we got married," she pointed out unhappily. "And I can't - " Mara gulped, shaking her head. "I can't take it any more," she whispered, tears in her eyes.

"Mara, I'm sorry," Luke apologized sincerely. "I was stupid, with the - " _Ahh, I wish I'd never bought those dumb things..._ "I should have talked to you, before I - "

"No," Mara interrupted him, looking down. "It's okay; I understand," she insisted. "But... Luke," Mara continued, avoiding his gaze. "I - I..." She gulped, sniffing back tears. "I don't want to be married any more," Mara confessed miserably, whispering. "I want a divorce."

"What?" Luke felt as though he'd been hit in the chest. "Mara, no..."

"Yes," Mara insisted tearfully. "Luke, I've been thinking about it - a _lot,_" she continued. "I was wrong; I don't want - " she broke off, sniffing. "I don't want to be your wife," Mara confessed sadly. "I don't want to be _anyone's_ wife... it completely sucks," she added, a flash of anger and resentment in her eyes. "It's hard enough trying to - " she glanced in the direction of Master Anakin. "I don't need anyone else telling me what to do all the time."

"Mara, I'm sorry," Luke said, his heart sinking. "I didn't mean to - "

"Luke, no," Mara protested. "It's all right; but it was a mistake... I realize that now," she told him quietly. "You know me: I always have to learn things the hard way," she added, managing an unhappy laugh. "Anyway, we're going straight back to Alzoc III as soon as Master Anakin gets done filming this scene," Mara told him. "I just wanted to let you know... it's over," she said, looking down.

"Mara..." Tears sprang to Luke's eyes, and his heart ached terribly. "I'm sorry," he apologized again. "Please, let's just give it some time, and talk about this when you get back - "

"No," Mara retorted, angry tears in her eyes. "This is exactly what I'm talking about," she said, frustrated. "Everything always has to be _your_ way; I don't get a say in anything," Mara cried. "Not even my own breakup," she added bitterly. "You can think about it all you want," she told Luke, scowling. "But _I'm_ done with this," Mara finished, a tone of resolution in her voice.

_No..._ Luke choked back his tears, but managed a dismayed nod. _She's right; I have to respect what she's saying..._ "I'm sorry, Mara," he said again pathetically. "If this is what you really want...?" Luke gave her an apologetic, pleading look.

"Yes," Mara whispered, her green eyes filled with tears of regret. "I'm sorry, Luke... I just can't do this," she confessed.

Luke nodded reluctantly, trying to accept her decision. "I understand," he said, looking down.

"I have to go," Mara said, casting an anxious glance toward the hallway, where muffled voices could now be heard exiting the adjacent studio; Owen and the others had just finished their scene.

"All right," Luke nodded, managing a brave smile and trying to mask his broken heart. _She's right... If I respect her, I have to let her go; I don't own her..._ "May the Force be with you," he added lamely, not knowing what else to say.

"You too," Mara said softly, with a regretful look; then she turned, her black cloak sweeping behind her as she left the sound stage and walked out of his life.

_May the Force be with you?_ Tears stung Luke's eyes as he slumped onto a chair in Ben's hovel, hanging his head. _Good one, Luke..._ But now he sensed another presence approaching from the hallway, and quickly blinked away his tears, composing himself.

"Hello there," Ben Kenobi said, giving Luke a friendly smile as he joined him on the sound stage.

"Hi, Ben," Luke said, trying to appear cheerful. _Ah, I just want to be alone right now..._

Ben sighed thoughtfully, taking a seat beside him. "I'm going to miss this place," he confessed, an amused twinkle in his blue eyes as he gazed wistfully around the set of his former home on Tatooine.

Luke nodded quietly, still trying to set aside his other thoughts. _This is the worst day of my life..._ "So when are you going to learn the blue shimmer trick?" he asked, attempting to make casual conversation.

"Hmm," Ben chuckled softly. "As soon as Qui-Gon decides that enough time has passed, so I won't be upstaging him," he told Luke. "It _did_ take him thirteen years, after all," he pointed out. "But hopefully, under his expert guidance, I will learn the skill much faster," Ben promised, with an amused smile.

Luke grinned, nodding; but now Ben gave him a questioning look, resting a hand on his shoulder. "Can I give you a bit of advice, from a very old actor?" he asked gently. "One who's been in the business since before you were born?"

Luke laughed ruefully, looking down. _Ahh... I suck at marriage, AND acting..._ "Of course," he agreed, nodding appreciatively.

"Very well, then," Ben said, patting him on the back. "Stage Acting 101," he began, with an air of dramatic importance. "If you want to have a private conversation on a sound stage - and they're called _sound stages_ for a reason," Ben added, glancing meaningfully toward the ceiling. "You'll want to turn off the overhead microphones as well as the cameras, so that the people in the sound editing room can't hear you," he advised Luke matter-of-factly.

_Ohhhh..._ Luke's heart sank, and he tried not to cringe, but failed. _Holy crap..._

"Not to worry," Ben assured him. "I was the only one in there, and I turned the sound down right away," he promised; then his brows furrowed in puzzlement. "Though I do seem to recall overhearing a bit about you and Mara being married?" Ben asked, his blue eyes filled with innocent curiosity.

"No," Luke protested helplessly, his mind racing. _How much did he hear?_ "Ben... I promise, we're not - " Luke broke off, shaking his head. "We're not married," he told him truthfully, though the words pained him. Then he gave him a hesitant look. "Are you going to tell Obi-Wan?"

"That you're not married?" Ben repeated, blinking thoughtfully at the prospect. "I'm fairly certain Obi-Wan is already under that assumption," he pointed out, with a look of mild reproach.

_Ahh..._ Luke sighed unhappily, looking down. "Ben, I'm sorry," he apologized. "I promise you, there's nothing going on," he insisted glumly. _Not anymore..._

"Hmm," Ben chuckled softly. "Don't apologize to me," he told Luke, his blue eyes twinkling. "I'm not a Jedi; I only play one on the holo," he pointed out mischievously.

Luke laughed despite himself, giving him an appreciative look. "Thank you, Ben," he said, looking down at the floor again.

"You're welcome... and I'm sorry," Ben added, concerned. "I take it you _were_ married, then?"

_He's not going to tell Obi-Wan,_ Luke sensed, trusting his instincts. _Ben knows how to keep secrets._ "Yeah," he admitted, nodding. It felt strangely comforting to talk about it with someone else; Luke realized that aside from Mara herself, there was no one in the entire galaxy that he could confide in. "I mean - our marriage was never legal; we just - " he broke off, shrugging. _I can't tell him HOW we got married..._

Ben nodded in quiet understanding. "How long did it last?"

"A little over a week," Luke admitted sheepishly, feeling even more stupid than before.

"I see," Ben mused, stroking his beard thoughtfully; Obi-Wan frequently used that very tactic when trying not to laugh, and Luke looked down in embarrassment, grateful that at least Ben wasn't going to report him.

But nothing prepared him for what Ben said next. "Well, you've still got me beat," Ben confessed, with a sad laugh. "My own marriage lasted - oh, all of five days," he admitted.

_Huh?_ Luke blinked in surprise. "You were married?" Somehow the thought had never occurred to him.

"Yes," Ben nodded, smiling regretfully. "A long time ago," he added softly. "A long time, indeed." Luke smiled despite himself, waiting for the actor to go on. "Yes, I was married once," Ben continued quietly. "To Ludvika Syranno," he told Luke, with a wistful smile.

"Ludvika Syr - " Luke stared at Ben in surprise. "Really?" Ludvika Syranno had been a famous supermodel in her day, but was even more famous for her whirlwind love affairs; the _Galactic Enquirer_ was always reporting on her latest marriages and divorces.

"Hmm." Ben smiled regretfully, looking down. "As I said, it didn't last long," he confessed. "But for five glorious days - and _nights_," Ben added, with an impish smile - "yes, we were married," he admitted softly.

"Wow." Luke blinked, trying - unsuccessfully - to picture the two of them together. "So... What happened?"

Ben laughed, shaking his head. "Well, if you believe what was reported in the _Galactic Enquirer,_" he said, his blue eyes twinkling mischievously. "She caught me in bed with another man," Ben confessed, chuckling; then he sighed.

"But the truth of it was I received a call from a big holo-film producer, on the fifth night of our honeymoon," Ben told Luke. "I was only twenty-eight at the time, still trying to make a name for myself here on Geonosis," he admitted. "And suddenly I was offered the role of a lifetime: the lead in the first-ever holo adaptation of _Maximilian Quintillius,_" Ben confessed, with a wistful smile.

"Hey! I've seen that," Luke said, grinning in surprise; it was now a classic holo-film, and Luke and Obi-Wan had watched it several times together, in awe of Ben's gripping performance as the tragic title figure. "You were... _amazing,_" Luke added sincerely.

Ben smiled in sad appreciation, looking down. "I fear it was a difficult time for me," he confessed; Luke could sense his pain at the memory. "Ludvika never forgave me for cutting our honeymoon short, and I quickly became mired in rumors of infidelity; for weeks, I couldn't turn anywhere without reading about my latest sex scandal," Ben laughed ruefully; then he sighed, as once again Luke felt the deep pain in his heart.

"And in the midst of it all, my sister died," Ben confessed quietly, looking down. "She was the only family I had; as it turned out, playing the tragic figure in _Maximilian Quintillius_ wasn't such a stretch for me," he admitted, with a sad smile.

_Oh, crap..._ Luke's heart sank as he realized what Ben was saying. _That was when Obi-Wan's mother died..._ "I'm sorry," he said, truly dismayed.

"So am I," Ben confessed softly, gazing at the floor. "So am I." Then he smiled. "But they say when one door closes, another opens," he continued. "It wasn't long afterward that Qui-Gon bumped into me on Kilaui - quite literally, and completely by chance, of course," Ben added, his blue eyes twinkling. "He casually mentioned that he was there on Kilaui studying the red tide, along with his young padawan - who, oddly enough, shared the same name as my own nephew: poor little Obi-Wan, who had died in infancy fifteen years earlier," Ben told Luke, smiling wistfully at the memory.

Luke smiled, grateful that Ben's story had at least a somewhat happy ending; but then he frowned, still incensed by what Ludvika had done to him. "I can't believe she said those things about you," Luke said, his brows furrowing indignantly.

"Hmm," Ben chuckled. "Well, thankfully no one believes half of what's printed in the _Galactic Enquirer,_" he pointed out. "Though I have to say I did my part in perpetrating the rumors, by my silence on the matter," Ben confessed, sighing. "I daresay half the galaxy is convinced I'm still in the closet," he laughed regretfully, looking down.

"So you... you never dated again?" Luke asked, dismayed.

"No," Ben confessed quietly. "After Ludvika left, and Ana died... I never got back the courage," he admitted. "I just couldn't bear to have my heart ripped out again," Ben finished apologetically.

_Well that sucks..._ Luke sighed; then he looked down, remembering his own troubles. "I know how you feel," he said, giving Ben a commiserative smile.

"Do you?" Ben asked innocently, raising his brows.

_Crap... No,_ Luke admitted, feeling terrible. "I mean - I don't know what it's like to lose a sister - " _or even HAVE a sister_ - "or to have those kinds of rumors printed about you," he apologized. _I got off lucky, being the Prince of Naboo..._

" - Or to have your pants sued off, and lose every credit you owned in the divorce proceedings?" Ben added helpfully, chuckling with amusement.

"Yeah... _that_," Luke conceded, giving Ben a regretful look. "But... I understand what you said, about never wanting to date again," he said, shrugging. _Because I'm done with that too._ "Not that I even _can,_" Luke added ruefully.

"So it's truly over?" Ben asked gently.

Luke shrugged. "Yeah... I guess," he said unhappily, looking down.

"You _guess?_" Ben repeated. "You're not sure?"

"Ahh..." Luke sighed, shaking his head. "No; _she's_ sure," he corrected himself glumly. _And that's what our whole fight was about..._

"You still love her?" Ben asked quietly.

Luke shrugged; but then he nodded, fighting tears. _Of course I still love her; I'll always love her..._

He was grateful to feel Ben's hand on his shoulder. "Can I give you a bit of advice?" he asked once again. "From someone who's been through this sort of thing before?"

Luke smiled gratefully, nodding. "Please."

"Don't give up on her too easily, Luke," Ben told him gently. "If there's still a chance that your marriage can be saved - " he broke off, his brows furrowing. "Oh dear; I shouldn't be telling you this," Ben confessed worriedly. "Promise you won't tell Obi-Wan?" he asked, echoing Luke's previous words.

Luke grinned, looking down. "I promise."

"Ahh," Ben sighed. "No; I take back what I said before," he told Luke. "I am _not_ in any way advising a Jedi to break the Code - _especially_ Obi-Wan's former padawan," Ben stated for the record, as Luke nodded ruefully. "But I _can_ tell you that if I had it to do over again... I would have stayed with Ludvika, and finished out our honeymoon; _Maximilian Quintillius_ be damned," Ben admitted, sighing regretfully.

Luke nodded. "I hear you," he said, giving Ben a sympathetic smile; then he caught the wistful look in the older man's eyes, and cocked his head, curious. "You really loved her?"

Ben smiled. "Well of course I loved her," he confessed. "She was beautiful... Still is," he pointed out, with a fond chuckle; unlike Ben, Ludvika Syranno still had the youthful dark hair, slender figure, and perfect skin of a twenty-year-old, thanks to decades of cosmetic surgery. _She DOES look good, in a strange sort of way,_ Luke confessed.

"And she would have taken me back, if I hadn't been so obstinate," Ben admitted regretfully, looking down. "She was very young when I married her; just eighteen," he continued. "And she - "

"Wait," Luke interrupted him, blinking in surprise. "You were her first husband?"

"Hmm." Ben smiled quietly, his blue eyes twinkling. "Yes," he admitted. "As I was saying, she _would_ have taken me back," he told Luke. "Ludvika was young and impetuous, and rather immature in the way she handled things," he conceded. "But after Ana died, she paid a visit to my apartment here on Geonosis, and apologized for the things she'd said about me," Ben confessed. "Unfortunately I was quite drunk at the time, and don't remember all that was said," he admitted, with a sad laugh. "But if even half of what the _Galactic Enquirer_ printed was true - " Ben sighed, shaking his head. "I'm afraid I may have called her some names that I very sincerely regret," he told Luke, looking down.

"In any case," Ben continued, giving Luke an apologetic smile. "Theoretically speaking, if I were to offer advice to a young man in that position - one who _wasn't_ a Jedi," he added, his eyes twinkling. "I would tell him not to make the same mistake that I did," Ben confessed. "My biggest regret in life is that I never tried to patch things up with Ludvika," he admitted. "I could have spared myself decades of loneliness, and I might have saved her from - " Ben broke off, shaking his head sadly.

Luke nodded quietly; unlike Ben Kenobi, who had gone on to become a widely respected actor, Ludvika Syranno had become somewhat of a galactic joke, with dozens of failed celebrity marriages, even more numerous cosmetic surgeries, and a brief - but widely publicized - foray into Rainbow-Crystology, the belief that crystals and rainbows communicated with each other on a higher plane, and held the secrets to the universe.

Luke smiled in quiet amusement, recalling the latest gossip he'd read in the _Galactic Enquirer_. "It's not too late, you know," he told Ben. "I was just reading she's filed for divorce again," Luke offered, with a shy grin.

"Has she?" Ben laughed gently; then he looked down. "I fear I lost track of her marriages after the first dozen or so," he confessed. "Though I suppose you're right," he conceded, with a sad smile. "It's never too late for an apology."

Luke nodded regretfully, though in truth he thought _she_ ought to be the one doing the apologizing. "Thanks, Ben," he said quietly, giving the elderly actor a look of sincere appreciation. "If I ever meet anyone who's in that position, I'll be sure to pass along your advice," he promised, with a grateful smile; but then his brows furrowed. "You're really not going to tell Obi-Wan?"

"Oh, Obi-Wan knows all about about Ludvika," Ben said dismissively, his blue eyes twinkling. "What else would I tell him?" he asked innocently.

Luke grinned, looking down. "Thanks," he said again. "And - for what it's worth... We're _not_ married, and never will be," Luke assured him again. "Not legally, anyway," he conceded, shrugging.

Ben smiled gently; there was a look of quiet understanding in his eyes, and Luke looked down, his suspicions confirmed. _He knows about Anakin too,_ Luke realized. _Obi-Wan must have told him..._ But Ben's smile was innocent as he patted Luke on the shoulder, getting stiffly to his feet.

"Well, then," Ben said cheerfully, leading the way out to the hallway, where Owen and the others were waiting. "Let's have lunch."

* * *

><p>"So," Owen said, as they sat around the table at a local restaurant. "I assume you've all been following the fan site news?"<p>

_Uh..._ "Sorry," Han apologized, cringing. "No, I haven't had a chance to read it."

"That's all right," Owen said good-naturedly. "But one of the topics the fans are discussing concerns you and Leia," he continued, giving her a questioning look as well. "I was wondering if the two of you might be open to the possibility of a developing romance between your characters?"

_What?_ Han froze, caught off guard; Leia was blinking uncomfortably at the idea, a disturbed expression on her face, and Han did his best to hide his discomfort.

But Leia quickly recovered her manners. "Of course," she told Owen. "That's fine with me."

"Great," Owen said, smiling gratefully; then he turned to Han. "Han, would you be okay with that?"

"Uh..." Han nodded, avoiding Leia's sympathetic gaze. "Sure," he agreed, shrugging casually. _Why wouldn't I be okay with that?_

"Terrific," Owen nodded appreciatively. "Thanks, you guys; I'll tell the writers to go ahead with that angle," he told them, marking it down in his notes. "Okay, next question... Luke, what sort of Jedi abilities do you think you might conceivably learn, over the next few episodes?" Owen asked.

"Ha!" Luke laughed quietly, amused by the thought. "Not much," he confessed. "If you want to be realistic about it... Maybe some basic lightsaber techniques," he told Owen. "But I'd never have any actual Force powers."

"Really?" Owen blinked, surprised.

Luke nodded. "Ages three to seven are the critical years for Force training," he explained. "If it hasn't been developed by then..." He shrugged, raising his hands apologetically.

But now Ben frowned. "Well how did Anakin ever learn?" he pointed out. "Wasn't he nine when Qui-Gon found him?"

"Eh, he's the Chosen One," Owen countered, grinning. "The rules don't apply to him," he said, waving a hand dismissively. "Actually, by that logic: Luke, you're the _son_ of the Chosen One," he added thoughtfully. "Yeah, let's go with that; we'll say you're able to learn some basic Force powers, over the next few months," Owen decided, writing it down on his notepad.

"All right, next: we're going to be focusing on Mace Windu and his padawans for the next three weeks, along with a plot involving Palpatine and Mara Jade," Owen told them. "But the week after that, I'd like to have all of you back here, if that works into your schedules? It would just be for one day," he promised.

_Sure... whatever,_ Han nodded agreeably, along with the others. _As long as I keep getting paid, I'm happy._ Jabba was concerned that Han's involvement with the show would cause more delays in his spice deliveries, but even the Hutt agreed that it would be stupid to turn down Owen's generous offer.

"Great," Owen said, marking it down in his notes. "All right, then; we'll plan to meet a month from now, to film a scene here at the Rebel base," he confirmed. "And hopefully by then the writers will have worked out a romance angle for the two of you," he told Han and Leia, with a mischievous grin.

_Terrific,_ Han thought, managing a casual smile as Leia nodded politely, trying to hide her obvious disturbance. _I can hardly wait._


	161. And decides to follow it himself

**Chapter 161**

_A week later..._

"Home sweet home," Master Anakin said cheerfully, as they entered their familiar old apartment in the Jedi Temple. It was past midnight already, and they had just returned from their mission to Alzoc III.

Mara nodded, managing a weary smile; it had been a difficult mission, and she was glad to be home.

"Get some sleep, okay?" her father said gently, patting her on the shoulder. "You did really well, Mara," he added, trying to mask his concern. "I'm proud of you." Mara smiled weakly; her father tended only to lavish such praise when she in fact _hadn't_ done so well. "Lunch at Dex's tomorrow, huh?" Master Anakin suggested hopefully.

"Yes, Master," Mara replied obediently, as she had been doing for the past week. Since her divorce, Mara had been vacillating between bitterness and heartache; it was all she could do to mask her emotions, and during their latest mission she had fallen back to the familiar, safe game of 'Yes Master', leaving all of the thinking and decision making to her father.

_I didn't want Luke running my life, but now I want my dad to do it,_ Mara confessed glumly, not failing to see the irony of the situation. But she managed a grateful smile now, admitting that it would be nice to have lunch at Dex's tomorrow, and see her mother.

_Though Master Anakin's probably going to go see her tonight,_ Mara guessed, as she climbed over the broken Senate pod toward her little bedroom. _Ahh, I hope he doesn't tell her how useless I've been lately..._

"Goodnight, Mara," her father said, with an affectionate smile.

"Goodnight, Master," Mara replied, bowing politely; then she retired into her own bedroom for the night, shutting the door behind her. Sighing wearily, she changed into her pajamas, then crawled into her little bed; but as she lay her head against the pillow and closed her eyes in exhaustion, sleep would not come, and her heart ached bitterly.

_Why did he have to be such a jerk?_ Mara cried again, frustrated. She had studied _so_ hard to learn about biorhythms from her databook, but Luke had dismissed the idea altogether, saying that it wasn't 'scientifically proven'. _But it works,_ Mara thought defensively; in the two weeks that they _hadn't_ been having sex, her cycle had come and gone, as predicted.

_It DOES work,_ Mara told herself stubbornly. _We did it lots of times without his stupid condoms, and I didn't get pregnant,_ she scowled. _Because I wasn't ovulating then; it was perfectly safe..._ But Luke had finally made it clear that he wouldn't have sex with her at all, except with his stupid green condoms, every single time. _He doesn't believe anything from my databook, because it was written by a woman,_ Mara grumbled. _He thinks he knows everything, because he was born with a penis..._

Mara lifted her head now, hearing the faint click of a window being opened, as her father's presence faded; then she sighed, laying her head back down on the pillow and hoping that Master Anakin wouldn't tell Tessa about her intense moodiness this past week. Throughout their visit to Alzoc III, Mara had barely been holding her emotions together; she had survived by stubbornly focusing on the mission, doing whatever her Master told her to do, and trying not to think about anything else.

But now that they were back on Coruscant, Mara knew that dealing with her divorce would be a million times harder. _I'll have to see him at breakfast tomorrow morning,_ she realized, dreading the prospect. _But I'll just ignore him,_ she decided; it was how she normally treated Luke in public anyway, and no one would guess that anything was amiss.

_And then I'll just focus really hard on my studies,_ Mara resolved stubbornly, feeling tears of frustration and anger welling in her eyes. _I'll pass the stupid trials, once and for all... And then no one can order me around, and tell me what to do all the time, and treat me like an idiot because I'm a girl,_ she cried, curling into a ball and pulling the covers over her head.

But then she heard another faint tapping sound, this time coming from her own window; tears of anger sprang to her eyes, but Mara stubbornly ignored Luke's quiet knocking. _Go away,_ she scowled indignantly. _If I wanted to keep arguing with you, I wouldn't have asked for a divorce._

Her window was locked from the inside, but unfortunately it wasn't Jedi-proof, and a moment later Luke climbed into her bedroom, his expression apologetic. _Aaarrghh..._ Sighing in exasperation, Mara got out of bed, wrapping her blanket around herself for decency purposes and glaring at Luke in resentment. "What are you doing here?" she asked, scowling. _And what part of 'divorce' do you not understand?_

"Mara, I'm sorry," Luke said; his eyes were filled with regret. "Please... I just want to talk to you."

"About what?" Mara's brows furrowed in suspicion.

"About - " Luke sighed, hanging his head. "I want to apologize," he said gently. "You were right, Mara; marriage should be an equal partnership... And I don't want to be the sort of husband who bosses his wife around," Luke protested, blinking unhappily at the thought. "I'm not like that, Mara; you know that, don't you?" Luke asked softly, a pleading look in his eyes.

Mara looked away; the worst part about arguing with Luke was that he was usually right. _He doesn't mean to be a jerk,_ she conceded grudgingly. _In his own stupid way, he was probably trying to do the right thing._ "I know," she confessed reluctantly, looking at the floor.

"Mara," Luke said, gently reaching a hand out and caressing her cheek. "I love you," he told her softly; Mara smiled tearfully despite herself, grateful for his comforting words. _I love you too, Luke._ "Please, Mara: give me one more chance, to do things right," Luke apologized, taking her hands in his. "To be a good husband... the sort of husband you deserve."

Mara's heart fluttered, and she smiled regretfully, looking down. "Of course," she said, nodding; and then Luke's arms were around her, holding her close as she cried quietly against his shoulder. "I've just been - so frustrated," she admitted, sniffing back her tears. _I still am..._

"I know," Luke agreed gently, leading her over to the bed, where they sat down together. "You were right, Mara; I wasn't very understanding, about the whole birth control thing," he apologized, holding her hands in his. "I'm sorry, Mara; we'll do it your way, all right?" he offered.

Tears sprang to Mara's eyes, and she nodded gratefully. "Thank you," she whispered, sniffing; Luke smiled lovingly, brushing away her tears and kissing her softly on the temple.

But now Mara gave him a hesitant look. "Luke... Is it true, what you were saying before?" she asked worriedly. "Could I really get pregnant, even on days when - " _When I'm not ovulating?_

"It's okay," Luke murmured, stroking her hair. "Whatever happens, it's all right."

"No; really," Mara asked again, truly concerned. "Is it possible?"

Luke gave her an apologetic look; and seeing the anxiety in her eyes, he nodded reluctantly. "Yes," he told her gently. "It's possible. But like you said before: if it's the will of the Force..." Luke smiled tenderly. "I love you, Mara," he said, kissing her on the lips. "More than anything in the whole galaxy. All I want is to be with you," he promised, resting his forehead against hers. "Whether we stay with the Order, or leave to raise our child... As long as we're together, I'm happy," he assured her.

Mara smiled in tearful gratitude, wrapping her arms around him as they held each other close for a moment. "I love you, Luke," she whispered, her heart tingling with warmth at his reassuring words. "And... If the Force wills it, it would be wonderful to have a child someday," she confessed, smiling tenderly at the thought.

"But not yet," Mara said, looking down. "Luke, I want to pass the trials," she admitted. "I want to be knighted... And I want my dad to be a Master; I don't want to ruin that for him," Mara insisted. "So until then..." She sighed ruefully, admitting that Luke had been right all along. "Luke... Do you still have your - ?" Mara broke off, giving him an apologetic, questioning look.

"My little green lightsabers?" Luke offered, with an apologetic grin. Mara giggled, and Luke nodded, smiling tenderly. "Hang on," he said softly, kissing her on the forehead as he stood up, heading for the window. "I'll be right back."

* * *

><p><em>And a week after that...<em>

Ludvika sniffed back her tears, spooning out another bite of ice cream from the little carton as she sat curled up on the couch, huddled in her blanket and watching her favorite romantic holo-film. It was mid-afternoon, but she was still in her pajamas; since her divorce two weeks ago Ludvika had rarely bothered getting dressed properly, as she was all alone once again.

_Why can't real life be like the movies?_ Ludvika wondered sadly, watching the blissful young lovers on the holo. _Why can't love last forever; happily ever after,_ she thought wistfully, taking another bite of her ice cream.

Her brows furrowed indignantly as her security system buzzed, alerting her of a visitor at the outer gate of her private estate. _Probably another stupid reporter,_ Ludvika guessed, getting up to check it; they had been hounding her for two weeks now, hoping for details of her latest celebrity divorce.

_But they're not going to get any,_ Ludvika resolved stubbornly, checking the security monitor. _Go away..._ Then she blinked in surprise, recognizing a familiar figure on her viewscreen, though one she hadn't spoken to personally in decades.

"Hello?" Ludvika asked uncertainly, grateful for the one-way camera as she glanced ruefully at her pajamas and bathrobe.

"Hello," came the polite reply, equally hesitant. "Ludvika... It's Ben," her visitor announced, somewhat apologetic. "Ben Kenobi."

_Well obviously you're Ben Kenobi._ "What are you doing here?"

"I was hoping I might have a word with you," Ben replied.

"About what?" Ludvika asked, her brows furrowing uncertainly.

"Ludvika... I'd like to apologize, for - well, for quite a few things, actually," Ben said; he sounded a bit uncomfortable. "I'd prefer not doing this over the security comlink," he confessed, with a look of apology.

Ludvika smiled ruefully, surprised by his sudden appearance. _He wants to apologize? Ah, I'm in my pajamas..._

"I can come back later, if this is an inconvenient time," Ben offered.

"No, please; come in," Ludvika said, pressing the button to open the gate. "Just give me a few minutes," she apologized. "I'll meet you out in the garden."

"Thank you," Ben nodded respectfully.

_Always the polite one..._ Ludvika smiled, her heart fluttering; she hadn't spoken to Ben in decades, and had always felt terrible for what had happened between them. Hurriedly shoving her ice cream back into the freezer, she continued upstairs to get dressed. _Why is he here, after so many years?_ she wondered, throwing on a casual, flowing silk outfit and pinning her hair back with a jeweled clasp. Ludvika had been a supermodel in her day, and was an expert at changing her clothes in seconds flat; after dusting on a touch of makeup, choosing a tasteful necklace and earrings, and pulling on some fancy yet comfortable shoes, she hurried back downstairs to meet her former husband.

She found him out in the garden, walking along one of the many pathways surrounding her estate and admiring the roses. He looked up as she approached, and Ludvika smiled fondly despite herself, her heart warming to see him. Ben was ten years older than Ludvika, but had aged naturally and gracefully over the years; he had a kindly face, and a gentle and sweet nature, despite their personal differences.

"Ben," she said, greeting him warmly.

"Hello, Ludvika," Ben replied, with an appreciative smile. "Thank you for seeing me," he added gently. "Beautiful roses," he remarked politely, with an admiring glance at the gardens surrounding her estate.

"Thank you," Ludvika said; her gardens were her pride and joy, and she loved to tend the roses herself, though this afternoon the task was being done by a small fleet of hovering garden droids, which buzzed quietly through the shrubs and bushes now, keeping the flowers perfectly tended.

"What brings you out this way?" Ludvika asked, curious; Dorvalla was located on the Outer Rim - though it belonged to the Republic - and the beauty of the planet was that it was small and out of the way, far removed from the galaxy's busy trade routes and spaceports.

"Ah." Ben smiled, his blue eyes twinkling. "I wish I had a convenient excuse," he admitted ruefully. "But the truth is, I came to see you," he confessed, as they walked along the garden pathway together. "As I said, I'd like to apologize - for several things, really," Ben continued, with a regretful smile. "And I know this apology is forty years overdue, but for what it's worth: Ludvika, I'm sorry, for everything I did wrong," Ben said sincerely. "For putting my career before our marriage, and ruining our honeymoon; for the things I said to you that night, when you tried to reconcile... That was very wrong of me, and I apologize," he told her gently, a look of sadness in his eyes. "My one regret in life is that I handled that situation badly, and lost you," he admitted quietly.

Ludvika fought tears to hear such sweet, gentle words; she hadn't realized that Ben still cared for her. She smiled appreciatively, shyly meeting his gaze; but then she saw the look of deep regret in his eyes, and her breath caught worriedly. _Why would he come all the way out here to apologize now, when he never did before?_ Suddenly Ludvika felt a lump in her throat, as tears stung her eyes. _He's not well,_ Ludvika realized in dismay, seeing his careworn face, and the tiredness to his step as they walked through the garden together. _He's dying, and he's come to apologize..._

"Ben... Please," Ludvika protested sadly, desperately fighting tears. "I understand. None of that was your fault," she assured him, heartbroken. _My dear, sweet Ben..._

"Are you all right?" Ben asked, blinking in concern.

"Yes," Ludvika nodded; but the bitter tears came, and she couldn't hold them back. _He's dying... And I ruined his life..._ She knew that Ben had never married again, or even dated; Ludvika felt terrible for the lies she had spread about him so long ago, but Ben had pulled through with dignity and grace, and had risen above the scandalous rumors to become one of the most respected actors in the galaxy. Ludvika was proud of his achievements, and had secretly gone to every single one of his holo-films over the decades. _But it's my fault he never married again..._

Ben misinterpreted her sudden tears, and began his apologies all over again. "Ludvika, I'm sorry; I know this is a bad time for you - "

"No," Ludvika said, smiling tenderly. "It's all right," she insisted, sniffing quietly and wiping away her tears. "And - thank you," she added sincerely, giving him an appreciative smile as they continued through the garden. "Ben, I'm sorry too," she confessed. "I'm so sorry," she choked, tears welling in her eyes again. "I should have been supportive of your career, instead of jealous; I should have stood by you, instead of - " she broke off sadly. "Ben, I'm so sorry," she whispered tearfully, with a little gasping, choking breath.

"Luddy," Ben murmured softly, giving her a gentle hug; tears stung her eyes as she held him close, laying her head against his shoulder.

"I'm so sorry, Ben," she whispered again miserably.

"I'm sorry too," Ben agreed; there was a kindly smile on his face as he wiped away her tears. _My angel..._ Ludvika had been married twenty-six times, but none of her other husbands had been as sweet and caring as Ben. He offered his arm courteously now, and Ludvika accepted it, smiling gratefully as they continued along the garden pathway.

They walked together in silence for a while, enjoying the fresh air, the warm sunlight, the beautiful flowers, and the clear blue sky; Ludvika struggled against tears again, wondering how much longer Ben would be well enough to enjoy these simple things.

But now Ben blinked in surprise as they arrived at the fountain in the center of the garden. "Oh my," he exclaimed, as a rainbow suddenly appeared amidst the delicate spray of water, reflected from the surrounding crystals as streams of water danced playfully through it. "That's incredible."

Ludvika smiled despite herself; she had always loved crystals and rainbows, and thought they were magical, though most people laughed at her beliefs.

"Did you make that?" Ben asked.

"Yes," Ludvika admitted, with an embarrassed smile. "It's silly, I know."

"No, not at all," Ben said, admiring it. "I have a friend who would love to see that, actually."

"Really? Who?" Ludvika asked, curious.

Ben smiled, his blue eyes twinkling. "Qui-Gon Jinn."

Ludvika nodded quietly. She'd heard all the gossip, and knew that Qui-Gon's former padawan, Obi-Wan Kenobi, was rumored to be Ben's nephew; but she didn't press him about it. _He keeps it a secret for a reason,_ Ludvika sensed. _And even if it IS true, I'm the last person in the galaxy he would tell,_ she admitted, sighing regretfully.

"I saw you on _SITH_ a few weeks ago," Ludvika said now, subtly changing the subject. "You were incredible," she added, smiling.

"Hmm," Ben laughed softly. "Thank you; I had a wonderful time filming that episode," he confessed, with a fond smile. "Though I fear my lightsaber battle was quite terrible," he added, chuckling ruefully.

"No," Ludvika protested. "I thought it was wonderful," she told him sincerely. _I should have known..._ For the first time in that episode, she had noticed Ben's slowness and stiff joints as they had filmed on location on Tatooine, then aboard the Death Star. _That's why they suddenly killed him off,_ she realized, heartbroken. _He won't be able to do the show much longer..._ Suddenly the tears came again, and Ludvika choked, sobbing.

Ben put a gentle arm around her, leading her back toward the nearby bench by the fountain. "Luddy, what's wrong?" he asked softly, sitting next to her.

"You're - " Ludvika choked sadly. "You're sick," she whispered, dismayed. "Aren't you?"

"What?" Ben blinked, startled. "Oh dear... Have I made it into the _Galactic Enquirer_ again?" he asked worriedly.

"No," Ludvika replied cautiously. "I just thought - you came all the way out here to apologize... After so many years," she pointed out gently, with a concerned look.

"What...?" Ben asked again; then understanding slowly dawned on him. "No," he protested, with a shy, embarrassed laugh. "Ahh... Do I really look that old and decrepit?" he asked, cringing in dismay.

"No," Ludvika assured him, her heart fluttering in happy relief. "I was just worried," she confessed. "You're really all right?"

"Yes," Ben promised, with a shy smile. "Yes, I'm quite well," he assured her. "Aside from a bit of arthritis... and a few extra pounds," Ben admitted, blinking ruefully at the realization. "Oh dear, I _am_ a disaster, aren't I?"

"No," Ludvika laughed gently, wrapping her arms lovingly around him. "You look wonderful," she promised, kissing him tenderly on the cheek. "I'm glad you're all right," she confessed gratefully. But then she gave him a questioning look. "So why _did_ you come here today?"

"Ahh." Ben smiled, looking down. "I was talking with a young man the other day; a newlywed, who was dealing with marital problems," he confessed. "I told him not to make the same mistake I did; I advised him to talk to her, and apologize for whatever he'd done wrong," Ben said, giving Ludvika a regretful smile. "And then I realized I should follow my own advice."

Ludvika smiled. "I'm glad you came."

"So am I," Ben agreed, his eyes twinkling affectionately; then he gave her an apologetic look. "Though I didn't mean to intrude; I'm sure you must be busy - "

"No," Ludvika cut him off gently. "Please... stay," she insisted, with a warm smile. "You haven't seen all of the roses yet," she added, as Ben smiled appreciatively, getting up from the bench and following her along the garden path once again. "So who was the young man?" Ludvika asked, curious. "The one who was having the marital problems?"

Ben gave her a regretful smile. "I'm afraid I can't say; it was a private conversation," he apologized gently.

"Oh." Ludvika looked down, suddenly ashamed. _I shouldn't ask him personal questions; not after what I did to him..._

"Ludvika," Ben said gently, taking her hand. "I didn't mean it personally," he assured her, with an apologetic smile. "Forgive me."

"No; it's all right," Ludvika protested, looking down. _I don't blame you._ "Ben, I'm sorry," she said again, tears stinging her eyes. "I'm sorry for all the stupid things I said about you; the stuff that got printed in the _Galactic Enquirer_... I'm so sorry," she cried in dismay.

"I know," Ben said gently. "It was a long time ago, Ludvika. It's all right," he assured her, with a forgiving smile. "We all make mistakes," he pointed out, as Ludvika smiled in gratitude. "And I must confess I'm not a faithful _Galactic Enquirer_ reader," Ben continued, an amused twinkle in his eyes; then he gave her a look of quiet respect. "But from what I _have_ read, that particular mistake seems to be one you've never repeated," he said gently.

Ludvika nodded regretfully; she'd never reported anything bad about any of her other husbands, though they had said some derogatory things about her over the years. "Yes," she admitted. "I learned that lesson the hard way."

Ben smiled in quiet commiseration. "You're not the only one to learn things the hard way," he offered consolingly. "Luddy, I wish I'd had the courage to apologize to you years ago," he admitted. "Before I got so old and decrepit that you took it as a death bed confession," he added reproachfully, giving her an indignant look.

Ludvika giggled, cuddling against his arm as they continued along the garden path.

"I wish I had your resilience, Luddy," Ben confessed, sighing. "I wish I hadn't let one little divorce stop me from ever marrying again," he said, as they shared a regretful smile. "But it's a mistake I would very much like to correct," he admitted shyly. "I was hoping you might be able to help me with that."

"Yes?" Ludvika gave him a questioning look, her heart fluttering.

"Yes," Ben nodded appreciatively. "You're quite the social butterfly; you know far more people than I could possibly meet on my own," he admitted, looking down self-consciously. "I thought maybe you could hook me up with someone."

"Oh." Ludvika blinked, trying to hide her dismay. "Of course," she agreed quickly. "Ah... Yes, I - I have a friend who's just been through a bad breakup," she confessed, furrowing her brows uncertainly at the thought.

"Do you?" Ben asked, curious. "How old is she?"

"Thirty-nine," Ludvika told him. "Her name is Jemma; she's really pretty - "

"Oh, no no no," Ben chuckled, shaking his head. "I'm afraid that's far too young for me. No, I'm looking for someone closer to my own age," he confessed. "And I should warn you I _am_ rather picky," Ben admitted. "It would have to be someone who's at least fifty," he told her, listing off his requirements. "But still very attractive, and young at heart," he continued, smiling at the thought. "Someone who is trustworthy and honorable," he mused. "Someone I could share my deepest secrets with, knowing they won't find their way into the _Galactic Enquirer,_" he added pointedly, giving her a meaningful look.

Ludvika nodded, looking down guiltily as Ben continued. "But above all, I want someone who is kind-hearted and caring, someone who's fun to be with, and completely lovable," he told her, with a tender smile. "Someone with a beautiful rose garden... And the most fascinating rainbow fountain I've ever seen in my life," he added, his blue eyes twinkling affectionately. "You wouldn't happen to know anyone like that, would you?"

Ludvika smiled, tears springing to her eyes. "I might," she teased him, though her voice caught, betraying her emotion.

"Ludvika," Ben said gently, taking her hands in his. "I was your first husband," he said, with a loving smile. "And I would very much like to be your last," he confessed.

Ludvika nodded, unable to stop the happy tears. "I'd like that too," she cried, smiling in joyful disbelief; then she gave him an apologetic look, remembering what he had said. "And - you can trust me, with... With _anything,_" she promised. "I know you probably don't believe me, but - "

"I do believe you, Luddy," Ben said gently. "Who better to trust, than someone who has been through twenty-five highly publicized divorces - without uttering so much as a word about any of her former husbands?" he pointed out, giving her a look of admiration and respect.

"Thank you," Ludvika said humbly. "Like I said: I learned my lesson the hard way."

"Yes, you certainly did," Ben conceded, with a regretful smile. "But I'm glad; because there are some things I'd very much like to share with you," he told her. "Things about my own family," he admitted quietly.

Ludvika nodded. "I've read the rumors, of course," she confessed, with an apologetic smile. "Obi-Wan is your nephew?"

Ben smiled fondly. "Yes," he said. "Though that's not exactly a secret," he conceded; Ludvika smiled quietly, grateful that Ben trusted her enough to share what he had never admitted openly to the press.

"No, the secret is much bigger than that, I'm afraid," Ben continued, chuckling softly. "And this is information that I learned after Ana died," he added, with an apologetic look; Ludvika nodded, remembering that Ben truly hadn't known the identity of Ana's secret lover at the time of her death.

"The baby survived, Ludvika," Ben told her quietly, as Ludvika blinked in surprise. "He was sent to the Jedi Temple as well."

"He was?" she asked. "You have another nephew?"

"Yes," Ben said, smiling. "Anakin Skywalker is also my nephew."

"What?" Ludvika blinked. "Anakin too?" _So you're Darth Vader's uncle?_ She laughed quietly, shaking her head in disbelief. "Obi-Wan I can believe, but - Anakin?" she asked again. "He looks nothing like you."

"No, he takes more after his father," Ben conceded, smiling fondly.

"His father," Ludvika repeated, not daring to guess; but suddenly the answer jumped out at her. _Tall, lanky, blue eyes, secret father of two Jedi sons who were mysteriously taken away as infants..._ "Qui-Gon?"

Ben nodded, his eyes twinkling impishly. "Wow," Ludvika murmured, realizing the implications of this situation. "Does the Jedi Council know about this?"

"Master Yoda and Windu know," Ben told her. "But not the others. This is highly sensitive information, Ludvika," he warned her seriously. "And I would never consider sharing it with anyone that I hadn't known for a very long time, and trusted completely," he added, giving her an appreciative look.

Ludvika smiled, looking down humbly. "I won't tell," she promised.

"Good," Ben said cheerfully. "Because there's more," he told her, a mischievous twinkle in his eyes. "Come," he said, offering his arm once again. "Let's take a walk."

Ludvika grinned, listening in disbelief as Ben told her all about his secret Jedi family, while they walked through the garden paths together. "Zak?" Ludvika asked, blinking in astonishment. "He's your great-grand-nephew?" _THAT one I would never have guessed in a million years._ "And Luke and Mara are married?"

"Yes, they are," Ben said, smiling fondly. "That is, I _hope_ they still are," he added, his brows furrowing worriedly. "Luke was the young man I mentioned earlier; the one who was having marital problems," he confessed. "It's because of Luke that I got up the courage to come here today."

"Well, thank goodness for Luke," Ludvika said, smiling gratefully; then she stopped, taking both his hands in hers. "I'm so glad you came," she confessed softly, gazing into his blue eyes. "I love you, Ben."

Ben smiled gently, giving her a tender kiss. "I love you too, Luddy."


	162. The best romance in the galaxy

**Chapter 162**

_A week later..._

"How's the proposal coming along?" Owen asked, as he met with the head of his writing department. The next season of _SITH_ would be starting in two months, and the network was expecting their proposal by next week.

"Ahh," Darro cringed apologetically. "We've been swamped lately, trying to get this week's episode written," he confessed; with so many major changes lately, including the destruction of the Death Star _and_ the Rebel base on Yavin IV, the writers had barely been able to keep up with the filming schedule.

Owen sighed, nodding in understanding. "It's all right; but I need you guys to focus on the proposal this week. The deadline is coming up; that has to be our top priority right now."

Darro nodded. "Absolutely. We'll start working on it today."

"Thanks," Owen said appreciatively. "Okay, what about next week's show?" he asked; Luke, Ben, Leia, Han, and Chewbacca had all confirmed that they would be available for one day of filming here on Geonosis next week, and Owen wanted to make sure they had a plan in place.

"We've got the _Executor_ scenes finished," Darro told him. "And we've got an outline for the Rebel scout scene. But it still needs a little work," Darro confessed, looking over his notes with concern.

"What about the romance subplot for Han and Leia?"

"Oh! That's all done," Darro said. "Now that the Rebels are settled in their new base, we thought Leia could take a day or two off, and visit Naboo - the home of her birth mother," he explained. "She's grieving over the loss of Alderaan, and her adoptive parents, and so she goes off to explore Naboo, to help heal from her grief," he proposed.

_Well that sounds pretty good,_ Owen thought, nodding in agreement.

"And Han goes with her in the _Falcon_, to act as her bodyguard," Darro continued. "They find their way to the lake country; we were thinking they could have their first kiss on the terrace at Senator Amidala's family retreat," he said. "And then they could have a picnic in the meadow; roll through the wildflowers... We thought Han could try that Shaak-riding thing - "

"Wait, wait... That's just the same thing we did with Anakin and Padmé, all over again," Owen said, his brows furrowing.

"Yes, that's the point," Darro agreed; then he saw Owen's uncertain look. "I was going for symbolism...?"

"Heh," Owen laughed. "Symbolism is fine, but I was hoping for something new," he admitted. "And I don't think the legal team will approve the Shaak-riding idea," he told Darro. "Anakin nearly got killed by that thing - and _he's_ a Jedi."

Darro cringed. "Yeah, I was a little worried about that too," he confessed. "Okay, we've got a couple other ideas," he assured Owen, flipping through his notes. "Here we go... Oh yeah, this one's great," Darro said, grinning. "Unrequited love," he proposed. "Han is smitten by Leia, and starts making romantic passes at her, but she's just annoyed by it," Darro said, his eyes twinkling impishly. "Actually, this was our favorite idea, until we came up with the Naboo retreat scene."

"Unrequited love?" Owen asked, blinking uncertainly.

"Yeah," Darro nodded. "There's a lot of potential for humor with this angle: Han keeps coming on to her, and Leia will insult him... Call him a poodoo-head, or something like that," he explained. "Kids love that stuff."

"Humor," Owen repeated doubtfully, still not sold on the idea.

"And realism as well," Darro said. "It's believable, given their history of bickering," he pointed out. "Han is like a little schoolboy; he teases Leia because he secretly likes her... But gradually his teasing will turn into flirting and demonstrations of machismo - which is very realistic; it's exactly what happens when boys reach puberty," Darro added.

_Uh..._ "Han is twenty-eight," Owen pointed out cautiously.

"Yes; but he's a _Solo,_" Darro countered. "It works on so many levels: the flirting, the name-calling... We get to keep the bickering - which the fans love," Darro reminded him. "So we won't lose the humor of that; and in terms of a romantic relationship, it's very realistic," he insisted. "Leia is a princess; she wouldn't be interested in a smuggler from the Outer Rim."

"Well, Han _is_ a prince," Owen said. _Technically, anyway..._

"A _Solo_ prince," Darro argued. "Which is even more reason why Leia would want nothing to do with him."

_Yeah, he has a point there.._. "I don't know; it just seems kind of - cruel," Owen admitted. "No, I can't ask him to do that," he decided, sighing. "Have you got any other ideas?"

"Uh..." Darro flipped through his notes, scanning the contents. "Um..." He flipped another page, then another; then he sighed ruefully, shaking his head. "No," he confessed, giving Owen an apologetic look. "I'm sorry, Owen; we've just been swamped with everything else lately."

"That's all right," Owen assured him. _We'll think of something; we always do..._ "I'll deal with this," he told Darro confidently. "I need you guys to work on that proposal for next season; that's got to be our top priority right now."

"All right," Darro agreed. "We'll get started on that right away," he promised Owen, getting up to leave.

"Thanks, Darro," Owen said, getting up as well. "Good work," he added sincerely, seeing him to the door. "I really appreciate it."

_Ahh..._ _What to do about Han and Leia,_ Owen mused, sitting back down at his desk and staring thoughtfully out the window. But a minute passed, then five, then twenty; and finally Owen sighed, admitting that he had no better ideas.

_Who am I kidding; romance isn't my strong point,_ Owen confessed. _I don't know how Beru even puts up with me._ Sighing in defeat, he switched on his computer monitor and logged onto the official _SITH_ HoloNet fan site.

_Time for another fan writing contest,_ Owen decided, posting the rules and guidelines for the competition and trusting that the show's loyal fans would come through for him once again.

* * *

><p><em>A few days later...<em>

_Here goes nothing,_ Kyric sighed apprehensively, approaching Jabba's audience chamber and praying that he would make it out of there alive. _I should never have pulled that stupid prank..._

Kyric's life had been a nightmare this past week. He was a computer science student at the University of Geonosis, and one night last week - out of sheer boredom - he had decided to hack into the university's HoloNet site, and had drawn silly moustaches and hats on all of the faculty pictures, just as a joke.

He would have gotten away with it, too, if he hadn't bragged about his feat to one of his buddies - rather loudly, in a public cantina - after a few too many Corellian ales. Kyric had received a slap on the wrist for his offense, and had restored the faculty pictures to their normal state; but the news of his prank had made it into the _Galactic Enquirer,_ and that's how Jabba had learned of his admirable hacking abilities.

Kyric had been awakened a few nights ago by an intruder in his dorm room; and before he knew what was happening, he had been dragged here to Tatooine by Jabba's top bounty hunter, Boba Fett. Jabba had demanded that Kyric serve as his personal HoloNet hacker, and Kyric's first job had been to reinstate Jabba's posting access on the official _SITH_ fan site.

_I still haven't managed to do it,_ Kyric admitted, glancing around nervously as he entered Jabba's audience chamber. _Crap, he's going to kill me..._

"Hacker!" Jabba roared, as Kyric bowed before him, trying not to look at the trap door beneath his feet. "Have you got my posting access back?" he demanded in Huttese, as his protocol droid translated for him.

"Not yet, Your Excellency," Kyric apologized, his heart racing. "I'm working on it; I need a little more time - "

"Aaaaaahhhhh!" Jabba roared angrily. "I told you I needed it by _today!_"

"I know; I'm sorry, Your Excellency. I - " Kyric broke off as Jabba's hand moved for the switch to the trap door. "No," he protested. "Please, Jabba - I've almost got it; I'll have it working for you soon - "

"What about the other matter?" Jabba interrupted him impatiently. "Have you found my secret admirer?"

"I haven't had a chance yet," Kyric apologized. "It's an encrypted account; whoever it is doesn't want to be found - "

"Aaaahhhh!" Jabba yelled again. But he let go of the trap door switch, pointing a threatening finger at Kyric. "You will find this person!" he demanded. "And you will get my posting access back," Jabba added, frowning; then he sighed in frustration. "Fortuna!" he yelled, summoning his Twi'lek assistant. "Bring me my datachip!"

"Yes, Your Excellency," Bib Fortuna replied with a sweeping bow, scurrying off toward Jabba's private quarters.

"The _SITH_ fan site is holding a writing contest," Jabba informed Kyric. "The deadline is tonight. You will submit my entry a false name," he instructed him, as Fortuna returned, handing Kyric the datachip. "And you will get my posting access reinstated!" he demanded again. "Go," Jabba said grumpily, reaching for another snack critter.

_Okay... I can do this,_ Kyric told himself, returning to Jabba's communications center, where he had been holed up for the past three days. He'd already figured out how to hack into the _SITH_ fan site, but hadn't yet found a way to cover his tracks. _The message will be traced back to Mos Eisley,_ Kyric knew; but thankfully there were hundreds of other _SITH_ fans here in Mos Eisley.

_Hopefully they won't guess Jabba wrote this thing,_ Kyric sighed, hacking into the site once again; then he jumped in surprise, hearing a voice behind him.

"How's it coming along?"

"Ahh!" Kyric exclaimed, startled. "You scared me," he reproached the newcomer indignantly.

"That's my job," Boba agreed, with a self-satisfied grin. "Sorry I'm late... I meant to talk to you before you went to see Jabba," he apologized. "How did it go?"

"Eh... I'm still alive," Kyric sighed. "I've hacked into the site, but I haven't figured out how to make an untraceable connection. And I've made no progress at all with the secret admirer," Kyric confessed. "It's virtually untraceable; definitely the work of a professional." He shook his head wearily. "And now Jabba wants me to enter his submission for this fan writing contest," Kyric said, showing him Jabba's datachip.

"Oh, crap," Boba muttered, his brows furrowing.

"What?" Kyric asked.

Boba sighed. "This is not good... Okay, let's see it." Kyric nodded, inserting the datachip into his computer; a moment later Jabba's entry appeared, and they both read through it silently.

"Damn," Boba said, running a hand through his shaggy dark hair. "Okay, we can deal with this," he insisted, with stubborn optimism. "What are the contest rules?"

"Uh..." Kyric brought up the official rules on the _SITH_ fan site. "Anyone can enter," he told Boba. "It has to be a scene with Han and Leia, where they begin to realize they have feelings for each other," Kyric continued, reading the contest guidelines. "The deadline is tonight; and then all of the fans can vote for their favorite entry," he explained. "The one with the most votes will be used on the show, and the winner will receive a one-week galactic cruise aboard the _Executor_."

"The most votes," Boba murmured. "Can you fix the votes?"

"Maybe," Kyric replied, frowning doubtfully. "You think I should?"

"It's your funeral," Boba told him. "Like I said: if you want to survive working for Jabba, never bring him bad news. And so far you've got nothing _but_ bad news."

Kyric sighed worriedly; so far he hadn't managed to restore Jabba's posting access _or_ find his secret admirer. _And it's not a secret admirer,_ Kyric knew. Whoever was posting those messages on Jabba's fan site was hiding behind an extremely complex firewall, and was clearly a professional hacker, flirting with Jabba for a laugh. _And when I bring him THAT news, he'll feed me to the Rancor for sure, _Kyric thought, cringing anxiously.

_But maybe if he wins this writing contest..._ "Okay," Kyric nodded, as Boba gave him a consoling pat on the shoulder. "I'll do it."

* * *

><p><em>A few days later...<em>

"Han," Leia said softly, gazing into his eyes. "I understand now why you're Jabba's best smuggler. You're a fast pilot, and you're tall, for a human... And I love you," she confessed, trying valiantly to make the lines sound sincere.

"Leia," Han replied. "You look so pretty in your white dress, with your hair wrapped up in little balls," he told her, ignoring the fact that she was wearing a white jumpsuit today, with her hair done up in loopy braids. "I love you too."

_This is a nightmare,_ Owen thought, wishing he'd taken Darro's advice and sent Han and Leia to Naboo for the day. _Frolicking in the meadow would have been better than this._ He suspected that the scene had been written by an alien fan - a child, most likely - with a limited grasp of Basic; but for whatever reason, the fans had chosen this entry, and so Owen was obligated to use it. _Eh... As long as the viewers like it, that's the important thing,_ he reminded himself.

"Hold me, like you did in the trash compactor," Leia continued. "Where we first fell in love..."

_Wait a minute..._ Owen frowned, his brows furrowing suspiciously. _Why does that sound familiar?_

"Except without the blond boy, and the Wookiee," Leia added. "And the Dianoga..."

_Good grief,_ Owen sighed, shaking his head in exasperation. _Jabba hacked into the fan site._

* * *

><p>"Cut," the director said, as Leia and Han let go of each other, looking up at him uncertainly. <em>Was that not good?<em> They had been doing their best to deliver their lines with feeling and conviction; it was obvious the scene had been written by a young alien child, which Leia found completely adorable.

"That was... That was awful," Owen said. "No, not your acting," he assured them quickly. "But we can't use this," he admitted, as Leia nodded in reluctant agreement; the dialogue clearly wasn't up to _SITH's_ usual standards. "We'll have to come up with something else... Do you two have any ideas?" Owen asked, giving them a hopeful look.

_Improvise?_ Leia blinked worriedly; she could sense Han's sudden anxiety as well. _No; please just give us lines to read..._

Owen laughed gently. "Eh, I didn't have any ideas either; it's okay," he reassured them. "All right, I guess we'll go with what the writers originally came up with," he said, explaining Darro's idea to Han and Leia.

_Unrequited love?_ Leia listened to the new plan, her brows furrowing doubtfully. _That sounds kind of cruel..._ "So Han keeps asking me out, and I just fling insults at him?"

"Basically, yes," Owen nodded. "I'm not sure I get it either," he confessed. "But Darro says the writers all loved the idea; and they know more about this stuff than I do... That's what we pay them for," he pointed out, grinning apologetically. "But if you two aren't comfortable with it, then we won't do it," Owen told them.

Leia nodded thoughtfully. _It sounds like something Julian would like,_ she confessed; Julian loved tragic love stories, though Leia had never quite understood their appeal herself. "No; it's fine with me," she assured Owen, as Han shrugged, nodding in agreement.

"All right," Owen said. "Let's give this a try, and see how it goes... _Action._"

"Uh... Hi, Leia?" Han began tentatively. "I was wondering if you'd like to have dinner with me?"

Leia scowled, trying to look annoyed. "I don't think so."

"All right," Han nodded, refusing to give up. "How about lunch tomorrow?"

"No, thank you," Leia replied coldly.

"Breakfast?" Han persisted.

"No."

"Coffee break?"

"No."

"Afternoon Tea?"

"No."

"Cookies and milk?"

Leia stifled a giggle. "No."

"Jawa juice?"

"No," Leia laughed. _Ahh, I'm supposed to insult him..._ "Stupid poodoo-head."

Han looked momentarily hurt. "Poodoo-head?" Then he gave her a roguish smile. "Poodoo-head... I like the sound of that."

_Haha, this is ridiculous... _"Go away - slimeball," Leia said, trying to scowl.

"Cut," Owen laughed. "No, that was terrific," he assured them. "You're doing great; but we need to get through this," he reminded them, glancing at the other Rebel actors milling about the set. "No giggling," he scolded Leia good-naturedly. "Han, why don't you ask her to a movie," Owen suggested, motioning for them to continue.

"How about a holo-film?" Han asked now.

"Like what?" Leia countered. "Some stupid war movie?" _I hate war movies..._

"No, Your Worshipfulness," Han said condescendingly. "I'll take you to a nice girly film."

_Hey!_ "Even if I wanted to see one, I wouldn't go with _you_," Leia retorted.

"Well who _would_ you go with?" Han challenged her. "Luke?" he asked, as her brother walked by in his orange Rebel jumpsuit. Luke blinked in surprise, obviously not expecting to be in this scene; but he stopped obediently, playing along.

"That's right," Leia said, giving Han a reproachful look. _If I wanted to see a girly film, I would go with my brother._ "Come on, Luke," she said, taking his arm. "Let's go see a movie."

"Uh... Sure," Luke agreed, attempting to mask his obvious confusion as she led him out toward the hallway._  
><em>

* * *

><p><em>What the hell just happened there? <em>Owen wondered. Han was staring after them too, equally baffled; then he shook his head in frustration, remembering his role.

"Great," Han grumbled, returning to the loading area, where Chewbacca had been helping the Rebels to unpack some crates of supplies. "Come on, Chewie," Han muttered, as the Wookiee gave him a questioning howl. "Let's finish this up."

"Cut," Owen said, as Han, Luke, and Leia obediently returned, their expressions uncertain. "That was... something," he confessed, blinking. _I'm not sure WHAT it was... But Darro will probably like it,_ he laughed to himself. _Ah, we're running late..._

"Okay, we're going to shoot the security drill next," he informed them, as they joined the other Rebels in the center of the stage. "And then, Luke - we'll film your scene with Ben next; we're just waiting for Qui-Gon to arrive," he told him. _Late as usual..._

"Actually," Luke said, his expression thoughtful. "He's here already."

"Is he?" Owen blinked in surprise. _I swear, I'll never get used to working with Jedi._ "Great," he said, nodding appreciatively. "Okay, we'll film your training scene right after the security drill."

* * *

><p><em>Meanwhile...<em>

"There you are," Ben said cheerfully, as Qui-Gon joined him on the sound stage. "How was Felucia?"

"Flowery," Qui-Gon replied, his blue eyes twinkling; he'd been on the tropical planet for the past two weeks, studying the giant cerulean blooms. "So, are you ready for your blue shimmer lesson?"

"Not just yet," Ben told him. "Owen and Luke are still filming with the Rebels," he explained; but he couldn't suppress a gleeful smile.

Qui-Gon gave him a curious look, as Ben quietly switched off the sound stage's overhead microphone. "What is it?"

Ben shook his head, amused. "Only you would have to ask," he reproached his brother-in-law. "If you had stopped to read the _Galactic Enquirer_ - like everyone else in the entire galaxy," he chided him, laughing softly - "you would know that I'm engaged to be married."

Qui-Gon's jaw dropped. "No..."

"Yes," Ben nodded proudly, beaming in delight; his heart fluttered happily as he thought of Ludvika. "Here," he said, handing Qui-Gon the tabloid which he had brought along for this very purpose. "For once, it's actually true."

Qui-Gon read the article, stunned. "Ludvika?" he asked, blinking in disbelief. "Ben... What?" Then he saw Ben's happy grin, and smiled despite his surprise. "Congratulations," he said, still taken aback by the news. "How did this happen?"

"Actually, I had a bit of encouragement," Ben confessed, smiling. "From Luke."

"Luke?" Qui-Gon repeated.

"Yes; he and Mara are married, you know," Ben informed him, as Qui-Gon's eyes widened again. "You really should come out of your hole more often," Ben chided him. "Yes, they've been married for - oh, over a month now."

"And you know this how?" Qui-Gon had guessed for years that Luke and Mara had feelings for each other; he had shared his suspicions with Ben, but they'd never had any actual proof of their secret relationship.

Ben chuckled. "He and Mara had a bit of a spat on one of the sound stages a few weeks ago, and didn't realize the microphones were still on," he explained. "Not to worry; I gave him a quick remedial lesson," Ben assured Qui-Gon. "But yes, he told me all about his marriage. And I promised him I wouldn't tell Obi-Wan; but I made no such promise about _you_," Ben added. "Though actually, he said they _weren't_ married anymore," he confessed, frowning. "Hopefully they've straightened that out... But in any case, I told him not to make the same mistake I did with Ludvika, and - " Ben smiled, looking down. "And I decided to take my own advice."

Qui-Gon laughed softly, incredulous. "That's... wonderful," he said. "Congratulations, Ben."

"Thank you," Ben said, still smiling; then he caught Qui-Gon's wistful look, and his heart sank. _Ah, now he's the only one in the family who's NOT married..._ "Qui-Gon - "

"No, no," Qui-Gon assured him, sensing his thoughts. "You forget your lessons, my young padawan learner," he scolded Ben playfully, eyeing Ben's Jedi costume. "Time has no meaning in the Force," he reminded him. "Ana and I will have an eternity to spend together, soon enough," Qui-Gon said, with a wistful smile. "And _forever_ is a very long time to spend with someone," he pointed out. "Especially someone with Ana's famous temper," he added, as Ben laughed in fond regret; Ana had been a redhead, and when she went on the rampage, Ben had learned to make himself scarce. "Eternity can wait," Qui-Gon said, smiling quietly. "At least for a few more years."

"Longer than that, I hope," Ben said.

"So do I," Qui-Gon agreed. "Especially considering the tongue-lashing I'm bound to get, for having taken so long," he laughed. "But in any case, congratulations; much happiness," he said, smiling fondly. Then he gave Ben a curious look. "Have you spoken with Luke?" he asked, concerned. "You said he and Mara had been having a spat?"

"Ah... No, I haven't had a chance to talk to him," Ben confessed. "And I doubt that I will today; they're filming another scene in the command room after this, and my agent is expecting me in a few minutes... But I hope things are all right with Luke and Mara," Ben agreed. Then he smiled impishly, an idea coming to him. "Perhaps I can work the question into our dialogue...?"

Qui-Gon laughed, nodding. "I shall enjoy watching you try." They could hear voices coming from the hallway, and Ben stood up now, switching the overhead microphone back on as Owen, Luke, and Artoo joined them on the set.

* * *

><p><em>A few minutes later...<em>

"Be mindful of the Living Force, Obi-Wan," Qui-Gon instructed Ben sagely, as they stood together in Luke's private bedchamber. "Focus your thoughts on Luke; feel his energy, and become one with his presence."

Luke closed his eyes as well, sitting cross-legged on his bed and pretending to meditate; but now he opened his eyes, sensing Ben's presence. "Ben?" He stared at him in surprise, pretending to see his faint, flickering image for a moment; then he looked around helplessly, losing sight of him again. "Ben?"

"Luke," Ben replied from behind the camera, speaking into the microphone as his ghostly voice echoed throughout the sound stage. "I'm afraid I can't remain visible for long yet," he apologized. "I haven't my Master's skill, I fear," he conceded, as Qui-Gon beamed smugly beside him, proud of his unique talent. "How are your lightsaber exercises coming along?"

"All right," Luke told him. "I've been practicing every day, just like you told me to," he promised.

"Excellent," Ben replied. "And do you remember the matter we spoke of, the last time?"

_Huh?_ Luke's brows furrowed. _Owen didn't mention this part..._ But then he caught the mischievous gleam in Ben's eyes, and suppressed a grin. _Haha! He means our private conversation..._ "Yes, I remember," Luke replied, managing to keep a straight face. He had read about Ben's recent engagement to Ludvika in the _Galactic Enquirer_; Luke was eager to tell him that he and Mara were back together as well, but they couldn't very well talk about such things with Owen and Qui-Gon standing right there.

"And how is that going?" Ben asked cryptically.

"It's going very well," Luke assured him. "Thanks to your wise counsel," he added. "I see that your own efforts have paid off as well," he said, casting a subtle glance at the _Galactic Enquirer_, which lay on an equipment stand beside Ben.

"Indeed; thank you," Ben said appreciatively, as they shared a secret smile. "Now then, we shall focus on your Force training," he continued, getting back to the point of the scene. "Close your eyes, Luke; feel the Force flowing through you..."

_Right..._ Luke closed his eyes again, pretending to focus. "I can feel it," he said; then he furrowed his brows. "Ben?" Luke opened his eyes again, looking around the chamber uncertainly. "Ben?" He sighed, shaking his head. "I felt it, Artoo," Luke murmured, as the astrodroid chirped back at him. "Just for a second," he conceded. "Ahh... Come on; let's go join the others." Luke got up, heading for the door; but then he stopped, remembering his role in the previous scene.

"No," Luke said, turning back. "You wait here," he instructed the astrodroid, who blipped at Luke questioningly. "I'm going to a holo-film," Luke announced proudly, suppressing an amused grin. _I have a date with my make-believe sister._

* * *

><p><em>Later that afternoon...<em>

_Almost there,_ Kyric sighed, logging out of the _SITH_ fan site once again. _Okay, I think this time I've done it._ Holding his breath, he pushed the button to create Jabba's new, completely untraceable account.

Then his brows furrowed as an alert message appeared on the screen: INVALID USER ADDRESS.

_What?_ Kyric blinked, startled. _This didn't happen last time..._ He'd created several fake accounts over the past few days, and this message had never appeared. _That's new..._ Frowning, Kyric returned to the fan site's main screen to start again.

Then he saw the latest headline on the main screen: _Fan Writing Contest Cancelled Due to Hacking._

_Oh no... No no no..._ Kyric brought up the announcement, his heart sinking as he read the notice issued by the Lars Studios legal team. _'Due to a recent hacking incident, we regret to announce that the latest fan writing contest has been cancelled. All entrants have been awarded a small speaking role on the show (please see Guest Appearances section for scheduling information). _

_Furthermore, until stronger security measures can be implemented, all users attempting to log onto the fan site through an anonymous rerouting service will be denied access. Thank you for your understanding and we apologize for the inconvenience.'_

"Oh, crap!" Kyric muttered, his heart racing. _Jabba's going to kill me..._

"Bo Shuda?" came a quiet, sinister voice from behind him.

"Ahh!" Kyric jumped, startled. _I hate how he does that..._ Boba Fett - despite being Kyric's only friend and ally here in Mos Eisley - took great pleasure in his official job of scaring the crap out of him on a daily basis. "Boba - "

But it wasn't Boba standing behind him this time; Kyric gasped in alarm as he was met by the creepy red gaze of Bib Fortuna, Jabba's albino Twi'lek assistant. "I tu taka to Jabba now," Fortuna informed him, pointing a sharp fingernail toward the doorway, where two armed Gamorrean guards stood waiting for him.

_I am so dead..._ Kyric nodded, getting up from his computer terminal and following the Twi'lek out to the hallway, then back toward Jabba's main audience chamber. _What am I going to say to him?_

"Hacker!" the Hutt thundered, as Kyric was brought before him by the Gamorrean guards. "You ruined the fan writing contest!" he roared furiously, as his protocol droid translated.

_Damn it..._ Jabba had viewing access to the _SITH_ fan site, though he wasn't allowed to post; obviously he'd read the news already. "Your Excellency, I - "

"Silence!" Jabba yelled angrily. "What of this 'anonymous rerouting service' business?" he asked grumpily, munching on a critter from his bowl. "Can you get around it?"

"Ah..." Kyric gulped. _No; not really..._ "It will take some time - "

"Ahhhhhhhhh!" Jabba roared, spewing critter pieces all over the place. "It's been a week already!" he reproached him, taking another bite. Then he gave Kyric a threatening look. "What of my secret admirer? Have you found Tiffany?"

"No, Your Excellency," Kyric apologized. "I haven't had a chance - "

"Enough!" Jabba thundered, furious. "You're finished, Hacker!" He pointed a stubby finger at Kyric. "Feed him to the Sarlacc!"

_Noooooo..._ Suddenly Kyric found himself being dragged away by the two Gamorrean guards, back down the hallway and out the side entrance, where he was roughly shoved onto a small hovering transport. _This can't be happening..._

But it _was_ happening, and a minute later they arrived at the Sarlacc hole, where Kyric was unceremoniously dumped into the pit. "Aaaaaaaaaah!" Kyric yelled helplessly, falling to his doom as he felt slimy tentacles wrapping around him.

_This isn't happening... This isn't happening..._ Kyric heard the rough laughter of the Gamorrean guards above him, and looked up to see them staring down at him with amused expressions; but then they were gone, speeding back to Jabba's palace and leaving Kyric to be devoured by the monstrous beast.

"Ohh," Kyric moaned, as the tentacles continued to grab at him, licking at his face and bare hands; another tentacle found its way beneath his shirt, hungrily slurping at the cold sweat that had formed in Kyric's panic. "Ohh... ohhh..."

"Ohhh...ohh...ohhhohohooooo," Kyric laughed despite his terror, squirming away from the groping tentacles. "That tickles!" He tried desperately to shove the monster away, but it kept licking at him, probing every inch of his skin for traces of salty sweat to devour. "Stop it!" But the creature wouldn't stop, and Kyric helplessly resigned himself to his fate as the sky above the Sarlacc's pit faded to rosy pink, then black, with a single star twinkling down through the narrow opening.

_Mom... Dad,_ Kyric cried, numb to the licking of the Sarlacc as it continued to chafe at his red, irritated skin. _I'm so sorry..._ He hung his head, wishing for the thousandth time that he'd never pulled that stupid prank back at the University.

_I wanted to make them proud of me,_ Kyric wept, choking. _I wanted to graduate, and get a job as a computer developer... I didn't want it to end like this..._ He sniffed miserably, quickly wiping away his tears before the Sarlacc could try to lick at his eyeballs; but then he blinked in alarm as something else suddenly fell into the pit, landing on his lap.

"Ahh!" Kyric gasped, automatically wriggling away from whatever it was. _It's a bug... it's a snake,_ Kyric thought worriedly; then he squinted in surprise_. It's a... retractor cable?_

"Grab on," came a hushed voice from above the pit, as Kyric looked up to see a familiar shaggy, dark head outlined against the night sky.

"Boba!" Kyric exclaimed, his heart leaping with relief. Instantly he obeyed, clipping the retractor cable to his belt; and a moment later he was pulled up out of the pit, as Boba pried him away from the Sarlacc's hungry grasp.

"Thank you," Kyric gasped, collapsing gratefully in the sand as the creature finally let go of his ankle.

"You all right?" Boba asked, peering at him in concern.

"Yeah," Kyric nodded, catching his breath. "Just a little - slimy," he confessed.

"Eh, you'll be fine," Boba assured him, helping him to his feet. "It takes that thing a thousand years to digest you; a little first aid ointment and you'll be good as new," he said cheerfully, trudging off through the sand again.

_Wait..._ "Where are we going?" Kyric asked worriedly, following him.

"Away," Boba said simply, casting a meaningful glance back toward Jabba's palace. "You can't very well stay here," he pointed out.

Kyric blinked in surprise, hurrying to keep up with him. "You're coming too?"

"Heh," Boba laughed, shaking his head. "No. I'm just giving you a ride, that's all."

"To where?" Kyric asked, not daring to imagine what remote, desolate part of the galaxy might be safe from Jabba's spies.

Boba grinned in amusement, patting him on the back. "You're going home."

"Home?" Kyric blinked. "What if Jabba finds me?" he asked, glancing back at the palace in the distance.

"He won't," Boba told him, as they trudged through the sand. "Once Jabba feeds you to the Sarlacc, he's done with you," he explained. "You're dead to him now," he told Kyric. "Stay away from Tatooine, and you'll be all right."

"Really?" Kyric asked, surprised. "It's that easy?"

"Yep," Boba nodded cheerfully. "Jabba's not like the other Hutts; he's a big softy, once you get to know him," he said, grinning. "Though I wouldn't tell anybody about your little stay here," he added seriously, with a warning glance toward Jabba's palace. "Best thing to do is forget about it; pretend it never happened," he advised Kyric.

"Pretend it never happened," Kyric repeated wearily, trudging after Boba through the Tatooine desert toward the faint outline of _Slave I_ in the distance. "Sounds good to me."


	163. And, quite possibly, the worst

**Chapter 163**

_Meanwhile..._

_Ugh,_ Jabba groaned, slithering heavily back to his private chamber after a long evening of entertainment. _I am completely stuffed._ He had eaten eight bowls full of critters, plus an entire vat of frog's-egg pudding tonight, in addition to the delicious Bantha steaks Snowball had prepared for him, and he sighed now, casting a dismayed glance at his bulging stomach as he settled down at his personal computer terminal.

_I really need to stop eating like this,_ Jabba admitted ruefully. But it had been a stressful day; he was still upset over the cancellation of the _SITH_ fan writing contest, and now it looked as though he might _never_ get his posting access reinstated. Jabba had angrily sent the incompetent hacker down to the Sarlacc; but he had no doubt that Boba had probably rescued the boy by now, and sent him back home to Geonosis.

_Just as well,_ Jabba sighed unhappily. _I might need him again someday..._ Normally Jabba was careful never to re-hire employees that he'd fed to the Sarlacc, stubbornly insisting that they were dead; but times were tough right now, and computer hackers were hard to come by, especially here on Tatooine.

He would have to give it some time though, before trying to hack into the _SITH_ fan site again; obviously the legal team was onto him, and Jabba would have to keep a low profile for a while. And as for the _other_ matter... Jabba sighed, confessing that he wasn't ready to face the truth about his secret admirer just yet.

_She hides behind a firewall,_ Jabba knew. _She doesn't want to be found..._ Jabba had tried asking Tiffany subtle questions about her identity - where she lived, what species she was, and so forth - but Tiffany had carefully evaded his questions. The only thing that Jabba knew for certain about Tiffany was that she - if indeed she _was_ a 'she' - was an expert hacker, and fit the classic profile of a message board troll.

_No,_ Jabba frowned, forcing the thought away. _Tiffany is real,_ he told himself stubbornly. He hadn't felt this way about anyone since Padmé; Jabba smiled now, remembering why he had fallen in love with _JEDI_ to begin with. Padmé had been so beautiful, with her colorful dresses and elaborate hairstyles; Jabba had tried to kidnap her once, but had reluctantly given up on his efforts to woo her, admitting that their love was not meant to be.

_But Tiffany..._ Jabba smiled tenderly, his heart fluttering. _Tiffany is real,_ he told himself once again, logging onto his fan site to see if she had visited today. _She's real, and she loves me..._ Jabba had written several new poems lately, which he had published on his site "for all of his fans"; but in truth they were for Tiffany alone.

_Has she read my latest one?_ he wondered, checking his messages. _Yes!_ Jabba clicked on her latest post, feeling a comforting warmth in his heart as he read her sweet, kind words.

_Dear Jabba,_ she wrote. _I thought your latest poem was the best yet. So beautiful, so sensual, so romantic. Thank you for sharing your wonderful poetry with us. Your devoted fan, Tiffany xoxox_

_Ahh,_ Jabba sighed, a blissful smile on his face. _I love you too, Tiffany. Wherever you are..._

But now his holo-transmitter suddenly flickered to life, and Jabba scowled in resentment as Gardulla's green, slimy image appeared before him. "Jabba!" she shrieked. "You owe me five hundred thousand credits!"

_I know..._ "You'll get it," Jabba retorted grumpily. "I need more time." Business had been bad lately, and he had been forced to take a loan from Gardulla two months ago.

"A hundred thousand by next month," Gardulla demanded, glaring at him furiously. "Or the interest rate doubles."

_Poodoo..._ "All right," Jabba grumbled. "You'll get it."

"I'd better," Gardulla said, her yellow eyes narrowing. "One month," she warned him, pointing a threatening finger at him as she ended the transmission.

Jabba scowled as his holo-transmitter flickered off once again. _How am I going to get a hundred thousand credits by next month?_ He had hoped that Solo's new deal with _SITH_ would help him out of this predicament, but unfortunately Lars Studios paid by the episode, and Han would not receive the full hundred thousand credits for at least another year.

Jabba sighed unhappily; he didn't want to admit it, but his death stick business had been declining steadily over the past several years. Glitterstim and crystalstim were the hot new spices these days; death sticks were old news, and many of Jabba's distributors had already dropped him in favor of Gardulla, who - in addition to supplying the more popular drugs - was able to offer death sticks at a greatly reduced price.

_Maybe I should get into the glitterstim business too,_ Jabba considered; but even the thought of it brought back terrible memories. His own parents had died tragically of a glitterstim overdose when Jabba was just a small boy; whether an accident or a double suicide, his family had become the laughingstock of Nar Shadaa, and Jabba had left Hutt Territory in anger and shame five hundred years ago, setting up his own operations here on Tatooine.

_No,_ Jabba vowed stubbornly. _I won't do it..._ But he sighed, confessing that he had no idea how he was going to come up with a hundred thousand credits by next month.

"Ahhhhh," Jabba moaned, shaking his head and pushing away the worrisome thoughts once again. "Fortuna!" he called sharply, pressing the button on his intercom.

"Yes, Your Excellency?" came his assistant's voice on the other end.

Jabba frowned, troubled. "Bring me some more snack critters."

* * *

><p><em>Aaaaghhh,<em> Gardulla sighed, rolling her eyes in exasperation as she hung up on Jabba. _Stupid freak..._ Jabba was an embarrassment to the Hutts, and Gardulla secretly hoped he _wouldn't_ be able to come up with the money this time, so that she would finally have an excuse to take over his operations on Tatooine, and get rid of him permanently.

But as head of the Nar Shadaa Mafia, Gardulla had to play by the rules, and give Jabba a fair chance to settle his debt on his own. _This isn't like the old days,_ she admitted ruefully. _I can't just have him poisoned, and call it an accident..._

Gardulla herself was already under enough suspicion for the last "accident" that had happened eight years ago, when the King and Queen of Nar Shadaa - her own brother and sister-in-law - had been tragically killed in a sail barge crash; it had not gone unnoticed by the other Hutts that Gardulla had profited from the tragedy, being named Regent and Protector of Nar Shadaa until her young niece, Princess Yorga, came of age.

_And then..._ Gardulla sighed in frustration, admitting that her time was quickly running out. Yorga was sixteen now; in just two more years she would legally be an adult, and Gardulla would be forced to hand the royal scepter over to her.

_But not the Nar Shadaa Mafia,_ Gardulla consoled herself. _That will still be mine..._ And the Mafia was far more powerful than the royal scepter anyway. _The little brat's welcome to it,_ Gardulla scowled. _She can sit there on her throne all she likes, but I will have the real power here on Nar Shadaa._

But now she frowned as the doorbell rang; curious and slightly annoyed, Gardulla slithered out to the palace's main hallway to greet her visitor.

Gardulla had been living here at the royal palace for the past eight years, but had learned to do without servants for the most part. She preferred solitude, as just about everyone else in the galaxy got on her nerves, including droids. Her security team had been trained to do their jobs quietly and unobtrusively, and as Gardulla opened the palace's front door now, she trusted that whoever was paying her a visit this evening had a good reason.

She was surprised to see a handsome young Hutt on her doorstep, smiling politely and holding a bouquet of Ylesian flowers. "Blobbo!" Gardulla exclaimed, smiling graciously and putting a hand to her chest in a gesture of delight. Blobbo was the Prince of Ylesia, Nar Shadaa's sister planet here in Hutt Territory; Gardulla's mind raced as she realized what this meant. _He's come to ask me to marry him..._

"Hello, Gardulla," Blobbo replied, bowing courteously.

"Please, come in," Gardulla said, inviting him inside. "To what do I owe the honor of your visit?" she asked. "Oh, what beautiful flowers," she added, smiling appreciatively.

"Thank you," Blobbo replied; then he gave her a hopeful look. "Is Yorga at home?"

_Oh._ Gardulla valiantly masked her annoyance. _Damn it..._ "Of course," she assured Blobbo, attempting a pleasant smile. "Just a moment; I'll get her."

_I should have known,_ Gardulla grumbled, slithering off to find her niece. _Stupid little brat..._ Yorga was going through her rebellious teen phase these days, and typically shut herself in her bedroom all day long, listening to horrible music and playing on the HoloNet.

"Yorga!" Gardulla yelled, knocking on her door. "Yorga!" As usual, the Princess refused to answer, and now the music from within her bedroom became noticeably louder. _Annoying little snot..._ "YORGA!" Gardulla yelled again, banging heavily on the door.

"Go away!" came an annoyed voice from inside the room.

"Yorga, you will come out here right now!" Gardulla yelled. "I'm going to count to three," she warned her. "One... Two... Three - "

"Aaaarrrgghh!" Yorga groaned in exasperation, opening the door. "What?" she demanded.

"You have a visitor," Gardulla informed the princess, above the din of her music.

"Who?" Yorga asked skeptically.

"Prince Blobbo is here to see you," Gardulla said, giving her a warning look.

"Ugh!" Yorga wrinkled her nose in disdain.

"You will be courteous to him, and behave as befitting a princess," Gardulla reproached her niece sternly. "Or I'll cut the power to your bedroom for three days," she threatened, with a meaningful glance at Yorga's precious computer and stereo system; it was the only form of discipline that had any effect whatsoever on the princess these days.

"Ahhhh!" Yorga sighed, rolling her eyes in annoyance. "All right," she agreed grudgingly, slithering after Gardulla as they returned to the main hall.

"Yorga," Blobbo greeted her, smiling courteously. "You look beautiful this evening," he added, graciously offering her his bouquet of Ylesian flowers.

"Hi. Thanks," Yorga replied, taking the flowers from him. Gardulla shot her a look of stern warning, which the princess stubbornly ignored.

"I was wondering if I might have the pleasure of your company at the Ylesian Games this year?" Blobbo asked hopefully.

Yorga's brows furrowed doubtfully. "When's that?"

"Two weeks from now," Blobbo told her. "It's going to be quite an event; we've got over a hundred Ewoks this year," he added, with a hopeful smile.

"Ewoks?" Yorga frowned uncertainly.

"Yes; they're these little furry - "

"I know what Ewoks are," Yorga cut him off impatiently. "What do they _do?_"

Blobbo blinked uncomfortably, taken aback. "The usual," he told her hesitantly. "We have them fight each other with their little spears... Shoot them out of catapults and see how far they'll fly... Put them in the arena with giant spider crabs, and watch them run around... It's very entertaining," he assured her.

Yorga scowled. "I don't know," she said skeptically. "It sounds kind of - "

"It sounds delightful," Gardulla interrupted her, smiling graciously and vowing to strangle her niece at the next possible opportunity. "A hundred Ewoks," she added, nodding respectfully to Blobbo. "That's quite impressive."

"Yes," Blobbo agreed, beaming proudly. "Our slave hunters have been busy lately," he told her. "They found a whole new colony of them on a moon of Endor."

"Did they?" Gardulla asked, feigning interest; in truth, she preferred traditional humanoid slave fighting, and found the idea of flying Ewoks rather ridiculous; but Blobbo was the Prince of Ylesia, and Ylesia was an important planet in Hutt Territory, and so Gardulla kept her thoughts to herself, smiling indulgently.

"Yes," Blobbo replied, nodding. "In any case... Yorga, would you be interested in accompanying me?" he asked the princess, rather awkwardly.

Yorga blinked uncomfortably, catching Gardulla's warning look. "I'll think about it," she told Blobbo, managing an almost-polite smile.

Blobbo smiled nervously. "Thank you," he said, nodding. "Well, I won't keep you," he added, sensing that he had overstayed his welcome. "Yorga, Gardulla; it's been a pleasure to see you, as always," he assured them, slithering back toward the door.

"And you as well," Gardulla replied graciously. "Goodnight, Blobbo." She smiled politely as the prince bowed, slithering back toward the palace gates; but as she shut the door, her smile instantly faded.

"What was that?" Gardulla demanded, glaring at her niece furiously.

"What?" Yorga retorted defensively.

"He is the Prince of Ylesia," Gardulla reproached her. "Show him some respect." Yorga groaned, rolling her eyes. "You will accompany Blobbo to the Ylesian Games," Gardulla continued, pointing a finger at her threateningly. "I don't care how stupid they are; you will smile, and be polite, and you will conduct yourself like a princess."

"Arrrgghh," Yorga sighed, exasperated. "Fine," she agreed. "Is that all?"

"Yes," Gardulla sighed wearily, equally glad to be finished with this conversation. "And Yorga," she added with a stern glance, as the princess turned back, glaring at her resentfully. "This is for your own good," Gardulla told her, as Yorga rolled her eyes in annoyance, slithering back to her bedroom for the night.

* * *

><p><em>'This is for your own good,'<em> Yorga sulked, going back to her room. _Yeah, right,_ she grumbled, shutting the door behind her and bolting it securely.

_And my name isn't Yorga,_ she pouted, slumping back down at her computer terminal. _It's Tiffany..._ Sighing wearily and trying to forget about her stupid aunt, Yorga checked her messages, hoping someone had written to her.

_Oh,_ Yorga sighed, seeing there were no new messages. _I wish someone would write..._ Since her parents' death when she was nine years old, life here at the royal palace had become a mixture of loneliness and aggravation - depending on whether her Aunt Gardulla was around - and the HoloNet provided Yorga's only contact with the outside world.

_Maybe there's something new on Jabba's site,_ she thought hopefully, logging on through a series of firewalls and rerouting services. Her Aunt Gardulla strictly monitored her computer usage, and would be furious if she learned she'd been visiting Jabba's site; but Yorga had figured out how to work around the parental control system.

_Oh! There's a new poem,_ Yorga saw, smiling eagerly as she clicked on Jabba's Poetry Corner. _I love his poetry..._ Yorga's heart fluttered as she read his latest love poem.

_Hold me, like you did in my dream last night  
>When there was nothing but our love<br>No HoloNet, no typing, no words..._

_Oh,_ Yorga sighed, tears springing to her eyes. _That's beautiful..._ Yorga knew that Jabba shared his poetry for _all_ of his fans - as he clearly stated on his site - but still, she liked to pretend that his sweet, tender words were meant just for her.

_Not that I'd stand a chance with him,_ Yorga sighed unhappily. _He's like six hundred years older than me... And if he ever found out I'm Gardulla's niece, he'd ban me from his site forever,_ Yorga confessed, blinking worriedly at the thought. _Ahh, I hope this rerouting service I'm using is as 'anonymous' as it claims to be,_ she sighed anxiously, carefully logging out again.

_Still no messages,_ Yorga noticed sadly, checking one last time. _I guess I'll go to bed._ Switching off her computer, she slithered wearily onto her soft canopy bed, snuggling beneath the covers.

_Just one more poem before bedtime,_ she told herself, smiling wistfully as she pulled her favorite book out from under the pillow where she lovingly kept it, safe from her Aunt Gardulla's prying eyes: _Love Poems, by J.T. Hutt._

_He's such a romantic,_ Yorga sighed dreamily, opening up the well-worn book to one of her favorite pages. _His poetry is brilliant... and he's completely gorgeous,_ she confessed, smiling as she thought of his recent appearance on _SITH_, as well as the dozens of portraits she'd secretly downloaded from his official fan site.

_And best of all, my aunt hates him,_ Yorga giggled mischievously, remembering what had sparked her interest in Jabba to begin with.

_He represents everything I admire,_ she confessed, tucking her book carefully back under her pillow and turning her bedside light off. _He's noble, and wise, and strong; passionate, yet caring... He's the opposite of stupid Aunt Gardulla,_ Yorga sighed, laying her head down on the pillow.

_He got away from this horrible planet,_ Yorga realized wistfully, gazing out her window at the stars beyond. _And someday I will too._


	164. There is a point to all this

**Chapter 164**

_A few months later..._

"Ani!" Padmé exclaimed, as he dropped down into her bedroom. "You're back!" Anakin and the others had been on Tryskoria these past three months, trying to re-establish diplomatic relations with the native residents after Luke's misfortunate virgin-stealing incident. "I've missed you," Padmé confessed, smiling happily as he embraced her.

"I missed you too," Anakin said softly, his blue eyes filled with longing as he kissed her tenderly. "How have you been?"

"Fine," Padmé told him, smiling. "How did it go on Tryskoria?" Master Yoda had assured her that Anakin and the others were safe, though he had admitted to sensing a good deal of tension during the first week of their mission.

"Heh," Anakin laughed, sitting down on the bed next to her as she began to unbuckle his Jedi belt. "No, I can't stay; I have Night Watch duty," he told her apologetically.

"Night Watch?" Padmé blinked in dismay, reluctantly buckling his belt again. "They really don't give you a break, do they?" she remarked indignantly, her brows furrowing.

"Yeah, no kidding," Anakin sighed. "And I didn't feel right asking any of the others to cover for me; we all just got back a couple of hours ago," he apologized.

Padmé gave him a sympathetic smile, kissing him consolingly. "So how did it go?" she asked again, curious.

"It was... interesting," Anakin said, with a mischievous grin. "Actually, it started out pretty well: we arrived during their tri-monthly lunar alignment festival," he told her, as Padmé nodded in understanding; it was the only time when electronic technology was possible, when the planet's two moons offset the magnetic imbalance for a few hours.

"Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon wanted to try diplomacy first," Anakin continued. "So we landed near the Nuluuii village; that's the one where Luke _wasn't_ accused of virgin-stealing," he added, grinning. "Anyway, we decided to go in with the traditional approach: cloaks on, hoods up - conveniently enough, half the village was dressed that way for the virgin sacrifice ceremony anyway," he told Padmé. "So we just slipped right into their midst; it took a few minutes before anyone even noticed us," Anakin confessed; Padmé giggled, snuggling closer to him as he continued.

"We knew we had one shot to make a good first impression - and that whoever handled the introductions would probably need to do a heavy-duty mind trick to keep them from freaking out," Anakin admitted. "So, of course, we chose Obi-Wan to handle that; except -"

"Except what?" Padmé asked, seeing his hesitant look.

"Well, Luke had been teaching Obi-Wan a little Tryskorian," he explained. "But apparently the word for 'ambassador' sounds a lot like - " Anakin broke off, laughing. "Eh, you had to be there," he apologized.

"No, what?" Padmé asked, amused.

"Okay," Anakin conceded, getting up from the bed and pulling his hood up over his head. "Pretend I'm Obi-Wan," he told Padmé, lifting his chin and adopting a rather comical, smug expression.

_"We are blueberry pancakes from the Galactic Republic,"_ Anakin intoned dramatically, with a subtle wave of his fingers. _"We come in peace."_

Padmé gasped, clapping a hand over her mouth. "No..."

"Yes," Anakin nodded, pulling his hood back down. "Confused the heck out of them," he admitted, sitting next to her again. "But luckily Luke straightened things out; they all had a good laugh, and then they invited us for dinner... offered us some Moo-Moo kebabs," he told her.

"Everything was fine; but then - " Anakin cringed. "Then Zak took his hood off," he told Padmé, sighing. "And then all hell broke loose: they thought he was some kind of devil, and decided we were all demon-worshippers... Started throwing stuff at us: rocks, torches, Moo-Moo kebabs... Mara got a tomato in her eye just as she was Force-shoving half a dozen Nuluuii torch-bearers away, and she accidentally zapped them all - started a forest fire," Anakin confessed ruefully.

"No," Padmé gasped, trying desperately not to laugh.

"Yeah," Anakin sighed. "We managed to escape in the confusion; decided it was best to wait until daylight before trying to talk to them again... But by then it was too late," he told Padmé regretfully.

"Too late?"

Anakin nodded. "The Nuluuii went to the Tuluuii village during the night; told them about the demon-worshippers they'd caught, and then the two tribes joined forces against us," he explained. "By morning we were surrounded by every warrior on Tryskoria... They dug a giant moat around our campsite - because apparently demon-worshippers can't swim - called it the 'Island of the Damned'," Anakin told her, laughing. "Obi-Wan tried his blueberry pancake speech again, but it didn't work," he sighed ruefully.

"So then what?" Padmé asked, giggling.

"Standard mission procedure: we took a vote to decide our next move," Anakin told her. "Cory, Zak, Mara and I all voted for aggressive negotiations, but Luke, Obi-Wan, and Qui-Gon voted for _'patience'_," Anakin grumbled, rolling his eyes. "So of course, they won..."

"Wait," Padmé said, furrowing her brows. "How did they win? The vote was four to three," she pointed out. _Poor Ani, he really can't count..._

"No," Anakin said, shaking his head. "It's the Jedi voting system: padawans get one vote, Knights get two, Masters get three - yeah, it's completely unfair," he agreed, seeing her bewildered expression. "So in the end, the vote was - " he blinked uncertainly. "Well, I don't know, but even Cory said they won," Anakin assured her.

Padmé gave her husband a sympathetic smile, stroking his curly golden-brown hair. _At least his head is pretty to LOOK at..._

"Anyway," Anakin continued, shrugging. "'Patience' won, so we all sat around meditating," he told her. "It took Qui-Gon all of five minutes to sense crystals beneath us," Anakin said, grinning. "I don't know how he does it... But I'm glad he did, because where there are crystals, there are caverns, and where there are caverns, there are underground passageways," Anakin explained. "We didn't see Cory or Zak again for days," he told her, laughing.

"Which was just as well," Anakin conceded regretfully. "After we mysteriously vanished from the Island of the Damned, they were convinced we had some kind of supernatural powers," he said, shaking his head.

"Ani... you _do_ have supernatural powers," Padmé pointed out.

"Huh?" Anakin's brows furrowed. "Oh. Yeah, I guess..." he blinked. "Anyway - by the time Zak and Cory found us again, we'd managed to patch things up," he told her. "Qui-Gon gave them some crystals; they're nuts about magic rocks and stuff like that," Anakin explained.

"And this time _Luke_ did the talking - he was great," Anakin said, grinning proudly. "Padmé, you should have seen him; he told them - " Anakin broke off. "Well, I'm not sure exactly _what_ he told them," Anakin confessed, his eyes twinkling good-naturedly. "But he did a fantastic job; next thing we knew, they were inviting us all to a big feast, and everything was fine after that," he finished cheerfully.

Padmé smiled, proud of her son's achievement. "He's really something, isn't he?" she asked softly.

"Yeah," Anakin agreed, nodding. "Yeah, he really is." They shared a quiet look of understanding; Master Yoda had always sensed that Luke was somehow very important to the Jedi Order, and Obi-Wan was carefully grooming him for a future position on the Council. "How's Leia doing?" Anakin asked thoughtfully.

"Fine," Padmé told him. "She and Julian are visiting Alderaan for the weekend - but you knew that already," she realized now, seeing the amused glimmer in Anakin's eyes. "I don't know why you bother to ask," she reproached him indignantly.

"Hehe," Anakin laughed, kissing her. "They seem happy together," he added quietly, giving her a curious look.

"Yes, they do," Padmé agreed, smiling affectionately. "So... Mission accomplished?" she asked Anakin. "Did the Tryskorians agree to adopt Republic law?"

"Yes," Anakin told her. "It was actually pretty easy; thanks to Zak, they immediately stopped fighting each other, and banded together against _us_," he said, laughing. "So by the time we got around to diplomatic negotiations, they'd already made friends, and called off the war," Anakin said. "And the whole point of the virgin sacrifice thing was to bring them victory in battle; but without a war..." He shrugged good-naturedly. "In the end, they were happy to abolish that little ritual," he confessed. "Saskia's parents were glad to hear she's okay."

Padmé smiled. "She's _more_ than okay," she said, giving Anakin a mischievous look.

"What?" Anakin grinned, surprised. "Jonah finally asked her out?"

"Yes," Padmé said, beaming in delight. "It took him a while, but - " she broke off abruptly as Anakin's transmitter beeped.

"Ahh," Anakin sighed, pulling it off his belt and checking the message. "I have to go," he apologized, clipping it back onto his belt. "Night Watch duty," he said, giving her a rueful smile.

Padmé nodded in understanding, kissing him goodbye. "I love you, Ani," she said simply, as he got up to leave.

"I love you too," Anakin said, giving her one last kiss on the forehead before hopping silently up into the overhead vent. "Get some sleep," he added, with a rueful glance at the transmitter on his belt. "Looks like this is going to be a long one," he told her, with an apologetic grin.

"Okay," Padmé assured him, smiling sympathetically. "Goodnight," she called after him softly, as Anakin replaced the metal grating behind him.

"Goodnight," Anakin whispered, his blue eyes twinkling lovingly down at her through the grating before he disappeared once again.

* * *

><p><em>Two Hundred Forty-Eighth Street and Zolan Avenue,<em> Anakin sighed, hopping on a transport to get to his Night Watch assignment. _And they're going home to Fifty-Ninth and Elom... That's quite a trek,_ he confessed, studying the transit maps to plan his return route.

_We'll have to switch transports at two places; but it's not so bad,_ Anakin reassured himself, getting off the public transit and walking the last eight blocks to Zolan Avenue.

_Huh, I wonder what's going on out here in the middle of the night,_ he thought curiously. _Aside from drug deals..._ Anakin could sense the local denizens slinking quietly into the shadows as he made his way along the street, which was of course the purpose of his presence here.

But as he arrived at the corner of Two Hundred Forty-Eighth and Zolan, one solitary person remained, twirling around a lamp post and singing whimsically to herself, oblivious to Anakin's presence. _Great,_ he sighed, guessing that _this_ was his charge. _She's higher than a kite..._

"Hello," Anakin said, approaching the woman now; she was small and frail-looking, dressed in rumpled, baggy clothes, with limp, greying blonde hair that had been hacked off at approximately chin level.

The woman stopped singing, looking up at him in surprise. "Ani?"

Anakin blinked, caught off guard. _She knows me?_ "Yes," he said cautiously, trying to place the woman. She appeared to be in her fifties, and had an old, badly-healed scar which sliced through her upper lip. _I would have remembered seeing her before..._

But now the woman frowned suspiciously. "You're not Ani," she said doubtfully. "Ani's just a baby... I think...?" She trailed off, a vacuous look in her blue-grey eyes.

_Oh,_ Anakin realized, sighing wearily. _She must have seen me on JEDI._ "No, it's all right," he assured her gently. "I'm Anakin," he said, introducing himself. "You called for the Jedi Night Watch?"

"Oh!" the woman exclaimed, blinking in surprise. "Yes! Hello," she said, with a delighted smile; the scar on her lip stretched grotesquely, exposing a missing tooth. "I'm Cora."

"Great," Anakin nodded, smiling. "You're going home to - " he checked his transmitter for instructions. "Fifty-Ninth and Elom?"

"Yes," Cora said brightly, walking beside Anakin as they made their way back toward the transit stop. She walked stiffly, and had a slight limp; Anakin slowed his pace, subtly offering his arm. Cora gratefully accepted it, leaning against him for support as they continued along the dimly-lit street. "Such a gentleman," she said, beaming up at him as Anakin smiled courteously.

It was eight blocks back to the transit stop; Anakin glanced around, wondering what she was doing so far from home. "What were you doing out here, Cora?" he asked casually, trying to make the question sound innocent; he was not in the mood to arrest her, though he guessed from her confused mental state that she was some type of drug addict. _Probably rockstim..._ Rockstim was a crude form of crystalstim, much cheaper and less potent but equally dangerous, as it slowly poisoned its users with heavy metals, causing irreparable brain damage.

"Um... I was looking for Ani," Cora replied vaguely. _Right,_ Anakin sighed. _She's nuts..._ "Oh! And I had a performance, on Zolan," Cora added importantly, glancing back toward Zolan Avenue.

"A performance?" Anakin asked, surprised.

"Yes! I'm a ballerina," Cora informed him. "Would you like to see me dance?" she asked hopefully.

"Uh... Sure," Anakin said politely. Cora let go of his arm, proceeding to do a series of rather clumsy pirouettes along the sidewalk; the sight would have been comical, if it weren't so terribly sad. Finally she stumbled, barely keeping her balance and reeling dizzily as Anakin quickly caught her by the arm, steadying her once again. "That's... lovely," he told her, smiling.

"Thank you," Cora beamed, attempting a graceful bow. "I'm a singer, too," she told him. "I write all my own songs; would you like to hear one?"

_No, not really..._ "Sure," Anakin said, nodding indulgently as Cora launched into a rather repetitive, off-key song.

_"I like to sing on Alderaan,  
>Alderaan, Alderaan,<br>I like to sing on Alderaan,  
>It's where I like to sing! <em>

_I like to sing on Bandomeer,_  
><em>Bandomeer, Bandomeer,<em>  
><em>I like to sing on Bandomeer,<em>  
><em>It's where I like to sing!<em>

_ I like to sing on Coruscant,  
>Coruscant, Coruscant,<br>I like to sing on Coruscant,  
>It's where I like to sing!"<em>

"Haha," Anakin laughed, smiling good-naturedly. "That's great," he told her, as Cora beamed proudly.

"Thank you!" Cora said brightly. "But there's more... Oh!" she exclaimed, as they arrived at the corner of Yalara Street.

_"I like to sing on Yalara,  
>Yalara, Yalara,<br>I like to sing on Yalara,  
>It's where I like to sing!"<em>

Anakin grinned, nodding toward the next intersection. "What about Xagobah?" he asked. "Do you like to sing there?"

"Yes!" Cora exclaimed happily, launching into another verse.

_"I like to sing on Xagobah,  
>Xagobah, Xagobah,<br>I like to sing on Xagobah,  
>It's where I like to sing!"<em>

Anakin laughed quietly as Cora continued to sing about Wistril, Vandelhelm, Utapau, Talasea, and Serenno; but eight blocks later, as they arrived back at the transit stop, he sighed wearily, admitting that his patience was wearing thin.

_"I like to sing on Reecee,  
>Reecee, Reecee - "<em>

"Wait," Anakin said, holding Cora back as she attempted to cross the next intersection. "We'll take the transport the rest of the way," he told her, nodding toward the public transit sign. _Thank the Force..._

"Oh! Hyperspace," Cora said, nodding happily.

"Heh... That's right," Anakin laughed gently, sitting next to her on the bench to wait for the transport.

_"I like to sing in Hyperspace,  
>Hyperspace, Hyperspace,<br>I like to sing in Hyperspace,  
>It's where I like to sing!"<em>

_Kill me now..._ "Do you know any other songs?" Anakin asked her hopefully. _Because my brain will explode if you keep singing this one..._

"Oh! Yes," Cora nodded, smiling. "I know lots of songs," she assured him. "Would you like to hear a lullaby?"

"Sure; that would be nice," Anakin agreed, as Cora launched into another song.

_"Sleep now, my pretty one,  
>Day is done; night has come..."<em>

_Actually, that's not so bad,_ Anakin thought, grateful for the lullaby's peaceful tone as Cora continued to sing softly.

_"Sleep now, my little dear,  
>Close your eyes; Mommy's here..."<em>

Cora's voice faltered suddenly, and she broke off. "I - I can't sing the rest," she whispered, blinking sadly. "I'm sorry..."

"No, no," Anakin said anxiously, sensing her distress. _Crap..._ "It's okay; don't worry about it," he assured her, as Cora sniffed unhappily, nodding. "Come on; let's sing about Hyperspace again," he said, glancing down the street and hoping the transport would arrive soon.

"Okay," Cora gulped, nodding.

_"I like to sing in Hyperspace,  
>Hyperspace, Hyperspace,<br>I like to sing in Hyperspace,  
>It's where I like to sing..."<em>

"That's great," Anakin encouraged her, as Cora gave him a hesitant smile; but he still felt the intense pain in her heart. "How about - how about Tryskoria?" he suggested.

"Tryskoria?" Cora's brows furrowed.

"I was just visiting Tryskoria," Anakin explained. "It's a nice place; I'm sure you'd like to sing there," he told her, with an encouraging smile.

"Okay," Cora nodded agreeably, giving it a try.

_"I like to sing on Tryskoria,  
>Tryskoria, Tryskoria,<br>I like to sing on Tryskoria,  
>It's where I like to sing!"<em>

"Haha!" Cora giggled, her blue eyes sparkling childishly. "That's a silly one."

"Yes, it is," Anakin agreed good-naturedly, grateful that her sudden sadness seemed to have passed; then he cocked his head, sensing the transport approaching. "Hey, look," he said cheerfully, as it appeared in sight. "Hyperspace."

"Oh!" Cora exclaimed, getting up from the bench. "I love hyperspace," she said, dutifully pulling out her transit pass. Anakin glanced at it surreptitiously; it was a green pass, issued for free to citizens who were on welfare. "Sometimes I travel through hyperspace all day long; especially when it's raining," Cora confessed.

Anakin smiled uncomfortably. "You know you're not supposed to do that, Cora," he reminded her gently, as they got onto the transport. "If everybody used hyperspace just for fun, there would be no seats left for people who really need them," he pointed out.

"I know," Cora apologized ruefully, as they sat down. "I don't do it when it's full," she protested; then her brows furrowed indignantly. "But I _do_ need it," she insisted proudly. "I could never get to all my performances without hyperspace," Cora pointed out. "I have a very busy schedule."

"Right," Anakin nodded wearily. "Though you need to stop these midnight performances on Zolan," he added, giving her a warning look. "That's not a safe area, Cora."

"I know," Cora agreed unhappily. "That's why I called for the Night Watch," she admitted, with a hesitant, apologetic glance.

Anakin nodded in quiet understanding, not pushing the matter; this wasn't the first time that he'd been called on to escort someone who was homeless, lonely, in trouble, or just needed to talk.

"So, you live on Fifty-Ninth Street?" he asked gently. "Have you got family there?"

Cora blinked sadly. "No..."

"Friends?" Anakin asked hopefully.

"No," Cora admitted, hanging her head. "I _did_... I had a friend from the Have-A-Heart program," she told him. "Three or four, actually," she confessed, shrugging dejectedly. "But they never last long."

Anakin sighed unhappily; the type of people who volunteered for the Have-A-Heart program tended to be naive and well-meaning, but were quickly scared away when they realized just how dismal life was for people such as Cora. _But maybe she could join a senior citizens' group..._ "How old are you, Cora?" Anakin asked gently.

"Hmm?" Cora had lapsed into daydreaming, humming quietly to herself; but now she broke off momentarily. "Eighteen," she told Anakin absently.

"Heh," Anakin laughed, noting her greying blonde hair, and the delicate wrinkles surrounding her eyes and mouth. "Let's see your ID."

Cora dutifully handed it to him, and Anakin blinked in surprise, seeing her year of birth. _She was born the same year as Padmé,_ he realized. _She's only forty-five..._ But life had not been easy on Cora, and she had aged far beyond her years; Anakin would have thought she was easily ten or fifteen years older than she truly was.

_No, she won't qualify for any of the senior programs,_ Anakin realized, sighing. There were several excellent mentoring programs which catered to Coruscant's needy children, as well as the elderly; but people in between those ages unfortunately tended to fall through the cracks.

_Yeah, the Have-A-Heart program is really the only one she would qualify for,_ Anakin confessed; it was a rather poorly-run program, providing volunteer companions for people who had no family or friends of their own. "I'll give the program a call," Anakin offered gently, handing Cora's ID back to her. "I'll see if they can find you someone else."

Cora nodded; but now she blinked away tears. "They never come back," she cried. "I sing them all my best songs, but - they never come back," she choked miserably, a tear escaping down her cheek.

"Hey, no," Anakin protested helplessly. _Crap, this again..._ "Uh... Come on, sing me the one about hyperspace again," he pleaded softly.

"No," Cora wept, hanging her head. "Noooooo..."

"Yes," Anakin said. "Come on; you can do it... _'I like to sing in hyperspace...'_"

_"Hyperspace, hyperspace,"_ Cora joined in, sniffing tearfully.

"There you go," Anakin said, with a reassuring grin.

_"I like to sing in hyperspace,  
>it's where I like to sing..."<em>

"That's great!" Anakin told her, nodding. "Okay, how about... How about Mustafar?" he suggested.

"Hee!" Cora giggled, nodding.

_"I like to sing on Mustafar,  
>Mustafar, Mustafar,<br>I like to sing on Mustafar,  
>It's where I like to sing!"<em>

"Terrific," Anakin said, suggesting another planet for Cora to sing on, then another. _Maybe I could be her Have-A-Heart friend?_ he considered, feeling a twinge of guilt; the Jedi Order encouraged involvement in local charity programs, but Anakin had never volunteered for anything outside of HOPE, which was his own daughter's program.

_If I didn't have a secret illegal family, I'd have time for this sort of thing,_ Anakin confessed, valiantly maintaining an indulgent smile as Cora continued to sing. But between training the most difficult padawan in the entire Jedi Order, studying to become a Master himself, serving on frequent special assignments such as their recent mission to Tryskoria, and trying not to be a _completely_ negligent husband to Padmé - and father to Luke and Leia - Anakin had to admit that he already had his hands full.

_And that's not even counting my work on SITH,_ Anakin confessed, realizing Owen and Cliegg were desperate to get him back to film some action sequences after his three-month absence.

_It's only an hour a week, though,_ Anakin reconsidered, gazing at Cora thoughtfully as she continued to sing about every planet in the entire galaxy. _She just needs somebody who will listen to her sing, and watch her dance... That's not so hard,_ he told himself. _It just takes a little patience; and I'm supposed to practice patience,_ Anakin confessed, remembering his Master studies.

But two transit rides, twelve city blocks, and eight hundred verses later, Anakin finally arrived at Fifty-Ninth and Elom with a splitting migraine, his nerves frazzled beyond all hope. _I can't do this,_ he admitted unhappily, as he walked Cora to the entrance of her run-down apartment building. _I wish I could; but I just can't..._

"Goodnight, Cora," Anakin said, smiling gently as they reached her doorstep. "Take care of yourself, all right?"

"All right," Cora nodded, smiling appreciatively. "Thank you - " she broke off, giving him a questioning look. "I'm sorry; I forgot your name?"

"Anakin," he told her, with a good-natured grin.

"Anakin," Cora repeated, her blue eyes twinkling shyly. "Well... Goodnight."

"Goodnight," Anakin nodded politely, as Cora gave him one last smile before disappearing inside her apartment building; but as Anakin turned to leave, he could hear a soft, lyrical voice coming from the stairwell.

_"I like to sing to Anakin,  
>Anakin, Anakin,<br>I like to sing to Anakin,  
>He's who I like to sing - to..."<em>

_Heh..._ Anakin laughed quietly, though his heart ached as he headed back toward the nearest transit station. _I wish I could do it,_ he confessed, thinking of the Have-A-Heart program. _But I can't,_ he sighed, closing his eyes momentarily against the painful throbbing of his skull.

_Patience was never my strong point,_ Anakin confessed, continuing along the street. _I need to save up every ounce of patience I have for Mara,_ he admitted. _Because if I fail at that, I'll get torched to death, and she'll be expelled from the Order..._

Then he blinked thoughtfully, an idea coming to him. _Patience..._ Anakin grinned, suddenly realizing the solution to this situation. _Cora needs someone who's patient; someone who can listen to her songs for hours on end, without getting the least bit irritated..._

_Someone whose idea of fun is going to the Political History museum and reading the plaques beneath every single bust of every single Chancellor in the history of the Galactic Republic... Someone who can sit through an entire formal dinner - seated across from Jar Jar Binks - and actually enjoy the conversation... Someone who - when stranded on an island with six other Jedi - is the only one under the age of fifty-five who actually votes for patience..._

_I know the perfect Have-A-Heart friend for Cora,_ Anakin realized, smiling to himself as he headed back along the dimly-lit street. _I'll talk to Luke about it tomorrow._


	165. Which will make sense later on

**Chapter 165**

Luke sat on a padded study bench in the Jedi Temple library, focusing intently on a history databook in preparation for his Master studies. Obi-Wan was in a Council meeting this morning, and Anakin and Mara were at the Senate hall, filming a quick scene with Palpatine for this week's _SITH_ broadcast.

_I have a lot of studying to catch up on,_ Luke confessed. Mara, Anakin, and Zak had all been grateful for the break in their academic studies on Tryskoria, as electronic devices were useless there; but Luke had to admit that he'd missed being able to sit down with a good databook, and learn about things that couldn't be discovered through meditation alone.

He was reading through a chapter about the indigenous tribes of Korriban when he looked up, sensing Master Anakin and Mara approaching. "Good morning," Luke greeted them cheerfully.

Mara ignored him as usual; but Master Anakin smiled. "Good morning," he said; then he gave Luke a curious look. "Luke, I was wondering if I could talk to you about something?"

"Oh! Sure," Luke nodded, setting his databook down and getting up from his study bench. The library was busy this morning, and talking was frowned upon while others were trying to work.

"I'll be back in a minute, Mara," Anakin said, as Mara nodded obediently, continuing over to the padawan study area.

"Luke... I know you're busy with your studies these days," Anakin began, as they continued out to the hallway. "And I don't want to put any more pressure on you," he apologized. "But I was wondering if you might be interested in volunteering for one of the local mentoring programs?" he asked hesitantly. "It would just be for an hour each week."

"Oh!" Luke blinked in surprise. "Sure, I could do that," he said, wondering what this was about; Anakin had never asked a favor of him before.

"I ran into someone last night," Anakin explained. "Her name is Cora; she's forty-five, on welfare, has no family or friends," he added, as they stopped by a tall window. "She signed up for the Have-A-Heart mentoring program a while ago, but hasn't had any luck," Anakin told him. "I told her I'd try to find someone for her; I would have done it myself, but - " he glanced back toward the library, where Mara was studying. "I've just got too much going on right now," he apologized.

"No problem; I can do it," Luke said, honored that Anakin had asked him to do this. _Usually he goes to Obi-Wan if he needs a favor..._

"Thanks, Luke," Anakin said, smiling appreciatively. "Though before you sign up for this, I should warn you: she's kind of... eccentric," he confessed. "I think she's done a little too much rockstim in her day." Luke nodded regretfully; rockstim was a cheap drug, used by those who couldn't afford crystalstim or death sticks. It was an unrefined form of glitterstim which slowly poisoned its users with heavy metals, often causing permanent brain damage.

"She's got some emotional problems too," Anakin added. "But mostly she just likes to sing, and dance; she thinks she's a ballerina," he said, with a rueful grin. "Anyway, if you could just visit her for an hour a week - give her a little company, listen to her sing... Would you mind doing that?"

"Not at all," Luke assured him. _Master Anakin wouldn't be asking me to do this if it weren't important._ "Sounds like fun... Hey - free concert, right?"

"That's right," Anakin laughed quietly. "Anyway, she lives near Fifty-Ninth and Elom," he said, as they headed back toward the library. "I don't know her apartment number, but the program can probably tell you that."

"Okay, I'll give them a call," Luke told him. "Hopefully I can visit her later today."

"Thanks, Luke," Anakin said, with a grateful smile. "I really appreciate it."

* * *

><p><em>Later that afternoon...<em>

Luke stepped off the transport at Fifty-Ninth and Elom, walking the last several blocks to Cora's apartment. _This isn't the greatest area,_ he confessed; it was considerably poorer and more run-down than the neighborhood where Obi-Wan's adopted family lived.

_I'm glad Master Anakin asked me to do this,_ Luke decided proudly. He'd only been knighted nine months ago - six of which had been spent on Tryskoria - and this was the first time another Knight had approached him for a favor.

_And I understand why he couldn't do it himself,_ Luke admitted. Anakin had enough on his plate these days, between training Mara, studying to become a Master, filming for _SITH,_ and trying to make time for Tessa. _He hasn't seen her in three months; and last night he got stuck with Night Watch duty..._

_Yes, I'm happy to help out with this,_ Luke thought as he arrived at Cora's apartment building, pressing the buzzer for apartment forty-seven. _I hope she's home..._ Anakin had warned him that Cora liked to wander around in the streets; he waited a few moments, and was about to turn away, when the intercom box crackled in response. "Hello?"

"Hello," Luke said politely. "Cora? My name is Luke Starkiller... I'm from the Have-A-Heart program," he explained, wincing at the organization's decidedly patronizing name. "I was hoping this might be a good time to visit?"

"Oh! Yes, of course," came a cheerful voice. "Come in!"

_She seems nice,_ Luke thought optimistically, going inside and continuing up the stairs to apartment forty-seven. He was about to knock on the door when it opened suddenly, and he was greeted by a rather small, middle-aged woman with greying blonde hair and soft blue eyes, dressed in rumpled, mismatched clothing.

"Oh my goodness! You're a Jedi!" The woman gave him a delighted smile; the scar on her upper lip stretched tight, revealing a missing tooth.

"Yes," Luke said, grinning shyly. "Hi, Cora? I'm Luke."

"Luke," Cora repeated. "Please, come in!" Luke stepped inside her living room, glancing at the worn-out couch against the wall, and the assortment of small bookshelves and tables, all cluttered with whimsical trinkets.

"Nice apartment," Luke said appreciatively. "It's very cozy," he added, as Cora beamed at his compliment. Despite the mustiness, dust, and peeling paint on the walls, the place _felt_ warm, and happy, and comforting. But now Luke noticed the bucket in the middle of the rug, and looked up to see a large stain in the ceiling, which was slowly dripping water into Cora's living room. _Well that's not good..._

"Would you like some tea?" Cora offered.

"Oh! Yes, please," Luke accepted politely, following her into the little kitchen. Cora limped slightly, most likely from a poorly-healed injury; but she seemed happy and cheerful, and eagerly set about filling a teapot with some water from the tap.

She set the pot on the stove, then reached for a box of matches and carefully lit one, holding it up to the burner as she turned on the gas. "It doesn't have autopilot," Cora explained, giving Luke an apologetic smile.

Luke grinned, amused by Cora's notion of what 'autopilot' actually _was_; but then he peered at the pilot light curiously. "Oh; it just needs a new igniter switch," he told her. "I can pick up the part at the hardware store, and fix it for you next time," he offered.

"Really?" Cora asked. "And then I'll have autopilot? Oh - thank you!"

"It's no problem," Luke assured her; then he glanced back out toward the living room, concerned by the large water stain in the middle of her ceiling, and the carefully placed bucket on the floor.

Cora followed his gaze. "Chances of showers later this evening," she predicted, eyeing the soggy spot warily.

_Heh; no kidding..._ "Here, let me take a look at that," Luke said, finding the ceiling access panel and hopping up into the attic crawlspace.

He quickly discovered the source of the problem: a leaky water pipe where the shower drain from the apartment overhead joined the main plumbing system. _Chances of showers tonight... Yeah, probably when her neighbor gets home from work,_ Luke grinned, shaking his head. _But I can fix this..._

The leak had been patched before, but the copper brace had come loose; Luke wrapped it around the pipe again, tightening it as best he could with his multi-tool. Then, igniting his lightsaber, he set about mending the leaky pipe, grateful for Qui-Gon's lessons in Force-welding.

"All fixed," Luke announced a minute later, hopping back down and removing the bucket from the center of the room.

"Oh!" Cora exclaimed. "Now I have room for dancing again," she said happily, twirling around on the rug. "I'm a ballerina, you know."

"Yes, so I've heard," Luke agreed, sitting down on the couch to watch her. "I hear you're quite a singer, too," he added, with an encouraging smile.

"Oh! Yes," Cora exclaimed, stopping mid-twirl at the suggestion. "Would you like to hear one of my songs?" Luke nodded, and Cora's eyes sparkled as she took a deep breath, launching into a song. "_I like to sing on Alderaan_ - oh!" she remembered suddenly. "The tea!" Cora hurried back to the kitchen, returning a moment later with two cups of tea; Luke thanked her politely as she handed one to him, setting the other down on a little table. "Okay," Cora continued breathlessly, returning to her stage in the center of the rug.

_"I like to sing on Alderaan,  
>Alderaan, Alderaan,<br>I like to sing on Alderaan,  
>It's where I like to sing!"<em>

Luke clapped enthusiastically. "That was great!"

"Thank you!" Cora said, bowing graciously. "But there's more; that was only the first verse," she told him. "It's a really long song," she confessed; Luke could sense her genuine weariness as she took a deep breath, bravely soldiering on.

"Wait," Luke stopped her. "Why don't you have your tea first?" he suggested.

Cora nodded gratefully, joining him on the couch. "You're such a nice boy," she said, giving Luke a shy smile. "Does your family live here on Coruscant?" Cora asked, trying to make conversation.

Luke laughed gently. _Good question, actually..._ "I don't know," he told her. "I'm a Jedi; I never knew my family."

"Oh! Right," Cora said, noticing his ivory Jedi outfit. "Sorry, I forgot." She looked down apologetically. "I forget a lot of things," she admitted; then her brows furrowed. "I knew a Jedi once... I think?"

_Yeah, she's done too much rockstim,_ Luke decided, agreeing with Anakin's assessment. But he smiled, taking another sip of his tea. "This is delicious," he told her. "And your apartment is beautiful," he added, admiring the collection of little trinkets that were proudly displayed on all of her tables and shelves. "How long have you been living here?"

Cora looked around the room uncertainly. "I'm not sure," she said. "I think I moved here after..." She gasped suddenly, her eyes widening in alarm. "Annie!" she exclaimed, setting her teacup down and rushing out of the living room. "Annie?"

_What?_ Luke got up from the couch, concerned. _Is someone else living here?_ Cora came out of the bedroom a moment later, utterly panicked. "Annie?" she called again, limping quickly toward the kitchen. "Annie!"

"Cora," Luke said, following her. "Who's Annie?"

"He - he took the baby," Cora whispered, shocked. "He took the baby..."

_Oh, crap!_ The Have-A-Heart coordinator hadn't mentioned a child, but Luke quickly looked around the apartment, alarmed. There was no crib in the bedroom, or any toys to be seen. _Maybe she was babysitting for someone?_ "Cora... What baby?" Luke asked, concerned for the child.

"Annie," Cora whimpered, wringing her hands. "Annie..." She broke off, tears in her eyes. "He took the baby," she cried again, distraught; then she headed for the door. "I have to go find Annie," Cora told Luke, continuing down the stairwell. "Annie...? Annie!"

_Well this isn't good..._ Luke held Cora's arm as she limped quickly down the stairs and out onto the street. "Annie? Annie!" she called out helplessly. Luke glanced around worriedly; if someone had taken the baby, it had happened before he arrived, and that had been over twenty minutes ago. _Crap, they could be miles away by now..._

"I'm calling the police," Luke told her, spotting a public transmitter booth on the street corner.

"No," Cora protested. "No police... I have to find Annie," she insisted, continuing on in the opposite direction. "Annie... Annie!"

Luke hesitated; he understood Cora's reluctance to involve the police, as she would surely be charged with child endangerment. _But this is serious,_ he decided, picking up the transmitter and dialing the police as Cora continued to call out for the missing child.

"This is Jedi Knight Luke Starkiller, reporting a missing child and possible kidnapping," he explained quickly. "I'm at Fifty-Ninth and Elom; the baby's name is 'Annie' - "

"Wait," the operator cut him off. "Was the kidnapping reported by a woman named Cora?"

"Yes," Luke said, surprised.

"Yeah, we get calls about this a couple times a week," the dispatch officer said. "The police have looked into it; there _is_ no baby," he assured Luke. "Cora's a rockstim addict; she's delusional," he explained. "But I can send someone out there to talk to her, if you'd like."

_Crap..._ "No, that's okay," Luke told him. _I'm supposed to be her friend, not get her arrested._ "Thank you... Sorry about that," he apologized.

"No problem," the dispatcher said. "You have a nice day."

Cora was already two blocks away by the time Luke hung up, and he ran to catch up with her now. "Cora!" he called after her. "Cora, it's all right," he said gently.

"You found Annie?" she asked, looking up at him hopefully.

_Crap, what do I tell her?_ "No, I - I called the police," Luke said, deciding to go with the truth, rather than confuse her with even _more_ delusions. "Cora, they said you've called them about this before, and that there is no baby," he explained gently.

"Ahhhhh," Cora wailed, as Luke hugged her close. "They never believe me," she cried, defeated.

"Shh, it's all right," Luke said, keeping an arm around her and leading her back toward her apartment building. "Let's get you home."

"Annie," Cora wept again; but she was no longer panicked, and now Luke sensed her heartache and grief. _There WAS a baby,_ he guessed, doing what he could to console her. _Just because the police have no record of it doesn't mean it didn't happen._

Luke resolved to look into the matter; but for now he smiled, trying to distract her. "Come on; let's sing a song," he suggested.

"No," Cora sobbed.

"All right, I'll sing one," Luke offered. "I know a good one," he said, with a hopeful smile.

Cora sniffed. "You do?"

"Yes," Luke nodded. "We used to sing it in Boys' Choir. And they sing it every year at the festival on Naboo," he added brightly.

"Naboo?" Cora blinked. "_I like to sing on -_ No, I don't like to sing on Naboo," she protested, shaking her head.

_Huh? She lost me there..._ "You don't?"

"No," Cora said. "Naboo only has two silly bulls; I like to sing on planets with _three_ silly bulls," she told Luke. "I like to sing on Alderaan, Bandomeer, Coruscant, Dathomir... _Three_ silly bulls," she explained.

_Okay..._ "Well, there are a lot of Gungans on Naboo," Luke pointed out, still trying to distract Cora. "They're pretty silly."

"Gungans?" Cora asked.

"Yeah," Luke nodded. "Actually, they wrote the Yah Yah song; they're incredible musicians," he told her. "Would you like to learn it?"

At this, Cora's eyes sparkled with excitement, all memory of the lost baby vanishing from her consciousness. "Yes!" she exclaimed eagerly.

_Good..._ "Okay, it's pretty easy," Luke told her. "There's only one word," he added, singing it for her. _"Yah yah yah... Yah yah yah... Yah yah yah yah yah..."_

"Oh!" Cora exclaimed, grinning. "I love it!" She joined in as they sang it again, then again, and again; but then her brows furrowed. "That's it?" she asked, as they reached her apartment building.

"No," Luke laughed, as they went inside, climbing up the stairs. "That's just the easy part; there's a countermelody, and drums, and horns," he told her, grinning mysteriously.

"Drums? And horns?" Cora asked, delighted.

"Yes," Luke nodded. "Come on; I'll show you," he offered, as they went back inside her apartment. "We just need something to use as a drum, and a horn," he suggested, giving Cora a hopeful look.

"Oh! I know," Cora said eagerly, hurrying into the kitchen. "These can be drums," she decided, pulling out a couple of plastic bowls. "And - oh!" Cora exclaimed, going back out to the living room. "Look!" she said, finding a child's scooter horn amidst the clutter of whimsical trinkets. "A horn!"

"Perfect," Luke said, as they sat down on the couch together. "Okay, which part do you want to learn next?"

"The drums!" Cora said excitedly, turning her plastic bowl over and holding it on her lap.

Luke taught her the drum part; it took Cora a while to get it, and she was a bit clumsy at first, but a few minutes later she had it down. "Okay, you keep doing that, and I'll sing the melody."

Cora's eyes sparkled happily as they played together; then they switched parts, with Luke drumming and Cora singing. "This is fun!"

"Yes, it is," Luke agreed, grinning. "Do you want to try the horn part?"

"Oh! Yes," Cora said excitedly, picking up her horn and squeezing the rubber ball on the end, making a honking sound.

"All right; I'll sing the countermelody, and I'll point to you when it's time for the horn," Luke told her. _We need Threepio here to conduct,_ he thought, laughing. "Here we go... _Dada-da-da dada-dada-dada-da dada-da-da-da - _" BEEP! Luke pointed to Cora, who dutifully squeezed her horn. "_Dada-da-da dada-dada-dada-da dada-da-da-da._" BEEP!

"Perfect," Luke congratulated her, as Cora grinned happily. "Come on, let's try that again." They practiced a few more times, and soon Cora began singing along with Luke's countermelody, managing both parts at once.

_This is completely nuts,_ Luke laughed to himself, as they attempted to do all four parts at once, with Luke drumming and singing the Yah Yah lyrics, and Cora doing the countermelody and horn. _But it beats chasing after an imaginary missing baby,_ he confessed, grateful that Cora seemed to have forgotten the matter.

They sang the Yah Yah song together for a few more minutes; then Luke quietly sipped his tea, smiling as Cora showed him all of the cute little trinkets and decorations she had collected over the years, most of them rescued from garbage cans and dumpsters.

Cora sang a couple of her own songs for him, and did a little ballet; but soon the hour was up, and Luke realized it was time to leave. "I have to go," he told Cora, smiling apologetically as he got up from the couch. "I have lightsaber practice," he explained. "But it was really nice meeting you, Cora; I had a great time," he told her.

"Oh!" Cora smiled wistfully, hugging him. "I'll miss you."

"Heh... I'll miss you too," Luke assured her. "But I'll be back next week, and we can sing some more songs... And I'll bring that igniter switch for your stove," he promised.

"Thank you," Cora said, hugging him again and giving him a little kiss on the cheek, as Luke grinned shyly. "I'll see you next week?"

"Of course," Luke nodded, with a warm smile. "Goodbye, Cora."

* * *

><p><em>Later that night...<em>

"You taught her the Yah Yah song?" Mara giggled, as they snuggled beneath the covers on her little padawan cot.

"Yeah," Luke said, grinning cheerfully. "It was fun."

"But you couldn't find anything about the missing baby?" Mara asked, concerned.

Luke sighed. "No," he confessed. "I looked up her file; there's no record of her ever having a baby," he told Mara. "But she's a rockstim addict," he pointed out regretfully. "My guess is that she had a child, but never reported it." Drug addicts were often hesitant to seek proper medical care or report pregnancies and births, for fear that their children would be taken away.

Mara nodded sadly, and Luke smiled, kissing her. "Anyway, I'm happy to visit her once a week, and do what I can to help," he said, absently twirling a lock of Mara's curly red hair. "She's a nice lady," he confessed. "I like her... Even if she is a little crazy," he laughed, as Mara's green eyes sparkled mischievously.

"So... Did you get to see your mom today?" Luke asked.

"Yes," Mara nodded, smiling. "Master Anakin took me to Dex's for lunch... It was nice seeing her," she confessed; then she gave Luke a wistful look. "I wish I could tell her... about us."

Luke smiled, kissing her again. "We will, one day," he promised her gently. "As soon as you're knighted, and your dad is a Master... We'll tell them both," he assured her once again.

Mara's eyes sparkled happily. "I can't wait."


	166. The 29-year-old virgin

**Chapter 166**

_Several months later..._

"Hello, Lyanna," Leia said softly, kissing the tiny princess on her forehead. "She's beautiful," she added to Kyra, who rested against the bed pillows, holding her newborn daughter in her arms.

Dorian approached now, grinning in shy appreciation. "I just need you to sign here," he told Leia, handing her Lyanna's birth certificate. Due to past mishaps, Corellian law dictated that all royal births were to be attended by at least twelve witnesses _outside_ the Solo family, and Leia and Julian had been asked to come here to the palace today, to help celebrate this joyous occasion.

Leia added her own name beneath those of Leila, Jon, Karina, Obi-Wan, Luke, Qui-Gon, Cory, Anakin, Mara, and Padmé; then she passed the birth certificate to Julian, for the final signature. "Thank you," Dorian said appreciatively, handing the document to the notary, who stamped it with the official royal seal of Corellia.

But as Leia caught the quiet, loving glance that passed between Dorian and Kyra now, she found her own heart aching. _Julian doesn't look at me that way,_ she admitted. _He doesn't smile at me that way. He doesn't kiss me that way, _she confessed, bitter tears springing to her own eyes.

Julian saw her now, and smiled commiseratively. The birth of a child was an emotional moment in its own right, and Leia managed an embarrassed grin, wiping her eyes self-consciously.

"Hey," Jon said, giving Dorian and Kyra a look of mock disapproval as they kissed in bed. "Get a room, you two."

Dorian looked up from his wife and newborn child, unashamed. "Bro, this _is_ our room," he pointed out, glancing around at the lavishly-furnished royal bedchamber.

Jon rolled his eyes. "Fine," he said, heading for the doorway. "Come on," he added, herding the others out into the hallway. "We've signed the certificate; we don't need to stand around watching _this_," he grumbled, feigning disgust as Kyra giggled in amusement.

"Congratulations," Leia wished the happy parents once again, taking her leave along with the others.

"Leia," Julian called after her now. "I was hoping I might speak with you for a moment?" He glanced toward the small balcony at the end of the hallway.

"Oh. Of course." Leia followed him out onto the balcony, which overlooked the palace gardens.

"It's a beautiful day," Julian said, admiring the rose gardens below.

Leia was surprised to sense his sudden anxiety. "Yes, it is."

"Leia, there's been something I've been meaning to ask you - for a long time now," Julian confessed, looking down at the flagstones nervously. "Months, really," he added, giving her an apologetic grin. "I haven't been able to work up the courage," Julian admitted. "But I figured - if I want to ask you something completely crazy... This is the place to do it," he sighed, glancing up at the myriad of spires and turrets crowning the royal Solo palace - which also served as a licensed mental institution.

Leia laughed shyly. "Crazy?" she repeated, guessing what this was about.

Julian sighed. "No," he confessed. "Actually what I have to ask you is completely logical. Which is why I've been afraid to bring it up," he told her, his look a mixture of hope and regret. "Leia, you are an intelligent woman," he said simply. "You follow the news. You know that the people of Alderaan desperately need me to marry a royal princess - who is _not_ a Solo," he said, giving her a commiserative smile. "And you know as well as I do, that you are currently the only person in the entire galaxy, who qualifies," Julian admitted quietly.

Leia nodded, avoiding his gaze; it was not quite the romantic proposal she had envisioned. "I know."

"Which is exactly why I've been hesitant to speak of it," Julian said. "I didn't want you to think I was asking you solely for political reasons. I wanted you to know that I admire and respect you, in your own right. And that I truly think you are beautiful, and incredible, and a joy to be around, and - exactly the sort of person that I would want to marry; whether I was a prince or not," Julian assured her earnestly.

Leia felt a sudden strange flutter in her heart. "I... I feel the same way," she murmured, surprised and somewhat baffled by the realization. _I DO love him..._

"Do you?" Julian asked uncertainly.

"Yes," Leia said, blinking in disbelief. "Ever since I was very young, I - I imagined one day marrying someone that I could truly admire, and respect," she confessed. "Someone kind-hearted, intelligent, and fun-loving..." Leia giggled. "Oddly enough, I always pictured him being tall, dark, and handsome," she admitted, as Julian laughed, looking down self-consciously.

"I always wished for someone who would respect me as well," Leia added, giving Julian an appreciative look. _Not call me 'Your Worshipfulness', and then date every idiotic bimbo in the galaxy within a span of eight months,_ she sighed; Han's reputation as a shameless womanizer had not escaped her notice - nor the _Galactic Enquirer's_.

"You're everything I've always dreamed of," Leia told Julian quietly, realizing it for the first time herself. _This is what love is,_ she finally began to understand. The feelings she had sensed in Han - far too many times - were just base, carnal instincts; he only wanted to get inside her pants - a sentiment which he obviously extended to every female in the entire galaxy. But Julian treated her with respect; he valued her as a friend, and as a human being, not just as a sex object. "You're exactly the sort of person _I_ would want to marry - whether I was a princess or not," Leia confessed shyly, echoing his previous words.

"Really?" Julian smiled, blinking in surprise and relief. "Forgive me, Milady; I should have spoken of this sooner," he apologized. "It's just that - " he sighed helplessly. "The truth of it is, you're first person I've ever actually dated, and - no amount of royal upbringing prepares one for the reality of all this," he admitted.

Leia smiled in commiseration. "I know the feeling."

Julian returned her gaze, and as their eyes met, they shared a look of quiet understanding: of respect, and admiration, and gratitude; of mutual affection, mixed with a glimmer of bright hope. "Leia Amidala," Julian said, taking her hands gently in his. "Will you marry me?"

Leia's heart fluttered, and tears of joy filled her eyes. "Yes," she exclaimed, a wave of relief washing over her as they embraced each other, sharing their first not-completely-awkward kiss. _This is what true love is,_ she realized, grateful beyond words that their engagement was official, and that she could finally set aside the ridiculous, confused feelings that had been plaguing her for the past eight months.

Julian was brushing away her tears now, and they shared a tender smile, gazing out across the royal gardens which sparkled and shimmered beneath the warm Corellian sun. As Julian wrapped his arm around her - so gentle, and unassuming - Leia's heart was filled with peace, and gratitude, and newfound hope._ We will do all right._

* * *

><p><em>Meanwhile...<em>

"Oh - Han... Yes - oh, yes," the girl said breathlessly, sinking back against the pillows as she wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him passionately. "Oh - Han..."

"Oh - " _Uhhh..._ "Lorna?" Han replied tentatively, wishing he'd paid better attention when they'd first been introduced - five minutes ago, at a Mos Eisley night club.

The girl giggled softly. "Norla," she corrected him, unoffended. Han's admittedly prolific dating life was a matter of public knowledge, and obviously Norla held no pretense of being the _first_ girl he'd ever brought aboard the _Millennium Falcon_ in a half-drunk stupor.

But as he gave her a lopsided, apologetic grin, Han realized that he _was _in fact only half-drunk - a circumstance which would need to be rectified, and quickly. Not that Norla wasn't pretty enough; she had lovely blue eyes, and her wavy blonde hair was done up in twirly buns, which had become all the rage ever since -

_Gah,_ Han sighed, forcing the thought from his mind. _Nope... Definitely not drunk enough for this._ "Well, _Norla,_" he said, extracting himself from her embrace momentarily. "How 'bout a bottle of Kubindian Blue?"

"Sure, thanks," she agreed, smiling as he retreated to the_ Falcon's_ kitchen.

_I'll be glad when that damned hairstyle goes of of fashion,_ Han sighed, continuing to the kitchen and picking out a bottle and two glasses. _I've always hated it,_ he scowled. _It looks ridiculous. Especially on blondes... _

But as he returned to the bedroom, he blinked in surprise to find Norla reclining comfortably in his bed, completely naked. _Well that took her all of five seconds..._ "Here you go," he offered, pouring a glass for Norla, before downing a huge gulp from his own. _Seriously... Not nearly drunk enough yet._

Then he frowned, realizing that Norla wasn't _completely _naked; an elaborate silver necklace encircled her throat, its design all too familiar... "Hey," he said warily. "Where'd you get that?"

"I found it in the drawer," Norla said, glancing at his bedside dresser. "So - what do you think?" she asked, giving him a seductive smile. "Does it look good on me?"

Crap_... _"No," Han told her, scowling. _Why'd she have to go and do that?_ "Gimme that... it ain't yours."

Norla's brows furrowed, but she dutifully unclasped the necklace, sighing in resentment. "Fine," she said, handing it to him. "So whose is it?" she asked.

_Ugh._ "Nobody's." Han took another swig of his drink, trying very hard not to think of the necklace's original owner. But now this girl had completely ruined the mood, and he doubted that _any_ amount of alcohol could salvage the situation. "Go on... Just get out of here," he told her grumpily, taking another swig.

"What?" Norla scoffed, offended. "You - stupid... Gahh," she sighed in annoyance, getting up from the bed and hastily pulling her clothes back on - which didn't take long, as she hadn't been wearing much to begin with. "Freakin' psycho," she grumbled, storming off without a backwards glance.

Han stared balefully after her, hearing the familiar hiss of the _Falcon's_ outer doorway as tonight's date made her dramatic exit. _That went well..._ He took another sip of his drink, certain that he'd be reading all about this little encounter in next week's edition of the _Galactic Enquirer_.

But then he sighed, his gaze returning to the silver necklace that he still held. _This thing is a curse,_ he confessed miserably. Leia had given it to him on Yavin IV, after they had finished filming their first _SITH _episode together, eight months ago. She had been concerned about his financial situation, and had given him the necklace on behalf of HOPE, assuring him that it would auction for several thousand credits, once the episode aired.

But Han had kept the necklace all these months, for stupid sentimental reasons. Something in Leia's eyes that day had made him feel like she _cared_ about him, in a way that none of these other girls did.

_Ahh... It's just that damned Lovestim,_ Han told himself once again, remembering that Leia hadn't quite been in her right mind that day - and neither had he, for that matter. _Not that I ever am,_ he sighed ruefully, taking another gulp of his drink and contemplating the inescapable misery of being born a Solo.

He'd _tried_ to move on, and had in fact dated dozens of girls all over the galaxy, in an attempt to put Leia out of his mind. But all it had done was make him think of her even more. And the truth was, tonight's date with Lorna - or Norla, or whatever the hell her name was - had ended just like all of the others: with drunken insults, hurt feelings, and probably a sensationalized follow-up of their one-night stand in the _Galactic Enquirer_.

Han was well aware of the reputation he had gained for himself, as a foul-tempered, womanizing, sexist pig. And it troubled him somewhat; but not nearly as much as the embarrassing truth: that of the dozens of girls he'd dated over the past eight months, he hadn't actually _slept_ with any of them.

The depressing reality - which had miraculously escaped public notice thus far - was that Han's birthday had come and gone a week ago, and he was now officially a twenty-_nine_-year-old virgin.

_And holding onto this stupid necklace is not getting me anywhere,_ Han confessed with an unhappy sigh. _Eh, I should just sell the damned thing and be done with it._ Taking a final swig of his drink, he stood up from his bed, continuing down the _Falcon's _ramp and out into the streets of Mos Eisley.

_I can probably get about ten thousand credits for it,_ Han estimated. _SITH_ memorabilia was insanely popular on HoloNet auction sites, and a necklace worn by Princess Leia herself was certain to attract high bidders. _Heh... Jabba will probably bid fifty thousand on this thing,_ Han admitted, shaking his head.

But then he frowned, concerned by the realization. Not just the thought of Jabba getting his slimy hands on _Leia's_ necklace - which was disturbing enough; but Han knew that Jabba was heavily in debt to Gardulla right now, and couldn't afford to be wasting his money on this sort of thing.

_If I put it up for auction, he WILL bid on it,_ Han realized. _And he'll KEEP bidding, until he wins. _And one of these days, if Gardulla decided to cash in on the situation, Jabba might be forced to give her back the remote detonator to Arthur Solo's slave implant - that pesky little electronic device that guaranteed Han's undying loyalty.

_I don't want Gardulla getting her hands on that thing,_ Han admitted worriedly, as he continued through the dimly-lit streets. _Ten thousand credits - or even fifty - ain't worth risking my dad's life over._ Sighing in resignation, he turned down a narrow alleyway, then entered a seedy old pawn shop that did _not_ offer HoloNet auctioning services.

"Solo," the owner said with a curt nod; Han was grateful that there were still some people left in the galaxy who recognized him for his _actual_ job as Jabba's top smuggler, rather than his ridiculous work on _SITH_, or his newfound acclaim as an interplanetary playboy. "What can I do for you?"

"Eh, just hoping for some cash," Han said, handing him the necklace.

"What's this?" the man asked, inspecting it with a professional eye. "Where's it from?"

"Dunno," Han said, feigning indifference. "You want it or not?"

"Well... It's real silver, that's for sure," the man admitted, scrutinizing it. "But without knowing where it's from, or who made it... Not much of a market for this sort of thing," he told Han. "Probably get more money just melting it down and selling the silver."

Han shrugged. "Sure," he agreed, ignoring the pang of sadness he suddenly felt.

"This much silver would get me about... Three hundred credits," the shop owner estimated, weighing the necklace on his scale. "Your cut would be a hundred and fifty."

"Eh," Han grunted non-committally. _Whatever. I just want it gone._

"Tell you what: I'll give you the whole three hundred," the man offered now. "Maybe I'll get lucky, and find a buyer."

"Done," Han agreed, as the shop owner paid him his credits. "Thanks; appreciate it."

"Always a pleasure," the man said. "You have a good one."

_Well,_ Han sighed, heading back through the dark alleyways. _Three hundred credits is better than nothing. Definitely better than keeping a stupid necklace around for no good reason,_ he told himself stubbornly. And if it helped to finally get Leia out of his mind...?

_Hell, I'd PAY for that._


	167. Jabba's Top Smuggler Can't Deliver

**Chapter 167**

_A week later..._

"And... Action," Owen said, as the cameras began rolling.

"What is it?" Leia asked, crouching behind a fallen log as Luke peered intently through his binoculars.

"I don't know," Luke murmured. "Unregistered fighter of some kind. I don't recognize the design."

"Could be someone trying to help us," Leia said optimistically. On last week's episode of _SITH _they had crash-landed here on Maridun, and their predicament had apparently not gone unnoticed.

"Could be a bounty hunter," Han was supposed to say now; but he _didn't_, and Leia gave him a slightly exasperated look, gesturing for him to say his line.

"Huh?" Han said, blinking dully.

"Could be a bounty hunter," Leia whispered, reminding him.

Han glanced skeptically at the unmarked fighter ship. "Nah, it's too small to be a bounty hunter," he mumbled, sitting with his back to the log and staring off blankly into the forest once again.

_Is he drunk?_ Leia wondered. _Or hung over? Probably both,_ she suspected, noting the decidedly glazed look in his eyes. "No; that's your line," she told him. "Could be a bounty hunter."

"Oh." Han frowned, confused. "Well then why'd _you _say it?"

"Because I was trying to - _gahh,_" Leia sighed in annoyance, shaking her head.

"Just say it, Han," Luke interjected calmly, with a subtle wave of his fingers. _Thank you, Luke._

"Right... Could be a bounty hunter," Han repeated automatically, his brows furrowing in sudden concern as he peered at the strange vessel, as if just now noticing it.

"You guys wait here," Luke instructed them. "I'm gonna check this out."

Leia nodded, watching intently as Luke approached the mysterious fighter. But Han was watching even _more_ intently, and now Leia began to sense his genuine alarm. "Wait a minute... I know that ship," Han whispered, trying to place it. "Oh crap! It's Mara Jade!"

Leia sighed. Of _course_ it was Mara Jade; they'd just discussed this scene a minute ago, with Mara herself. But apparently Luke's subtle Force-suggestion had been more effective than he'd intended, and now Han had launched into full-on insane Solo acting mode. _It's going to be a long day._

Thankfully, the cameras were focusing on Luke at the moment. "Hello?" he called out tentatively, approaching the strange vessel with his blaster drawn. "Anyone there?"

Suddenly a black-clad figure somersaulted down from the trees above, red lightsaber hissing to life as Mara landed in front of him. "Just me," she said, with a self-satisfied smirk. "Having engine trouble?"

Luke ignited his own lightsaber. "Nice of you to ask," he said appreciatively, as they began circling each other. "But you're too late. My command crew just called to say they've finished the last of the repairs; they'll be here in a minute," he assured her.

"We did?" Han blinked uncertainly. "We will?"

Leia rolled her eyes. _Take two... _She glanced hopefully at Owen; but he had always been an enthusiastic supporter of improvisation, and was motioning for them to continue.

"You might want to take off, before the _Falcon_ gets here," Luke offered magnanimously, as he and Mara continued to circle each other, lightsabers drawn. "Just a suggestion, of course."

"Nice try, Skywalker," Mara replied, steeling herself for battle. "But you won't get rid of me that easily." Then she lunged toward him, somersaulting over his head as they began their duel.

"Damn it," Han cursed under his breath, aiming his blaster at Mara, but realizing he couldn't get a clear shot without endangering Luke. "Cover me," he whispered to Leia. "I'm gonna try to get to the _Falcon_."

Conveniently enough, that _was_ in fact the basic plan for this scene, and Leia nodded tersely, training her own blaster on Mara as Han tried to sneak off through the forest, unnoticed. But a moment later he deviated from the plan once again - this time by tripping over a root, landing face-first on the leaf-strewn forest floor, and delivering a long-winded soliloquy of expletives that were most definitely _not _in the script.

"Cut," Owen called, glancing over at him worriedly. "Han, you all right?"

"Yeah," Han grumbled defensively, getting up and brushing leaves off himself. "Terrific."

"Good," Owen said, nodding. "Great job, guys. That was perfect. Well, aside from - " he gestured toward the spot where Han had dramatically fallen. "We'll cut that," he assured him, with a commiserative grin. "Okay, lunch time, everyone," he announced, glancing at his watch. "We'll take it from here after the break."

_Thank goodness,_ Leia sighed, heading back to Owen's ship along with the others. But now she noticed that Han was continuing on toward the _Falcon_, alone. She gazed after him worriedly; if he got any _more_ drunk, it would take them all afternoon just to finish this scene. And it was already past midnight on Coruscant; she needed to be home first thing in the morning, for an important Senate vote. "I'll catch up with you later," she told Luke and Mara now, glancing apologetically in Han's direction, as they nodded in quiet understanding.

Han hadn't bothered to shut the _Falcon's_ outer door, so Leia made her way up the ramp now, hoping to talk some sense into him. She wished Chewie were here; but he and Malla were expecting their first child any day now, and he'd been on Kashyyyk for the past two weeks. Han was clearly not doing so well in his absence.

As expected, Leia found him in the _Falcon's_ kitchen, already halfway through a can of Corellian ale. "You sure that's a good idea?" she reproached him gently, with a concerned look.

Han scowled at her. "I didn't ask for your opinion," he said, taking another gulp. "Congratulations, by the way," he added grudgingly, with a shy little shrug. "I heard about your engagement."

"Thank you," Leia said, smiling appreciatively. Now that it was official, she suddenly felt much less awkward around Han, and was grateful to finally put her own confusion behind her. Even Han seemed to be giving her more space today; she hadn't sensed even a hint of his typically invasive, amorous presence - though that was possibly due to inebriation, rather than manners.

"Speaking of news," Leia said, taking a seat beside him at the kitchen table and trying to broach the subject delicately. "I'm worried about some of the things I've been reading lately - "

"Aaagghh," Han sighed in frustration, slumping forward onto the table and burying his head in his arms.

Leia stifled an amused laugh; she'd read this week's _Galactic Enquirer_ article, in which Han's latest girlfriend had accused him of abruptly ending their date due to impotency problems - gleefully proclaiming to the entire galaxy that _'Jabba's Top Smuggler Can't Deliver.'_

"It's not true," Han said vehemently, sitting up again and giving her an earnest, almost desperate look. "I swear - that ain't what happened."

Leia smiled commiseratively. "I'm glad to hear it," she replied. "But that's not what I'm worried about," she told him, with a meaningful glance at his beer can. "How many of those have you had today?" she asked, looking around the _Falcon's_ kitchen area, which was littered with empty cans and bottles.

"Gah... I don't know," Han said grumpily. "Why do you care, anyway?" he asked, folding his arms against his chest and furrowing his brows in resentment.

"Because I need to be back on Coruscant in nine hours," Leia told him, glancing at the clock on the wall. "And if you mess up any more lines, I'm going to miss an important vote."

"Sorry, Your Worship," Han grumbled, rolling his eyes. "Fine, I'll switch to Red Bantha," he said, getting up and going to the refrigerator. "Eight hundred milligrams of caffeine," he proclaimed, reading from the label. "Happy?"

Leia laughed regretfully. "Very," she conceded, giving him an appreciative look.

"You want something?" Han offered grudgingly, peering into the refrigerator, which looked pathetically sparse. "I got water, and, uh... A sandwich from the deli," he said, shrugging.

"Sure," Leia said appreciatively. "Just half - thank you," she said, handing the other half back as he sat down at the table again. "So how are things going?" she asked him, curious. "I mean, aside from - " She giggled again, recalling the latest tabloid headline.

"Aside from _that?_" Han laughed ruefully, taking a sip of his drink. "Eh, same as always," he told her, shrugging. "Although business might be looking up," he conceded. "I just got an offer this morning from a pharmaceutical company, wanting me to do a commercial for little blue pills," he told her, with an embarrassed grin.

"No," Leia laughed, covering her mouth in shock.

"Yeah," Han nodded. "Worst part is, I actually thought about doing it," he said, taking a bite of his sandwich. "I'd do anything for my dad," he confessed ruefully, with his mouth full.

Leia's brows furrowed. "Your dad wants you to advertise little blue pills?" _He IS a Solo, after all..._

"What? No," Han said, waving off the ridiculous idea. "Nah, I just gotta pay off Jabba, before he decides to give Gardulla the detonator to my dad's slave implant," he explained casually, as if somehow _that _made more sense.

Leia stared at him, confused and alarmed. "Your dad has a slave implant?"

Han was taking another bite of his sandwich, but froze now mid-bite, his eyes widening in sudden panic. "No," he protested, with his mouth full. "I didn't - " He swallowed, blinking disconcertedly. "I didn't say that."

"Your dad has a slave implant?" Leia asked again, her mind reeling. _THAT'S what Jabba's got on you?_

"No," Han insisted. "No - I don't know why I... Aaghh, you're right," he sighed in frustration, running a hand through his hair. "I'm really drunk; I don't know what the hell I'm saying," he confessed miserably.

"Your dad has a slave implant," Leia repeated, still trying to grasp the concept.

"Will you quit saying that?" Han blurted out, exasperated. "Leia, I'm serious," he said, giving her a desperate, pleading look. "No one can know."

Leia blinked. "No kidding," she agreed quietly; if it became public knowledge that a member of the Corellian royal family was being held hostage by Outer Rim criminals, the Republic would be forced to declare war on the Hutts, and then... "No one can know," Leia murmured, suddenly understanding the gravity of the situation.

Han gave her an uncertain look. "Really?" he asked cautiously. "You ain't gonna tell nobody?"

Leia looked down uncomfortably; first of all, she wasn't entirely certain how to answer that question, as it had been phrased as a double negative. _Possibly even triple, _Leia considered, admittedly baffled. And secondly... "You think I want to start a galactic war?" she asked, deeply concerned.

Han blinked, disconcerted. "I'm hoping that's a no."

_Me too,_ Leia sighed. She was genuinely worried for his father's safety - as well as the investigation that would surely ensue, if a Corellian royal were to suddenly explode under mysterious circumstances. "There has to be something we can do," she protested. "How much do you owe Jabba?"

Han shrugged, scowling. "I dunno... About eighty thousand."

_Eighty thousand..._ Leia didn't have that much money herself; and neither did Dorian, or anyone in the Solo family. But Julian did... _And so does HOPE, _she realized, a plan beginning to formulate in her mind. "I can get you the money," she assured Han quietly. "We'll take care of this."

Han stared at her, caught off guard. "You're serious?"

"Yes," Leia nodded. "Han, I'm a member of the Republic Senate," she pointed out. "It's my responsibility to notify them of any political matter that I'm not able to handle myself," she explained, giving him a regretful look. "Which means..." Leia sighed, shaking her head. "I'm going to have to handle this myself."

Han looked down. "I'm sorry," he said regretfully. "I didn't mean to drag you into this."

"I know," Leia said, with a sympathetic smile. "Though if this doesn't convince you to quit drinking so much, I don't know what will," she reproached him.

"Gahhh," Han sighed unhappily, casting a baleful glance at his half-empty beer can. "No kidding."

"Don't worry, Han," Leia reassured him. "I can get the money - either from HOPE, or from Julian, if that doesn't work out," she told him. "We'll take care of this; it's going to be all right."

"Thank you," Han said, giving her a look of sincere gratitude. "Seriously. And - look, I can pay you back," he assured her. "It might take me a few years, but... I really appreciate this," he admitted meekly.

Leia smiled. "Well, if you're looking for a new job, once you pay off Jabba... HOPE could always use your help," she pointed out. "I can probably get the board to hire you as a full-time freighter pilot."

Han blinked, touched. "That would be... incredible," he confessed. "Hey, anything I can do... You just let me know," he promised, nodding in agreement.

"Sounds good," Leia said, smiling. "Don't worry, Han," she reassured him, as they finished their lunch together. "We'll take care of this."


	168. HOPE and Betrayal

**Chapter 168**

_Two weeks later..._

"Coordinates are set," Han announced, joining Leia and Chewie in the _Falcon's_ lounge area. "Coming up on Dantooine in about oh-three-hundred hours."

Leia gave him a mildly reproachful look. "Three hours?" They had just left Kashyyyk - where they'd picked up Chewie, and paid a visit to Malla and their newborn son, Lumpy - and were now on their way to visit Han's father on Dantooine. Traveling at the fastest legal speed, the trip ought to take at least five hours, yet the _Falcon_ was apparently doing it in three.

Han blinked uncomfortably. "Uh... I can re-calculate our flight path if you want," he offered.

Leia laughed in resignation, shaking her head. "It's up to you," she told him. "But if you get any more speeding tickets, you're on your own," she added, with a look of warning.

Han nodded. "Fair enough," he agreed, giving her a shy, appreciative look. Leia had come through on her promise - not only paying off Han's entire debt to Jabba, thus freeing him from the Hutt's service - but also taking care of the four hundred and ninety traffic violations Han had accrued over the years, clearing his slate so that he could work legally for HOPE now.

Han had upheld his own end of the bargain as well. He'd finished up the last of his work for Jabba a week ago, and since then had tirelessly devoted his time and energy to HOPE - picking up donated items to be sold at their Coruscant store, and delivering food, medicine, and other necessary supplies to poverty-stricken villages across the galaxy.

_He's been a great help,_ Leia confessed, giving him an appreciative smile now. And she was relieved that his father was safe, and the detonator to his slave implant had been destroyed. It seemed galactic war had been averted; but one thing still troubled her.

"Han," Leia said hesitantly, reluctant to bring the matter up. "How do you know Gardulla won't try to go after your dad again?" she asked. "What's to stop her from putting another slave implant in his head?"

"Heh," Han said, as Chewie chuckled in amusement. "Same thing as last time," he told Leia. "Jabba and Gardulla used to date... decades ago," he said, with a dismissive wave. "Jabba kept holo-vids of their private romantic encounters," Han explained, as Leia wrinkled her nose in disgust. "Anyway, he's got a ton of blackmail material," he assured Leia. "Gardulla's learned not to mess with him."

Leia furrowed her brows uncertainly. "Wait... Jabba's threatening to release embarrassing videos - that _he's_ in himself?"

"They ain't embarrassing to _him_," Han laughed. "Jabba's always dreamed of being a porn star," he said. "You know that official HoloNet fan site he made for himself? To show off his poetry, and pictures and stuff? He's dying to add erotic videos to the site."

"Ugh," Leia said, cringing in revulsion. "I'm sorry I asked."

"Anyway, don't worry," Han reassured her. "Gardulla's still regretting the last time she tried to mess with my dad."

Leia smiled, grateful that his father was safe. "So what's your dad like?" she asked, curious to finally meet him.

"He's... a Solo," Han laughed ruefully, giving her an apologetic look. "You'll find out soon enough."

* * *

><p><em>Three hours later...<em>

"This place is beautiful," Leia said, admiring the rolling hills and meadows as they touched down on Dantooine. "That's your dad's house?"

"Yeah," Han said, as a shabbily-garbed Nerf herder emerged from the quaint little cottage. "That's him," he said, waving from the _Falcon's_ cockpit. "Come on," he said cheerfully, getting up from his pilot's seat. "I'll introduce you."

Leia followed him out of the cockpit, along with Chewie. "Remember, he doesn't know about the slave implant," Han warned her. Leia nodded in quiet understanding; and then Han broke into a happy grin, waving to his dad as they came down the ramp.

"Dad!" he called out to his father; but his grin suddenly faded as his father drew an antique sword from the scabbard he wore on his belt, his expression grim. "Oh, crap," Han muttered under his breath.

"Villain!" Arthur Solo yelled dramatically, advancing upon him and brandishing his sword._ What the...?_ Leia blinked in alarm; this was not exactly the warm welcome she had expected.

"Uh - just go with it," Han said quietly, giving her an apologetic look. "It'll be all right."

"You have come to steal my beloved Liriana!" Arthur yelled angrily. "I challenge you to a duel!"

"Dad," Han said, raising his hands innocently. "Dad, it's me."

"Stay back!" Arthur warned him, sword outstretched. "You will not take her from me!"

"Dad... I ain't here to steal your beloved Liriana," Han tried to assure him.

"I am Maximilian Quintillius!" Arthur proclaimed importantly, as several Nerfs looked on curiously from their pen outside the cottage. "And I will have justice!"

_WHAT?_ Leia's mind was reeling now, and she felt suddenly dizzy. She'd _seen_ this performance before. Not the famous classic holo-film version, starring her own uncle, Ben Kenobi; but this very rendition, performed by a mysterious dignitary - many years ago in Jakili, when she was a young girl...

_"Wait!" Leia called out desperately, hurrying toward the pilot outside the makeshift hospital tent. "Her burns are infected," Leia explained, holding little Tania in her arms. "She needs to get to a hospital quickly. All the hospitals on Naboo are full; you can take her to Cerea - "_

_"I'm sorry," the young, dark-haired pilot apologized. "I'm not going to Cerea."_

_Leia blinked, caught off guard. People didn't often say 'no' to her; and what could possibly be more important than saving a burned child? "You HAVE to," she protested. "She'll die if she doesn't get - "_

_"I am Maximilian Quintillius," an older man declared arrogantly, holding a Nerf in his arms._

_"Sorry, kid," the young pilot said again, ushering the wealthy dignitary aboard his ship and taking off from the ruins of Jakili, without so much as a backward glance._

"It was you," Leia whispered now, staring at Han in shock. She had only been seven years old, and the face of the young pilot had faded from her memory, like a dream; but she could picture him clearly again now, and finally understood the truth.

_You're the one who let Tania die,_ Leia realized, bitter tears stinging her eyes. _You condemned an innocent child to death - just to save some stupid, pompous, egotistical jerk, who wasn't even injured..._

But now the stupid, pompous, egotistical jerk was advancing upon them, sword outstretched. "O worthy adversary! O noble Knight! I challenge you to a duel!" Arthur yelled dramatically.

"Dad! Dad," Han said, trying to calm him. "Remember what I told you last time? Before you go challenging people to duels, check to see if they're carrying a blaster first," he said, gesturing apologetically toward his own holster.

"I do not fear your coward's weapon!" Arthur declared proudly. "I will fight to the death for my beloved Liriana!"

_Well... He's got courage,_ Leia sighed, her anger giving way to pity as she watched Han trying to reason with his crazy father. _And he's kind of cute, too,_ she had to admit; he was smaller and slighter than Han, but had his dark eyes and hair, though Arthur's was long and scraggly, and had gone quite grey.

But now the cottage door opened, and a middle-aged blonde woman stepped outside, her expression concerned. "Arthur?"

"Stay back, Liriana!" Arthur warned her, holding his ground. "I swear to defend your honor!"

"Arthur - sweetheart," she said, coming over to join him. "It's Han," she pointed out, giving them an apologetic smile.

"Oh?" Arthur blinked at Han in confusion, obediently lifting his sword. "Well why didn't you say so?"

Han laughed. "I dunno; the _Falcon_, the Wookiee," he gestured apologetically. "I thought you might have figured it out."

"Han, my boy!" Arthur exclaimed, delighted. "How've you been?" He thrust his antique sword back into its scabbard, embracing Han enthusiastically. "Chewbacca - good to see you!" Then he blinked, noticing Leia. "What's this - a princess?"

"Uh, yes," Han said, introducing her. "This is Leia - "

"Oho!" Arthur exclaimed, beaming proudly. "Congratulations, my boy!" he said, clapping Han on the back. "You see? Didn't I always tell you, you'd find yourself a princess of your own one day?"

"Uh - yes," Han conceded hesitantly. "But she's not technically _my_ princess - "

"No?" Arthur's brows furrowed in confusion. "Well whose is she?"

"Um... She's engaged to Julian Organa, of Alderaan," Han explained tactfully.

"Ah - a technicality," Arthur scoffed, waving dismissively. "A pleasure to meet you, Leia," he said, kissing her gallantly on the hand. "Welcome to the family."

"Thank you," Leia said with a gracious smile, as Chewbacca chuckled softly, and Han died of embarrassment.

"Oh - and this is my lovely wife, Gwen," Arthur said, with a tender smile. "Or Liriana; she answers to either," he added cheerfully.

"Nice to meet you," Gwen said warmly, her blue eyes twinking with amusement. "Would you like some tea?" she offered, inviting them inside the humble cottage dwelling.

_They're nice people,_ Leia confessed, smiling appreciatively as Gwen served them tea and cookies. She was glad to know that Han's father was safe, and to finally meet the man whose life she had bought. Though it admittedly troubled her to realize that she had depleted HOPE's entire trust fund - to help the very man who had allowed Tania to die, all those years ago.

But as they sat around enjoying their tea and holding the most delightfully absurd conversation Leia had ever witnessed in her entire life, she couldn't help but sense their genuine warmth and loving nature. _Han was only trying to save his poor, crazy father,_ she realized, finally letting go of the bitterness and contempt she'd felt toward that faceless young pilot, all these years.

_And if he hadn't done what he'd done?_ Tania might not have died, and Leia might not have been inspired to start a charity that had brought aid and comfort to thousands of needy people across the galaxy. Leia smiled quietly now, pondering once again the baffling mysteries of the universe, and finally accepting the irony of this entire situation:

_In his own crazy way... Han is the reason HOPE exists._

* * *

><p><em>Three months later...<em>

"All right; that's everything," Han said, coming down the _Falcon's_ ramp. "I'm gonna head out," he told Leia. "See you back on Coruscant."

"Thanks, Han," Leia said, smiling appreciatively as Han climbed back up the _Falcon's_ ramp. "And Han?" she called after him. He turned, giving her a questioning look. "Be careful," she added, her expression pleading.

Han grinned. "Hey - it's me," he pointed out, waving reassuringly as he closed the _Falcon's_ hatch behind him. Today he was transporting a collection of ancient Nabooan artifacts, on loan to Coruscant's Galactic History Museum - to be part of a special exhibit, with all proceeds benefitting HOPE.

It was admittedly HOPE's most valuable shipment to date, involving priceless and irreplaceable artifacts; but that was exactly why Han had been assigned to this job. He was by far HOPE's best pilot, and the _Falcon_ was loaded with weaponry. This sort of thing was child's play for Han and Chewie; they would be within Republic space the entire time, and there was virtually nothing that could go wrong, between here and Coruscant.

"Coordinates are set," Han announced casually, sitting back down in the pilot's seat as they took off from Naboo. "I'm just gonna check my messages, and then we're out of here."

_"Hehehe,"_ Chewie chuckled in quiet amusement, as Han checked his text messages.

"Shut up," Han said, with an embarrassed laugh.

_"I didn't say anything,"_ Chewie protested innocently. _"So?"_ he asked, curious. _"Did she write to you?"_

"Yeah," Han replied. "She wants to go to a holo-film tonight."

_"She's a nice girl,"_ Chewie said proudly, scruffing Han's hair. _"I'm happy for you."_

Han laughed, squirming away from the Wookiee's affectionate mauling as he typed a quick reply. He'd been dating Roxy for the past two months; she volunteered for the HOPE store on Coruscant, and this was now officially the longest relationship he'd ever been in.

_Who am I kidding; it's the ONLY relationship I've ever been in,_ he sighed, admitting that Victoria hardly counted. Lando and Vicky were married now; they'd invited him to their wedding a few months ago, but Han had stubbornly ignored the invitation, deciding that watching his ex-best-friend marry his ex-almost-sort-of-girlfriend was not his idea of a fun time.

But things were much less complicated with Roxy. She was only eighteen, and lived with her parents on Coruscant. She wasn't even legal drinking age yet, and had to be home by ten o'clock every night, but Han had discovered that he was perfectly happy with that arrangement. They went to holo-films together, held hands, exchanged text messages, and completely avoided all of the drunken nudity and awkwardness that had characterized Han's previous dating life.

Best of all, she kept his mind off Leia.

"Okay - done," Han said, finishing his text message and sending it to Roxy. "Let's get out of here." Chewie roared in cheerful agreement, switching over to the hyperdrive system as Han pulled the lever, and the stars turned to streaks.

"Ugh... Six hours," Han sighed, preparing for boredom. He had promised Leia he'd go at the legal hyperspace speed limit, which nearly doubled their travel time. "First employer I've ever had who actually _pays_ me to go slow."

Chewie chuckled in commiseration. _"Holo-chess?"_ he suggested.

"Sure," Han agreed, getting up from his seat and heading out to the _Falcon's_ lounge area.

_It's a fun job,_ he admitted, making his first holo-chess move, and grinning as Chewie instantly laughed at his choice, setting him up for what appeared to be certain doom. Han was a terrible player, to be sure; but on the other hand, Chewie was a terrible _loser_, so it worked out well for both of them.

Life had been incredibly easy these past three months. Unlike Jabba, Leia understood that while the _Falcon_ could go ridiculously fast, it could not actually be in two places at once - especially not on opposite sides of the galaxy - and she had always been flexible about adjusting his delivery schedule in accordance with the basic laws of physics.

And since most of his work was within Republic territory these days, there were virtually no security issues to deal with. No bounty hunters, no Nar Shaddaa Mafia spies, no Jedi on his tail - which had been the strangest part to get used to.

The work itself was infinitely more rewarding, as well. Han had long ago accepted that his lot in life was to deliver illegal spices to various drug lords across the Outer Rim, spreading suffering and destruction everywhere he went. But with HOPE, he was actually doing something _good_ for a change - making the galaxy a _better_ place, rather than worse.

He'd even had an opportunity to do some hands-on work, helping the impoverished villagers of Kinyen to rebuild their homes, after they had been destroyed by a hurricane. Leia had initially needed him to transport supplies back and forth; but after the final delivery she asked him to stay for a few days and help rebuild, and it had been nice to actually meet the people that he was helping.

_"Your move,"_ Chewie reminded him, gesturing to the holo-chess board.

"Yeah, I know." Han sighed abjectly, moving a piece at random, as Chewie chuckled gleefully, already planning his inevitable and merciless annhilation.

But suddenly he gasped, his heart pounding in panic as the _Falcon's_ hyperspace transmission signal began beeping.

_"Hahahahaha,"_ Chewie laughed, amused by his reaction. _"That still gets you every time."_

"Gahhh," Han sighed, realizing it was only Leia, calling to tell him something relatively unimportant. In the _old_ days, working for Jabba, emergency hyperspace transmissions had been reserved for life-and-death situations; all of Han's Outer Rim friends knew not to pull him out of hyperspace unless they were in imminent mortal danger.

But Leia had no such qualms, and Han shook his head wearily now, as Chewie patted his shoulder in consolation. "She's gonna give me a heart attack one of these days," he laughed, going over to check the incoming message.

Chewie continued on to the cockpit, preparing to come out of hyperspace in order to return Leia's call. _She's probably found another piece for the exhibit,_ Han guessed. They were only about ten minutes out; it was no big deal, if they had to go back to Naboo to pick up another artifact from the Theed museum.

But the message _wasn't_ from Leia, and now Han's eyes widened in alarm as he saw who had sent it. _Crap..._ "Chewie, pull us out of hyperspace!" he yelled, running for the cockpit and powering up the radio transmitter.

"It's Boba," Han said quietly, in response to Chewie's questioning look.

_"What?"_ Chewie exclaimed worriedly, checking their final coordinates and pulling the _Falcon_ out of hyperspace, as the engine wound down, and the stars returned to their stationary position.

"Come on, come on," Han muttered, waiting for the transmitter to receive a clear signal. Boba wouldn't be calling unless it was truly life or death, and Han blinked anxiously now, praying they could get to him in time.

Finally the transmission signal lit up, and Han quickly entered Boba's number. _Please answer..._

"Han," came Boba's familiar voice, a moment later.

"Boba!" Han exclaimed. "You all right?"

"Yeah," Boba replied apologetically. "Hey, I'm really sorry to bother you - "

"Where are you?" Han interrupted him, dispensing with formalities.

"Uh, just off Ruusan - "

"Ruusan," Han instructed Chewie urgently. "Set two-seven-three..."

"No, don't set two-seven-three," Boba told him. "That's the whole problem; I'm on Ruusan, and I was supposed to deliver a shipment of spices to Arbra five hours ago," he explained unhappily.

"Gahh," Han sighed in frustration; did no one understand the meaning of _'emergency'_? "Boba, that ain't my problem any more - "

"I know," Boba said. "Han, I wouldn't be calling you unless it was important," he apologized. "Lazloz is meeting with the Nar Shaddaa Mafia this afternoon," he told Han. "He's gonna drop Jabba, for Gardulla."

"No, he won't," Han assured him, rolling his eyes; Baron Lazloz was Jabba's biggest spice distributor on the Outer Rim, and had been loyal to him for decades.

"Han, he _will,_" Boba insisted. "He's been threatening to for months... Ever since you left," he admitted reluctantly.

"What?" Han blinked, suddenly worried. "You're serious?"

"Yeah," Boba said. "Han, I didn't want to bother you with all this before, but... it's bad," he confessed. "Jabba's weeks behind on some of his shipments; _everyone's_ getting impatient with him. And if Lazloz drops him for Gardulla..."

"Crap," Han muttered, realizing the implications. If Jabba lost his biggest, most loyal spice distributor, the smaller dealers would soon follow, and Gardulla would have control of the entire Outer Rim.

"Han, can you just talk to Lazloz?" Boba pleaded. "He _likes_ you; he felt slighted, that you left without saying goodbye to him," he added. "Tell him I'll be there tonight, with his shipment, and that we'll be back on schedule by next week."

Han sighed; Arbra was less than a parsec away, and it would probably only take half an hour to straighten this mess out. Boba was right; Han _should_ have said goodbye properly, and introduced the Baron to his replacement, before he left Jabba's service. It was just a formality, but Lazloz was a proud man, and simple courtesy and civility went a long way with him.

"Okay, I'll talk to him," Han said, sighing in frustration. "Don't worry, I won't let him go to Gardulla."

"Thanks, Han," Boba said. "Seriously - I owe you one."

"Yeah, you do," Han reproached him, giving his radio transmitter a stern look. "And the _next_ time you call me out of hyperspace, you'd better be bleeding to death," he added grumpily.

"Heh... All right," Boba agreed, laughing. "I promise."

Han sighed, ending the transmission, then got up to reset the coordinates on the navicomputer.

_"You sure this is a good idea?"_ Chewie asked, looking back at him skeptically.

"No," Han admitted, flopping back down in his pilot's seat. "But if I _don't_ talk to Lazloz, and he takes his business to Gardulla..." He shook his head unhappily, giving Chewie an apologetic look. "I gotta do this."

Chewie nodded in quiet acceptance, preparing for the jump to lightspeed.

* * *

><p><em>Fifteen minutes later...<em>

"Solo," Baron Lazloz said, as Han was ushered into the living room of his opulent mansion on Arbra. "Always a pleasure. What brings you out this way?" he asked mildly, offering Han a drink, then pouring one for himself.

"I was in the neighborhood; thought I'd stop by... thank you," Han said, taking a seat on the velour couch and having a sip of his drink. "And I wanted to apologize, for not having time to introduce you to my replacement," he added sincerely.

"Ahh; your _replacement_," Lazloz sighed, exasperated. "The man is a barbarian! He comes in here, wearing full armor - helmet, gauntlets, covered from head to toe in ridiculous contraptions," he complained, his brows furrowing. "I am a civilized businessman," Lazloz pointed out, gesturing to the lavish furnishings of his mansion. "That is not how I am accustomed to conducting my affairs."

Han sighed in weary commiseration; he'd assumed Boba would have had more sense than that. "I'm sorry about that," he apologized. "I'll talk to him," he assured the Baron. "It won't happen again."

"No, it won't," Lazloz agreed. "As it so happens, I have a meeting with some of Gardulla's associates this afternoon," he said. "She assures me they will meet my standards - of quality, courtesy... _punctuality,_" he added giving Han a reproachful look.

"Boba will be here by tonight," Han promised. "You'll get your shipment."

Lazloz sighed. "And next week's shipment?" he challenged him. "Can you guarantee _that_ one?"

"Yes, your - " Han stopped himself, lamenting once again that he'd never been entirely certain how to address Lazloz. _'Your Baronness'_ didn't seem quite right, so he generally tried to avoid the whole issue. "You're Jabba's most important customer," he told Lazloz simply. "He _has_ no higher priority, than to make sure your shipments get here on time."

"And yet he has failed to do so... Too many times, over these past few months," Lazloz told Han, with a regretful sigh. "I fear Jabba's day is over," he admitted quietly. "I've stayed with him, many years longer than I should have - out of loyalty," he said. "But since you left his service... It's become clear to me, that the future of the Outer Rim lies with Gardulla."

Han stared at him in disbelief. "You can't mean that," he said. "Laz - Your Baron - " _Gah,_ Han cringed helplessly, as the Baron regarded him with curious amusement. "You know what's gonna happen, if Gardulla takes over," he said. "The entire Outer Rim will fall to slavery." _Greedo, Prunella, Kitster..._ "Your own people," Han pointed out, gesturing toward the window.

"An unfortunate circumstance," the Baron sighed. "But I am a businessman, with a reputation to uphold," he reminded Han. "I have customers of my own, who expect timely shipments, and I cannot afford to let them down."

Han sighed unhappily; he'd assumed Lazloz was only bluffing, but now it seemed Boba was right. "Well - " he blinked, desperately trying to come up with an argument to that. "If the whole Outer Rim is enslaved... Who's gonna be left to buy your spices?"

Baron Lazloz chuckled, obviously amused. "Economics isn't your strong point, is it?"

Han blinked in dismay, realizing he had no idea what he was talking about._ Seriously... How does that work?_ he wondered, his brows furrowing.

"Han, I do appreciate your visit," Lazloz assured him graciously. "But as I said, Gardulla's associates will be here in about half an hour - offering me timely shipments, fair prices, their undying loyalty - and twenty kilos of crystalstim," he told Han matter-of-factly. "And unless you can give me something better than that, in the next... oh, five minutes," he said, glancing at his watch. "I'm afraid our business is done for today."

_Crap..._ Han's mind reeled, as he tried to think of something - _anything_ - he could do, to change the Baron's mind. If Gardulla was offering him a piece of the crystalstim trade, he knew it was all over for Jabba. Twenty kilos of crystalstim was worth nearly a hundred thousand credits; and he didn't have anything aboard the _Falcon_, except for -

"No," Han said, frowning. _That ain't gonna happen._

"No?" Lazloz gave him a curious look. "So you're saying - we're _not_ done here?"

"No, I - " Han stammered, dismissing the vague and stupid plan that was beginning to formulate in his mind.

"You _do_ have something to offer me," Baron Lazloz realized, gazing at him intently. "What is it?"

Han shook his head unhappily. "It ain't mine to offer," he told Lazloz, with an apologetic look. _Leia would kill me..._ But what was his alternative? To allow Lazloz to go into business with Gardulla - driving the nail in Jabba's coffin, and condemning the entire Outer Rim to slavery? And once the Nar Shaddaa Mafia took over, it wouldn't be long before galactic war broke out...

_Yes, Leia will kill me,_ Han confessed. The ancient Nabooan artifacts he was transporting were priceless treasures of her people; but if war broke out on the Outer Rim... How long would it be, before Naboo itself fell prey to destruction and slavery? Naboo was located precariously close to the Outer Rim, and only Jabba's tenuous peace with the Republic had kept its borders safe all these years.

_Better to give away a bunch of useless old broken stuff, than to let Gardulla take over the entire planet,_ Han reasoned, desperately hoping that Leia would see it that way.

"How do you feel about ancient Nabooan artifacts?" Han asked, giving Lazloz a hesitant look.

"Artifacts?" The Baron laughed, amused by the idea. "Is that what you've got aboard the _Falcon?_"

"They're priceless," Han pointed out, shrugging.

"No doubt," Lazloz agreed. "Otherwise your bodyguard would be here guarding your _body_, rather than your ship."

"Gah," Han sighed.

"Very well," the Baron chuckled, getting to his feet. "Let's take a look at these artifacts of yours. Though I must warn you - there's a fine line between _'priceless'_ and _'worthless'_," he added with a regretful glance, leading Han back through the hallway. "And I'm afraid that line is drawn somewhere between the Republic and the Outer Rim."

Han nodded in understanding; he still wasn't entirely sold on the idea himself, and was quietly weighing the consequences of this transaction in his own mind. Widespread slavery and galactic war, versus Leia's eternal hatred... Han wasn't certain which was worse.

But he invited the Baron aboard the _Falcon_ now, ignoring Chewie's alarmed look as he began opening crates, showing Lazloz some of the ancient Nabooan artifacts.

"Oh, yes; these are very nice," Lazloz said, holding a colorful vase up to the light and admiring its design.

_"Are you insane?"_ Chewie asked, giving Han a profoundly worried look.

_Do you have to ask?_ Han sighed, glancing at him balefully.

"How many pieces are there, altogether?" the Baron wanted to know.

"Uh... A hundred and thirty-eight," Han told him, checking the shipping records.

"A hundred and thirty-eight," Lazloz repeated thoughtfully, looking through the contents of some of the other crates, and admiring the collection of pottery, artwork, jewelry, and ancient tools. "Well, I like it," he confessed. "I'm not certain anyone _else_ on the Outer Rim would be interested in any of this," he added, sighing. "But I think it's all very quaint," Lazloz admitted, peering through a collection of bronze rings, and trying one on for size. "I wouldn't mind keeping it, as my own private collection."

"Really?" Han asked cautiously, as Chewie let out an unhappy moan.

"I'll tell you what," Baron Lazloz said, getting down to business. "I'll display these lovely pieces in my home, as a tribute to my long-standing partnership with Jabba," he offered. "Meanwhile, _you_ will drop this ridiculous HOPE nonsense, and resume your job as my trusted supplier," he stipulated, giving Han a stern glance. "But as long as we have no more delivery problems..." The Baron sighed, nodding in quiet acceptance. "Jabba will have my continued loyalty," he promised.

Han looked at the floor, dismayed by his terms; but then he nodded. "Thank you.. Your Baron - ship..."

"Lord Lazloz," the Baron said, chuckling. "My Lord; sir... Basically, anything but _that_," he told Han.

"Lord Lazloz," Han repeated, nodding. "My Lord - sir," he stammered, grinning apologetically as the Baron shook his head in weary defeat. "Jabba won't forget this," Han said with quiet sincerity. "I promise; we won't let you down again."

"I'm glad to hear it," Baron Lazloz replied, bowing. "My men will help you with the unloading," he added, gesturing to his own crew, who approached now. "And now if you will excuse me," Lazloz said with a wry grin, glancing toward the Nar Shaddaa Mafia vessel which was just coming in for a landing. "I have a crystalstim deal to turn down."

* * *

><p><em>Later that evening...<em>

"Is Leia here?" Julian asked worriedly, entering Coruscant's HOPE store. She was supposed to meet him for dinner an hour ago, but hadn't shown up, and wasn't returning his calls.

"She's - in the warehouse," one of the volunteer workers explained hesitantly, her expression concerned; Julian noted in alarm that the other volunteer - a girl named Roxy - looked as though she had been crying.

_Something's happened,_ Julian realized, nodding to the girls and breaking into a run as he continued toward the back of the store. "Leia?" he called out anxiously, entering the warehouse. "Leia - are you here?"

A moment later he heard a pathetic gulping sound, and followed the quiet sobbing noises to the far back corner of the warehouse, where he found Leia sitting with her back to the wall, hugging her knees to her chest and weeping miserably.

"Leia!" Julian exclaimed, kneeling beside her and embracing her in concern. "Leia, what's wrong?"

"He - he... He - he quit," Leia gasped, sobbing.

"Who?" Julian asked, though the answer came to him quickly enough. "Han?"

Leia nodded, crying bitterly. "I trusted him," she wept. "I feel so stupid..."

"What happened?" Julian asked, gently brushing her tears away. He'd never seen her cry like this before; she looked so vulnerable, and suddenly reminded him of Ariel... "Leia, what did he do?" he asked, stroking her hair.

"He went back to Jabba," Leia told him, gulping. "And he - he... he sold all the artifacts, from the museum," she cried, hanging her head. "Why did he do that?" she sobbed, burying her face in her hands. "Why?" she whispered helplessly.

Julian held her in his arms now; she felt so tiny, and fragile, and was trembling like a leaf. "Leia, he's a Solo," he reminded her gently. "Nothing he does makes any sense."

"No kidding," Leia agreed bitterly. "I should never have trusted him," she cried, shaking her head. "I gave him all the money from the trust fund... And now he stole a bunch of artifacts from the Theed museum," she wept. "And I had to cancel the exhibit at the Coruscant museum," she sobbed miserably. "This is all my fault," Leia cried. "I feel so stupid."

"It's not your fault," Julian assured her. "You have a big heart, Leia," he said. _You remind me of Ariel, that way..._ "It's going to be all right," he promised, kissing her tenderly on the forehead. "It's not the end of the world."

"Thank you, Julian," Leia cried, sniffing back her tears. "And - Julian?" she added hesitantly, giving him a look of sincere appreciation. "I love you."

Julian smiled shyly; they were engaged to be married, but had never actually spoken those words to each other before. "I love you too," he whispered, kissing her again and praying that one day he would actually _feel_ it.


	169. Meanwhile, in the giant floating spoon

**Chapter 169 **

_Several months later..._

"Anakin!" Obi-Wan exclaimed in alarm, as the door to his chamber opened and his brother staggered inside. "Are you all right?"

"Ohhh," Anakin moaned, collapsing in the giant floating spoon and closing his eyes in pain and exhaustion. "I think I'm dying..."

_Dying?_ Obi-Wan blinked, horrified. How was this possible? He'd just seen Anakin less than an hour ago, in the library with Mara, and he'd seemed perfectly fine then. "Anakin, what happened?"

"Aahhh," Anakin moaned pathetically, unable to open his eyes. "Too much studying... Head's going to explode..."

"Oh dear," Obi-Wan murmured.

"Blue stuff," Anakin gasped. "Quickly..."

"Right," Obi-Wan agreed, hurriedly pouring some into a shot glass. "Here you go."

"Thank you," Anakin sighed, downing it in one gulp. "More..."

"Slow down, Anakin," Obi-Wan chided him, pouring another glass. "Too much will only make it worse."

"Ugh..." Anakin took a smaller sip this time. "I don't think it can get any worse."

Obi-Wan smiled consolingly, putting a hand on Anakin's forehead and using a gentle Force-healing technique to calm his raging headache. "You'll live," he assured his brother, patting him on the shoulder.

"Ehh," Anakin sighed morosely, as Obi-Wan took a seat on the edge of his bed. "I'm never going to pass the Master's exam." He gave Obi-Wan a helpless, despairing look. "I can't do it, Obi-Wan."

"Anakin, you _can_ do it - "

"No, I really can't," Anakin insisted, defeated. "I've tried so hard, but - it doesn't matter how much I study; I don't remember any of it."

"Anakin..." Obi-Wan shook his head; it pained him to see his brother so dejected. _I have to tell him._ "Anakin, about the Master's exam," he began hesitantly. "There's something you should know."

Anakin gave him a wary look. "What's that?"

Obi-Wan sighed, looking down. "It doesn't exist," he said quietly, giving Anakin an apologetic glance.

Anakin's brows furrowed. "What?"

"Anakin, there _is_ no Master's exam," Obi-Wan told him. "At least, not an academic portion."

Anakin blinked. "Really?" he asked, stunned. "That's... That's - " He grinned suddenly, his gloomy presence instantly transforming into hope, and joy. "You're serious?"

"Yes," Obi-Wan said, bracing himself for Anakin's next revelation.

It didn't take long. "Wait a minute," Anakin said, his brows furrowing again. "You mean - I've been studying... For a whole year," he realized, giving Obi-Wan an accusatory look. "For an exam that doesn't exist?"

"Don't blame me," Obi-Wan said defensively. "_You_ were the one who decided to take a sudden interest in academics - for the first time in your life," he pointed out mildly. "I merely failed to stop you."

"Gahh!" Anakin groaned, exasperated. "Obi-Wan - "

"You'll notice Qui-Gon didn't say anything either," Obi-Wan added. "And neither did anyone else, for that matter."

"Ugh," Anakin sighed in annoyance, taking a sip of his blue stuff. "Well - what about Luke?" he asked, gesturing toward the hallway. "He's studying with Mara right now... Is anyone going to tell _him?_"

"Oh, Luke knows already," Obi-Wan said matter-of-factly. "He studies because he finds it interesting."

Anakin groaned, running a hand through his hair. "So you're serious... There's no academic exam?" he asked, giving Obi-Wan a cautious look. "What's it based on, then?"

"It's not that academics aren't important," Obi-Wan said. "But the Council takes your overall performance into consideration. Significant achievements; mastery of Force abilities - "

"Ahh, that's even worse," Anakin sighed dejectedly, shaking his head.

Obi-Wan gave him a baffled look. "How is that worse?"

Anakin shrugged unhappily. "You _know_ I suck at meditation," he said. "And I can't do Force-healing to save my life - or anyone else's," he admitted grumpily. "I'm not _that_ great at mind tricks," he said, pointing out Obi-Wan's special talent. "And I have no freaking clue about the Living Force, or crystals, or - whatever the hell Qui-Gon does," Anakin sighed, defeated.

"Anakin, I was his padawan for thirteen years, and I don't understand anything he does either," Obi-Wan commiserated. "It's not about what you _don't_ know," he assured his brother. "You have strengths of your own; and the Council sees it."

Anakin laughed, unconvinced. "What - acting?"

"Possibly," Obi-Wan conceded. "Though I was referring to your piloting skills."

Anakin blinked, surprised. "Piloting counts?"

"Of course," Obi-Wan told him. "Why wouldn't it?"

"Well - they made _you_ a Master," Anakin said, gesturing to him. "I figured piloting ability didn't matter."

Obi-Wan's brows furrowed indignantly. "Thanks a lot."

"Sorry," Anakin apologized, grinning. "So... You think there's still hope I might become a Master - before Luke does?"

"I've never doubted it," Obi-Wan said. "Anakin, you're the best pilot in the entire Order," he told him. "And your work on _SITH_ is not without merit," he added. "Meanwhile, you've been training one of the most challenging padawans the Order has ever known. If you see Mara to knighthood - the Council will make you a Master for sure," Obi-Wan promised.

Anakin grinned, delighted. "So I don't have to study at all?" he asked. "I just have to make _Mara_ study?"

Obi-Wan sighed. "Basically, yes."

"Awesome." Anakin laughed mischievously. "Though I can't imagine being a Master," he confessed. "After Mara is knighted... What will I do?" he asked, blinking. "Teach flying lessons to younglings? _That'll_ impress Luke."

Obi-Wan smiled regretfully. "I don't think you'll need to worry about impressing Luke."

Anakin's brows furrowed. "What do you mean?"

Obi-Wan shook his head, reluctant to face the truth. "The situation on the Outer Rim is growing more unstable with every passing year," he told Anakin quietly. "The Council thinks it's only a matter of time before war is upon us."

He could feel Anakin's stunned shock. "War against the Hutts?" he asked, suddenly serious.

"Possibly," Obi-Wan confessed. "In which case..." He sighed, giving Anakin a look of pained regret. "As I said: you need not worry about impressing Luke," he told him. "When you become a Master, it's likely you'll have the most important job of any of us."

Anakin blinked uncomfortably. "Oh," he said, looking down.

Obi-Wan smiled, getting to his feet. "I pray it doesn't come to that," he said, going over to the kitchen and pouring himself a shot of blue stuff, then refilling Anakin's glass. "Here's wishing you a long and incredibly boring career, in which nothing remotely interesting ever happens," he proposed cheerfully.

Anakin laughed, lifting his glass in salute. "I'll drink to that," he agreed, taking a sip. "To mediocrity."

Obi-Wan gazed at his brother tenderly, burying the pain in his heart. _I do not believe that will be your fate._


	170. And through the Bermuda Triangle

**Chapter 170**

_Several months later..._

"So," Mace asked, as he took a seat in the Jedi Temple's Confessional Chamber along with Duke, Cory, and Yoda. "How was the _Star Wars_ convention?"

"Same as ever," Cory said, as Duke grinned in amusement. Cory had been their main operative on Solaris Three for several years now, though Duke had only learned of his home planet since becoming a Master.

"Those _Star Wars_ fans are nuts," Duke laughed, shaking his head.

"Not much to report - aside from the usual," Cory admitted. "There's a new book out this year, and plans for another animated film; but mostly it was just fan presentations, autograph signings with doppelgangers, lots of stuff to buy..." He shrugged, giving them an unconcerned, amused grin.

"Hey, check this out," Duke said, reaching into the little pouch on his belt. "It's a mini-lightsaber... and a flashlight - _and_ a key chain," he showed them, pressing a button and watching as it lit up, alternating from blue, to green, to red. "Not bad, eh?"

Mace laughed, amused by his eldest son's childish fascination. "And you need that... _why?_"

"I don't know; I thought it was cool - hey!" Duke frowned suddenly, as his lightsaber-flashlight-keychain levitated out of his hand and began floating across the room.

"Forbidden, possessions are," Yoda reproached him, confiscating the toy keychain.

"I told you," Cory said mildly, giving Duke an amused look.

"Aw, man," Duke protested. "That's not a possession; it's - it's my cultural heritage," he argued. "Master Gallia gets to wear her native headdress; why can't I have - gahh," he sighed, shaking his head.

"Nice try," Mace said, laughing.

"You're no fun," Duke sulked. "Anyway, you _know_ he's just gonna give it to Kermit," he grumbled.

"A Jedi, Kermit is _not_," Yoda chuckled fondly. "Love this, he will," he added, giving Duke an appreciative look. Yoda's son, Kermit, was thirty-two now; still only a small child by his people's standards, and living with his mother on Dagobah.

"Anything else to report?" Mace asked, getting back to business.

"Not really," Cory told him; but then he and Duke shared an amused look.

"What?" Mace asked cautiously.

Duke laughed. "Master Yoda made it into the Earthling tabloids again," he told them. "Apparently he and Lama Su abducted a woman aboard their flying saucer, and tried to perform medical procedures on her."

"_Again?_" Mace laughed. "Master Yoda, how many times do I have to tell you: quit abducting my people! They don't like it," he scolded him. "Eh, that's old news," he told Duke. "Some woman from Montana already reported that decades ago."

"Yeah, it's the same woman," Cory confirmed. "At least her story is consistent," he pointed out jokingly, as Yoda sighed in profound dismay, shaking his head.

"Heh... I'll give her that," Mace conceded. "Well, if that's everything... Shall we adjourn?"

The others nodded, getting up from their padded stools and filing out of the Confessional Chamber. Duke and Cory headed back down the long, winding staircase, quickly outdistancing the others; but Mace hung back with Yoda, seeing his private glance.

"A personal day, I am taking," Yoda informed him, hobbling down the stairs and leaning on his gimer stick. "Return before tomorrow's Council meeting, I will," he promised.

Mace grinned. "I can't imagine where you're going," he teased Yoda, as they continued down the stairs. "Tell Kermit and Yaddle I say hello."

"Hmm," Yoda chuckled; in truth, he looked forward to giving Kermit his new keychain toy. But Dagobah wasn't his destination today; and as he said goodbye to Mace, he sighed with deep regret, proceeding toward the docking bay.

_Completely out of hand, this has gotten,_ Yoda confessed, boarding his space pod and subtly masking his presence as he blasted away from Coruscant. For what Duke, Cory, and even Mace didn't know, was that the seemingly preposterous story in the Earthling tabloid was actually true. And that Yoda _had_ in fact abducted Earthlings from Solaris Three in order to perform medical procedures - not once, not twice, but literally dozens of times, over the past several decades.

The situation had begun over a century ago - when Yoda had received a time capsule from his future self, filled with DNA samples and detailed instructions._Clones, you must make,_ the instructions said. _Lama Su's help, you will need. Surrogate mothers on Solaris Three, you must find. __Ask why, do not. Just Trust. And Do. There is no Why._

Yoda had been alarmed by this message from the future; his people had known the secrets of time travel for millennia, but capsules such as this were used only under extreme circumstances. Obviously his future self wouldn't have sent the capsule unless it was of dire importance, and so Yoda had trusted the message, and followed the instructions implicitly.

He had visited Lama Su on Kamino, and together they had begun their secret cloning project - creating embryos in the laboratory, which they implanted into surrogate mothers on Solaris Three. The clones were to be born according to specific dates, spanning several decades; and over the first twenty years, only a dozen or so were created.

But then Yoda had received yet _another_ time capsule - again, filled with more DNA samples and instructions. _Oops. These clones too, you must make,_ the note informed him. _P.S. - Professional actors, they must all become._

_Actors?_ The eldest of his clones had been nearly twenty years old by then; Yoda had rolled his eyes in annoyance at his future self, grumbling that this information might have been useful _earlier_. But he had quickly set out to rectify the situation, secretly visiting all of his young Earthling clones and subtly encouraging them all to go into acting.

Yoda had hoped to receive further instructions, explaining _why_ he had been charged with this bizarre top-secret mission; but the answer had suddenly become clear a few decades later, when he had sensed a massive Force disturbance on Solaris Three. It was then that he had discovered the mysterious _JEDI_ and _SITH_episodes from the future - which had been transmitted to Earth during a freak electrical storm, and captured on film reels by a young director in California.

These film reels were irrefutable evidence of life beyond Earth, and would surely have caused mass panic, if they'd gotten out: doomsday prophecies, rioting, possibly even nuclear war... _Or worse,_ Yoda feared. The footage provided detailed visuals of advanced space technology; in fact, the very first episode that was eventually released on Solaris Three opened with a long close-up which was practically a blueprint for how to build a Star Destroyer, if anyone had ever taken it seriously.

One thing was clear: the Earthlings must _not_ take these films seriously. And suddenly Yoda had understood the true purpose behind his secret cloning project: he was to recreate these episodes on Solaris Three, using his clones as actors, so that the Earthlings would believe these _JEDI_ and _SITH_ episodes were simply science fiction movies that they'd made themselves.

Yoda had of course questioned whether such a massive cover-up operation was truly necessary. He had confiscated the captured film reels, and attempted to brainwash the young director into forgetting the incident entirely. But as he suspected, it didn't work; the man had watched all six episodes live during that electrical storm, and they were indelibly imprinted into his memory.

The best Yoda could do was to convince the man that it had all just been a dream. And he'd _tried_ to discourage the young director's sudden movie-making ambition, in one last attempt to contain this fiasco. _Stupid, your movies would be,_ Yoda had informed the man stubbornly, with a wave of his fingers. _Like them, no one will. A very bad idea, this is._

But the director would not be swayed, and Yoda had finally sighed in resignation, allowing the man to make his movies, and resolving to keep close watch over the project.

They had encountered an immediate problem, though. Yoda had realized to his sudden chagrin that the DNA samples had been sent to him in _backwards_ order; the clones needed to star in the first episode were still only small children, and in some cases not even born yet - whereas the ones featured in the later episodes were ready _now_, and would be far too old if they waited for the first ones to grow up. Yoda had cursed his future self for this ridiculous lack of planning, but had done what he could to salvage the situation, convincing the Earthling director to begin with the final three episodes, and worry about the others later.

And so the _Star Wars_ project had begun. Yoda had resolved to keep a low profile, and at first had given the young director free rein to do whatever he wanted. He was the only Earthling who had actually seen the original _JEDI_ and _SITH_ footage; so if he took some artistic liberties and didn't recreate the episodes with perfect accuracy, who would ever know?

But then Yoda remembered the Universal Law of Force Anomalies: for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. What if the mysterious lightning storm had been a _reaction_ - to an equally powerful anomaly, that would happen in the future? Yoda had been able to contain the situation _this_ time; but what if he couldn't, in the future? What if the alien _JEDI_ and _SITH_ broadcasts were to be transmitted again - next time not just witnessed by one man, but by the entire planet of Solaris Three?

The ensuing chaos and panic would be unimaginable - _unless_ the Earthlings believed this alien transmission was simply a re-broadcast of science fiction movies they'd made themselves. And so Yoda had finally understood the dire need for identical clone actors, as well as the urgency of recreating these _JEDI_ and _SITH_episodes with one hundred percent accuracy.

It was then that he had shared his concerns with his former padawan, Mace Windu, and brought him into the project. Mace had recently been made a Master at the time, and had learned of his secret home planet; but no one else in the Jedi Order knew of Solaris Three, and so the two of them had kept the _Star Wars_situation a closely-guarded secret for several decades.

Mace had been instrumental in overseeing the production of the six _Star Wars_ movies, making sure that the Earthling director recreated the scenes in exact accordance with the captured film reels - and in some cases even mind-tricking the actors into 'ad-libbing' certain lines, so that the final product was as close as possible to the original _JEDI_ and _SITH_ broadcasts.

In fact, much of the footage released on Solaris Three was transferred directly from the original _JEDI_ and _SITH_ film reels. But Mace had been careful to splice in a few 'blooper' moments from the Earthlings' production as well, and their efforts lived on in the form of outtakes, behind-the-scenes footage, and filmmaking documentaries, which had been released in various formats over the years.

The Earthling director had continued to update the six _Star Wars_ movies periodically, releasing several updated versions showcasing the latest technological advances on Solaris Three. At one point he had even managed to digitally cure Yoda's TPM, erasing all evidence of the illness. _Though sadly he couldn't cure Obi-Wan's,_ Yoda chuckled in amusement.

Thankfully, the well-documented production of the _Star Wars_ films had succeeded in convincing the people of Solaris Three that these were simply science fiction movies, created by filmmakers on their own planet. And years from now - should the six fateful _JEDI_ and _SITH_ episodes be accidentally transmitted to Solaris Three, and possibly broadcast live over the planet's television networks, as Yoda feared... Instead of mass panic over this shocking alien transmission - with any luck, it would go completely unnoticed.

_Saved their planet, the makers of Star Wars have,_ Yoda confessed, as he flew cautiously into Hutt Territory, quietly making his way toward the Maw, and the mysterious Force field which protected Solaris Three.

But one thing he had never told Mace - or anyone else - about, was his own secret cloning project. First of all, the people of this galaxy knew nothing of time travel; the very notion of receiving a time capsule with DNA samples from the future would have completely blown their minds. Worse, they might have pressured Yoda to teach them the secrets of the fourth dimension, and attempted to change their own past, present, and future, in ways that would surely have been disastrous.

Secondly, cloning itself was in fact illegal in the Republic, not to mention morally frowned upon - as it was in Yoda's own galaxy as well. The technology had existed for decades, but was confined to laboratories on the Outer Rim, such as Lama Su's facility on Kamino. If Yoda were to tell Mace or the others about his cloning operation, they would become his accomplices; and then one day, if the truth were ever discovered... They would _all_ be held accountable, and expelled from the Jedi Order.

Yoda shook his head now, still baffled by how easily the others had accepted his mysterious 'doppelganger' theory. They truly believed that the Force field created by Yoda's father a millennium ago was somehow responsible for all of the strange anomalies on Solaris Three. And that it had somehow caused _JEDI_and _SITH_ episodes from the future to be zapped back in time - along with an entire cast of 'doppelgangers' - who all just conveniently happened to be actors in the _Star Wars_ movies.

The existence of the doppelgangers - and the fact that they were virtually _all_ actors - had of course been puzzling to Mace, Cory, Duke, and the handful of others who knew of their existence. Even Anakin had found it difficult to believe. But Mace had suggested his own theory, which _almost_ made sense: all of the people involved in _JEDI_ and _SITH_ were at least halfway decent at acting; so naturally their doppelgangers would be as well.

In any case, the others had absolutely no idea that these doppelgangers were actually genetic clones of their real-life counterparts, created in a Kamino laboratory and implanted on Solaris Three by Yoda himself.

The implanting procedure itself had gone very well, for the most part. Yoda had lovingly chosen surrogate mothers for his actor clones, inviting them aboard his ship, where Lama Su would implant a clone embryo into them: a precious gift, a bundle of joy, that would bring them years of happiness - not to mention fame and fortune, when it grew up to be an actor in the _Star Wars_ movies.

Only a few times had he been forced to abandon his efforts mid-procedure, when one of the surrogate mothers proved resistant to his mind tricks, and had been alarmed by the situation - such as the woman in Montana, who had recently made tabloid news once again. Thankfully no one on Solaris Three had ever believed her preposterous claim: that she had been abducted aboard a flying saucer in the night, and subjected to medical procedures carried out by tall, willowy alien beings.

Still, Yoda felt terrible that this poor woman had been the object of public ridicule, for something that was his own fault. And so he turned off the lights in his space pod now, approaching Solaris Three under the cover of night and quietly touching down outside the woman's farmhouse.

He found an open window, and slipped inside; then he stealthily made his way upstairs to her bedroom, where he found her sound asleep, along with her husband. _Old, she has become,_ Yoda confessed. Decades ago, he had thought she might make a wonderful mother for one of his precious actor clones; but he had been forced to give up on that idea, and find another surrogate. In the meantime she and her husband had raised three children of their own, and had lived a quiet, happy life here in Montana.

"Only a dream, your abduction was," Yoda murmured softly now, waving his fingers. "Let it trouble you, do not."

He sighed regretfully, turning to leave; but now he turned back, sensing something else. He could feel the woman's life-force quite strongly, but her husband's felt strangely weak, and Yoda hobbled over to investigate. He reached a hand out, closing his eyes and trying to pinpoint the source of the problem. Then he sighed, his pointy ears drooping in dismay. _Undetected cancer, he has..._ It was one of the terrible illnesses that plagued Solaris Three, and he placed a hand over the man's body now, healing him of the disease.

"Needs you around, your wife does," he told the man gently. "Enough hardship, she has already faced." Then, with a final apologetic sigh, he left the sleeping couple, heading back out to his ship.

Yoda had often wondered whether he'd done the right thing, in creating all of his clones. He had interfered with the space-time continuum, not to mention life itself - breaking all laws of physics and nature, and disrupting the lives of dozens of families... All just to film six movies - which had been shelved in the end anyway, secretly replaced by the original _JEDI_ and _SITH_ footage.

He hoped that his suspicions were right, and that one day the urgent need for this entire secret operation would become clear to him. But for the time being, he was simply grateful that it had gone as well as it had. Cory and Duke were handling the _Star Wars_ situation these days; all six films had been successfully released, with no one ever guessing the truth about the galaxy beyond, and for that, Yoda counted himself lucky.

_Besides,_ Yoda reminded himself with a fond smile, as he took off from Montana: _Much happiness to the people of Solaris Three, the Star Wars films have brought._

But Yoda's business here on Solaris Three was not yet finished, and now he continued on toward the southeastern part of the continent. This was his true destination, and another carefully-guarded secret that not even Mace knew about: that within the Carribbean Sea, inside a region known as the Bermuda Triangle, was a hidden wormhole - another mysterious Force anomaly, which served as a portal to Yoda's own galaxy.

This secret portal was the _real_ reason why Yoda's father had sealed off the Maw, nearly a thousand years ago. True, he had helped to vanquish the Sith, driving them back to Hutt Territory and creating a powerful Force field to isolate Solaris Three from the rest of the galaxy. He had died in the final battle against the Sith, but was a hero among Yoda's people, for keeping their own galaxy safely hidden.

Yoda focused his attention now, navigating carefully toward the Bermuda Triangle, and letting the Force guide him. If he missed the center, and came too close to the edge of the wormhole, he would be launched into outer space, beyond Solaris Three; but if he flew straight down, into the center... _There it is,_ Yoda sighed, as he traveled through the wormhole and emerged on the other side, entering his beloved home galaxy - known amongst his own people as the GCCB: the Galaxy Close, Close By.

He was immediately greeted by a small fleet of fighter ships, which closed in around him now. But they quickly recognized his space pod, and backed away respectfully. "Elder Yoda," one of the fighters hailed him, over the transmitter. "Welcome home."

"Thank you," Yoda replied, smiling. "Good to be back, it is." He set his coordinates for a planet called Llyria, located near the center of the galaxy, which served as the capital planet and seat of government for the GCCB.

Yoda extended a feeling of warmth and appreciation to the Border Patrol sentries, then blasted into hyperspace, continuing on toward Llyria. Yoda was a member of the Council of the Whills: the wise elders of his own galaxy, similar to the Jedi Council in the GFFA. He had served as an ambassador to the Jedi Order for the past eight hundred years, but visited Llyria as often as possible.

"Elder Yoda," a tall, white-bearded man greeted him respectfully, as he arrived on Llyria. "Good to see you, it is."

"Welcome," added a violet-skinned Fyrish woman, giving him a warm smile.

"Elder Darius; Elder Laeryn," Yoda replied, bowing in appreciation.

"What news from the GFFA?" Elder Darius asked, inviting him into a small conference room. Yoda rarely made it to formal Council meetings here on Llyria; but Elder Darius and Elder Laeryn frequently spoke with him in private, whenever he was able to stop by.

Yoda took a seat on a padded stool, sighing in regret. "Disturbing, the situation on the Outer Rim is," he confessed. "Always looming is the threat of war against the Hutts."

Elder Darius nodded solemnly. "An attack against the Republic, you fear they will soon make?"

Yoda sighed. "Perhaps," he said. "Though while Jabba holds Tatooine, likely, it is not."

"Lose control of the southern regions, you fear he might?" Elder Laeryn asked.

Yoda bowed his head, his ears drooping unhappily. "Only a matter of time, it is," he told them. It was Jabba's hold of the Southern Rim that had kept war at bay all these years, as he had honored his peace agreement with the Republic. His presence effectively split Gardulla's territories in half - confining her to Hutt Territory on the Eastern Rim, with various holdings on the Western Rim as well.

Also because of Jabba's cooperation, the Jedi were able to focus their attention on defending the Eastern and Western borders of the Republic; the vast Southern border remained secure, as it was known that anyone attacking a Republic planet in that region would answer to Jabba himself.

But if Jabba's strength were to fail, Gardulla would take over the entire Outer Rim; and then... "Soon upon us, I fear galactic war will be," Yoda admitted quietly.

"And the Republic?" Elder Darius asked. "Are they prepared for this war?"

Yoda sighed. "A powerful military force, the Republic has _not_," he reminded them. For a thousand years, the Jedi had been the guardians of peace and justice within the Republic - just as the Whills were, in Yoda's own galaxy. But they could not be everywhere at once, and if it came to war, each planet would have to be responsible for its own safety.

Most of the planets bordering the Outer Rim were well aware of this circumstance, and had always maintained a strong military of their own. But the vast majority of central Republic planets had only a small police force, and would not even be able to defend ther own planet in the event of war, let alone aid anyone else. Only Coruscant, Alderaan, Corellia, and a handful of others maintained a military force strong enough to be of any help to the Jedi, if it came to war.

"Far too closely matched, this conflict will be," Yoda confessed. "Vulnerable to attack, many planets of the Republic are. The loss of life..." He shook his head unhappily. "Grievous, I fear the consequences of this war will be."

Elder Darius nodded. "If it comes to war, the Whills' help you shall have," he told him quietly. "Great, our numbers are _not_," he admitted, sighing. "But as many as can be spared, to the Republic's aid, will be sent." He gave Yoda a regretful look. "The first time, this will not be," he reminded him.

Yoda smiled sadly; his own father had been sent to the GFFA a millennium ago, as part of a team of Whill emissaries who had helped the fledgling Republic to drive back the Sith, and had been instrumental in founding the Jedi Order.

"Vanquished the enemies beyond our borders, we have once before," Elder Laeryn agreed. "Do it again, we can," she told Yoda, with stubborn optimism.

"A danger to us all, the Hutts are," Elder Darius confessed, sighing. The Whills were all too aware of the fact that a portal to their own galaxy existed on Solaris Three - which was located within Hutt Territory, right in Gardulla's own back yard.

"But hope, for the moment, there is," Yoda told them. "Returned to Jabba's service, his best smuggler has."

"The Solo prince?" Elder Darius asked, surprised. "Paid off his debt, I thought you said he had?"

"Paid in full, his debt has been," Yoda confirmed. "Voluntarily, he serves Jabba now."

Elder Laeryn blinked. "Truly insane, those Solos are."

Yoda chuckled. "Nineteenth in line for the throne of Corellia, is young Han," he reminded them. "Entirely pure, his bloodline is not." As Solos went, Han was one of the saner ones. "And an excellent pilot, he is," Yoda assured them.

"So for the time being," Elder Laeryn summarized, remaining optimistic. "Peaceful and secure, our two galaxies remain," she pointed out. "Give into despair, we shall not," she vowed stubbornly. "Our hopes we shall place, in Jabba the Hutt, and the Solo prince."

Elder Darius nodded, sighing. "May the Force be with us all."


	171. Another Operation Snowball

**Chapter 171**

_Meanwhile..._

"Yeeeaaaaahhhoooooo," Han cheered, as the _Falcon_ came out of lightspeed. "Three hours and fourteen minutes... That's gotta be a record," he said, as Chewie roared in triumphant agreement. They had just come back from a spice delivery on Kubindi, and descended toward Mos Eisley now, heading for Jabba's warehouse_. For once we're early..._

Then Han's radio transmitter beeped. "Solo," he said, switching on the receiver.

_"Please hold for an important call,"_ an automated voice replied, as cheesy music played in the background. _"Your business is very important to us," _the annoyingly pleasant voice assured him. _"Please stay on the line, for the next available representative - "_

"Gah," Han sighed, hanging up. "Damn telemarketers," he grumbled; they'd somehow gotten his direct number, and had been calling him all morning. "This is getting out of control," Han admitted, checking his voicemail now, and fast-forwarding through five other messages from the same automated caller.

"Nothing from Fortuna, though," Han told Chewie, checking the rest of his messages. _No news is good news..._ "All right," he said, as they arrived at Jabba's warehouse. "We just gotta pick up some glitterstim, and we'll be on our way." Baron Lazloz was expecting his weekly delivery on Arbra later this afternoon, and by some miracle they were actually on schedule.

"Solo," the warehouse attendant nodded in greeting. "What can I do for you today?"

"Hey, Garret," Han said. "I just need fifty kilos of glitterstim," he said, showing him his delivery order.

"Glitterstim?" Garret cringed. "Ahh, Jabba's put a hold on it. We're running low," he apologized. "I'm not allowed to release any without Jabba's personal approval."

_Ahhh..._ "Okay, I'll talk to him," Han sighed, not wanting to get the young warehouse attendant into trouble. "I thought we were getting a big shipment in this morning," he added, giving him a concerned look. "Lorak hasn't gotten back from Caluula yet?"

Garret looked down, uncomfortable. "Lorak's dead."

"What?" Han said, as Chewbacca wailed in quiet sorrow. "How?"

"Rancor," Garret said, giving Han a cautionary look. "Jabba's in a bad mood today."

_Crap,_ Han blinked, sobered. "So who's covering Lorak's shipments?"

"Uh..." Garret checked his schedule; then he frowned. "It says _you_ are."

"What? No," Han protested, peering at the schedule. "I haven't heard anything from Fortuna."

"Fortuna got sent to the Sarlacc," Garret told him, sighing. "Like I said, it's been a bad day."

_No kidding..._ "Well - is anyone getting him out?" Han asked, frowning; no one particularly _liked_ Jabba's freakish albino Twi'lek assistant, but still... _Jabba, what the hell were you thinking?_

"Boba went after him, about an hour ago," Garret said. "Anyway, it says here you should have gotten a message from, uh - T3K1," he told Han, showing him the shipping order.

Han blinked in disbelief. "Jabba's using a protocol droid to schedule his shipments?"

"Yeah," Garret sighed. "It's been a giant pain in the ass," he agreed. "I've been talking to it over the transmitter all morning; the damned thing puts me on hold every five seconds," he grumbled. "And the _music_ - ugh..."

"Wait," Han said, his eyes widening in alarm. "This thing sounds like a telemarketer?" _Oh, crap..._

"Yeah," Garret nodded. "Anyway, Boba thinks Jabba will come around, and hire Fortuna back, but in the meantime..." He sighed. "Yeah, it says here you were supposed to pick up five hundred kilos of glitterstim from Caluula - and, uh... half a ton of Chandaari mud bath," he told Han, showing him the shipping orders.

"Great," Han muttered; not only did this put him at least eight hours behind on his spice deliveries, but now he would have to explain to the Hutt why his precious mud bath would not be delivered on time. _And he's already sentenced two of his best employees to death today,_ he realized. _This is not good..._

"All right, I'll talk to Jabba," Han sighed. "Thanks," he added to Garret, heading back to the _Falcon_.

"Good luck," Garret called after him, his expression anxious.

Han waved to him reassuringly; but as he and Chewie continued toward the cockpit, they shared a knowing look.

_"Operation Snowball?"_ Chewbacca asked, glancing toward the transmitter.

"Let's hope," Han sighed, dialing the number for Jabba's top chef. _Please, be there..._

_"Blip-blip-blip!"_ answered a cheery voice, speaking in radio code.

"Hey, Snowball," Han said, grateful to reach him. "Slight problem here; I'm on my way to see Jabba, and I'm afraid I've got bad news," he confessed. "I was hoping you could help me out?"

_"Absolutely,"_ Snowball blipped in concern. _"ETA?"_

Han gazed balefully toward Jabba's palace. "Uh... _now,_" he admitted.

_"BLEEP!"_ Snowball exclaimed. _"Okay, I'm on it,"_ he assured Han. _"Give me twenty minutes."_

"Thanks, Snowball," Han said. "I owe you one."

_"Don't worry, Han,"_ Snowball promised him. _"I got your back."_

* * *

><p><em>Meanwhile...<em>

"Yorga!" Gardulla yelled, pounding on her bedroom door. "YORGA!"

A moment later the door opened, and the teenage Hutt princess scowled at her, exasperated. "What?"

"Prince Blobbo is here to see you," Gardulla told her, gesturing toward the living room.

"Gah..." Yorga rolled her eyes in annoyance. "Again?"

"You will treat him with respect," Gardulla admonished her sternly. "Go... Now!"

Yorga cast a wistful glance at her computer monitor; then she sighed, coming out of her room and shutting the door behind her. "Fine," she grumbled, slithering off to meet with her royal suitor.

Gardulla shook her head, annoyed by her niece's belligerent attitude; but as she headed back down the hallway, she heard a faint dinging sound coming from inside Yorga's bedroom.

_"You've got mail,"_ the computerized voice proclaimed.

_Mail?_ Gardulla frowned; the only person Yorga was allowed to write to was Prince Blobbo - and he was _here_, in their living room. _Who the heck is writing to her?_ she wondered, going inside the princess' room to investigate.

It had to be someone here on Nar Shaddaa, Gardulla knew; she kept strict watch over her niece's computer usage, and had set up a firewall blocking her from sending or receiving any messages outside their own local network. She clicked on the latest message now, frowning curiously as she saw that it was from someone named 'Lani'.

_'Hi Tiffany,'_ the message said, in Basic. _Tiffany?_ Gardulla blinked. _Who the hell is Tiffany?_ she wondered, reading on. _'How's it going? I'm doing pretty good... My friend Jenna told me this guy from my ethics class - Mikk - wants to ask me to the school dance on Saturday! I can't believe it! He's totally cute too! Ahhh, I have no idea what I'm going to wear...'_

_What to wear?_ Gardulla blinked in confusion; the only school here on Nar Shaddaa was for Hutts, and they didn't _wear_ anything. Nor did they have school dances - or ethics classes, for that matter. _This message came from off-planet,_ Gardulla realized. It wasn't even meant for Yorga; it was for some girl named Tiffany. _But how the hell did it get through the firewall?_

She scrolled through several more messages in Yorga's Inbox - most of which were from this 'Lani' person, and addressed to 'Tiffany'. _What the heck is all this?_ Gardulla wondered, clicking on another one now. _'Hi Tiffany,'_ the next message said. _'Sorry your aunt's being a bitch, that totally sucks. I hope you get your stereo back soon...'_

_Stereo?_ Gardulla gasped, the realization hitting her. She had confiscated Yorga's beloved stereo two days ago, annoyed by the horrible music her niece had been playing. _Yorga is Tiffany?_ Gardulla blinked, scrolling through the dozens of messages in her Inbox. _And she has friends? Off-planet?_ she realized, incensed._ Ahh, I'm going to kill the little snot..._

Then her eyes widened as she saw a familiar name amidst the dozens of messages. _JABBA?_ "Aaaaghh," Gardulla exclaimed angrily, clicking on the message now. _She's been setting up business deals behind my back? She is so dead..._

_'Dear Tiffany,'_ Jabba's message began. _'I am so happy that you liked my latest poem..._'

_Poem?_ Gardulla frowned, utterly baffled; but then she heard another familiar dinging sound.

_"You've got mail,"_ the computer informed her again.

"Ahh!" _Jabba again,_ Gardulla scowled angrily, clicking on the new message.

_'Dear Tiffany,'_ Jabba had written. '_I've just added another poem to my official HoloNet site, along with some new pictures. I thought you might like to see them. Thank you once again for your kind words about my last poem, and I hope that you will like this one as well. It is my pleasure to share these works with my loyal fans. Love and best wishes, Jabba xoxox_'

Gardulla blinked in confusion. _Yorga is a 'loyal fan'?_ It was a disturbing thought, to be certain; but less disturbing than Gardulla's initial worry - that her niece was engaging in secret business dealings behind her back. _She actually likes his poetry?_ Gardulla wondered, clicking on his HoloNet site and trying to wrap her brain around the concept.

_'Hold me, like you never have before...'_ Gardulla cringed in disdain, reading Jabba's latest poem. It was truly terrible, and she shuddered involuntarily, trying not to remember the time that Jabba had 'held her' after the Boonta Eve pod race, so many years ago. _Yorga actually reads this crap?_ Gardulla frowned, glancing through some of his other poems.

_Well she won't be reading any more of it,_ Gardulla decided indignantly, reaching for the power switch. _I'm confiscating this thing, once and for all._ But then another thought occurred to her, and she smiled maliciously.

_'Dear Jabba,'_ she typed, replying to his latest message. _'I read your poem. It was nauseating; I'm still gagging here. Nice try though... What you lack in talent, you definitely make up for in ego,_ she told him._ Don't write to me again. Sincerely, Tiffany.'_

Gardulla grinned malevolently, preparing to send the message; but then she remembered his pictures. _'P.S.'_ she added, cringing in revulsion as she glanced at the latest images on his HoloNet site. _'You've gotten really fat.'_

"Hehehe," Gardulla laughed, clicking the 'send' button. _Take that, you stupid blob..._

But now she heard a startled gasp, coming from the doorway. "What are you doing? Yorga squealed, wide-eyed with alarm.

"Confiscating your computer," Gardulla informed her, switching it off.

"Ahh!" Yorga protested, slithering quickly toward her. "No... You can't do that!"

"Watch me," Gardulla replied, pulling the plug.

"Aunt Gardulla, no," Yorga wailed, sobbing. "Please... I'll be good," she promised. "You can keep my stereo - forever," she pleaded.

"All right," Gardulla nodded equably. _You be good; I keep your stereo forever... Works for me._ "But I'm still taking your computer," she informed her, picking it up in her arms and slithering toward the doorway.

"No!" Yorga cried. "Aunt Gardulla, please," she sobbed; then she gulped pathetically. "When do I get it back?" she asked, choking back tears.

Gardulla sighed in annoyance. _As soon as I can get someone to figure out how the hell you hacked past that firewall, and make sure you don't do it again._ "Never," she informed the princess, slithering out of the room and ignoring her niece's plaintive wailing as she dead-bolted the door behind her.

* * *

><p><em>Meanwhile...<em>

Jabba gasped in dismay, holding a hand to his aching heart. _Tiffany didn't like my poem?_ He blinked dejectedly, reading her message. _And she thinks I'm fat?_

_Ahh... She's right though,_ he sighed, casting a rueful glance at his bulging stomach. He'd been feeling anxious over business matters lately, and had been doing far too much stress eating; he'd hoped it wasn't noticeable to anyone else, but in truth, he had gained nearly four hundred pounds since his appearance on _SITH_ two years ago.

_Tiffany thinks I'm a big fat blob,_ Jabba sniffed tearfully, heartbroken._ She doesn't love me any more..._

"Your Excellency," came a pleasant robotic voice, from the doorway. "You have a visitor," his new protocol droid announced. "Han Solo wishes to speak with you," T3K1 informed him, with a flourishing gesture.

_Solo?_ Jabba blinked away his tears, following the protocol droid back out to his audience chamber. _Finally, some good news..._ It had been an awful day, and he had escaped to his private quarters a few minutes ago, pouring his troubled emotions into a new poem for his HoloNet fan site; but then he'd gotten Tiffany's message, and now he felt a hundred times worse.

_But Han's brought me my Chandaari mud bath,_ Jabba sighed gratefully, looking forward to a relaxing spa treatment this evening. "Solo, my boy," he said, as he arrived in his audience chamber. "You've brought my mud bath?"

"Ahh - not exactly," Han admitted. "I'll get it to you by tomorrow - "

"What?" Jabba exclaimed. "No," he protested, frowning. "I want it _today_."

"I know; and I'm sorry," Han apologized. "I'll get it to you tomorrow; plus the shipment from Caluula - "

"Ahhhhh!" Jabba roared, outraged. "You don't have that either?"

"Uh, no," Han confessed, cringing. "Jabba, I'm sorry. I missed your messages," he explained, glancing at the new protocol droid. "I figured if there was anything important, it would have come from Fortuna."

Jabba sighed; he'd been in a bad mood this morning, and had sent Fortuna to the Sarlacc. But he had almost immediately regretted his decision, and was hoping to reinstate his Twi'lek assistant as soon as possible.

"Anyway, I need your permission to take fifty kilos of glitterstim from the warehouse," Han continued, showing him his work order. "Lazloz is expecting his shipment by this afternoon."

"Ahhhhh!" Jabba yelled, exasperated. "This is why you were supposed to bring me five hundred kilos from Caluula!"

"I'm sorry," Han said. "I thought Lorak was taking care of it," he added, with a reproachful look.

_Gah..._ Jabba sighed in frustration. "I should send you to the Rancor too," he said grumpily. "You're lucky he's been fed already."

"I'll get your shipment to you tomorrow," Han promised. "_And_ your mud bath," he added, giving him a pleading look.

Jabba shook his head morosely. With Lorak gone, he desperately needed Han to take care of these things; but if he let him go unpunished, he would appear weak... "No," he said stubbornly, waving to his Gamorrean guards. "Feed him to the Sar - "

_Ohhhh?_ Jabba blinked in surprise as a festive clamor suddenly arose in the hallway; and a moment later Snowball marched into his audience chamber, followed by the entire kitchen staff, banging on pots and pans.

_"Your Excellency,"_ Snowball blipped, as the protocol droid translated for him. _"I have prepared for you a special culinary creation: 'Snowball a la Snowball',"_ he announced proudly, as a cart was brought in, and his masterpiece was unveiled.

"Ohhhhhhhh," Jabba exclaimed, eyeing the five-foot sphere of vanilla ice cream, decorated with a festive variety of fruits, nuts, chocolates, cookies, and deep-fried critters, topped with a mountain of whipped cream and dripping in hot fudge. _YUM..._

But now Han stepped forward again, his manner deferential. "I need to get going with my delivery to Lazloz," he said, giving Jabba an apologetic look. "Can we talk about this when I get back?"

Jabba sighed; he'd already had far too much stress for one day, and nodded curtly, as T3K1 stamped Han's work order. "Just go," he told him, not wanting to deal with anything more right now.

"Thank you," Han nodded. "I'll be back with your other shipments first thing in the morning," he promised, quickly taking his leave of the audience chamber and escaping down the hallway.

But now Jabba turned his attention back to Snowball's magnificent creation, and smiled broadly.

_"I hope you like it,"_ Snowball blipped, bowing politely. _"I tried to include all of your favorite things."_

"I can see that," Jabba agreed; it looked as though he had grabbed every type of sugary treat he could find in the kitchen, and rolled it all into one glorious ball of deliciousness. "It's - brilliant," he assured his chef.

But as the delicacy was brought forward, Jabba blinked momentarily, remembering his weight problem. _I said I was going on a diet,_ he admitted, sighing in regret. But it looked so delicious...

_Oh, why not,_ Jabba decided, digging into his snack. _It's not like there's anyone left to impress anymore,_ he realized glumly, still heartbroken over Tiffany's message. _Who cares if I get fatter._


	172. Han gets a clue

**Chapter 172**

_A few months later..._

"Solo," Baron Pyorish greeted him solemnly, as Han came down the _Falcon's _gangplank, followed by Chewbacca.

_Crap..._ "Your Baronship - sir... My Lord," Han stammered idiotically. _Ahh, why can I never remember that?_ "I'm sorry for the delay," he said, giving the Baron an apologetic look. "I can give you a discount on this shipment - "

"That won't be necessary," Pyorish cut him off. "I'm afraid I can't accept this shipment," he said, looking at the floor. "I've just signed a deal with Gardulla. An _exclusive _deal," he confessed, with a tone of regret. "Please tell Jabba I will no longer be doing business with him."

"What?" Han's eyes widened in alarm. "No... Your Baron-fulness -" _Gah..._ "You can't do that," he protested, shaking his head vehemently. "You _know_ what this means - "

"Yes, I do," Baron Pyorish interrupted. "And I'm sorry," he said quietly. "But the deal has been made. Gardulla has promised me bigger shipments, at lower prices... And her deliveries actually _get _here on time," he added, glancing toward a nearby freighter, which was preparing for takeoff. "I'm sorry, Solo. Please give Jabba my regards."

_No..._ "My Lord - sir," Han pleaded, as Pyorish turned to leave. "You can't do this - " But the drug lord ignored him, gesturing subtly to his security team, who now advanced upon Han, surrounding the _Falcon_. "All right; all right," Han said, raising his hands as Chewbacca let out an indignant roar. "Can I at least refuel?" Han asked, giving the armed guards a reproachful look.

Their leader nodded curtly, waving for the maintenance crew to bring over a refueling pump. "I can't believe this," Han muttered, as he and Chewie returned to the _Falcon's_ cockpit. "I thought Pyorish had more sense than that." He sank unhappily into his pilot's seat, staring absently out the window as they waited for the refueling crew to finish. "We're in trouble now," Han confessed, sharing an apprehensive look with Chewie.

_"Lazloz will remain loyal to Jabba,"_ Chewbacca insisted stubbornly. _"He promised he would."_

"Let's hope," Han agreed, sighing. "But even so... Lazloz doesn't do enough business to keep Jabba afloat," he admitted. "Jabba already owes Gardulla - who knows how much," he pointed out worriedly. "And without Pyorish..." Han gulped, not wanting to finish that sentence. _This is it,_ he realized, his heart suddenly racing. _Jabba's going down..._

But now he noticed something strange, and furrowed his brows.

_"What?" _Chewie asked, following his gaze toward the Nar Shaddaa Mafia freighter, which was just taking off.

"The landing gear," Han pointed out quietly. "It's all rusted out... And caked with salt deposits," he noted, as the freighter retracted its landing gear, continuing toward the exit.

_"Salt deposits?"_ Chewie blinked in surprise. _"It's summer on Lorta."_

"No kidding," Han agreed. They'd made deliveries to Lorta countless times during the planet's snowy winter season; the locals used rock salt to keep the landing areas clear, but the salt could cause rust damage if it wasn't washed away quickly. "That didn't happen on Lorta," Han said quietly, watching as the freighter took off, ascending into the atmosphere. "Gardulla's got a secret warehouse somewhere on the Western Rim," he reminded Chewie; they'd suspected it for years now, though no one knew where it was. "I'm guessing it's someplace cold."

_"Where else is there snow?"_ Chewie asked, switching on the Falcon's navigational database. _"Karfeddion?"_

"Not this time of year," Han said, as they scrolled through the planetary index. "Maybe Belsavis?"

_"It doesn't get THAT cold,"_ Chewie countered; the freighter's landing gear had been heavily caked with dirty salt deposits - indicating long-term exposure over several months, if not years. _"Where is it icy year round?"_

"I don't know," Han admitted, searching the database. "Here we go... Hoth," he said, bringing up the planet's records. "Says it's mostly uninhabited, except for a scientific research facility."

_"Scientific research facility?"_ Chewie repeated skeptically. _"You think that's Gardulla's secret warehouse?"_

"Well... I don't see where else it could be," Han admitted, scanning through the database. "It fits," he sighed, nodding. "Snowy year round; someplace we'd never think to look... And it's right on the border of Gardulla's territories," he pointed out. Then he frowned, noticing something else. "Wait a minute... It says here Hoth belongs to the Republic."

_"What?"_ Chewie peered at the record. _"Why would Gardulla set up her main warehouse on a Republic planet?"_

"It's the last place Jabba would suspect," Han confessed. _Unless we're wrong, and it ain't there at all..._ "Anyway, there's not much we can do about it," he sighed, with an annoyed glance at Baron Pyorish's security team, who still surrounded the Falcon. "If it _is _Gardulla's secret warehouse... We set foot in that place, and we're dead," he warned Chewie.

But now he heard a loud hissing sound as the _Falcon's _fuel tank was sealed, and the maintenance crew waved for them to take off. Han nodded respectfully, starting the engine. "Jabba's not going to be happy about this," he sighed, as they lifted off, continuing toward the exit.

_"No,"_ Chewie agreed. _"But now you have new information for him,"_ he pointed out optimistically. _"He won't send you to the Rancor."_

"He'd better not," Han muttered, as they took off, climbing up through the atmosphere. _He can't afford to lose me now..._ "Though there's nothing Jabba can do about this either," he admitted. "If Gardulla's warehouse really is on Hoth... that was a smart move," Han confessed, guessing her motives. "She knows Jabba would never dare attack a Republic planet."

_"True,"_ Chewie said. Then he cocked his head, thoughtful. _"But you know who could...?"_

Han blinked. "Who?"

Chewbacca gave him a guarded look. _"The Jedi."_

"Hahaha," Han laughed, amused by the idea. "Yeah, if they ever thought to _look_ there," he said. "I doubt they send Jedi Border Patrol to investigate scientific research facilities - on their own planets," he pointed out.

_"But what if they did?"_ Chewie asked quietly.

Han sighed. "If they _did_..." He blinked, considering it. "They'd take over the place," he confessed, giving Chewie a hopeful look. "It technically belongs to them; they'd seize all the drugs, and arrest everyone there... It would be a huge blow to Gardulla," he admitted. "If that _is_ her main warehouse... This could set her back - months," Han realized. "Maybe even years."  
><em><br>"Pyorish and the others might go back to Jabba, if Gardulla can't make good on her deliveries,"_ Chewie added.

"You're right," Han admitted. "This could keep Jabba afloat; at least for a while longer," he agreed; but then he gave Chewie a worried look. "If Gardulla ever found out we were behind this..."

_"She won't find out,"_ Chewbacca vowed stubbornly. _"Talk to Skywalker,"_ he told Han. _"He will keep it quiet."_

Han sighed. "Ratting Gardulla out to the Jedi ain't exactly what I had planned for today," he reproached the Wookiee.

Chewbacca gave him a regretful look. _"And if you don't?"_

Han shook his head. "If I _don't._.. Jabba's finished," he admitted, sighing. "Gardulla will take over his operations; the Nar Shaddaa Mafia will control the entire Outer Rim," he confessed. The Jedi had very little presence along the vast Southern Rim, thanks to Jabba's protection; but without it, dozens of Republic planets would suddenly be vulnerable to attack.

_"War will soon be upon us,"_ Chewbacca said, sharing a knowing look with Han. They were prepared for this reality, and had agreed that if it came to war, their loyalty would be to the Republic, and their home planets of Corellia, and Kashyyyk. _"The Jedi should be warned."_

Han blinked nervously, but nodded. "All right," he said reluctantly, seeing no other way out of this. "I'll give him a call."

* * *

><p><em>Two hours later...<em>

"Hello," Anakin said cautiously, climbing down through the _Millennium Falcon's_ top hatch and closing it behind him. He had received an urgent message from Solo two hours ago, and had flown out to meet him here, in the privacy of deep space. "What's going on?"

"Hi, ahh - thanks for meeting with me," Han said nervously, as Chewbacca roared in quiet greeting. "Uh - come in," he added, leading the way to the _Falcon's_ lounge area. "Have a seat," he offered, gesturing to the sofa.

Anakin nodded, as they all sat around the holo-chess table. _What is this about? _he wondered again, fixing his gaze on Solo and keeping his expression impassive. It was a technique he had learned from his years with Jedi Border Patrol; often the best way to get to the heart of the matter was to not ask any questions at all.

"Uh... Can I get you something?" Han blurted out anxiously. "Coffee? Or - a beer?"

Anakin continued to gaze straight through him, ignoring the question; but then he remembered who he was dealing with. _If I keep this up, he'll ask me for love next. _"No, I'm good," he said, managing a smile.

"Right," Han said, blinking uncomfortably. "Anyway, thanks for coming out here," he continued, getting to the point. "And I'm afraid I've got some bad news," he confessed. "Jabba lost his second-biggest customer to Gardulla today," he said quietly. "So now there's only one major dealer who's still loyal to Jabba... And even _he_ might cave to Gardulla, when he hears about this," Han sighed. "Jabba's going down," he admitted reluctantly, giving Anakin an apologetic look. "Probably within the next few weeks."

Anakin stared at him, alarmed. "You're sure?"

Han nodded dully, his expression equally troubled.

_Force..._ "So this is it_,_" Anakin said, his heart feeling suddenly heavy. "We'll be at war soon." Obi-Wan had spoken of the threat before, but they had hoped it might not happen for another year or two. _I'll be sent to the front... And so will Luke,_ he realized, far more concerned for his son's safety, than his own. _Luke is a good pilot, but... He mostly learned from Obi-Wan,_ Anakin confessed unhappily.

_And who knows what will happen to Mara,_ Anakin sighed worriedly; she was twenty now, and still hadn't passed the trials. _They wouldn't send a padawan to the front,_ he knew. _Hopefully Obi-Wan can take her, and finish her training..._

"Anyway, I just - thought you should know," Han said, looking down uncomfortably.

"Yes," Anakin nodded, tearing himself away from his own thoughts. "The Council will need to be notified of this," he agreed, giving Han a look of sincere appreciation. "Thank you for telling me."

Han nodded quietly. "No problem," he said; then he gave Anakin a guarded look. "There is one other thing," he confessed, hesitant.

"Yes?" Anakin asked.

"It's just a guess; I could be wrong," Han warned him. "But - I think I might know where Gardulla's main warehouse is."

Anakin blinked. "You do?" The Jedi had suspected for years that Gardulla had a vast warehouse, somewhere on the Western Rim, but they'd never been able to find it. "Where?" he asked, giving Han a hopeful look. _If we go to war, we finally can take that thing down.._.

"If I'm right..." Han shrugged. "I think it might be on Hoth."

"Hoth?" Anakin frowned doubtfully. "That's a Republic planet."

"Like I said, I could be wrong," Han admitted. "It could be nothing. Supposedly it's a scientific research facility," he told Anakin. "But I saw a freighter earlier - one of Gardulla's," he said. "Its landing gear was rusted out, and caked with rock salt. That freighter's been spending a lot of time, someplace cold," Han told him. "I looked through the charts; I don't know where else it could have been."

Anakin nodded seriously. "All right; we'll look into it," he promised. _In fact..._ "Maybe we could send Luke to check it out," he mused. Luke had expressed an interest in drug enforcement; and if he were to discover Gardulla's warehouse on Hoth... _They might even make him a Master,_ Anakin realized, heartened by the idea. _If he is to risk his life in this war, he should know about his family..._

But now Han was shaking his head vehemently. "No," he said, blinking anxiously. "Don't send Luke," he protested, as Anakin frowned, not following. "Look... I don't know if Gardulla's a big _SITH_ fan," Han admitted. "But the entire galaxy thinks me and Luke are best buddies," he pointed out. "If he busts the place, she'll assume I sent him," he said, giving Anakin a pleading look.

"Oh. Right," Anakin nodded, sighing. "Yeah... Luke can't be involved," he agreed.

"_No one_ from _SITH_ can be involved," Han stipulated worriedly.

"Right," Anakin said again. "Don't worry; we'll keep this quiet," he assured Han. "I'll talk to Obi-Wan," he said. "The Council will need to decide about this, but... If there is to be a raid on Hoth, we'll make sure it's done in a way that you're not implicated," he promised.

"Thank you," Han nodded appreciatively. "And like I said; I could be wrong about this whole thing," he conceded. "But if I'm right, and you guys take out Gardulla's main warehouse - and I'd recommend doing it _fast_, by the way," he added, giving Anakin a worried look. "This could keep Jabba afloat for - at least a few more months," Han estimated. "Maybe even longer."

Anakin managed a regretful smile. "Let's hope you're right," he agreed. "And thank you," he added sincerely, realizing that Solo's life was on the line as well, if Gardulla ever suspected he was behind this. "I'll talk to Obi-Wan right away," Anakin said, getting up from the holo-chess table, as Han and Chewbacca stood up as well. "Is there anything I can do for you?" he asked, concerned.

"Ahh - no," Han assured him. "Thanks. I should get back to work too," he admitted, as they headed back toward _Falcon's _overhead hatch. "I got a shipment of glitterstim I gotta deliver by tonight, or else - " Han broke off suddenly, realizing who he was talking to.

Anakin gave him a reproachful look. "I'll be leaving now," he said, climbing up the ladder. "You guys take care of yourselves," he added, nodding to Chewbacca, who roared in confident reply. "And keep in touch," he told Han, as he prepared to open the hatch. "If there's anything I can do, you let me know."

"All right," Han agreed, nodding. "Thank you."

* * *

><p><em>Meanwhile...<em>

"Haha!" Mara giggled, pulling Luke in through the little window of her padawan chamber. "Ahh," she sighed, wrapping her arms around him as they kissed. "This is much more fun than studying."

"True," Luke laughed, pulling her onto the little cot. "So what's Master Anakin doing?" he asked, puzzled.

"I don't know," Mara said cheerfully. "Something for Border Patrol, I think. He said he'd be gone at least three or four hours," she assured Luke, unbuckling his belt.

"Well I've only got one," Luke confessed. "Actually less than that," he sighed. "When Obi-Wan gets out of his Council session, he's going to wonder where I am."

Mara giggled, kissing him. "Well then we'd better get serious," she said, tossing his pants on the floor and crawling underneath the covers beside him.

"Can't argue with that," Luke agreed; but suddenly his smile faded. "Aw, crap..."

"What?" Mara asked, concerned.

"Eh... I'm all out of - little green lightsabers," Luke confessed, giving her an apologetic look. "I meant to get more, but I haven't had a chance."

Mara's heart sank. "Ohhh..." She pouted, nodding unhappily. But then she gave Luke a hesitant look. "I just got done with... _you know_... last week," she reminded him. "Luke... Seriously, there's no way I could get pregnant right now."

Luke sighed; they'd had this discussion before, and even _he_ had come to admit that there was some validity to Mara's biorhythm theory.

"Please, Luke," Mara whispered, kissing him on the lips. "Just this once," she pleaded. "It will be fine; I promise."

Luke gazed at her longingly, his own feelings conflicted; but finally he gave her an apologetic smile, nodding in respectful agreement. "All right," he said, trusting her judgment as he stroked her hair lovingly. "Just this once."


	173. Bounty Hunter on Ord Mantell

**Chapter 173**

_A few days later..._

"How?" Gardulla demanded, outraged. "How did this happen?"

"Your Excellency," her Huttese advisor said, bowing before her. "It seems a Jedi Border Patrol Knight broke down in the Hoth system, and had to make an emergency landing at our base," Larddas reported. "Apparently he asked for a tour of the research facility while waiting for assistance, and sensed they were hiding something," he told her. "An hour later every Jedi in the entire sector arrived, and took the place by force. They made eighty-two arrests, and confiscated everything: glitterstim, crystalstim, death sticks, AT-AT's, weapons - "

"I know what was there," Gardulla interrupted him grumpily. "Can we get it back?"

Larddas shook his head. "The whole planet is swarming with Jedi," he told her. "They're planning to destroy the entire base as soon as they've completed their inventory."

Gardulla's eyes narrowed. "How many Jedi are there?"

"Fifty... Maybe a hundred," Larddas estimated.

"We have warships," Gardulla pointed out. "We could overpower them, and take it back."

"Maybe," Larddas conceded. "But Hoth belongs to the Republic," he reminded her. "It would be an act of war."

Gardulla sighed in frustration. Keeping her main warehouse on a Republic planet had been a calculated risk; it was the last place the Jedi would ever have thought to look for it, and for fifty years it had remained safely hidden, disguised as a scientific research facility. But now, because of a random accident, it seemed her worst nightmare had come true.

"Your Excellency, we are in no position to declare war against the Republic - especially after the loss of Hoth," Larddas cautioned her. "Yes, we have other military bases, and warships; but war is expensive," he said. "And we just lost millions of credits worth of crystalstim," he admitted. "Besides, our own holdings are split into two sectors, on opposite sides of the galaxy - "

"I know that," Gardulla interrupted, frustrated; it was the bane of her existence that her own territories were separated - not only by the Republic in the central regions, but also by Jabba's vast holdings along the Southern Rim.

"Perhaps in light of the attack on Hoth, Jabba will rally to our cause," Larddas suggested hesitantly.

Gardulla frowned, skeptical. _He's more likely to laugh in my face, for keeping my main warehouse on a Republic planet to begin with._ Most annoying of all was the fact that Jabba was now profiting from her setback; every spice lord on the Western Rim was now turning to him for emergency deliveries.

"How could this have happened?" Gardulla asked again. They had analyzed the risks, and knew that there was absolutely no reason why the Republic would ever send anyone - Jedi or otherwise - to check up on the Hoth facility. And in the event of war, it would take the Jedi that much longer to figure out that Gardulla's secret military base was in fact located on one of their own planets. But all it took was one idiot Border Patrol Knight to break down in that sector...

"Your Excellency," Larddas said, blinking uncertainly. "I do have one theory..."

Gardulla gave him a sharp look. "Yes?"

"What if this wasn't an accident?" Larddas proposed quietly. "What if the Jedi received a tip, and staged the breakdown?"

"Ahhhh!" Gardulla yelled, infuriated. "Then whoever informed them is dead," she vowed, narrowing her eyes. But who would do that? Her own employees would gain nothing from such a deal; which left only... "No," Gardulla said, frowning stubbornly. "Not even Jabba would betray another Hutt to the Republic."

"I agree," Larddas said. "I don't believe Jabba was behind this."

Gardulla fixed her gaze on him. "Who, then?"

"One of his employees, acting independently," Larddas suggested. "Most likely a spice smuggler, who somehow found out about our warehouse on Hoth," he said. "Perhaps one who has cultural ties to the Republic - a Corellian prince, for example," Larddas added casually. Then he gave her a sly look. "One who is publicly known to be personal friends with a Jedi Knight."

"Solo," Gardulla hissed, livid. But then she blinked in surprise. "He's friends with a Jedi Knight?"

"Yes," Larddas nodded. "Luke Starkiller; they work together on _SITH_."

"Starkiller?" Gardulla frowned. "Which one is he?"

"The blond one," Larddas told her. "He plays the leader of the Rebel pilots."

Gardulla nodded; she wasn't a huge _SITH_ fan, but thought she knew who he was talking about. _He's a Jedi?_ "It's only a holo-drama," she pointed out, frowning. "That's hardly proof that they're friends in real life."

"True," Larddas conceded. "But this _is_," he said, pulling out a mini holo-player and switching it on. "Solo was interviewed just last week, by the Galactic Entertainment Channel," Larddas explained, playing back the interview for her.

_"So what's it like, working with Luke Starkiller and Leia Amidala?"_ the interviewer asked.

_"It's terrific,"_ Solo told her. _"We have a lot of fun."_

_"You seem to have great chemistry together,"_ the interviewer said. _"Do you get along behind the scenes, as well?"_

_"Oh - absolutely,"_ Solo nodded vigorously. _"Yeah, we're all great friends."_

"There you have it," Larddas told Gardulla, switching off the recording. "Straight from Solo himself."

Gardulla's eyes narrowed; it wasn't exactly solid evidence, and she wasn't certain she believed it herself. But what _she_ believed was irrelevant; what mattered was what the other Hutt lords would believe, if Solo were to meet a sudden and untimely demise.

_It's enough,_ Gardulla decided, formulating her plan. She couldn't go after Jabba directly; but if one of his employees was suspected of betraying the Hutts to the Republic, he would lose sympathy with the other Hutts. And with Solo gone, Jabba would be hard-pressed to keep up with his spice deliveries. Finally, the Southern Rim would be within her grasp...

Gardulla nodded to her advisor, making her decision. "Get me Bossk."

* * *

><p><em>Four hours later...<em>

"Sorry guys," Cliegg said, as they waited to begin filming. "Looks like Han is a little late."

_Great, _Leia sighed in annoyance. They were doing a location shoot on Ord Mantell today, at the military facility which had served as the Rebels' hidden base on _SITH_ these past several months; and as usual, Han couldn't be bothered to get here on time. _He's too busy delivering his precious spices._

"Hey, I heard about the raid on Hoth yesterday," Cliegg added, to Luke; the news had just come out this morning. "That's pretty exciting," he said, impressed. "Was anyone you know involved with that?"

"No," Luke confessed, with an apologetic grin. "I don't really know anyone from the Karfeddion Border Patrol outpost; they were the ones who discovered the place," he explained. "Yeah, sounds like they had a pretty crazy day there."

"Seriously," Leia agreed; according to the initial reports, Jedi Border Patrol had made thirty-eight arrests, and captured millions of credits worth of illegal spices and weapons, two full-sized warships, a fleet of smaller fighters, and several AT-AT walkers. "So what's going to happen with all of that?"

"Well, they're still taking inventory," Luke said. "But when they're done, most likely it will all be destroyed."

"Destroyed?" Leia asked, concerned. "Couldn't we use some of that equipment, to set up a Republic military base there?"

"Eh, the whole building is insulated with asbestos; it would have to be torn down," Luke told her. "And none of the ships comply with Republic standards," he added. "According to the Clean Fuel Act, we couldn't use them for military purposes," he explained. "It's possible they could be auctioned to private buyers, but there's too great a risk they'd end up in the wrong hands."

Leia sighed, nodding. "True," she admitted, impressed by her brother's thorough understanding of the situation. _You're going to be a Master soon,_ she realized, giving him a quiet, admiring smile.

"So how are they going to destroy all of that?" Cliegg asked.

"Well, the place is filled with ammunition and weapons," Luke pointed out. "Not to mention crystalstim; they'll probably just detonate it."

"Wow," Cliegg said. "That's going to be quite an explosion."

Luke grinned. "Yeah, I imagine so."

Cliegg gave him a curious look. "Any chance we might be able to film that, to use on the show?"

Luke blinked. "I don't see why not," he admitted. "Though it's not really up to me; I'll ask Obi-Wan about it."

"Thanks, Luke," Cliegg said, with a mischievous grin. "A cataclysmic event like that shouldn't go to waste," he pointed out. "I'll have the writers start working on a storyline."

Leia laughed quietly; at seventy-two, the legendary director hadn't lost any of his enthusiasm for massive explosions or epic battle scenes. But now Luke was gazing toward the distant sky, and Leia looked up to see the _Millennium Falcon_ coming in for a landing.

"Looks like Han's here," Cliegg said, as they headed over to meet him. _Finally,_ Leia sighed, following the others across the landing platform and steeling herself for today's acting session with her least-favorite co-star. It had been over a year since Han had betrayed her trust, stealing irreplaceable Nabooan artifacts and leaving HOPE bankrupt; the charity was slowly recovering from the financial disaster, but Leia's seething anger toward him had not lessened since the incident.

"Sorry I'm late," Han said, as he and Chewbacca came down the _Falcon's_ ramp. "We uh - got held up on Ryloth," he explained lamely.

"That's all right," Cliegg assured him. "You're here now; that's the important thing." Leia rolled her eyes. _He's probably scrambling to stay afloat, since the raid on Hoth,_ she realized, feeling a twinge of smug satisfaction. _Serves him right, for leaving a perfectly good job to work for the Hutts._

"Okay, let's get started," Cliegg said. "Han - you and Leia are returning from last week's mission to Agamar," he reminded them. "So I'd like to get a shot of you guys coming in for a landing, along with some dialogue," he said. "Han, maybe you could suggest having dinner together at the mess hall tonight, and Leia - you want nothing to do with that," Cliegg told her, his eyes twinkling. "Maybe do a little bickering, over what happened last week," he suggested.

_Shouldn't be too hard,_ Leia thought, praying that they would nail this scene in one take.

"And then you'll land - right about here," Cliegg showed Han. "Maybe a little closer to the base, so we can get it all in the shot. And then Luke will meet you as you're coming down the ramp, and fill you in on this week's situation," he explained, as Luke nodded agreeably. "So, if you guys could head out just beyond the planet's atmosphere - I'd like to start the episode with a panoramic space view," Cliegg told them, as the camera crew set up the _Falcon's_ exterior hovercams. "And then we'll switch to the interior cameras, and film your dialogue as you come in for a landing."

"Okay, sounds good," Han agreed, heading back inside the _Falcon_ along with Chewbacca, as Leia followed them up the ramp. _Oh joy..._ She took a seat behind Han in the cockpit, resolutely ignoring him as they took off from the base, heading up into the atmosphere, toward the blackness of space beyond.

"This is probably far enough," Han decided a minute later, turning the _Falcon_ around and heading back toward Ord Mantell. "Uh, I guess we should start with some dialogue," he added uncomfortably. "So, uh..." He ignored her sullen glare, trying to get into character. "Home sweet home," he said, managing a grin. "And just in time for dinner... What do you say we head over to the mess hall before we unload?" he asked casually, turning around and giving Leia a hopeful glance.

"Sure, go ahead," Leia replied indifferently. "I need to talk to Luke as soon as we land."

"Why does that not surprise me," Han muttered, turning back around in his seat.

"Raaaaauugghhh," Chewie assured him, raising a furry hand and volunteering to fill in as his date. "Arrff Rrouff Rrrrufffggh!"

"Sabacc and drinks? Sounds good to me," Han agreed. "You see? _Some_ people know how to have fun," he added, with a resentful glance at Leia.

Leia looked away, ignoring his taunt. Playing Han's unrequited love interest did not take much effort these days, and aside from the unpleasant circumstance of having to be within a light year of him when they filmed together, she actually enjoyed her role.

"Anyway, General Rieekan said we - " Han broke off as another ship suddenly appeared out of hyperspace, directly in front of them. "What the - ?"

"Rrraaauuugghhhh!" Chewbacca roared, swerving to evade the larger vessel. "Arrrrggghh!"

"Damn it," Han said, getting up from his seat and rushing to the navicomputer. "Switch to rear deflectors... Try to hold him off for a minute," he told Chewie urgently. "We gotta jump to lightspeed," he added, with a somewhat apologetic glance at Leia.

"Lightspeed?" Leia repeated, staring at him in disbelief. "Why? Who is that?"

"Bossk," Han told her, making the calculations on the navicomputer. "He's a bounty hunter; one of Gardulla's."

"Great," Leia sighed, not even wanting to know what this was about. "So where are we going now?"

"Anywhere but here," Han muttered, sitting back to his seat. "Ready?" he asked Chewie, reaching for the hyperdrive lever. "One - two..."

"Rrrraaaaauuuuugghhhh!" Chewbacca yelled, as the _Falcon_ suddenly lurched, hit by an enemy missile.

"Aaaaahhh!" Leia shrieked, her annoyance suddenly turning to terror as the _Falcon_ shuddered violently in the wake of the explosion. The lights flickered momentarily, then went out altogether; Leia could hear an ominous groaning sound coming from the back of the ship.

"That wasn't good," Han said apprehensively. "Switching to auxiliary power," he told Chewie, as the lights came back on. "Try to hold her steady for a minute - I'll see if I can fix it," he said, getting up and heading for the control room.

"Fix what?" Leia asked, following him out of the cockpit.

"We've got a burnout," Han explained brusquely, continuing toward the back of the ship. "We're losing power to the horizontal boosters."

"What does that mean?" Leia asked, still following him.

"It means we're in trouble," Han said, waving her off. "Sit down; strap yourself in... _Now!_"

_Gah,_ Leia sighed in exasperation. _I don't take orders from a -_ "Aaahhhh!" she shrieked, as she was thrown violently against the wall, hitting her head.

"I said - strap yourself in," Han scolded her, dragging her back to the cockpit and physically forcing her down into her seat as he reached for her safety belt.

"I can do it," Leia retorted indignantly. "Just go," she told him, trying not to show her fear as Han staggered back toward the control room. Leia had never been in an actual space battle before; she'd been through numerous safety drills as Queen of Naboo, and had even gone flying with her father a few times, but this was something entirely different. The stars outside the cockpit window were spinning around rapidly now, as Chewie struggled to maintain control of the ship. _Please, Han, _she thought anxiously, praying that he was as competent at mechanics as he seemed to think he was._ Just fix whatever's wrong, and get us out of here._

"Okay, how's that?" Han yelled from the control room. "Try switching back over!"

"Rrrrauuughhh!" Chewie replied, flipping a switch. "Arrfff Rrraarrrrgghh!" A moment later the stars stopped spinning as Chewbacca managed to regain a steady course, though the _Falcon_ was flying at an angle now, unable to straighten out. "Rrrrroouufff Rrraaauuuughhh!"

"I know," Han said apprehensively, returning to the cockpit and taking his seat. "Switching to front deflectors... We're going in full throttle."

"What?" Leia exlaimed, as the _Falcon_ veered sharply, heading directly toward the enemy ship. "I thought we were trying to get _away_ from him?"

"He's almost blasted through our rear deflectors," Han told her, going back to the navicomputer. "Jumping to hyperspace ain't gonna do us much good if we arrive in half a ship," he pointed out. "Just hold him off for a few seconds," he told Chewie, resetting the coordinates.

"Rrrraaaauuggghhh!" Chewbacca roared, firing rapidly at the bounty hunter's ship as they careened toward it now.

_They do this stuff every day?_ Leia wondered, uncertain whether to feel terrified or impressed. She could feel her heart racing; despite her annoyance at being dragged into this situation, there was an undeniable exhilaration at finding herself in a real-life space battle.

But suddenly she saw another flash of laser fire coming from the opposite direction, and a moment later she heard a familiar voice over the radio. "I'm on his tail," Luke said, as his Jedi Starfighter came into view, firing at Bossk's ship. "Get out of here - I'm gonna blow his fuel tanks," he warned them.

"Thanks, Luke," Han said, pulling up quickly and veering away to avoid Luke's incoming laser fire. "We're coming around... I got your back," Han told him. "Just try to break through his shields; we'll hit him with a proton torpedo."

"Gotcha," Luke agreed, continuing to rain fire on the bounty hunter's tail.

Leia clung to her seat as they swerved around to join Luke - still flying at an awkward angle, with the _Falcon's_ left side drooping considerably lower than the right, thanks to the burnt-out horizontal boosters. _This is crazy,_ she thought, grateful for her brother's assistance.

"Chewie, power up the torpedo," Han said, running back toward the gun turrets. "Give it everything we've got."

"Rrrauuggghhh," Chewbacca agreed, flipping some switches on the control panel.

"Okay, I'm on him," Han said over the radio, from the gun turret. "This is gonna hurt," he warned Luke. "Pull up - now!"

Luke obeyed, veering away in his Starfighter as Han launched a fiery proton torpedo toward the enemy ship. Leia braced herself, cringing apprehensively as she waited for the imminent detonation; for a split second, she actually felt sorry for the doomed bounty hunter.

But the ensuing flash was not the massive explosion she had expected; nor did the _Falcon_ shudder in its wake. Yet Bossk's ship had suddenly vanished...

"Damn it," Han muttered over the radio, from the gun turret. "He jumped to hyperspace."

"Well," Luke said, coming around to join them. "At least he's gone."

"Yeah," Han agreed, sighing. "Thanks, Luke... I owe you one."

"No worries," Luke assured him. "I'll meet you guys back at the base."

"Rrrrauuuugghhh," Chewie interjected, waving anxiously toward the controls as Han returned to the cockpit.

"Uh... Slight problem here," Han told Luke, over the radio. "We've lost a horizontal booster; we're not gonna be able to land like this," he admitted, casting an apprehensive glance out the cockpit window toward the left side of the ship, which was still drooping heavily.

"Hang on," Luke replied, swerving around parallel to the _Falcon_. "Okay, I'm on your wing," he told Han. "Steady..." Leia heard a dull clunk coming from the left side of the ship, and a moment later they straightened out. "Okay, I got you," Luke said, propping up the _Falcon's_ left side with his Starfighter as they continued down toward Ord Mantell. "Just hold your course," he told Han, as they passed through the planet's atmosphere. "Start easing up at five hundred meters."

Leia held her breath as they approached the base together, with the _Falcon_ leaning against Luke's wing; but he matched their rate of deceleration perfectly, and a minute later they touched down safely on the landing pad. _Thank you, Luke, _she sighed, releasing her safety belt and getting up from her seat.

But suddenly the ship began spinning again, and the edges of her vision turned black; Leia felt herself falling, and a moment later strong arms caught her. "You all right?" Han asked worriedly, steadying her. "You're bleeding."

"What?" Leia blinked, touching a hand to her head; she could feel something wet and sticky, and now stared at her bloody hand in vague shock.

"Easy," Han said, lifting her up and carrying her toward the _Falcon's_ exit, as Chewie lowered the ramp. "I got you... You're all right."

"Ohhh," Leia sighed pathetically, laying her head against his shoulder. She closed her eyes, feeling strangely warm, and safe, and comforted... _Ohh; don't ever let go,_ she thought, her heart filling with a sense of peace, and contentment, and indescribable bliss...

"Is she all right?" a man's voice asked now, deeply concerned.

_What?_ Leia's eyes fluttered open, as she came to her senses again to find Cliegg and the rest of the film crew peering at her anxiously. _Oh, crap..._ "I'm fine," she said, giving Han an annoyed look and wriggling out of his arms. "Let go of me," she added coldly, struggling to get away from him as he tried to steady her.

"Sorry, Your Worship," Han said, raising his hands in sarcastic apology. Leia immediately faltered again; but this time one of the camera operators caught her, lowering her gently to the ground.

"Leia!" Luke exclaimed, hopping down from his Starfighter and running toward them.

"Luke," Leia sighed as her brother knelt beside her, putting a hand to her throbbing head; now she felt a cool, tingling sensation as the pain quickly subsided under his healing touch. "Thank you," she said gratefully, giving him an adoring look.

Luke smiled shyly in return. "She's all right," he told the others, gently probing Leia's temple with his fingertips. "There's a little swelling, but it's not bad."

"Thank goodness," Cliegg sighed in relief. "What happened?" he asked Han, concerned. "Who was that?"

"Eh... a bounty hunter," Han told him. "One of Gardullas... No idea why he was after me," he added apologetically.

_Maybe because you have an amazing talent for pissing people off,_ Leia thought, as Luke tended to her head wound.

"Well, at least everyone's all right," Cliegg said. "Nice job, guys," he told them. "And we got some great footage from that," he confessed, glancing at the _Falcon's_ hovercams. "Any chance we could re-film some of the exterior shots, with Luke flying an X-wing this time?"

"Uh - sure," Luke nodded agreeably.

But Han shook his head. "I doubt an X-wing could hold up the _Falcon_," he said. "And I gotta replace one of the horizontal boosters, or I won't be able take off," he admitted. "I'm gonna need a ride to a local repair shop, to pick up a replacement part."

"No problem," Cliegg told him, nodding toward his assistant. "Carl could get that for you now, if you know what you need?"

"Oh; thanks," Han said. "Yeah, just a standard horizontal booster; YT-series," he told Carl.

"Got it," Carl nodded, writing it down. "Okay, I'll be back in twenty minutes."

"Thanks, Carl," Cliegg said, as his assistant left to find a repair shop. But then he sighed. "The legal team's not going to be happy about this," he confessed, running a hand through his hair. "We'd better finish this scene up today," he admitted worriedly. "After what happened here... I doubt they're going to let you film on location again," he said, giving Han an apologetic look.

"I'm sorry about that," Han said lamely, looking down. "Actually... I've got a lot going on, lately," he confessed hesitantly. "That's why I was late today; I'm barely keeping up with - " He gave Luke a wary glance, not finishing that sentence. "I really don't have time to keep filming every week," Han admitted reluctantly. "Maybe it's best if I leave the show."

_Yes,_ Leia thought coldly, giving him a resentful look. _Maybe it is._ Still, she was disturbed by the emotions she suddenly felt; deep down, unbidden, her heart ached painfully at the thought of Han leaving. _No,_ she told herself, regaining control of her emotions. _I want him gone; the sooner the better._

Cliegg sighed. "Well... You do what you gotta do," he agreed, giving Han a worried look. "Will you be all right?"

"Oh - yeah, of course," Han said, nodding confidently. "I don't know why Bossk was after me, but - hey, it's nothing Chewie and me can't handle," he assured Cliegg with annoying bravado, as Leia rolled her eyes, unimpressed. "Probably some kind of misunderstanding," he said. "I'll talk to Jabba, and get it straightened out. But in any case - it's not likely I'm going to have a lot of free time, for at least the next few months," he admitted.

Cliegg nodded commiseratively. "Well, we're all sorry to see you go," he assured him. _Not all of us,_ Leia thought sullenly, as Luke finished treating her head wound. "You're a hell of an actor, Han; I've really enjoyed working with you," Cliegg added sincerely. "And the fans are going to cry," he admitted, with a rueful grin.

"Heh," Han laughed quietly, looking down. "Thanks... I appreciate - _everything_," he said, at a loss. "And I'm sorry," he apologized again. "I know this screws up your plans, for the rest of the season."

Cliegg laughed, waving a hand dismissively. "Eh... Plans are overrated," he said, his eyes twinkling. "Although it would be nice if we could have you back for one last episode, and wrap up your storyline," he confessed. "Do you think you could manage that?"

Han nodded. "Of course; absolutely."

Cliegg sighed. "It can't be a location shoot; we'll have to do it on a soundstage, back on Geonosis," he admitted, clearly disappointed by the prospect. "Eh, we'll figure something out." But then he raised his brows thoughtfully. "Actually," he said, giving Luke a curious look. "If we get permission to film on Hoth... The place will be swarming with Jedi, right?" he pointed out, as Luke nodded in confirmation. "It ought to be pretty safe."

"Hoth?" Han blinked, alarmed. "You're filming there?"

"Maybe," Cliegg said, giving him a questioning look. "Is that a problem?"

"Uh - no," Han said, trying to mask his discomfort. "No problem."

"Good." Cliegg grinned reassuringly. "If we're going to have a farewell episode, we should do it properly," he told Han. "Destruction, massive explosions, general mayhem - on a frozen ball of ice," he said, his eyes twinkling with anticipation. "Now _that's_ an exit people aren't likely to forget."

Han laughed, nodding in agreement; but Luke grinned ruefully. "It's going to be cold there," he warned them. "The guys from Border Patrol say it gets down to a hundred below, after sundown."

"Ouch," Cliegg laughed good-naturedly. "Well, I'd better get the costume department started on designing some snowsuits." But then he noticed that Leia wasn't laughing along with them, and gave her a concerned look. "Leia, are you up for this?"

_Gah..._ Leia sighed, forcing aside her conflicting emotions. _If Han is leaving the show, then I'm definitely up for it,_ she decided stubbornly. _I don't care where we film it, as long as I never have to see him, ever again._ "Of course," she assured Cliegg, with a confident smile. "I'm looking forward to it."

* * *

><p><em>Later that evening...<em>

"Solo!" Jabba roared, as Han entered his audience chamber. "Did you do this thing?"

Han lifted his hands in a gesture of confused innocence. "_What_ thing?" he asked. "Why is Bossk after me?"

Jabba frowned. "Gardulla thinks you told Luke Starkiller about Hoth."

"What? No," Han protested, offended by the accusation. "Jabba - I swear... I've never even _been_ to Hoth," he told him. "And even if I had - why would I tell Luke?" Han asked, baffled at the concept. "I barely know the kid," he assured Jabba. "I promise you: I didn't tell Luke Starkiller - about some planet I've never even been to," he said, giving Jabba a hurt and slightly annoyed look.

Jabba's eyes narrowed; being a Hutt, he had good instincts, and sensed that Solo was telling the truth. _Good,_ he thought, satisfied by Han's answer. _So Gardulla was wrong, after all._ "Boba!" he said, calling his favorite bounty hunter forward.

"Yes, Your Excellency," Boba Fett replied, bowing before him.

"I am assigning you to be Solo's personal bodyguard," Jabba ordered him. "Until Gardulla calls off this hit... You go where he goes."

"Yes, sir," Boba agreed, nodding solemnly.

Jabba munched thoughtfully on a snack critter as Han and Boba took their leave. _Gardulla is angry about Hoth, and looking for someone to blame,_ he realized. _But she has no real evidence against Solo,_ he reassured himself, grateful for confirmation that Han hadn't been involved. _Hopefully this will blow over soon, _he sighed, reaching for another tasty critter. But then he frowned, noticing that his snack bowl was empty. _Again...? _

"Fortuna!" Jabba called sharply, as his Twi'lek assistant bowed obediently before him. "Bring me more critters."


	174. Attack of the Wampa

**Chapter 174**

_Two weeks later..._

"Luke!" a fan exclaimed, spotting him in the _Executor's_ hallway. "Can I get your autograph?"

"Heh... sure," Luke agreed good-naturedly, signing the man's tourist book. _Wow, my handwriting gets worse with each one,_ he laughed to himself. They were en route to Hoth to film this week's episode of _SITH_, and Luke estimated that he had signed at least five hundred tourist books in the past three hours. "Here you go," he said, handing the book back to him. "Sorry, it's kind of messy," he apologized.

"Ha - no worries," the man assured him, grinning appreciatively. "Thanks... Hey, good luck filming on Hoth."

"Thank you," Luke nodded, giving him a friendly smile. "Enjoy your vacation."

"Oh, I will," the man promised, as Luke waved cheerfully, continuing down the hallway. _This is nuts,_ he laughed, overwhelmed and a bit exhausted by all the attention he had been receiving this morning. Master Anakin was still down on the _Executor's_ main bridge, valiantly signing autographs for the avid fans, but Mara had bailed half an hour ago, and Luke had been trying to sneak away to her guest room for the past twenty minutes.

_Finally,_ Luke sighed, arriving at Mara and Anakin's suite and knocking on the door. _Hopefully she's here...?_ They were both carefully masking their presence to avoid Anakin's notice; but a moment later the door opened and Mara pulled him eagerly inside, quickly closing the door again.

"Luke," she exclaimed breathlessly, wrapping her arms around him and kissing him passionately. "Oh, I've missed you so much!"

Luke grinned, caught off guard by her infectious enthusiasm; her emerald eyes sparkled as she smiled at him lovingly now, her whole being positively glowing. "I've missed you too," he said, stroking her lustrous, wavy red hair. "You look - _different_," he confessed, giving her a curious look.

"Do I?" Mara gave him an enigmatic smile; but suddenly her brows furrowed. "Really?" she asked him worriedly.

Luke laughed, kissing her. "No," he said, amused by her uncharacteristically ecstatic mood. "You just look - happy," he said, grateful to see her in such good spirits. "How was your mission to Turovia?"

"Oh; it was - " Mara shrugged lightly. "I don't know; I wasn't paying attention," she confessed, giggling.

"Mara," Luke laughed, holding her close. "What's gotten into you?"

"Uh..." Mara's exuberance suddenly turned to uncertainty. "Interesting that you should ask..."

Luke gave her a curious look. "What is it?"

"Here," Mara said quietly, taking his hand and pressing it against her belly. "Luke... feel this."

Luke blinked in surprise. _Huh?_ Then his eyes widened as he sensed it: an undeniable aura of hope, and joy, and _life_ - that wasn't exactly Mara, but was coming from inside her... "Mara," he whispered, tears filling his eyes.

Her smile was half-apologetic. "You were right about the biorhythms," she confessed sheepishly.

Luke laughed despite himself, utterly shocked. "You're pregnant?"

Mara nodded. "I took a test," she said. "On Turovia... And then three more after that," she admitted, cringing. "I'm lucky I didn't get caught for shoplifting," she confessed. Then she looked into his eyes, regretful. "Luke... I'm leaving the Order."

Luke's mind was still reeling, but he nodded. "Of course," he agreed quickly. "We both will..."

"No, Luke," Mara protested. "You don't have to," she told him. "I don't _want_ you to," she insisted, taking his hands in hers. "I've been thinking about it - a _lot_," she admitted. "And - my mom and dad have managed it all these years," she pointed out, giving him a hopeful smile. "We can, too."

Luke blinked, still overwhelmed. _We're having a baby...?_ It was true that Anakin and Tessa seemed to be making it work; they were still happily married, and had managed to keep their relationship - and their child - a secret, for over twenty years now. _But still, it's not right that Mara has to leave, and I don't..._

"The Order needs you, Luke," Mara said, with a proud smile. "You're going to be a Master," she reminded him. "You'll be on the Council - "

"Aaagghh," Luke sighed, shaking his head. "No," he told her. "That's just because Obi-Wan is desperate to believe that I'm not like Anakin," he sighed. "But I _am_," he confessed, giving her an apologetic smile. "I'm tired of living a lie, Mara." He stroked her hair lovingly. "If you're leaving, then so am I."

Mara smiled, apologetic and grateful at the same time. "I don't want to tell anyone just yet," she said. "Luke, there's a chance I might pass the trials next month," she reminded him; Mara's twenty-first birthday was coming up soon, and with it, her yearly chance at facing the trials. "I _might_ actually pass this time; and if I do..." She gave him a hopeful, questioning look. "You said they might make my dad a Master, after I'm knighted?"

Luke nodded in agreement. "That's what Obi-Wan says."

Mara sighed, holding a hand protectively over her belly. "Well then I'm going to try," she told him. "For my dad," she resolved, smiling. "He deserves that much... Before we both give him a heart attack," Mara laughed nervously.

"No kidding... Obi-Wan too," Luke admitted, dreading that conversation.

"It'll be all right, Luke," Mara reassured him, wrapping her arms around him. "And like I said - you don't have to leave," she insisted. "You have a month to think about it; but if you decide to stay with the Order... I'll understand."

Luke nodded. "Okay, I'll think about it," he agreed. "I have no idea what I would do if I left," he admitted, laughing ruefully. "Maybe I could get a job as a janitor, or something."

Mara giggled, her emerald eyes sparkling with happiness. "We'll make it work, Luke," she promised. "Whatever you decide... It's going to be okay."

But now they sensed a subtle change in gravity, and stars suddenly appeared outside the window as they emerged from hyperspace. "We have arrived in the Hoth system," a voice announced over the _Executor's_ intercom. "All those involved in today's filming, please report to Docking Bay Four."

_Gah..._ "I have to go," Luke said, giving Mara an apologetic smile. "Will you be all right?"

Mara nodded. "Of course," she said, kissing him goodbye. "Good luck... I'll see you tonight."

* * *

><p><em>An hour later...<em>

"Echo Three to Echo Seven," Luke said, speaking into the comlink on his wrist. "Han, old buddy, do you read me?"

"Loud and clear, kid," Han's voice replied. "What's up?"

"Well, I finished my circle," Luke told him. "I don't pick up any life readings."

"There isn't enough life on this ice cube to fill a space cruiser," Han agreed. "Sensors are placed; I'm going back."

"Right; I'll see you shortly," Luke said. "There's a meteorite that hit the ground near here; I want to check it out. It won't take long."

But now one of Luke's hovercams decided to switch sides, and his Tauntaun reared in fright, braying fearfully. "Steady! Hey, steady girl," Luke said, reining her in. "Hey, what's the matter?" he asked, scratching her neck reassuringly. "You smell something?" he improvised, looking around. But the beast continued to bleat pathetically, trying to get away from the camera that was hovering in front of her face.

"Hey," Luke said, patting her gently. "It's just a camera," he explained, trying to calm her down. "Nothing to be afraid of... easy," he reassured her, with a subtle wave of his fingers. "We're not gonna be afraid of a little bitty camera, are we? No, we're not," Luke murmured indulgently, patting her on the neck. "That's a good girl... Come on," he said, prodding her forward again. "We're not done with this scene yet; let's go check out that meteorite."

Luke failed to suppress a cheerful grin as he rode his Tauntaun through the snowdrifts, delighted by this world of pure, white, sparkling wonder. It was freezing out here, to be certain; but Luke was still giddy over the news of Mara's pregnancy, and felt nothing but the warmth and happiness in his own heart.

_I'm going to be a father,_ he realized again, overwhelmed by the sudden and unexpected turn his life had taken. _We're going to have a baby..._ It was a circumstance that Luke and Mara had tried their best to _prevent_ for the past two years; but now that it was happening, he felt nothing but excitement at the prospect.

_I'm tired of living a lie,_ Luke confessed, feeling a strange sense of relief at the thought of leaving the Order. _Tired of hiding, and sneaking around... Tired of pretending to be someone I'm not._ His only regret was hurting Obi-Wan; Luke knew that his Master would take the news badly, and would most likely blame himself. _I just hope it doesn't kill him,_ he sighed, his heart aching. _He wanted so badly for me to be a proper Jedi, and not turn out like Anakin._

That Obi-Wan would _forgive_ him, he had no doubt. After all, Anakin had done the same thing - as a padawan, no less - and the two of them had remained lifelong friends. Even Qui-Gon seemed to know about Anakin's marriage to Tessa, and had helped to guard their secret all these years.

_And I'm sure Ben knows about all of this,_ Luke realized, comforted by the thought. Ben was aboard the _Executor_ now, and they were scheduled to film a scene together the day after tomorrow. _Hopefully I'll get a chance to talk to him.._. Ben Kenobi was the only other person in the galaxy who knew about Luke and Mara's marriage, and he had been a loyal friend and supporter from the very start - even keeping their secret from Obi-Wan himself.

_Ben will know, just how badly Obi-Wan will take this,_ Luke hoped. _Maybe it won't be so awful, after all._ And that was honestly Luke's only fear, in any of this. It would be strange to leave the Order, and adapt to life as a civilian; but he saw it as an exciting challenge as well.

_We'll both have Force-inhibitor implants,_ Luke realized, trying to imagine how that would feel. _I'll have to learn to rely on my physical senses more._ Obi-Wan had taught him how to temporarily suppress his Force abilities - an exercise that mainly held value in understanding how _other_ people perceived the world; Luke decided to give it a try now, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath as he consciously relinquished his connection to the Force.

_Whoa..._ Luke blinked, immediately losing his balance and frantically grasping his Tauntaun's reins. _Yeah, that's really different._ He could see a vast, glistening expanse of white beneath the blue sky above, and could hear the plaintive wailing of the wind, along with the constant snuffling of his mount, and its steady footsteps as it trotted through the snow; but aside from an overwhelming sense of cold, he couldn't _feel_ much of anything. _If I didn't know where the base was, I'd have absolutely no idea which direction it was in,_ he confessed, unable to sense any life forms whatsoever.

It was a disconcerting feeling, but Luke realized he would need to get used to it, and bravely pressed his mount onward through the snowdrifts. They were nearly at the 'meteorite' now - which, as Luke was about to discover, was actually a dreaded Imperial probe droid.

But as they approached the strange device, his Tauntaun reared once again, braying in panic. "Hey, girl," Luke laughed, amused by the creature's obvious technophobia. "It's just an Imperial probe droid; it's not gonna hurt you," he promised, patting her on the neck. _Though that's not exactly my line,_ Luke realized, trying to calm the frightened creature so he could film the next scene. "Steady, girl..."

"Rrraaahhhhhh!" came a ferocious roar from behind him, as his Tauntaun shrieked in panic.

_What the - ?_ Luke turned in his saddle, suddenly finding himself face-to-face with an angry Wampa. _Oh, crap!_ Instinctively, he reached out a hand to Force-shove the enraged creature away; but alas, nothing happened, and a moment later he was hurled violently onto the ground, smashing his face against the unyielding ice.

_Yeah,_ Luke sighed ruefully, a moment before he lost consciousness. _Maybe suppressing my Force powers out here was a bad idea._


	175. Well, Your Highness, guess this is it

**Chapter 175**

"Hey... Cliegg?" Han asked hesitantly, entering the command room.

"Han," the director replied cheerfully. "What's up?"

"Uh... I'm sorry," Han apologized, looking down. "I'm not gonna be able to stick around for the battle scene tomorrow," he admitted. "I need to get back to work right away, or Jabba's gonna have my head."

_What?_ Leia stared at him in utter disbelief. _You can't even stick around for your own farewell episode? Or be in the epic battle scene that was specifically written to make YOU look like a hero?_

But Cliegg just nodded, accepting it. "Well," he sighed, giving Han a concerned look. "How soon do you have to leave?"

"Uh..." Han cringed apologetically. "_Now,_" he confessed.

"All right," Cliegg said, unruffled by this rather dramatic change in his plans for this episode. "No worries; we'll figure something out," he reassured Han, with a mischievous grin. "Okay: fast version," he proposed, calling for attention. "We'll do this scene the way we'd planned; but then - Han, you'll tell Rieekan you have to leave," Cliegg said. "And then - say goodbye to Leia," he added, glancing at her hopefully. "We'll try to do it all in one shot."

"Okay," Han nodded agreeably, going back outside the command room as the others took their places.

General Rieekan looked up as he entered again. "Solo?"

"No sign of life out there, General," Han told him. "Sensors are in place; you'll know if anything comes around."

"Commander Skywalker reported in yet?"

"No, he's checking out a meteorite that hit near him."

"With all the meteor activity in this system, it's going to be difficult to spot approaching ships," Rieekan admitted.

"General, I gotta leave," Han said, launching straight into his farewell scene. "I can't stay anymore."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Rieekan replied equably, as Leia looked away, annoyed.

"Well, there's a price on my head," Han apologized. "If I don't pay off Jabba the Hutt I'm a dead man."

"A death mark's not an easy thing to live with," Rieekan agreed. "You're a good fighter, Solo," he said, shaking his hand. "I hate to lose you."

"Thank you, General," Han said; then he turned to Leia. "Well, Your Highness, guess this is it."

Leia nodded icily. "That's right."

"Well don't get all mushy on me," Han retorted sarcastically. "So long, Princess," he said, storming off.

_Good,_ Leia thought, grateful that Cliegg had opted for the quick and painless version of Han's farewell scene; she hadn't been looking forward to the dialogue they'd planned originally. _It's over,_ she sighed in relief. _I'll never have to work with him again._

"Great job," Cliegg said, nodding appreciatively. "Although - that might have been a little harsh," he admitted, giving Leia a hesitant look.

"What?" Leia blinked. "Me?" _I'm not the one bailing on my own farewell episode._

"It's his last scene," Cliegg pointed out apologetically. "Just - follow him back to his ship," he suggested. "Try to do something a little closer to what we'd planned before."

_Gah..._ Leia nodded agreeably. "All right," she sighed, heading back out to the hallway. _Anyway, where's Luke?_ she wondered suddenly; he was supposed to have returned at the end of that last scene, warning them about the Imperial probe droid he'd found. She couldn't sense him anywhere nearby; but her own Force abilities were admittedly weak, and she pushed aside the vague sense of foreboding she suddenly felt. _I'm sure he's fine._

* * *

><p><em>That went well,<em> Han sighed, heading back to the _Falcon_. It wasn't exactly the heroic exit Cliegg had planned; Han was supposed to take part in the epic battle scene tomorrow, saving Luke from certain death. Then, after a touching farewell with Leia, he would finally blast away from Hoth, pursued by Boba Fett.

_At least it's over, _Han consoled himself._ And it's better this way,_ he admitted. Given the real-life political situation, he was nervous to be filming on Hoth to begin with; but being cast as the hero - and a close friend of Luke - was not the image he wished to portray to Gardulla, or anyone else on the Outer Rim. _All I did so far was place some sensors, and ride a Tauntaun around in the snow; hopefully Gardulla will see that I'm just some random lackey here, and call off the hit._

He felt bad about ruining Cliegg's plans for this episode; but it certainly wasn't the first time this sort of thing had happened, and he trusted that the veteran director would adapt to the changes effortlessly, and probably come up with something even better. _Anyway, this is exactly why I'm leaving the show to begin with,_ Han admitted. _Now they can get on with their filming, with people who actually have time to be here._

But now he heard a familiar voice behind him, and sighed wearily. "Han!" Leia said, catching up with him.

"Yes, Your Highnessness?" He stopped, giving her a questioning look. _Are we filming this?_

"I thought you had decided to stay," she told him.

_Ah,_ Han realized. _Cliegg wants us to do our farewell scene. _"Well, the bounty hunter we ran into in Ord Mantell changed my mind."

"Han, we need you," Leia reproached him.

"_We_ need?" Han goaded her; they had practiced this exchange earlier.

"Yes," Leia admitted, looking impossibly gorgeous. _I'm glad I'm leaving,_ Han thought; it was painful having to look at her all the time.

"Well, what about _you_ need?" Han had actually been looking forward to this scene, hoping that it might give him a lasting reminder of Leia's true feelings toward him. _Tell me how much you hate me, so I can finally quit dreaming about you every night._

"I need?" Leia scoffed. "I don't know what you're talking about."

_Good..._ "You probably don't," Han agreed, continuing back toward the hangar. _So that's it: she really doesn't like me,_ he told himself. _Now if only my subconscious would believe it.._. Sometimes Han purposely allowed his acting affliction to overtake him during his scenes with Leia, hoping that experiencing her seething hatred on a deeper level might help to get rid of his torturous dreams.

_This is my last chance,_ Han realized, taking a deep breath and getting into character. _These are REAL Rebel soldiers,_ he told himself, continuing through the hallway. _This base is real; these people are actually living in exile on this forsaken planet, fighting back against the evil Empire..._

"And what precisely am I supposed to know?" Leia demanded, catching up with him again.

_That I love you,_ Han sighed; but he was just a lowly smuggler, and it wasn't his place to say such things. "Come on," Han reproached her. _You're a princess; you're supposed to be all starry-eyed and romantic. What's wrong with you?_ "You want me to stay because of the way you feel about me."

"Yes," Leia told him. "You're a great help to us. You're a natural leader."

"No!" Han said, pointing a finger in her face. "That's not it." _Don't change the subject._ "Come on." _Just admit that you like me, and I'll stay. I promise._ "Ahh? Come on." _I'd do anything for you, Leia. I'd take on Vader and Sidious together, all by myself._

Leia scoffed. "You're imagining things."

"Am I?" _Crap, maybe I am,_ Han realized, his heart sinking. _Ahh, this is embarrassing..._ "Then why are you following me?" he taunted her childishly, trying to save his dignity somewhat. "Afraid I was gonna leave without giving you a goodbye kiss?"

"I'd just as soon kiss a Wookiee," Leia assured him.

"I can arrange that," Han said, storming back to the _Falcon_. "You could use a good kiss!"

_Yeah, she really hates me,_ he realized. _And I don't even know why,_ Han confessed, baffled by her anger toward him. _She doesn't treat any of the other pilots like that... What did I do?_ He felt hurt, and rejected, and confused, but tried to push his painful feelings aside. _Ugh; I'm out of here,_ he told himself, continuing through the hangar toward the _Falcon_. _This whole Rebellion is pointless anyway,_ he admitted, glancing around at the other pilots working on their pathetically antiquated speeders. _These guys don't stand a chance against the Empire._

His comlink buzzed now, and for a brief moment Han's heart fluttered with hope. Maybe it was Leia, calling to apologize for what she'd said; finally admitting that she loved him, and begging him to stay...? _And I would,_ Han confessed wistfully; but then he scowled. _Don't be stupid,_ he reproached himself, switching off his comlink. _She's had two years. If she really loved me, she'd have told me before now._

But as he returned to the _Falcon_, he sighed in frustration to see that Chewbacca still hadn't finished with the latest round of repairs. Bossk's attack on Ord Mantell had done more damage than they'd initially realized; the whole electrical system had been overloaded, and it seemed to have set off a chain reaction of malfunctions that had plagued the _Falcon_ for two weeks now.

"Why did you take this apart now?" Han asked, baffled. "I'm trying to get us out of here, and you pull both of these - ?" _What the hell, Chewie? I fixed that already..._ "Put them back together, right now," he ordered him grumpily.

"Excuse me, sir," Threepio said, hobbling toward him. "Might I have a word with you, please?"

Han glanced at him doubtfully. "What do you want?"

"Well, it's Princess Leia, sir," Threepio explained. "She's been trying to get you on the communicator."

"I turned it off," Han told him. "I don't want to talk to her."

"Well, Princess Leia is wondering about Master Luke," Threepio said. "He hasn't come back yet. She doesn't know where he is."

"I don't know where he is."

"Nobody knows where he is," Threepio told him.

"What do you mean, _nobody_ knows?" Han asked, suddenly worried.

"Well, uh - you see - "

"Deck officer!" Han called out. "Deck officer!" _Gah, why can I never remember anyone's name around here?_ Aside from Luke, Leia, Wedge, General Rieekan, and a few others, the Rebel Alliance seemed to have a surprisingly fast turnover rate; Han swore no one else ever stuck around for more than a week. _And Leia's mad at ME for leaving?_ It just wasn't fair...

"Yes sir?" the deck officer said, coming over to talk to him; he looked confused.

"Do you know where Commander Skywalker is?" Han asked him.

"I haven't seen him," the deck officer replied hesitantly. "It's possible he came in through the south entrance."

"It's _possible?_" Han repeated. _It's your job to know these things__,_ he scowled, unimpressed. "Why don't you go find out," he reproached him. "It's getting dark out there."

"Yes sir," the deck officer replied meekly, hurrying off in the wrong direction. _Good lord..._

"Excuse me, sir," Threepio interrupted again. "Might I inquire what's going on?"

"Why not," Han agreed, equally baffled. No one seemed to know where Luke was; and this new deck officer didn't even know how to find the building's south entrance. _Unbelievable,_ Han sighed, going off to look for Luke himself. _Seriously... Where do they get these guys?_

* * *

><p><em>Meanwhile...<em>

"Ha... These costumes are awesome," Linus said, admiring his Rebel uniform.

"Yeah, they sure are," Bren Derlin agreed cheerfully. He and his brother were both avid _SITH_ fans, on vacation aboard the _Executor_ this week, and were thrilled to have been chosen to be a part of the Hoth shoot today.

"So what do you think - " Linus broke off suddenly, staring in amazement as a famous figure approached them now - surrounded by hoverdroids, his face set in an attitude of grim determination. "Oh my god," he whispered, sharing an excited look with Bren. "We're filming?"

"I guess so," Bren whispered, suppressing a nervous grin.

"Hey," Solo called out to the guest actors who were stationed here at the south entrance. "Any of you guys seen Luke?"

_Uh, not me..._ Bren looked around at the others hopefully; but then he saw his brother's meaningful look, and glanced down at his own tan officer's uniform, remembering that he was supposed to be in charge here. _Ahh! Okay, think quick..._ "Sir, Commander Skywalker hasn't come in the south entrance," Bren improvised, trying to sound official. "He might have forgotten to check in."

"Not likely," Solo told him brusquely. "Are the speeders ready?"

_I have no idea..._ But one of the set technicians was shaking his head quietly off-camera, and Bren gulped, forcing himself to continue. "Uh... Not yet," he informed Solo. "We're having trouble adapting them to the cold."

"We'll have to go out on Tauntauns," Solo decided quickly, heading for the exit.

_What?_ Again, the technician was shaking his head doubtfully, and Bren chased after him. "Sir, the temperature's dropping too rapidly - "

"That's right, and my friend's out in it," Solo retorted, pointing a finger at him in reproach.

_Haha! This is crazy..._ Solo was mounting one of the Tauntauns now, and the technician gestured for Bren to continue. _Okay... Crap, what do I say?_ "Your Tauntaun will freeze before you reach the first marker!" Bren called after him, in warning.

But Solo remained undeterred. "Then I'll see you in hell," he replied grimly, urging his Tauntaun forward. "Hyaa!"

_Wow,_ Bren thought, gazing after Solo as he rode off into the vast snowy expanse beyond the base. _That was awesome..._

"Ha! Nice job, Bren," Linus congratulated him, impressed by his performance. "Way to think fast."

Bren grinned, his heart still racing. "Ahh! Hopefully that came out all right?"

"It was perfect," his brother assured him, as the others nodded in agreement. "Wait 'til Mom sees that!"

Bren chuckled, delighted to have been in a scene with Han Solo himself. _I'm going to actually have a speaking part on the show...?_ But now he glanced curiously toward the doorway, where Solo had just made his dramatic exit. "What do you suppose that was all about, anyway?"

"Uh... No idea," Linus confessed, shrugging. Script details were given out on a need-to-know basis, and Bren and the other tourists here on Hoth today had very little clue what this episode was actually about. "I guess we'll find out when the show airs."

Bren laughed, nodding. "Heh... Yeah, I guess so."


	176. Uh, is anyone going to help Luke?

**Chapter 176**

_"Rrrrraaaaaaahhhhhhh!"_

Luke opened his eyes groggily, vaguely aware of howling and grunting sounds nearby. _What the hell...?_ He found himself standing in a cave full of icy stalactites, facing a strange, furry white creature which hung upside-down from the ceiling, munching on bloody animal remains. _How did I get here?_

Then he noticed the hovercam in front of his face, and deduced that he was filming for _SITH_. _But what is this scene about?_ Luke wondered; he honestly couldn't remember. _Crap, do I have amnesia or something?_

_And what the heck IS that thing?_ He stared in confusion at the bizarre creature in front of him. _It almost looks like an upside-down Wampa,_ he thought, utterly baffled. _Wait a minute..._ Luke frowned, cocking his head to the side. _No,_ he told himself stubbornly, as the world gradually flipped over. _Gah... Yes,_ Luke finally admitted, with an unhappy sigh. _I'm the one who's upside-down._

"Ugh," he grunted, reaching for his feet and trying to free his boots from the cavern's icy ceiling. _No, that's never gonna work..._ But then he saw his lightsaber hilt lying on the ground, and he reached toward it now, summoning it into his hand.

But nothing happened. _What the...?_ Luke blinked, trying with his other hand. _I have a concussion,_ he realized worriedly; loss of Force powers could sometimes happen with head injuries. Closing his eyes, he focused his concentration for a moment, reaching out to the Force. _There we go,_ he sighed, feeling the familiar tingle of activity returning to his midichlorians. He reached for his lightsaber again; but to his dismay, his powers were weak, and it barely moved.

"Gaaarrrrr!" the Wampa growled, slowly advancing upon him.

_Crap... Come on,_ Luke pleaded, reaching for his lightsaber again; and finally it sprang into his hand. _Thank you..._ Switching it on, he quickly released his boots from the icy ceiling, and fell to the ground below.

"Rraaarrrr," the Wampa roared, charging at him.

_You don't want to hurt me,_ Luke tried to tell it, using a Jedi mind trick. _I'm not the snack you're looking for..._ But it was to no avail; the creature was upon him now, and Luke slashed at it in self-defense, chopping off its arm. _I'm sorry..._

_Gah... Obi-Wan's going to kill me for that,_ Luke sighed; his Master was a great animal lover, and would probably have made friends with the creature, and offered to raise its children. _But Obi-Wan's not here right now,_ Luke admitted, stumbling away from the enraged monster and running for his life.

_What am I doing here, anyway?_ Luke wondered, as he flailed through the snowdrifts. The hovercams were following him; obviously he was filming for _SITH_, but he couldn't remember for the life of him what this scene was supposed to be about. In fact, he couldn't remember much of anything at all...

_There was something important,_ Luke realized, furrowing his brows._ Something - about Mara?_

_I need a nap,_ Luke decided, flopping face-down into the snow and resolving to sleep on the matter. Dreams could be a powerful problem-solving technique; sometimes an issue could resolve itself on its own, with just a little rest.

_Ah; right,_ Luke remembered vaguely now. It _was_ something to do with Mara; and he needed to talk to Ben Kenobi about it. _But why?_ Luke lifted his head, trying to remember. "Ben?" _Why did I need to talk to Ben?_ It was aggravating, not being able to remember; it was just on the edge of his brain.

_I have amnesia,_ Luke admitted worriedly; obviously he had a concussion, and had lost his Force powers as well. _Ben will have to wait,_ he sighed, realizing he would need to get back to Coruscant, for rehabilitation exercises with Master Yoda. Then he frowned, troubled. _Yoda's not on Coruscant,_ he remembered. _He's gone home for the weekend; which means he's somewhere in the - _"Dagobah system," Luke sighed, realizing he couldn't possibly go there. The location of Master Yoda's hidden planet was a highly-guarded secret, and only the top members of the Jedi Council knew how to find it.

_But at least I can talk to Ben,_ Luke consoled himself. Ben was aboard the _Executor_ now, which was hovering just outside Hoth's atmosphere at this very moment. _If I reach my hand out toward the sky, I can almost touch it..._ "Ben," Luke grunted, desperately trying to get his attention.

_Ohh, I don't feel so good,_ Luke admitted, shuddering violently and planting his face into the snow again. _Maybe just one more nap..._

* * *

><p><em>Meanwhile...<em>

"You must come along, now, Artoo," Threepio said. "There's really nothing more we can do. And my joints are freezing up."

"No," Artoo said, scanning the distant snowdrifts. "Something's wrong... Nobody knows where Luke is," he reminded him. Leia didn't know; Han didn't know; Cliegg didn't know; and the fifty Jedi Border Patrol Knights stationed here at the Hoth base didn't seem to know either. "If he got lost out there, he could be buried under a twenty foot snowdrift by now," Artoo confessed worriedly. "And nobody would ever see him again."

"Don't say things like that!" Threepio scolded him. "Of course we'll see Master Luke again. And he'll be quite all right. You'll see... Stupid little short-circuit," he muttered, going back inside. "He'll be quite all right."

_I don't know about this,_ Artoo confessed, genuinely concerned. _He's been gone a long time,_ he admitted. _And it's eighty below out there..._

_I don't care if Threepio laughs at me,_ Artoo decided, heading back inside. _I'm going to go tell the Jedi._


	177. Let's all show him some brotherly love

**Chapter 177**

_Thirty minutes later..._

"Is he going to be all right?" Leia asked worriedly, as Luke was lowered into a bacta tank in the medical ward.

"Yeah, he'll be fine," one of the Border Patrol Knights assured her. "He's got a minor concussion, but it's nothing serious."

Leia nodded in relief. "Thank you," she said, giving the Jedi an appreciative smile. "I'm so grateful you guys are here."

_That's right,_ Han sighed unhappily. _Don't bother thanking ME..._ He'd gone out after Luke on a Tauntaun, resorting to advanced survival techniques to keep the kid alive for nearly two whole minutes before the Jedi had arrived in their fancy ships; but of course _they_ were getting all the credit for his rescue.

"Good news," Cliegg said, joining them now. "I just talked to the legal team; they say we can go ahead and use the footage we got out there," he told them. "They agreed that the Tauntaun died of natural causes, and it was life-and-death emergency; what you did was okay," he assured Han.

_Terrific,_ Han thought, managing a smile.

"So, we're going to say you two were out there overnight," Cliegg told them. "And now it's the next morning, and we finally sent a rescue team to find you guys... We'll film that tomorrow," he said; then he turned to the Jedi rescuer who was attending to Luke. "You say it's okay to wake him up now?"

"Yes," the Jedi nodded. "We should move him to a recovery room."

"Great," Cliegg said, relieved. "Okay, Han, Chewie, Leia, Threepio - if you guys could just gather around the bacta tank, so we can get you all in one shot... There you go; perfect," he nodded approvingly, as Han and the others moved in closer. "And... Action."

Han stood behind Leia, trying to look duly concerned as they waited for Luke to wake up. _So much for my plans to get out of here by nightfall,_ he sighed; the _Falcon_ still wasn't ready to take off, and the base's shield doors would need to be closed in a few minutes. And thanks to his bold - though somewhat embarrassing - rescue attempt, now Gardulla would have even _more_ reason to think that he and Luke were close friends.

_Maybe a little TOO close,_ Han worried. _So we've just spent the night together, huddled up inside a dead Tauntaun,_ he sighed. _And now here I am, staring at him inside a bacta tank, wearing nothing but -_ Han frowned. _What the hell IS that?_ he wondered, peering at the device covering Luke's crotch.

_Yeah,_ Han admitted, turning away and trying to sneak out of the scene. _This looks kinda gay._

* * *

><p><em>A few minutes later...<em>

"Luke!" Cliegg exclaimed, joining him in the medical ward along with Han, Chewie, and Leia. "How are you feeling?"

"Oh - fine," Luke assured him, grinning sheepishly as he sat up in his hospital bed. "Thanks."

"Good; that's what I like to hear," Cliegg said, patting him on the shoulder. "You look strong enough to pull the ears off a Gundark."

"Or hack the arm off a Wampa," Han remarked wryly; they'd just watched the footage from Luke's hovercams a minute ago.

"Heh... Good one," Cliegg laughed, as Luke cringed somewhat. "Let's use that," he said, planning the upcoming scene. "And then I was thinking we could bring back a classic line from one of the old _JEDI_ episodes," he told them. "Luke, you'll thank Han for saving your skin for the tenth time," he suggested. "And then Han will say - _ninth_ time; that business inside the Tauntaun doesn't count," he proposed, his eyes twinkling. "The fans will love it."

But Han frowned, uncertain. _That would imply there WAS some kind of business inside the Tauntaun_. He was already concerned about his involvement in the previous scene, and admitted that the footage from his daring rescue attempt had come across a bit too impassioned for his taste. In any case, he didn't want Gardulla to think that saving Luke's life was something he did on a regular basis.

Thankfully Luke was not thrilled with the idea either. "Ahh... I'm sorry," he apologized. "I don't feel right joking about hacking the arm off a Wampa," he confessed, truly remorseful. "Maybe just stick to the Gundark line?" he asked, giving Cliegg a hopeful look.

"Oh - of course," Cliegg assured him, nodding. "That's fine."

"And - " Han gave him a hesitant look. "About the ten times... It doesn't really make sense," he pointed out apologetically. "Last time _he_ saved _me_, on Ord Mantell."

"Eh... True," Cliegg admitted. "All right, let's say - what, maybe two times?" he proposed, as Han and Luke nodded in agreement. "Okay, let's go with that... And then Leia - you'll explain about the energy field," Cliegg reminded her. "All right, let's give it a try," he said, stepping back out to the hallway. "And... _Action._"

_What?_ Han blinked as the door shut in his face, realizing too late that he was supposed to be _inside_ Luke's recovery room, instead of out here in the hallway with Cliegg. _Oops..._ But Cliegg just laughed quietly, motioning for him to go back in. _Yeah, sorry about that..._

"Master Luke, sir, it's so good to see you fully functional again," Threepio was saying now, starting the scene without him.

"Thanks, Threepio," Luke replied.

"Artoo expresses his relief also," Threepio translated politely. _Okay, let's go_...

"How you feeling, kid?" Han asked, entering the room along with Chewie. _Yeah, we totally planned that._ "You don't look so bad to me."

_"Remember not to mention the Wampa,"_ Chewbacca added helpfully.

_Yeah, yeah..._ "In fact, you look strong enough to pull the ears off a Gundark."

"Thanks to you," Luke said, giving him an appreciative look. _Great, now it looks like we're flirting again..._

"That's two you owe me, junior," Han told him. _See? I don't even know his name. We're not friends, or lovers, or anything like that._ He turned to Leia now, ignoring Luke entirely. "Well, Your Worship," he said, deciding to flirt with _her_ instead. "Looks like you managed to keep me around for a little while longer."

"I had nothing to do with it," Leia told him. "General Rieekan thinks it's dangerous for any ships to leave the system until we've activated the energy field."

"That's a good story," Han said. "I think you just can't bear to let a gorgeous guy like me out of your sight." Actually, it was because the _Falcon_ was unflyable at the moment; something was still wrong with the electrical system, but he and Chewie hadn't been able to figure out exactly what the problem was.

Leia shook her head in disgust. "I don't know where you get your delusions, laser brain."

_"Heh heh heh heh heh,"_ Chewbacca chuckled, amused by this exchange; then he saw Han's reproachful look. _"Sorry..."_

"Laugh it up, fuzzball," Han said. "But you didn't see us alone in the south passage," he continued, going over to Leia and putting his arm around her. "She expressed her true feelings for me." _She hates me,_ Han realized, without a doubt; Leia had made her feelings painfully clear to him, over the past several months. But _still_ he couldn't help dreaming about her... _I don't care how uncomfortable this is,_ Han decided stubbornly. _I just want it to finally sink in, so I can get on with my life._

"My - ?" Leia sputtered indignantly. "Why you stuck-up... half-witted... scruffy-looking... Nerf herder!"

_Well, most of that's true,_ Han admitted, unruffled. _But - hey!_ "Who's scruffy-looking?" _I combed my hair - just yesterday,_ Han scowled defensively. _Or - at least, the day before that,_ he was absolutely certain. _Anyway, Luke's hair is way messier than mine,_ Han consoled himself, eyeing the kid now. _Not that I've ever really noticed it before - crap, now I'm staring at him again,_ he realized, paranoid. _Gah... Change the subject._ "I must have hit pretty close to the mark, to get her all riled up like that, huh, kid?" _See? This is just Luke and me having a little manly guy talk here._

But Leia was unimpressed. "Well, I guess you don't know everything about women yet," she said, kissing Luke passionately on the mouth.

_Okay, so now we're following up gay undertones with incest,_ Han observed, fascinated. _This episode is gonna be a real winner._

_"When are they going to find out they're brother and sister, anyway?"_ Chewie wondered aloud. _And now you've ruined this scene for the entire planet of Kashyyyk,_ Han realized, giving him a look of puzzled reproach. _Way to go, Chewie._

"Take it easy," Han said, reaching a hand out hesitantly as if to pat Luke on the shoulder; but then he decided against it, quickly fleeing from the room.

* * *

><p><em>Meanwhile, on Coruscant...<em>

Mace Windu sat alone in the Jedi Council chamber, quietly thoughtful. _It's after sundown on Hoth,_ he realized. _Which means..._ He bowed his head solemnly, thinking of Luke, and Han, and the _SITH_ footage which he had first seen on Solaris Three, decades ago. _I hope they're all right._

Then he shook his head, frowning stubbornly. _Of course they're all right._ Because he'd also seen the _rest_ of _The Empire Strikes Back_, and knew that Luke and Han would be completely fine by morning, and ready to film tomorrow's battle scene.

Besides, there were over fifty Jedi Border Patrol Knights stationed on Hoth right now; there was no way they would leave Luke and Han out there overnight, huddled up inside a dead Tauntaun. _They've probably rescued them by now,_ Mace told himself, resisting the urge to warn them about the situation. He and Yoda had tried their best over the years to not let their knowledge of the future _SITH_ episodes influence their actions, and he exhaled deeply now, forcing himself to be patient.

_But how could this have happened?_ Mace wondered again. _How in the hell could Luke have not sensed that Wampa sneaking up on him?_ Mace had casually asked Cliegg about his plans for this week's shoot, and there had been absolutely no mention of any kind of wild animal attack. Of course, nothing _ever_ went quite according to plan on the set of _SITH_, and it could have been improvised at the last minute; but Wampas were not known for their acting ability, and Mace guessed the attack was all too real.

He also wondered how, and when - and _why_ - Cliegg would get the idea to send Luke to Dagobah. Like Solaris Three, Dagobah was a hidden planet, protected by a Force field and guarded by Yoda himself these past eight hundred years; aside from Mace, Ki-Adi, and a handful of others, no one else even knew how to find it. Yoda's previous _SITH_ appearances had been filmed on a sound stage, back at Lars Studios; but the Geonosis set was only a tiny re-creation of Yoda's humble dwelling, and Mace knew that Luke's upcoming scenes would be filmed on Dagobah itself.

In fact, Yoda was already there now, and expecting Luke's arrival. Following the raid on Hoth, they had known that the time was drawing near, and Yaddle and Kermit had already been sent into hiding; they were staying with Duke's wife for the next few days, in southern Naboo.

_Patience,_ Mace chided himself again, continuing with his meditation. But now his transmitter buzzed, and he grinned knowingly as he read the incoming text message from Cliegg Lars: _Hey Mace - quick question here. Call me when you get a chance._ Chuckling to himself and curious to finally get some long-awaited answers, Mace switched on the Council chamber's holo-communicator, contacting the director.

"Mace!" Cliegg answered, nodding appreciatively. "Thanks for calling back... We've got a bit of a situation here," he confessed. "Luke's been attacked by a Wampa; he's all right, we've got him back here in the medical ward," Cliegg assured him quickly. "But he's got a mild concussion, and his Force powers are weak; he says he's going to need rehabilitation training with Master Yoda."

_Ah,_ Mace nodded, finally understanding the reason for Luke's unexpected visit to the hidden planet. "Master Yoda is on Dagobah at the moment," he informed Cliegg matter-of-factly. "He can't be reached by radio transmission. If Luke needs emergency training, he's going to have to go there himself."

Cliegg blinked, caught off guard. "Actually - that's what I was about to ask you," he confessed, surprised. "I'm toying with a new storyline - where he meets Yoda on Dagobah, and learns some Force powers," he told Mace. "We could film it on the sound stage, back on Geonosis - maybe next week; unless... Do you think it might be possible to actually send him to Dagobah, with a couple of hovercams?"

Mace managed to keep his expression impassive. "Of course," he nodded solemnly. "Master Yoda is expecting him."

"He is?" Cliegg stared at him, baffled. Then he laughed dismissively, shaking his head. "Of course he is... All right, then," he agreed. "Thanks, Mace, I really appreciate it," he told him. "This is turning out to be quite an interesting episode," he confessed, grinning.

"Sounds like it," Mace agreed good-naturedly. Then he gave Cliegg a curious look. "How did he get attacked by a Wampa, anyway?"

"Oh," Cliegg sighed. "Yeah, the other Jedi wondered about that too... Apparently Luke was suppressing his Force powers when it happened," he explained. "He says he does it sometimes when he's acting; it helps him get into character."

"Ah," Mace nodded. _Another mystery solved..._ "Smart kid," he admitted, impressed. _Well, aside from getting owned by a Wampa..._ "All right; tell him to give me a call tomorrow, when he's ready to leave."

"Will do," Cliegg said, nodding. "Thanks, Mace."


	178. Would it help if I got out and pushed?

**Chapter 178**

_The next morning..._

_Almost done,_ Han thought optimistically, finishing up a bit of welding on the _Falcon_. He had agreed to stay for the upcoming battle scene, and had filmed two other quick scenes earlier this morning, out in the snowy wastes. _And then we're out of here,_ he sighed, remembering that Jabba needed him back at work _yesterday_.

"All right!" Han called over to Chewie now. "That's it... Try it!"

_"Okay,"_ Chewbacca agreed, switching on the ignition from his seat in the cockpit.

But suddenly sparks flew, and the entire hull began to burst into flames. "Oh!" Han yelped, stepping back from the electrical fires that were erupting all around him. "Turn it off! Turn it off!" he shrieked. "Off!" he yelled to Chewie, flailing helplessly amidst the sparks and smoke. "Turn it off!"

_Terrific,_ Han sighed ruefully, assessing the damage. _Back to square one, I guess..._ He shook his head, returning to his welding and stubbornly ignoring the hovercams that were gathering around him once again, curiously zooming in on the _Falcon's_ singed hull.

_Cliegg will cut that._

* * *

><p><em>Meanwhile...<em>

"Sir, it will take quite a while to evacuate the T-47s," Two-Onebee pointed out.

"Well, forget the heavy equipment," Luke said casually, zipping up his orange jumpsuit. "There's plenty of time to get the smaller modules on the transports." _And why would a medical droid care about any of this, anyway?_ Two-Onebee was Cliegg's latest hobby; the general-purpose kit droid was still only half finished, but its logic circuitry was fully functional, and already it exhibited a passionate curiosity to understand the intricate details behind the show's plot.

_Don't try to make any sense of it,_ Luke laughed to himself. _You'll only drive yourself crazy._ So far he'd been attacked by a Wampa, spent a romantic night together with Han inside a dead Tauntaun, and shared a disturbingly intimate kiss with Leia - who was supposed to be his own twin sister. _And now I have to film an epic battle scene with hardly any Force powers,_ he realized, though he was admittedly intrigued by the prospect. _This should be interesting._

"Take care, sir," Two-Onebee said now.

"Thanks," Luke replied cheerfully, taking his leave of the medical ward and heading out toward the hangar. But as he made his way through the hallway, he smiled to see two familiar figures up ahead.

"Luke," Master Anakin exclaimed, coming over to see him. He was dressed in his Darth Vader costume for this morning's filming, but his mask was pulled up over his helmet, and now he peered into Luke's eyes worriedly. "Are you all right?"

"Uh, yes," Luke said, grinning in embarrassment. "I'm fine. Well, aside from the Force powers," he admitted, trying to ignore Mara's baffled stare.

"Yeah, I heard about that," Master Anakin said, concerned. "Cliegg says you're going to Dagobah after this?"

"Yes," Luke nodded, managing a shy smile. "I'm sure it'll be fine."

"That's right," Master Anakin agreed, scruffing his hair affectionately. "Don't worry; Master Yoda will have you good as new in no time," he assured him. "But be careful out there today, okay?" he added, with a concerned glance toward the hangar door, and the glistening snowdrifts beyond.

"I will," Luke promised. "Thank you, Master Anakin," he added, bowing politely. _He's always so nice to me,_ Luke confessed, as he continued toward the hangar. Even without Force powers, he could see the look of genuine caring and compassion in Master Anakin's blue eyes; Luke always felt a special warmth in his own heart, whenever Anakin was around. _Mara's lucky to have him as her dad._

But now he smiled to see another familar duo, hard at work on the _Falcon,_ as usual. "Chewie," he called out, remembering he was supposed to say his goodbyes for the cameras. "Take care of yourself, okay?" Luke said, scratching the Wookiee affectionately on the neck.

_"Ohhhhh kayyy, Llluuggh,"_ Chewbacca replied, attempting to speak Basic. _Aw, I'm sorry they're leaving,_ Luke confessed. _I was just beginning to understand him..._ But now he was grabbed from behind by huge, furry paws. _"Lllughh,"_ Chewie said, hugging him fiercely. _"Llluuukk!"_

"Okay, okay," Luke laughed, extracting himself from the Wookiee's embrace.

"Hi kid," Han called down to him, from his perch atop the _Falcon's_ wing. "There's gotta be a reason for it," he added to his repair unit, as Luke suppressed a rueful grin; it had to be pretty bad, if Han had resorted to using a maintenance droid. "Check it at the other end... Wait a second," Han told the little droid impatiently, turning to Luke. "You all right?"

"Yeah," Luke assured him. _Aside from having no Force powers..._ But he couldn't say that in front of the cameras, so he tried to come up with something else. _I'm in a lot better shape than the Falcon,_ he thought wryly; but it didn't take Jedi abilities to sense Han's very real frustration, and Luke didn't want to appear unkind. _Especially after what I did to that Wampa,_ he admitted; he still felt terrible for hurting the poor creature. _Gah, I'm gonna look like a big jerk._

But now he realized he'd been standing there for several seconds, opening his mouth as if to speak, but not actually saying anything. _Ha... This looks ridiculous,_ he realized, nodding awkwardly and giving Han one last smile as he turned to leave. _Cliegg will cut that._

* * *

><p><em>Crap... I still haven't told Luke about Gardulla's bounty hunters,<em> Han remembered, gazing after him worriedly. He'd been debating whether he should mention to the kid that Gardulla suspected they were best buddies, and had conspired together in the raid against Hoth. _She might send Bossk after him next._ "Be careful," Han blurted out now, in a pathetically cryptic attempt to warn him.

Luke turned back, nodding. "You too," he said good-naturedly, continuing toward his own speeder. _Yeah, he has no idea what I'm talking about._ Han gazed after him for a long moment, deeply concerned. _No; I'm sure he'll be fine,_ he told himself stubbornly. _It's me Gardulla wants._

But now he noticed the hovercams again, and realized he'd been staring at Luke for several seconds, lost in thought. _Great; n__ow it looks like I'm checking out his ass..._ Han shook his head, getting back to work on the _Falcon_ once again. _Cliegg will cut that._

* * *

><p><em>Luke!<em> Mara called out silently, trying to get his attention. _LUKE!_ But he walked right past the supply closet where she was hiding. _Wow, he really doesn't have any Force powers..._ Rifling through a box of spare parts, Mara quickly grabbed a spark plug and threw it at him.

_Haha!_ She stifled a giggle as Luke blinked in surprise, turning to see what had hit him. _Over here..._ Finally he noticed her, nodding almost imperceptibly as he bent down to pick up the spark plug. In the process, his _SITH_ camera homing device 'accidentally' fell off his belt; Luke left it there on the floor, calmly walking over toward the supply closet where Mara was hiding.

"Luke," she whispered, quickly pulling him inside and kissing him as she shut the door. "Are you okay?"

"Yes," Luke assured her, smiling tenderly. "How are you doing?"

"Fine," Mara said, beaming in delight. She'd been concerned to hear about Luke's accident, of course; but nothing could quell the excitement she felt, knowing that she was carrying his baby inside her, and that soon they could leave all of this behind them, and raise their child together. _No more hiding, no more secrecy; no more studying, or random Wampa attacks..._ "Luke, I've been thinking," she whispered, giving him a hopeful look. "You know how you've always wished you could have gone into Drug Enforcement?" _Instead of studying to become a Master, because of stupid Obi-Wan,_ she sighed in annoyance.

Luke blinked, caught off guard by her question. "Yes?"

"Well - you still can," Mara told him happily. "If you leave the Order, you could work for the Coruscant police," she suggested; the idea had come to her just last night, and she'd been eager to tell Luke about it.

Luke blinked again. "That's - " He furrowed his brows, utterly confused. "Why would I leave the Order?"

_What?_ Mara's heart sank suddenly; when she'd told Luke about her pregnancy yesterday aboard the _Executor_, he had promised to leave the Order as well, and help raise their child together. _He must have changed his mind..._ "Oh." Mara managed a brave smile, grateful that Luke couldn't sense her utter devastation at this news. "No, it's all right," she assured him. "It was just a thought..."

"Okay," Luke said, peering at her curiously. "Mara - "

_"Attention, everybody... We're getting ready to start filming,"_ Cliegg's voice announced now, over the loudspeaker. _"Everyone involved in the battle scene, please report to your assigned stations."_

"Sorry," Luke said, giving her an apologetic look. "We'll talk about this later?"

"Yes; of course," Mara agreed. "Good luck out there," she added, with an amused smile.

"Ha," Luke laughed ruefully. "Thanks... I'm gonna need it," he said, kissing her again. "I'll see you after."

Mara nodded, smiling; but as she watched Luke head back across the hangar toward his speeder, her heart sank. _Of course he doesn't want to give up being a Jedi,_ she realized now, facing the truth. _He's worked his whole life for this..._

_But so have I,_ Mara admitted unhappily. _The only difference is that I don't have a choice, because I'm a girl..._ Bitter tears stung her eyes, and she sank to the floor of the supply closet, huddled in a ball and sobbing quietly. _I'm going to have to leave the Order, and let everyone down, and be a huge, stupid failure,_ she cried. _But HE gets to be a Jedi Master, and doesn't have to deal with any of this..._

Mara shuddered, hugging her arms protectively around herself and her unborn baby. _Luke... How could you?_

* * *

><p><em>Leave the Order?<em> Luke blinked in confusion as he continued through the hangar. _We're planning to leave the Order?_ He still had a touch of amnesia from his concussion, and vaguely remembered that there was _something_ he couldn't quite remember, and had wanted to talk to Ben Kenobi about._ Thus my inane babbling yesterday, out in the snowdrifts,_ Luke sighed; it had been difficult trying to explain his confusion to Cliegg and the others, but the director had enthusiastically decided to add some footage of Ben's ghost, instructing him to go to Dagobah and train with Master Yoda.

_But why are we leaving the Order?_ Luke wondered again. As far as he could remember, Mara was actually doing incredibly _well_ lately. In fact, they were both hoping she might even pass the trials next month, and be knighted. _And then... Oh._ Luke sighed in regret, remembering the naive plan they had made years ago, as young padawans. _We were going to be a Jedi Ambassador team, and work together once we were knighted._

It had been a good dream: traveling the galaxy together on exciting missions to faraway planets; spending their days upholding peace and justice in the galaxy, and spending their nights in even _more_ pleasurable ways. But reality was a bit more complicated than that. In the meantime, Obi-Wan had developed far more ambitious plans for Luke's career; and in any case, he and Mara had done such a smashing job of pretending _not_ to be friends all these years, that it would look highly suspicious if they suddenly decided to work together.

_If I gave up my Master's studies, to team up with Mara... Yeah, there's no way I could ever explain that to Obi-Wan,_ Luke confessed, sighing. And as for Mara... What would she do, once she was knighted? Anakin would be made a Master, and would most likely be sent back to the Outer Rim, to work for Jedi Border Patrol; Obi-Wan had quietly mentioned to Luke just last week that Anakin was being eyed for Assistant Director of the Lannik base, under Master Chi'nala.

_Which means that Mara will have to choose whether to work for Border Patrol and be with her father, or request some kind of boring job at the Temple, to be closer to me, and Tessa._ And most positions at the Temple were academic in nature; it was doubtful Mara would qualify for anything on Coruscant, even if she wanted to.

_So apparently we've BOTH decided to just leave the Order, and avoid that whole issue altogether,_ Luke realized, blinking. It seemed a bit drastic; but on the other hand, it had always been their original plan, even before they were padawans. As younglings, they had planned to serve in AgriCorps for a few years until they came of age, at which point they would be free leave it all behind them, and do whatever they wanted with their lives.

_Well this will be interesting,_ Luke thought, his heart fluttering at the prospect. Aside from a vague sense of dread at breaking the news to Obi-Wan, he actually felt nothing but relief at the thought of leaving the Order, free to be openly married to Mara, and do anything he wanted with his life. _She's right; I could work for the Coruscant police,_ Luke realized, intrigued by the idea. Obviously Mara would want to stay on Coruscant, to be close to her mother; and Anakin would find a way to visit them secretly, whenever he could get away from Lannik...

_"Th-the first - tr-transp-port - is away,"_ came a pathetically nervous, stuttering voice over the loudspeaker. _"The f-first - transp-port - is away."_ Luke grinned in amusement; sometimes the _Executor_ tourists were so excited to be on the show that they completely choked when it came to filming. _It's no big deal though,_ Luke laughed to himself; things went wrong on the set all the time, but it always came together in the end. _Worst case, Cliegg will get someone else to do a voice-over afterwards._

_I'd better hurry though,_ he realized, breaking into a run as he continued through the hangar. He could see his assigned T-47 speeder up ahead, and his copilot - a boy named Dak, who was a tourist aboard the _Executor_ - was looking over at him hopefully now.

"Feeling all right sir?" Dak asked, as Luke climbed up into the cockpit.

"Just like new, Dak," Luke assured him. _And you don't have to call me 'sir'; we're supposed to be buddies here__._ "How about you?"

"Right now I feel I could take on the whole Empire myself," Dak replied eagerly.

"I know what you mean," Luke agreed, smiling at the boy's infectious enthusiasm. _Though if I were going into a real battle right now, I'd get decimated,_ he admitted; Luke had never attempted to fly without using Force powers, and was curious to find out what it was like.

_I'll need to get used to this, if I leave the Order to work for the Coruscant police,_ Luke realized, lifting off in their T-47 and proceeding carefully toward the hangar exit. _This is good practice._ It felt strange, to be sure; but _other_ people managed to fly without Force powers, and Luke checked his instruments carefully, keeping a wary eye on his surroundings as he continued over the glistening snowdrifts toward the battle site beyond. _Yeah... I can do this._

Several Imperial walkers were marching toward them now, through the distant snowy wastelands. The All-Terrain Armored Transports - as well as the T-47 fighters which the Rebels were flying in this scene - were part of the equipment that had been seized from Gardulla's base here on Hoth. _Republic law states that all of this stuff has to be destroyed,_ Luke thought, suppressing a mischievous grin as he and the others flew toward the massive armored transports. _It doesn't specify HOW._

"Echo Station Five-Seven, we're on our way," Luke said over his transmitter, as they began their approach; they had all practiced this scene together yesterday, before Luke's misfortunate incident with the Wampa. "All right, boys, keep tight now."

But now Dak decided to improvise. "Luke, I have no approach vector," he protested. "I'm not set!"

_Huh?_ Luke frowned in confusion. _Approach vector... What? _"Steady Dak," he reassured him. _The bad guys are in front of us, and we're heading toward them; our approach vector is just fine._ "Attack pattern Delta," Luke reminded the others, over the transmitter. "Go now!" He flew in closer to one of the armored transports, carefully keeping his course steady for the others to follow. "All right, I'm coming in..."

_Crap, this is scary without Force powers,_ Luke admitted, darting between the legs of one AT-AT, then swooping up over the next. _Seriously, how do people do this?_ But the others had managed it effortlessly, and were still following him in close formation; Luke was suddenly developing a newfound respect for people who _didn't_ have Force abilities. _That's really not easy..._ Though it was honestly no worse than rush-hour traffic on Coruscant, and Luke realized he would need to get used to this, if he was to qualify for a job with the police department.

Luke and the others had been firing their laser weapons at the AT-ATs for several seconds now, to no avail; Hobbie was supposed to make mention of this fact, but was being uncharacteristically silent. "Hobbie, you still with me?" Luke asked, glancing in his direction. _Uh... Hobbie?_ But there was no reply, and Luke sighed, shaking his head. _Great, I guess it's up to me..._ "That armor's too strong for blasters," Luke improvised, covering for Hobbie's part. "Rogue Group, use your harpoons and tow cables," he added. "Go for the legs; it might be our only chance of stopping them."

_So... Does EVERYONE have stage fright today?_ Luke wondered, as his instructions were met by total silence. Most of the gunners were tourists from this week's _Executor_ cruise, but the pilots were all regulars on the show. _Come on, guys... I feel stupid talking to myself._ "All right; stand by, Dak," Luke said, preparing for their assault. _We're going in..._

But now his gunner decided to improvise again. "Oh, Luke - we've got a malfunction in fire control," Dak blurted out randomly. _Fire control... What?_ Still, Luke was grateful that _someone_ was attempting dialogue, even if it made no sense.

"Just hang on," Luke told him. "Hang on, Dak; get ready to fire that tow cable." _Don't worry, we're not going to catch on fire. _

But suddenly they _did_ catch on fire; at least, a brief flash, as Dak somehow managed to short-circuit his own control panel. "Ahh!" the boy cried, slumping forward dramatically and pretending to be unconscious.

"Dak," Luke said, looking back at him in confusion. _You did not just die from that tiny little spark._ "Dak!" But there was no answer, and now Luke peered at him worriedly. _Crap, maybe he's really hurt?_ "Dak," he said. "Seriously - you okay, buddy?"

"Shhh," Dak whispered stubbornly, keeping his face planted against the dashboard. "I'm dead."

"What? No you're not," Luke laughed. "Come on; it was just a little spark." _Anyway, you can't die; we gotta do this scene._

But the avid _SITH_ fan refused to be swayed. "It was a lot worse than it looked," Dak insisted, still not moving.

"All right," Luke chuckled, shaking his head. _So my gunner is being a drama queen, and Hobbie's got stage fright... Jonah's here though,_ he reassured himself. _We can handle this._ "Rogue Three," Luke said, glancing over at him now.

"Copy, Rogue Leader," Jonah replied obediently.

"Wedge, I've lost my gunner," Luke said, trying to act duly concerned. _He died of a low-voltage short circuit; it was tragic._ "You'll have to make this shot," he told him. "I'll cover for you. Set your harpoon; follow me on the next pass."

"Coming around, Rogue Leader," Jonah agreed.

_Thank you,_ Luke sighed gratefully. Like his father and grandfather, Jonah Lars - who played a Rebel named Wedge on the show - was a brilliant improviser. _Though usually Hobbie is too,_ Luke realized, glancing over at him worriedly. _Why isn't he saying anything?_ "Steady, Rogue Two," Luke said, still concerned by his silence. _Hopefully he's all right...?_

_I don't know about this,_ Luke admitted, suddenly regretting his decision to lead this attack. _Maybe we should call it off, and get some of the guys from Border Patrol to film this scene._ But Jonah was already making his approach, and Luke sighed, hoping for the best. _Jonah and the others have been flying without Force powers for years,_ he reminded himself, quelling his own nerves. _This is no big deal._

"Activate harpoon!" Jonah instructed his gunner now, as they swooped past the Imperial walker. "Good shot, Janson," he added, as the harpoon attached to the AT-AT's leg. The massive armored transports were being operated by remote control; still, Luke realized there was a potential danger to the pilots in this scene, if anything went wrong.

But Jonah seemed far more confident about the situation. "One more pass," he said, circling the AT-AT for the third time.

"Coming around, Wedge," his gunner agreed. "Cable out," he told him. "Let her go!"

Jonah flew quickly away from the monstrous armored transport as they detached their cable; and a moment later the AT-AT lost its balance, falling headfirst into the snowy ground. _Haha... Awesome._ Luke grinned in relief as two pilots from Jedi Border Patrol swooped in and opened fire upon the fallen AT-AT, which exploded in a dazzling ball of flame.

"Ha!" Jonah cheered exuberantly. "That got him!"

"Yeah, it did," Luke agreed. _Though if we have fighters that can blow up an Imperial walker in one shot, why are we even bothering with these tow cables?_ But in his two years of working on _SITH_, Luke had learned not to ask such questions, and just laughed to himself, enjoying the show.

_Anyway, it's our job to look hopelessly outmatched,_ he remembered, as they prepared for their next assault. _So that when Han and Chewie finally arrive in the Millennium Falcon to save us from certain death, they look like the real heroes._

_Speaking of which..._ Luke frowned uncertainly, glancing back toward the base. _Where is Han, anyway?_

* * *

><p><em>Meanwhile...<em>

"No!" Han said. "No... no," he told Chewie, climbing over the _Falcon's_ hull to help him. "This one goes there; that one goes there, right?"

_"Gaahhhh,"_ Chewbacca moaned unhappily, nodding.

_I hear ya, buddy,_ Han sighed, returning to his own task. _Crap, we'd better get this fixed or we're going to miss the whole battle scene,_ he realized. _And what a tragedy that would be,_ he thought wryly. _To NOT look like the one responsible for destroying all of Gardulla's stuff..._

_On second thought,_ Han considered, deciding to take this opportunity to pull apart the entire ignition system. _I'm not in such a huge rush after all._

* * *

><p>"Rogue Two," Luke said, looking over at him. "Are you all right?" <em>Why haven't you been saying anything?<em>

"Yeah... I'm with you, Rogue Leader," Hobbie assured him. "Sorry about before," he apologized. "I was having a nosebleed... Stupid cold weather," he muttered, sighing.

_Nosebleed?_ Luke peered at him worriedly; he could see blood on his face now. _Crap..._ "You sure you're okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Hobbie said, nodding bravely. "Good to go."

"Okay," Luke said, impressed by his fortitude. _Meanwhile Dak here is still pretending to be dead from the smallest spark in the universe..._ "Well, set harpoon," he instructed Hobbie. "I'll cover for you."

"Coming around," Hobbie agreed, as they prepared for their second attack.

"Watch that crossfire, boys," Luke warned them. "Stay tight and low... This is it!" _This is the part where we all get shot down and crash like a bunch of idiots, so that Han can swoop in at the last second and save us,_ Luke realized, amused by the scenario.

"Ahh!" Hobbie yelled, crash-landing his speeder into a snowdrift.

"Hobbie!" Luke exclaimed dramatically. "I've been hit!" _Oh wait; so have you,_ he laughed, plowing his own T-47 into the soft, fluffy snow. _Heh... That was fun._ But now he remembered his gunner. "Dak," he said, crawling into the back and pretending to check for his pulse. "Dak!"

"Still dead," Dak whispered, refusing to move. "Go!"

"All right," Luke said. "But that armored transport is about to trample our ship," he warned him. "You might want to get out first."

"Gah... Okay," Dak agreed, finally waking up as Luke helped him out of the cockpit. They trudged a safe distance away from the oncoming AT-AT; but suddenly Luke remembered the grenade he'd left aboard the speeder. _Crap, I was supposed to take that with me. _The plan was for Han to heroically swoop in at the last moment, raining fire upon the Imperial walker; but the _Falcon's_ weapons would be set to low power, and Luke was supposed to plant the grenade and control the actual detonation himself.

_I'd better get that,_ Luke realized, scrambling back inside the T-47 and grabbing it, along with the harpoon launcher - which he would use to get aboard the _Falcon_, as it flew away to safety. _That is, if Han and Chewie ever make it out here at all, _Luke thought, diving out of the way at the last second as the AT-AT crushed his speeder.

Jonah, Hobbie, Dak, and the others had all gathered a short distance away, and Luke joined them now, as they waited for Han to arrive in the _Falcon_. But finally Jonah sighed, shaking his head. "I don't think he's coming," he admitted, as Luke nodded in rueful agreement. "Any ideas?"

"Uh..." Luke gazed at the nearest Imperial walker, which was still dutifully trudging through the snow, awaiting its imminent destruction. _So we've got a grenade, and a harpoon launcher,_ he realized, blinking. "Well... I could use the harpoon to get up underneath it, and throw a grenade inside the hull," Luke suggested.

"Awesome; yeah, do that," Jonah agreed. But then he gave Luke a concerned look. "You sure you're all right?"

"Yeah," Luke nodded, trying to look more confident than he felt. _How hard can it be?_ "All right; be back in a minute," he said with a cheerful grin, trudging off to do battle with the massive remote-controlled monstrosity.

_I'll have to get used to this sort of thing, if I join the Coruscant police,_ Luke realized. _Though typically that won't involve fighting giant armored transports in the streets. S__till, Coruscant can be a pretty crazy place,_ he admitted. _If I want to catch drug dealers without using any Force powers, I'm going to have to learn some new techniques._

_I can do this,_ Luke told himself, catching up to the Imperial walker and shooting his harpoon at its underbelly. _See?_ he thought, as he rappelled upward. _No problem._ Grabbing his lightsaber, he quickly hacked through the lock on an access panel, then tossed the grenade inside the AT-AT's hull. _Uh... Does this thing work both ways?_ Luke wondered suddenly, eyeing the makeshift rappelling device that was attached to his harness.

_No,_ Luke sighed, realizing the minor flaw in his plan. _This is a harpoon launcher, not a Jedi retractor cable._ But the AT-AT was about to explode any second now, so he pressed the harpoon's release button, falling helplessly down to the ground and praying that he wouldn't break anything. "Ooof," Luke grunted, landing heavily in the snow. But it was relatively soft, and he was wearing a helmet; thankfully, he weathered the fall much better than yesterday's admittedly embarrassing, concussion-inducing topple from the back of his Tauntaun, at a height of approximately six feet.

_Yeah... I'm okay,_ Luke reassured himself, getting up and brushing himself off. _That wasn't so bad._ In fact, it had been kind of fun. His heart was still racing somewhat; there was a strange excitement in facing danger head-on, without the benefit of Force powers. _Everyone thinks the Jedi are the bravest people in the galaxy,_ Luke sighed, trudging back to rejoin the others. _But it's not bravery if you KNOW you're going to survive._ Suddenly he found himself developing a new admiration for people who served on local police departments; who put their lives on the line every day - facing all of the danger, but getting none of the glory...

_They're the real heroes,_ Luke admitted, truly looking forward to working with them. But as he glanced back over his shoulder, he saw that the three remaining armored transports were still plodding relentlessly toward the base, their progress conspicuously unchecked.

_Haha,_ Luke laughed to himself, as he rejoined the others. _Is Han EVER going to get out here?_

* * *

><p><em>Gah... I should probably get out there,<em> Han sighed, glancing through the hangar door at the three AT-ATs which were steadily advancing upon the base. The _Falcon_ was flyable at this point, though there was still some kind of minor problem with the electrical system; but Han would have to deal with that later. _I promised Cliegg I'd do this one last scene,_ he admitted, closing the access panel and climbing up the _Falcon's_ ramp.

But suddenly he heard a loud explosion, coming from the direction of the command center. _What the hell was that?_ Han turned to look; then his eyes widened in alarm as he spotted several Stormtroopers marching through the hallway.

_We're under attack,_ Han realized, his heart pounding as he vaguely recalled the Imperial probe droid that he and Chewie had discovered earlier this morning. Somehow, he hadn't taken the threat seriously; but these Stormtroopers were all too real, and were now heading straight for the command center.

_Noooo,_ Han thought anxiously, breaking into a run as he raced through the south passage. _Hang on, Leia; I'm coming..._

* * *

><p><em>Meanwhile...<em>

Leia climbed over what was left of the command center, determined to get through this scene. _Wow... Mara's in top form today,_ she noted, sensing the girl's very real frustration and anger as she provided the special effects from behind the cameras, using the Force to tear the entire room apart. Leia could sense Anakin's concern as well, but trusted that her father knew what he was doing, and would keep his padawan from getting them all killed.

But now she looked up, hearing an all-too-familiar voice. "You all right?" Han asked urgently, suddenly appearing in the doorway.

Leia gave him an annoyed glare. "Why are you still here?" _You're not supposed to be in this scene._

"I heard the command center had been hit," Han told her, genuinely concerned.

Leia sighed wearily, sensing his obvious alarm at the situation. _Great; he's gone nuts again._ "You've got your clearance to leave," she reminded him, turning back to her computer monitor and hoping he'd take the hint. _Besides, if you'd just look behind you, you'd see that we're under attack by an emotionally-challenged Jedi padawan, not Imperial troops._

"Don't worry, I'll leave," Han said, crawling over the rubble. "First I'm gonna get you to your ship."

"Your Highness, we must take this last transport," Threepio interjected now, obediently following the script. "It's our only hope!"

_That's right,_ Leia agreed, ignoring Han as she clambered across the room again. "Send all troops in Sector Twelve to the south slope to protect the fighters," she instructed her team, joining General Rieekan at his computer terminal.

But suddenly she blinked in alarm as half the ceiling caved in. "Ahh!" Threepio cried, losing his balance and falling into Han's arms. Leia glanced worriedly behind the cameras; she could see her father's black-gauntleted hand firmly grasping his padawan's shoulder now, in an attempt to restrain Mara from doing any more damage to the set.

_"Imperial troops have entered the base,"_ a voice announced over the loudspeaker. _"Imperial troops have entered - "_

"Come on," Han said, taking Leia by the arm. "That's it."

Leia glanced uncertainly at Cliegg. _Please, make him go away..._ But the director was motioning for her to continue, so she sighed, carrying on with the scene. _Fine; but I'm sticking to the plan._ "Give the evacuation code signal," she told General Rieekan, as Han physically dragged her away from the command center. "And get to your transports!"

_I'm SO glad he's leaving the show,_ Leia sighed in annoyance, as Han dragged her through the hallways toward her awaiting transport. Jedi Border Patrol was carefully supervising the destruction, and knights were stationed throughout the building to make sure that it didn't _completely_ collapse; but now the passageway caved in several yards ahead of them, and Leia shrieked in alarm as Han grabbed her, tackling her to the ground in a fervent but entirely unnecessary attempt to protect her. _Get off me..._

"Transport, this is Solo," Han said, into his comlink. "Better take off; I can't get to you. I'll get her out on the _Falcon_. Come on," he said, grabbing Leia by the arm and dragging her off in the other direction.

"Ahh," Leia protested, stumbling after him helplessly. _Let go of me..._

"But - but - but - where are you going?" Threepio asked, still chasing after them. _I have no idea,_ Leia commiserated. _Save yourself..._ "Come back," Threepio pleaded, following them back through the passageway.

_"Rrrraaauuuughhh,"_ Chewbacca roared now, waving to Han as they arrived in the docking bay. _"Rrraaarr!"_

_You've got to be kidding,_ Leia sighed, seeing the camera crew in the corner - along with Cliegg Lars himself, who was enthusiastically gesturing for her to board the _Falcon_ along with Han and Chewie. _Fine_, Leia agreed, quelling her seething frustration and reminding herself that this would be their last scene together, _ever_.

"Hurry up, Goldenrod, or you're gonna be a permanent resident," Han yelled, still in full-on deranged acting mode as they ran aboard the _Falcon_ - which Chewbacca was now trying to get started, to no avail. "How's this?" Han called out, pressing some buttons on the control panel.

Leia sighed in exasperation as the engine stalled again, making a pathetic whirring noise. "Would it help if I got out and pushed?"

"Captain Solo! Captain Solo!" Threepio babbled anxiously, hurrying toward them.

Han ignored him, giving Leia an annoyed look. "It might."

"Might I suggest that you - " Threepio broke off mid-sentence, seeing Han's obvious frustration. "It can wait."

"This bucket of bolts is never going to get us past that blockade," Leia pointed out, following Han into the cockpit. _And thank goodness for that,_ she sighed; with any luck, the _Falcon_ would fail to start altogether, and Cliegg would cut this whole ridiculous scene, and let her get back to her own transport.

But Han remained undeterred. "This baby's got a few surprises left in her, sweetheart," he said, powering up the main controls. Several Stormtroopers had arrived in the hangar, and were opening fire on them; but now Leia blinked in alarm as she noticed that the _Falcon's _laser cannon was shooting back at them, apparently unmanned._ I hope Chewie set that thing to low power,_ she cringed, as several Stormtroopers were hit by the powerful but random blasts. _This is why Han shouldn't be allowed to act._

"Switch over," Han said, as Chewbacca joined them in the cockpit. "Let's hope we don't have a burnout."

_Please - let's have a burnout,_ Leia prayed, still hoping this whole scene would be cut.

"See?" Han said reproachfully, as the engine actually started up this time.

_Terrific..._ "Some day you're going to be wrong, and I just hope I'm there to see it," Leia retorted in frustration. _Actually, I don't,_ she confessed, just praying that this scene would soon be over, and that she would never have to work with him again.

"Punch it," Han instructed Chewie - who playfully complied, literally _punching_ the ship's control panel with a big furry paw.

Leia glanced balefully out the cockpit window to see her father arriving in the hangar now. _Help me, dad,_ she pleaded silently, as the _Falcon_ took off from the docking bay, continuing up through the atmosphere. _I'm being kidnapped by insane people._

* * *

><p>Anakin watched in confusion as the <em>Millennium Falcon<em> blasted away from Hoth, with Leia on board. _That wasn't the plan, was it?_ He could sense his daughter's intense unhappiness at this situation; but Cliegg seemed to know what he was doing, so Anakin sighed, going along with it.

_Sorry, Leia,_ Anakin cringed behind his mask, as the _Falcon_ disappeared into the blue sky beyond. _I'll try to catch up with you, sweety._


	179. Getting out would have been a good idea

**Chapter 179**

_"Rrrraaaaauuuuggghhhh!"_

"I saw 'em, I saw 'em!" Han said, as they sped away from Hoth.

"Saw what?" Leia asked worriedly.

"Star Destroyers. Two of them, coming right at us."

_Yes; those are part of the Executor tour,_ Leia sighed, realizing that Han was still off in the magical land of make-believe. _This is fun._

"Sir! Sir!" Threepio chimed in. "Might I suggest - "

"Shut him up or shut him down," Han said impatiently. "Check the deflector shields," he added to Chewie, as the _Falcon_ was jostled by another completely harmless blast coming from the nearby cruise ship. "Great," Han muttered. "Well, we can still outmaneuver them," he decided, launching into an evasive spin pattern as he flew straight through the Imperial fleet. Now they were being pursued by four TIE fighters as well - remote-controlled homing droids which Owen had apparently just dispatched from aboard the _Executor_, programmed to chase after the _Falcon_.

But now Leia blinked in surprise to hear a decidedly Nabooan voice over the _Falcon's_ transmitter. _"Uh, Han...? We've got trouble." _

"Boba!" Han exclaimed. "No kidding... I've got four TIE fighters on my tail," he told him. "Get 'em off me, will you?"

_"What?"_ Boba sounded confused. _"No, those are just remotes,"_ he pointed out. _"Bossk is your real problem."_

"Bossk?" Han repeated, as Leia blinked in alarm. "Where is he?"

_"I don't know; somewhere around here,"_ Boba said vaguely. _"He's cloaking... I think there might be a couple others too."_

"Terrific," Han muttered, glancing apprehensively out the cockpit window.

_"Just get out of here,"_ Boba told him. _"I've got you covered."_

"All right," Han agreed, pressing some buttons. "Prepare to make the jump to lightspeed."

"But sir!" Threepio protested.

_Great... This again,_ Leia sighed, already deeply regretting her decision to set foot aboard the _Falcon_. She could see several vague, erratic blips on the _Falcon's_ scanner now, indicating cloaked vessels in their vicinity. "They're getting closer," she warned Han.

"Oh yeah? Watch this," Han said, pulling the hyperdrive lever.

"Watch what?" Leia asked worriedly, as the engine made a pathetic whirring noise.

"I think we're in trouble," Han muttered.

"If I may say so, sir, I noticed earlier the hyperdrive motivator has been damaged," Threepio said. "It's impossible to go to lightspeed."

"We're in trouble," Han confirmed, instantly heading back toward the _Falcon's_ control room, as Chewbacca followed.

_What the hell?_ Leia blinked in disbelief as they left her alone in the cockpit. _Does EVERYONE in this galaxy hate him?_ Han couldn't seem to go for more than five seconds without pissing _someone_ off - to the point where he now had a small fleet of cloaked bounty hunters after him. _What did he do this time?_

But now the _Falcon_ lurched abruptly, and Leia gasped as a gigantic boulder crashed into the cockpit window. _Crap! _"Han, get up here!" she called back to him urgently. "Asteroids," she pointed out, as Han and Chewie returned to the cockpit.

"I know," Han muttered, taking his seat. "Chewie, set two-seven-one."

"What are you doing?" Leia asked, staring in disbelief as Han flew the _Falcon_ straight into the oncoming boulders. "You're not actually going _into_ an asteroid field?"

"They'd be crazy to follow us, wouldn't they?" Han pointed out.

Leia shook her head anxiously. "You don't have to do this to impress me."

"Sir!" Threepio protested. "The possibility of successfully navigating an asteroid field is approximately three thousand, seven hundred and twenty to one!"

"Never tell me the odds," Han retorted.

_Just how crazy IS he?_ Leia wondered again, her heart pounding. But Han seemed to know what he was doing, so she tried to quell her own nerves as they continued through the asteroid field, swerving in between the massive boulders. _They do this sort of thing all the time,_ Leia told herself, trusting in Han and Chewie's piloting skills. _This is nothing to them._

But her feelings told her otherwise, and she could sense Han's genuine apprehension as they were pummeled by a barrage of oncoming rocks. "You said you wanted to be around when I made a mistake," he reminded her grimly. "Well this could be it, sweetheart."

"I take it back," Leia admitted. "We're going to get pulverized if we stay out here much longer."

"Ain't gonna argue with that," Han agreed. "I'm going in closer to one of the big ones."

"Closer?" Leia asked, alarmed. _What are you doing?_ They still had two TIE fighter droids on their tail, and Han flew through a narrow canyon now, forcing them to crash against the rocky walls. _Does he still think he's running from Imperials?_ she wondered, trying to judge his overall level of insanity.

"Oh, this is suicide!" Threepio cried. "There's nowhere to go."

"There," Han said, pointing. "That looks pretty good."

Leia furrowed her brows. "What looks pretty good?"

"Yeah," Han said confidently. "That'll do nicely."

"Excuse me, ma'am," Threepio apologized. "But - where are we going?"

_Into some kind of cave, apparently,_ Leia sighed, as they flew deeper inside the asteroid. "I hope you know what you're doing."

She was not encouraged by his reply. "Yeah, me too," Han agreed.

* * *

><p><em>Meanwhile...<em>

_What's going on?_ Anakin wondered, racing toward the asteroid field in a Jedi Starfighter he'd borrowed from the Hoth base. He had been sensing Leia's intense distress for the past several minutes, and had left Mara behind on Hoth, wanting to investigate the situation on his own.

The _Falcon's_ elusive signal had finally disappeared from his scanner altogether a minute ago; but Anakin could still sense Leia's presence, deep within the asteroid field. _They've found a place to land, and shut down,_ he guessed; most likely a cave, on one of the bigger asteroids.

He had also noticed _Slave I_ on his way up here, as well as several vague blips on his scanner, indicating cloaked vessels in the area. _Probably Gardulla's bounty hunters..._ But if they had cloaking devices, it meant that they were larger ships, incapable of navigating the asteroid field.

_The Falcon's safe for the moment,_ Anakin told himself. Leia's presence felt anxious, but not completely panicked; he could even sense a hint of annoyance and frustration now. _That's a good sign,_ he thought, with a rueful grin. _Mad is better than scared._

He couldn't contact Boba over the transmitter; it wasn't secure, and Anakin didn't want to give Gardulla's bounty hunters any _more_ reason to believe that Han and Boba were in league with the Jedi. He realized he would need to tread carefully here; the asteroid field was located just beyond Republic space, and technically belonged to Gardulla's own territories in the Outer Rim. The Jedi were not authorized to patrol this area, and an attack against one of Gardulla's bounty hunters - inside her own territory - would be considered an act of war.

_What a mess,_ Anakin sighed. He wasn't terribly concerned about the cloaked vessels; these ships were by necessity large and notoriously unwieldy. If they were to de-cloak, Boba would have the upper hand against them, with his superior maneuverability and speed. _And they know it,_ Anakin sighed, realizing that the situation was at a stalemate for the moment.

_But they've probably already called for backup,_ Anakin guessed; a fleet of smaller ships was undoubtedly on the way here now. _And then Boba's going to have his hands full,_ he admitted. The Jedi would not be able to interfere, although Anakin himself had no qualms about breaking that rule, if his daughter's life was in danger.

_I could go in there now, and get her out before the smaller fighters arrive,_ he considered. But that would betray the _Falcon's_ exact location to the bounty hunters. The _Millennium Falcon_ had a unique anti-tracking system that dispersed its signal over a wide range, making it difficult to pinpoint exactly. At this point Gardulla's bounty hunters probably knew that the _Falcon_ had disappeared _somewhere_ inside the vast asteroid field; but even after the smaller fighters arrived, it would take them hours of hunting - if not days - to actually find them.

But if Anakin or Boba were to go in there and try to help them now, they would lead the bounty hunters straight to the _Falcon_. Anakin shook his head reluctantly, admitting that for the moment, the safest course of action was to stay away. _Hopefully Han will fix whatever's wrong, and get out of there before the smaller fighters arrive._

_Sorry, Leia,_ Anakin sighed in regret, heading back toward Hoth. He would keep a close eye on the situation, and would not hesitate to interfere if truly became necessary; but for now there was still a chance that Han and Boba might be able to handle this themselves, and get out of there safely. _Hang in there, sweety._

"What's going on?" Cliegg asked a minute later, joined by Mara and several other Jedi as Anakin landed in the hangar back on Hoth.

"They're hiding in the asteroid field, just beyond Republic space," Anakin said, filling them in on the situation. "They're probably finishing up some repairs to the _Falcon_, before they take off again. I picked up a few cloaked bounty hunters on my scanner, but they won't dare de-cloak with Boba Fett around," he assured them. "For the moment, they're safe; as long as they get out of there before Gardulla's reinforcements arrive, they should be all right."

Cliegg sighed heavily, nodding. "I'm glad you're here," he confessed. "All of you," he added, with an appreciative glance at the other Jedi. "All right; let's hope they get out of there before the _Executor_ tour moves on to Polis Massa," Cliegg said. "We're scheduled to leave in two hours, but we can delay that a bit if we have to," he told Anakin. "All right, everyone, let's finish packing up," he announced to his crew. "We need to get back aboard the _Executor_."

* * *

><p><em>A few minutes later...<em>

"Lord Vader," Palpatine's holographic image said testily, as Anakin knelt before him. "What is it?"

"We have a new enemy," Anakin said, trying to set aside his concern and focus on the matter at hand. "The young Rebel who destroyed the Death Star: I have no doubt that this boy is the offspring of Anakin Skywalker," he added cryptically.

Sidious furrowed his brows, doubtful. "How is that possible?"

"I have searched my feelings, My Master," Anakin replied. "I _know_ it to be true."

"Your feelings can betray you, Lord Vader," Sidious warned him. "Have you any actual reason to believe this?"

_Uh... He has a point,_ Anakin confessed, blinking thoughtfully behind his mask. He'd always _assumed_ Luke was his son; but in point of fact, he had never actually taken a paternity test. _If those tabloid rumors about Padmé and Obi-Wan turn out to be true, then the joke is on me..._

"He has my name," Anakin pointed out. "And I have seen surveillance videos," he told Sidious. "He has - my eyes," he confessed, not faking his discomfort at this scene - which was bound to spawn yet another wave of tabloid rumors that Luke _was_ in fact his son, though thankfully no one ever believed such ridiculous claims. "He has... my face," Anakin finished uncomfortably.

Palpatine raised his brows. "Does he?" he asked mildly. "I wasn't aware that you had one. When was the last time you looked in a mirror, Lord Vader?" he challenged him. "Take a good look at yourself, my young apprentice. A good, long, look," he added cruelly. "And _then_ tell me, if you see any resemblance to this boy."

Anakin bowed his head. "Yes, My Master."

"Cut! Perfect," Owen said, nodding. "All right, Beru - can you help him get ready for the next scene?" Anakin pulled off his helmet, giving Beru a rueful grin as she helped him into the hideous burned-flesh mask which he wore occasionally on the show.

"Sidious and Mara - let's do your throne room scene next," Owen said, turning to them. They were filming on the _Executor's_ sound stage, which included sets for Vader's private chamber, the Emperor's throne room on Coruscant, and a few other commonly-used locations. All of these sets existed in their full-scale glory aboard the _Executor_ or the Death Star hotel; but filler scenes such as this were often filmed here on this stage, for convenience purposes. "And... Action."

"There is a great disturbance in the Force," Palpatine began, as Mara bowed before him.

"I have felt it," Mara agreed.

"The son of Skywalker must not become a Jedi," Palpatine warned her. "He could destroy us."

Mara's expression was scornful. "He is just a boy."

"The Force is strong with him," Palpatine countered. "And Lord Vader is beginning to suspect the truth," he added testily. "With their combined strength, they could overthrow us. You must deal with young Skywalker swiftly now, once and for all. Hunt him down," he told Mara. "Do not return until he is dead."

Mara bowed solemnly. "As you wish, My Master."

"Cut... Great job," Owen said. "So, we've set the scene for Mara's duel with Luke on Polis Massa tomorrow," he noted, crossing it off his list. "All right... Anakin, are you ready for - ahhh!" he exclaimed, seeing Anakin's hideous, burned mask. "Yeah, you're ready," he laughed. "Okay, just a quick shot of you looking in the mirror," he told him, as Anakin nodded, taking a seat inside Vader's private chamber. "Try to look sad."

_Look sad?_ Anakin blinked, staring at his reflection. _I can barely move my face..._ It was so much easier acting with his helmet _on_; generally he just had to storm around the set and attempt to sound creepy. And even if he messed up his dialogue, it could be dubbed over afterwards, with no one knowing the difference. But this was a bit more difficult, and he frowned uncertainly, peering into the shiny computer panel that served as Vader's makeshift mirror. _Do I look sad enough?_

_Uh... guys?_ Anakin wondered, glancing furtively at Owen and Beru, who were now talking to Cliegg. _Am I done here?_

"Okay, let's do that... Send him in," Owen was saying now, as Cliegg nodded, heading back outside the doorway. "All right, Anakin - yes, you're done; that was perfect," he added, seeing Anakin's confused look. _What? You didn't even see me..._ "One more quick scene here," Owen said. "We're going to try adding a storyline for what's going on with the _Falcon_," he explained. "We'll just make it up as we go along," he sighed, genuinely concerned about the situation. "But for now, Piett's going to come in, and - make some kind of announcement," Owen said vaguely; apparently Cliegg had it all planned out. "Just go with it," he told Anakin.

Admiral Piett - the latest in a long line of Imperial officers which Darth Vader strangled every week - was already making his way onto the set, and Anakin blinked uncertainly, waiting for his helmet to seal onto his suit. _So - he's just walking in on me, with my helmet off?_ he wondered, baffled. _Wow, that's pretty random..._ But Anakin attempted to act dignified as he swiveled around to face him. "Yes, Admiral?" _I should kill you right now, just for looking at me._

"Our ships have sighted the _Millennium Falcon_, Lord," Piett informed him. "But it has entered an asteroid field, and we cannot risk - _Aaaagghhhh,_" he choked, obediently clutching at his throat as Anakin reached a hand out, applying a gentle squeezing pressure.

"Asteroids do not concern me, Admiral," Anakin replied, releasing his grasp as Piett dutifully crumpled to the ground. "I want that ship, not excuses."

"Heh... That was good," Owen said, grinning. "But we're running out of officers, here," he admitted. "You just killed Ozzel this morning," he reminded Anakin. "At this rate we're not going to have anyone left to film the rest of the show," Owen confessed. "Let's try it from your last line again - but without strangling him this time," he added to Anakin, his eyes twinkling good-naturedly.

Anakin nodded in agreement, as Piett stood up again. _Uh... Crap, what WAS my last line?_ he wondered, blinking. Then he sighed. _No idea._ "Whatever I said before, shall be dubbed over this part," Anakin declared, in an ominous tone of voice. "Is that understood?"

To his credit, Piett managed to look serious. "Yes, Lord," he agreed, as Anakin closed the hatch door in his face.

"All right, everyone," Owen said, laughing. "That's all for now," he told them. "Thanks guys; terrific job."

_Heh,_ Anakin laughed to himself, opening the hatch door again. _That was fun._ But as he pulled off his helmet, and _two_ layers of masks, reality began to sink in again, and he sighed, remembering that his daughter was still stuck inside an asteroid cave, surrounded by bounty hunters.

_Come on, guys,_ he thought anxiously. _Just fix whatever's wrong, and get out of there._


	180. I happen to like nice men

**Chapter 180**

"I'm gonna shut down everything but the emergency power systems," Han announced, coming into the cockpit.

"Sir, I'm almost afraid to ask," Threepio said worriedly. "But does that include shutting me down too?"

"No, I need you to talk to the _Falcon_," Han told him. "Find out what's wrong with the hyperdrive."

Suddenly the ship lurched. _"Rrrrauuuuggghhh,"_ Chewbacca wailed, as Leia grabbed onto the navicomputer to steady herself.

"Sir," Threepio noted hesitantly. "It's quite possible this asteroid is not entirely stable."

"Not entirely stable?" Han repeated sarcastically. "I'm glad you're here to tell us these things," he told him, annoyed. "Chewie, take the professor in the back and plug him into the hyperdrive."

"Oh! Sometimes I just don't understand human behavior," Threepio said, as Chewbacca led him back to the control room. "After all, I'm only trying to do my job - " His babbling was cut off as the cockpit door closed behind him.

But now the ship lurched again, and Leia lost her balance, falling onto Han's lap in the pilot's seat as he instinctively caught her.

_Oh, my..._ Leia gasped suddenly, feeling a strange, tingling sensation, coming from her nether regions. _What IS that?_ She looked down worriedly; Han's left arm was still supporting her under the armpit, but now she blinked in alarm to see that his right hand was resting directly on her crotch. _Ohh..._

Han seemed completely unaware of the situation, and was listening intently to the distant, muffled sounds coming from outside the asteroid. She knew he didn't mean to be touching her in inappropriate places; but even without _trying_, he was managing to make her feel more aroused than Julian ever had, in the two years they'd been dating. _How is this fair?_ Leia sighed, feeling simultaneously frustrated, annoyed, and undeniably turned on.

_I should get up,_ she realized. _I shouldn't just keep sitting here. _But it felt so wonderful, and tingly... _Seriously, why can't Julian do this?_ Then she remembered the cameras, and the fact that she hated Han with a fiery passion, and finally summoned the willpower to defend her honor. "Let go," she said quietly.

"Shh," Han whispered, still listening to the sounds outside the ship.

"Let go, please," Leia said again, grasping his wrists and physically prying his right hand off her crotch. _Gah..._

Finally Han realized where he'd accidentally touched her, and scowled defensively. "Don't get excited!"

"Captain, being held by you isn't quite enough to get me excited," Leia assured him, grateful beyond words that she was female, and that there was no obvious physical indication of the fact that she was lying.

"Sorry, sweetheart," Han apologized. She could sense his genuine discomfort and embarrassment over his mistake; but as he set her back on her feet, there was a roguish twinkle in his eyes. "I haven't got time for anything else," he teased her, flashing a seductive grin as he left the cockpit.

_Ahhh... Don't do that to me,_ Leia sighed helplessly, powerless to resist his famous sex appeal. Han's romantic exploits had been well-documented in the _Galactic Enquirer_ over the past two years. Women across the galaxy threw themselves at the devilishly handsome Solo prince on a nightly basis; judging from what Leia had read, the sheer number of Han's sexual conquests had to be in the hundreds by now.

_Meanwhile I'm a twenty-one-year-old virgin,_ Leia sighed. In general she was _proud_ of that fact, as she was engaged to marry Prince Julian Organa, heir to the throne of Alderaan. Still, she couldn't help feeling a stab of resentment at the mocking look she'd seen in Han's eyes just now.

Even worse, she realized that whole exchange had been caught on camera. _Great,_ Leia thought bitterly, smacking the wall in frustration. Now the entire galaxy was likely to see that she'd allowed a notorious womanizer to grope her private parts - for several seconds, in a decidedly inappropriate way. It wasn't exactly the impression she was trying to make on the people of Alderaan, and was sure to spawn a flurry of tabloid rumors.

_But it will blow over,_ Leia told herself, sighing. The best thing about Han was that he literally dated anyone with a pulse; by the time the tabloids got news of this incident, he would have already slept with at least half a dozen other women. _No one will take this seriously._

Still, Leia frowned in resentment, insulted and offended by Han's seductive, mocking, and impossibly gorgeous grin. _If he thinks I'm just another one of his sluts that he can have his way with, he's got another thing coming._

* * *

><p><em>Meanwhile...<em>

Alcon-Fay sighed in blissful ecstasy as Han thrust his shaft into her, over, and over, and over... _Ohhh, don't stop..._ He was pushing all her buttons now; Han knew exactly how to turn her on, but his mind seemed to be elsewhere at the moment, and she could tell he wasn't focusing on the task at hand.

"Gah," Han sighed in frustration. "It's not working," he admitted, catching his breath and casting a baleful glance at his woefully inadequate tool. "Ahh, I don't know what the hell is wrong with this thing," he muttered, abruptly getting up and storming out of the room.

_I do,_ Alcon-Fay thought unhappily; it wasn't the first time this had happened, and undoubtedly wouldn't be the last. But talking to Han about such issues never did any good, so Alcon-Fay sighed in weary acceptance, letting him go.

_He's not a bad guy,_ she told herself. He generally treated her very well, though he tended toward grumpiness, and sometimes got a little rough with her. But they had been faithful partners for over a decade now, and deep down, Alcon-Fay knew that Han loved her.

_There's nothing wrong with his tool,_ Alcon-Fay thought, wishing she could console him. _He just isn't using it right._ Though she had to admit his technique was infinitely better than Chewbacca's; her whole body still throbbed painfully from the Wookiee's bungled attempt at 'servicing' her this morning.

_I'll be all right, though,_ Alcon-Fay reassured herself. She was no wilting damsel; in truth, she liked it a bit rough and tumble. Though today had really pushed her limits; so far she'd been shot at, smacked around, punched in the face, hit by rocks, and even caught on fire.

But worst of all, she'd been _insulted_; by the prissy little princess who was sitting in her cockpit right now. _I am not a 'bucket of bolts',_ Alcon-Fay sulked. _I'm a YT-1300 Corellian light freighter,_ she told herself proudly. _With all sorts of special modifications..._

_And that's the whole problem,_ Alcon-Fay sighed. Most of her special modifications had been made by her previous owner - a man named Tarv, whom Alcon-Fay had served faithfully for many years. _Until he tossed me aside, in a Sabbac game,_ Alcon-Fay grumbled; she would never forgive him for that. But one of Tarv's modifications had been to program Alcon-Fay to speak in a cryptic dialect, which no one else could understand.

It was admittedly frustrating at times. Alcon-Fay knew exactly what was wrong with her hyperdrive right now; the power coupling on the negative axis had been polarized, and needed to be replaced. But she couldn't explain that to Han, and so she would just have to be patient, and wait for him to figure it out on his own.

_It's taking him a long time, though,_ Alcon-Fay noted, sighing. _Longer than usual..._ And she had a pretty good idea why. _It's that princess,_ Alcon-Fay suspected. _She's distracting him..._ Whenever the princess was around, Han tended to lose his focus, and get flustered; and when Han got flustered, bad things tended to happen. _And then I end up getting hurt, _Alcon-Fay confessed, wincing at the aches and pains that had plagued her for two weeks now.

_The princess was on board that day, on Ord Mantell,_ Alcon-Fay recalled. _The day I got hurt..._ She cringed at the memory of the kazillion-volt laser blast that had hit her that day, coursing through her entire body and causing untold damage to her electrical circuitry. Alcon-Fay had never felt such intense pain in her entire life. _And now she calls me a 'bucket of bolts'...? This is all her fault,_ Alcon-Fay thought bitterly. _No, I don't like her one bit._

But now she was interrupted by a signal coming through her binary interface. _"Hello," _the silent transmission began. _"I am See-Threepio, human-cyborg relations. Might I inquire, what seems to be the problem with your hyperdrive system?"_

_Huh? Oh, it's that protocol droid,_ Alcon-Fay realized, eyeing him now. _Sure, you might inquire,_ she thought glumly. _But you won't understand what I'm saying._ Still, it was worth a try... _"E-thay ower-pay oupling-cay on-ay e-thay egative-nay axis-ay as-hay een-bay olarized-pay,"_ Alcon-Fay told him, in her highly complex, top-secret, virtually uncrackable code language. _"I'm-ay afraid-ay ou'll-yay ave-hay o-tay eplace-ray it-ay."_

"Oh! Where is Artoo when I need him?" the protocol droid lamented, turning to Han now. _Yeah, he has no idea what I just said_. "Sir, I don't know where your ship learned to communicate, but it has the most peculiar dialect," the droid confessed, as Alcon-Fay sighed dismally. _I know..._ "I believe, sir, it says that the power coupling on the negative axis has been polarized," it continued, translating her message for him. "I'm afraid you'll have to replace it."

Alcon-Fay blinked, startled. _What?_

"Well of course I'll have to replace it," Han agreed matter-of-factly. "Here," he said, handing a cable up to Chewbacca. "And Chewie?" he added quietly, heeding the protocol droid's advice. "I think we'd better replace the negative power coupling."

Alcon-Fay's mind reeled. _He actually understood that?_ _"Ait-way!"_ she said to the protocol droid now; but he had already detached from her binary interface, and was shuffling away across the control room. _"Ooooooooo-nay!"_ she called after him desperately. _"Ome-cay ack-bay!"_

* * *

><p><em>Meanwhile...<em>

_There we go,_ Leia sighed, finishing up her welding task. _All fixed..._ Han and Chewie had just figured out the problem with the hyperdrive; with any luck, they'd get this bucket of bolts started soon, and get out of here.

She flipped the mechanism back up, latching it in place; then she twisted the lever to lock it into position. But it wouldn't move... "Ugh," she grunted, trying again. _Seriously?_ It had worked just fine before; there was no reason for it to suddenly be jammed. _Ahh, I hate this dumb ship..._

But suddenly she felt a decidedly unwelcome presence as Han reached around her, grasping the lever and offering his assistance. _Crap, Han, why do you do that?_ She shoved him away, giving him an indignant look. _Can't you find a way to 'help' me that doesn't involve grabbing my crotch, or feeling me up?_

"Hey, Your Worship," Han protested, defensive. "I'm only trying to help."

_Yeah, I know,_ Leia sighed; she had cooled down a bit since the incident in the cockpit, and had realized once again that it wasn't entirely Han's fault that he was an idiot Solo. _Speaking of which..._ "Would you please stop calling me that?" _I'm not Corellian, you know._ The Solos had the most ridiculous titles of any planet in the galaxy; King Ludec was known as 'His Royal Majestyness', and Dorian's official title was 'His Senatorship'. Whereas his father - the notoriously accident-prone Prince Marco Solo, heir to the throne of Corellia, was ironically referred to as "His Gracefulness" - a title that could not possibly be less appropriate.

She could sense Han's wounded pride at her subtle jab against his family. "Sure... Leia," he said, his presence conveying a mixture of apology, uncertainty, frustration, and defensiveness... But at the same time she couldn't shake the feeling that somehow he was _mocking_ her.

_I seriously don't get you._ "You make it so difficult sometimes," Leia sighed in exasperation, still trying to get the lever to move. _So difficult to HATE you, because I can't tell if you're intentionally being an asshole, or just stupid._

"I do, I really do," Han agreed; once again, Leia couldn't tell if that was meant as an apology, or an insult. "You could be a little nicer, though," he said, resentment creeping into his tone, as well as his presence. "Come on, admit it. Sometimes you think I'm all right."

_See? That's the thing,_ Leia admitted, sighing. Beneath the sarcasm, the mockery, the bravado, the wildly innappropriate sexual advances... Han felt essentially innocent, childlike, vulnerable; _hurt_... Leia couldn't help feeling a sense of tenderness and compassion toward him, thought it had gotten her into trouble in the past. _Gah,_ she sighed, finally giving up on the jammed lever and nursing a sore finger. "Occasionally... Maybe," she agreed cautiously. "When you aren't acting like a scoundrel." _When you aren't groping my crotch, bankrupting my charity, or taking off with an entire shipment of priceless and irreplaceable museum artifacts,_ she thought, giving him a reproachful look.

But now the bravado was back. _And_ the mockery. "Scoundrel?" Han repeated, a roguish grin crossing his face. "Scoundrel? I like the sound of that," he murmured seductively, massaging her hand and overwhelming poor Leia with the unleashed power of his famous sexual magnetism.

_Ahhh! Not this again... _"Stop that," Leia protested.

"Stop what?" Han asked, defensive.

_That,_ Leia thought helplessly. _The way you look at me. The way you touch me. Your voice. Your Force presence. EVERYTHING._ "Stop that," she protested again. "My hands are dirty," she added pathetically; the worst part was that he wasn't even doing anything terribly inappropriate right now.

"My hands are dirty too," he pointed out. "What are you afraid of?"

"Afraid?" Leia repeated, backed against the wall. _That I'm about to do something I'm going to deeply regret._

"You're trembling," Han realized, letting go of her hand and wrapping his arms around her protectively.

_Will you quit doing that?_ "I'm not trembling," Leia said, desperately trying to regain her composure.

"You like me because I'm a scoundrel," Han murmured, leaning closer. "There aren't enough scoundrels in your life."

_No; that's not true..._ "I happen to like nice men," Leia blurted out lamely. _Such as Julian..._

"I'm a nice man," Han assured her.

"No you're not, you're - " _a stupid, crazy Solo,_ Leia admitted, as he kissed her passionately on the lips. _Ohh, but you're a really good kisser..._ She knew it was wrong, and was vaguely aware of the hovercams surrounding them; but she couldn't find the willpower to tear herself away from him...

* * *

><p><em>Crap!<em> Alcon-Fay blinked in alarm, noticing what was going on in her control room. _Han, what are you doing? You're supposed to be fixing my hyperdrive, not - gahhh,_ she sighed, frustrated. _"Eepio-Thray!"_ she said urgently. _"O-gay ell-tay An-Hay at-thay ou've-yay isolated-ay e-thay everse-ray ower-pay ux-flay oupling-cay."_

_"But - oh dear,"_ Threepio replied uncertainly, peering into the control room. _"He seems to be rather busy at the moment."_

_"O-nay,"_ Alcon-Fay told him. _"Ust-tray e-may; is-thay is-ay important-ay,"_ she insisted quickly. _"O-gay ell-tay im-hay... Ow-nay!"_

_"Ohh... Very well, then,"_ Threepio agreed, hobbling quickly into the control room. "Sir! Sir!" he announced, delivering Alcon-Fay's message. "I've isolated the reverse power flux coupling!"

"Thank you," Han said, turning around to face him. "Thank you very much."

"Oh - you're perfectly welcome," Threepio assured him, as the princess skulked back toward the cockpit.

_Good,_ Alcon-Fay sighed. _Come on, Han. Focus,_ she thought indignantly. _Finish fixing my hyperdrive, so we can get out of here._


	181. I'm a nice man

**Chapter 181**

Han shoved his tool into the _Falcon's_ manhole, frustrated. _Ahh, that's still not working..._

He had been trying all morning to push Leia to the absolute limit, realizing this was his last chance to finally convince himself that she didn't like him, and that he should forget about her, and move on with his life. But her latest reaction had left him more confused than ever.

_She told me that sometimes I'm all right... Occasionally, maybe,_ he recalled wistfully, touched by her confession but realizing it was admittedly vague. _And then she got all trembly; and when I kissed her, she didn't try to stop me..._

_I think she actually liked it,_ Han confessed. Not that he was nearly as experienced as the tabloids claimed; he was still a thirty-one-year-old virgin, and nothing ever worked out for him. But he'd learned a thing or two along the way, and could tell whether a woman was really into him or not.

Some were, more than others. Some just wanted the attention and notoriety of having dated a famous _SITH_ star, and Solo prince. Some were just bored, or drunk. Most weren't picky, and would date anyone who asked them. Some just wanted to get laid, and got mad when it didn't happen. Very occasionally, there was one who actually liked him as a person, and cared about him. Those were the worst. Because he couldn't love them back, the way he loved Leia.

_But they DO exist,_ Han told himself. _Nice girls, who actually care about me... And treat me a whole lot better than Leia does,_ he admitted, sighing. His father and Gwen still hoped that one day Han would find a princess of his own, and settle down. _But that's never gonna happen unless I can finally get over Leia._

_This is all because of that stupid lovestim,_ he sighed, as he continued working on the _Falcon's_ hyperdrive. Han had always steered clear of drugs himself; being a Solo, his reality was already pretty warped, and he tended to react badly to things anyway. The lovestim incident on Yavin IV had affected him strongly, illiciting overwhelming feelings of romantic desire toward the nearest available woman - who unfortunately, happened to be Leia.

_I don't really love her,_ Han confessed, facing the truth. He was in love with a fairy-tale _idea_ of her; but in reality, he had to admit Leia was not at all the sort of girl he was looking for. _She's condescending, and mean, and she holds grudges forever,_ he admitted unhappily. Besides, she was engaged to Julian Organa; she wasn't exactly available, even if he _did_ like her. _Which I don't,_ Han told himself stubbornly.

_All right; this is it,_ he decided, abandoning his work and heading toward the cockpit. _I'm going to tell her how I feel,_ he resolved. _I'll open up to her, and let her hurt me - REALLY bad,_ he hoped, bracing himself for the pain, and humiliation. _But then I'll finally realize that I don't love her..._

But suddenly the _Falcon_ blew a fuse, and sparks began to fly. _Crap, what the hell is wrong with that thing?_ "Chewie, can you plug Threepio into the hyperdrive again?" he asked, continuing toward the cockpit. _I hate that stupid droid, but I'm running out of ideas here._

_Here we go,_ Han thought, taking a deep breath and gathering his resolve. _No cameras; no bullshit..._ He pulled the _SITH_ homing device off his belt, tossing it aside as his hovercams obediently followed, patiently filming the floor of the control room. _I'm just gonna tell her how I feel, and let her laugh at me._

Leia gave him a wary look as he entered the cockpit. "What do you want?"

_First, to get rid of the cameras,_ Han decided, reaching for the homing device on her belt.

But Leia struggled, backing away from him indignantly. "Get your hands off me!"

"Fine," Han said, tossing her homing device out into the hallway, then shutting the cockpit door after all the cameras had left.

Leia was backed against the wall now, her eyes flickering with anxiety. "What are you doing?" She regarded him warily, her expression a mixture of suspicion, defiance, and obvious alarm. "Don't touch me," she blurted out, her voice betraying her fear.

_Damn, she thinks I'm gonna rape her..._ "All right, all right," Han said, raising his hands. "I'm not gonna touch you," he promised, backing off. "I just want to talk... about what happened in there," he confessed, glancing ruefully toward the control room. "We can bring the cameras back in here if you like," he offered sarcastically, giving her a reproachful look as he sat down in the pilot's seat.

Leia frowned. "Fine," she agreed, though she held her ground, her back against the opposite wall. "Talk."

Han sighed, realizing he didn't have much time, and this was never going to get any easier. "I... love you," he admitted uncomfortably, looking down.

Leia's surprised laugh was dismissive, and condescending. "No, you don't," she told him. "Han, you'll date anything that moves," she pointed out, rolling her eyes. "I may be the only female available right this moment, but if you can just keep it in your pants long enough to get this bucket of bolts fixed, we can get out of here," she reminded him. "And then we'll go back aboard the _Executor..._ There will be hundreds of fangirls waiting for you," she promised.

_See? This is exactly what I need to hear._ "I don't want them," Han told her stubbornly. "I want you."

Leia sighed in annoyance. "What, so you can add another name to your list of conquests?"

"No." Han scowled. "So I can finally stop that bullshit," he admitted, frustrated. "Do you know why I can't manage to stay with anyone for more than two hours?" he asked, giving her an accusatory look.

"Because you're a womanizing asshole?" Leia shot back.

Han furrowed his brows. _May as well just say it._ "Because when I'm with them, all I can think about is you."

Leia frowned warily. "What?"

"Aaaghh," Han sighed. "It's that stupid lovestim," he told her. "That day on Yavin IV. It - did something to me," he confessed helplessly. "It made me want _you_, and no one else. I thought eventually I'd get over it, but... Two years later, it's no better," he admitted. "I could date every woman in the galaxy, and never find one that would make me forget about you," he told her unhappily.

Leia was visibly disturbed by this confession. "Oh."

_Let's just get this over with._ "So go ahead: tell me," Han said, scowling. "Tell me you think I'm a stupid, idiot Solo... and that you hate me," he challenged her. "So I can finally let this go, and move on," he said, bracing himself for humiliation.

Leia sighed, annoyed. "All right, fine: I think you're a stupid, idiot Solo," she told him; then she looked down. "_Sometimes_," she conceded grudgingly. "Such as right now," she admitted, with a baleful glance toward the asteroid cave outside their window. "But I don't _hate_ you," she said, her brown eyes flickering uncomfortably. "Like I said before... Sometimes I think you're all right."

Han drew his own conclusions from that. "But not _most_ of the time," he said, forcing himself to face the truth.

Leia shook her head in frustration. "Well... Really, just - _one_ time," she admitted. "But you have to admit it was a pretty big one," she added, giving him a reproachful look. "Han, I saved your father's life. I paid off your debt to Jabba. I bought your freedom, and gave you a decent job. I trusted you... I wanted to believe in you," she chided him. "And you threw it all away, and stabbed me in the back," she cried, tears springing to her eyes. "Why, Han?" she asked. "Why did you do that?"

Han looked down in regret. "Because I'm an idiot Solo," he apologized lamely.

"Even idiot Solos have reasons," Leia said bitterly. "Tell me _why_," she pleaded. "Tell me something, that makes _some_ kind of sense."

Han shook his head; they had never talked about this before, and deep down he longed for her forgiveness, and understanding... But he realized that would be a step in the wrong direction. _It's better if she just hates me._ "You wouldn't understand," he grumbled, defensive. "It's complicated."

"Complicated?" Leia repeated. "Han, I have twice your IQ," she pointed out. "Try me."

_Now we're getting somewhere,_ Han thought, forcing himself to savor the cruel, humiliating, stabbing force of her condescension. _Do I really want to be with a woman who tells me how stupid I am, all the time?_ "All right," he said. "I did it because - Jabba's the only thing keeping this galaxy at peace," he muttered, annoyed by her black-and-white view of the situation.

But Leia just laughed sarcastically. "Silly me; I thought the Jedi were doing that."

_Condescension is good,_ Han told himself. _Give me more of that. Tell me how stupid I am._

"Han, the Hutts are gangsters," Leia pointed out, exasperated. "Jabba makes his money off drugs - that _you_ deliver - which find their way into the Republic, and ruin people's lives," she lectured him. "He turns a blind eye to slavery, lawlessness, murder, rape, torture, drugs, piracy," she listed off, morally outraged. "Meanwhile he sits in his palace, surrounded by his - his dancers, and concubines - and gets rich off other people's misery."

Han nodded matter-of-factly, shrugging. "Yeah, that's true," he agreed mildly. _You make it sound so bad._

"Why did you go back to him?" Leia asked, trying to understand. "What's in it for you? Did he threaten your father again?"

"No," Han told her, scowling. "There's nothing in it for me."

"So - you're really just crazy?" Leia asked, baffled. "The artifacts you took off with... What happened to them?"

Han sighed; she deserved to at least know that much. "I gave them to a drug lord," he confessed. "Baron Lazloz, on Arbra. He's taking good care of them," he assured her, with an apologetic shrug. _Maybe I can get them back for you someday._

"Oh, well I'm glad to hear he's enjoying them," Leia said, frustrated. "_Why_, Han?"

"How many reasons do you want?" Han shot back, tired of this conversation.

"Just one," Leia replied evenly. "The truth."

"Aaaghh... Fine," Han said. "I did it because Lazloz was going to drop Jabba, and go into business with Gardulla," he told her. "Jabba would have been finished that day, if I didn't do something - _fast. _So I used the only thing I had on hand, to bargain with... Which happened to be a shipment of priceless Nabooan artifacts," he confessed, giving her a regretful glance.

"So... It was all over some kind of - Hutt rivalry?" Leia asked.

Han shrugged. "Basically, yeah."

Leia gave him a confused look. "Why do you even care about a bunch of overgrown slugs?"

"I don't," Han told her. "The real question is - why don't _you_," he muttered.

"Me?" Leia asked, baffled. "Why should I?"

"Because you're a senator," Han pointed out, equally bewildered. "You were Queen of Naboo - which is half a parsec from the Outer Rim." _Do you seriously not get it?_ "How often does Naboo come under attack by looters, slavers... pirate ships?" he challenged her.

"Never," Leia told him proudly. "Because we have Jedi checkpoints all along the border."

"No," Han retorted. "Because everyone on the Outer Rim knows Jabba would have their ass if they messed with any of the Republic planets bordering his territory," he told her. "Now, the planets along the Eastern and Western Rim, bordering Gardulla's territories... How often are _they_ attacked?"

Leia frowned, troubled. "All the time."

"And do _they_ have Jedi checkpoints?" Han asked.

"Yes," Leia admitted, blinking uncomfortably.

"It ain't the Jedi keeping your borders safe," Han told her, with a meaningful look. "It's Jabba."

Leia was obviously stunned. "The Senate should know about this," she said worriedly. "I - I have to tell them..."

"And then what?" Han asked. "Have everyone sit in their little hovering boxes, and vote on whether there's enough cause to declare war against the Hutts? The answer is yes. But anyone who knows _anything_ about the situation, knows that the best thing to do is just keep it quiet," he told her, with a look of warning.

"I... I had no idea," Leia said, blinking in dismay.

"Yeah, well... It's not your fault," Han said, shrugging.

"So Jabba wants to keep the peace?" Leia asked, trying to understand. "Why does he care?"

Han laughed. "Look, I ain't saying he deserves some kind of humanitarian award. Jabba wants peace mainly because he's a lazy slob," he told her. "He just wants to sit on his throne, and eat ice cream, and - watch _SITH_, and take mud baths," Han said, with a quiet laugh. "A war would just be giant headache for him."

Leia blinked, astonished. "_That's_ what Jabba wants? Ice cream, and - mud baths?"

"Yeah, pretty much," Han nodded. Jabba was the laughingstock of the Hutts; not unlike the Solos, amongst the royal families of the Republic.

"And Gardulla," Leia asked cautiously. "What does she want?"

"Well... _First_, she wants to ruin Jabba, and take control of the entire Outer Rim," Han told her. "And then she'll want to start pushing her boundaries into the Republic," he added matter-of-factly. "The moment Jabba goes down, it'll be open war."

"Crap," Leia whispered, her eyes widening. "So - you went back to Jabba, to prevent that from happening?"

Han shrugged, uncomfortable. "Yeah."

Leia was staring at him now - not in condescension, or scorn, but with a look of astonishment, and appreciation, and newfound respect. "I was wrong about you," she confessed, her brown eyes filled with confusion, and regret, and now a hint of tears... "I - I'm sorry..."

"Sir! Sir!" came a distraught voice from behind them, as the cockpit door opened. "Oh! Please, don't blame me," Threepio said, flailing his golden arms in panic as he hobbled into the room. "I'm only an interpreter, after all; it's not my fault!"

Han turned around, giving him a dangerous glare. "What's not your fault?"

"Oh dear," Threepio cried helplessly. "Sir... The hyperdrive control panel has caught on fire!"


	182. Great, a whole planet full of mud

**Chapter 182**

"And that, Lord Vader, was the last time they appeared in any of our scopes," Captain Needa informed him, via holo-transmission. "Considering the amount of damage we've sustained, they must have been destroyed."

"No, Captain, they're alive," Anakin insisted. "I want every ship available to sweep the asteroid field until they are found." The _SITH_ tour was delaying its departure for an extra hour, praying that Han would deliver Leia safely back aboard the _Executor_ before they had to continue on to Polis Massa.

_Come on guys, hurry it up,_ Anakin thought worriedly. He could still sense that Leia was safe, and relatively calm; though recently he had been sensing more intense emotions. Not sadness, exactly; it felt more like - _love... and heartache,_ Anakin realized, with a sympathetic smile. _Aw, she's missing Julian._

"Lord Vader," Piett called out to him now.

"Yes, Admiral," Anakin replied, turning to face him. "What is it?"

"The Emperor commands you to make contact with him."

_Right; he's still trying to convince me that Luke isn't my kid,_ Anakin remembered, amused by this week's plot. "Move the ship out of the asteroid field, so that we can send a clear transmission," he instructed Piett, continuing down the hallway toward the _Executor's_ sound stage.

Palpatine was already waiting for him when he arrived, so Anakin walked directly over to him, kneeling before his throne. "What is thy bidding, My Master?"

"Lord Vader," Palpatine replied, giving him a somewhat confused look. "Did I not command you to capture the _Millennium Falcon?_"

_What?_ Anakin frowned; this wasn't the plan. "Yes, My Master," he replied cautiously.

"And remind me," Palpatine continued. "Where is the _Falcon_ now?"

"It is hiding in an asteroid field, in the Anoat system," Anakin informed him. _Huh; I guess we're doing something different..._

"Ah," Palpatine said calmly. "Then explain to me, Lord Vader," he continued, his demeanor subtly challenging. "If the _Millennium Falcon_ is hiding in the Anoat system - and _you_ have been sent to capture it," he asked, curious. "Why is it that you're kneeling before my throne, here on Coruscant?"

_Oops._ Anakin stifled a laugh, realizing his mistake. _Yeah, that's pretty unbelievable, even for SITH._ "I apologize for my intrusion," he said, getting to his feet and walking over to the adjacent set, where he knelt upon the holo platform. _Take two..._ "What is thy bidding, My Master?"

"Lord Vader," Palpatine replied, his blue holographic image flickering to life. _Holy crap,_ Anakin blinked, looking up._ His head is twenty feet tall._ "I am still troubled by our earlier conversation," Palpatine said. "Have you done as I asked, and looked into the mirror?"

Anakin bowed his head. "I have, My Master."

"And?" Sidious challenged him. "Do you still believe that this boy has your _face_?" He spat the word cruelly.

_Khhhhhhhh... Khhhhhhhhh..._ "No, My Master," Anakin confessed morosely. "He does not."

"Good," the Emperor said. "Let this be the end of it."

_Let's hope,_ Anakin sighed, getting to his feet again; he felt admittedly nervous any time _SITH_ made mention of the fact that Luke and Leia were his children. But Cliegg felt it was important to remind the audience of this reality at least once or twice each season, so Anakin did his best to just go along with it.

"How is Luke, by the way?" Palpatine asked, joining him as they returned to the _Executor's_ hallway.

"Oh... He's fine," Anakin said, lifting up his face mask and resting it against the top of his helmet, where the elastic band held it in place. "Master Yoda will have him good as new in no time," he promised.

"I'm glad to hear it," Palpatine said, smiling. "I've been looking forward to watching his duel with Mara tomorrow." The finale of this week's _SITH_ tour was a much-anticipated lightsaber duel between Luke and Mara on Polis Massa: the place of Luke's birth, and - as the fans suddenly now feared - possibly his death. But now Palpatine looked around curiously. "Where _is_ Mara?" he asked, surprised by her absence.

"Oh, she's - studying," Anakin lied, managing a cheerful smile. In truth, Mara wasn't feeling well today, and was resting back in their guest suite. _Poor thing; it's just about that time of month,_ he admitted, uncertain if she would be feeling up to her lightsaber duel at all tomorrow. PMS tended to hit Mara harder than most girls; on top of the physical pain, she was usually a complete emotional wreck - as she had most definitely been today.

"Studying?" Palpatine repeated. "On her vacation?" he pointed out, giving Anakin a reproachful look. "Lord Vader, you _are_ evil."

"Heh," Anakin laughed apologetically. "It was her idea," he insisted. "She's got the trials coming up next month."

"So I've heard," Palpatine replied, smiling. The former Chancellor still kept abreast of political news, and both Chancellor Mothma and Master Yoda spoke with him privately on a regular basis, valuing his counsel. "I also hear she's expected to pass this time."

Anakin nodded in proud agreement. "She's been working very hard."

"You've done a wonderful job with her," Palpatine said, giving him an appreciative look; as Chancellor, he had known the truth about Mara's condition from the beginning. "And I hear there may be a promotion in your future as well," he added, impressed.

Anakin managed a smile, trying to mask his own conflicting emotions at the prospect. Obi-Wan had quietly informed him that once Mara was knighted, he would be made a Master, and instated as Assistant Director at the Border Patrol outpost on Lannik. "Yes," he agreed, nodding humbly.

But Palpatine caught his hesitant look, and smiled reassuringly. "A boring assignment, to be sure," he said, patting Anakin on the shoulder. "But an important one nonetheless," he added. "Your presence on Lannik will give the Hutts pause, and could change the balance of things," he admitted, gazing out the window toward the nearby asteroid field. "Though if we hope to maintain peace on the Outer Rim, we're going to have to get the _Falcon_ out of there," Palpatine confessed, frowning in concern. "Have you got any ideas?"

"Yes," Anakin replied cautiously. "Though none of them are legal," he admitted, giving Palpatine an apologetic cringe.

Palpatine smiled, amused. "Well, then, my young Apprentice," he said, his blue eyes glimmering with mischief. "We shall have to think of a more creative solution."

* * *

><p><em>Meanwhile...<em>

_"Oh!"_ Artoo twittered excitedly, as the Force field opened up before them, revealing a tiny hidden planet. _"Is that Dagobah?"_

"Yep, that's it," Luke said, proceeding toward the little whitish-blue planet. "Dagobah." Master Windu had sent him the coordinates earlier this morning, and a moment ago Master Yoda himself had sensed Luke's arrival, and opened the Force field for him.

_"I don't know about this,"_ Artoo confessed, still anxious. _"Usually when planets are quarantined inside a Force field, there's a good reason for it,"_ he pointed out. _"Are you sure you don't want to change your mind about this?"_

"No, I'm not gonna change my mind about this," Luke replied. _Master Yoda comes here all the time; there's nothing to worry about._ "I'm not picking up any cities or technology," he noted, not terribly surprised. "Massive life form readings though. There's _something_ alive down there."

_"No technology?"_ Artoo blipped worriedly. _"Do you think it's safe for droids?"_

"Yes, I'm sure it's perfectly safe for droids," Luke told him. _Though I'm not sure how safe it is for a Jedi without Force powers,_ he confessed, feeling a twinge of apprehension. _What the heck is Master Yoda hiding here, anyway?_

He flew down into the cloudy atmospere; but suddenly Artoo began twittering frantically. _"Ahh! Low altitude warning! 46.83625 meters to impact! Approach vector 82.794 degrees,"_ he noted anxiously. _"We're coming in too hot!"_

"I know! I know!" Luke said. "All the scopes are dead; I can't see a thing." _Master Windu, you might have mentioned that the clouds are only fifty meters off the ground_. That could only mean one thing; but Luke tried not to think about it right now. "Just hang on. I'm gonna start the landing cycle." Now they were crashing through vines and branches amidst the foggy, cloudy atmosphere; and a moment later they splashed straight into a murky lagoon.

_Another happy landing,_ Luke thought, valiantly trying to remember his Master's lessons in patience and optimism. But as he opened the cockpit hatch and looked at the surrounding terrain, his heart sank, and he put a hand to his face, sighing miserably. _Great... A whole planet full of mud._

_I don't like mud,_ Luke grumbled, flinging his gloves at the dashboard in frustration. _It's cold, and slimy, and disgusting... and it gets everywhere,_ he sighed, climbing out of the cockpit and carefully walking down the hood of his X-wing. _Not like Mara,_ he thought, suddenly wishing he could have stayed aboard the _Executor_ with her. _She's everything warm, and cuddly..._

But Artoo was twittering at him now, and Luke saw that he was trying to extract himself from the ship's astrodroid port. "No, Artoo, you stay put," Luke told him. "I'll have a look around." _There could be sinkholes around here,_ he realized; Luke had fallen into one once, on a mission to Garqi with Obi-Wan. It had been a terrifying experience, not to mention disgusting; Luke had nearly drowned in a giant pit of sludge, and he had detested all things muddy ever since.

Suddenly the ship lurched, and Artoo blipped frantically, splashing into the lagoon. _Gah, I told him to stay put..._ "Artoo?" Luke asked, peering at the spot where he'd disappeared. "Artoo!" _Did he fall into a sinkhole?_ If there was one beneath the lagoon, it could suck the whole ship down any second now, and Luke along with it... "Artoo!" Luke called out desperately, his heart racing. "Artoo! Where are you?" _Crap, no wonder this whole planet is quarantined..._ "Artoo!"

Finally Artoo's periscope popped up above the water, and Luke sighed in relief. "You be more careful," he warned him, as Artoo twittered with annoying cheerfulness, wading off in the wrong direction. "Artoo," Luke reproached him, pointing toward the bank of the lagoon. "That way."

_I suppose I should get out of this puddle too,_ Luke sighed, eyeing the shoreline warily. _I don't know about this..._ The ground nearby looked dangerously mushy, and slippery; it was no doubt unstable, and could open up into a sinkhole of untold horrors. Besides, it was a good three feet away from the hood of his X-wing... _Can people jump that far without Force powers?_ Luke wondered, frowning doubtfully. Humans were the laughingstock of the entire galaxy when it came to feats of physical strength; he didn't want to embarrass himself in front of the cameras.

_I'll probably slip, and end up falling face-first in the mud,_ Luke admitted. Obi-Wan had always impressed upon him the importance of looking dignified when on a mission to a strange planet, and Luke didn't want to let his Master down. _Right, then,_ Luke decided, tossing his helmet into the cockpit and hopping straight down into the water, fully clothed._ Better to fall on purpose, than by mistake. _

Though as he clambered up onto the root-strewn ground, he realized it wasn't nearly as muddy as he had originally guessed. In fact, his orange jumpsuit was still perfectly clean... _Well now I feel kinda dumb,_ Luke sighed, gazing ruefully at his drenched clothing. _Not to mention cold..._

But now Artoo twittered again helplessly, and Luke turned to see him disappearing beneath the water - followed by the hump of a gigantic reptilian creature. _Oh, crap!_ This puddle was only about four feet deep; if a thirty-foot monster had just swallowed Artoo whole, that could mean only one thing. _There IS a sinkhole..._

"Artoo!" Luke exclaimed, instinctively reaching for his lightsaber. _Gah, what am I gonna do with this?_ "Artoo!" he yelled again, grabbing his Rebel blaster. _This thing doesn't even shoot real lasers; but maybe I can scare it..._ Luke ran several paces into the lagoon, noting that the water only came up to his ankles. _Yeah, there's no way that monster could survive in three inches of water,_ he realized. _There's a sinkhole down there, somewhere..._

"Aaaaaaaaaaahhhh!" Artoo shrieked, flying across the lagoon as the monster spit him out. _Thank the Force..._ Luke ran over to him, then sighed in dismay to see that he was covered in green, slimy mud.

"Oh, no," Luke said, trying to lift him up again. "Are you all right?" Everything was so much harder without Force powers; Luke realized he barely had the strength to lift the little astrodroid. "Come on," he said, grunting pathetically as he set him back on his feet. _Ugh... If Coruscant police work is like this, I'm not so sure about leaving the Order after all,_ he admitted, resolving to talk to Mara about it later. He wished he could remember exactly _why_ she had suddenly decided to leave the Order; but that issue would have to wait. _Probably by the time I talk to her, she'll have changed her mind again._

"You were lucky to get out of there," Luke said, patting Artoo's slime-covered blue dome. "Anything broken?" The astrodroid blipped in reply, and Luke found himself wishing once again that he'd chosen to study Binary code as his third foreign language, rather than Ancient Coruscanti - a language that had been dead for centuries, and was not exactly practical. "If you're saying coming here was a bad idea... I'm beginning to agree with you."

_And where is Master Yoda, anyway?_ Luke wondered, looking around. Obviously Yoda knew he was here, since he'd opened the Force field for him several minutes ago. _Hopefully he'll be along soon,_ Luke sighed, sitting down to wait for him.

_I suppose I should try to do some acting,_ he decided, noticing that the _SITH_ cameras were still filming him. "Artoo, what are we doing here?" Luke asked morosely, glancing at the mud-covered astrodroid and realizing that he should probably make some kind of attempt to clean him up. "It's like - something out of a dream, or - " _A SITH episode,_ he sighed helplessly. _Yeah, that made no sense..._ Luke had seen the set of Yoda's home many times on _SITH,_ but his character on the show would know nothing about that. _And if I'd known it was going to be so muddy, I would never have come here either... _"I don't know," he grumbled, digging some slimy gunk out of Artoo's light socket. _Gah, that is disgusting..._ "Maybe I'm just going crazy."

Suddenly Artoo's dome flap opened up, and a stream of viscous black mud spewed out of it. Luke gave Artoo a reproachful look. _Seriously, this has to be the worst planet in the entire galaxy._ Yoda was still nowhere in sight, and Luke had no chance of finding him without Force powers. _I HOPE he's on his way here,_ he thought, suddenly worried. _Crap, what if he isn't?_ It was getting dark quickly; Luke realized he was tired, and hungry, and wet...

_I'd better start making a camp for the night, just in case,_ he decided, getting up and walking back toward his X-wing. He managed to find a flat branch that could serve as a bridge to his ship, and began to unpack his supplies, carrying everything over to the nearby clearing. He changed into dry clothes - his grey Rebel uniform, which he was supposed to wear in tomorrow's duel against Mara. _I'd better not get it all muddy,_ he thought, as he carefully crossed his makeshift bridge, carrying the last of his supplies over to his campsite.

"Ready for some power?" Luke asked, as Artoo chirped in gratitude. "Okay..." _Uh, how do I do this?_ He'd never actually recharged an astrodroid before; he and Obi-Wan never really bothered with it, on planets without technology. _We just let them run down, and don't worry about it,_ he confessed. Then again, his own Arfive unit wasn't a galactic celebrity and major HoloNet star... _If I let Artoo die out here the fans will hate me. _

"Let's see, now," Luke said, opening Artoo's access panel. "Put that in there... There you go." _Wow; it's really that easy? _"Now all I gotta do is find this Yoda... if he even exists," Luke sighed, looking around the swamp again. "It's a really strange place to find a Jedi Master," he confessed, pulling out his lunch box. "This place gives me the creeps," he added, taking a bite of his nutri-bar. There was literally mud _everywhere;_ it was like something out of his worst nightmare.

"Still... there's something familiar about this place," Luke rambled on helplessly, at a loss for ideas. _Here we go again,_ he sighed, remembering that his character didn't watch _SITH_, and had never seen Yoda's home planet. "I don't know," he muttered. "I feel like - "

"Feel like what?" came a familiar voice from behind him.

Luke spun around. "Like we're being watched," he said, unable to suppress a relieved grin. _I'm SO glad you're here..._ "Greetings, Master Yoda," he said, with a respectful nod. "My name is Luke Skywalker; Ben Kenobi sent me here to find you."

"Ohhhh?" Yoda gave him a doubtful look. "If never met me before, how know you, who I am? Hmm? Hmmm?"

"Heh... Good point," Luke agreed sheepishly. "Sorry," he laughed, giving Master Yoda an apologetic look as he turned back around. _Let's try this again... _"I don't know," he muttered again. "I feel like - "

"Feel like what?"

Luke spun around, this time pointing his blaster directly at Yoda. "Like we're being watched," he said, giving him a reproachful look.

"Ohh!" Yoda exclaimed, cowering. "Away with your weapon! I mean you no harm," he promised. "I am wondering: why are you here?"

_Uh... I just TOLD you, but you said it was unrealistic. _"I'm looking for someone," Luke admitted cautiously.

"Looking?" Yoda challenged him. "Found someone, you have, I would say, hmm? Ooohooheehee!"

"Right," Luke agreed. _Okay, so..._ "Master Yoda?" he asked, widening his eyes in feigned astonishment.

"Hmmph," Yoda pouted. "Too quickly, you jump to conclusions," he reproached Luke. "Ahem... Help you I can," he offered now. "Yes! Hmmm!"

_Ah; so he's playing the mysterious, insane swamp-dweller,_ Luke realized, going along with it. "I don't think so," he told him. "I'm looking for a great warrior." _Not a crazy, babbling... whatever-you-are,_ he laughed; Master Yoda's _SITH_ character had gone decidedly senile during his twenty-year exile on Dagobah.

"Ohh!" Yoda exclaimed. "Heeheehee... Great warrior!" he said. "Whooaa! Hoohoo! Hehehe!" he giggled inanely, as Luke desperately tried not to laugh. "Wars not make one great! Mmmheehee!" _No; but apparently they make you crazy,_ Luke thought, as Yoda hobbled over toward his camp, leaning on his gimer stick. "Ohhh... Eh... Eh... Ohhhhhhh!" he exclaimed, grabbing Luke's nutri-bar and peering at it curiously.

"Put that down," Luke reproached him; but now Yoda started nibbling on it. "Hey!" Luke said indignantly. "That's my dinner!" He grabbed the nutri-bar away from him, along with the rest of his lunch box.

"How you get so big, eating food of this kind?" Yoda asked, baffled.

_Uh... Because I'm human, and not - whatever the heck you are?_ But the exact origin of Yoda's species was a delicate matter, so he let it drop. "Listen, friend, we didn't mean to land in that puddle, and if we could get our ship out, we would," he said, tossing away the nutri-bar he'd touched. "But we can't, so why don't you just - "

"Awwww, cannot get your ship out," Yoda repeated mockingly. "Heeheehee!" Now he had climbed up onto one of the larger crates and was on his hands and knees, rummaging through Luke's supplies.

"Hey! Get out of there!" Luke said, snatching a power converter away from him.

"Nooo! Ohhh," Yoda grumbled, crawling back inside the crate.

_Master Yoda, what are you doing?_ Luke laughed. "Hey, you could have broken this," he reproached him, momentarily forgetting his hatred of mud as he watched Master Yoda - revered leader of the Jedi Council - throwing stuff all over the place like a complete lunatic. "Don't do that..."

"Ohhhhhh!" Yoda exclaimed, finding Luke's lamp. "Mmmhmhmhmmm!" he giggled, shining it at Artoo.

"Oh... You're making a mess," Luke sighed, trying to pick everything back up. "Hey! Give me that."

"Mine!" Yoda insisted, clutching his lamp stubbornly. "Or I will help you not."

_Whatever happened to the 'No Possessions' rule?_ Luke wondered, baffled. "I don't want your help; I want my lamp back," he told Yoda, feigning annoyance. "I'm gonna need it to get out of this slimy mudhole."

"Mudhole? Slimy?" Yoda said. "My home this is!" _Gah, I'd go insane if I lived here too,_ Luke thought. Now Artoo was grabbing onto his lamp in an attempt to pry it away from Yoda. "Wha-? Mmmmmmm!" Yoda protested, outraged. "Eh... eh... eh," he grunted, fumbling for his gimer stick.

"Artoo, let him have it," Luke said.

"Mine! Mine! Mine! Mine!" Yoda yelled insanely, hitting Artoo repeatedly with his gimer stick.

_Okay, this has to be the funniest moment on SITH ever_, Luke laughed helplessly, grateful that the cameras weren't focusing on him at the moment. "Now will you move along, little fella?" he scolded Yoda. "We've got a lot of work to do."

"No!" Yoda said. "No, no! Stay and help you, I will," he offered. "Heehee! Find your friend, hmmm?"

"I'm not looking for a friend," Luke told him. "I'm looking for a Jedi Master."

"Ohhh... Jedi Master! Yoda," he said, finally revealing his identity. "You seek Yoda!"

_Yes... _Luke stared at him, pretending to be shocked. "_You're_ Yoda?"

"Hmmph," Yoda replied, frowning. "Said that, did I? Hmmm?"

_No,_ Luke sighed, wondering if he would _ever_ get around to introducing himself. "You know him?"

"Mmm," Yoda nodded solemnly. "Take you to him, I will. Ahhaahaaha!" he laughed. "Yes, yes... But now, we must eat," he told Luke. Come," he said, leading the way along the muddy shoreline. "Mmmhmmhmm! Good food! Come!" he said again, hobbling away. "Meeeheeheeheee!"

_Gah... I don't know about this,_ Luke thought, gazing after him worriedly. _There's an awful lot of mud between here and wherever he's going..._ But he didn't have much choice in the matter, so he sighed, accepting it. "Artoo," he said, bracing himself for the long, muddy trek to Yoda's house. "Stay and watch after the camp."

* * *

><p><em>An hour later...<em>

"Look, I'm sure it's delicious," Luke said, as Yoda prepared their dinner. "I just don't understand why we can't see Yoda now." _Aaaaand we're still playing this game,_ he laughed to himself; Yoda was waiting for the perfect dramatic moment to reveal his true identity, and apparently it hadn't been the _last_ six times that Luke had jumped to that conclusion. _Seriously, Master Yoda. You're the only person on this entire planet. Eventually I'm going to guess who you are._

"Patience!" Yoda chided him. "For the Jedi, it is time to eat as well. Hmm? Heeheehee! Eat! Heeheehee! Eat! Hot!"

_Okay..._ Luke helped himself to some soup from the little cauldron over the fireplace. _What is this stuff?_ he wondered, trying a bite. _Oh, Force,_ he cringed, his stomach immediately churning in protest. _That tastes like mud..._

"Good food!" Yoda insisted. "Mmmm?" he asked Luke hopefully. "Good? Mmm?"

_Um... yeah,_ Luke nodded bravely. "How far away is Yoda?" he asked. "Will it take us long to get there?"

"Not far," Yoda promised. "Yoda not far... Hmhmm! Patience; soon, you will be with him!" He was hobbling toward the fireplace now, and Luke moved out of the way. Then he noticed a bowl of dried spices on the hearth. _What's that?_ he wondered, taking a handful and sprinkling it into his soup. _Eh, couldn't possibly make it any worse,_ he decided, settling down cross-legged in the tiny living room. "Root leaf! I cook," Yoda said proudly. "Why wish you become Jedi? Hmm?"

"Well, mostly because of my father, I guess," Luke told him.

"Ah! Father," Yoda nodded sagely. "Powerful Jedi, was he," he agreed. "Heehee! Mmm... Powerful Jedi."

_Wait a minute..._ Luke suppressed an amused grin, catching Yoda at his own game. "Oh, come on; how could you know my father? You don't even know who I am." But suddenly he felt very strange... _GAHHHH! _"I don't even know what I'm doing here," Luke blurted out, frustrated. "We're wasting our time!"

"Ohhh?" Yoda peered at him worriedly, then at the spice bowl beside the fireplace. "Ohh! Root leaf... Not for humans," he realized, taking Luke's soup bowl away from him. "May cause angry outbursts," he apologized, offering him a fresh bowl of muddy soup.

"No! I don't want it! That stuff is awful," Luke retorted; then he shook his head in apology. "I'm sorry, Master," he sighed. _Crap, is this how Mara feels when she starts flinging lightning at people?_ Luke scowled unhappily, biting his fingernails in utter frustration.

"I cannot teach him," Yoda said gravely, hanging his head. "The boy has no patience."

_Huh?_ Luke looked up, following Master Yoda's gaze. _What's he looking at?_

"Hmm," Yoda said, turning back to Luke. "Much anger in him," he noted. _No kidding,_ Luke grumbled. _You just fed me freaking root leaf... _"Like his father," Yoda added randomly, to the corner of the room. _My father... what? Crap, we're filming again,_ Luke realized, following Yoda's gaze and trying to figure out what was going on. _Is he talking to Ben?_ "No," Yoda said, turning back to Luke. "He is not ready."

_Yeah, I think he's talking to Ben,_ Luke decided. _Which means..._ "Yoda?" he asked, staring at him in wide-eyed disbelief for the seventh time today. _And you'd better admit to it this time, or I might have to strangle you._ But thankfully Yoda nodded. _Finally..._ "I am ready!" Luke insisted. _I was ready an hour ago, the FIRST time I guessed who you were._ "I - Ben - I - " _Ugh, what the hell were you two just talking about?_ "I can be a Jedi!" Luke blurted out inanely. "Ben, tell him I'm re - " He broke off, hitting his head against the ceiling. _Please, Master Yoda... Quit feeding me root leaf and give me my Force powers back before I kill myself here._

"Ready, are you?" Yoda reproached him. "What know you of ready?" _Gah... Nothing, apparently,_ Luke sighed, preparing himself for another lecture. "For eight hundred years have I trained Jedi," Yoda said proudly. "My own counsel will I keep, on who is to be trained." He gave Luke a challenging look. "A Jedi must have the deepest commitment. Hmm? The most serious mind."

_Crap... does he know?_ Luke wondered, averting his eyes nervously. _Does he know that I've been planning to leave the Order?_ Yoda's Jedi abilities were far beyond most people's, and Luke was uncertain how much the wise old Master actually saw. _Though even if he can read my mind, he's not going to learn very much,_ Luke admitted, sighing. _I don't even know for certain if I was really planning to leave... Or why..._

"This one, a long time have I watched," Yoda continued, still speaking to the corner of the room. "All his life has he looked away; to the future, to the horizon." _To Mara,_ Luke confessed. "Never his mind on where he was. Hmm? What he was doing? Hmph." Yoda prodded him with his gimer stick. "Adventure... Heh. And excitement... Heh." _Sex with hot padawans... Heh._ "A Jedi craves not these things," Yoda reproached him. "You are reckless."

_I know,_ Luke sighed, facing all of his conflicting emotions once again. _Is this why I'm leaving?_ he wondered. _Did I finally hit the breaking point, and realize I couldn't take it any more? And - is it my turn to talk now?_ Luke wondered, looking around uncertainly. _Come on; focus..._

"He is too old," Yoda said, still addressing the corner of the room. "Yes; too old, to begin the training."

"But I've learned so much," Luke protested, remembering the original point of this conversation. _Cliegg says I can learn Force powers at age twenty-one, _he thought proudly, suppressing an amused smirk. _Who am I to argue with the head of Lars Studios?_

"Ahh," Yoda sighed, looking down. "Will he finish what he begins?"

"I won't fail you," Luke promised. "I'm not afraid."

"Ohhh?" Yoda gave him a challenging look, leaning closer. "You will be," he said, his tone quietly menacing. "You will be."

Luke stared back at him worriedly. _Please tell me he's just acting..._ Ever since he'd arrived on Dagobah, he had felt that there was something _wrong_ with this place; he'd immediately assumed it was because of all the mud, but now he was beginning to wonder. _There's a reason this planet is hidden behind a Force field. It's not just the mud, or the root leaf, or Master Yoda's cooking... It's something much worse,_ Luke realized now, seeing the troubled look in Yoda's eyes.

_And I have a feeling I'm going to find out._


	183. Well it's better than a space slug

**Chapter 183**

Leia sat alone in the _Falcon's _cockpit, gazing absently out the window at the dark asteroid cave beyond.

_I love him_, she confessed, disturbed by her own emotions. It wasn't just physical attraction; this new sensation she was experiencing ran much deeper, and she could feel it in her heart, and in her soul. _He's a hero,_ Leia realized, still shocked to finally learn the truth._ He's not just a low-life drug smuggler... He's trying to prevent a war. He puts his life on the line every day, to help keep the Republic at peace._

_How did I never know about this?_ Leia was a senator, and had been Queen of Naboo - a planet bordering Jabba's own territory, on the Outer Rim. _Why did no one ever tell me that our peace and security was mainly due to Jabba's policies, rather than Jedi Border Patrol?_ She was fairly certain her mother didn't know either.

_Does Dad know?_ Leia wondered, frowning. Anakin had worked for Jedi Border Patrol for several years before taking Mara as his padawan. In fact, he was currently under consideration as the next Assistant Director of the Lannik outpost. _How could he work on the Outer Rim, and not know the truth about the situation?_ But now she sighed, admitting that Han was right. _The fewer people who know about this, the better,_ Leia realized. If the Knights of Jedi Border Patrol knew how woefully ineffective they were at keeping the peace, their morale would be in the gutter.

_I'm going to talk to Mom, though,_ Leia resolved. She and Padmé had never kept secrets from each other, and between the two of them, they might find a way to help Han in his struggle to keep Jabba afloat. Of course, Anakin was in a much better position to actually _do_ something about the situation; but if he were caught disobeying direct orders from the Jedi Council, and aiding one of Jabba's own employees...? _No, it's best if Dad doesn't know about this._

_Though it wouldn't be the first time he's ever disobeyed orders,_ Leia admitted, with a rueful smile. Her very existence was proof that her father was a rule-breaker, a rebel; a scoundrel. _Han is a lot like him, in that way,_ she confessed. _Maybe that's what I've always seen in him._ Suddenly she felt a twinge of embarrassment, realizing that she'd fallen for one of the oldest clichés known to humanity. _Every girl wants to marry someone just like her father._

_I am NOT a cliché,_ Leia frowned, disturbed by the thought. It was bad enough that she had lived her entire life in her mother's shadow: first as Queen of Naboo, then as senator. But Padmé herself had once been engaged to an Organa prince - Julian's father, no less - and had left him to marry a scoundrel. Leia sighed, feeling a sense of helpless resentment as she realized even her _love_ life was simply a pale copy of her mother's.

_I need to grow a backbone,_ Leia chided herself. _I need to stop trying to be HER... And just be ME_, she thought wistfully. And Leia knew what she wanted, deep down. She had never loved politics, the way that her mother had. She had willingly followed in Padmé's footsteps, serving as queen and senator - but more out of a sense of duty, and because it was somehow expected of her, rather than the genuine passion and initiative her mother had always possessed.

It was her work with HOPE that Leia truly loved. Helping needy people across the galaxy, whose lives were turned upside-down by natural disasters, economic turmoil, even Outer Rim looters and slavers... When the political system failed them, HOPE was there to help. She couldn't wait for her senate term to be finished next year, so that she could devote her efforts toward HOPE on a full-time basis.

_And then I am to marry Julian_, Leia reminded herself, trying as always to ignore the heaviness in her heart. Her feelings for Han were nothing new; she'd been plagued by dreams of him for two years now, and had felt an unwanted sense of physical attraction since the day they'd met. _And it wasn't just the lovestim,_ Leia knew, smiling ruefully at Han's naive assessment of the situation. _He liked me, even before that; I could feel it._

She had always been secretly flattered by his feelings toward her. Feelings of attraction, and desire for intimacy; feelings that Julian _didn't_ have for her. But she had taken it all as a lesson in priorities: that she would rather be married to a nice man, whose noble, upstanding goals she respected, than to a philandering scoundrel who smuggled drugs for a living.

The fact that Han wasn't entirely as reprehensible as she'd thought made all of this a bit more difficult; but it didn't change the reality that she _had_ to marry Julian. If she didn't, the crown would pass to his older cousin Gorlan Organa, who planned to return Alderaan to the 'glorious' state of feudalism it had once known, centuries ago.

_I love Han,_ Leia confessed reluctantly. _In a way that I don't truly love Julian. But I'm not going to cast ten billion people into poverty and serfdom, to run off with an Outer Rim smuggler,_ she sighed. _Especially not one with a ship that breaks down constantly, and a pack of bounty hunters after him all the time,_ she thought, truly concerned for his safety. _I couldn't live like this,_ Leia confessed, glancing out the window at the asteroid cave they were hiding in. _I don't know how he does it._

_He's a crazy Solo,_ Leia confessed, smiling tenderly. _And I respect him for what he's doing._ It was troubling to realize that the Republic's best hope for continued peace and prosperity lay in the hands of an insane Solo prince, nineteenth in line for the throne of Corellia, who smuggled spices for a lazy, gluttonous, overgrown slug. _But maybe there's SOMETHING we can do to help,_ Leia thought, resolving to talk to her mother about it. It wasn't right that Han should put his life on the line every day to keep the peace in this galaxy, without anyone in the Republic even knowing about it, or trying to help him.

_We all have our part to play, in the galaxy's struggle for peace, and justice,_ Leia admitted. _And I will do my part as well. By marrying Julian, ensuring freedom and prosperity for the people of Alderaan, and continuing my work with HOPE._

But as for her feelings for Han... Leia sighed, realizing that once they got out of this cave, he would return her to the _Executor,_ and that she might never see him again. That he _would_ return her safely, Leia was certain. The fact that her father hadn't already swooped in to rescue her meant that her life was not truly in danger; he was probably dealing with the bounty hunters right now. And the longer Han took with his repairs, the more time Anakin had to clear the path for their safe return.

_But then Han's leaving the show,_ Leia realized, her heart aching at the thought of not seeing him on a regular basis anymore. _Just as I was beginning to actually LIKE him... But maybe he would stay on, if I asked him,_ she considered. In light of recent events, Han would never be allowed to film on location, ever again; but virtually _anything_ could be done on a sound stage, on Geonosis_..._

But now Leia frowned in concern as a shadowy creature flew past the cockpit window. _A Mynock..._ Like many cave creatures, Mynocks had adapted to their rocky conditions, and would chew on any kind of mineral or metallic substance, to extract life-giving nutrients. _Including spaceships,_ Leia thought worriedly, realizing there was probably a whole flock of them chewing on the _Falcon's_ hull right now.

Given enough time, Mynocks could eat right through a ship - as they often did with old, abandoned, wrecked vessels. But the damage happened very slowly, over time; it literally took weeks before their saliva could corrode a ship to the point where there was visible damage.

_At least it's not an Ampyre,_ Leia sighed. Ampyres were the real danger, in caves such as this. They were similar to Mynocks, except that their mouths were shaped like suction cups, and their saliva was a thousand times more acidic. An Ampyre could eat through the hull of a ship within hours. _Or a person,_ Leia admitted; Ampyres were known to attack miners, reducing them to a shiny pile of bones within a matter of minutes.

_Come on, Han, let's get out of here,_ Leia thought, disturbed by the thought of Ampyres lurking in the cave outside their ship. _Though I'm sure it's fine,_ she told herself stubbornly. Ampyres were very rare, after all; they were only found in certain conditions, where -

"AAAAAaaaaaahhhhh!" Leia shrieked, as a shadowy, winged, suction-cupped creature suddenly attached itself to the cockpit window.

* * *

><p><em>Meanwhile...<em>

"Sir, if I may venture an opinion - "

"I'm not really interested in your opinion, Threepio," Han said, as he welded the hyperdrive control panel back together. _Leia's right; this thing IS a bucket of bolts._ He loved the _Falcon_, but lately it had been breaking down constantly, and he was beginning to grow frustrated.

But now Leia appeared in the control room, her expression alarmed. "There's something out there."

_Huh? _Han lifted up his goggles. "Where?" he asked cautiously. _The asteroid field? The galaxy? The universe?_

"Outside. In the cave."

_Oh... The 'cave',_ Han sighed; he'd been hoping to avoid this issue.

"There it is!" Threepio said. "Listen! Listen!"

_"Ampyyyyyyyre!"_ Chewie wailed.

_He could be right.._ "I'm going out there," Han said, heading for the _Falcon's_ exit.

"Are you crazy?" Leia asked.

_I'm a Solo, remember?_ "I just got this bucket back together; I'm not gonna let something tear it apart," he said, grabbing his oxygen mask.

"Ohhh," Leia protested. "Then I'm going with you."

_"Ampyyyyyyyre,"_ Chewie moaned again, grabbing another oxygen mask and following them outside.

"What did it look like?" Han asked.

Leia gave him an anxious look. "It had a suction cup... and wings."

_It's an Ampyre,_ Han realized, pulling his blaster from its holster as he led the way down the _Falcon's_ ramp. _Though if I have to shoot at it, we might have bigger problems,_ he admitted, cautiously testing the ground as he stepped off the ramp.

"This ground sure feels strange," Leia remarked. "Doesn't feel like rock."

_No kidding,_ Han sighed, checking the ship for Ampyres. _Now is not the time to mention we're inside a space slug._ Han had suspected it from the beginning, and could see all the telltale signs now: squishy ground, misty air, Mynocks, Ampyres... _Yep... Definitely a space slug._

But Leia was only beginning to have any kind of respect for him at all; he was still hoping they could get out of here without her knowing about this. "There's an awful lot of moisture in here," he noted casually. It was a good sign; the sign of a healthy space slug. _A healthy space slug is a safe space slug._

"I don't know," Leia said. "I have a bad feeling about this."

"Yeah," Han agreed. _Me too._ Diseased space slugs were known to carry viruses that were deadly to humans; but this one appeared to be in excellent health. In any case, the virus was airborne, and they were all wearing oxygen masks; hopefully there was nothing to worry about. _Aside from Ampyres..._

_"SCREEEEEEEE!"_

Han turned to see a winged creature attaching itself to the _Falcon._ "Watch out!" he warned Chewie, shooting at it carefully.

_"Gaaaahhhhh!"_ Chewie wailed, coming around the other side of the ship. _"Ampyyyyyre!"_

"It's all right! It's all right," Han reassured him. _Quit freaking out, you'll scare the princess._ "Yeah, that's what I thought," he said, inspecting the creature. "Mynock. Chewie, check the rest of the ship, and make sure there are no more attached... Chewing on the power cables."

"Mynocks," Leia repeated worriedly.

_Yep,_ Han agreed. _That's a really good sign._ Good stomach moisture, probiotic Mynocks... _A healthy space slug is a safe space slug._ "Go on inside," he told Leia. "We'll clean them off if there are any more." _And we still gotta find that Ampyre, if it's out here..._

But now two more Mynocks flew straight past Leia's head, and she shrieked in alarm. "Ahhhhhhh!"

_"Mynock! Mynock!"_ Chewie wailed, swatting them away. _"Mynock... Gahhhh! Ampyyyyyre!"_ he warned Han, shooting at it with his crossbow. But in his panic, he missed, and shot the space slug instead.

_"GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR,"_ the space slug groaned, as the ground lurched beneath their feet.

_Nice job, Chewie, _Han sighed, preparing for a quick exit; but then he frowned in surprise as the space slug settled back down. "Wait a minute," he said, looking around worriedly. _An unresponsive space slug is NOT a healthy space slug..._ He pointed his blaster directly at the ground, firing at its stomach.

_"ARRRRRRRRRGGGGHHHH,"_ the space slug roared, lurching violently this time.

_Okay, that's better,_ Han thought, struggling to catch his balance. But now he glanced at the spot where he'd blasted it, and noticed viscous green ooze spewing out from the wound. _Crap! Not a healthy space slug,_ he realized in alarm, running for the _Falcon's_ ramp.

_At least we're wearing oxygen masks,_ Han reassured himself, checking his now. _Yeah; feels secure._ The virus was airborne, and as long as they didn't inhale the creature's misty stomach gases, they should be safe. But now the ground lurched again, and he reached out to catch himself, accidentally tearing the hose off his oxygen pack. _Damn it..._ Han quickly held his breath, running back aboard the _Falcon. _

"All right, Chewie, let's get out of here!" he yelled, flipping some switches on the control panel.

"The Ampyre is still out there!" Leia protested. "I don't think it's wise - "

"No time to discuss this in committee!" Han retorted, heading for the cockpit.

"I am not a committee!" Leia yelled, furious. "You can't make the jump to lightspeed in this asteroid field - "

"Sit down, sweetheart, we're taking off," Han said, flying carefully back through the narrow tunnel toward the creature's mouth. _And who said anything about jumping to lightspeed in the middle of an asteroid field?_

_"Watch out,"_ Chewie warned him, as they approached its sharp, jagged teeth.

"Look!" Threepio cried, as the creature's jaws began to close.

"I see it, I see it," Han muttered.

"We're doomed," Threepio announced.

"The cave is collapsing," Leia said, baffled.

"This is no cave," Han told her grimly.

"What?" Leia asked, as they flew through its teeth. "What is this thing?"

"Space slug... Exogorth," Han said, as they continued through the asteroid field.

"Exogorth?" Leia repeated, alarmed. "As in - Exogorthia?"

"Yep," Han said, swerving to avoid a barrage of oncoming boulders.

"They can get that big?" Leia asked, astonished.

"Yep," Han told her. "We should probably get tested when we get back aboard the _Executor_," he admitted, giving her an apologetic glance.

Leia rolled her eyes. "Han, if we had Exogorthia we'd be dead by now."

Han blinked in surprise. "Really?" he asked cautiously. _That's good news; I think..._

"Yes," Leia told him. "Anyway, there is no _test_," she added sarcastically. "If your flesh rots away and you die within five minutes, that means you _had_ it."

"Okay," Han said, blinking. "That's what I thought." _Huh; I guess I was thinking of something else, then.._. They were emerging from the asteroid field now; he could see the _Executor_ fleet up ahead, and checked his scanners for signs of cloaked vessels in the area.

"All right," Han said, flashing Leia a cocky grin. "The bounty hunters are gone, the hyperdrive's fixed; I've gotten you out of a space slug - _without_ dying of Exogorthia," he pointed out proudly. "I've successfully navigated an asteroid field - _twice..._ What are the odds of that again?"

"Three thousand, seven hundred and twenty to one," Threepio reminded him.

"Three thousand, seven hundred and twenty to one," Han repeated, feigning modesty. "And now I've got you back to your transport - as promised," he said, gesturing to the _Executor_ fleet ahead of them. "See? I told you, there was nothing to worry about."

Leia shook her head, laughing quietly; but there was a glimmer of appreciation in her eyes, rather than annoyance. But as they flew past the _Avenger's_ bow, continuing toward the _Executor,_ the _Falcon_ lurched suddenly, hit by a laser blast.

"What the - ?" Han blinked in alarm.

_"Deflectors up!"_ Chewbacca roared, quickly flipping the switch.

"What's going on?" Leia asked worriedly, peering out the window. "Is it Bossk again?"

"No," Han said, staring at the _Avenger_ in utter disbelief. _This isn't happening... We're just acting, right?_ "Chewie, what's going on?" he asked uncertainly, not trusting his own assessment of the situation.

_"Those are real laser blasts,"_ Chewbacca told him, flipping another switch. _"Deflectors at maximum."_

Han blinked in confusion. _We're under attack? By the SITH fleet?_

"What's happening?" Leia asked again, as they lurched in the wake of another blast. "Threepio, what did he say?"

"Oh dear," Threepio lamented. "He said: 'those are real laser blasts'," he translated for Leia. "The _Avenger_ is firing at us!"


	184. You have your moments

**Chapter 184**

"There will be a substantial reward for the one who finds the _Millennium Falcon,_" Anakin reminded the bounty hunters, who were gathered on the bridge of the _Executor._ "You are free to use any methods necessary, but I want them alive," he stipulated once again. "No disintegrations."

"As you wish," Boba Fett replied.

"Lord Vader," Admiral Piett called out to him. "My Lord: we have them."

_Yes, I know,_ Anakin sighed worriedly, as the bounty hunters raced to the _Executor's_ docking bay. _Let's hope this plan works._

* * *

><p><em>Meanwhile...<em>

"Why are they firing at us?" Leia asked in utter disbelief, as the _Avenger_ continued to pummel them with laser blasts.

"I'm not sure," Han said, doing his best to evade the oncoming barrage as they sped away from the fleet. "I think Skywalker's sending us a warning."

"Skywalker?" Leia repeated. _Dad, what are you doing?_ She had guessed that her father had found a way to deal with the bounty hunters, but this was not even remotely close to the solution she had imagined. "So what's the warning?"

"Well, judging by the welcome he's giving us, I'm guessing he wants us to get the hell out of here," Han said. "Prepare for the jump to lightspeed."

_"Rrraaaaauuughhh,"_ Chewbacca agreed, flipping some switches.

_Great,_ Leia sighed, glancing balefully at the _Executor,_ which was so close, and yet so far away... "So where are we going next?"

"Uh.. How do you feel about Svivran?" Han asked, giving her an apologetic glance. "I was supposed to pick up a shipment there an hour ago," he confessed, setting the calculations. "I just gotta pick up one shipment, stop by Tatooine real quick... And then I can drop you off on Naboo, or something?" he offered, cringing.

"Good Lord," Leia sighed. _Dad... Seriously, THIS is your plan?_ "Fine," she told Han, waving dismissively. "Whatever."

_"Rrrraaaauuughhh!"_ Chewie roared. _"Arrrrfff Rrrarrrgghh Rrrarrr!"_

"I know, I know," Han said, suddenly going into an evasive spin. "Switch to rear deflectors!"

"What?" Leia asked worriedly, peering at the laser fire that was now coming from _both_ directions.

"The bounty hunters are back," Han muttered, flipping some switches. "And they're all uncloaked... We gotta make the jump now."

_"Han!"_ came a voice over the transmitter.

"Boba!" Han replied. "I'm going to lightspeed," he warned him. "See you back on Tatooine?"

_"No, wait,"_ Boba said. _"It's all right; Bossk and the others have been hired to act on SITH,"_ he told him. _"They're not allowed to use deadly force. Skywalker wants you to deliver Senator Amidala back aboard the Executor."_

"Oh, so we're all _acting_ now?" Han asked, baffled. "Why the hell are they blasting through my shields?"

_"They're just trying to capture you,"_ Boba told him. _"HOPE has offered fifty thousand credits for Senator Amidala's safe return."_

"What?" Leia asked, her eyes widening. "That's all the money HOPE has_,_" she told Han, dismayed.

"Crap," Han muttered. "Well - can you try to stop them from capturing me?" he asked Boba.

_"Eh,"_ Boba replied apologetically. _"I'm not allowed to use deadly force,"_ he reminded him._ "And I got nothing BUT deadly force."_

"Terrific," Han sighed, exasperated. "Well - can _I_ use deadly force?"

_"Not against other actors,"_ Boba told him.

"Great," Han muttered. "I guess we're gonna get captured, then." He sighed, leaning back in his pilot's seat and folding his arms in resignation.

"What?" Leia asked. "You're giving up?"

"I don't have much choice," Han told her. "I've got three of them about to shoot through my shields, and there's two more guarding the _Executor's_ docking bay," he pointed out, with a baleful glance out the cockpit window. "If you want to get back aboard the _Executor,_ this is how it's gonna happen."

Leia sighed in dismay. "Well... Is there any way to _not_ get captured?" She gave Han a pleading look. "I don't want HOPE to go bankrupt again."

"We can still jump to lightspeed," Han told her. "If that's what you'd rather do."

"Please," Leia nodded.

"All right, then," Han agreed. "Let's get out of here... Ready for lightspeed?"

_"Rrrauuughh!"_ Chewbacca replied.

"One... Two... Three!" Han said, pulling the hyperdrive lever; but nothing happened, and once again, Leia heard the all-too-familiar sound of the _Falcon's_ engine winding down.

_"Rrraauughh?"_ Chewie asked, blinking in confusion.

Han's brows furrowed. "It's not fair," he said, equally baffled.

_"Arrrr Rrrarrrr Raaa Rrrahh Grraagghh,"_ Chewbacca wailed, frustrated.

"Transfer circuits aren't working; it's not my fault," Han said, as the bounty hunters continued to fire at them.

"No lightspeed?" Leia asked, giving him a reproachful look. _Thanks, Han, for bankrupting my charity once again._

"It's not my fault," Han protested.

"Sir, we've just lost the rear deflector," Threepio told him. "One more direct hit on the back quarter and we're done for."

_No, we're not done for,_ Leia sighed. _We'll just be captured, and turned in for fifty thousand credits_.

"Turn her around," Han decided abruptly.

_"Rrrauuughhh!"_ Chewbacca protested.

"I said - turn her around," Han ordered him, getting up from his seat. "I'm gonna put all power in the front shield."

"You're going to attack them?" Leia asked worriedly; they weren't allowed to use deadly force. _Has he gone nuts again?_

"Sir, the odds of surviving a direct assault on an Imperial Star Destroyer - "

"Shut up!" Leia told Threepio. _You're going to make him delusional..._ She held onto her seat as Han and Chewie turned the _Falcon_ around, evading the bounty hunters and flying straight back toward the _Avenger._ "What are you doing?" she asked, confused.

"Trying to save your charity," Han told her, with an apologetic look. "Chewie, prepare to shut down."

_"Rrrrouff,"_ Chewbacca nodded, flipping a switch.

_Shut down?_ Leia blinked, not following. _How exactly is that going to save my charity?_

"Strap yourself in," Han warned her. "This is gonna be rough."

"What's going to be rough?" Leia asked, though she did as she was told.

"This," Han said, as they flew past the _Avenger's_ bridge at full speed, then came to an abrupt and jolting stop.

"Ahhhh!" Leia exclaimed, hearing a loud clang as they attached to the side of the _Avenger._

"Shh," Han warned her; he had already switched off the _Falcon's_ engine, and there was an eerie silence all around them. "They might try to track us," he whispered, peering out the window at the bounty hunters which were now scattered amidst the _SITH_ fleet.

_So... Now we're playing hide and seek?_ Leia blinked in confusion. "You really think this is going to work?"

"No," Han shrugged. "But I figured it was worth a try," he told her, with an apologetic glance.

Leia managed an appreciative smile. "So why are they after you, anyway?"

"Uh..." Han glanced worriedly at the _SITH_ cameras.

Leia nodded in quiet agreement, switching off Threepio as Han collected their homing devices, sending the cameras out to the hallway for a moment. _It would be nice if those things had an off switch_. "So?" she asked, as Han returned to the cockpit.

"Eh," Han sighed, sitting back down in his pilot's seat. "Gardulla thinks I tipped off the Jedi about Hoth."

Leia gave him a surprised look. "And... _did_ you?"

He shrugged. "Maybe," he said, a roguish twinkle in his eyes.

Leia shook her head, laughing quietly. "So you've been working with the Jedi all along?"

"No," Han said. "Just this one time," he sighed wearily. "It'll be okay though," he assured her. "Skywalker's the one I talked to," he explained, glancing in the direction of the _Executor._ "Whatever deal he's made here... He's got my back on this."

Leia blinked. "_Skywalker?_" she whispered, her eyes widening. "You two were behind the Hoth raid?" _Dad knew about this all along?_ "He didn't tell me," she murmured, baffled and undeniably hurt. _He didn't even tell Mom..._

But Han gave her a confused look. "Why would he tell you?" Then he remembered, and sighed dismissively. "Eh, I forgot he's a friend of yours," he muttered, rolling his eyes in annoyance.

Leia's brows furrowed. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Han laughed sardonically. "You don't want to know how many 'donations' I've made to HOPE over the years," he told her, with a reproachful look. "Anyway, yeah; Skywalker and me go way back," he assured her, nodding confidently. "He'll figure out a way to get us out of this mess."

Leia laughed. "You know, most of his _friends_ don't call him Skywalker," she pointed out.

Han rolled his eyes. "Like I said: I'm sure _Ani _will get rid of these guys."

"He'd better," Leia agreed, pouting. _Come on, Dad. Get us out of this mess._

* * *

><p><em>Meanwhile...<em>

"What's the plan here?" Cliegg asked quietly, glancing out the _Executor's_ window toward the bounty hunting vessels.

_Good question,_ Anakin sighed. He could sense Leia nearby, and realized that the _Falcon_ was hiding somewhere amidst the _SITH_ fleet. _So, Leia doesn't want to bankrupt HOPE again._ He'd _told_ Padmé that he had everything under control, and that getting HOPE involved was a bad idea; but then she'd gotten all political on him - not to mention motherly - and in the end, she'd won that debate. _All right then: on to Plan B..._

"We need to bring the bounty hunters back on board," he told Cliegg. "Tell them you need them for a quick scene on Polis Massa, and then their contract will be fulfilled," he said. "Hopefully they'll cut their losses, and come with us to Polis Massa."

Cliegg nodded. "You got it," he agreed, unquestioning. "All right; I'll make the announcement now."

"Thanks, Cliegg," Anakin said, as the director headed over to the _Executor's_ bridge. But now he saw Captain Needa gesturing to him hopefully, and nodded, pulling his mask down over his face and going over to see what he wanted.

"Lord Vader," Needa said, as he approached. "I wanted to apologize to you personally, for losing track of the _Millennium Falcon._"

_Khhhhhhh..._ "Okay," Anakin said, uncertain what the plan was here. "Am I supposed to strangle you?"

Needa grinned. "Yes, sir," he told him. "But I was hoping I might get your autograph first?"

Anakin nodded good-naturedly, signing his _SITH_ tourist book. "All right... Ready for this?" Captain Needa nodded bravely, bracing himself as Anakin gently Force-squeezed his throat; then he clutched at his neck, falling dramatically to the ground. _Not bad; I'd give that an 8.5.._. "Apology accepted, Captain Needa," Anakin said, stepping over his body and gesturing for the others to drag him away.

Now Admiral Piett was waving him down, so he continued over to the bridge. "Lord Vader, our ships have completed their scan of the area and found nothing," Piett reported. "If the _Millennium Falcon_ went into lightspeed, it will be on the other side of the galaxy by now."

Anakin blinked, impressed. _Clear across the galaxy in five minutes? No wonder we can never catch these guys..._ "Alert all commands," he told Piett. "Calculate every possible destination along their last known trajectory." _They're probably in the next universe by now..._

"Yes, My Lord; we'll find them," Piett promised, looking decidedly sheepish.

_Heh..._ "Don't fail me again... Admiral," Anakin warned him, storming off down the hallway.

_And now to get these bounty hunters under control,_ he sighed, continuing toward the docking bay. He counted five bounty hunting vessels in the hangar when he arrived, but _Slave I_ was conspicuously missing. _Good,_ Anakin thought. _Boba's staying behind to help them._

But thankfully the others had all accepted Cliegg's offer, choosing to collect twenty-five thousand credits in 'acting' fees, rather than risk coming up empty-handed in their hunt for the _Falcon._ Whether they actually believed Han's sudden disappearance into hyperspace was another matter; but for the moment, they were off his tail.

_Unless Bossk has reinforcements coming,_ Anakin considered, still somewhat worried about that. But bounty hunters were motivated by greed, which made them fairly predictable. If Bossk had accepted Cliegg's offer and agreed to let the _Falcon_ go for now, he would have undoubtedly called off his reinforcements first, not wanting anyone _else_ to collect on Gardulla's bounty in his stead.

_All right, guys,_ Anakin sighed, praying Han knew what he was doing. _We'll be out of your way in a few minutes._

* * *

><p><em>Meanwhile...<em>

"The fleet's beginning to break up," Han noted. "Go back and stand by the manual release for the landing claw."

_"Okay,"_ Chewie agreed, heading back to the control room.

"I really don't see how that is going to help," Threepio protested. "Surrender is a perfectly acceptable alternative in extreme circumstances. The Empire may be gracious enough - "

"Thank you," Han sighed, as Leia switched him off. It had been a long day. He was tired, and had a bit of a headache; he realized that he hadn't slept properly in over two weeks now, since this whole mess with the bounty hunters had begun.

"What do you have in mind for your next move?" Leia asked.

_I'm trying not to think about that,_ Han sighed, deciding to focus on his acting instead. "Well, if they follow standard Imperial procedure, they'll dump their garbage before they go to lightspeed," he told her. "And then we just float away."

"With the rest of the garbage," Leia pointed out wryly. "Then what?"

_Ugh, do we really have to talk about this?_ "Then we gotta find a safe port somewhere around here," Han admitted reluctantly. "Any ideas?" _Please, have ideas. Because I have exactly ONE idea, and it sucks._

"Where are we?" Leia asked.

"The Anoat system," Han told her.

"Anoat system; there's not much there," Leia said, as they looked through the computer database.

"No," Han agreed. "Well, wait," he said, feigning surprise as he brought up a new record. "This is interesting." _There's exactly one inhabited planet in this system, and guess who it belongs to?_ "Lando," Han said, trying to sound more optimistic than he felt. _Wonderful... Let's see how much worse this episode can possibly get?_

Leia frowned doubtfully. "Lando system?"

_I wish,_ Han sighed. "Lando's not a system, he's a man," he told her. _A no-good, back-stabbing loser; but technically: a man._ "Lando Calrissian," Han said, realizing there was no other way out of this. "He's a card player, gambler... Scoundrel. You'd like him." _Victoria sure did._

Leia laughed quietly. "Thanks."

"Bespin," Han said. "It's pretty far, but I think we can make it." _And it's not like we have any other options._

"A mining colony?"

"Yeah, a Tibanna gas mine," Han told her. "Lando conned somebody out of it." _Though how he knew he'd find Tibanna gas there, I'll never understand._ "We go back a long way, Lando and me." _He was my best friend, until he threw it all away for a girl he barely knew._

Leia noted his sarcasm. "Can you trust him?"

"No," Han said emphatically. _Gah, let's just get through this scene, and quit talking about this._ "But he's got no love for the Empire, I can tell you that," he said, changing the subject. The _Falcon_ lurched now, as the _SITH_ fleet dumped its empty fuel cells for recycling. "Here we go, Chewie - stand by," Han told him. "Detach."

They floated quietly away, amidst the garbage; but now Han felt a gentle pat on his shoulder. "You have your moments," Leia said. "Not many of them... But you do have them," she admitted, giving him a tender kiss on the cheek.

Han tried not to smile, his heart fluttering. He realized they hadn't actually resolved anything in their previous attempts at conversation; between the cameras, the endless hyperdrive problems, and Threepio bursting in on them any time they so much as looked at each other, it had been difficult to talk. But at least he'd managed to avoid bankrupting her charity a _second_ time, and Han was grateful that Leia didn't completely hate him.

The _Avenger_ jumped to lightspeed now, along with the rest of the _SITH_ fleet; Han started up the _Falcon's_ engine, blasting away from the floating garbage and beginning the long, slow journey to Bespin.

But a moment later he heard a familiar voice over the transmitter. _"Bespin, huh?"_ Boba asked, catching up to him in _Slave I._

Han grinned, grateful for his presence. "Yeah," he replied, sighing. "This is gonna be fun."

_"Always,"_ Boba agreed cheerfully, with his unshakeable optimism. _"Don't worry, Han... If that Woman-Stealer gives you any trouble, Chewie and me got your back,"_ he promised. _"Right, Chewie?"_

_"Right,"_ Chewbacca said indignantly, taking his seat in the cockpit. Chewie had never forgiven Lando for the Woman-Stealing incident - a crime of unspeakable proportions on Kashyyyk - and although Greedo had tried to remain neutral, Boba had always good-naturedly taken their side in this little spat.

But now Leia gave him a questioning look. "Woman-Stealer?"

"Eh... Long story," Han sighed. "Anyway, he's married now," he added morosely, in an attempt to reassure her. "You've got nothing to worry about."

Leia nodded, giving him a look of sympathy, and regret. "He sounds like a real charmer."

"Yeah," Han agreed, slumping wearily back in his seat.

But now Leia peered at him in concern. "Are you feeling all right?"

"What? Yeah... Fine," Han said. In truth he was exhausted, and had a bit of a headache; but considering everything he'd been through lately, it was amazing he was holding up as well as he was. "It's been a long day," he confessed, giving her a weary grin.

Leia smiled, her brown eyes twinkling with warmth and understanding. "Yes, it has."


	185. Change of plans

**Chapter 185**

"Yes, Run! Yes... A Jedi's strength flows from the Force," Yoda said, as Luke ran through the misty swamplands of Dagobah. "But beware the Dark Side. Anger, fear, aggression... The Dark Side of the Force are they. Easily they flow. Quick to join you in a fight. If once you start down the Dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny. Consume you it will... As it did Obi-Wan's apprentice."

"Vader," Luke said, stopping for a moment. "_Is_ the Dark Side stronger?"

"No. No," Yoda told him. "No. Quicker, easier, more seductive."

_More seductive..._ "But how am I to know the good side from the bad?" Luke asked cautiously; he had always wondered just how dangerous his feelings for Mara were.

"You will know," Yoda promised him. "When you are calm. At peace. Passive. A Jedi uses the Force for knowledge and defense. Never for attack."

_That didn't exactly answer my question... _"But tell me why I can't - "

"No, no; there is no why," Yoda said. _Crap, I walked right into that one,_ Luke sighed. It was one of the first lessons every Jedi youngling learned: _There Is No Why_. "Nothing more will I teach you today," Yoda reproached him. "Clear your mind of questions. Hmmmm... Hmmm."

_He's serious about this,_ Luke realized, setting Yoda down in the clearing. Luke was expected on Polis Massa in just a few hours for his lightsaber duel with Mara; but Yoda operated on his own schedule, and refused to be rushed in helping him to regain his Force powers. _And the more impatient I am, the longer he's going to take,_ Luke realized, trying to force himself to relax, and focus on the task at hand.

_All this mud is distracting me... And it's cold here,_ he noted, shivering slightly as he went to retrieve his jacket. But once again, he got the feeling that it wasn't just the mud that was setting his nerves on edge. "There's something not right here," Luke said. He'd sensed it faintly before, right here in this place; and now that his Force powers were returning, he was certain of it. "I feel cold... _Death_," he whispered, a chill running down his spine.

Yoda hung his head. "That place is strong with the Dark Side of the Force. A domain of evil it is," he confessed. "In you must go."

_Evil?_ Luke blinked, suddenly fearful. _So this is why Dagobah is hidden.._. "What's in there?"

"Only what you take with you," Yoda said cryptically. _Great,_ Luke sighed, trying to set aside his fear as he strapped on his utility belt. "Your weapons," Yoda said, shaking his head. "You will not need them."

_Gah... Well I'm bringing them anyway,_ Luke decided, buckling his belt. His Force powers had still not fully returned, and without them he felt defenseless, even against the local wildlife.

"Your cameras," Yoda called after him again. "You will not need them either."

Luke sighed ruefully as his belt unbuckled of its own accord, floating back to Master Yoda, along with his hovercams, and weapons. _All right, then..._ Gathering his courage, he proceeded deeper into the thickly forested area, continuing toward the source of the disturbance.

A moment later his worst fears were confirmed as he came upon a small opening in the ground. _A sinkhole..._ Luke sighed unhappily, remembering the one he'd fallen into as a padawan. If Obi-Wan hadn't gotten him out in time, he would surely have drowned in that horrific pit of black sludge. _And Yoda said I have to go IN there?_ Luke hesitated; he could _feel_ the cold chill of death, down in that pit.

_Well, he was right about one thing,_ Luke thought, bravely climbing through the opening. _No amount of weapons will save me from a giant pit of mud._ He was glad the cameras weren't filming this, and finally understood Master Yoda's cryptic warning. _All that's in here, is what I take with me,_ Luke realized. _He wants me to get over my fear of mud._

But as Luke climbed down into the sinkhole, he was surprised to see that it opened into a larger cavern, hung with roots and crawling with snakes, and lizards. But it wasn't terribly _muddy,_ Luke was relieved to note. Still, the source of the evil feeling was ahead of him, and he braced himself for the horrors to come.

He found a smaller tunnel, and followed it a short distance; then he gasped in alarm as he suddenly discovered the source of the undeniable feeling of _Death._ For he now stood in the opening of a tomb: a catacomb of sorts, with skeletal remains piled high against both walls, glinting in the eerie shafts of light that filtered down from above. Some of the skulls were human, some not; but none, Luke noted with surprise, appeared to be of Yoda's own race.

_So this is why Dagobah is uninhabited,_ he realized now, horrified. _Everyone got sucked into a massive sinkhole, and died..._ But someone - perhaps Yoda himself - had at least made an effort to give them a proper burial, gathering their remains in this place and removing the worst of the mud.

Now he noticed a small stone carving, set into the rocky wall ahead of him. Bowing his head in respect for the dead, he continued through the catacomb, going over to inspect it. He assumed it was a memorial of some kind; but now he furrowed his brows in surprise, trying to make sense of the strange drawing.

"Hmmm," came a regretful sigh from behind him, as Master Yoda joined him in the catacomb.

Luke gave him a questioning, concerned look. "What happened to these people?" He had assumed they'd died when the sinkhole collapsed, but this picture told a different story... "What _is_ this?" he whispered, peering at the stone carving again.

Yoda bowed his head. "It is, what it appears to be."

Luke nodded, studying the drawing. It looked like something out of a biochemistry textbook; a small crystalline structure, surrounded by single-celled organisms of some type, each with a nucleus, and flagellum... "Some kind of virus, or - parasitic infection?" Luke guessed; then his eyes widened. "These people died of Exogorthia?" It was a horrific disease, carried by cave slugs; exposure to the virus caused human flesh to deteriorate rapidly, and could kill a person within minutes.

"Hmph." Yoda's sigh was respectfully somber, though Luke sensed his quiet amusement. "Too much biochemistry, have you been studying," he reproached him. "A virus, that is not," he told Luke, glancing at the stone carving. "Something bigger, it is."

_Bigger...?_ Luke examined the diagram again. _So the central structure... That really IS a crystal,_ he realized now. And not just _any_ crystal... "That's an Ilum crystal," Luke murmured, recognizing its unique structure. Ilum crystals were used in Jedi lightsabers, and gave them their characteristic blue or green glow. _Though I'm guessing this one was red,_ Luke thought, judging by the fact that it was somehow responsible for wiping out an entire planet. Red Ilum crystals could illicit strong feelings of anger and aggression in Force-sensitive species, and were a controlled substance within the Republic.

_This is why Master Qui-Gon's work is so important,_ Luke realized once again. The elderly Jedi Master had spent his entire lifetime traveling the far reaches of the galaxy, searching unexplored caverns for precious Ilum crystals, for use in Jedi lightsabers. Most people thought he was a bit daft, and that his devotion to the Living Force - and obsession with crystals in particular - was simply a glorified excuse to go spelunking. But Luke knew the truth: that Master Qui-Gon also discovered red Ilum crystals from time to time, which he quietly collected for safekeeping, to be stored in a magnetically-sealed vault below the Jedi Temple.

But now Luke looked closer at the stone carving, peering at the smaller, roundish objects surrounding the crystal. At first he had thought they were single-celled organisms, each with a nucleus, and thick flagellum; perhaps an amoeba, or paramecium of some type. But Ilum crystals were typically about an inch long; so if these blob-shaped organisms were half as big - with eyes, and tails... "They're - slugs?" Luke asked, blinking in surprise.

Yoda nodded. "Inhabited this planet, they once did," he told him regretfully. "Influenced by the crystal, they were."

_Slugs..._ And they weren't shaped like cave-slugs, or Exogorths, or even mud-leeches; these slugs were distinctly short, and round, and stubby. _They were just harmless little garden slugs,_ Luke realized, glancing back at the piles of bones in astonishment. _A crystal made them eat all these people?_

"Press the button," Yoda instructed him quietly.

_Button?_ Luke peered warily at the small stone diagram, set in the rocky wall of the catacomb. _It does something?_ But he obediently pushed it, then stepped back, hearing a low rumble as the entire wall began to lift up, revealing an even larger cavern beyond. _What IS this place?_ The mist covering the ground was bathed in an eerie red glow, and Luke felt a sense of pure dread as he followed Master Yoda through the doorway.

If the previous chamber had been a catacomb, this was a cathedral. Its rocky ceiling was thirty feet above Luke's head, with faint shafts of light streaming down through hidden crevices. The chamber was roughly round in shape; and in its center stood the source of Dagobah's mysterious Bad Feeling: the largest Ilum crystal Luke had ever seen in his life - nearly twenty feet tall, and glowing blood-red.

_Force..._ Luke shuddered involuntarily, closing his eyes and turning away for a moment. But then he felt Yoda's calming, comforting presence, and nodded gratefully, forcing himself to look up at the terrible monstrosity. "I didn't think they got that big," he whispered, shivering.

"Harvested early, most Ilum crystals are," Yoda told him. "But allowed to grow, this one was," he sighed in regret.

"So the slugs, that killed all those people," Luke said, with an anxious glance back toward the catacomb. "If they were half the size of this thing...?" _They weren't just little garden slugs,_ he realized, his eyes widening. "They were Hutts."

Yoda nodded unhappily. "On Dagobah, their species originated," he told Luke. "This crystal, for centuries they worshipped. An ancient and powerful cult of Dark Force users, they once were," he confessed. "Until vanquished by the Jedi, a millennium ago."

"A millennium ago...?" Luke stared at Yoda in alarm; he'd heard this legend before. "These were the Sith?"

Yoda bowed his head, sighing heavily. "The Sith, they were."

"But - I thought... Somehow I always imagined they were human," Luke stammered, confused.

"Hmph," Yoda reproached him. "Believe everything you see on _SITH,_ do you? Hmm?"

Luke managed an apologetic grin. "No," he assured Yoda. "But - you and Master Windu are Cliegg's main consultants when it comes to this stuff," he pointed out, blinking at the crystal in disbelief.

Yoda chuckled. "And much fun, we have had," he said. "But if the truth were known... Upon us long ago, war against the Hutts would have been."

Luke nodded, sobered. "So the Hutts, that control the Outer Rim now...?"

"Innocent of these crimes, they are," Yoda insisted stubbornly. "Of their own history, they know nothing." He sighed, glancing back toward the catacomb. "Mercy, the children of the Sith were shown, by the Jedi," he told Luke. "But driven from Dagobah they were, to the far reaches of the Outer Rim."

Luke nodded. "The legend says the Sith were vanquished on Solaris Three," he recalled. "Just before it was sealed off...?"

"Hmm," Yoda sighed. "Sealed off, amidst the conflict, Solaris Three was," he admitted reluctantly. "But on Nar Shaddaa, the final battle took place," he told Luke; then he bowed his head. "There, my father died."

"Your father...?" Luke's eyes widened. "So - Solaris Three is your home planet?" _The ancient legends have it backwards..._ It was generally suspected that Solaris Three was the planet of the Sith, and that the mystery behind Yoda's species was somehow tied to Dagobah.

"Hmph," Yoda said indignantly. "When Grand Master of the Jedi Order _you_ become, learn the truth about my home planet you will," he chided Luke. "Hmm?"

Luke laughed in quiet apology. "Yes, Master Yoda." _In other words, when Banthas fly..._ But Yoda's expression was solemn, and Luke blinked uncertainly. _That was a joke, right?_ He peered up at the crystal again, curious. "So - who else knows about this?" he asked, amazed that Yoda was allowing him to see it.

Yoda sighed. "Mace Windu; Ki-Adi-Mundi," he told Luke quietly. "That is all."

Luke blinked, stunned. "Not even Master Obi-Wan?" _And you're showing it to ME?_

Yoda shook his head. "A wise and powerful Jedi, your Master is," he told Luke. "But secrets from this friends, the man cannot keep," he sighed, chuckling. "If knew about this, Obi-Wan did..." Yoda cast a baleful glance at the twenty-foot Ilum crystal. "Then so would Qui-Gon, and Anakin... Hmph. Troublemakers, those two are," Yoda said indignantly, as Luke failed to suppress a grin.

"But you are different," Yoda admitted quietly. "A long time, has the Council watched you," he confessed, giving Luke a knowing look. "Sit among us one day, we hope that you will."

_Gah... _Luke bowed his head, carefully masking his guilt, and discomfort. Ever since he was twelve years old - the day he had boldly marched before the Jedi Council, threatening to leave for AgriCorps unless Mara was also chosen as a padawan - the entire Order had regarded Luke as some kind of saint, a champion of justice and equality, who would one day grace the Council with his noble and visionary ideals.

_When in reality I'm in love with Mara, and don't belong among their ranks at all,_ Luke sighed, remembering once again that he and Mara had recently been thinking of leaving the Order altogether, though he still couldn't recall exactly why...

"Hmm," Yoda murmured, seeing his reaction. "Greatness, have I predicted for your future," he told Luke. "Under the Dark crystal's influence, you are," he pointed out. "And yet - pride, ambition, desire for power... None of these things, do you feel," he observed.

Luke laughed sadly. "No," he assured Yoda.

"What feel you, then?" Yoda asked, giving him a curious look.

_You don't want to know._ "That - having Force powers is a burden," Luke admitted, confessing as close to the truth as he dared. "A responsibility... A great weight," he told Yoda honestly. "That I would sometimes rather be free of," he whispered helplessly, tears springing to his eyes.

"Hmmm," Yoda murmured. "In the presence of this crystal, you would choose to give up your Force powers altogether, rather than develop Dark ones."

Luke nodded. "Yes... But - " He looked up at the crystal. "Our work is important," he admitted reluctantly. "To protect the galaxy, from this sort of thing ever happening again."

"Hmm," Yoda agreed, giving him a look of understanding, and approval. "Accept this burden willingly, do you?" he challenged Luke. "Not to gain power for yourself; but to do what is right, in service to others?"

Luke bowed his head, closing his eyes. "Yes," he whispered. He prayed that Mara would understand; throughout their lives they had been tempted by the idea of leaving the Order at various times, but in the end, they'd always both agreed that serving as Jedi Knights was the right thing to do, and what they truly wanted.

Yoda nodded. "The heart of a true Jedi, you have, young Luke," he told him. "A Master on the Council, one day you will be."

Luke kept his head carefully bowed, masking his guilt. _If he knew the truth, he wouldn't be saying that._

"Worthy of this honor, you do not feel," Yoda observed.

Luke gulped. "No, Master Yoda."

"The deepest humility you have," Yoda noted. "All too rare, that quality is," he sighed. "Yes, yes... Needs you, the Council does," he nodded confidently, giving Luke an encouraging smile. "A great asset to our Order, I am certain you will be."

Luke managed a respectful nod. "Thank you, Master Yoda."

"Come," Yoda said, hobbling back toward the cavern's exit. "Time to complete your training, it is."

* * *

><p><em>A few minutes later...<em>

"Now: position eight," Yoda instructed Luke calmly.

_Position eight?_ Luke laughed to himself ruefully. _I'm gonna fall..._ But he did as he was told, attempting a handstand as Yoda subtly helped him to maintain his balance. "Good," Yoda said, hopping up and perching atop Luke's foot. "Now, one hand. Use the Force," he said, as Luke obediently lifted his right arm, standing on just his left.

"Yes. Now, the stone," Yoda said. "Feel it." Luke focused his concentration, levitating the stone, then setting it carefully down onto another small rock. _This is why training goes so much faster with Master Yoda,_ Luke thought, feeling his Force powers returning quickly now. What would have taken weeks of training on his own - or even with Obi-Wan's help - could be accomplished in just a matter of hours, with Yoda's unique methods. _Somehow, doing everything upside-down and backwards makes it all easier,_ Luke admitted, utterly baffled but grateful for his assistance.

But now Artoo began whistling urgently, and Luke glanced over to see his X-wing sinking into the lagoon. _Oh, crap..._ He was expected back on Polis Massa in three hours, and blinked worriedly. _If that think gets sucked down into a sinkhole, I'm gonna miss my lightsaber duel with Mara..._

"Concentrate!" Yoda warned him.

"Ah!" Luke exclaimed, falling to the ground along with Yoda. _Ugh; sorry about that..._ Now he was covered in mud, and sighed unhappily, getting up and gazing balefully at his sunken X-wing. "Oh no... We'll never get it out now." That was another annoying thing about mud; it was notoriously Force-resistant.

"So certain are you," Yoda reproached him. "Always with you, it cannot be done. Hear you nothing that I say?"

_Seriously?_ "Master, moving stones around is one thing," Luke said. "This is - totally different!" It wasn't a matter of ability; this defied the laws of physics. The Force simply didn't work against water, or mud; levitation required a solid surface beneath the object you were trying to move.

"No! No different," Yoda told him. "Only different in your mind. You must unlearn what you have learned."

_Are you kidding me?_ "All right, I'll give it a try," Luke said. _I might be able to move it a little bit, but not much..._

"No! Try not," Yoda scolded him. "Do. Or do not. There is no try." _Crap! I walked right into another one,_ Luke admitted sheepishly, feeling like a youngling all over again. _Though there IS a try, when it comes to mud,_ he sighed. It simply couldn't be done; but Luke reached a hand out now, doing his best to lift the X-wing out of the muddy sinkhole.

The ship began to move, though it felt slow, and sluggish. Luke focused all of his concentration, feeling his Force powers returning to their full strength. _Aha; so THAT was Master Yoda's plan,_ he realized now. There was truly no way he could move the ship; but by attempting the impossible, his Force powers were suddenly back. He'd managed to lift the X-wing to the surface of the murky lagoon; but now he was encountering air resistance, on top of the water and mud resistance...

_Nope,_ Luke sighed, going back to Master Yoda and sitting wearily on the ground. "I can't," he apologized, out of breath. "It's too big."

But immediately he wanted to take his words back, as he realized he'd walked straight into yet _another_ of Master Yoda's adages. "Size matters not," Yoda reminded him. "Look at me. Judge me by my size, do you? Hmm?" Luke shook his head apologetically, admitting that it wasn't technically the _size_ of the X-wing that was the problem; it was the fact that it was mired in a Force-resistant sinkhole of water and mud.

"And well you should not," Yoda continued. "For my ally is the Force. And a powerful ally it is," he reminded Luke. "Life creates it. Makes it grow. Its energy surrounds us, and binds us. Luminous beings are we; not this crude matter," he said, pinching Luke's shoulder. "You must feel the Force around you. Here, between you, me, the tree, the rock, everywhere. Yes. Even between the land, and the ship."

_That's the whole problem,_ Luke sighed. _There IS no land beneath the ship. Just water, and mud..._ "You're serious?"

"Yes," Yoda insisted. "But save your ship, _I_ will," he told Luke, frowning indignantly. "The grumpy padawan, _you_ will play."

Luke gave him an apologetic glance; then he stood up, doing his best to act grumpy. Which wasn't so difficult, considering all the mud... "You want the impossible," he said, stalking away childishly. He pulled his jacket back on, then sat cross-legged on the ground, sulking.

_Can he really do it?_ Luke wondered, looking over as Yoda closed his eyes, reaching out a hand toward the lagoon. Artoo began twittering excitedly, and now Luke got up again, going over to watch. _Force... He's actually doing it,_ Luke realized in astonishment, as Yoda lifted the X-wing out of the water, levitating it gracefully toward the shore. Luke stepped aside as Yoda set the ship down on the ground, then walked around the ship, staring at it in disbelief. _How did you do that?_ "I don't... I don't believe it," he stammered, incredulous.

Yoda gave him a disappointed look. "That is why you fail."

Luke's heart sank, and he felt the sting of Master Yoda's words. _He's right, though,_ he admitted helplessly. _I fail because even after seeing this, I don't believe it can be done. Unless you're Yoda..._

But now Yoda was looking up toward the sky, and Luke followed his gaze. _Someone's coming..._ A moment later a Jedi Starfighter appeared through the mist, touching down on the muddy ground nearby. The cockpit opened, and Luke smiled in surprise as Mace Windu climbed out, joining them by the edge of the lagoon.

"Master Windu," Luke greeted him, bowing respectfully.

"Luke; Master Yoda," Mace nodded, with a friendly smile. "I just stopped by Polis Massa, and talked to Owen," he said. "There's been a slight change of plans; Anakin and Mara have gone on to Bespin," he told Luke. "You're to meet them there."

Luke blinked in surprise. "So - I'm dueling Mara on Bespin now?"

"No," Mace said. _Aw, the duel's been called off?_ "You're dueling Vader."

"What?" Luke gave him an astonished look. "_Vader?_" He and Vader had never actually met before, on the show. _Awesome..._

Mace nodded, grinning cheerfully. "So Owen suggested that you film a scene here, where you have some kind of premonition," he told Luke. "You see a vision of Bespin: a city in the clouds... You sense Han and Leia are in pain; you need to go help them."

"Heh... Cool," Luke agreed, nodding.

Yoda sighed at this idea, shaking his head; but now he gestured to Luke, going along with it. "Once more: position eight."

_Yep; no problem,_ Luke thought, effortlessly going into a handstand and levitating one of the supply crates, then another. He was grateful to have his Force powers back, and couldn't wait to duel Vader on Bespin. _I wonder why Mara's not doing it...?_

"Concentrate," Yoda instructed him. _Oops; right..._ "Feel the Force flow. Yes." Now Luke lifted Artoo into the air, in addition to the two supply crates. "Good. Calm," Yoda coached him. "Yes. Through the Force, things you will see. Other places. The future. The past. Old friends, long gone."

Luke opened his eyes, feigning surprise. "Han? Leia!" he exclaimed, falling to the ground and dropping Artoo, who shrieked in alarm.

"Hmm," Yoda reproached him, shaking his head. "Control, control. You must learn control!"

"I saw - I saw a city in the clouds," Luke stammered.

"Hmm," Yoda sighed. "Friends, you have there."

"They were in pain," Luke said.

"It is the future, you see."

"Future," Luke repeated, stunned. _Haha, this is even better than talking to ghosts._ "Will they die?"

Yoda closed his eyes. "Difficult to see. Always in motion, is the future."

"I've gotta go to them," Luke said worriedly, heading off to pack his supplies.

"Decide you must, how to serve them best," Yoda called after him. "If you leave now, help them, you could," he conceded. "But you would destroy all for which they have fought, and suffered."

_Huh? That doesn't even make sense..._ But Luke nodded obediently, going along with it.

Then he heard a strangely familiar sound behind him, and turned around in utter confusion as Darth Vader suddenly entered the clearing. _What the - ?_ "Master Windu?" Luke asked, laughing in surprise.

"Owen let me borrow this costume," Mace explained good-naturedly, pulling the black mask up over his helmet. "I was thinking maybe we could film some kind of dream sequence, to foreshadow your fight with Vader," he explained. "Hey - how about in that cave?" he suggested, as once again Yoda sighed in weary disapproval.

_Dream sequence? What?_ "Uh... Sure," Luke agreed, following Master Windu toward the cave. _I've already talked to ghosts, and had visions of the future; why not have a crazy dream as well,_ he laughed to himself, hanging back for a moment and letting Master Windu get a head start. Then he bravely climbed into the sinkhole once again, continuing cautiously through the cavern.

Suddenly Vader appeared from the shadowy recesses, advancing upon him. Luke stepped back, activating his lightsaber to its practice setting as Vader's red saber hummed to life in response. They exchanged a few blows, but quickly got stuck in lightsaber lock, as Master Windu held his ground against Luke's attack.

"Chop my head off," Mace said, his voice sounding eerily robotic.

_Heh... All right,_ Luke thought, slashing his saber in a decisive arc toward his neck, as Master Windu crumpled dramatically to the ground. Then Mace pulled off his helmet, reattaching the mask and rolling it across the cavern floor. Luke stared at it for a moment, uncertain what he ought to do next; but then he blinked in alarm as Vader's helmet suddenly exploded, leaving a gaping hole where the mask had been. _Uh... Really?_

"Pretty cool, huh?" Mace asked, clipping the remote detonator back onto his belt. "I thought that would be dramatic."

"Wow... Yeah," Luke agreed, staring at the helmet in confusion. "Definitely dramatic."

"Now we just need to get a shot of you lying there, so it's your face inside the helmet," Master Windu told him.

_What?_ Luke laughed. "Why would my face be in there?"

Mace frowned. "Well - _somebody's_ face has to be in there," he said, gesturing to the half-exploded helmet. "It's either you or me," he pointed out reasonably.

"Uh..." Luke wasn't certain if that made sense, but he nodded, blinking. "Okay," he agreed, pulling on the broken helmet and obediently playing dead.

"Perfect." Mace grinned, nodding in approval. "That's going to look great."

Luke laughed, pulling the helmet off and getting up again. _Master Windu sure comes up with some crazy ideas__,_ he chuckled to himself, as they headed back outside the cave.

Days were short on Dagobah, and the sun was already beginning to set; by the time Luke finished packing to leave, it was dark outside. They filmed a final goodbye scene, with Mace standing in for Ben Kenobi; and finally Luke took off in his X-wing, continuing up through the misty night sky toward the stars beyond.

He was grateful to leave all that mud behind him, as well as the unsettling feeling emanating from the ancient Sith sanctuary, with its enormous red crystal. _Though Master Yoda seems to love it there,_ Luke admitted; he had sensed nothing but peace and contentment from the mysterious Jedi Master during his visit. Yoda's home itself was a cheerful retreat; it had a warm, comforting feel to it that reminded Luke more of a family home, than the austere quarters of a Jedi Master.

_He certainly doesn't take the 'No Possessions' rule very seriously,_ Luke realized in amusement, as he flew away from Dagobah. He'd been fascinated by the decor in Yoda's home, and had been surprised to find a half-completed knitting project, hastily stuffed under the guest bed. It was a child's blanket in soft shades of blue and green, which Yoda admitted - with some embarrassment - that he was planning to donate to Leia's HOPE store on Coruscant.

Luke had also been baffled to stumble upon a collection of rubber duckies in the bathroom drawer, when he had been hunting for a clean towel to use. But most astonishing of all had been the swimming-pool toy which he had found this morning, washed up on the shore of the lagoon. It was an inflatable sea-pony, in festive colors of violet and teal. Master Yoda had been mortified at Luke's discovery, but had finally confessed that he enjoyed paddling it about the lagoon, in his spare time.

_There's a whole side to Master Yoda that I never knew about,_ Luke admitted. The nine-hundred-year-old Jedi Master was surprisingly playful in nature, as evidenced by his collection of children's toys, and the capricious, giggling character he played on _SITH_. But Yoda had always been an enigma, and Luke shook his head good-naturedly, admitting that he would never understand his mysterious ways.

_"So we're going to Bespin now?"_ Artoo asked, as Luke read the translation on his X-wing's control panel.

"That's right," Luke said, setting the coordinates. "I guess Cliegg has something special planned for us." Drastic plot changes such as this happened on a weekly basis on _SITH_; Cliegg Lars was famous for making things up as he went along, and Luke had learned to take it all in stride.

_"Cool,"_ Artoo twittered cheerfully, as they blasted into hyperspace. _"I've never been there before... Do you think Cliegg will let us try that thing where we spin around really fast and then - oops! Low power; gotta recharge,"_ he said abruptly, switching off.

Luke laughed, amused as always by the quirky little astrodroid. _I wish Arfive had a tenth of his personality,_ he admitted, sighing in boredom as he settled back in his seat for the journey to Bespin.

_And why am I dueling Vader all of a sudden?_ Luke wondered, intrigued by this latest plot twist. He and Mara had been looking forward to their duel all week; it took a quite a bit of creativity to come up with a routine that would look both interesting and somewhat believable, given the fact that Luke's Rebel character had never had much in the way of Force powers. _Hopefully Mara won't be upset about missing our duel..._

Then he frowned suddenly. _Maybe that's WHY she's missing our duel?_ He cringed to remember his last words to her, back on Hoth. Mara had excitedly suggested that Luke join the Coruscant police - to which he had responded _'Why would I leave the Order?'_ Luke's Force powers had been weak at the time, and he hadn't been able to sense her true feelings; Mara had smiled bravely, but still he'd gotten the sense that she was dismayed by his answer.

_Why does she want to leave?_ Luke wondered again. He had lain awake for hours last night, trying to remember. Whatever the reason, Mara had clearly been ecstatic about it; he vaguely remembered talking to her aboard the _Executor,_ the morning before he'd left for Hoth. He couldn't recall the exact details of that conversation, but Mara had seemed happy, bubbly, hopeful; her eyes had been sparkling; her whole being had practically been glowing...

_Glowing!_ Luke gasped, suddenly remembering. _She's pregnant! Oh, sweetheart..._ His heart ached as he remembered his last words to her, back on Hoth. _Oh, Mara, I'm sorry,_ he thought, tears filling his eyes. _Of course I'll leave the Order with you. This changes everything._

He realized that Master Yoda had other expectations for him: becoming a Master, and serving on the Council one day. _But... He'll just have to find someone else,_ Luke sighed. _I'll keep his secrets; I won't tell anyone about the crystal, or the Sith, or Dagobah, or - his inflatable sea-pony,_ he laughed, regretful. _But I'm not the upstanding Jedi he thinks I am,_ Luke confessed. _What Master Yoda wants to believe about me, is a lie. And it would be wrong to keep deceiving him._

_It's time to leave,_ Luke admitted. _To end the lies. To stop trying to be something I'm not, and that I can never truly be. I'm a husband, and I'm about to become a father,_ Luke realized, his heart fluttering with joy._ Mara and I will leave the Order; we'll raise our baby together, and be a family..._

_Don't worry, sweetheart,_ Luke thought tenderly as he continued toward Bespin, eager to speak with her again. _Everything's going to be all right._

* * *

><p><em>Meanwhile...<em>

_Luke, how could you?_ Mara sobbed miserably, curled up beneath the bedcovers in her guest suite aboard the _Executor_. _You said you would come with me... That we could be a family, and raise our baby together..._

_I would have understood, if you just TOLD me you wanted to stay with the Order, in the first place,_ she cried, confused and betrayed. But when Luke had promised to leave with her, Mara had gotten her hopes up. She'd begun to make plans, and to dream of their life together, as a family. She'd allowed herself to believe that Luke _loved_ her, more than anything in the galaxy, and that being together was all that mattered to him.

_And then he changed his mind, without even an apology,_ Mara sniffed, her heart still stabbing from the pain of his careless dismissal of the situation. _Just 'Why would I leave the Order' and 'We'll talk about this later'... Well there's nothing to talk about now,_ she cried bitterly.

But now the door to her guest suite opened, and she tried to quell her tears as Master Anakin came inside, his expression concerned. "Mara," he said softly, sitting on the edge of her bed and putting a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"I'm sorry," Mara sobbed. _Sorry I've been such a wreck. Sorry I can't do my lightsaber duel. Sorry I got pregnant._ She had told her father that it was 'that time of month,' and thankfully he hadn't questioned her story. "I'm sorry..."

"No, no. Shh," her father said, stroking her hair. "It's all right, Mara. You just take it easy, and feel better. Can I get you anything? Painkillers?"

"No," Mara gulped, sniffing. "I took some already." But she was grateful for her father's presence, and closed her eyes now, feeling a calming, soothing sensation as he placed a hand on her forehead. Force-healing was not Master Anakin's strong point, but she deeply appreciated the fact that he was trying.

There had been a lot of pain. And a lot of blood. And the wonderful, beautiful, tiny life that had been inside her, was gone now.


	186. How you doing, you old pirate?

**Chapter 186**

"No, I don't have a landing permit," Han said, as they approached Cloud City. "I'm trying to reach Lando Calrissian." But a moment later the _Falcon_ was hit by a laser blast, as one of the smaller fighters opened fire on them. "Whoa! Whoa, wait a minute," Han protested. "Let me explain!"

"You will not deviate from your present course," an official-sounding voice replied over the transmitter.

"Rather touchy, aren't they?" Threepio noted.

"I thought you knew this person," Leia added, unimpressed.

_Yeah, me too,_ Han thought worriedly. _They know we're filming for SITH, right?_ Boba had already been escorted off in a different direction; Han had assumed Cliegg was behind this dramatic welcome, but suddenly he wasn't so sure. _The Executor might not even be here yet..._

_"Is Lando still mad about that shipment of Tibanna gas?"_ Chewbacca asked, equally confused.

Han furrowed his brows. "Well that was a long time ago," he pointed out. "I'm sure he's forgotten about that." He'd sold a dozen tanks of Tibanna gas on the black market three years ago, in retaliation for what happened with Victoria; but it had only been worth about two thousand credits. _I don't get it..._

_Unless he's mad at me for not going to his wedding?_ Han wondered, blinking. Lando _was_ technically a Baron, after all; they tended to be a touchy bunch when it came to etiquette, and didn't take personal slights very well. _If I'd ignored a wedding invitation from Baron Lazloz, he'd blacklist me too,_ Han admitted. _But I thought Lando would understand my reasons for not wanting to go..._

"Permission granted to land on Platform 327," the air traffic controller informed him.

"Thank you," Han said, preparing to land. "Nothing to worry about," he assured Leia. "We go way back, Lando and me."

"Who's worried?" Leia pointed out.

_Well now _I_ am,_ Han confessed. He hadn't thought this spat was serious; he'd assumed since he'd been invited to their wedding two years ago, that Lando wanted to make amends. _But a lot has changed since then,_ Han admitted, noting that Cloud City itself had grown to nearly double its size since he'd last been here.

He touched down on the landing platform, and walked cautiously down the ramp, concerned by the lack of a welcoming committee. He'd hoped to find Cliegg and his crew set up here already, to film their dramatic arrival; but the only cameras recording them right now were their own _SITH_ hovercams, which obediently spread out in all directions, documenting the eerie silence.

"Oh," Threepio noted, disturbed by this glaring lapse in protocol. "No one to meet us."

"I don't like this," Leia admitted.

"Well what _would_ you like?" Han asked, irritated. Then he sighed; he didn't mean to snap at Leia, but he'd barely slept in two weeks now, and the exhaustion was beginning to catch up with him. "Look, don't worry," he assured her. "Everything's gonna be fine. Trust me."

_"Someone's coming,"_ Chewie warned them, as the door opened nearby; then he roared in outrage as a familiar blue-caped figure appeared. _"Woman-Stealer!"_

"See?" Han flashed Leia a confident smile. "My friend." But as he passed by Chewbacca, he gave him a look of warning. "Keep your eyes open, huh?" _And your mouth shut,_ he sighed; Lando understood Shyriiwook fairly well, and Wookiees were not known for their diplomacy.

_"Woman-Stealer!"_ Chewbacca roared again, as Lando and his security team approached. _Chewie, you're not helping..._

"Hey!" Han called out to Lando, raising his arms in a gesture of friendly greeting.

"Why you slimy, double-crossing, no-good swindler," Lando growled, stopping several paces away from Han, along with his security team. "You've got a lot of guts coming here, after what you pulled."

_"Grrrff,"_ Chewie replied disapprovingly. The Shyriiwook word _'Grrrff'_ was generally translated as "shut up," but its full nuance expressed _'I disagree with everything you just said and I think you're a complete idiot, get out of my face you stupid dumbass.'_ Han often wished there was a nice, simple word for that in Basic.

But Lando was a Baron, and judging by Cloud City's recent expansion, obviously a successful one. _He has to pretend to be mad, to look important in front of his people,_ Han realized; he dealt with Barons on a regular basis, and was skilled in the art of ass-kissing. _All right, Your Baronship. Let's play._

_What's he gonna do... Punch me?_ Han thought in amusement, as Lando slowly advanced upon him. Even funnier was the fact that Lando was making this about the Tibanna gas, rather than the wedding. _I guess 'no-good swindler' sounds better than 'lousy RSVPer',_ Han laughed to himself. As Outer Rim Barons went, Lando was clearly a lightweight; Baron Lazloz was known to keep a concealed vibroblade up his sleeve, and Baron Pyorish -

_Oh, crap!_ Han's eyes widened in alarm as he noted Lando's grim expression, the sudden prosperity of Cloud City, and the conspicuous absence of Boba Fett, Skywalker, or anyone from the _SITH_ crew... _He's joined the Nar Shaddaa Mafia._

_This ain't about his wedding, or two thousand credits worth of Tibanna gas,_ Han realized, his heart pounding. _This is about Hoth. _Lando had accused him of 'double-crossing'... _He's gonna turn me over to Gardulla. If he doesn't kill me first,_ he thought, wondering if Lando had taken to carrying a hidden vibroblade as well.

Han resisted the urge to draw his own blaster; first off, he knew it was set to low voltage, in preparation for his _SITH_ role. But secondly, he realized that if he so much as touched it, Leia and Chewie might be killed. He kept his hands clearly away from his holster as Lando advanced upon him; but in that final moment he raised his fists in self-defense, bracing himself for the stabbing pain of Lando's vibroblade in his chest.

But instead, Lando hugged him, cackling gleefully. "Hahahahahaha," he laughed, seeing Han's confused expression. "How you doing, you old pirate? So good to see you..." His security team quickly retreated, and now Cliegg Lars and the _SITH_ crew appeared on the balcony above them, along with Boba Fett. _Aw man, you got me,_ Han admitted, grinning in embarrassment. "What are you doing here?" Lando asked, his delight obvious.

_Besides having a heart attack?_ "Ah, repairs," Han apologized, gesturing toward the _Falcon._ "I thought you could help me out."

"What have you done to my ship?" Lando asked, giving him a reproachful look.

"_Your_ ship?" Han repeated. "Hey; remember, you lost her to me, fair and square."

"And how you doing, Chewbacca?" Lando asked. "You still hanging around with this loser?"

_"Grrrff,"_ Chewbacca growled in resentment. _"The only thing he ever 'lost' was the woman you stole from him,"_ he said, as Han shook his head wearily._ Come on, Chewie. Be nice. Let it drop._

But Lando had caught the meaning of Chewbacca's words, and now his dark eyes gleamed mischievously. "Hello, what have we here?" he asked, casting an appraising glance at Leia. "Welcome, I'm Lando Calrissian; I'm the administrator of this facility," he said, with a charming smile. "And who might you be?"

Leia seemed more amused than insulted by Lando's blatant and guileless attempt at Woman-Stealing. "Leia," she replied, giving Han a puzzled look.

"Welcome, Leia," Lando said, gallantly kissing her hand.

"All right, all right," Han laughed, breaking them apart. "You old smoothie," he reproached Lando, taking Leia's hand and rescuing her from the depraved Woman-Stealer. _Don't even joke about that stuff in front of Chewie,_ Han sighed, as they headed toward the facility. According to sacred Wookiee tradition, Leia was life-bound to Julian Organa, forever. _If Chewie knew how I actually felt about her, he'd probably kill me._

"Hello, sir! I am See-Threepio, human-cyborg relations. My facilities are at your - "

_"Grrrff,"_ Chewbacca growled.

"Well, really!" Threepio sputtered, as Lando ignored him completely.

"What's wrong with the _Falcon?_" Lando asked, as they continued toward the facility.

"Hyperdrive," Han told him. _I'd be more specific, but I have no idea what the problem is_.

"I'll get my people to work on her," Lando promised, gesturing to his assistant.

"Good," Han agreed dully. _I'm tired of trying to fix it myself. And just - tired in general,_ he confessed, trying to blink away his exhaustion.

"You know, that ship saved my life quite a few times," Lando said cheerfully. "She's the fastest hunk of junk in the galaxy."

_Not without a hyperdrive._ Han sighed, hoping Lando's people could figure out what was wrong; Jabba was expecting him to deliver a shipment from Svivran by tonight. "How's the gas mine?" he asked, as they entered the building. "Still paying off for you?"

"Oh, not as well as I'd like," Lando confessed. "We're a small outpost, and not very self-sufficient. I've had supply problems of every kind, I've had labor difficulties - " _I've had bounty hunters up my ass, and almost got eaten by a space slug,_ Han laughed, amused by Lando's problems. "What's so funny?" Lando asked.

"You," Han teased him good-naturedly, relieved that his earlier suspicions had been wrong. "Listen to you. You sound like a businessman; a responsible leader." _And I actually believed you were Nar Shaddaa Mafia._ "Who'd have thought that, huh?"

Lando's smile was full of regret. "You know, seeing you sure brings back a few things."

"Yeah," Han agreed, putting a reassuring hand on Lando's shoulder. _Don't worry, buddy. I got over Vicky a long time ago._

"Yeah, I'm responsible these days," Lando said, as they continued through the hallway. "It's the price you pay for being successful." Han smiled quietly as Lando prattled on about labor disputes and inventory problems, grateful that things were going so well for him.

"Cut," Cliegg said, catching up with them now. "All right, we're going to take a quick break; I'm working on a plot with Threepio, and then we're planning a dinner scene," he told them. "But it'll probably be at least half an hour before we need you guys again," he estimated, glancing back toward his crew.

"You got it," Lando nodded in agreement; then he gave the others a hopeful look. "How about a drink?" he offered. "Vicky's been looking forward to seeing you," he added, with a regretful smile at Han.

Chewie's eyes darted nervously. _"I, uh... Actually, I really want to be in that scene with Threepio,"_ he stammered, looking back toward Cliegg and the _SITH_ crew. _"I'll catch up with you later,"_ he promised, hurrying off down the hallway.

"I should change before our dinner scene," Leia apologized, casting a rueful glance at her dirt-stained white outfit. "Thank you, Lando; it's very nice to meet you," she added, with an appreciative smile.

"And you, Milady." Lando nodded respectfully, as Leia took her leave. "So how about you, buddy?" he asked, turning to Han. "Got time for a drink?"

Han shrugged amiably. "Sure."

* * *

><p><em>Those two couldn't get away from me fast enough,<em> Lando sighed, as Chewie hurried off to film a scene with Threepio, and Leia left to change for dinner. He'd always known he'd end up playing a traitorous slimeball on _SITH_, but now he felt like he _was_ one.

"So how've you been?" Lando asked Han, leading the way up to his private quarters.

Han grinned ruefully. "Eh... Same as ever," he said, casting a baleful glance out the window toward the landing platform, where Lando's maintenance crew was working on the _Falcon_. "I'm sorry about this," he apologized. "I don't know _what's_ wrong with the hyperdrive - "

"No, no," Lando assured him. "I'm glad you're here. Really," he insisted, as they waited for the elevator. "I've been wanting to apologize... for what happened," he confessed, looking down. "I feel really bad; Vicky does too - "

"Hey, no," Han said. "It's all right; I... That was a long time ago," he pointed out, managing a conciliatory smile. "I've moved on."

_So I've heard,_ Lando sighed, as they stepped onto the elevator. Han's dating life had been prominently featured in the tabloids these past three years, and it seemed he had 'moved on' about a hundred times since Vicky. _Meanwhile Leia's engaged to Julian Organa,_ Lando recalled unhappily, pressing the button for the top floor. _This is not how I imagined things would turn out between them._

"Anyway," Han added casually, breaking the awkward silence. "I still owe you for that shipment of Tibanna gas. Plus I missed your wedding," he pointed out. "If I pulled that kind of crap with any other Baron on the Outer Rim, they'd have my ass," he confessed, with a roguish grin. "Call it even?"

_Vicky's worth a whole lot more than a shipment of Tibanna gas,_ Lando sighed. _But apparently not to Han,_ he conceded, admitting that his friend truly seemed to prefer a lifestyle of perpetual bachelorhood and one-night stands. "All right," he nodded, giving Han an apologetic smile.

"So how is Vicky?" Han asked, as they stepped off the elevator.

"Oh, she's great," Lando assured him. "She's been looking forward to seeing you - we both have," he said, as they continued along the hallway toward his apartment. "Vicky special-ordered a case of Corellian ale; your favorite coffee... Wookiee-ookies," Lando laughed, trying to put him at ease. "It just arrived yesterday."

"Yesterday?" Han blinked in surprise. "How did you know I was coming?"

"Uh - I didn't," Lando stammered. _Damn it..._ "I just - well, I heard you were gonna be filming on Hoth, and hoped you might stop by, since you were in the area," he explained, managing a confident grin. "And see? I was right."

"Ha... You always are," Han laughed, following him through the hallway. "You know, if you ever get bored of this Tibanna gas thing, you could always get a job as a psychic," he told Lando, amused by his uncanny talent.

"Heh... 'Calrissian's Fortune-Telling'," Lando joked. "I don't know if Vicky would go for that," he chuckled, as they arrived at his apartment. "Come on in."

Han nodded, following him inside; but now Vicky emerged from the kitchen, and there was moment of terrified silence.

"Han," Vicky said, managing a gracious smile. "It's wonderful to see you."

"Thanks - Victoria," Han stammered, nervous. "It's... You look great."

Vicky nodded shyly. "So do you."

"So, what'll it be?" Lando offered, trying to break the ice. "Coffee? Beer? Wookiee-ookies?"

"Ah... Actually, coffee would be terrific," Han confessed. "I need to get back to work after this dinner scene," he sighed wearily. "Jabba's expecting me to deliver a shipment from Svivran by tonight."

Lando nodded matter-of-factly, but he shared an amused glance with Vicky now. _Hate to break it to you, buddy, but I think it's gonna be more complicated than that._ He'd seen all of the _Star Wars_ movies when he was a kid, on Solaris Three; his memory of them wasn't completely perfect, but he _did_ distinctly recall a scene where Han ended up being put into carbon freeze.

_Though how Cliegg is gonna come up with THAT idea, I don't even want to know,_ Lando admitted. _I'm sure as hell not gonna be the one to suggest it._ He had done what he could to research the logistics of carbon-freezing a human being, and had even tested it on himself once. Scientific studies seemed to indicate that freezing sentient life forms for up to twenty-four hours was completely safe; but Han would need to be unfrozen relatively quickly.

_Which means we'll be continuing straight into the next movie,_ Lando guessed. They would probably head off to Tatooine later tonight, to release Han from the carbonite inside Jabba's audience chamber. _And by tomorrow we'll be dancing with the Ewoks on Endor,_ he laughed to himself.

"What's so funny?" Han asked, seeing his amused expression.

"Ah, it's just good to see you," Lando said with a fond smile, showing him into the living room. "It's been a long time."

"Yeah," Han agreed, slumping wearily into the armchair across from Lando. "It sure has." His grin was roguish as ever, but the years of hard living were starting to take their toll. _He looks tired,_ Lando thought, concerned by the stories he had read in the tabloids lately. _All this drinking and womanizing is wearing him out._

But another worry was beginning to trouble him as well. For the past eighteen years, Lando had lived with an uncanny knowledge of the future, and had never really feared for his own safety - or Han's - since he _knew_ they'd both be alive and well, right up through the end of the final _SITH_ episode. _But that all ends tomorrow,_ he realized, a strange feeling of anxiety gripping his heart as he realized his 'psychic powers' would soon leave him.

_And after that... I have no idea,_ Lando confessed. He knew that tensions were mounting between Gardulla and Jabba these days; that there was a price on Han's head, and that the threat of galactic war was always looming. _I don't know about this,_ he sighed, sharing a concerned glance with Vicky as Han closed his eyes, leaning back in his armchair and catching a quick nap while they waited for the coffee to finish brewing. _For the first time ever, I'm kinda worried about you, buddy._

* * *

><p><em>Meanwhile...<em>

"Anakin," Leia exclaimed, feigning surprise as her father entered the guest chamber in Cloud City. "It's good to see you."

"And you, Milady," Anakin agreed, with a polite Jedi bow - which looked slightly comical in his Vader costume, his mask pulled up over his helmet. "I wanted to let you know that the situation with the bounty hunters has been dealt with," he told her. "They've all gone back to Nar Shaddaa, for the time being."

Leia smiled appreciatively. "Thank you. I'm glad to hear it." She was dying to speak with her father in private, but they were surrounded by hovercams at the moment. _I SO wish these things had an off switch..._

Anakin gave her a concerned look. "Are you all right, Milady?"

"Yes... Fine," Leia assured him, managing a bright smile.

But Anakin frowned worriedly. "Cut," he said, glancing briefly at the hovercams, then back to Leia. "What is it?"

Leia blinked. "How did you - what?" She stared in disbelief at the cameras, which had all switched off at his command. "How did you do that?" _Is that some kind of Jedi trick?_

"Uh... You just say _'Cut'_, and they stop filming," Anakin explained, surprised. "No one ever told you?"

_Seriously?_ "No," Leia sighed in annoyance. _That might have been useful to know YESTERDAY..._

Anakin laughed. "Eh, I can see why Owen and Cliegg may have forgotten to mention that feature," he admitted. "Your mom and I abused the heck out of it, back in our day," he confessed, his eyes twinkling. "Dozens of brilliant scenes - lost forever, all because we forgot to say _'Action'_." But now the hovercams obediently switched back on, and Anakin frowned at them in disapproval. "_Cut_," he said again; then he gave Leia a questioning look. "So... What is it?"

Leia sighed, uncertain where to begin. "You and Han set up the whole raid on Hoth?"

Anakin frowned again, suddenly uncomfortable. "Maybe."

"Maybe?" Leia challenged him. "Is _that_ why you're suddenly being promoted to Assistant Director on Lannik?"

Anakin blinked uncertainly. "Maybe."

"So you know about the situation with Jabba?"

"Uh..." Anakin gave her an apologetic, helpless shrug. "What situation?"

Leia rolled her eyes. "The situation where he's the only reason this galaxy isn't already at war," she told her father, exasperated.

"Oh." Anakin's brows furrowed. "That situation."

"How long have you known about this?" Leia asked him.

"Uh... Forever?" Anakin cringed.

"And it never occurred to you to mention this to your own wife, and daughter?" Leia asked, baffled.

Anakin sighed apologetically. "You know I hate politics - "

"And yet you married a politician," Leia laughed, shaking her head. "Dad... Seriously - you need to _tell_ us these things," she chided him.

"Yeah, I know." Anakin shrugged, sitting against the back of the sofa. "I tried telling your mom once, but then - she thought we were having a political discussion, and suddenly her eyes got all sparkly, and - it was so cute, I - forgot what I was trying to tell her," he admitted, giving Leia an apologetic cringe.

"Good Lord," Leia sighed, raising her hands in despair. "Well I'm going to tell her, all right?"

Anakin nodded quietly. "All right," he agreed. "But - honestly, there's nothing you guys can do about it," he told her. "Obi-Wan knows; the Council knows... Chancellor Mothma knows," Anakin assured her. "For the time being, the best thing to do is to just keep it quiet."

Leia sighed, nodding. "That's what Han said."

Anakin gave her a reassuring smile. "It'll be all right," he promised, kissing her on the forehead. Then he gently tugged on her loopy braids, admiring her hairstyle. "What is this?" he asked, with a delighted grin. "Some kind of - sailor's knot? A shipwreck theme?"

Leia laughed, shaking her head. "Dad, not every hairstyle has to _look_ like something," she told him. But now they both sensed someone approaching from the hallway, and shared a cautionary glance, stepping away from each other. "_Action_," Leia blurted out quickly, remembering the cameras.

A moment later the door opened, and Cliegg Lars entered the room. "Ah - there you guys are," he said cheerfully. "We're getting ready to film a quick dinner scene; Han and Lando are on their way down," he told them. "So Leia - if you could stay here, and Anakin - I need you downstairs, with Boba."

"You got it," Anakin nodded, heading for the door. "Good to see you, Milady," he added with a polite bow, his eyes twinkling impishly as he left with Cliegg, continuing down the hallway toward the elevator.

But a moment later the door opened again. "I forgot to say," Cliegg added, with a mischievous grin. "Threepio may have had a bit of an accident," he told her, raising his eyebrows mysteriously. "He's been gone a long time; you're very worried."

Leia laughed, nodding. "All right," she agreed. "I'm _very_ worried." _What sort of mess has he gotten into this time?_ she wondered, as Cliegg left her alone in the guest chamber. But she dutifully pretended to be concerned, pacing back and forth in front of the window.

Presently the door opened again, and this time Han entered. "The ship's almost finished," he announced. "Two or three more things and we're in great shape."

"The sooner the better," Leia told him. "Something's wrong here," she added worriedly. "No one has seen or knows anything about Threepio. He's been gone too long to have gotten lost - "

She broke off, her heart fluttering as Han kissed her on the forehead. "Relax," he said, caressing her loopy braids - almost unconsciously, in a manner that felt so different from her father's. _Or Julian's..._ "I'll talk to Lando, and see what I can find out."

_Ugh; Lando..._ "I don't trust Lando," Leia told him, sitting down on the couch.

"Well I don't trust him either," Han agreed. "But he is my friend. Besides," he said, sitting next to her. "We'll soon be gone."

_I know..._ Leia's heart ached at the thought. "Then you're as good as gone, aren't you?" she said. Han looked down shyly; but then he gazed into her eyes, and they shared a look of regret. "_Cut_," Leia said quietly, turning off the cameras.

Han blinked, astonished. "What? How - what?" he asked, staring at the cameras in confusion.

Leia laughed softly. "It's a little trick I just learned."

"Great," Han sighed ruefully. "The things I'm finding out, my last day on the job."

Leia looked down. "It doesn't have to be your last day, you know," she said, giving him a hopeful look. "They won't let you film on location again, but - you could still stop by Geonosis now and then, and - I don't know - do _something_," Leia suggested vaguely. _Such as kiss me..._

Han caught the look in her eyes, and nodded quietly. "Yeah... Maybe," he agreed, his brown eyes filled with longing. Leia could _feel_ his desire for her, and her heart fluttered as he leaned closer, moving in to kiss her again. _Oh, yes; please, yes..._

"No," Leia gulped, backing away from him. "Han, what I meant to say earlier, before Threepio barged in on us - "

_"Rrrrraaaaauuuggghhhh!"_ Chewbacca roared, entering the room carrying a box of assorted Threepio parts. _Good Lord..._

Han sighed, casting a baleful glance at the Wookiee. "Can you give us a minute?"

_"Rrroufff,"_ Chewie nodded apologetically, heading back outside.

Leia gave Han an apologetic smile. "What you said before - about the lovestim," she reminded him. "You're right; I - it did something to me, too," she admitted, looking down. "But Han... I love Julian," she said gently, looking him in the eyes. "I'm going to marry him." _You need to move on, sweetheart._

Han gulped; Leia could feel his intense and sudden heartache, but he masked it well. "Yeah, I know," he agreed matter-of-factly, nodding. "Okay; no problem." He managed a cheerful smile. "So - was that it?" he asked, with a questioning glance toward the doorway, where Chewie was waiting to make his entrance.

Leia felt her own heart breaking, but nodded quietly. _Yeah... That was it._ "_Action_," she said, her voice catching.

"All right, Chewie - Take two," Han called out to him now.

_"Rrrrraaaaauuuggghhhh!"_ Chewbacca roared again, bursting into the room with a box full of golden droid parts.

"What happened?" Leia asked, grateful for the distraction.

_"Mrrfff Rrrouufff Rrarrrggghh,"_ Chewie explained, setting the box down.

"Where?" Han asked, feigning concern. "Found him in a junk pile?"

"Oh, what a mess," Leia said, pretending to care. "Chewie, you think you can repair him?"

_"Mmmm... Rrraaaahhh,"_ Chewbacca shrugged indifferently; Leia got the sense _he_ didn't care much either. _Aw, poor Threepio..._

"Lando's got people that can fix him," Han suggested.

"No thanks," Leia said, barely concealing her contempt. From what she'd gathered, Lando had stolen Han's girlfriend, years ago - one that Han had truly loved - and this event had started Han's tragic spiral into heavy drinking, and meaningless one-night stands.

"I'm sorry; am I interrupting anything?" Lando asked now, entering the guest chamber.

_Speak of the devil..._ "Not really," Leia said, arranging her dress self-consciously.

"You look absolutely beautiful," Lando said, casting an appraising glance at her. "You truly belong here with us among the clouds."

_Gah..._ "Thank you," Leia replied civilly. But despite his insultingly forward behavior, she didn't sense that Lando had any genuine feelings of attraction toward her. _He likes me about as much as Julian does,_ Leia realized, puzzled. _So this is all just an act...?_

"Would you join me for a little refreshment?" Lando asked, offering his hand. "Everyone's invited, of course." Leia took his hand uncertainly; but now Han immediately appeared on her other side, offering _his_ arm as well. _And my on-screen dating life hits a new low,_ Leia sighed; but then she remembered the medical ward back on Hoth. _No; kissing Luke was worse._ "Having trouble with your droid?" Lando asked, glancing curiously at the box of Threepio parts.

"No; no problem," Han replied innocently. "Why?"

Leia stifled a laugh; she had no doubt Han considered Threepio's current condition an improvement. _I hope Han stays on the show,_ she sighed, as they continued down to the main level to film their dinner scene. _It would be really boring without him around._

"...So you see, since we're such a small operation, we don't fall into the, uh, jurisdiction of the - Empire," Lando improvised as they stepped off the elevator, trying to explain his business in _SITH_ terms.

_Whatever; nobody cares,_ Leia sighed. Han had already grown bored of this conversation, and seemed to be off in his own world, a glazed look in his eyes. _He's really tired,_ Leia noted worriedly. "So you're part of the mining guild, then?" she asked, covering for him.

"No, not actually," Lando told her. "Our operation is small enough not to be noticed. Which is advantageous for everybody, since our customers are anxious to avoid attracting attention to themselves."

_Come on, Han; say something,_ Leia thought, prodding his arm to wake him up. Han blinked, snapping out his daze and nodding subtly as they came around the corner. "Aren't you afraid the Empire is going to find out about this little operation, and shut you down?" he asked.

"It's always been a danger that looms like a shadow over everything we've built here," Lando agreed. "But things have developed that will ensure security," he added, as they arrived at the dining room. "I've just made a deal that will keep the Empire out of here forever."

_Haha,_ Leia thought, sensing her father behind the closed door. _This will wake Han up. _

Lando opened the door, revealing Darth Vader seated at the head of the dinner table; and instantly Han sprang to action, drawing his blaster and firing upon the dreaded Sith Lord, as Chewbacca roared in outrage.

_Here we go again..._ Leia stifled a laugh as her father quickly reacted, deflecting the laser fire with his gloved hand. She could sense Han's genuine alarm now, and knew he'd lost his grip on reality once again. _Han, quit shooting at my dad... _

Finally Anakin Force-pulled Han's blaster into his own hand. Leia sensed his momentary confusion; but he decided to ignore Han's outburst, proceeding with their dinner scene as planned. "We would be honored if you would join us," he said, as Boba Fett stepped into the room behind him.

Han was still reeling in panic as the Stormtroopers closed in behind him; but then he gave Lando a reproachful look.

"I had no choice," Lando told him. "They arrived right before you did. I'm sorry."

Han reached for Leia's hand, holding it protectively. "I'm sorry too." _He's really afraid,_ Leia realized, suddenly feeling sorry for him. She could feel his hand trembling in hers; it felt sweaty, and cold... _It's all right, sweetheart,_ she thought, squeezing his hand reassuringly. _This is just make-believe._

_"Gahhhhh,"_ Chewbacca moaned in frustration as they entered the dining room, joining Vader and Boba Fett for dinner.

"All right, cut! Great job everybody," Cliegg said, as the doors opened up again. "Okay, that's all until Luke gets here - " He broke off, blinking in alarm as Han suddenly collapsed to the floor, shuddering weakly.

"Han!" Leia exclaimed, quickly kneeling beside him. _Oh, sweety..._ She gently stroked his hair, doing what she could to comfort him as the others quickly gathered around him in concern. "What's wrong?" she asked, giving her father an anxious glance.

"He's having some kind of seizure," Anakin said worriedly, peering into Han's eyes. "We need to get him to the medical ward right away."


	187. No so well, actually

**Chapter 187**

"I'm fine," Han grumbled, struggling to get up from his bed in Cloud City's medical ward, as Boba and Chewie held him down.

"Han, you're not fine," Leia chided him. "You had a seizure; we have to figure out what caused it."

"Is there a history of neurological disorders in your family?" the medical droid asked next, trying to diagnose his symptoms. "Or mental illness of any kind?"

Han glared at it dangerously. "Will somebody shoot that thing?"

But now the door opened, and a young woman hurried inside, her expression alarmed. "Han!" she exclaimed, rushing to his bedside. "Sweety, are you all right?"

_Sweety?_ Leia furrowed her brows suspiciously at the woman. "Who are you?"

"Oh! Hi, I'm Victoria." The young woman smiled warmly, offering her hand. "You must be Leia."

"Ahh... Yes," Leia stammered apologetically, attempting a gracious smile. "Nice to meet you." _So this is Victoria,_ she realized, her heart suddenly stabbing with a strange feeling she could only describe as jealousy. _Han's girlfrend; the one that Lando stole from him._

"Sweetheart, are you all right?" Victoria asked, stroking Han's hair and kissing him tenderly on the forehead. "I thought you looked tired earlier; we both did," she said, sharing a worried glance with Lando now. _She WOULD have to be beautiful,_ Leia pouted, glancing at her surreptitiously. Victoria was a few years older than Leia; tall and dark-skinned, with long, wavy black hair, the body of a dancer, and the beautiful, lyrical accent of southern Naboo.

"Yeah, I'm all right." Han gave her a shy, embarrassed smile, sitting up against his pillows. _Gah, will you two quit flirting..._ "You're right, I haven't been sleeping much lately," he agreed, flashing her a sexy, roguish grin. "I'm sure it's nothing."

"When was your last bowel movement?" the medical droid asked.

"That's it; I'm out of here," Han said, getting up from his bed.

"Han, wait," Boba protested, frantically catching the cardio monitor from toppling over. "You're still hooked up to this thing."

"Crap," Han muttered, pulling the wires off his chest; but now the monitor began beeping loudly.

"No detectable pulse," the medical droid announced, in a calm, soothing tone. "Time of death: three-forty-two PM."

_"Rrrraaahhhh!"_ Chewbacca roared at the droid indignantly, as Han shook his head in weary annoyance, continuing toward the door.

But his exit was blocked as the doctor returned from the lab, along with Anakin - who gave Han a curious look, frowning at the flatlining cardio monitor. "Everything okay here?" Anakin asked cautiously.

"Ugh... yeah, fine," Han sighed, sitting back down on the edge of his bed to await the doctor's news.

"We just got the results from your blood test," the doctor informed him, calmly switching off the cardio monitor and taking a seat on the stool beside Han's bed. "It's good news - for the most part," he said, flipping through Han's paperwork. "Turns out your seizure was caused by a viral infection, attacking your neurological system," he explained; then he gave Han a questioning look. "Have you been exposed to any cave slugs recently?"

Han blinked. "Cave slugs? Uh... yeah," he admitted worriedly. "Yesterday; in the asteroid field."

"Yesterday?" Anakin glanced at Leia in concern. "We should test everyone, then, right?"

"Yes," the doctor agreed, pulling out a box of mini-syringes. "Though this particular virus is very rare in humanoids," he said, beckoning Leia over and pricking her arm to get a blood sample. "It's a type of Exogorthia, known as TESB," the doctor explained, taking Chewbacca's blood sample as the Wookiee moaned unhappily.

"Exogorthia?" Han repeated, his brows furrowing worriedly.

"Yes, but it's a much milder strain," the doctor assured him, handing Leia and Chewie's blood samples to the medical droid, who obediently hovered off to perform the blood tests. "The virus itself is fairly common, in cave slugs; but most people aren't susceptible to it," he explained. "Only about one percent of the population lacks the specific antibody to fight off TESB... And it looks like you belong to that one percent," he told Han apologetically.

"Great," Han muttered. "But - you said it was good news, right?" He gave the doctor a cautious look. "This thing is treatable?"

"Yes," the doctor said. "In fact, that's part of its name: _Treatable Exogorthia Syndrome B,_" he explained. "It's treated with laser shock therapy; and thankfully we've caught it early," he told Han. "TESB is similar to classic Exogorthia, in that it attacks every organ in your body; but rather than killing you within five minutes, it can take months before you notice any symptoms at all," he said. "Many patients aren't diagnosed until the virus has already caused serious and irreparable organ damage," he confessed. "You were lucky to have detectable symptoms, early on."

"Lucky," Han repeated, managing a rueful laugh. "Yeah, that's me."

The doctor smiled in commiseration. "Well, you won't be laughing when we get to the treatment," he warned him. "Laser shock therapy is intensely painful. But with any luck you might only need one treatment, to kill off the virus," he told Han optimistically. "Five minutes of torture, and you'll be good as new."

"Torture?" Lando repeated, surprised. "Hey, we should do this as part of the show."

Han shook his head, laughing. "All right, bring it on."

_I can't believe they're filming this,_ Leia thought indignantly, as she headed back to her guest chamber to change for the next scene. She had sensed Lando's amusement upon learning that Han was to be tortured, and it made her blood boil. _He thinks this is funny?_ she fumed. _Some friend he is..._

Leia had seen a HoloNet special once, about cave-borne illnesses - which were of particular danger to spice miners. Classic Exogorthia was of course the most dramatic and widely-known, as it caused a person's flesh to rot away within minutes. But Leia vaguely remembered seeing an interview with a miner who had contracted the rare but milder form of Treatable Exogorthia Syndrome B. Unlike Han, he had not been diagnosed for several months, and the virus had severely damaged every organ in his body. His skin had been covered in lesions; he was ghastly pale, alarmingly thin, and his internal organs were barely functioning. He'd had to give up on laser shock therapy, because he wasn't strong enough to endure the painful treatments, and it was not expected that he would live much longer.

_I'm so glad Han is being treated early,_ Leia sighed, pulling on her white jumpsuit. She could feel his agony now, clear across the building; she shuddered, praying that this one treatment would completely kill the virus, and he wouldn't have to go through this excruciating procedure again. _But Han is strong,_ she told herself stubbornly, heading back down to rejoin the others. _I'm sure he'll be fine._

"Good news," the doctor said, meeting her in the hallway outside the medical ward, along with Cliegg and the _SITH_ crew. "Your blood test came back negative; Chewbacca's too," he assured Leia. "We're doing a follow-up test on Han now, to see if he's going to need another treatment, but he pulled through this one like a champ," the doctor said, as Han was dragged out of the medical ward by two Stormtroopers, and thrown roughly into Chewie's holding cell.

"Yeah, he looks - fantastic," Leia said, trying to quell her seething anger at the situation. _Han should be in bed; no one's taking this seriously.._. "Thank you," she nodded politely, as the doctor headed back to the lab to finish up Han's blood work. Then she turned to Cliegg, managing an amused smile. "Okay, I'm ready for my torture," she told him, gesturing to her more action-friendly white jumpsuit.

Cliegg grinned. "Eh, I think we've got enough torture footage already," he confessed, with a rueful glance at the holding cell. "We'll just throw you in with the others," he decided, waving to two more Stormtroopers. "I'll send Lando in when he gets here."

_Great,_ Leia sighed, as she was tossed into the holding cell. _My friends get tortured - and as usual, my first concern is what sort of fashion statement I'm making_. This sort of thing happened all too often on _SITH_, but Leia tried not to make a big deal of it.

Han was lying on the durasteel slab, and Leia knelt beside him now, stroking his hair tenderly. _Oh, sweety..._ She could sense his weakness, and utter exhaustion. "Why are they doing this?" she asked, her heart aching for him. _Why are they making you act, when you should be resting..._

"They never even asked me any questions," Han replied dully.

_Oh..._ Leia kissed him on the forehead, trying to do what little she could to ease his pain. But now the door opened again, and Chewie roared indignantly as the Woman-Stealer entered the chamber. "Lando," Leia warned Han quietly.

_"Ggggaaaaahhhhhrrraaaarrrrrhhh!"_ Chewie bellowed, furious. _You tell him, Chewie,_ Leia agreed, scowling.

"Get out of here, Lando," Han growled, sitting up.

"Shut up and listen," Lando said. "Vader's agreed to turn Leia and Chewie over to me."

"Over to you?" Han repeated doubtfully.

"They'll have to stay here, but at least they'll be safe," Lando promised.

"What about Han?" Leia asked.

"Vader's given him to the bounty hunter."

"Vader wants us all dead," Leia reminded him.

"He doesn't want you at all," Lando said. "He's after somebody called - uh, Skywalker."

"Luke," Han realized worriedly.

"Lord Vader's set a trap for him."

"And we're the bait?" Leia asked, outraged.

"Yeah, well, he's on his way," Lando told them.

"Perfect," Han muttered, getting weakly to his feet. "You fixed us all real good, didn't you? My friend," he growled, pretending to hit him; but he lost his balance and collapsed pathetically to the floor, as Lando's security team proceeded to beat him.

"Stop!" Lando said urgently, realizing Han was truly in pain. "You okay, buddy?" he asked, kneeling beside him.

"Yeah... Fine," Han groaned, not moving from where he lay. "Keep going."

Lando sighed. "All right," he agreed reluctantly, getting to his feet again. "I've done all I can," he told Han, straightening his cape. "I'm sorry I couldn't do better, but I've got my own problems."

"Yeah," Han said, wincing as he turned to look up at him. "You're a real hero."

Lando and his team left the chamber, and Leia and Chewie gently helped Han to sit up. _Oh, sweetheart..._ "You certainly have a way with people," she told him. _And space slugs; and bounty hunters, and hyperdrives that refuse to be fixed... And art-collecting drug barons, and Hutts who like ice cream... And princesses who are engaged to be married, and aren't supposed to feel this way,_ she admitted unhappily.

_You are the craziest Solo of them all,_ Leia sighed, as she and Chewie helped Han back over to the durasteel slab. _But I can't help loving you._

The door opened again, and Leia looked up as the doctor entered the holding cell. "We need to get him back to the medical ward," he said, glancing at Han worriedly. _No kidding,_ Leia agreed, as the doctor and Chewie helped Han to his feet again. _At least someone has some common sense around here,_ she sighed, following them back to the infirmary. Han was trying to walk on his own, but he kept stumbling, and by the end Chewbacca was practically carrying him back into the medical ward.

_He'll be okay though,_ Leia reassured herself, as they helped Han back into bed. _He just needs to rest._ Anakin joined them now, along with Lando and Boba, and the doctor took a seat beside Han's bed, hooking him back up to the cardio monitor.

"The results came back, from your follow-up blood test," the doctor told Han, looking down. Leia frowned worriedly; she could sense his deep concern. "There's no difference from before," he confessed. "In fact, your viral load is a little worse."

Han gave him a guarded look. "What does that mean?"

"It means you're resistant to the treatment," the doctor told him. "It's very rare, but some people don't respond well to laser shock therapy."

"Great," Han muttered in annoyance. "So now what?"

The doctor sighed. "Well, now I'm going to give you some anti-viral medication," he said, hooking Han up to an intravenous line.

Han glanced apprehensively at the needle in his arm. "And what's _that_ going to do?"

"Well, hopefully it'll clear up the infection," the doctor said, with an apologetic smile. "Don't worry, it won't hurt," he assured him. "In fact, I'm going to give you some painkillers too," he said, hooking up another intravenous bag. "This might make you a little sleepy."

"Sleepy," Han murmured, sinking back against the pillow. "I like sleepy." But now he gave the doctor a reproachful look. "So if this thing can be cured with an IV injection, why the hell did you give me the laser shock therapy?"

The doctor shook his head unhappily. "There are no known cases of TESB being successfully cured with anti-viral medications," he admitted. "I'm just... _hoping_," he said, giving Han an apologetic look.

"Hoping?" Han repeated. "So - what if this doesn't work?"

"If this doesn't work... there _is_ nothing else," the doctor confessed. "It might slow the progress of the disease somewhat, but - " He sighed unhappily. "The virus will quickly adapt, and become resistant to any medication we give you," he told Han. "Meanwhile it will continue to attack your nervous system, and spread to your other organs as well," he said. "Eventually it's going to kill you," he confessed, regretful.

"What?" Leia asked, tears springing to her eyes; she was grateful to feel her father's hand on her shoulder.

But Han just rolled his eyes in annoyance. "Well, it's gonna have to take a number," he said, remaining firmly in denial. "I got five bounty hunters who want to kill me first... And Jabba, if I don't get this shipment delivered by tonight," he muttered, glancing at the IV line in his arm. "How long is this gonna take?"

The doctor glanced up at the medication bag. "About ten more minutes," he estimated. "And if we're lucky, this might temporarily stop the virus from attacking your nervous system - so that you can walk ten steps without falling down, or having a seizure," he pointed out, as Han sighed, refusing to believe him. "But you're not in any shape to be returning to work," he warned him. "You need to rest now."

"Okay, fine," Han agreed, settling comfortably against his pillow. "I'll rest... for ten minutes, and then I'm out of here," he mumbled groggily, closing his eyes and drifting off to sleep.

Leia stifled a sob, burying her face against her father's blinking chestplate; his arm was around her now, and she wasn't aware how long she'd been clinging to him like this. _Gah, I don't care how this looks..._ "This treatment might work though, right?" she asked, her voice catching.

The doctor shook his head, casting a regretful look at his sleeping patient. "No."

"Is there anything else we can do?" Anakin asked. "Maybe the healers, at the Jedi Temple...?"

"I already put in a call to the Center for Disease Control, on Coruscant," the doctor told him. "The virus is Force-resistant. It doesn't respond to any known medications. Laser shock therapy is the only documented cure."

"So - can you try it again?" Leia asked hopefully. "Maybe the next treatment will work?"

The doctor sighed. "No," he told her. "He's resistant to laser shock therapy; it would only make it worse. His neurology is atypical - probably due to genetics," he explained; the Solos were rather famous for being neurologically 'atypical'. "His nervous system seems to be particularly vulnerable," he pointed out. "He's been infected for less than twenty-four hours, and already he's developing seizures, loss of coordination, muscular weakness; his inability to grasp the severity of his situation could be an indicator that the virus is already attacking his brain," the doctor confessed.

"No, no," Boba assured him unhappily. "That's just Han."

_"Rrrauugghh,"_ Chewie wailed miserably, laying his forehead against the edge of Han's bed as he slept.

"So... How long does he have?" Leia choked, tearful.

"Maybe six months," the doctor told her, with a regretful glance at Han. "Probably less, judging by the rapid progression of the virus so far."

"No," Leia gasped, clinging pathetically to her father. _I seriously don't care how this looks._ She was grateful to feel his arm around her, and his comforting presence as he quietly tried to console her. _Though he must wonder why I'm so upset..._

"Carbon freeze!" Lando blurted out randomly.

Leia blinked, staring at him in confused exasperation. "What?"

"Carbon freeze," Lando repeated urgently, giving the doctor a hopeful look. "What if we put him in carbon freeze? Is there any way that could kill off the virus?"

"Are you kidding?" Leia asked, glaring at Lando. "I'm pretty sure that's illegal."

The doctor frowned. "There have been a few studies conducted, with laboratory Womp Rats - "

"Aaaghh!" Leia sighed in frustration; she'd been campaigning against the exploitation and torture of laboratory Womp Rats for years now, along with Julian and Dorian. But she felt her father's stern grasp on her shoulder now, and pouted quietly.

"Is it possible?" Lando asked again, his tone quiet but serious.

"In theory," the doctor admitted cautiously. "If we could freeze him longer than the virus' dormant period, it might be possible."

"Still illegal," Leia pointed out, frowning in disapproval.

"Bespin is an independent planet," Lando told her, with an apologetic glance. "We're not bound to the laws of the Republic."

"Gah," Leia sighed, rolling her eyes.

"Anyway, we have a carbon freezing facility here," Lando told them. "I've tried it on myself - "

"What?" Leia stared at him, incredulous. "Why?"

Lando sighed helplessly. "I don't know; I saw a movie once, when I was a kid," he told them. "It was a - a futuristic... kind of - science fiction movie," he tried to explain, casting a hesitant glance at Anakin. "Anyway, this guy got frozen in carbonite, and - well, I thought it might be a good idea," he suggested.

"Good Lord," Leia muttered in exasperation.

"And - in this movie," Anakin asked cautiously. "Was the guy all right?"

"Yeah," Lando nodded, giving Anakin a serious look. "He was."

Anakin blinked worriedly. "Okay, uh..." He turned to the doctor now. "Do you think we could do it?"

"What?" Leia stared at her father in disbelief. _You can't be serious..._ "You know, real life isn't the same thing as a science fiction movie."

Anakin gave her an apologetic look. "Sometimes it is," he countered lamely.

"I don't believe this," Leia sighed, her respect for her father's intelligence hitting an all-time low. _Dad, honestly..._

"So?" Anakin asked, giving the doctor a hopeful look. "Do you think it might be possible to put him in carbon freeze?"

The doctor sighed. "Of course it's _possible_," he said, turning to his computer terminal. "The real question is will he survive it," he admitted, typing in a HoloNet search to find out more information. "There's virtually no data on carbon-freezing humans," he confessed, scanning through the results. Then he gave Lando a confused look. "You said you tried freezing _yourself_ once?"

"Yeah," Lando nodded. "For about ten minutes... I was completely fine."

"Okay; good to know," the doctor nodded, frowning uncertainly; but then he stared at Lando again, baffled. "_Why?_"

"Uh, I - I don't know," Lando stammered, suddenly nervous. "Like I said, I saw that movie when I was a kid, and - I was bored, and... I thought it would be cool," he explained, as Leia sighed in weary annoyance.

The doctor blinked. "Okay... Well, I guess now we have _one_ study, suggesting that a human would at least survive the freezing process," he conceded. "But the rest of the data is purely theoretical, based on laboratory studies conducted on Womp Rats," he told them, scanning through the computer database. "The TESB virus has a recorded dormant period of up to ten months," he told them. "So if we want to be absolutely certain to kill off the virus, we should aim for a full year," he proposed.

"A year?" Lando blinked, anxious.

Anakin frowned uncertainly. "Can people survive that long in carbon freeze?"

"No idea," the doctor confessed. "But in Womp Rats, there seems to be a seventy percent survival rate."

"Which is a thirty percent chance of death," Leia pointed out, frowning in disapproval.

"As opposed to a hundred percent chance of death, if we _don't_ do it," Lando countered, giving her an apologetic look.

_Gah... I hate that he's right,_ Leia sighed, her heart aching as she gazed worriedly at Han.

"It _could_ work," the doctor confessed. "If he survives a year in carbon freeze, it could kill off the virus," he told them, as Leia nodded reluctantly, finally warming up to the idea. "But - " The doctor sighed in regret, glancing at his computer screen. "Hibernation sickness is known to cause permanent blindness in laboratory Womp Rats," he cautioned them.

"What?" Leia asked, her heart sinking. She wasn't certain what pained her more; the thought of Han going blind, or the sad reality that thousands of innocent Womp Rats were cruelly blinded every year, in medical studies such as this. "No," she cried helplessly, tears springing to her eyes.

"It looks like about an eighty-five percent chance of permanent blindness," the doctor informed them regretfully.

_Well... Blind is better than dead,_ Leia sighed, gazing at Han tenderly as he slept.

"No," Lando insisted stubbornly. "That's not gonna happen. Han's gonna be all right."

"And you know this _how?_" Leia spat angrily, tired of his ignorant attitude and complete denial of the facts. "Eighty-five percent chance of blindness, thirty percent chance of death... How exactly are you so certain he's going to be all right?"

Lando scowled, defensive. "Han's not a Womp Rat," he countered idiotically.

"Then why are you treating him like one?" Leia shot back, furious.

"Gah," Lando sighed in frustration. "This is _so_ not how I thought this day was gonna turn out," he muttered.

"Oh, well I'm sorry if Han's terminal illness is ruining your day - "

"Leia!" Anakin said sharply, giving her a confused look. _Crap..._ Leia scowled, but obediently held her tongue. "This movie you saw, where the guy was frozen in carbonite," Anakin asked quietly, turning back to Lando. "You said he was all right? No blindness?"

"Yeah," Lando nodded. "Well - maybe a little blindness," he recalled uncertainly, his brows furrowing. "But it was only temporary," he assured Anakin.

"Okay," Anakin sighed, casting a concerned glance at Han. "I say we do it."

"What?" Leia protested helplessly, betrayed. _You're taking HIS side on this?_ "So we're betting Han's life on a bunch of laboratory tests that made Womp Rats go blind, and - some - really old, stupid science fiction movie Lando saw when he was a kid - like _five_ decades ago," she fumed, glaring at him.

"Leia," Anakin sighed again, giving her a baleful look.

"It wasn't a stupid movie," Lando grumbled.

"I don't like this either," the doctor confessed, looking down. "But Lando's right," he said, glancing apologetically at Leia. "If we do this, there's a chance Han might be cured," he admitted. "Whereas if we _don't_..." He cast a regretful glance at Han. "He'll be dead within six months."

_He's right,_ Leia realized, gulping back tears as the others nodded in quiet agreement. _There is no other way._

"All right," the doctor said. "We'll be able to monitor his condition, while he's frozen," he told them. "We'll keep him right here in the medical ward; if his vital signs drop to dangerous levels, we'll revive him immediately," he proposed.

But now Boba spoke up. "Slight problem with that," he said. "Gardulla's bounty hunters are still after him," he pointed out. "If they find out he's being kept here, they'll be all over this place," Boba warned them. "I won't be able to protect him here. And neither can the Jedi," he added, glancing at Anakin. "We'll need to keep him someplace Gardulla's bounty hunters would never dare go," he told them. "I'm thinking the Jedi Temple."

"Okay," the doctor agreed. "The healers there will be able to monitor his condition - "

"Uh, actually, they won't," Anakin said. "The Jedi Temple is kind of big on rules," he pointed out. "It's illegal to store a carbon-frozen person in the Republic. If anyone on Coruscant knew we were even _thinking_ of freezing him, they'd shut us down right now," he admitted.

Leia sighed unhappily. "Is there any place on the Outer Rim, where you could protect him?" she asked, giving Boba a hopeful look.

"Uh..." Boba shrugged helplessly, shaking his head.

"I can think of one place," Lando suggested, giving Boba a meaningful look. "You want to keep him away from Gardulla's bounty hunters? Safest place for him to be is right in Jabba's main audience chamber."

_Gah,_ Leia sighed. _That's got to be your dumbest idea yet..._

"That's brilliant!" Boba agreed, with a surprised grin. But then he frowned suddenly. "Slight problem," he confessed. "When Gardulla takes over Tatooine - which will happen approximately next week, now that Han's out of commission," he pointed out worriedly. "She's going to _own_ Jabba's palace, and everything in it. Not to mention the entire Outer Rim," he said, giving Anakin a look of warning.

"We'll be at war," Leia realized, stunned.

Lando sighed, slumping down on the foot of Han's bed. "Seriously... Not how I thought this day was gonna turn out," he confessed, shocked.

"Shut up," Leia told him, annoyed.

"Leia," Anakin sighed.

"No," Lando muttered, furrowing his brows. "That's not gonna happen. We won't _let_ it happen," he insisted stubbornly.

"Excellent idea," Leia congratulated him. "Why don't we just freeze the whole universe until Han gets back - "

"Leia," Anakin chided her again; then he gave Lando a cautious look. "What's your idea?"

"Well, we still have the _Falcon_," Lando said, glancing in the direction of the docking bay. "I'll take over Han's deliveries," he volunteered quietly. "As long as we can keep Jabba afloat, Han will be safe in his audience chamber on Tatooine," he proposed, glancing hopefully at the others.

Leia blinked at him. "You would do that?" she stammered, caught off guard. "I mean - you know how to fly that thing?"

Lando flashed her a cocky grin. "Hey, the _Falcon_ was mine, before I let this loser have it," he pointed out. "Anyway, delivering spices isn't just about flying," he added. "You gotta be a smooth-talking businessman - something _these_ two clowns couldn't pull off to save their lives," Lando said, with an affectionate glance at Boba and Chewbacca. "But between the three of us... I think we could manage it," he said quietly.

Leia sighed, nodding appreciatively. _Well, you smooth-talked all of us into this ridiculous plan to begin with,_ she admitted.

Boba grinned, patting Lando on the back. "All right, mate; you're on."

_"Rrrouufff,"_ Chewie agreed, grabbing him in an enthusiastic Wookiee hug.

Lando laughed, grateful for their support; but then he sighed. "Vicky's not gonna be happy about this," he confessed. "And I always thought it was bad enough being _friends_ with a no-good smuggler, let alone become one myself," he muttered, shaking his head. "Like I said," he told Leia, with a rueful grin. "Not how I thought this day was gonna turn out."

For once, Leia didn't argue with him.

"All right, then; it's a plan," Anakin agreed. But then he frowned, hesitant. "Somebody should probably explain this to Han."

Lando grinned. "I got it," he volunteered, gently shaking Han's shoulder. "Hey buddy, wake up," he said, prodding him. "Eh, just like old times," he chuckled quietly. "We went through this every day, back at the academy... Yo! Sleepyhead... Wake up!"

Han's eyes opened groggily. "Unnghhh," he groaned, turning away from Lando. "I don't wanna go to school," he mumbled.

"Yeah, well, good news," Lando told him. "You're not going to school; you're being put into carbon freeze."

Han blinked, frowning. "What?"

"Well, it's a little bet I've got going on, with that pesky virus that's floating around in your bloodstream," Lando told him. "Now the virus is pretty sure it can eat through all your internal organs, and kill you within six months," he explained matter-of-factly. "But I say let's raise the stakes, and put you in carbon freeze," he suggested. "I'm betting you outlive the virus... And a year from now, we'll be laughing about this, over a couple of Corellian ales."

Han frowned, not quite following. "Can we just skip to the Corellian ale?"

"I wish, buddy," Lando said, patting him on the shoulder. "But you can't walk away from this game. You're in for too much; you gotta play it out," he told him. "Now, you could play the safe bet, and take your six months," Lando conceded. "But I say go for the long shot, and the big payoff."

Han nodded, sighing. "Either way, Jabba's not gonna be happy about this."

"Don't you worry about Jabba," Lando told him. "Chewie and I are gonna keep up with your deliveries; we got your back," he promised. "So what's it gonna be? Safe bet, or long shot?"

Han flashed a roguish grin. "Long shot, of course," he said, sitting up in bed.

"Good man," Lando agreed, as the doctor removed Han's intravenous line. "And I'm telling you, Han... If I've ever been right about anything, I'm right about this," he said quietly, as a knowing look passed between them. "Trust me on this one."

Han nodded, unquestioning. "All right," he said, getting up from his bed. "Let's do this."

"That's it?" Leia asked, blinking worriedly. "Don't you think he deserves to know the odds - "

"Never tell me the odds," Han retorted, heading stubbornly for the doorway.

"Never tell him the odds," Boba agreed, flashing Leia a rueful smile.

_"Rrrouff,"_ Chewie commiserated, patting her on the shoulder with a big furry paw as they continued out into the hallway.

_They're ALL crazy,_ Leia realized, as they rejoined Cliegg and the _SITH_ crew outside. Han was about to be put into carbon freeze for a whole year; Leia knew all too well that he might die, or suffer permanent blindness. _But they act like this is some kind of game..._

"Ah! There you guys are," Cliegg said cheerfully, walking over to join them. "Anakin, quick question about the duel with Luke - " He broke off, seeing their concerned expressions. "What is it?" he asked, casting a worried glance at Han.

"We're putting him into carbon freeze," Anakin explained. "He's not responding to the laser shock therapy; it's the only way to kill the virus at this point."

Cliegg bowed his head, deeply troubled by this news. "All right," he said, gesturing for his crew to put away their cameras. "We're going to take a break here, and - "

"No," Lando interrupted quietly. "We're filming this."

"What?" Leia asked, blinking in disbelief.

"No, no," Cliegg protested, shaking his head. "It wouldn't be right - "

"I agree with Lando," Anakin said, gazing at him thoughtfully.

"Well," Cliegg sighed. "Han, it's up to you."

Han shrugged. "Sure," he agreed, nodding amiably. "Let's do it."

_I can't believe this,_ Leia thought, blinking back tears as they all continued toward the carbon freezing facility. _This isn't happening..._ But now she felt a playful tug on her braid, and looked up to see Han grinning at her, his dark eyes twinkling mischievously.

"Hey," he said, leaning closer and murmuring softly in her ear. "If we're filming this for _SITH_, it means it ain't real, right?" Leia smiled tearfully, her heart fluttering as they shared a secret, loving glance; but then Chewbacca caught up with them, carrying Threepio strapped to his back.

"If only you'd attached my legs, I wouldn't be in this ridiculous position," Threepio fretted, completely unaware of what was going on. "Now remember, Chewbacca, you have a responsibility for me, so don't do anything foolish."

Han rolled his eyes at the droid's incessant prattling, and Leia fought tears, realizing how much she was going to miss ordinary, silly, stupid little moments such as this. _Please let him be all right,_ she prayed fervently, as they were herded onto the carbon freezing platform. _Please don't let him die..._

"What's going on... buddy?" Han asked, as they joined Lando on the platform.

"You're being put into carbon freeze," Lando told him.

Leia sensed Han's sudden shock and alarm at this news, but he masked it well. _He's already gone,_ she realized, seeing the confusion in his eyes. _He doesn't truly understand what's happening to him._

"What if he doesn't survive?" Boba asked Vader now. "He's worth a lot to me."

Han was looking at Leia now, and she gazed back at him, her heart breaking. _This might be the last time I see him alive,_ she knew. _And it might be the last time he sees anything at all,_ she realized, painfully aware of the risk of permanent blindness.

"The Empire will compensate you if he dies," Anakin was saying now. "Put him in," he commanded his Stormtroopers.

_And no one is taking this seriously,_ Leia cried, unable to fathom how her father could be _acting_ at a time like this. _No one even cares,_ she realized bitterly. _They all just think he's a stupid, crazy Solo, and his whole life is just a joke..._

_"Gaaaaaahhhhhh,"_ Chewbacca wailed miserably, grabbing the nearest Stormtrooper and flinging him off the platform. _"Rrraaaaarrgghhh... Grrraahhhh!"_ Leia failed to suppress a smile as the Wookiee continued throwing Stormtroopers right and left. _You show 'em, Chewie.._. She could sense Chewbacca's profound anguish, and was grateful that at least _somebody_ cared about what was happening to Han.

"Stop, Chewie!" Han protested. "Stop! Stop! Hey! Listen to me, Chewie," he said urgently, as the Stormtroopers clamped binders around his furry wrists. "Chewie! This won't help me. Hey! Save your strength," Han pleaded, as the Wookiee finally calmed down. "There will be another time," he promised. "The princess... You have to take care of her," he told Chewbacca. "Do you hear me? Huh?"

_This is so typical,_ Leia thought, fighting tears. Whenever things got harrowing on the set, Han tended to lose himself in his role; and in moments when he truly believed they were in danger, his first and only thought had always been to protect her. _Sweetheart, I'm going to miss you so much..._

_"Gahhh,"_ Chewie moaned unhappily.

Han looked into Leia's eyes; and then he kissed her - for one desperate, perfect moment, before the Stormtroopers hauled him away. _This is it,_ she realized, as they placed him on the platform. Han was gazing back at her helplessly now; Leia sensed his confusion, and wished she could think of something comforting to say to him. _But what do you say, when your favorite person in the whole galaxy is being put into carbon freeze...?_

"I love you," Leia blurted out, unable to think of anything else.

Han was numb with shock; but she could feel a flutter of warmth and gratitude in his heart. "I know," he replied, keeping his gaze fixed on her as his binders were loosened, and he was lowered into the carbon freezing chamber.

_Do you really know that?_ Leia wondered, gazing at him with tender heartache. Between the shock treatments, the painkillers, the acting delusions, and the unfathomable horror of this moment, she realized it was unlikely that Han truly grasped what was happening to him.

Chewbacca was wailing in utter misery now; Leia clung to him desperately as she felt Han's sudden flash of terror and agony, accompanied by a terrible, loud hiss. And then _everything_ she had felt before - the confusion, the fear, the warmth, the love, the sense of _knowing_... was gone.

"What's going on?" Threepio asked inanely, as a horrified silence ensued. "Turn around! Chewbacca, I can't see!"

Leia watched as the carbonite slab was raised out of the pit; then she cringed as the technician pushed it over, and Han's frozen form crashed to the floor with a resounding thud. She couldn't feel Han's presence anymore; but she saw the look of frozen agony on his face now, and realized his last conscious feelings had been of pain, and terror, and - _loneliness_, she thought, her heart aching as she gazed at him. _I'm so sorry, sweetheart..._

"Oh, they've encased him in carbonite," Threepio realized now. "He should be quite well-protected. If he survived the freezing process, that is."

"Well, Calrissian," Anakin asked, as Lando checked his vitals. "Did he survive?"

"Yes, he's alive," Lando assured them. "And in perfect hibernation."

"He's all yours, bounty hunter," Anakin told Boba. "Reset the chamber for Skywalker."

_How can you guys be acting at a time like this?_ Leia wondered again, still gazing helplessly at Han as an Imperial officer approached, carrying on with the show. "Skywalker has just landed, My Lord," he reported.

"Good. See to it that he finds his way in here," Anakin replied. "Calrissian, take the princess and the Wookiee to my ship."

"You said they'd be left in the city under my supervision," Lando protested.

"I am altering the deal," Anakin informed him. "Pray I don't alter it any further."

_They don't even care,_ Leia realized bitterly. Lando's regretful acceptance of the situation didn't surprise her much, but she was troubled by her father's complete lack of concern. _He's not worried at all,_ she sensed once again, as Anakin stalked off the set. _Dad, how can you be so heartless?_

But now a team of Stormtroopers was dragging her away from the platform, and Leia kept her eyes on Han's frozen form for as long as she could, not wanting to let him go. _This isn't happening..._ She blinked tearfully, remembering his last quiet words to her, in this very place. _'If we're filming this for SITH, then it ain't real...'_ Leia smiled tenderly, admitting that Han had the right idea all along.

_I wish I could just go away, and forget about reality,_ she thought, as she was marched through the hallways, along with Chewie and Lando. She was numb with grief, and the shock of what had just happened; she closed her eyes for a moment, trying to convince herself that this was all just make-believe. That Han wasn't sick; that he hadn't been frozen in carbonite; that none of this was happening... _This isn't real,_ she told herself desperately. _This isn't real... This isn't real..._

But it didn't work; try as she might, she couldn't get that final, horrific vision of Han out of her mind. _This IS real,_ Leia admitted unhappily, as Vader's Stormtroopers marched her through the hallway. _That sadistic monster really did freeze Han in carbonite.._. But now she spotted another familiar figure in the hallway. _Vader wants to freeze Luke too,_ Leia remembered, gasping in alarm. _I have to warn him!_

"Luke!" Leia yelled urgently, as the Stormtroopers dragged her away. "Luke, don't! It's a trap!" she shrieked, grabbing onto the wall in a desperate attempt to save her brother. "Ahhhh! It's a trap!" she warned him, as she was hauled off down the hallway. _Luke, get out of here; you're no match for Vader..._

But suddenly she blinked in surprise as Lando's security team surrounded them, holding the Imperials at gunpoint with their tiny little pistols, as Lando calmly collected the Stormtroopers' much larger blaster rifles. _What?_ Leia thought, utterly baffled._ They're not even trying to fight back? What's going on?_

"Well done," Lando said. "Hold them in the security tower," he instructed his team. "And keep it quiet. Move."

_Something isn't right about this,_ Leia admitted, blinking in confusion as Lando handed her two gigantic blaster rifles. _Should I shoot him?_ she wondered, tempted by the idea; Lando had gotten rid of the Stormtroopers all too easily, and Leia suspected he was still in league with Vader. But now he seemed to be unlocking Chewie's binders... "What do you think you're doing?" Leia asked, trying to make sense of what was going on.

"We're getting out of here," Lando told her.

"I knew all along," Threepio said. "It had to be a mistake."

_What?_ Leia blinked. "Do you think that after what you did to Han, that we're going to trust you?"

_"Grrrraaaaarrrraaaauughhh!"_ Chewbacca roared angrily, grabbing Lando's neck in his furry paws. _Yeah, you show him, Chewie._

"I had no choice," Lando gasped, choking.

"What are you doing?" Threepio protested. "Trust him! Trust him!"

"Oh, we understand; don't we, Chewie?" Leia shot back, furious. "He had no choice."

"I'm just - trying to help," Lando protested, as Chewie continued to strangle him.

"We don't need any of your help," Leia assured him.

"Haaaaaaa... Haaa... Ha - Ha - " Lando gasped unintelligibly.

"What?" Leia asked, confused beyond all belief. _Are you LAUGHING about this?_

"Haaan," Lando choked.

"It sounds like 'Han'," Threepio translated helpfully.

"There's still a chance to save Han," Lando gasped. "At the east... platform!"

_Really?_ Leia's heart suddenly fluttered with newfound hope. "Chewie!" she exclaimed, quickly leading the way. _We can save Han,_ she thought, tears of joy springing to her eyes as she ran through the hallway toward the landing platform. _We'll release him from the carbonite; he's going to be all right..._

But now she spotted an ominous, black-cloaked figure at the other end of the hallway, and gasped in alarm. _Vader!_ He was skulking in the corner, and didn't seem interested in chasing them; but she remembered it was Luke that he was really after. _Yeah, well you're not going to get him,_ she thought indignantly, grabbing her Stormtrooper blaster and opening fire on the Sith Lord.

"Uh... Leia?" Lando called back to her now; he sounded confused. "What are you doing?"

_Making sure this bastard doesn't freeze Luke too,_ Leia resolved, scowling. Vader continued to effortlessly deflect her blaster fire, and a moment later he Force-pulled her weapon away from her. _Fine; I have another,_ Leia thought defiantly, continuing to blast at the evil monster. But soon he took _that_ weapon away too, and now Leia blinked worriedly as the Dark Lord of the Sith advanced upon her. _Oh, crap..._

Vader had set both of her blasters aside, and she expected him to draw his lightsaber next; but instead, he lifted up the visor of his black mask, setting it on top of his helmet as he raised his hands in a gesture of baffled confusion. "Leia?" came a familiar voice, as blue eyes peered at her in concern. "You okay?"

Leia blinked uncertainly, her mind reeling. "Dad?"

"Uh..." Anakin laughed in embarrassment, giving Lando and Chewie an apologetic glance. "I think she's in shock," he told them. "Milady... Are you all right?"

_Ahhh!_ "Yes," Leia stammered, as reality suddenly came back to her. "Sorry," she added, cringing. "I was - well, I was trying Han's acting technique, and... I think I may have gotten lost in my role... Maybe a little bit," she confessed, embarrassed.

Anakin grinned. "It's okay," he assured her. "But if you're looking for some _'fatherly'_ advice," he joked good-naturedly, as Lando and Chewie chuckled in amusement. "Just because Han does something, doesn't necessarily make it a good idea."

"Right," Leia agreed; she managed a smile, though once again she felt a flash of anger, and resentment. _You just froze Han in carbonite. He'll be gone a whole year. He might die, or be blind for the rest of his life... And you're joking about him,_ she realized bitterly.

"Actually, Milady... I was hoping to talk to you, before you leave?" Anakin confessed. "I have a couple of - legal questions, about all this," he admitted, glancing out toward the landing platform, where Han's carbonite slab was being loaded aboard Boba's ship.

"Oh; of course," Leia nodded. "I'll catch up with you guys in a minute," she told Lando and Chewie.

"No worries," Lando agreed. "There's a conference room right down the hall," he told them. "Help yourselves."

"Thanks," Leia said, following Anakin back down the hallway. In truth, she had several legal question of her own - not to mention safety concerns - and was grateful that her father was at least attempting to take Han's situation seriously. "So," she said, giving him a respectful look as they entered the conference room. "You had some legal questions?" she asked; it flattered her that her father was coming to her for advice. "_Cut_," she added, as the hovercams obediently switched off.

"Oh," Anakin said absently. "No, I just wanted to make sure you were okay," he said, grinning impishly as he played with her braids.

"Gah!" Leia exclaimed, exasperated. "I'm fine," she told him, scowling. _I'm not the one who just got frozen in carbonite._

"Leia, what's wrong?" Anakin asked, confused.

"What's wrong?" Leia repeated, baffled. "Han just got frozen in carbonite," she pointed out. "He could die. He could go blind... And nobody cares," she cried helplessly, tears springing to her eyes.

"Hey," Anakin said, embracing her tenderly and kissing her on the forehead. "What makes you think nobody cares?" he asked gently.

"Because - they _don't_," Leia insisted, miserable. "I can feel people's emotions, you know," she sulked.

Anakin smiled regretfully. "Can you?" he asked. Then he looked down, sighing; and _finally_ Leia sensed his genuine remorse. "You know, sometimes I think we should have sent you to the Temple, and allowed you to be trained as a Jedi," he confessed guiltily. "You're so talented - "

"Aaaghh!" Leia exclaimed again. "This is not about me," she reproached him. _Don't try to change the subject_. "This is about Han... And the fact that nobody cares what just happened to him."

Anakin sighed. "It kind of _is_ about you," he told her, with an apologetic look. "Leia, _everyone_ cares; very deeply," he said quietly, his eyes flickering as he sensed the emotions around him. "But they're burying their feelings; it's something people do, in traumatic situations," he told her. "And it takes training to sense what's beneath the surface," Anakin explained apologetically. "I'm not even that good at it, but - I promise you, sweety," he said, stroking her hair tenderly. "Everyone cares."

Leia nodded quietly, comforted by his reassurance. "Thanks."

Anakin smiled, his blue eyes filled with warmth and concern. "And what about you?" he asked gently. "You seem..." He broke off hesitantly. "Are things okay with you and Julian?" he asked, giving her a puzzled look.

"What?" Leia asked, caught off guard. _Dad..._ "Yes," she insisted uncomfortably. "Everything's great."

"Right," Anakin said, nodding. "Sorry, I just - never mind," he apologized, waving dismissively. "Like I said - I'm no expert at this stuff either," he admitted, cringing. "Anyway... I should go," he confessed, glancing toward the door. "You okay, sweety?"

Leia nodded, smiling affectionately at her father. "Yes," she assured him. "I'm fine."

"All right," Anakin said, kissing her again. "I'll see you later, then," he told her with a cheerful grin, his blue eyes twinkling mischievously as he opened the door for her, heading back out into the hallway. "I gotta go beat up Luke."


	188. Luke, I am your father

**Chapter 188**

"The Force is with you, young Skywalker," Anakin said ominously, from his position atop the dimly-lit carbon-freezing platform. "But you are not a Jedi yet. _I_ will show you the power of the Dark Side."

"You will try," Luke replied, facing away from him; then he launched backwards into the air, igniting his blue lightsaber and somersaulting down onto the platform. Anakin lit his red saber in response, as Luke proceeded to drive him across the bridge, their lightsabers flashing at a dizzying rate of speed. _This should work pretty well,_ Anakin thought, kicking Luke squarely in the chest and sending him somersaulting backwards. _Hopefully nobody will notice that half of it is reused..._

"Cut," Cliegg said, giving them a puzzled look. "That was good, but... It kind of reminds me of the old Mustafar fight."

_Ah, crap._ "Sorry," Anakin said, pulling his mask up over his helmet. "We didn't have a lot of time to prepare for this," he apologized; the original plan had been for Mara to fight Luke today, but unfortunately she wasn't feeling well.

"We can try it again with different dialogue," Luke offered.

"No, the dialogue was fine," Cliegg said. "It's the fighting I'm not so sure about," he confessed, frowning doubtfully. "Luke, how much lightsaber training did you film with Master Yoda on Dagobah?"

"Uh..." Luke cringed. "I think we may have forgotten about that..."

Cliegg chuckled, patting him on the shoulder. "That's all right; let's just stick with the same fighting style you've been using all along," he told Luke. "And for that matter - Anakin, remind me what sort of techniques you used in your last duel with Ben, aboard the Death Star?"

_Techniques?_ Anakin furrowed his brows. "Uh, well - mostly we just kind of stood there, and tapped at each other's lightsabers a little bit," he admitted cautiously. _There WERE no techniques..._

"Well, whatever you did, it looked great," Cliegg assured him, nodding confidently. "Try to do something similar to that; we need this fight to make sense, from a continuity standpoint," he reminded them. "All right, let's try this again from the top. Places everyone... And - _Action_."

_Continuity - what?_ Anakin blinked in confusion, returning to his position. _So we're just supposed to tap at each other? Crap, it's my line,_ he realized, hurriedly pulling his mask back down over his face and switching on his ventilator. _All right; good to go..._ "The Force is with you, young Skywalker," he repeated dramatically, from atop the platform. "But you are not a Jedi yet."

_You will try,_ Luke was supposed to say; but instead he walked cautiously up the steps, his expression uncertain. _Damn it, I had another line, didn't I?_ Anakin sighed, as a long, awkward moment of silence ensued. _This is off to a brilliant start..._ But Cliegg hadn't called for them to cut, so he activated his red lightsaber now, following Luke's lead.

_You first,_ Anakin decided stubbornly, holding his position; self-defense was one thing, but opening a duel with a lightsaber tap would look beyond stupid. _Especially after forgetting my line... _Thankfully Luke took the initiative, bringing his lightsaber around in a sloppy but determined arc.

_Okay, this can work,_ Anakin tried to convince himself, countering Luke's blow with a couple of quick, light taps. _It might not be such a bad technique, actually..._ But suddenly Luke hacked straight at his head in a daring - though highly unorthodox - vertical arc, forcing Anakin to block his strike with the hilt of his red saber. _I can't exactly 'tap' from the hilt,_ he realized, frowning; he tried it anyway out of curiosity, and ended up tossing Luke onto the floor. _Yeah, sorry about that,_ Anakin sighed, as Luke got to his feet again, giving him a reproachful look. _This wasn't my idea._

He let Luke take the lead now, doing his best to follow Cliegg's direction and not do anything that wasn't technically a 'tap'. _I guess this is some kind of ancient Sith technique,_ Anakin tried to imagine, as he countered Luke's messy, hacking strikes. _Cliegg said it looked good in the fight with Ben; maybe it's not as bad as I thought_. He was getting into the rhythm of it now, putting more and more momentum into his taps as they continued to fight.

But suddenly Luke ducked beneath his lateral strike, and Anakin's red lightsaber whooshed straight over his head, connecting with a nearby vertical structure. _Gah - that didn't look like a 'tap',_ Anakin admitted; then he blinked in alarm as thick white smoke began spewing from the structure. _What the...?_

"Cut!" Cliegg called out anxiously, coming over to inspect the damage to the pipe, as Luke quickly found the shut-off valve. "How did this happen?" He cast a worried glance at Anakin's red lightsaber now. "Please tell me that thing isn't real..."

"It's not," Anakin promised, equally baffled. Lightsabers made from red Ilum crystals were illegal within the Republic - not to mention completely nerve-wracking to be around. The practice sabers he and Mara used on _SITH_ were made from red Syndorum crystals, which were much weaker; even at maximum power they couldn't penetrate human flesh, let alone a heavy durasteel pipe.

"Ohhhh," Luke said now, peering at the damaged pipe in fascination. "This is Tibannisteel."

"Huh?" Anakin blinked. "What's Tibannisteel?"

"It's made from carbon-frozen Tibanna gas," Luke told them. "It's strong and lightweight, cheap to produce, but has a high melting point; even the heat from a practice saber can melt straight through it."

"Tibannisteel," Cliegg murmured, glancing around the platform apprehensively. "Maybe we should call this off..."

"No; I'll be careful, I promise," Anakin told him. "I swear, I won't hit anything else."

"Actually," Luke said, turning the valve back on. "It's probably a good idea to leave this going while we're fighting, so the rest of the equipment doesn't get overheated. Tibanna gas is a natural coolant," he explained, as thick white gas continued to escape from the damaged pipe in a steady stream. "It's completely harmless. As long as we try to avoid hitting anything else, we should be fine."

"All right," Cliegg nodded reluctantly, trusting Luke's judgment. "I'll have maintenance look at that when we're done. Okay, let's take it again from there," he said, as they took their places again. "And... _Action._"

"You have learned much, young one," Anakin remarked, impressed by his son's advanced chemistry knowledge. _Seriously, you're going to be a Master soon. But hopefully not before me..._

"You'll find I'm full of surprises," Luke replied, as they continued fighting. _Yeah, I think I've got you beat there,_ Anakin sighed, realizing that it might only be a matter of months now, before Luke learned the truth about his family. _What will he think of all of us?_ he wondered once again; as much as Anakin loved his son, it baffled him to realize that Luke had no interest whatsoever in anything outside of his Jedi studies. _Even Obi-Wan is worried about the all-nighters he's been pulling lately..._

"Ahh!" Luke exclaimed, as his lightsaber flew out of his hand. _Crap, I wasn't paying attention,_ Anakin realized, blinking. _Though I suppose this proves that my tapping technique is a lot better than - whatever the hell you're doing,_ he consoled himself, furrowing his brows in confusion as Luke clattered pathetically down the stairs.

"Your destiny lies with me, Skywalker," Anakin said, tapping his lightsaber sternly in Luke's face. "Obi-Wan knew this to be true."

"No," Luke replied defiantly, backing up to the edge of the carbon freezing pit. _Right, I'm supposed to try to freeze him,_ Anakin remembered, feeling a sudden twinge of anxiety; he hadn't told Luke about Han yet, and was trying to put the thought out of his mind for the moment. _All right then, in you go... _"Whoaah!" Luke cried, as Anakin Force-shoved him into the narrow circular pit.

"All too easy," Anakin reproached him. "Carbon freeze incoming," he added matter-of-factly, reaching a hand toward the switch. "You ready?"

"Ready," Luke confirmed, Force-jumping up to the ceiling as Anakin flipped the switch.

"Perhaps you're not as strong as the Emperor thought," Anakin gloated, peering down into the pit for a moment; but finally he noticed Luke hanging amidst the tangle of hoses above the platform. "Impressive," he said, swatting at him dramatically; but once again his red lightsaber sliced straight through a gas line. _Gah,_ he sighed, as Tibanna gas began spewing out into the chamber at an alarming rate. _Don't tell me: that was Tibannifoam._

"Cut," Cliegg said, hurrying over toward them. "Maybe we should move this fight somewhere else," he admitted, eyeing the severed hose worriedly.

"Huh?" Luke asked from his overhead perch, surprised by the director's concern. "No, I was looking for the release valve anyway," he told Cliegg. "It's probably a good idea to cool this place down a bit while we're fighting; that's why I was climbing up here... You did that on purpose, right?" he asked, giving Anakin a questioning look.

_Seriously?_ Anakin blinked. _Uh... _"Right," he nodded confidently, behind his mask. _Yep; totally did that on purpose._

"Oh... Well, okay then," Cliegg agreed, nodding. "Good work," he added appreciatively, to Anakin. "Though I really should put in a call to maintenance, just to let them know what's going on here," Cliegg sighed, unclipping his transmitter from his belt. "All right, you guys take it from there; I'll be with you in a minute... And try to move it along; we need to finish this up," he reminded them, as Luke and Anakin nodded in agreement.

_Did Cliegg actually just THANK me for wrecking his set?_ Anakin wondered, still utterly confused. _I guess there's a first time for everything... Way to go, Luke._ "Most impressive," he told his son, grateful for his diplomacy. _Obi-Wan has taught you well..._ "Ahhhh!" Anakin exclaimed, as Luke shoved the gas-spewing hose into his face, momentarily fogging up his mask. _Crap... I'm just going to pretend that didn't happen,_ he decided, trying to regain his dignity.

"Obi-Wan has taught you well," Anakin continued, as they clashed lightsabers once again. "You have controlled your fear. Now, release your anger," he challenged Luke. "Only your hatred can destroy me." _It's true,_ Anakin sighed, as Luke somersaulted over his head. _If he ends up hating me for being his father, I WILL be destroyed..._

But now he sensed another familiar presence nearby, and smiled in surprise behind his mask. _Mara's here,_ he realized, grateful that she was finally feeling well enough to leave her quarters aboard the _Executor._ He'd been worried about her for the past couple of days; PMS tended to hit Mara like a herd of wild Banthas, but this time had seemed far worse than usual. Even now, he could still sense her lingering pain, as well as the usual anger, and frustration; but beneath it all was a troubling sense of heartache, and he sighed regretfully now, guessing at the cause of her unhappiness.

_She was really looking forward to her duel today,_ Anakin remembered, feeling a twinge of guilt. _I'm sorry, sweety. But don't worry,_ he thought, doing his best to counter Luke's furious blows with a series of delicate, subdued taps. _I don't think there's any danger of me upstaging you here._

* * *

><p><em>Gah, they've already started,<em> Mara realized, watching Luke and Master Anakin fight each other. She had raced down here from the _Executor_ the moment she'd felt Luke's presence, hoping they might be able to film their duel together after all; but obviously she was too late.

_This sucks,_ Mara thought, scowling in disapproval. But it wasn't simply jealousy that she felt; as she observed their duel more closely now, her brows furrowed in confusion. _Master, what are you doing?_ Luke was fighting with his usual self-trained Rebel technique, which was bad enough; but Master Anakin's style looked even worse. _Are you just randomly tapping at him?_ she wondered, baffled. _That looks really lame..._

She glanced uncertainly at Cliegg now, hoping he'd have enough sense to call off this ridiculous farce, and let her fight Luke as they'd originally planned. But the director was talking over the transmitter at the moment, and she waited patiently for him to finish his conversation.

"So you need us to move the fight down the hall?" Cliegg was asking, into his comlink. "No problem, we can do that. And I'm sorry about the damage," he added, casting a baleful glance around the smoke-filled chamber. "Be sure to send us the repair bill; we'll take care of it."

_Yeah, this looks like Master Anakin's work, _Mara admitted, spotting a gas-spewing hose nearby, as well as a completely severed metal pipeline on the other side of the platform. _How the heck did he do that?_ Her father was famous for destroying nearly every set he walked onto, and clearly he was in top form today. _So that's why he's fighting like a youngling,_ Mara guessed, smirking in amusement. _Cliegg's banned him from doing anything dangerous._

"Mara," Cliegg exclaimed now, coming over to greet her. "Good to see you! How are you feeling?"

"Oh - fine," Mara nodded, smiling. _I'm totally ready for my duel; sorry I was late..._ "Want me to stop them?" she offered, glancing up at the platform above, where Luke and her father were continuing to make fools of themselves.

"If you wouldn't mind," Cliegg agreed, his eyes twinkling.

_Heh, no problem,_ Mara thought mischievously; her father was standing just above her now, tapping at Luke stupidly with his red lightsaber. _Come on, Master,_ she sighed, reaching a hand out toward him. _You're embarrassing yourself. AND me,_ she scowled, Force-pulling him off the edge of the platform.

"Unnghh!" Anakin grunted in surprise, crashing down to the walkway beside her. _Hee! Sorry, Master..._

"Cut," Cliegg said, as Anakin clambered to his feet, and Luke peered down at them uncertainly from the platform above. "Our special effects technician has arrived," he chuckled, patting Mara proudly on the back. "Anyway, I just got a call from maintenance; Lobot's worried about all the gas leaks in here," Cliegg explained. "So we're going to move the fight down the hall, to the control room. Lobot says all the equipment in there needs to be replaced anyway, so you guys are free to hack at it, throw it around, whatever..."

_Um..._ Mara frowned in confusion; the director seemed to be talking to Anakin and Luke, rather than her. "Actually - I'm feeling better now," she reminded Cliegg politely. "I can do the duel, the way we'd planned."

"Oh - great," Master Anakin nodded, smiling.

Luke hopped down from the platform to join them, but Mara stubbornly avoided his gaze. _I said I'd fight you,_ she scowled, focusing resolutely on the task at hand. _But this doesn't mean that we're speaking._ In truth, she was still in considerable physical pain, not to mention heartbroken over the loss of their unborn child; her anger and confusion over Luke's words to her on Hoth had taken a back seat in light of bigger problems, but she hadn't forgotten that matter either.

_I'm ready for this duel though,_ Mara vowed, stoically ignoring her pain for the moment, and gazing at Luke with cold determination. _I've never been more ready._

"Well, I'm glad you're feeling better," Cliegg said, giving her an appreciative smile. "But I really like where this new storyline is going; I want to explore this father/son dynamic some more," he admitted. "We'll save your duel for another time," Cliegg promised. _What? _"Although - Lobot did say we could tear the place up," he added, giving Mara a hopeful look. "Would you mind helping out with that?"

_Gah!_ Mara struggled to quell her sudden anger; she'd wanted to face Luke in hand-to-hand combat, but throwing heavy machinery at him would have to do. She managed a civil nod now, hiding her disappointment. "It will be my pleasure," she assured Cliegg, fixing a cold gaze on Luke.

* * *

><p><em>Yeah, she's still mad about what I said on Hoth,<em> Luke realized glumly, as his lightsaber duel with Anakin was suddenly and dramatically upstaged by the special effects. _Of course I'll leave the Order with you, Mara,_ he sighed, slicing through a large Tibannisteel appliance that had randomly flown into his path. _We'll raise our baby together, and be a family; everything's going to be fine, I promise..._

But Mara was already prying another machine off the wall, and Luke sighed, resigning himself to his fate. _Maybe if I let her beat the crap out of me, she'll forgive me for what I said before._ He held his ground, clashing sabers with Anakin and allowing the next piece of machinery to hit him in the back of the head. _Owww... _

_Does this even make sense?_ he wondered. Obviously Anakin had the same concern, and stepped back now, gesturing toward objects as Mara continued to clobber him. _Now I'm going to have a black eye,_ Luke sighed, as a heavy piece of equipment hit him straight in the face. _AND shoulder... AND back..._ But if these bruises earned him any sympathy later, it would be well worth the pain.

Luckily, the next projectile appliance missed him altogether. Unluckily, it crashed straight through the window. _Crap, Mara, take it easy..._ Luke and Anakin quickly grabbed onto the walls, as Mara cringed in apology, reaching for Cliegg with one hand and grasping a sturdy railing with the other.

Luke clung frantically to a Tibannisteel console, waiting for the air pressure to equalize. But suddenly he was reminded of another unfortunate quality of Tibannisteel: the fact that its nonporous molecular structure gave it an extremely smooth texture, which became slippery when exposed to the warmth of his fingers. _Great,_ he thought dismally, as he lost his grip and was sucked out the window into Cloud City's abyssal central core. _Thanks, Mara..._

There was a structure not far beneath him, and Luke grabbed onto it now, breaking his fall. "Luke!" Master Anakin called down to him now, peering over the edge in concern. "You okay?"

"Yeah," Luke grunted, dangling stupidly from the side of the bridge. "Fine."

"Stay down there," Anakin told him, relaying orders from Cliegg. "We'll be right down."

"Okay," Luke nodded; but as he pulled himself up onto the walkway, he sighed in weary apprehension. He had learned in Human Studies that pregnant women could experience unusual mood swings, and Luke feared to imagine what that might mean in Mara's case. _This is gonna be a rough nine months. _

He got to his feet and began making his way cautiously back into the facility; but suddenly Anakin appeared out of nowhere, slashing at him furiously with his red lightsaber. _So, apparently we've moved on from 'tapping' to 'random insane hacking',_ Luke noted, ducking out of the way and allowing Anakin to drive him back out onto the bridge. _What's the plan here, anyway?_

Obviously Cliegg had something in mind; he and Mara were lurking in the hallway nearby, so Luke just went along with it, falling helplessly to the floor. "You are beaten," Anakin said, pointing his lightsaber in Luke's face. "It is useless to resist. Don't let yourself be destroyed, as Obi-Wan did."

_All right; I won't,_ Luke agreed, slashing at Anakin and getting back to his feet. He knew the basic idea was to get back to his X-wing in the docking bay, so he hacked recklessly at Anakin now, seizing the opportunity to run past him.

"Unnghh!" Anakin groaned suddenly, as Luke's lightsaber connected with his shoulder. _Crap, I hit him..._ He turned around, cringing in apology; but Anakin was already coming at him again. _Thank goodness for armor,_ Luke sighed in relief, ducking out of the way of Master Anakin's next furious blow.

He realized too late that they were fighting near a large Tibannisteel structure, and now Anakin's lightsaber sliced straight through it, sending half of it falling down into Cloud City's central abyss. "Cut!" Cliegg called out, coming over to inspect the damage. "I thought you said you weren't going to hit anything else," he sighed, giving Anakin a look of mild exasperation.

"I know; I'm sorry," Anakin apologized. "I didn't think he was going to duck... And - my aim was a little off," he confessed, rubbing his shoulder.

"Yeah, that was my fault," Luke put in quickly. _Damn it, I really did hit him..._ "I should have countered that strike. Besides, I just hit him in the shoulder; his whole arm is stunned," he told Cliegg. He could sense Anakin's mild shock and pain - and now his sudden embarrassment; but if they were to continue fighting anywhere near Tibannisteel equipment, it needed to be said.

"Stunned?" Cliegg asked, blinking in surprise and concern. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah, yeah; fine," Anakin assured him, nodding. "Just a little - numb and tingly," he admitted, flexing his right hand.

"Well that doesn't sound good," Cliegg said, giving him a worried look. "Tell you what; let's wrap up the fighting here, and move on to some dialogue. Remember the scene I ran by you before? I still think that would be really dramatic."

Anakin's brows furrowed beneath his raised visor. "What scene?" he asked cautiously.

"The one where you tell Luke you're his father," Cliegg reminded him.

_Oh?_ Luke blinked, intrigued by the idea. _Cool..._

But Anakin continued to frown doubtfully. "I don't think that's a good idea," he said. "I mean - we just filmed all those scenes with Palpatine, proving I _don't_ think he's my kid."

"Eh, we'll re-film that part later," Cliegg said, waving dismissively. "I really like where this is going... Let's at least give it a try, and see how it turns out," he suggested, giving Anakin a hopeful look.

"I don't know," Anakin said, shaking his head. "It's just - I don't think - you know, with... my shoulder, and - everything," he stammered helplessly.

Cliegg gave him a confused look. "We're talking about _dialogue_ here," he pointed out.

"Right," Anakin said. "It just seems - too soon," he protested. "I mean - it would be more dramatic if we led up this... _slowly_," he proposed, blinking uncomfortably. "I don't know; maybe in a few months, or a year - "

"No, that's what's brilliant about doing it now," Cliegg said. "It comes out of nowhere; the viewers won't be expecting it." He peered at Anakin in concern. "Unless you're uncomfortable with this, for some reason?"

Anakin blinked. "What? No," he insisted. "Why would I...? No, it's fine," he said, nodding vigorously. "Sure, let's do it."

_What's his problem?_ Luke wondered, confused. True, this new plot line would spur another round of tabloid rumors, speculating that Anakin really _was_ Luke's father; but that ridiculous notion had been around for years anyway, and no one took it seriously. _And it's not like any of this connects him to Mara..._

"Okay, then," Cliegg said appreciatively. "Let's take it from here... I guess we should move straight to the dialogue - that shoulder's real bad, huh?" he realized, giving Anakin a worried look.

"No, it's all right," Anakin told him. "I mean - my coordination's kind of shot," he admitted, switching on his red lightsaber and waving it around a bit. "But - this thing's already wrecked," he pointed out, glancing apologetically at the severed Tibannisteel structure beside them. "And I won't go anywhere near that one," he promised, gesturing toward the far end of the catwalk. "It'll be fine; no worries," he insisted, deactivating his saber and nodding confidently.

"Heh... I've heard that one before," Cliegg teased him, his eyes twinkling in amusement. "But you're right; this conversation will be more dramatic if it's done at swordpoint," he conceded. "Luke, I'm counting on you here - no more ducking out of the way... And go easy on him, all right?"

"You got it," Luke promised. "So - what do I do here?" he asked uncertainly.

Cliegg chuckled. "Your part's pretty simple," he told him. "Just act shocked, and horrified... And then fight your way past him, and into the hallway - maybe you could close the door in his face, and pretend to burn out the controls," Cliegg suggested. "Then get back to your X-wing in the docking bay, and we'll film your escape."

"Okay," Luke nodded, as they took their places again. _Sounds like a plan..._

"And... _Action,_" Cliegg said, stepping back into the hallway.

Luke ignited his blue lightsaber, facing Anakin cautiously as the battle resumed. _I don't want to hit him again,_ he reminded himself, carefully aiming his blows to compensate for Master Anakin's stunned sword arm. But almost immediately they got into an awkward position, their lighsabers twirling around each other ineffectively. _Yeah, his coordination is really off,_ Luke realized, subtly easing up and letting Anakin regain control.

Anakin struck back in an awkward lateral arc, and Luke instinctively prepared to duck out of the way; but then he remembered Cliegg's warning. _Crap, I'm not supposed to duck anymore, _he chided himself. _That's why all this equipment keeps getting broken in the first place._ He quickly moved to parry Anakin's blow instead; but he had lost precious milliseconds due to indecision, and now Anakin's saber connected with his forearm.

"Ahhhhhhhhh!" Luke cried out involuntarily, clutching at his right arm as massive jolt of pain coursed through his entire body. _Force, that hurts..._ He collapsed onto the catwalk, sinking back against the broken Tibannisteel structure.

"Luke!" Master Anakin exclaimed, retracting his saber and quickly kneeling beside him. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah," Luke gulped, catching his breath. "Just - a little stunned," he admitted, trying to will away the pain.

"What happened?" Cliegg asked, rushing over to join them, as Mara looked on in quiet confusion.

"I hit him by accident," Anakin said, pulling his visor up and peering worriedly into Luke's eyes. "Red lightsabers stun a lot worse than blue ones," he explained, quickly pulling off a black glove and feeling for Luke's pulse. "We might need to get him to the medical ward..."

"No, I'm okay," Luke insisted, struggling to get up; Anakin gave him a hand, and he managed to get to his feet. "But I don't think I can fight," he admitted, still clutching at his arm. "My whole arm is completely numb... Besides, I think I lost my lightsaber," he sighed, peering ruefully down into the abyss.

"I'm sorry," Anakin apologized helplessly. _Yeah, I know..._ Luke managed a reassuring smile, sensing his deep remorse.

"You sure you're all right, Luke?" Cliegg asked worriedly. "Maybe you should go to the medical ward..."

"No, really, I'm fine," Luke told him. "Actually... I could probably fight left-handed," he suggested. "Maybe using Mara's green lightsaber...? And then you can digitally replace all the green pixels with blue afterward," he proposed. "And - maybe reverse the whole image, so it looks like I'm still fighting right-handed - "

"Heh," Cliegg chuckled, patting him on the shoulder. "No, I'm declaring this lightsaber duel officially over at this point - before anything _else_ goes wrong," he said, with a pointed glance at Anakin. "But that was a great idea, Luke," he admitted, impressed. "If you ever decide to quit this Jedi business, we could put you to work in the production studio," Cliegg said, his eyes twinkling.

Luke grinned shyly, looking down; but he was admittedly intrigued by the thought. _As it happens, I AM quitting this Jedi business,_ he recalled, still overwhelmed by the prospect, and not at all certain how he was going to provide for his wife and child. _Did Cliegg really mean that...?_

"So we're going to go straight for the drama at this point," Cliegg continued, as Luke nodded agreeably.

But again Anakin frowned, skeptical of the idea. "What... we're just going to stand here talking to each other?"

Cliegg grinned in amusement. "Don't _you_ ever quit this Jedi business," he advised Anakin, patting him on the back. "No, we'll take it from where we left off - but now Luke's arm has been chopped off," he informed them, as Luke grinned in surprise. _Really? Awesome..._ "Anakin, you'll tell him you're his father, and make one last attempt to lure him to the Dark Side; and then Luke - we still need to get you back to your X-wing somehow," Cliegg admitted, trying to work it out. "Maybe some kind of diversion?"

"Or I could just jump down to the docking bay," Luke suggested, peering down into the central core.

"Oh?" Cliegg asked, intrigued by the idea. "Can you do that? I mean - did Yoda teach you that sort of thing, on Dagobah?"

"Well - not exactly," Luke confessed. "But I can make it look like an accident... I fall off the catwalk, get sucked into a ventilation shaft, and wind up in the docking bay," he proposed. "Or - maybe I'll jump on purpose," he added, with a mischievous grin. "I find out Vader's my father, and decide to end it all right here, and take a dive off into the deep nothing," he laughed, amused by the idea.

But again he sensed Anakin's geniune discomfort at the thought. "That's not funny," he said, frowning in disapproval.

"It's not supposed to be funny," Cliegg reminded him. "It's supposed to be dramatic... Which it will be," he agreed, impressed by Luke's idea. "All right, let's give this a try," Cliegg said, as Anakin sighed in unhappy resignation, pulling his mask back down over his face.

_Seriously - what's wrong with him today?_ Luke wondered again, as they took their places. Master Anakin had been trying to shoot this entire scene down from the beginning, and Luke could sense his profound anxiety now. _Is he really worried people will find out he's Mara's father?_ If anything, the ridiculous hype surrounding _SITH_ had actually helped to cover up the truth. Tabloid journalists had been so busy trying to photograph him with Padmé Amidala for the past two decades, that no one had ever noticed the fact that he had lunch with Tessa Jade at Dex's Diner on a weekly basis.

_Don't worry, Master,_ Luke thought, recalling Obi-Wan's advice to him a few months ago, when the tabloids had claimed that Luke's frequent visits to children's hospitals across the galaxy were not strictly for charitable purposes, but a desperate attempt to seek medical help for his chronic bed-wetting problem. _The only reason you should ever get upset about a tabloid rumor is if it's actually true... _

_Oh, crap! _Suddenly Luke's eyes widened in alarm. _What if it IS true...? No,_ he told himself, his mind reeling. _That's not possible..._

"That's right, Luke; perfect," Cliegg said, nodding in approval. "We need you to look stunned and shocked here... Lots of emotion - just like that," he told him, retreating back toward the hallway to get out of the shot. "And... _Action._"

"There is no escape," Anakin threatened him, his red lightsaber humming ominously. "Don't make me destroy you."

_Stunned and shocked,_ Luke reminded himself, crawling pathetically along the catwalk and clutching his arm to his chest. _No problem..._ He was genuinely disturbed by the thought that was nagging at his mind now, though he tried to convince himself it was a ridiculous notion. _Why did Master Anakin ask me to be his padawan every year since my ninth birthday, instead of Mara?_ It was the one puzzling circumstance that had never made sense to either of them. _How did he know I'd turn him down every time? And why did he go through all of that, year after year, if it was Mara that he really wanted? _The only explanation they could come up with was that Master Anakin's logic tended to defy explanation anyway, and that it had been dumb luck that things had turned out the way they did.

_But what if it wasn't luck?_ Luke wondered now, backing away from him in stunned disbelief. _What if he actually wanted me, all along?_ His heart fluttered pathetically at the thought - that Master Anakin truly _did_ love him as a son, and that he wasn't just a stupid orphan... But he stubbornly pushed his feelings aside, reminding himself of the _other_ side of that equation. _If Anakin is my father, that means Mara is my sister, and - NO,_ he told himself again, gulping in horror. _It's not true..._

"Luke, you do not yet realize your importance," Anakin continued menacingly. "You have only begun to discover your power." _What power?_ Luke thought, feeling suddenly nauseous. _The power to get my own sister pregnant?_ "Join me, and I will complete your training," Anakin said. "With our combined strength, we can end this destructive conflict, and bring order to the galaxy."

_I don't think so,_ Luke gulped, struggling to his feet and clinging to the vertical support at the end of the catwalk. _Now I really DO want to jump..._ "I'll never join you," he cried, fighting tears. _My life almost made sense, until now..._

"If you only knew the power of the Dark Side," Anakin said, clenching his fist. _I know it better than you think,_ Luke admitted, feeling simultaneously horrified, ashamed, and frustrated. "Obi-Wan never told you what happened to your father," Anakin added cryptically.

_No, he didn't,_ Luke sighed unhappily, resting his face against the Tibannisteel structure. _All my life, he's laughed at my stupid orphan complex, and thought I was silly for feeling the way I do,_ he admitted. _It was all just a secret joke to him... Crap, we're still filming..._ "He told me enough," Luke blurted out angrily, remembering the conversations he frequently had with Ben's ghost on this subject. "He told me you killed him!"

"No," Anakin replied dramatically. "I am your father."

_Holy crap... _Luke sensed Anakin's genuine anxiety at the words, along with feelings of guilt, shame, apology, remorse, and inadequacy; but above all, an undeniable sense of sincerity, and truth. "No," he said, desperately trying to deny what his Jedi senses were telling him. "No; that's not true," he protested again, shuddering as another wave of nausea hit him. _I did not marry my own sister, and get her pregnant..._ "That's impossible!"

"Search your feelings," Anakin said, with a feeling of deep apology. "You know it to be true."

_Oh, Force..._ "Nooooooooo!" Luke cried, his entire being wracked with anguish. _And now we're having a child together... _"Noooooo!"

"Luke, you can destroy the Emperor," Anakin told him. "He has foreseen this. It is your destiny." _No; it's my destiny to live a life of misery, and shame,_ Luke realized, gazing down into the abyss. _Mara will hate me forever,_ he knew. _And the child..._ He squeezed his eyes shut, his heart aching for the poor, innocent life he had brought in to this mess.

"Join me, and together we can rule the galaxy, as father and son," Anakin said.

Luke peered down into Cloud City's central core. _If I 'accidentally' miss the docking bay, would that really be such a tragedy?_

"Come with me," Anakin said, reaching a hand out to him. "It is the only way."

_No,_ Luke decided, dismissing the cowardly temptation he had been contemplating. _I won't leave Mara to raise our child alone. I'm going to be a father too,_ he reminded himself. _And my child is going to grow up knowing that he's loved, and wanted,_ Luke vowed, glaring at Anakin in defiance. _You and I will discuss this later. But Mara will never find out,_ he resolved, hoping that Anakin would at least have the decency to keep the truth from her. _And neither will our child._

With a final look of proud defiance, Luke stepped off the catwalk, free-falling down into the abyss below.

* * *

><p><em>That went well,<em> Anakin sighed unhappily, gazing down from the bridge. He had been dreading this conversation for years, and had always known that Luke would struggle with feelings of shock, and confusion, and even anger. But until this moment, he had desperately hoped that Obi-Wan and Padmé were right: that his own fears were unfounded, and that Luke would not actually be _ashamed_ to learn that he was his father.

_He hates me,_ Anakin realized, tears of grief stinging his eyes. Luke's utter horror and revulsion had been obvious, and Anakin's heart broke as he recalled the look of contempt in his son's eyes, just before he had stepped from the catwalk. _This is not how I wanted him to find out..._

"Cut," Cliegg said, joining him on the bridge now. "Terrific job," he added, impressed by Anakin's performance. "That was amazing..." But now he frowned, peering down over the rail. "Does Luke realize the docking bay is five levels below us?"

"Uh..." Anakin blinked worriedly, as Luke continued to plummet down into the abyss, vanishing to a tiny speck. "Apparently not."


	189. Mara, I am your brother

**Chapter 189**

_Fifteen - fourteen - thirteen - twelve - eleven - ten,_ Luke counted as he plummeted down through Cloud City's lower spire._ Level nine - there it is,_ he determined, aiming carefully for the ventilation shaft. _I don't want to get lost in this place again,_ he sighed, remembering his frustration in trying to find the docking bay in the first place. As it turned out, Cloud City's lower levels were numbered completely backwards; Level One was near the top, closest to the main part of the city, whereas Level Five Hundred was actually way down at the bottom of the -

_Oh, crap,_ Luke sighed in annoyance, as he slid through the narrow, winding shaft. _I did it again._

Finally he came to a stop, and looked around for an escape hatch; but suddenly another passageway opened up beneath him, ejecting him from the ventilation system altogether, and out into Bespin's cloudy atmosphere. _Ugh,_ Luke grunted, landing upside-down on a flimsy-looking antenna. _This is so not my day. _

He managed to pull himself up with his left hand, still clutching his useless right arm to his chest; then he attempted to grab hold of the hatch door above him. But of course it was made of Tibannisteel, and he immediately lost his grip on its slippery surface, as the door sealed shut._ Terrific..._

"Luke," Cliegg's voice crackled over the comlink on his belt. "Where are you?"

_Damned if I know,_ Luke sighed, awkwardly struggling to reach his comlink with his one good hand, without falling off the antenna entirely. "Uh... I may have miscounted slightly," he confessed. "I'm on an antenna... outside... somewhere," he explained vaguely.

"Okay - stay there," Cliegg instructed him. "We'll have somebody pick you up."

"Thanks," Luke said. _Appreciate it._

"And - why don't you ask Ben for help, while you're waiting," the director suggested.

"All right," Luke agreed, clipping his comlink back on his belt. "Ben," he called out pathetically. "Ben, please..." He looked around for signs of help; he spotted a couple of Cloud City's patrol ships nearby, but they didn't seem to notice him.

"Ben," Luke cried again. "Ben..." He waited for another minute or so, but finally pulled out his comlink again. _Maybe Cliegg forgot about me?_ "Uh... Ben doesn't seem to be hearing me," he admitted cautiously.

"Right; sorry about that," came the director's crackling reply. "Try asking Leia."

"Okay," Luke said, clipping his comlink on his belt again. _This would be a lot easier if my whole arm wasn't stunned..._ But he was aware of the trusty hovercam that was still filming his every move, so he made one last dramatic attempt to climb up the antenna. "Ahh!" he cried, falling pathetically and dangling upside-down from the precarious metal structure. "Ben," he called out desperately, to no avail; then he switched tactics. _Let's hope this works..._ "Leia," he said, closing his eyes; he could vaguely sense her presence, not too far away. "Hear me. Leia..."

A few moment later a ship came into view, far in the distance; and as it drew closer, Luke was surprised to recognize the _Millennium Falcon._

_Han's still here?_ The last he knew, Han's involvement with the show was supposed to have ended after the battle on Hoth. _I guess there's been a change of plans... Why does that not surprise me,_ he thought, curious to hear what the others had been up to in his absence.

As the _Falcon_ drew closer and pulled up beneath him, he could see Chewie and Leia in the cockpit; but the man who emerged from the top hatch was not Han. _Who the heck is that?_ Luke wondered, blinking in surprise. _And what's he doing with that climbing hook?_ Judging by the look on the man's face, he had no idea what to do with it either, so Luke decided to take charge of the situation. _Eh, I'll just fall down into the hatch._

"Okay, let's go," the man said urgently, into his comlink. "You okay?" he asked Luke.

"Yeah, fine," Luke replied, as the stranger proceeded to wrap a blanket around him. _Gah, I'm not a baby..._ "Who are you?"

"Lando Calrissian," his rescuer introduced himself. "I'm a friend of Han's."

"Oh," Luke nodded appreciatively. Then his brows furrowed. "Where's Han?" he asked; he didn't sense him aboard the _Falcon._

"He, uh - had to go back to Tatooine," Lando explained vaguely.

_Without his ship?_ Luke blinked in concern; he cound sense Leia and Chewie's veiled anxiety as well, and realized something was amiss. _Crap, what's going on?_ They had reached the cockpit now, and Leia rushed over to greet him. "Oh... Leia," Luke sighed, suddenly overwhelmed with feelings; he'd never been able to explain it, but something about Leia had always felt so comforting, and warm, and he hugged her now, grateful for her familiar presence.

"Luke... are you all right?" Leia asked, helping him back toward the _Falcon's_ first aid station. "What happened?"

"Uh - I got lost in the ventilation system, and then it ejected me outside, and - " he sighed wearily. _It's been a bad day._

"Are you okay?" Leia asked again, carefully helping him onto the cot.

"Yeah, but - my arm's kind of stunned," Luke told her. _And I just found out I'm married to my own sister, and we're going to have a baby together,_ he gulped, shuddering. _Aside from that; yeah, I'm great._ "The lightsaber duel didn't go so well," he confessed, managing a wry grin.

"No kidding," Leia said, gently touching his swollen eye. "Anakin did this to you?" She frowned in disapproval.

"No; Mara," Luke told her, grinning sheepishly. "Clobbered me with a computer terminal."

Leia smiled commiseratively. "You should have seen what she did to the Hoth base." Then she glanced meaningfully at the hovercams, and Luke nodded in understanding, adopting a pained expression as Leia pretended to hook him up to every type of medical device she could find. But as she began taping a makeshift intravenous line onto the back of his hand, Luke blinked, remembering. "Uh, that's not gonna work," he told her, glancing at his stunned right arm. "My hand's been chopped off."

"No," Leia gasped, feigning alarm.

"Yeah," Luke laughed quietly. "Cliegg said so."

"Mara again?"

"No... Anakin," Luke told her, feeling a sudden wave of nausea again. _Right before he told me he was my father._

"Okay; let me see what I can find for that," Leia said, as she proceeded to rummage through the _Falcon's_ first aid supplies. "Here we go," she said, strapping a splint onto his forearm. _Uh... my arm's MISSING, not broken,_ Luke thought, peering at the splint doubtfully. Clearly Leia had the same thought, and began taping on some rubber tubes for good measure. "Well... This will have to do," she said, giving him an apologetic look.

"Heh... It's perfect," Luke assured her. _Makes as much sense as anything on this show._ They shared an amused look, and Leia put a hand on his shoulder, smiling tenderly. Luke smiled back at her, grateful for her warmth, and friendship; as it turned out, Leia was his only female friend who wasn't either his wife, or sister, or both, and he appreciated the fact that their relationship had always felt so easy-going and natural.

But now his comlink crackled, and Luke blinked in surprise, pulling it off his belt. "Hello?"

"Hi - uh, Luke?" came Anakin's voice; he sounded nervous. "Um..." he gulped. "Cliegg wants us to have some kind of psychic conversation here."

Luke frowned, equally uncomfortable to be talking to his father right now. "Okay."

"I'll be back," Leia said, giving him a quick kiss and retreating to the cockpit. _Gah, don't kiss me,_ Luke cringed, shuddering in disgust; after what he had learned today, he didn't want to be kissed by anyone, ever again.

"Luke," came Vader's deep, mechanical voice, over the comlink.

_Ugh..._ "Father," Luke replied uncertainly.

"Come with me," Anakin said. "It is the only... what?" he asked, surprised.

Luke's brows furrowed in confusion. "What?"

"Uh - sorry, Cliegg needs me for another scene here," Anakin apologized. "He says you should talk to Ben instead."

_Whatever..._ "Sure," Luke agreed, grateful this conversation was over. _Actually, I WOULD like to talk to Ben,_ he admitted, sighing. Ben Kenobi was the only person who knew of Luke and Mara's marriage, and had been his trusted confidant for years now.

"Ben," Luke said, his heart aching as the weight of his predicament hit him again. "Why didn't you tell me?" _Seriously... Why did he never bother to mention that we were brother and sister?_ True, Ben shared Obi-Wan's annoying habit of being quietly amused and secretive about private matters; but surely he wouldn't have kept Luke in the dark about this, like it was some kind of joke?

_Ahh... I can't just keep lying here,_ Luke sighed, getting up from the cot and heading for the cockpit. In the midst of his inner turmoil, Leia's presence was the only thing that made him feel even remotely okay, and he joined the others now, gazing numbly out the cockpit window. _I know I'm not supposed to be in this scene,_ he sighed, as Leia awkwardly tried to ignore him, and Lando gave him a confused look. _I just don't want to be alone right now._

_I should say something, though,_ he realized, trying to focus. "It's Vader," Luke told them, glancing out the window. _Yeah, they probably already know that,_ he sighed, sinking down in the back seat as Leia continued to politely ignore him. _Sorry..._ "Ben," Luke said now, sticking to his assigned role. "Why didn't you tell me?"

_Because he doesn't know,_ Luke deduced, gazing at the _Executor_ in confusion. _Obi-Wan never told him._ Which said a lot about Obi-Wan's loyalty to Anakin, in keeping his secret - even from his own uncle. _I can't talk to Ben about this,_ Luke realized, feeling even more alone than before. _And I sure as hell don't want to talk to Anakin about it,_ he thought, nauseated by the idea. _Or Mara,_ he sighed, wishing to protect her from this horrible truth.

Luke was only vaguely aware of the others filming a dramatic escape scene as he sat there, lost in thought; they jumped briefly to hyperspace, but then immediately came out again, and now they were landing in the _Executor's_ docking bay, to continue on to Polis Massa as planned.

_Great... Just where I don't want to be,_ Luke sighed as he walked down the _Falcon's_ ramp, sensing Anakin's equally anxious presence nearby. _Please, just leave me alone..._ But of course Anakin _didn't_ leave him alone, and approached him now in full Vader regalia, his visor pulled up over his helmet. _Did I ever tell you how stupid you look in that costume?_ Luke thought in annoyance, pretending not to see him.

"Luke," Anakin called out, catching up to him. "Um..." He gulped, his expression worried and apologetic. "Could I have a word with you?"

_Ugh..._ Luke's stomach churned, and he fought bitter tears. Stupid or not, Anakin was technically his superior, and until an hour ago, he would never have dreamed of being disrespectful toward him. But under the circumstances... "Not now," Luke replied coldly, stubbornly continuing past him. He could feel Anakin's sudden heartache, and helpless apology; but Anakin didn't try to stop him, and Luke continued on toward the guest quarters.

_We'll talk about this later,_ Luke sighed, admitting that it wasn't technically Anakin's fault, that he had gotten Mara pregnant. _And he'll probably be even more disgusted about all this than I am,_ Luke realized, dreading that conversation. But if they were to protect Mara from the truth, he would need Anakin on his side. _Mara is innocent in this,_ Luke sighed, going to check on her now. _As far as she's concerned, I will always be the orphan boy, with no parents._

He found her in her guest quarters, and gave her a tender, apologetic smile as he came through the door. "Hi Mara," he said, grateful to finally have a moment alone with her. "How are you feeling?" he asked gently.

But Mara just scowled at him, not getting up from the edge of her bed. "What do you care?"

_Right; she's still mad about Hoth._ "Look, I'm really sorry about what I said before," he apologized. "I - "

"It doesn't matter," Mara interrupted bitterly. "Not anymore."

Luke blinked in concern. "What?" he asked cautiously. _Did Anakin tell her already?_

"You can stay with the Order," she told him angrily. "You can have your precious career, and become a Master, and - even be the head of the whole Jedi Council one day, for all I care," she said, giving him a sullen glare.

_This again..._ "Mara, no," Luke said gently, sitting down on the bed beside her. "None of that means anything to me now. I don't give a crap about my career," he told her honestly. "I'm not going to leave you to raise our child alone," he promised, with an apologetic smile.

At this, her anger turned to hurt, and tears filled her eyes. "Yeah, well, you don't have to," she said quietly, looking down. "There _is_ no child."

Luke's heart stopped momentarily. "What?"

Mara sniffed pathetically, her chin trembling. "I lost the baby," she choked quietly. "Luke..."

_Crap..._ "Oh, Mara," Luke said, holding her close as she sobbed in his arms. "Mara, I'm so sorry. Sweety... Are you all right?"

"No," Mara cried helplessly, laying her head against his shoulder. "I'm sorry, Luke..."

"No, Mara; that wasn't your fault," Luke assured her, stroking her hair and kissing her on the temple. _Oh, Force..._ "It's all right, Mara. These things happen. It - it wasn't meant to be," he told her, tears filling his own eyes as he grieved for the tiny, innocent life that never had a chance.

They sat together in silence for a long moment; but finally Mara sniffed, shrugging unhappily. "I guess we can stay with the Order after all."

"Yeah, I guess so," Luke agreed quietly, rubbing her shoulder. _Whatever you want, Mara. I honestly don't care anymore._

But now she glanced at him in apologetic concern. "Sorry about your eye."

Luke laughed gently. "Heh... That's the least of my problems," he assured her. _If you only knew..._

"No kidding," Mara agreed, sobered. "How's your hand?" she asked, holding it now. "Any feeling yet?"

"Uh... a little," Luke confessed, managing to wiggle his fingers a bit. "Don't worry, it'll be okay."

"Yeah," Mara agreed, smiling commiseratively. "Anyway, I _am_ sorry," she added, gently brushing a finger along his bruised eye. "I'll make it up to you," she murmured, kissing him on the eyebrow. "I promise." Her green eyes were filled with sadness; but even so, Luke caught a hint of their familiar mischievous glimmer.

_Gah..._ Luke wasn't certain which was worse; the fact that his sister was coming onto him, or that he was actually falling for it. _How am I going to survive a lifetime of this?_ he wondered suddenly, disturbed by his own feelings as Mara's tender, delicate kisses became less and less innocent. Now her lips brushed against his, her tongue gently caressing his teeth, as her fingers worked eagerly at his belt... "Mara, no," Luke protested, gulping. _Oh, crap..._

"What?" Mara scowled, offended.

"I - " Luke gazed at her apologetically, his own eyes filling with tears. _I have to tell her,_ he realized now. _I love her too much, to lie to her about this._ Besides, if Mara ever learned the truth, she would never forgive him. "Mara, there's something I have to tell you," he began quietly. _And I'd rather tell you, than Anakin,_ he admitted. _We'll keep this secret between us, and no one else will ever have to know._

Mara gave him a confused look. "What?"

"It's about... Anakin," Luke said cautiously.

Mara's brows furrowed. "My dad? What about him?"

"Um..." _Well, as it turns out, he's my dad too,_ Luke sighed, trying to break it to her gently. "You know that last scene we filmed, when he said he was my father?"

"Yeah?" Mara asked. "I mean - well, no," she admitted, shrugging. "I had to go to the bathroom; I missed the last part."

"Oh," Luke blinked. "Well... I think he was telling the truth," he said, giving her a hesitant look.

Mara frowned. "About what?"

"About... being my father," Luke confessed, gulping. _May as well just get it out there._

But Mara just giggled, amused. "Luke, he was acting," she told him.

"I know," Luke said, trying to explain. "But Mara... When people are acting, there's this haze of - insincerity, deception; _acting_... You know?" he asked hopefully, as Mara nodded, her brows furrowed. "But when Anakin said _'I am your father'_... No haze," Luke told her. "I swear, Mara. I'm not lying about this - I wish I was," he sighed unhappily. "But it was crystal clear, Mara. He wasn't acting. I swear, he was telling me the truth."

"No," Mara said, frowning skeptically. "No... That's not true," she protested, disturbed by the thought. "That's impossible."

"That's what I said!" Luke commiserated, understanding her denial. "But... search your feelings, Mara," he added, with a look of sincere apology.

"No," Mara said stubbornly; then she gave him a look of reproach. "If this is some kind of stupid joke - "

"I wish it was," Luke told her. "Come on, Mara," he said, taking her hand. "Just try it."

Mara sighed in annoyance; but then she shrugged, closing her eyes. She took a couple of deep breaths, focusing; and then Luke felt her cautiously probing him, sensing his emotions, his presence, and everything that made him _Luke._

Suddenly she gasped quietly, and her chin trembled. "Oh crap," she whispered miserably, her eyes filling with tears. "No..."

"Mara, I'm sorry," Luke said, stroking her back consolingly. "I'm so sorry; I didn't know either..."

"Well _I_ did," Mara cried, horror-stricken. She buried her face in her hands now, wracked with guilt and shame. "I knew... I always knew..."

Luke blinked. "You did?"

"Yes," Mara admitted. "I mean - I should have known," she berated herself tearfully. "It was there all along, and I knew it," she gulped, shaking her head. "You _feel_ like him," she told Luke, giving him a distraught look. "You always have. And I've always felt it."

"You have?" Luke asked, surprised and impressed by her perception. _Because I've never felt that about you._

"Yes," Mara insisted. "Ahh, I don't know how I never saw it," she chided herself. "And it's not just that you _feel_ like him... You _look_ like him too," she confessed, gazing at him with newfound understanding. "I mean - seriously... How did I not see this?" She blinked in disbelief. "You look even more like him than I do."

"Heh," Luke laughed, self-conscious. _I guess I kind of do._ "So - you're okay?" he asked, giving her a hopeful look.

"No," Mara told him emphatically. She scowled, shuddering. "I think I'm going to throw up."

"Same here," Luke agreed. "I mean - no offense, but - " He cringed apologetically, extracting his hand from her shoulder as they both moved several inches away from each other.

Mara laughed ruefully, shaking her head. "So... we're twins?"

"I think so," Luke nodded. _I can almost remember..._

But now Mara frowned. "If we're twins... Wouldn't you have been a death stick baby too?"

"Huh?" Luke blinked, caught off guard. _Crap, she's right..._

"You don't look anything like Tessa," Mara pointed out. "And - when we go to Dex's... She's always asking me where I've been, and what I've done, but - she never pays much attention to you," she confessed, with an apologetic look.

"Yeah... You're right," Luke agreed, his heart sinking as he realized his mother didn't love him. _She doesn't care about me, because -_ "She's not my mother," he murmured, stunned by this new revelation.

"No," Mara agreed, with equal conviction. "She's not." Then her brows furrowed in confusion. "So who is?"

Luke blinked. "I have no idea," he confessed.

"Well one thing's for certain," Mara sighed. "Anakin sure gets around... I mean - I never thought he was a saint, but - " She frowned in disapproval, shaking her head.

"Yeah, I hear you," Luke sympathized, realizing their father was not only a terrible Jedi, but a cheater on top of that.

"Has he ever introduced you to anyone, in a way that seemed strange?" Mara asked. "I mean, like how he introduced me to Tessa?"

"No... I don't think so," Luke said, trying to recall. "No - wait," he added, his eyes widening. _Holy crap..._ "Cora!" he exclaimed. "He specifically asked me to be her Have-A-Heart friend, and visit her once a week."

Mara frowned, doubtful. "Isn't she crazy?"

"No," Luke said, his heart fluttering. _I love Cora..._ "She's done a little too much rockstim, over the years; but - I mean, Tessa used to be a death stick addict," he pointed out, giving Mara an apologetic look. "And - she's always looking for someone called 'Annie', and saying 'he took the baby'..."

"Seriously?" Mara asked, stunned. "What does she look like?"

"She's got blonde hair, and blue eyes... And she's short," Luke told her, grinning self-consciously.

"Whoa..." Mara smiled in ecstatic disbelief. "Luke, that's your mom!"

"Yeah," Luke agreed, his heart welling over with joy. _My mom..._ "I love her, Mara," he confessed. "And I can help her get off the rockstim; I know I can." _Force, she doesn't even know I'm her son... But she's still looking for me, after all these years,_ he realized, his heart going out to her. _She's never forgotten me..._

"Ahh! My dad's coming," Mara warned him, as they suddenly sensed Anakin's presence drawing closer. "I mean, our - " she sighed, shaking her head in confusion. Then she gave Luke a worried look. "Should we tell him about this?"

"Uh..." Luke blinked, dreading the idea. "Do you want to?"

"No," Mara replied emphatically. "I mean - not about - _us_... Ever," she said, cringing at the thought. "But - do you think he knows... that _you_ know?"

"I don't know," Luke admitted. "I think he might. He wanted to talk to me earlier."

"Gah," Mara sighed, blinking anxiously.

"It'll be all right, Mara," Luke reassured her. "Don't worry; I'm not going to tell him about - _us,_" he agreed, as they shared a disturbed look. "Nobody has to know about that. I mean - not that there's anything to know - anymore," he apologized gently, as Mara nodded, blinking. "Ahh - I should go," Luke admitted, getting up from the edge of the bed. "Are you all right?" he asked again, giving her a concerned look.

Mara managed a rueful laugh, shrugging. "I guess so."

"Okay," Luke said, as they shared a tender smile. In that moment he resisted the urge to kiss her one last time; it would take him a while to make sense of his feelings, but for now he simply nodded courteously, backing away from her. "See you later," he said, heading for the doorway.

"Yeah," Mara agreed from her perch on the edge of the bed, attempting a sisterly smile. "See you."

* * *

><p><em>A few hours later...<em>

"Wow... that's pretty fancy," Leia said, joining Luke at the medical station aboard the Rebel flagship.

Luke grinned cheerfully, as the droid worked on his new prosthetic hand. "Not bad, eh?"

"It looks a lot better than the one I made," Leia admitted, her eyes twinkling in amusement; but Luke could sense her quiet sadness.

"You okay?" he asked, giving her a concerned look.

Leia nodded wearily. "It's been a crazy day," she admitted.

"Yeah, it has," Luke agreed. On top of his own personal issues, he had been sobered to learn that Han had been frozen in carbonite, and sent into the custody of Jabba the Hutt. No one was talking about it out loud, but everyone on the set was quietly shocked.

"Luke," Lando said now, over the transmitter. "We're ready for takeoff."

"Good luck, Lando," Luke replied into his comlink, as the droid continued working on his hand.

"When we find Jabba the Hutt and that bounty hunter, we'll contact you," Lando said. He and Chewie were leaving the show for now, to take over Han's spice deliveries; but Cliegg hoped to involve them in a future episode - along with Han, if possible.

_Let's hope,_ Luke sighed, praying that he would be all right. "I'll meet you at the rendezvous point on Tatooine."

"Princess, we'll find Han," Lando assured her. "I promise."

"Chewie, I'll be waiting for your signal. Take care, you two," Luke said. "May the Force be with you."

"Rrraaauuughh," Chewie replied enthusiastically, as Luke and Leia shared an amused smile. "Myyyth Fffrrrs Bwwthh Yyyu."

Leia went over the window to watch the _Falcon_ take off; and now Luke peered curiously at his new hand, as the medical droid finished its work. _Not bad,_ he thought, closing the wrist panel and wiggling his fingers experimentally. He'd wanted something more dramatic-looking, but this episode was already too far behind schedule, and Cliegg had apologized that there was no time to create a robotic prosthetic.

_Eh, this works well enough,_ Luke decided, getting up from the medical station and joining Leia by the window. He put his arm shyly around her now, as they watched the _Falcon_ take off together; and once again Luke felt her familiar, affectionate warmth. He was still deeply conflicted over his feelings for Mara, but his friendship with Leia had always felt refreshingly uncomplicated: intimate yet platonic, and completely natural.

_This is how it will be with Mara from now on,_ Luke thought, basking in Leia's comforting presence. _Yes; this is how a sister should feel._


	190. Cora, I am your son

**Chapter 190**

"Luke!" Cora exclaimed, opening her door to greet him. "Come in!"

The young Jedi gave her a friendly smile. "Hi Cora... how have you been?"

"Oh - fine," Cora said brightly, as always. In truth, her leg had been hurting more than usual lately, but she tried not to limp too badly as she led the way into her kitchen. "Would you like some tea?"

"I'd love some, thanks," Luke said. "You make the best tea, Cora," he added shyly.

Cora beamed at his compliment as she set the teapot to boil; Luke was the nicest Have-A-Heart friend she'd ever had, and she tried very hard to make a good impression on him. _I don't want him to quit the program, like the others all did..._ "What kind of tea would you like?" she asked, limping over to her cupboard now. "I have - let's see... Corellian Black, Alderaanian Green, Decaf, Felucian Citrus, and - Korriban Oolong," she listed off proudly, showing him the fancy-looking boxes.

"Wow, Cora... That's a lot of tea," Luke said, blinking in surprise at her collection. "Where did you get all this?"

"At the store," Cora told him. "My food stamps came yesterday... I thought I'd surprise you," she confessed, smiling.

"Well I am definitely surprised," Luke agreed, admiring her new tea collection. "But tea is expensive, Cora; your food stamps need to last you all month."

"Ahh... I know," Cora sighed, nodding; her social worker was always telling her the same thing.

"It's all right," Luke reassured her. "Just be more careful, okay? And if you run out of food stamps before the end of the month, you let me know," he added, with a concerned look. "I don't want you going hungry."

"Okay," Cora nodded, blinking. _Sorry..._ "So - which kind would you like?"

Luke grinned. "All of them," he said. "I think we have a year's supply here," he added, laughing. "Ah... I guess I'll try - Felucian Citrus, that sounds interesting."

"I thought so too!" Cora agreed cheerfully, pulling out two Felucian Citrus teabags. The water was boiling now, and she carefully poured two cups, handing one to Luke. "Let's sit in the living room," she suggested, leading the way. "I want to show you my new paperweight."

"Paperweight?" Luke asked, following her into the living room.

"Yes," Cora nodded, hobbling eagerly over toward the couch. "Not that I have any _paper_," she admitted, laughing. "But I thought it was pretty. And - it was only two credits, at the thrift store," she assured him quickly. "It's from Zeltros; wait till you see - oh!" Cora exclaimed suddenly, losing her balance; but thankfully her Jedi friend was instantly at her side, catching her fall - as well as her teacup - and helping her gently over to the couch.

"Sorry," Cora apologized, wincing in pain as Luke helped her to sit down. "Sometimes it - " she sighed, glancing apologetically at her leg. _Ah, that was embarrassing..._

"It's really hurting you today, isn't it?" Luke asked gently, sitting beside her.

"No," Cora insisted bravely. "I mean - " _He's a Jedi; he can tell._ "Maybe - a little," she confessed.

"Right here... huh?" Luke asked, placing a hand on her knee, and instinctively finding the source of the pain. Cora nodded gratefully, closing her eyes as the throbbing gradually subsided under his soothing touch. _Thank you..._ "How did this happen, Cora?" he asked, concerned.

"Oh... it was a long time ago," she told him vaguely, attempting a brave smile. "It's better now," she assured him. But tears sprang to her eyes unbidden, and she desperately tried to blink them away. _Not now..._ "Here - I want to show you my paperweight," Cora gulped, picking it up from the coffee table. "It's from Zeltros - "

"It's lovely, Cora," Luke said, admiring it. "Look at that: it's got blue, and purple, and silver sparkles everywhere," he pointed out, with a reassuring smile. "It's beautiful... How do they make these?"

"I don't know," Cora said, sniffing. "It's... it's - magic," she told him, laughing tearfully. _Oh, please, not now..._ She could feel a terrible memory beginning to surface, but she tried to shove it back into the dark recesses of her mind._ I just want to have a nice tea party, with Luke..._

"It's all right, Cora," Luke said gently, putting an arm around her. "Shh; it's all right..."

But it was too late, and now Cora lay her head against his shoulder, weeping pathetically. "He took the baby," she sobbed, gasping in shock and grief. "He took the baby... Annie!" Cora exclaimed suddenly, struggling to get up from the couch, and limping quickly toward the door. "I have to find Annie!"

"Cora - no, wait," Luke said, chasing after her. "Cora, we've talked about this before... remember?" he asked, putting an arm around her and leading her back to the living room.

"No," Cora protested miserably, as he helped her onto the couch again. "Nobody ever believes me..."

"I believe you, Cora," Luke promised earnestly, looking into her eyes. "And - actually, I have some good news," he told her. "I found out what happened... to your baby," he said, giving her a reassuring smile.

Cora gasped, her heart fluttering with hope. "You found Annie?"

"Yes," Luke nodded. Then he blinked, curious. "Annie... that was the baby's name?"

Cora nodded vigorously, giving him a questioning look.

"Named after... your husband?" Luke asked cautiously.

Cora's brows furrowed. "No..." _What sort of man would be named Annie?_ "We were never married," she admitted unhappily. "I wanted to marry him; I _loved_ him, but... He didn't love me back," she cried. "He left me," she wailed, as Luke wrapped his arms around her. "He threw me down the stairs, and took the baby..."

"He - " Luke blinked, shocked. "He threw you down the stairs?" he asked, staring at her in utter disbelief. "Cora... is that how - you hurt your leg?" he asked, as Cora nodded miserably. "And...?" Luke brushed a finger gently against the scar on her face, which cut through her lip, and failed to hide her missing tooth.

Cora nodded helplessly; she was self-conscious about her scar, but it was nothing compared to the loss of her child. "He took the baby," she sobbed again. "Annie..."

"Shh, Cora... Cora, I'm so sorry," Luke whispered, holding her in his arms. "I'm so sorry, for what he did to you. That's not right," he added darkly, a tone of barely-concealed anger in his voice. "But - remember I said I had good news... about the baby? About - Annie?" Luke gave her a hopeful look.

"Yes," Cora sniffed, nodding. _I could really use some good news right now._

"Cora... Your baby was sent to the Jedi Temple here on Coruscant, to be raised as a Jedi," Luke told her gently, taking her hand and looking into her eyes, a loving smile on his face. "Cora... _I'm_ Annie."

Cora stared at him in disbelief. "What?" _No... Annie was a girl..._ But as she gazed at the young Jedi before her, she realized to her surprise that he had Annie's lovely soft blue eyes, and golden-blond hair...

"I'm Annie," Luke said again, smiling tenderly. "I know this must come as a shock to you, but - I promise you, Cora... I'm Annie. And you're my mom," he said, gazing at her in adoration.

Cora blinked. "You're - you're Annie?" she asked again, still trying to wrap her brain around this concept. _Can it be true?_

"Yes," Luke nodded. "Well - I go by 'Luke' now," he told her, with an apologetic grin.

Cora nodded. "Okay," she said, taking it all in. _Annie's a boy now...?_ She'd met several transvestites before, in her wanderings through Coruscant's city streets; they always surprised and confused her at first - much as Luke was doing now - but they were generally lovely people, once she got to know them. "All right," she nodded, blinking. _If Annie wants to be a boy, then I will support her decision._ "Luke... that's a nice name," Cora told him, smiling encouragingly. "You're very handsome."

"Heh..." Luke grinned shyly, looking down. "Thank you." But when he looked up at her, there were tears in his eyes. "I love you, Cora," he said, hugging her close. "And I'm going to take care of you, I promise," he said, kissing her tenderly on the forehead. "I love you so much... I'm so glad I found you."

"Me too," Cora cried, overjoyed. "I love you, Annie... I mean - Luke," she said, smiling in tearful disbelief. _My beautiful baby..._

"But - Cora," Luke cautioned her. "You know that Jedi aren't supposed to have a lot of contact with their families...?"

"Oh," Cora blinked sadly, nodding. _Right..._ "So - how often are you allowed to come?"

"Well, technically - _never,_" Luke admitted. "At least not until I'm a Master, which could be a few more years. So in the meantime... Cora, it's very important that we keep this a secret, all right?" he asked, his blue eyes pleading. "Can you do that... for me?"

"Oh - of course," Cora nodded vigorously. "I won't tell anyone, I promise."

"Okay," Luke said, smiling. "And if you forget, or if it gets out, somehow... Don't worry," he assured her, kissing her again. "It'll be all right. You're more important to me than my job," he promised. "Though if I get kicked out of the Order, I might need a place to stay," he teased her, looking around the apartment.

"Hee!" Cora giggled, delighted by the thought. "Well maybe I _will_ tell," she said, as Luke shook his head good-naturedly. "No, I wouldn't do that," she promised him. "My - " _Boy? Girl?_ "My Annie is a Jedi," she said, gazing at him lovingly. "I'm so proud of you... Luke."

"Thanks... Mom," Luke said, with a shy grin. "Well, I have to go, for now," he apologized, getting up. "But I'll try to be back soon; I can probably manage about twice a week, without anybody noticing where I am," he told her, his eyes twinkling mischievously. "Will you be all right? Is there anything you need?"

"No, no; I'm fine," Cora assured him, getting stiffly to her feet to see him out.

But Luke noticed her limp, and gave her a worried look. "Have you got any painkillers for that?"

"Well - no," Cora admitted. "I can't buy over-the-counter stuff with food stamps, and - the doctors won't renew my prescription," she told him, sighing.

"They won't?" Luke asked, concerned. "Why not?"

Cora blinked. "They - they think I'm faking it," she told him. _To get drugs... Because I'm an addict..._

"Gah," Luke sighed. "Okay, I'll see what I can do, to get you another appointment, and straighten this out," he promised. "But for now..." He opened a little pouch on his belt, and pulled out a twenty-credit coin. "Here, this should cover some over-the-counter painkillers, until we can get you something better, okay?"

"No, Luke - I don't want to take your money," Cora protested. _I know they don't give you very much, to begin with..._

But Luke just grinned. "It's okay," he assured her. "I don't really need it for anything, anyway."

Cora nodded, accepting it. "Thank you," she said, smiling gratefully. "I love you, Luke."

Luke hugged her warmly, kissing her on the temple. "I love you, Mom," he said softly. "Take care of yourself, okay? I'll see you in a few days," he promised with a cheery smile, as he headed out the door.

"All right," Cora agreed, waving goodbye. "Take care, sweetheart."

Cora smiled in disbelief, closing the door behind him. _My Annie is a Jedi,_ she realized again. _Luke,_ she corrected herself, still getting used to her daughter's new identity. _She's - he's... beautiful,_ Cora sighed happily, limping back toward her living room. _I love her so much..._

She sat down on the couch, still smiling as she gazed absently at her new paperweight, admiring the colorful sparkles within the glass. _My Annie has come back to me, after all these years._ Her heart fluttered with joyful gratitude; she'd been looking for her daughter for over twenty years now, and had all but given up hope of ever seeing her again.

_I never dreamed she would be sent to the Jedi Temple,_ Cora admitted, overwhelmed with relief to finally learn the truth. Annie's father had forcibly taken her that awful day, and had sold her on the black market, to be put up for illegal adoption. _But somehow she's a Jedi now,_ Cora realized in proud delight. _And - a boy..._ All of this was still a bit of a shock; but Cora was elated to learn that her Annie was safe, and doing well. _I'm so proud of her..._

As for Niko, Cora had no idea what had become of him. She'd asked everyone in the neighborhood - hundreds of times - but no one had seen or heard from him, for over twenty years now. _And good riddance,_ she thought, furrowing her brows. Cora had loved Niko dearly, once upon a time; but selling their baby on the black market was not something she could ever forgive him for. _Besides, he was abusive,_ Cora admitted, feeling an old, familiar throbbing in her leg now. _He never really loved me..._

She sniffed now, her heart aching as she once again faced the cruelty of Niko's rejection, and betrayal. _Ohh..._ These feelings always welled up inside her, whenever her leg pained her. _Why can't I just forget,_ Cora wept, holding her head in her hands. _Why does this always happen?_ It was all coming back to her now, in a rush: the sickening fall down the stairs, the jarring shock as her leg shattered beneath her; a dizzying tumble as the world spun around too fast, and then darkness...

"Annie!" Cora gasped, sitting up in alarm. _Nooooo..._ She quickly got up from the couch, limping toward her bedroom. "Annie? Annie...?" _Ohh... Not again..._ "He took the baby!" Cora realized, panicking. "He took the baby! He took the baby... Annie!" she cried helplessly, rushing for the doorway. "Annie!"

She limped quickly down the four flights of stairs to the street below. "Annie!" she called out desperately, looking around for her daughter. "Annie!"

"Cora!" came a familiar voice from behind her. _Elan..._ Cora sighed in relief as her neighbor approached, his expression concerned. "Cora, what's going on?"

"He took the baby," Cora explained breathlessly. "He took the baby... I have to call the police..."

"Cora, Cora, no," Elan said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "You know the police can't do anything about this," her Balosar friend added gently, his antennapalps drooping in regretful commiseration.

"Ohhh," Cora whimpered, tears in her eyes. _The police never believe me..._ And even if they did, there was nothing they could do about it; Niko was Annie's biological father, so it wasn't technically kidnapping. "I know," she sniffed, nodding unhappily.

"Don't worry, Cora; it'll be all right," Elan reassured her. "In fact - " His antennapalps twitched thoughtfully. "Come to think of it, I just saw Niko a couple minutes ago, with Annie," he told her, glancing down the street. _You did?_ Cora blinked in confusion; something about that didn't quite make sense. _Was that today? Or - a long time ago?_ "Sorry, I didn't realize you two had been fighting," Elan apologized, as Cora nodded, pretending to follow. _I guess he would know..._ "Tell you what: I'll go talk to Niko now, and straighten this out," Elan offered, helping her back up the stairs to her apartment. "I'll talk some sense into him, and get Annie back for you, okay?"

"Oh - thank you," Cora sighed gratefully, accepting his assistance. Elan and Niko were good friends; they'd all grown up in this neighborhood, and had known each other since childhood. _Niko won't listen to me; but he listens to Elan,_ Cora reassured herself. And it wasn't just because Elan and Niko were lifelong friends, who had played together as children; Elan Sel'Sabagno had become a figure of great influence in this neighborhood, and nowadays _everyone_ listened to Elan.

"No problem," Elan assured her, as they continued up the stairs to her apartment. "And I've got something that'll help calm you down," he added in a low voice, casting a meaningful glance toward his trench coat pocket.

"Oh?" Cora asked hesitantly; she gulped, admittedly tempted by the thought. "Are you sure - you don't mind?"

"Of course not," Elan promised, as they arrived at her door. "You're an old friend, Cora. I take good care of my friends... You know that, right?" He gave her a charming smile, his antennapalps fluttering impishly. "Here you go," he said, helping her inside, and sitting her down at the kitchen table. "Although..." Elan sighed, eyeing the twenty-credit piece on the table. "I hate to ask you this, Cora, but - money's been tight, lately," he admitted. "You know how it is..."

"No, I understand," Cora assured him quickly, nodding. This was a poor neighborhood, and none of them were strangers to hard times. _We help each other out, when we can._ "Here; please... Take it," she said, pressing the twenty-credit piece into his hand. But she blinked in momentary confusion, trying to remember where it had come from. _It's not like Niko to leave money lying around..._

Elan flashed her a grateful smile. "Thanks, Cora; you're the best," he said, tucking the coin into his pocket. "Here, let me make you some tea," he offered, going over to the stove and setting the water to boil.

Cora nodded appreciatively, trying to ignore the jumbled thoughts that were invading her mind. _Annie left me that coin,_ she recalled vaguely, frowning. _Didn't she?_ Annie had been here, just a few minutes ago; but she hadn't been a baby - she'd been a grown man... _Ahh, I'm having withdrawal hallucinations again,_ Cora admitted unhappily, glancing toward the kitchen stove, where her Balosar friend was already quietly at work, preparing a little vial of bubbling dark liquid over the flame. How many times had Elan 'taken care' of her like this, since Niko had left? Cora closed her eyes, trying not to remember.

"Here we go," Elan murmured, carefully pouring the rockstim solution into a flower-patterned teacup, then adding hot water, along with a teabag from her cupboard. "Oolong tea a la Sel'Sabagno," he announced proudly, presenting his concoction to her with a dramatic flourish. "You sit tight; enjoy your tea," he said, patting her on the shoulder as he headed for the doorway. "I'll go talk to Niko, and straighten all of this out, okay?"

Cora nodded, still troubled by her hallucinations. "Thanks, Elan," she said. "I'm really sorry about this - "

"No... Don't you worry, Cora," Elan reassured her. "I'll find Annie, and get her back for you." The Balosar grinned confidently, a mischievous twinkle in his eye as he headed out the door.

_He's a good friend,_ Cora admitted, taking a sip of her rockstim tea and closing her eyes in weary gratitude as a wave of blissful relief washed over her. _Elan will get Annie back,_ she sighed, her worries fading into a haze of merciful oblivion. _It will be all right._


	191. Luke goes off the deep end

**Chapter 191**

_A few days later..._

"Lunch time?" Obi-Wan suggested hopefully.

Luke looked up from his studies, cautiously reaching out with the Force. He could sense Mara somewhere nearby, along with - _Ugh, no._ "I'm not hungry," he said, turning back to his work. "You go ahead, Master."

Obi-Wan's sigh was audible. "Luke, you need to eat _sometime_ - "

"I will," Luke assured him. "Right after I finish this section. Go ahead, Master; I'll grab something to eat later."

But the familiar - and decidedly unwanted - presence was drawing closer, and now Luke cast a baleful glance toward the library's main entrance, where Mara and Master Anakin had just appeared. "On second thought, I'll finish working on this later," Luke said, switching off his databook and setting it back on the shelf. "I'm going for a walk," he told Obi-Wan, heading for the doorway and pointedly ignoring Anakin's confused look.

"Luke," Obi-Wan called after him, following him out to the hallway. "Luke," he repeated quietly, putting a hand on his shoulder. "You can't keep avoiding him like this." He cast a meaningful glance back toward the Jedi Temple library, where Master Anakin was pretending to be interested in an old Coruscanti dictionary, encased in glass.

Luke sighed unhappily, shaking his head. "I'm sorry, Master," he said. "I'll talk to him later," he promised, giving Obi-Wan an apologetic glance as he continued down the hallway. _I just can't deal with that conversation yet._ That Obi-Wan knew exactly what was going on was obvious; he'd been gently pressing Luke to talk to Anakin ever since they'd returned from their _SITH_ tour last week. _He knows I'm Anakin's kid,_ Luke realized, heading for the Temple's main exit. _He's known all along._

It was a lot to deal with, and Luke was even a little miffed with Obi-Wan these days. _How many times did I confess to him my loneliness in being a 'Starkiller' - an orphan who would never know his family, the way that Obi-Wan knows Ben?_ Luke sighed, embarrassed. And how many times had Obi-Wan patted him on the back, offering vague platitudes and words of comfort - but always with an amused glimmer in his eye? _He's been laughing at me all these years..._

But Luke's frustration with Obi-Wan paled in comparison to his seething bitterness toward Anakin. He'd _almost_ been ready to forgive his father - for abandoning Cora, cheating on Tessa, and unwittingly allowing his children to have sex with each other. That could all be explained by sheer stupidity - a trait that Anakin demonstrated on a daily basis, and came as no surprise to Luke. But to throw Cora down the stairs, scarring and crippling her for life... _How could he?_ Luke thought again, angry tears springing to his eyes.

It was obvious that Cora had never received proper medical care after the incident. Her injuries had healed badly, and it was likely she'd never been taken to the hospital at all. _He threw her down the stairs, and just left her there, battered and broken,_ Luke thought bitterly. _He never tried to help her; he allowed her to live in poverty all these years - frying her brain on rockstim to try to forget what HE did to her,_ Luke realized, his heart aching for his poor mother.

_How could he?_ Luke wondered again, as he continued through the streets of Coruscant toward his mother's apartment. The worst part was that until a week ago, he had always deeply admired Master Anakin - as Mara's loving father, and someone who understood what it meant to be _human,_ far better than most Jedi did. True, Anakin could be impulsive, passionate, undisciplined, and astoundingly ignorant at times... But in all the years Luke had known him, he had never been _cruel._

He sighed now, reluctantly acknowledging what his instincts had been telling him these past several days, but he had stubbornly tried to deny. _It might not have happened, exactly the way Cora remembered it._ Luke loved his mother unconditionally, but had to admit that she was a lifelong rockstim addict, and that her memory was anything but accurate. _She could have been high on rockstim at the time; maybe she fell, and thought that he pushed her... Maybe Anakin didn't even know it happened,_ Luke tried to tell himself, not wanting to believe that his father could be so abusive, and heartless.

And even if he _did_ know... _Maybe it was an accident, and he had to get out of there before he was seen,_ Luke sighed. _Maybe he assumed someone would help her, and get her to the hospital, and that there was nothing more he could do for her._ And _maybe,_ Luke considered - in his infinite stupidity, Anakin simply might not have realized that taking a tumble down a flight of stairs could cause serious injury to an average human being, since that sort of thing was nothing to a Jedi.

_However it happened... it was a mistake,_ Luke conceded, trusting his instincts. Anakin was a lot like Mara in some ways: they both had a type of raw, unbridled energy, which could get out of control at times, and become inadvertently destructive. _He didn't mean to hurt her,_ Luke admitted grudgingly. _And he DOES feel bad about it._ He had sensed Anakin's profound remorse and anguish this past week, and the look of deep apology in his eyes had been impossible to miss.

_He made a mistake, years ago - when he was younger, and even MORE stupid,_ Luke realized, understanding his father's plight. And he had done his best to make amends; he'd brought Luke and Mara to the Jedi Temple as babies, hoping to give them a better life than they would have had with their drug-addicted mothers. Tessa had obviously made an admirable recovery since then; but as for Cora... Luke sighed, trusting that Anakin had done his best to help her. _I've been her Have-A-Heart volunteer for three years now, and it's not like I've been able to do much for her either._

At least Anakin had introduced Luke to his mother as soon as he came of age, right after he was knighted. _He tried to do the right thing,_ Luke sighed, as he continued toward Cora's apartment. _He failed miserably at it, but... in his stupid, pathetic way, he tried. And I will forgive him,_ he confessed; he didn't want to be angry with his father forever, and deep down - beneath his confusion, and frustration - he truly loved him. _I'll talk to him when I get back,_ Luke sighed, though he was still decidedly nervous about the idea.

But his feelings toward his mother were much simpler. _She's innocent in all of this,_ Luke thought, smiling fondly as he climbed the steps to her apartment. _None of this was her fault. She's had a difficult life, but - she's never stopped looking for me,_ Luke realized, touched and saddened by his mother's undying devotion to her lost child. _I love her so much,_ Luke confessed. _I'll help her get off the rockstim, and make sure she gets proper medical care,_ he resolved, as he arrived at her door. _And regardless of whatever happened in the past... I'm going to make sure her life is happy, from now on._

He knocked on the door, his heart fluttering in anticipation; it had been a difficult week, and Luke admitted he could use a warm, loving hug from his mother right now. But as the door opened, he blinked in surprise to find himself face-to-face with a uniformed Drug Enforcement officer from Coruscant's local police department. "Hi... uh... What's going on here?" Luke asked cautiously. _Crap, has she been arrested?_

"Routine drug investigation," the officer told him, frowning at Luke doubtfully. "We didn't call for the Jedi, did we?" He glanced back at his partner, who was carefully placing a flower-patterned teacup into a plastic evidence bag.

"No, I'm Cora's - uh... I'm her volunteer sponsor, from the Have-A-Heart program," Luke explained.

"Well, not anymore," the officer sighed. "She died two days ago. Drug-related causes," he told Luke, with a commiserative shrug. "Looks like you're off the hook."

Luke's heart stopped. "What?" he asked, his voice barely a whisper. _No..._

"Yeah, looks like a bad rockstim hit," the officer said. "Third dead addict this week... There's some bad product going around lately, out of Balosar," he sighed, shaking his head. "But don't worry; we've traced it back to the dealer, and confiscated his latest supply... It's all under control," he assured Luke.

Luke barely heard what he was saying. "Where is she now?" he asked, trying to keep his expression calm.

"Uh - the morgue, I suppose," the officer said, casting a questioning look at his partner.

"Nah... they finished the autopsy yesterday; she's been processed by now," the other officer told Luke, dusting the stove area for fingerprints. "She didn't have any relatives; no one showed up to claim the body."

_Processed..._ Luke's heart sank, and he desperately fought tears; his mother deserved better than to just be incinerated, and sent to a bio-waste facility. _No..._ "Do you know who was responsible for this?" he asked, barely concealing his grief and anger. "Who sold her the bad rockstim?"

"Yeah; that'd be Sleazebaggano," the officer sighed. "I'm betting we'll find his prints all over this place."

"Sleazebaggano?" Luke asked cautiously.

"Elan Sel'Sabagno," the officer explained. "He's the local drug lord in this neighborhood. Operates out of the old durasteel factory, on Sixty-Fourth Street."

"So - you've arrested him already?" Luke asked, recalling what the officer had said before. _Three dead addicts in the past week..._ "He'll be charged with manslaughter?"

"Heh..." The other officer shook his head. "Even if these _are_ his prints, it doesn't mean anything. Sleazebaggano and Cora go way back; they've been friends for years. Just because he was here at her apartment doesn't prove that he was selling her drugs."

"But - you said you traced the bad rockstim back to him...?"

"Yep," the officer nodded. "Autopsy on all three victims showed heavy metal poisioning - specifically from Balosarium," he told Luke. "And Sleazebaggano's the only Balosar who lives within twenty blocks of this neighborhood," he pointed out wryly. "It wasn't too hard to figure out."

"So... can't you arrest him on that?" Luke asked.

"You'd think," the officer agreed, sighing. "The department brought him in for questioning once, years ago. Pointed out that the rockstim being distributed in this area contained high levels of Balosarium, which obviously came from his home planet - where the Sel'Sabagno family has operated a spice mine for decades," he told Luke. "But then he sued the department for 'racial profiling'..." The officer sighed in annoyance. "Cost the city over a half million credits in legal fees."

"So - you're not going to even book him for this?" Luke asked, blinking in disbelief.

The officer shook his head. "Trust me, kid... He's untouchable. Just let it go," he advised Luke. "Anyway, she was an addict," he pointed out, glancing around Cora's run-down apartment. "You do rockstim, you take your chances. Sooner or later, this sort of thing is bound to happen."

Luke's heart stabbed with grief, and anger at the officer's callous attitude; he knew the tears would come any moment now. "Thank you," he gulped, managing to keep his expression neutral. "I'll leave you to your work." With a formal nod, he turned, quickly disappearing down the stairs, as tears blurred his vision.

_Mother..._ Luke wept, shuddering with shock and grief. _How could this happen?_ She had seemed so happy, during his last visit, and even fairly lucid... _Mom, why?_ True, her leg had been hurting her more than usual; but he had given her money for painkillers, and - _Ohhh..._ Luke cried, his heart aching with guilt and despair. _How could I be so stupid,_ he wept, sinking down onto the stairs and sobbing quietly. _I should have known better than to give money to a rockstim addict. I killed her..._

_No,_ he told himself stubbornly, trying to blink away his tears. _I didn't kill her. I loved her... I was trying to help her,_ he admitted, sniffing unhappily. _The addiction killed her,_ Luke confessed, facing the truth. _The drug dealer who sold her the bad rockstim killed her._

_Sleazebaggano..._ Luke's brows furrowed, and he got up now, his blood seething with anger. _Yeah, he's untouchable - to people who care about keeping their jobs,_ he glowered, stalking out of Cora's apartment building and continuing down the street. _As it happens, I don't,_ Luke admitted, grief-stricken. _Not anymore..._

Legally, he realized nothing could be done about this. The evidence against Sel'Sabagno was circumstantial, and would never hold up in court. Pressing charges against him would just be a waste of the city's resources, in terms of time, money, and manpower. _Meanwhile he's still out there, selling cheap rockstim to victims of addiction. And it's only a matter of time before he gets another bad shipment..._

_Well not if I can help it,_ Luke vowed, heading for the old durasteel factory on Sixty-Fourth Street. _No one else will die because of this,_ he decided grimly, reaching for his lightsaber as he approached the building. _Sleazebaggano's going down._

* * *

><p><em>Meanwhile...<em>

"He'll come around, Anakin," Obi-Wan promised, giving him a commiserative look. "It's not in his nature to hold a grudge. Obviously this has been a shock to him, but - he just needs time, to work through his feelings," he assured him gently; it pained him to see his brother so heartbroken. "It will be all right."

"Yeah... I guess," Anakin nodded, hanging his head dejectedly. "I just wish - " He broke off suddenly, his brows furrowing in alarm.

"I sense it too," Obi-Wan agreed, breaking into a run as he followed Anakin out of the restricted section of the library, heading for the Temple's main hallway.

Mara had sensed it as well, and joined them now, her expression concerned. "What's going on?"

"I'm not certain," Obi-Wan confessed, as they ran through the hallway. He could sense Luke's intense anger, and shock, and - _pain..._ "Oh dear," he murmured, sharing a worried glance with Anakin. "What in the blazes has he gotten himself into?"

They arrived at the hangar and quickly climbed into their Starfighters, speeding off toward the source of the disturbance. "Blast," Obi-Wan muttered, navigating through Coruscant's busy traffic at an insane rate of speed; Anakin's yellow Starfighter was already five hundred meters ahead of him, with Mara close on his tail. But he soon arrived at the scene of the disturbance: an old durasteel factory on the lower levels of Sixty-Fourth Street - which appeared to be on fire, with thick black smoke billowing from the windows.

Obi-Wan quickly landed in the street next to Anakin and Mara's fighters, jumping down from the cockpit and igniting his blue lightsaber as he ran into the building. He was instantly met by a round of blaster fire, which he deflected with his lightsaber; Anakin and Mara were engaged against a dozen heavily-armed guards on the level above him, and Obi-Wan hurried to join them, slashing through two other assailants on his way up the stairs.

He could sense Luke's presence nearby, though it felt alarmingly weak. "Master! Get him out of here," Anakin yelled now, a pleading look in his eyes as he and Mara continued to fight off the attackers. "We'll cover you," he said, his blue lightsaber slicing through a burly Togorian. Obi-Wan nodded in terse agreement, continuing through the smoke-filled hallway toward Luke's faint presence.

He found him in the facility's main office, collapsed against the far wall, his lightsaber still activated in his outstretched hand. "Luke!" Obi-Wan exclaimed, rushing to him now; he stepped over the body of a trench-coated figure - whose head lay several feet away, its antennapalps twitching eerily. "Luke... are you all right?" Obi-Wan asked, kneeling beside him and peering into his dazed, dilated eyes.

"Uhhhh," Luke moaned faintly, managing to move his head slightly; his face was deathly pale.

"Blast," Obi-Wan muttered, deactivating Luke's saber and clipping it onto his own belt. "Come, young one," he said gently, gathering Luke in his arms and heading back out to the hallway, where Anakin and Mara were still fighting the other attackers.

"Is he all right?" Anakin yelled, over the hum of his blazing lightsaber.

_I dont know,_ Obi-Wan confessed, masking his own anxiety. He gave Anakin his best reassuring nod, continuing quickly down the stairs to the level below. The local police were arriving now, along with fire and emergency response units; Obi-Wan climbed aboard a medical craft now, carefully laying Luke onto a stretcher. "Take us to the Jedi Temple," he called out to the pilot, who nodded obediently, lifting off from the street.

"Luke," Obi-Wan said, crouching beside his stretcher and placing a hand on his forehead. "Stay with me, young one," he pleaded, sending him a wave of soothing, healing energy as the medic strapped an oxygen mask over his face. "How bad is it?" he asked quietly; Luke's ivory Jedi outfit was in tatters, and Obi-Wan glimpsed a barrage of minor blast burns scattered throughout his body, beneath the gashes in his singed clothing. _Force, Luke, what happened?_

But now he sensed the medic's profound concern. "It's bad," he said, casting an anxious glance at Obi-Wan as he carefully pulled back Luke's tunic.

"Oh dear," Obi-Wan murmured worriedly, peering at the fist-sized, blackened crater in Luke's chest. The blaster fire had burned away the flesh - including a portion of his right lung - leaving the charred bones of his rib cage exposed over a gaping hollow area. _Not good..._

"Uhhhhh," Luke moaned again weakly, beneath his oxygen mask.

"Shh... Hold still, young one," Obi-Wan said, putting a hand on his shoulder. Luke's eyes fluttered open for a moment, then closed again weakly. "You're all right," Obi-Wan reassured him, sending him peaceful, healing energy. "Just hold on; we're nearly there."

They were touching down on the Temple's emergency platform now, and Obi-Wan stayed by Luke's side as the attendants rushed him into the medical ward. But from there the Jedi healers took over, taking Luke into the surgical station and giving Obi-Wan a look that left no room for argument. He nodded in understanding as the door closed in his face, and spent the next half hour pacing anxiously around the waiting area, awaiting news of Luke's condition.

Presently Anakin and Mara arrived, their expressions concerned. "How is he?" Anakin asked, glancing worriedly at the closed door.

"He's - doing well... all things considered," Obi-Wan tried to assure him. "It appears to be mostly minor blaster wounds."

Anakin gave him a worried look. "Mostly?"

Obi-Wan avoided his questioning gaze. "Yes," he insisted calmly. _We'll find out soon enough._ "I take it the situation is under control?"

Anakin nodded. "The local police have taken over; we arrested - ah, two suspects, and eleven others were killed," he told Obi-Wan, with an apologetic cringe. "Apparently that factory's been used as a rockstim warehouse for decades," he explained.

Obi-Wan sighed, nodding; then he frowned in confusion. "What was Luke doing there, to begin with?"

"I talked to a couple of Drug Enforcement officers on the scene," Anakin said. "Apparently they'd just spoken with Luke a few minutes earlier, at Cora's apartment... It turns out she died a couple days ago, of drug-related causes," he told Obi-Wan regretfully. _Oh dear..._ "I guess Luke took the news pretty badly... The police think he tried to arrest her dealer, and things got out of hand."

"What in the blazes was he thinking?" Obi-Wan asked, utterly baffled. "Luke has more sense than that."

"Yeah, well..." Anakin shrugged in commiseration. "Master Windu's there now; he's trying to keep this quiet."

"Well, let's hope he succeeds," Obi-Wan sighed, truly concerned for his nephew.

The door to the medical ward opened now, and the Jedi healer appeared, offering them a consoling smile. "Luke is out of surgery," she said. "Most of his wounds were minor; but there was some permanent damage to his right lung," she explained, as Anakin blinked in alarm. "At this point it doesn't look serious enough to require a lung transplant; he's lost about ten percent of his lung to burn damage, but we're hoping he will adjust to the lowered capacity, without serious issue."

"So... he's going to be all right?" Anakin asked cautiously.

"Yes," the healer said. "He'll need complete bed rest for a couple of weeks," she cautioned them. "But I would expect him to return to active duty within the next month or so."

Obi-Wan breathed a sigh of relief. _Thank the Force..._

"He's awake now; you can go ahead in," the healer added, gesturing toward the door to the medical ward.

Anakin blinked nervously, but Obi-Wan nodded, smiling appreciatively. "Thank you," he said, as the healer bowed, taking her leave. "I'll talk to him first," Obi-Wan offered, as Anakin nodded in agreement, waiting outside.

_Don't worry, Anakin,_ Obi-Wan sighed, as he found his way toward Luke's recovery room. Near-death experiences - while preferably avoided - could often serve as valuable life lessons, particularly in the area of re-examining one's priorities. _After what Luke has just been through, I'm sure he'll be grateful to have his father by his side._

* * *

><p><em>Meanwhile...<em>

Luke winced in pain, laying back against the pillows and trying to breathe carefully. _Could this week possibly get any worse?_ he wondered. Over the past several days, he'd learned that his wife was his sister, his father was an abusive, baby-stealing asshole - and a cheater as well - and now his mother was dead... He gulped, feeling a terrible pain in his chest. It was difficult to tell where his grief ended, and the deep, blackened gash in his lung began; but the agony was unbearable, and tears filled his eyes now.

_Aaaaand... it's worse,_ Luke realized, a pang of anger and frustration compounding his chest pain as the door to his chamber opened, and a familiar presence approached. _Please, can you just leave me alone, for one minute?_ he thought bitterly, failing to blink away his tears.

"Luke," Obi-Wan said gently, sitting beside him. "How are you feeling?" he asked, placing a hand on his shoulder.

Luke's chin trembled, and he avoided his gaze. "Terrific."

"Well, I'm glad to hear it; that's excellent news," Obi-Wan prattled on, with annoying cheerfulness. "The healers say you're doing very well, and will be good as new in no time at all... Not to worry," he assured him, smiling.

"Yep," Luke replied. _Please go now._

Obi-Wan sighed. "Luke... I know this has been a difficult time for you," he said, looking down. "But - what in the blazes were you thinking?" he asked, giving him a confused look. "What you did was - foolish, and wrong... Not to mention illegal - and in severe violation of the Jedi Code," Obi-Wan pointed out, more baffled than judgmental.

But Luke's eyes filled with tears at Obi-Wan's words, and he looked away. _Great,_ he scowled._ On top of everything else, now I'm getting lectured by someone whose idea of drug enforcement is to tell people to 'go home and rethink their lives'._

"You'll be summoned before the Council, for disciplinary action," Obi-Wan confessed worriedly. "Luke, you could be expelled from the Order - "

"I don't care," Luke said bitterly.

Obi-Wan sighed. "Why, Luke?" he asked, trying to understand. "Please, talk to me."

Luke shook his head, miserable. _I can't..._

"Will you talk to Master Anakin, then?" Obi-Wan asked, his voice quietly pleading. "He's very worried about you."

_Gah..._ Luke closed his eyes as another wave of anger coursed through him. _Actually, I have quite a few things I'd like to say to Master Anakin,_ he thought, seething with indignation. _And if it will get rid of Obi-Wan..._ "Fine," he agreed sullenly.

Obi-Wan nodded sadly, sensing his bitterness. "All right; I'll send him in," he said quietly, getting up. "And I _am_ glad you're all right," he added with a warm smile, patting his shoulder. "Get well soon, young one."

Luke blinked uncomfortably. "Thanks." He managed a somewhat apologetic look as Obi-Wan nodded reassuringly from the doorway, taking his leave.

A minute later the door to his chamber opened again, and Luke felt a sudden wave of nausea as Anakin entered the room. _Oh, this was a bad idea..._ "Luke," Anakin said with deep concern, coming over to his bedside. "Are you all right?"

_Ugh..._ "No," Luke told him, angry tears filling his eyes.

Anakin sighed, sitting down beside him. "I heard about what happened to Cora," he offered quietly. "I'm sorry, Luke."

_Sorry?_ Luke's heart ached at the mention of his mother; but Anakin's words felt empty and hollow, with only the slightest hint of emotion behind them. _He's not sorry,_ Luke realized, sensing Anakin's complete lack of grief, or remorse. _He took her baby, threw her down the stairs, left her for another woman, and ruined her life... And he doesn't even care that she's dead,_ Luke sensed now, betrayed and shocked by his father's obvious apathy. _What kind of monster are you?_

"Luke, if there's anything you want to talk about - "

"There isn't," Luke assured him, with a condemning glare. In the wake of his mother's death, he was not in the mood to hear his father's side of the story - no doubt painting his mother as a hopeless addict, and blaming her for her failure to recover. _I won't have you besmirching her memory,_ he thought bitterly. _Especially now that she's not here to defend herself._ "Just go," he said coldly, sending Anakin an overt Force-suggestion for emphasis.

Anakin blinked, hurt and confused by Luke's reaction; but he nodded quietly, standing up. "I'm sorry," he said again, fighting tears; then he put a hand on Luke's shoulder, doing an astoundingly unskilled attempt at Force-healing. "Feel better," he gulped, hanging his head unhappily as he fled from the room.

_I will forgive you... one day,_ Luke admitted, closing his eyes in exhaustion as he lay back against the pillows. _But not today._ His grief for his mother was still too painful, tearing at his heart and making it hurt to breathe; the gaping hole in his lung wasn't helping either. _I love you too, father,_ Luke confessed quietly, sensing Anakin's profound heartache and dismay from beyond his room. _But I'm not ready to talk about this yet._


	192. Padmé brings him back

**Chapter 192**

_The next morning..._

"Obi-Wan," Anakin called out, catching up with him in the hallway, along with Mara. "How is Luke doing?"

"I was just on my way to see him," Obi-Wan confessed. "Would you like to join me?"

"Uh..." Anakin blinked, as if the thought had only just occurred to him. "Well, we were on our way to breakfast," he said, giving Mara an apologetic glance. "But - sure, why not," he nodded amiably, as they continued toward the medical ward together.

Obi-Wan suppressed a smile, amused by his brother's attempt to appear reasonably concerned for Luke, but not in a _fatherly_ sort of way. But he guessed at Anakin's other reason for tagging along this morning, with his padawan in tow. _Luke will have to be polite to him, in front of Mara._

But as they entered the waiting area, the Jedi healer stopped them, her expression concerned. "I'm sorry... I can't allow you to see Luke."

"What?" Obi-Wan blinked, alarmed to learn that Luke wasn't well enough to receive visitors. "Is he all right?"

"Yes; he's doing well," the healer assured him. "We're very pleased with his progress. But..." She looked down uncomfortably. "It's the patient's right to refuse specific visitors," she explained, casting a hesitant glance at Anakin. "I'm afraid it's my duty to obey his wishes."

Obi-Wan sensed his brother's momentary heartache; but to his credit, he quickly masked it. "Ahh, that's all right," Anakin insisted, shrugging. "Guess he didn't like all my loose wire jokes," he said, managing an apologetic grin.

"Wait here; I'll talk to him," Obi-Wan sighed. "I'll clear up this loose wire situation; it will be all right," he promised, heading for Luke's room.

"Actually..." The healer stepped in front of the doorway, blocking his path. "You're on the list too."

"What?" Obi-Wan blinked, his heart sinking. "Me...?" _What did I do?_

"I'm sorry," the healer said, giving them a commiserative look. "I can't allow either of you to see Luke."

"All right... Very well," Obi-Wan nodded, masking his dismay. "We shall give him his space." _Blast, Luke... What is wrong with you?_

But now Mara spoke up. "Am I on the list?" she asked, frowning uncertainly.

"Actually - no," the healer admitted.

"Well..." Mara blinked. "I could try talking to him," she offered, giving Anakin a hesitant glance.

Obi-Wan frowned, doubtful; Mara was not known for her diplomacy, and had never particularly liked Luke to begin with. Besides, she had no idea what was actually going on here. "That's all right, Mara," he said, smiling appreciatively. "It's obvious Luke needs some time alone," he pointed out. "We will honor his wishes."

But as they left the medical ward, continuing on to breakfast, he gave Anakin a subtle, reassuring nod. _Don't worry, Anakin,_ he thought, a new plan already forming in his mind. _I know just the person who can talk some sense into him._

* * *

><p><em>A few days later...<em>

Luke lay in bed, staring up at the ceiling. It was either that, or stare at the walls; but he was tired of the walls, so now he focused his attention on the smooth, white, textureless surface above him. _I can't wait to get out of this stupid place..._

He hadn't had a visitor in three days now. The last had been Master Windu, who had given him formal notice to appear before the Council for a disciplinary hearing, before he could return to active duty. To which Luke had responded with an official letter of resignation from the Jedi Order; but Master Yoda had lost his paperwork, didn't expect to find it for at least three months, and so for the time being, Luke was technically on a leave of absence, until this mess could be straightened out.

The only problem was, he couldn't actually _leave._ And so Luke had spent the past three days staring at the walls of his windowless recovery chamber, contemplating the galactic joke that was his life, and trying to figure out what he was going to do when he got out of here.

_Not Drug Enforcement, that's for sure,_ Luke sighed. He wanted to choose a new career that would honor his mother's memory, but his recent glimpse into the workings of the Coruscant police department had been disheartening. _They're worse than the Jedi,_ he realized, frustrated by their failure to protect innocent citizens from well-known drug dealers such as Sleazebaggano, and their callous acceptance of the situation. _Besides, it's not like they'd hire me, after what I did._

_And I don't really want to work for SITH either,_ Luke admitted. It was a career his mother would have been proud of, as she was a performer at heart, and had always loved singing and dancing and entertaining Luke whenever he visited. But Cliegg would surely want to pursue the storyline between Luke and Vader; and even if he didn't, Luke would be forced to see Anakin on a regular basis, since they were both expected to take part in fan conventions, autograph signings, and tours aboard the _Executor._

_I just want to go someplace where he can't follow me. Or Obi-Wan either,_ Luke thought indignantly, betrayed by his Master's reaction to all this. Obi-Wan seemed to be taking Anakin's side in this whole situation, scolding Luke for being childish and impulsive, and acting as if his father were some kind of saint. Luke had banned _both_ of them from his recovery room three days ago, though it had been admittedly lonely without any visitors.

He had hoped that Mara might stop by; but so far she hadn't, and Luke admitted that it was probably for the best. Mara had always worshipped Anakin, and he didn't wish to put her in the awkward position of having to choose between them, at least until he had some time to work through his own feelings. As for _other_ potential visitors... Zak and Cory had been away on assignment this past week, and Master Qui-Gon was off exploring caverns in the Unknown Regions.

_And I don't know anyone else,_ Luke sighed glumly. Deep down, he realized that eventually he would have to make peace with his father, and forgive him for what happened to his mother. In which case he would probably just keep working for _SITH,_ and may as well stay with the Order too. After everything that had happened lately, his heart wasn't in it anymore, but it wasn't like he had any better ideas of what to do with his life.

_It will be all right,_ Luke sighed, closing his eyes wearily. _I just need time, to recover from all this. _The gaping, charred gash in his lung was the least of his concerns right now, but it was admittedly painful, and he lay still now, clearing his mind of other thoughts and focusing on his healing.

He lapsed into a meditative state, dreaming of peaceful, faraway places, and becoming blissfully unaware of his dull surroundings; but now his brows furrowed as he sensed something. Some_one,_ to be exact; a presence that felt a bit like Leia, but _wasn't..._ The door to his chamber opened now, and Luke blinked in surprise to see that his unexpected visitor was none other than Lady Padmé Amidala, former Senator and Queen of Naboo.

"Milady!" Luke attempted to sit up; but he instantly regretted his decision, and winced painfully, laying back against the pillows.

"No, no, sweetheart; lie down," Padmé said gently, helping him to get comfortable. "Oh, Luke... I heard about what happened," she said, kissing him delicately on the forehead and taking a seat beside him, her smile filled with tender concern. "How are you feeling?" she asked, stroking his hair.

"Oh... I'm all right," Luke assured her, with a shy smile. It was easy to see why Lady Amidala was beloved and revered by the people of her planet; her regal presence was one of warmth and compassion, to which even Leia's paled in comparison. "Thank you for visiting, Milady; that's very kind of you."

Padmé's dark eyes twinkled fondly. "Actually, I'm here on official business, for HOPE," she confessed.

"Oh," Luke nodded; he hadn't actually thought that she'd come all the way from Naboo just to see him. "Is Leia hosting another benefit dinner?"

"No; she's been on Alderaan this week, for their Lunar festival," Padmé told him. "She sends her well-wishes," she added, with a sympathetic smile. "No, I'm here on Coruscant because HOPE received a special request: to help a poor, lonely hospital patient, who has no window in his room," she confessed with sorrowful drama, as Luke grinned in delight. "So my assignment is to transfer you somewhere with a better view," Padmé told him, her eyes twinkling with reassurance.

"Really?" Luke felt a twinge of guilt, realizing that Obi-Wan must have put in the request, or even Anakin; probably both... _They love me,_ he realized, as the Jedi healer brought a hovering stretcher into the room, to help move him to a better recovery chamber. _That was really nice of them..._ "I can do it," he insisted bravely, attempting to crawl onto the stretcher by himself. _Ugh... No I can't,_ he confessed, wincing in pain and allowing the healer to help transfer him. _This is embarrassing..._ But he smiled gratefully at Padmé as the healer pushed his stretcher out into the hallway of the medical ward.

Apparently they'd gotten him a room overlooking the landing pad, at the end of the hallway; it wouldn't be the _greatest_ view, but it was something... _And it's the thought that counts,_ Luke admitted, touched that Obi-Wan and Anakin still cared about him, after the way he had behaved. _I probably ought to lift their visitation ban,_ he sighed, though he still felt nauseous at the thought of having to confront all the issues he'd desperately been avoiding these past several days.

They reached the end of the hallway, and now Luke blinked in surprise as the outer doors opened, and they continued out onto the landing platform. "Where are we going?" he asked, giving Padmé a confused look as the healer pushed his stretcher toward the awaiting ramp of her sleek, silver Nubian vessel.

Padmé's smile was mysterious, but Luke could sense her veiled delight. "You'll see," she told him, her dark eyes twinkling.

* * *

><p><em>The next day...<em>

_She wasn't kidding,_ Luke thought, gazing in wonder out the window of his new recovery room. _This place is beautiful._ Lady Amidala obviously took her job with HOPE very seriously; her idea of upgrading his hospital chamber was to transfer him to the guest room of her family's home in Varykino, overlooking a sparkling lake surrounded by rolling meadows filled with wildflowers. _I'm not sure I EVER want to recover,_ Luke confessed, smiling in delight as a gentle, fragrant breeze wafted in through the window.

And it was obvious where Padmé had gotten her generous nature. Her parents, Ruwee and Jobal Naberrie, were staying here as well for their summer holiday, but they had welcomed Luke with genuine warmth and hospitality, insisting that he wasn't intruding upon them at all. Jobal was a retired midwife, and had made it her personal mission to fuss over Luke as much as humanly possible; whereas Ruwee eagerly awaited Luke's recovery, so they could go out fishing together.

He looked up now as Padmé entered his room, carrying a basket of clothes. "How are you feeling?" she asked, setting her basket down and sitting beside his bed.

"Oh - much better, thank you," Luke assured her, smiling in gratitude. "This place is incredible," he confessed, glancing out the window.

"Yes, it is," Padmé agreed, her eyes twinkling fondly. "Though I have to admit, I had ulterior motives in bringing you here," she added, with an apologetic look. "I could use some help with a project for HOPE, if you wouldn't mind?"

"Oh! Of course," Luke nodded, grateful to have something to do. "What are you working on?"

"Well, we're starting a fundraising campaign next month, to help build a power generator on Endor," Padmé told him. "There's an Ewok colony there, but they've been easy prey for slave dealers for years now," she explained. Luke nodded in concern; he'd heard about the situation as well. "So our goal is to raise eight hundred thousand credits, to help build an energy shield to protect their forest moon. Leia is planning a benefit event on Coruscant for next month, but we're also hoping to sell special-edition collectibles to help raise money for the cause," Padmé said, glancing at her basket, which Luke noticed was filled with synthetic fur material, in shades of brown and black.

"So this is what we're making," Padmé told him, pulling out a little Ewok plushy toy, holding a HOPE sign in its paws. _Aww, cute..._ "We'll need at least five thousand of these by next month; maybe even more," she confessed, as Luke grinned, nodding in understanding. "So - if you wouldn't mind helping out with that?" she asked. "I know sewing plushy toys isn't the most exciting thing to do, but - "

"No, I'm happy to help," Luke promised, nodding eagerly. _Arts and Crafts? Awesome..._ "What do you need me to do?"

They spent the next four hours making plushy toys together, as Padmé taught him how to sew the arms and legs, attach little eye-beads and furry ears, stuff them with cotton, and finish with a spinal stitch, straight down the back. _These things are adorable..._ But finally Padmé had to leave to attend to other business, leaving Luke to continue the project on his own.

_Here you go, little fella,_ Luke thought cheerfully, placing a HOPE sign between its paws, and stitching it securely into place. _This is so much fun... I could do this forever,_ he thought with a contented sigh, placing his finished Ewok on the bedside table next to its siblings, and starting on the next.

_Seriously - I COULD,_ Luke confessed, suddenly tempted by the prospect. He had technically already resigned from the Order, though Master Yoda had promptly lost his paperwork; no one else was taking his resignation seriously, but Luke blinked thoughtfully now, considering the idea. He wanted to devote his life to something that would honor his mother's memory, and had to admit that working for HOPE might be a far better way to accomplish that.

_I could stay with the Jedi Order,_ Luke thought glumly, realizing that he would face a lifetime of frustrating decisions - such as whether to let a known drug dealer and murderer go free, or try to actually _do_ something about it, get shot full of blaster holes, and end up facing disciplinary action. _Or, I could hang out here on Naboo, make plushy toys, go fishing with Ruwee, help Leia and Padmé with their projects, and make a real difference in the lives of people across the galaxy,_ he thought, sighing wistfully.

As he gazed out the window toward the lake, listening to the sounds of the birds and admiring how the water rippled and shimmered in the afternoon sun, his decision became undeniably clear. _I love this place,_ Luke confessed, feeling a sense of warmth and happiness unlike anything he'd ever experienced before. _And this is something my mother would have appreciated,_ he confessed, glancing at his collection of Ewok plushies and blinking away a tear as he remembered Cora's love for whimsical things.

_I'm leaving the Order,_ Luke decided, turning back to his work and cutting out another little patch of soft fur. _From now on, I'm going to devote my efforts to HOPE._


	193. Anakin becomes a Master

**Chapter 193**

_A week later..._

Mara sat on her little padawan cot, frowning worriedly as she scrolled through her databook. _I hardly remember any of this,_ she admitted, reviewing the material she had supposedly learned over the past year. _Crap, is Particle Physics going to be on the exam?_ She would be facing the trials in four days - on her twenty-first birthday - and unlike her previous three attempts, she realized that this time, failure was not an option.

It didn't help that the past two weeks had been unbelievably horrible. First, with her marriage abruptly ending, under very disturbing circumstances; then with Luke getting shot, and going off to Naboo... She understood her brother's anger toward their father, but she wished that Luke would just forgive him, and come home.

But the stress of her recent past paled in comparison to her anxiety over the near future. Mara was afraid of failing the trials; but at the same time, she was terrified of _passing_ them. Because that meant that her father would be made a Master, promoted to Assistant Director of Border Patrol on Lannik, and sent off to the Outer Rim, where he would begin training a fleet of starpilots in preparation for what was widely believed to be an inevitable and imminent war against the Hutts.

She had been hearing the whispers for months now: that it was only a matter of time before Jabba lost control of the Outer Rim - at which point Gardulla would take over his territories, begin pushing her borders inward toward Republic territory, and open war would be upon them.

_And if I fail the trials again this year... What will happen?_ Mara wondered. Would they promote Anakin anyway, and send him off to Lannik? In which case she would need to find another Master, if she hoped to continue her training within the Order. And who would take her? Obi-Wan? Mara blinked unhappily at the thought.

But regardless of what happened to _her_, she was far more worried about her father. Border Patrol was the most dangerous division within the Jedi Order, with a mortality rate ten times higher than other jobs, and she truly feared for his safety. _Besides, when will I get a chance to see him?_ she wondered, fighting tears once again. _This sucks..._

She sensed her father's presence drawing closer now, and quickly blinked away her tears, pretending to focus on her databook once again. _Seriously... Particle Physics?_ Mara wondered, drawing a complete blank. _Did I EVER study that?_

A moment later the door to their common room opened, and Anakin entered, his expression troubled; but he smiled when he saw her. "Hey Mara... How's the studying going?"

"Um..." _I should ask him about this,_ Mara sighed, getting up from her bed and joining him in the common room. "I have a question, actually... about - Particle Physics," she confessed, climbing over the broken Senate pod that served as their sofa.

"Particle Physics?" Anakin blinked in momentary hesitation; but he nodded agreeably, stepping inside the Senate pod and taking a seat next to her. "So, what's your question?"

"Basically, uh... What _is_ it?" Mara asked, utterly baffled.

"It's - well, it's a kind of Physics," Anakin explained patiently. "Involving, uh... particles," he clarified, furrowing his brows.

Mara nodded, pondering her Master's words of wisdom. "Okay, I think I get that," she told him. "Is this stuff going to be on the test?"

Anakin sighed, shrugging. "I have no idea." But then he smiled. "Don't worry about it," he said, patting her back reassuringly. "You're going to do fine."

"But what if I don't?" Mara asked worriedly.

"You will," Anakin promised. "You've studied really hard this year," he pointed out. "I know you can do it, Mara."

"But... what if I don't?" she asked again. "Yeah, I've _studied_, but - I hardly remember any of this," she confessed, giving her father an anxious look. "Seriously... if there are any questions about Particle Physics - " Mara blinked helplessly. "I'm going to fail again, aren't I?"

"No, Mara," Anakin assured her. "You're not going to fail. You're going to pass this time."

"And you know that... how?" Mara asked, frowning in suspicion.

Anakin sighed. "Because..." He gave her a wary look. "Promise not to electrocute me?"

"No." Mara scowled; then she blinked, curious. "What is it, Master?"

"Ahh..." Anakin shook his head. "I just talked to Master Yoda, and Windu," he confessed quietly. "They're going to pass you this time, Mara. No matter what." His smile was apologetic.

"What?" Mara asked, crestfallen. _I've been studying all this stupid stuff for nothing?_ She felt her anger rise, but managed to contain it. "Fine," she said grumpily. _If they want to pass me so I never have to study again, I'm not going to complain._ But then she realized what that meant, and tears filled her eyes. "They're sending you to Lannik... Aren't they?" she choked, the reality of it suddenly hitting her.

She was grateful for Anakin's comforting arm around her. "Yeah," he said gently. "I'm starting next week."

Mara sobbed quietly against the folds of her father's black cloak, hugging him pathetically. "I'm going to miss you," she cried.

"I'm going to miss you too, Mara," Anakin agreed, his own eyes tearing up momentarily. "But it's going to be all right," he insisted. "I'll visit whenever I can; probably at least a couple times a month," he promised, with a fond smile. "You're going to be knighted, Mara... I'm so proud of you."

"Yeah... thanks." Mara shrugged glumly, realizing she wouldn't be knighted on her own merits.

"Hey, none of that," Anakin chided her. "You're going to legitimately pass, in so many areas: lightsaber techniques, piloting skills, Force usage - everything that really matters to a Jedi," he pointed out. "And the academic stuff... You never know, Mara; you might actually pass that too," he added optimistically.

Mara laughed, looking down. "You're funny, Master."

"Well, you're going to come _close_... And Master Yoda and Windu know it," Anakin told her. "So you might not be the galaxy's leading expert on Microbiology, or - Particle Physics," he conceded, with a sympathetic grin. "It's okay, Mara."

Mara nodded, grateful for his reassurance. "Thanks."

"Anyway... They're going to ask if you have a specific career request, at your knighting ceremony," Anakin reminded her. "So we need to talk about your options," he said, pulling out his little datapad and bringing up the job listings.

Mara nodded in understanding; they went through this every year, just before her birthday. She had long known that with her history of behavioral problems, she would only qualify for a job here at the Jedi Temple, under the watchful eye of the Council. "What openings are there?" she asked.

"Well, I was looking through all this earlier... They need a new flight instructor," Anakin told her brightly.

"Really?" Mara peered at the job description, curious. Then she frowned. "For three-year-old younglings?" _Gah... _Mara remembered all too well her own flying lessons as a youngling; she'd been forced to learn in a dual-control kiddie training Starfighter - with an instructor constantly by her side - until the day Anakin took her as his padawan. "Master, no; I can't," she protested, sickened by the idea. "What else is there?"

Anakin sighed. "Well, there's - uh... Boys' Choir director," he listed off, cringing in apology. "And, well... Particle Physics instructor," he added. "There's a bunch of other academic teaching positions, that you wouldn't qualify for," he told her gently. "I've been through all the listings, Mara; I really think the beginning flight instructor job is your best bet."

_No..._ Tears sprang to Mara's eyes, but she nodded obediently, shrugging. "Okay," she said dully. "Whatever."

"It's not so bad," Anakin assured her. "You like flying, right? And you're excellent at it," he pointed out. "You'll be training the next generation of fighter pilots, who might come to work for me in Border Patrol one day. I'm counting on you, Mara," he said, a proud twinkle in his eyes. "It's important that these younglings get off to a good start."

"Gah... All right," Mara agreed, managing a brave smile. _I hate my life..._ But it was just a job, and arguably better than studying. Master Anakin had promised to visit whenever he could, and she would still be able to see Tessa on a regular basis. _And Luke will be home soon, too,_ she told herself, resolving to make the best of it.

But Anakin sensed her dismay, and sighed, looking down. "There is one other option," he told her quietly. "It might be a bad idea, but... if you _really_ hate teaching younglings how to fly...?" He gave her an uncertain look.

"What?" Mara asked, curious. "I _really, really_ do," she added, sighing. "What is it, Master?"

"Well, like I said - I was just talking to Master Yoda and Windu about this," Anakin told her gently. "And - if you really want to..." He shrugged. "I convinced them to let you come with me, to Lannik."

Mara's eyes widened. "Border Patrol?" she asked, grinning in disbelief. "Of course I want to," she assured him quickly. "Master, however did you pull that off?"

Anakin grinned, looking down. "Well, I tried to present the idea in a way that Master Yoda could relate to," he explained, a mischievous twinkle in his eye. "I told him that you would be bored teaching beginning flight lessons - which of course he thought was a _good_ thing, because, you know - _'Patience, it will teach her, hmmm!'_" he quoted, shaking his head. "But then I pointed out that in your case, boredom leads to frustration; and frustration leads to anger; and anger leads to...?" He broke off, cringing apologetically.

"Barbecued younglings," Mara agreed, still grinning in ecstatic disbelief. "Master, you are brilliant!"

"Heh... So I managed to convince them to send you someplace where you _won't_ be bored," Anakin said. "And if you _do_ get pissed off, at least everyone there will have a fighting chance to defend themselves." He laughed worriedly. "Ahh, Mara... it's not going to be easy," he warned her, truly concerned.

Mara nodded in understanding. "I won't let you down, Master; I promise... Anyway, I haven't even done that in over a year now," she pointed out, in her defense.

"I know," Anakin said, with a proud smile. "It's not you I'm worried about," he confessed.

Mara's brows furrowed. "What do you mean?"

"Mara... Life on Border Patrol is - different, from the way things are here at the Jedi Temple," Anakin told her cautiously.

"Different... how?" Mara asked.

"Well for one thing... You'll be the only female there," Anakin said.

Mara shrugged. "It's okay; I'm used to that."

"I know. And I'm not worried about your job performance," Anakin assured her. "I've seen you hold your own against spice smugglers before; you're going to be awesome," he insisted, with a proud grin. "But - it's your time off that I'm a little worried about," he confessed, troubled.

"Why is that?" Mara frowned.

"Well... Most of the Border Patrol knights spend their time off on Lannik - visiting the local pubs, and casinos," Anakin told her. "And, um - " he blinked uncomfortably, looking down. "Well - a lot of these places operate private - brothels, in the back rooms," he explained, giving her a guarded look. "Prostitution is legal on Lannik."

"Oh." Mara blinked. "Okay..." Then her eyes widened as she realized what he was getting at. "You mean - the Border Patrol knights...?"

"Yes," Anakin nodded. "Not all of them, but - some," he confessed. "And the Council knows about this, but - it's not technically against the Jedi Code," he told her. "Attachments are forbidden; marriage is forbidden, but - " Anakin cringed in apology.

"_Brothels_ aren't forbidden?" Mara asked, blinking in disbelief.

"Technically - no," Anakin confessed. "This has been going on for decades, Mara," he told her. "It's something we all keep quiet about."

Mara's eyes widened. "We?" she asked, giving her father a shocked look. "You mean... _You - ?_"

"What? No," Anakin insisted, his brows furrowing. "I don't - I mean, I've never... That's not my thing," he assured her, blinking uncomfortably.

Mara gulped. "Okay... Good," she nodded, grateful to learn that her father was at least somewhat faithful to Tessa these days. _But maybe that's how he got into all this to begin with..._ "I mean - it's not my thing either," she stammered nervously.

Anakin nodded. "Anyway, like I said... You're going to be the only female there," he cautioned her. "And - you're a pretty girl, Mara," he confessed, with a worried glance. "It's possible that some of the other knights might be interested - "

"Gah!" Mara cringed, revolted by the idea. She was still recovering from the horror of having sex with her own brother, and wanted nothing to do with that sort of thing, ever again. "Well if they try anything, they're going to regret it," she vowed darkly.

"Heh... I don't doubt it," Anakin sighed, patting her on the shoulder. "And if anyone bothers you, let me know, okay?" he added seriously, as Mara nodded in agreement. "Anyway, I wanted to warn you about that, before you made your decision. It's a very different life out there; you might hate it," Anakin confessed. "But it's either that, or - kiddie piloting," he pointed out, with a sympathetic look. "So... what do you say?"

Mara grinned, amused by her options. A life of boredom and misery, teaching three-year-old younglings how to fly; versus one of adventure, excitement, danger, and more mischief than she'd ever imagined... "Border Patrol, of course," she said, giving her father an impish smile.

* * *

><p><em>A few days later...<em>

"Master Skywalker." Obi-Wan bowed politely, inviting his brother into his room. "To what do I owe the honor of your visit?"

"Master Kenobi," Anakin replied, bowing in respect. "I was, uh - hoping for some blue stuff," he confessed, sinking down into the floating spoon.

"Hmm." Obi-Wan chuckled, going over to his cabinet. "It's been a busy day," he agreed. Mara had faced the trials this morning, and had _nearly_ passed; she'd been knighted this afternoon, at which point the Council had officially bestowed upon Anakin the rank of Jedi Master. "I take it you've looked into your personal file?"

"I did," Anakin nodded. "Turns out I'm the spawn of some weirdo crystal enthusiast," he told Obi-Wan, raising an eyebrow in confusion.

"Oh dear," Obi-Wan sighed. "Blue stuff is definitely in order," he commiserated, handing him his drink. "By the way, Qui-Gon sends his congratulations," he said, taking a seat on the edge of his bed. "I received a message from him earlier."

Anakin grinned, surprised. "He came out of his cave?"

"Momentarily," Obi-Wan confirmed. Their father had been exploring the vast, winding caverns of Creia VI for the past two months, studying its rare crystal formations; this was only the second time he'd managed to get a message to them. "You should feel honored."

"Well, I do," Anakin agreed. "Any idea when he'll be finished with that?"

"_'Soon',_" Obi-Wan quoted, rolling his eyes. "But at least Cory and Zak are back from Devaron," he pointed out optimistically; they'd missed Mara's official ceremony this afternoon, but had made it to Dex's for the party afterward. But now he frowned at Anakin crossly. "It's going to be boring without you here."

Anakin laughed quietly. "It's boring when I _am_ here," he countered, taking a sip of his blue stuff. "Eight years of studying, Obi-Wan... I don't know how either of us survived it."

Obi-Wan chuckled. "Neither do I." He gave Anakin a look of quiet concern. "I hope Mara adjusts well to life on Lannik."

Anakin sighed worriedly, running a hand through his hair. "So do I," he agreed. "But it was either that, or leave her here to teach kiddie flying lessons to three-year-olds," he added with a dismissive laugh, shaking his head.

"Now, now," Obi-Wan chided his brother. "All positions within the Jedi Order have their merit."

"Yeah, but - Beginning Flight Instructor?" Anakin cringed in disdain. "She'd have gotten laughed at even worse than Cory did, when he taught Arts and Crafts," he admitted, sighing. "Speaking of which - Cory and Zak were congratulating you on something earlier, at Dex's... What was that about?"

"Ah; yes," Obi-Wan beamed proudly. "As it happens, I've been appointed to a new position, here at the Temple."

"Really? That's great," Anakin congratulated him. "What position is that?"

Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow mysteriously. "Beginning Flight Instructor," he said, taking a sip of his drink.

"Heh... _You're_ going to be training the next generation of Jedi pilots?" Anakin laughed, horrified. "Force help us all..."

"Might I point out that my resume won out over two other candidates," Obi-Wan insisted proudly. "You forget, I taught the best fighter pilot in the entire Order," he said, furrowing his brows defensively. "And I did well enough with Luke," he added quietly.

Anakin nodded, looking down. Luke had been on Naboo for the past two weeks; Padmé assured them he was in good spirits, and recovering quickly, but it seemed their plan to cheer him up had worked a little _too_ well. In the meantime, Luke had fallen in love with Naboo, and had indicated an interest in staying there permanently, to work for HOPE.

"He'll come around, Anakin," Obi-Wan reassured his brother once again. "I gave Padmé strict orders to keep him occupied with the most boring projects imaginable," he reminded him. "There are only so many Ewok plushies a grown man can sew, before he goes completely insane," he said, frowning in disdain.

"You'd be surprised," Anakin said, a wistful look on his face.

Obi-Wan sighed; he'd never understood his brother's obsession with Arts and Crafts, nor his own son's. "He'll be back," he insisted once again. "Luke is a Jedi at heart. The truest Jedi of us all," he added proudly, giving his brother a reassuring smile. "He'll be back, Anakin. Not to worry."


	194. Family picnic on Naboo

**Chapter 194**

_A week later..._

Luke sat cross-legged on the brightly-colored rug in his guest bedroom, scraps of fur and cotton stuffing strewn all around him as he began working on his seven-hundred-and-fourteenth Ewok. _I never want to leave this place,_ he sighed contentedly. Naboo was so magical: peaceful, idyllic, sunny and warm, out-of-the-way, restorative, and overflowing with natural beauty... Basically, everything that Coruscant _wasn't_.

_I'm not going back,_ Luke admitted. He'd been on Naboo for three weeks now, and had come a long way in making peace with what had happened, and forgiving his father for mistakes made long ago; he'd even sent Anakin a message earlier this week, congratulating him on his new position. But with both Anakin and Mara on Lannik now, there wasn't much to go _home_ to - aside from a sense of duty to Obi-Wan, to finish what he had started, and become a Master himself.

And in light of recent events, Obi-Wan's entire reason for tutoring him had become a non-issue. _He wanted me to become a Master, so I could learn about my family._ But now that Luke knew the truth, there was little point in continuing with his studies. His so-called academic pursuits were a complete joke anyway; at Master Yoda's behest, Luke had chosen ancient Coruscanti as his speciality - a language that had been dead for centuries, and had no practical purpose whatsoever.

As for being on the Council one day... Luke had observed Obi-Wan long enough to know that it was a heavy responsibility, filled with difficult and troubling decisions regarding complex issues - for which there was often no good solution. _I don't want that,_ Luke sighed, cutting out a paw-shaped scrap of brown fur. _I want a life that makes sense. _And here on Naboo, working for HOPE, he had experienced that kind of refreshing simplicity for the first time in his life. _This already feels more like home to me, than Coruscant ever did,_ Luke confessed, gazing out the open window toward the sparkling lake, and the rolling meadows beyond. _I could live here forever, and be happy._

Which was exactly his plan, though there were still a few details to iron out. For one, he was only a guest here in the Naberries' home. Lady Amidala had generously brought him here on official business for HOPE; but now that his injuries were nearly healed, he would soon need to find another place to stay. He planned to rent an apartment in the capital city of Theed, and help out in the HOPE store there; but he would need money for that, and at the moment he didn't have any.

_But if I keep working for SITH, I should be able to afford it,_ Luke thought optimistically, as he carefully stitched the paw of his Ewok onto its furry body. In the past, he had donated his _SITH_ earnings to a charity which helped to fund children's hospitals throughout the Republic. It saddened him to have to withdraw his support; but if he worked as a full-time volunteer for HOPE, Luke would be able to help even _more_ people, in a wider variety of ways.

The only slight problem with his plan to stay here on Naboo was the fact that Lady Amidala herself seemed to frown upon it. While she had genuinely appreciated his help with the Ewok project, she had apologized that there were no volunteer positions currently available at their Theed store - but that they could use his part-time help on Coruscant. _But she had to say that,_ Luke sighed, cutting out another patch of brown fur. _As long as I'm still with the Jedi Order, it's her duty to encourage me to go back._

He strongly suspected that once he officially resigned, Padmé would welcome his help here on Naboo. And he looked forward to his new life: Theed was a quaint, picturesque city, but busy enough that even Jedi Starfighters could come and go without attracting much notice. And Lannik was only a few hours away; hopefully Anakin and Mara would be able to visit him now and then, to spend some quiet family time together.

He hoped that his father would understand his decision. Anakin had spent his whole life hiding in the shadows; but Luke wanted to live honestly and simply, without having to break rules in order to find happiness for himself. And once Luke officially resigned from the Order, Anakin would finally be able to speak to him about private matters, without breaking his own Jedi vows.

_I want to get to know him; who he REALLY is,_ Luke thought wistfully. He knew that certain issues would be difficult to face: such as the fact that Anakin hadn't truly loved his mother, and was married to Tessa now; that Mara was their legitimate child, and Luke was his bastard. It was even possible that Tessa didn't know about him, but Luke was prepared to keep his father's secret, and not ruin their happy life together.

_I'm almost ready to face all of that,_ Luke admitted, stuffing his Ewok with cotton. And he planned to tell Anakin about Mara as well; _not_ about their former marriage, but the fact that she'd known he was her father for years now. Mara would never be a Master herself, and it was ridiculous to keep 'protecting' her from what she already knew.

But Anakin and Mara were only just getting settled in their new base on Lannik, and Luke was in no rush to face the Jedi Council. So for the moment he was grateful to be here on Naboo, sewing plushy toys for HOPE and enjoying the warm and gracious hospitality of the Naberrie family. Leia was here today; it was the second time she'd visited in the past three weeks, and Luke had enjoyed chatting with her this morning over breakfast, out on the veranda.

He sensed Padmé approaching now, and looked up, curious. "Luke," she said, smiling at him fondly. "We're getting ready to have a picnic, out in the meadow."

"Oh!" Luke nodded, delighted by the idea. "Thank you, Milady." He set his Ewok aside, getting to his feet; he felt a momentary twinge of pain in his right lung, but managed not to wince this time, returning Padmé's affectionate smile as they continued downstairs to join the others.

But as he followed her down the stairs, he suddenly wondered: _She said they were having a picnic... Crap, was I invited?_ The Naberries had been so welcoming and kind to him during his stay here, but he didn't want to intrude on their family activities. _No; of course I'm invited,_ Luke tried to reassure himself. He'd come to take it for granted; last weekend the whole family had been here for Pooja's birthday party, and they had insisted that Luke join in the festivities. In fact, they had seemed genuinely curious to get to know him, lavishing far more attention on _him_, than on Pooja herself. _That's just their way,_ Luke realized, grateful for their overflowing warmth and hospitality.

Leia was in the kitchen with Captain Typho now, making sandwiches; the two of them had been whispering privately about something, but quickly shared a knowing glance as Luke joined them. _It's all right; the entire galaxy knows he's your father,_ Luke sighed, wishing they trusted him enough to be open about it.

"Luke!" Leia greeted him, her eyes twinkling. "I still can't get used to that outfit," she confessed, obviously amused.

"Oh," Luke said, grinning shyly. Padmé had bought him some clothes to wear here on Naboo, and today he was dressed in a loose cotton shirt of royal blue, over lightweight teal-green pants and brown leather sandals. "Well, _I_ could get used to it," he told her cheekily; civilian clothes were so comfortable, and fascinating... But now he noticed what Leia was making, and smiled in delight. "Are those tunafish sandwiches?" _Awesome; we hardly ever get those at the Jedi Temple..._

Leia nodded; but Luke heard an audible sigh from behind him. "The sandwich of shame," Ruwee lamented, entering the kitchen along with Jobal. "Eating fish out of a can, when there's a whole lake out there," he sighed. "I was hoping to catch something earlier this morning, but... No luck," he confessed, shaking his head.

Jobal smiled consolingly as they headed for the kitchen door. "All right; we'll be back later," she said cheerfully.

Luke blinked in surprise. "You're not coming to the picnic?"

"No, we have our weekly Bingo game, at the town hall," Jobal told him, with a fond smile.

"Oh! Well - have fun," Luke nodded politely.

"I'm sure we will," Ruwee said, rolling his eyes, as Jobal smacked him good-naturedly. "Enjoy your tunafish," he added with an amused grin, heading out the door.

_So... it's just the four of us?_ Luke wondered, suddenly nervous. Padmé and Leia were still pretending that Captain Typho was only their security guard, and Luke was painfully aware that his own presence would encroach upon their family time together. _Leia doesn't get a chance to see her father very often; maybe I should -_

But it was too late. "Well, I should be going too," Typho said now, nodding respectfully as he headed for the door.

"Wait," Leia said, quickly wrapping up a sandwich for him. "You need your lunch," she scolded her father, handing it to him along with a piece of fruit.

_Crap... they WERE planning a family picnic together,_ Luke realized now, his heart sinking. _Ahh, how could I be so stupid?_ Leia was leaving this afternoon for Coruscant, and they probably wouldn't get another chance to see each other. "You know, I um - I should really finish a few more Ewoks, before you leave," he stammered, trying to excuse himself.

But Leia just laughed. "What are you up to... Eight hundred now? Bye, Captain," she added, waving cheerfully to her father as he made his exit.

_Damn it..._ "Uh - seven hundred and fourteen," Luke apologized, distracted. _And now I've completely ruined their picnic..._

Padmé smiled warmly. "Well, I think you've earned your lunch break," she insisted, as Leia finished packing their picnic basket. "Come on... It's too beautiful to stay inside today," she added brightly, leading the way out to the veranda; if she was dismayed by her husband's sudden exit, she hid it well.

_I wish they would trust me,_ Luke sighed, carrying the picnic basket as they hiked along the little path to the meadow. If only Padmé and Leia knew that he wasn't so different from them - with a father who _shouldn't_ be his father... But he couldn't exactly tell them that, so he shrugged away his guilt, returning Leia's affectionate smile as they walked through the meadow.

"Oh! I forgot to mention earlier... Owen says hello," Leia told him. "And Jonah... We all missed you last week," she confessed, giving Luke a fond smile. "Everyone was asking when you'd be back."

"Oh; thank you," Luke nodded. "I'll definitely be there next time," he assured her. If he planned to stay here on Naboo, he'd have to earn money _somehow..._ But now he heard a strange twittering, chirping sound from the direction of the sandy island beach, and smiled in fascination, cocking his head.

"Sandpipers," Padmé told him, her dark eyes twinkling. "And - gulls," she added, listening intently. "Egrets... sparrows; a heron... a wood-cock - "

"Not this again," Leia laughed, shaking her head. Padmé and her sister Sola were both avid bird enthusiasts, and had spent most of Pooja's birthday party out on the veranda, listening to the sounds of the birds and trying to guess their names. "Show-off," she scolded her mother.

"No... I wish _I_ could do that," Luke insisted, in Lady Amidala's defense. "Obi-Wan made me learn every dragon call in the entire galaxy when I was a padawan," he added, giving Leia a commiserative grin. "Bird calls are so much nicer."

"Aren't they?" Padmé agreed cheerfully, as they reached the crest of a rolling hill, overlooking the lake. "Here; this looks like a good spot," she decided, unfolding her colorful picnic blanket, as Leia and Luke helped her to spread it out on the grass.

Luke sat cross-legged on the picnic blanket, gazing thoughtfully across the sparkling blue lake as they ate their lunch together. It was a perfect day: there was a gentle breeze in the air, and the wildflowers were in full bloom; a herd of Shaak grazed on the hillside nearby, and the sky was clear blue, without a single cloud. "I'm going to miss this place," he confessed wistfully, basking in the warm sun and enjoying the peaceful beauty of Varykino.

Padmé smiled. "Well, you can always come visit, Luke," she assured him. "It's been wonderful having you here."

Luke smiled appreciatively; Theed was a beautiful city as well, and only a short flight away. But his plan to remain here on Naboo was a somewhat awkward subject, so he lapsed into silence now, enjoying his tunafish sandwich as Padmé and Leia chatted about their plans for the upcoming HOPE benefit dinner on Coruscant. _They've been so nice to me, but I don't want to intrude on their family life too much,_ he admitted, still feeling guilty that he'd forced Captain Typho to miss their picnic.

"Hey," Leia said gently, noticing his sudden quietness. "You all right?"

"Oh - yes, thank you," Luke nodded, giving her a shy smile. "These sandwiches are delicious," he added politely; but suddenly he was aware of the fact that he was an outsider, and felt a twinge of loneliness, wishing he could be with his own family.

_I can't wait to see Mara again... And Anakin,_ Luke thought wistfully. He looked forward to speaking with both of them, under better circumstances. It pained him to remember that his last words to his father had been spoken in anger, and he longed to set things right. _I'm sorry, father,_ he sighed once again. Anakin's profound heartache and despair had been palpable that day in his hospital room, and had haunted Luke these past three weeks. He could almost _feel_ his father's helpless apology now...

_Wait a minute..._ Luke frowned, blinking in confusion. _I CAN feel it..._ Peering up toward the sky, he focused on the source of the disturbance: a tiny speck in the far distance, which gradually took on the form of a familiar yellow Jedi Starfighter as it drew closer. _Dad... What are you doing here?_

Luke's heart leapt to see him; but at the same time he blinked nervously, wondering how in the heck his father was going to explain this to the Amidalas. He could sense their obvious confusion as well now, and sighed, praying that Anakin had prepared at least a somewhat believable cover story.

It had been clear to him for weeks now that Padmé and Leia had no idea what Luke was _really_ doing here on Naboo. All they seemed to know was that his Have-A-Heart friend had died; that he had gone ballistic on the local drug dealer, gotten blasted to bits, wound up in the hospital, and - for reasons no one seemed to fathom - had suddenly resigned from the Jedi Order. Padmé hadn't pressed him about it, and had given him his space, but he had sensed her troubled confusion these past few weeks.

_This should be interesting,_ Luke thought apprehensively, as Anakin's Starfighter touched down in the meadow beside their picnic blanket. A moment later the cockpit opened, and his father climbed down, carrying a small green metallic crate.

"Hello, Miladies," Anakin greeted them, with a respectful bow. "I'm here to drop off a donation for HOPE."

_In the middle of a field of wildflowers? While they're having a picnic?_ Luke blinked, sensing Padmé and Leia's veiled disbelief as well.

Padmé managed a gracious smile. "Anakin," she replied with a polite nod, though she didn't bother to get up. "That's very kind of you. Our drop-off location is at the Theed store; it's a few hundred miles in that direction," she pointed out helpfully.

"Oh!" Anakin blinked. "I... may have miscalculated," he admitted cautiously. Then he peered at their picnic plates. "Are those tunafish sandwiches?"

Luke could sense Lady Amidala's mild exasperation, but the smile remained plastered on her face. "Yes," she told him. "There's a wonderful deli in Theed, right across from the HOPE store; I'm sure they would be happy to make you one."

"All right... Thank you, Milady," Anakin nodded humbly; but now he blinked in surprise. "Oh! Luke," he exclaimed, finally noticing him. "Sorry, I didn't recognize you... with the - clothes, and the - picnic blanket - "

"Anakin," Padmé said sharply, giving him a look of warning. "I don't know what this is about," she told him calmly, in a quietly assertive tone. "But I'm under strict orders to not allow any Jedi visitors, while Luke is under my watch."

"Yes! Right... Of course, Milady," Anakin nodded obediently, turning to leave. "I'll be going now - "

Luke laughed quietly, looking down. _Force, help me..._ It was not the ideal place for a reconciliation with his father, but it would have to do. "No, it's okay," he said, as Anakin turned back, his expression hopeful. "I meant to lift the visitation ban earlier, but I wasn't sure how," he told Padmé. "It's all right that he's here... I mean - as far as I'm concerned," he added, with an apologetic look. _Sorry we destroyed your family picnic._

"Oh," Padmé said, frowning. "Well... I suppose, if it's all right with Luke," she conceded, blinking uncomfortably. "Though I do seem to recall certain persons being specifically forbidden," she pointed out, giving him a concerned glance.

"Right; no, it's okay," Luke assured her. _Gah, how do I explain this?_ "He was just - one of the first people to visit me, after it happened," he told her. "I was in a bad mood that day; it wasn't personal," he said, with an apologetic look at his father.

Anakin blinked. "It wasn't?" he asked, his expression guarded.

"No," Luke said, managing a nervous smile. "I was just - angry with the whole Order... and I still am," he confessed bravely, though he avoided their questioning gazes. "I won't be returning," he insisted quietly, looking down. "But - it never had anything to do with you," he assured his father. "Or Master Obi-Wan," he confessed, feeling a pang of guilt.

"It didn't?" Anakin asked hesitantly; Luke could feel his heartache cautiously lifting. "Okay... good," he said. "I'm - glad to hear it," he nodded, smiling in surprise. Padmé and Leia seemed visibly relieved by this news as well, and Luke smiled in apology, realizing this whole situation had been awkward for them too.

_Yep... you were just an innocent bystander in my mother's death,_ Luke thought bitterly; but this was definitely not the place for that conversation, so he pushed his feelings aside, giving his father a quiet, forgiving smile. _We'll talk about that soon enough._ "Sandwich?" he offered now, handing half of his own to Anakin.

"Oh - thank you," Anakin nodded gratefully, sitting down on the blanket with them. "I love these," he added, giving Lady Amidala a shy grin. But then he sighed uncertainly. "You know, if he's really not going back to the Order, maybe we should just tell him - "

"Anakin, no," Padmé interrupted him sternly. "Until it's official, I'm under strict orders," she insisted, furrowing her brows.

Luke suppressed a grin, guessing what this was about. _There IS a volunteer position at the Theed store,_ he realized, his heart fluttering excitedly. _Heck, maybe even a paid position,_ he thought._ I knew it..._ But of course it was Lady Amidala's duty to give him every chance to return to the Order, and not tempt him with promises of a happier life here on Naboo. _Okay, sure; I have no idea what you guys are talking about,_ he agreed, munching innocently on his tunafish sandwich.

"Right," Anakin apologized, letting the matter drop. "So..." He glanced around the meadow now, blinking thoughtfully. "You know, this place looks kind of familiar," he said. "Seems like I've been here before... Did we film here one time?" he asked Padmé, blatantly changing the subject.

Luke laughed quietly at his lack of subtlety, and even Leia sighed, rolling her eyes.

"Did we?" Padmé asked, uncomfortable.

"Yeah, I think I remember a picnic scene once," Luke said casually, breaking the ice. "With the Shaak-riding?" he reminded his father. _If you could call it that..._

Anakin's brows furrowed. "Okay, now I'm remembering why I forgot."

"Speaking of picnic scenes," Leia interjected wryly. "The _Galactic Enquirer_ would have a field day if they saw this," she cautioned the others, with a pointed look at Anakin. _Yeah, no kidding,_ Luke agreed, suddenly realizing what she was getting at. _The Vader family picnic..._

"Ah, you're right... I should probably go," Anakin sighed. "Sorry, Milady," he apologized; Leia had been dragged through the tabloids mercilessly this past month, with ridiculous speculation that she would leave Julian Organa for a carbonite slab.

Leia gave him an appreciative smile. "Thank you for the donation," she said sincerely.

"Oh - you're welcome, Milady," Anakin nodded.

"And congratulations, on your new position," Padmé offered, with genuine warmth.

"Thank you, Milady," Anakin replied, bowing. "Luke... it was good to see you," he said, with a hesitant, apologetic look.

Luke nodded reassuringly. "You too, Master," he agreed.

There was an awkward moment of silence, as neither of them could think of anything even remotely appropriate to say, in front of the Amidalas; but finally Anakin nodded, grinning self-consciously. "Okay... bye," he said, heading quickly back to his Starfighter.

"Master," Luke called after him, getting up. He felt a sharp twinge of pain in his right side, echoed by his father's sudden concern; Anakin turned back, his expression guarded. "May the Force be with you," Luke said, bowing respectfully and giving him a look of apology, love, and forgiveness.

Anakin's presence resonated with heartfelt relief and joy; but he managed a polite nod. "You too," he said, climbing into the cockpit of his Starfighter. He waved to Padmé and Leia as the cockpit closed around him; and then sharing a final, secret smile with Luke, he took off from the meadow, flying over the sparkling lake and up into the clear blue sky.

_Goodbye, father,_ Luke thought, his heart aching with longing. _We'll talk soon._


	195. Mara joins Border Patrol

**Chapter 195**

_A week later..._

Mara giggled, pulling off her blindfold as the roulette wheel came to a stop. "Sixteen... Damn it," she laughed cheerfully, handing the blindfold back to the casino attendant. That was the last of her money, but it didn't really matter. Here at Zylna's Casino - as well as every other establishment on Lannik - knights of the Jedi Border Patrol were treated as honored guests, with free drinks and complimentary game tokens in exchange for their efforts in keeping the peace.

The Jedi were_,_ however, required to wear blindfolds in certain cases to prevent Force-cheating, and they were banned from some forms of gambling altogether. Still, there was plenty of fun to be had here on Lannik - even _without_ frequenting any of the back-room brothels her father had warned her about.

But another unspoken rule was that the Jedi were expected to turn a blind eye to non-violent misdemeanors here on Lannik, since arresting the loyal customers of these establishments would be bad for business. Mara sensed something now, and noticed a shady-looking Rodian handing a small package to his Twi'lek companion in exchange for an electronic credit device; but she looked the other way as she walked past them. _Catch you later,_ she thought, sharing a subtle, knowing glance with her partner.

Mara had been working for Border Patrol for a week and a half now, and had loved every minute of it. She'd only made three actual arrests; but she had detained and boarded at least a dozen spice-smuggling ships - most of which had been let off with a warning, in exchange for information, and in some cases bribe money. It was exciting work, and every day was a new adventure. There was so much to learn, but this type of learning was infinitely more fun than the library torture she'd been subjected to back on Coruscant.

Her first week had been admittedly terrifying, though. Not because of the work itself, or the fact that she was adjusting to life on this strange, lawless planet on the Outer Rim; but because her career with Border Patrol had almost ended, before it even began.

Master Anakin had warned her that she would be required to work with a partner, as a traditional Jedi team, for at least the first two years - and that she would need to make every effort to get along with this person. And Mara had honestly _tried_ to get along with her first partner. _And_ her second, and her third. She'd put up with their snoring, their stupid jokes, the way they left the toilet seat up all the time, and never bothered to clean the shower.

But the one thing she _hadn't_ been able to do was to create a Force bond with any of them. It was the simplest of tasks, required of all Jedi partners - such as the bond she had so easily formed with her father, as Master and padawan. But Mara had spent hours with each of her partners, in deep meditation - trying to reach out and connect with them, pushing the absolute limit of her focus and concentration, to no avail.

And her first three partners had all reported the same phenomenon: that try as they might, they could not form a Force bond with Mara. It was as if she had an invisible wall around her, that no one could get through. Finally her father had put in a call to Obi-Wan - who had confirmed that this had always been his own perception of Mara as well, and that death stick babies were notoriously challenged in their ability to form social and emotional bonds, even with their own parents.

Mara had wept despairingly at this news, and it had looked as though she'd have to go back to Coruscant after all; but then a miracle had happened. Hearing whispers of her bizarre situation, a young knight named Ralek Starseeker had stepped forward, and against all odds, the two of them had managed to form a bond.

Ralek was half Anzati, descended from a race of humanoids renowned for their bonding ability. In fact, their strange ability was widely mistrusted and feared, and for centuries the Anzati had been maligned as soul-sucking vampires, whose facial tentacles entered through their victims' nasal cavities, and drank their brains. But the reality was that their tentacles had no actual _drinking_ ability, and this admittedly odd practice was basically their way of kissing.

The Anzati were a quiet and peaceful race, who kept to themselves, and mistrusted outsiders. The fact that Ralek was _half_ Anzati was a mystery in itself; but with a last name of Starseeker, it was obvious that he had been sent to the Jedi Temple as an orphan, as half-breeds were not welcome on Anzat. But thankfully for Mara, Ralek possessed the strong empathic abilities of his people, and had saved her from a heinously boring career of kiddie piloting at the Jedi Temple.

Best of all, Ralek was a nice person. He was polite, and friendly, and cleaned up after himself; Mara actually _liked_ him. It was a strange feeling; aside from Luke and Anakin, she had never felt particularly close to anyone - not even Tessa. But Ralek's presence was electrifying; ever since she'd bonded with him, she could feel everything he felt, and sometimes they even shared the same thoughts. Ralek was sensitive to her emotions as well, and had been incredibly thoughtful and courteous these past several days.

He was, however, a terrible gambler, and Mara giggled now as he lost the last of their complimentary tokens in an electronic slot machine. "Heh... I give up," Ralek laughed, shaking his head. "Want to check out Jek's Cantina?" he suggested. "I think they've got a live band playing tonight."

"Sure," Mara agreed, as they exited the casino, and headed down the street. Jek's was a popular drinking spot for the Border Patrol knights, and she'd been there several times over the past week. "I could go for some teal stuff," she admitted, with a mischievous grin.

Ralek laughed. "You and your teal stuff," he teased her.

"It's good," Mara insisted. She had invented the drink herself, her first night here on Lannik. Two of the other knights had eagerly clamored to buy her a drink, no doubt hoping to bond with her in an entirely different sort of way. Koro had offered her a shot of blue stuff, whereas Devron had offered her _green_ stuff; both of them seemed to be under the delusion that the winner of this pathetic contest would somehow earn her favor. But Mara had simply thanked them for their kindness, combined the two shots together - creating the most delicious concoction she'd ever tasted in her life - and no one had tried to buy her a drink ever since.

_I'm just one of the guys,_ Mara thought proudly as they entered the cantina. She spotted several other Jedi, sitting around the tables; but now she cringed in disdain as she heard the music. "I thought you said there was a live band," she said, raising an eyebrow at her partner.

"Apparently I was wrong," Ralek said, blinking in baffled confusion as Koro and Devron attempted to sing karaoke up on the stage. "This is... awful," he confessed. "Want to go somewhere else?"

Mara grinned, shaking her head. "No; let's watch them make complete idiots of themselves."

Ralek nodded agreeably, following her inside. They took a seat at a table in the corner, and a minute later the waitress brought them their complimentary drinks. "Teal stuff, and Corellian ale," she said, remembering their usual order.

"Thank you," Mara said appreciatively; the first drink was typically on the house, but after that they were expected to pay - either for more drinks, or a visit to one of the private rooms in back, where the _real_ money was made.

"They must hate us here," Ralek said mischievously. "I'm a lightweight," he confessed, taking a modest sip of his free Corellian ale. "_You're_ broke," he laughed. "And neither of us - " he broke off, casting a meaningful glance toward the back rooms.

Mara gave him a curious look. "So you've never...?"

"Me? No," Ralek admitted, with a shy grin. "I mean, not that I... Force, could those two possibly sing any worse?" he interjected, as Koro and Devron continued their drunken rendition of a song that had been popular about four decades ago. "No, I think it's an Anzati thing," he told Mara. "My people have very strong bonding instincts, and mate for life," he explained. "I could never - " he sighed, glancing toward the back rooms again. "I just couldn't do it."

Mara smiled sympathetically. "Well, I couldn't either," she agreed.

Ralek grinned. "You're the first partner I've had who hasn't given me flak for that," he said. "The other guys won't leave it alone," he admitted, shaking his head. "Koro and Devron are the worst. Two years ago they started this rumor that no woman on Lannik would have me, because - " he blinked unhappily.

"Because what?" Mara asked, concerned.

Ralek gave her a dismal look. "Isn't it obvious?"

Mara frowned. "Not really," she said, peering at him critically. Ralek looked fully human, though his skin was strikingly pale, in contrast to his dark hair and eyes; he was actually quite handsome, though in an unusual sort of way.

"Well, for one, I'm small," Ralek pointed out, shrugging. "They call me Ralek the Runt, and say I don't have what it takes to - you know," he sighed, glancing downward.

Mara laughed dismissively. "Well that's stupid," she assured him. "Being short has nothing to do with - Gah," she sighed, annoyed by the others' blatant ignorance. Luke wasn't much taller than Ralek, and he'd never had any trouble - _No no no no no... Don't go there,_ Mara chided herself anxiously.

"I'm sorry," Ralek said, sensing her obvious discomfort. "I didn't mean to - sorry," he apologized again, mortified.

"No, it's all right," Mara insisted. _I've had sex with my brother a thousand times; you can't shock me._ "I mean - it's _not_ all right," she added, furrowing her brows indignantly. "I can't believe they said that about you," she said, with a disapproving glare at Koro and Devron.

"Yeah, that's not even the worst of it," Ralek said glumly, taking a sip of his ale.

"No?" Mara asked, concerned for her new partner. "What else did they say?" _Those bastards..._

"Well, then there's the whole Anzati thing," Ralek admitted, looking down.

Mara gave him a sympathetic smile; it was true that his people's habit of sticking their tentacles up each other's noses was rather off-putting to - _Well, the rest of the galaxy,_ she admitted, understanding his plight. But thankfully Ralek didn't have tentacles himself.

"_And_ the orphan thing," Ralek sighed, blinking unhappily.

"How's that?" Mara asked; Luke had always been sensitive about that as well.

"Eh... It's bad enough having a stupid name like Starseeker_,_" Ralek said, shrugging. "But here they call me - " he shook his head.

"What?" Mara asked gently.

Ralek gulped. "_Snotsucker_," he told her morosely.

Mara laughed despite herself. "They do not," she said, still giggling.

"They _do,_" Ralek insisted. "And it's not funny," he added, giving her a hurt look.

"I know... I'm sorry," Mara apologized, composing herself. "Well - if it makes you feel any better... They call me Hell-Bitch," she told him, shrugging.

Ralek grinned. "Yeah, but you're a legend around here," he pointed out. "We've been hearing rumors for months now, that Skywalker and Hell-Bitch were transferring to Border Patrol," he told her, with an admiring look. "I can't believe I'm actually working with you."

Mara grinned shyly, looking down. Her father was a hero to the knights of Border Patrol; in fact, she had been surprised to discover that virtually everyone here at the Lannik base had been dressing in all black for years now, inspired by his example.

"Anyway... Sometimes I wonder if I made the right decision, joining Border Patrol," Ralek confessed. "When I was first knighted, it seemed like an exciting thing to do, but... I don't fit in here," he admitted. "You know, Koro and Devron once bet me fifty credits each - that on a planet full of hookers, I'd never find a girl who would even kiss me," he told Mara, with a sad laugh. "And they're right," he sighed, shrugging.

"They did?" Mara blinked. She gave Ralek a curious look. "And the bet's still on?"

"Yep," Ralek sighed glumly, taking a sip of his Corellian ale.

"Well..." Mara grinned mischievously. "A hundred credits... Heck, _I'll_ do it," she offered.

Ralek blinked. "What?"

"Come on," Mara told him. "Taking money from stupid people... Who are singing really, really badly," she added, furrowing her brows indignantly. "Why not?"

"You would - you would do that?" Ralek gave her a baffled look.

Mara shrugged. "I'm not an Anzati," she pointed out. _I've deep-kissed my own brother more times than I can count. It's really nothing to me._

"Well..." Ralek blinked. "Okay," he gulped. "Ah... I'm not drunk enough for this," he confessed, taking another sip of his ale.

"Ha - neither am I," Mara agreed, downing the rest of her teal stuff. "Okay... That should do it," she said, giggling.

Ralek grinned impishly; but then he gave her a shy, helpless look. "I don't even know how to do this."

"Eh, it's easy," Mara told him. "You just - I mean... I don't know either," she corrected herself quickly, blinking. "But - who cares," she assured him. "It's a hundred credits, right?"

Ralek nodded bravely; and with a mischievous smile, Mara leaned closer to her partner, kissing him on the mouth. _I would SO not be doing this if he had tentacles._ And to her surprise, Ralek wasn't a half-bad kisser; true, he wasn't as good as Luke, but - _Gah! Noooo,_ Mara berated herself, forcing the thought out of her mind.

"Sorry," Ralek apologized, sensing her revulsion. "Are you all right?"

"Um..." Mara gasped; kissing Ralek had triggered feelings inside her, that she had been trying so hard to bury. Suddenly she yearned for - not _Ralek,_ exactly, but... _Someone,_ she admitted, her thoughts turning to her brother... _Crap, no..._ "Let's try that again," she whispered breathlessly. "I don't think they saw..."

"I think they _did... _Mmmfff!" Ralek gasped, as Mara kissed him passionately once again. _I'm sorry,_ she thought, closing her eyes and focusing on his presence; it felt exciting, electric, and so very wrong... _But I have to get my stupid, perverted brother out of my head..._

Suddenly she heard cheers and whistles, as the other Jedi throughout the cantina clapped loudly, clinking their glasses. _Ahh!_ Mara grinned impishly, embarrassed by the attention. "I - have to go to the ladies' room," she said, getting up from the table and escaping to the back of the cantina.

_I can't believe I did that..._ She blinked, laughing in anxious disbelief. _I kissed Snotsucker...?_ And the most surprising thing about it was that it had _almost_ felt okay. Not quite like Luke, but - _Ugh, no..._ She forced the disturbing thought from her mind once again. _If I do that about a dozen more times, maybe I'll stop dreaming about him..._

But tears of confusion sprang to her eyes as she realized that she honestly _liked_ Ralek. They were partners, and they had bonded; he was actually pretty cute, and best of all, she wasn't related to him... _So why does my heart feel like it's breaking,_ she cried, tormented by memories of Luke. But she knew Ralek could sense her distress, and quickly composed herself, wiping away her tears. _That was stupid,_ Mara berated herself, heading back out to the cantina. Ralek hadn't really even _wanted_ to kiss her, and she had taken advantage of him. _It was just a dumb bet; that's all it was..._

Koro and Devron were sitting at the table and laughing with Ralek now, as several other Jedi gathered around, congratulating him good-naturedly. _Well... I don't think they'll be teasing him any more,_ Mara consoled herself, managing an amused smile. "Drinks are on Ralek," Koro declared, clapping him on the back as Ralek grinned, shoving a pile of credits toward the edge of the table and waving to the bartender.

As Mara approached, Ralek gave her a quiet, apologetic look; but she smiled reassuringly, and he grinned in relief.

"And Mara," Koro continued, moving his chair over to make room for her. "Nice kissing; I am impressed... I didn't think you'd go for it."

"_Twice,_" Devron added, laughing. "Ralek, bro... You are the master," he confessed, raising his glass in salute.

But Mara's brows furrowed. "What do you mean?"

"Ha!" Koro laughed, delighted by her obvious confusion. "Well, after the first night we realized you weren't going to fall for any of our amateur tricks, so we called in the expert," he explained, nodding to Ralek. "You can't believe anything Runt Boy says," Koro warned her, taking a sip of his beer. "Best liar on the Outer Rim... He's had every hooker in this town," he told Mara, an impish twinkle in his eyes.

"What?" Mara stared at her partner in disbelief, as Ralek gave her a look of mischievous apology. _They tricked me...?_ But she quickly masked her confusion and shock, putting up a strong barrier around herself, and blocking the others from sensing her emotions. "I - have to go," she stammered, getting up and heading for the exit.

"Mara, wait... crap," Ralek muttered, abandoning his drink - and his pile of credits - to chase after her. "Mara!"

She stopped, turning around and glaring at him. "It was all a lie?" she asked, betrayed.

Ralek sighed. "Yeah; well, mostly," he confessed, with an apologetic look. "They _do_ call me Snotsucker."

"Gah," Mara cringed in disgust, continuing along the dimly-lit street.

"Come on, Mara," Ralek pleaded, chasing after her. "It's just what we do around here. We play stupid tricks on each other, and make bets on how it will turn out," he explained. "Some of the other guys dared Koro and Devron to sing that cheesy song, up on stage... Trust me Mara, _they're_ the biggest idiots tonight," Ralek assured her. "And - in general," he added, with an amused laugh.

"It's not funny," Mara retorted, fighting tears. "I don't like being tricked."

"All right; I won't do it again," Ralek promised. "I'm sorry, Mara," he added gently. "I honestly thought you'd be okay with it. I mean - you're Hell-Bitch," he pointed out, gesturing to her black leather Jedi outfit. "You don't take crap from anyone."

_Yeah, obviously you don't know me very well,_ Mara scowled, storming along the street. _I'm a walking crap magnet._

"Mara, please... Don't take it so hard - "

"Don't take it so hard?" Mara blurted out helplessly, tears in her eyes. _I trusted you. I LIKED you. I kissed you... _

"Mara, I'm sorry," Ralek apologized gently. "It's just how things are around here. You're going to have to get used to it, if you expect to survive this place," he admitted, casting an anxious glance back toward the cantina. "I've got your back, Mara; we're partners," he promised her. "And when you find yourself on the losing end of a bet, or any kind of stupid thing like this - you just have to bounce right back, and retaliate with one of your own, okay?"

Mara glared at him. "Fine," she seethed, feeling a dangerous emotion welling up inside her; one that she had spent a lifetime trying to suppress, and had successfully kept at bay for over a year now. "I bet you a thousand credits that if you don't get out of my face right now, you're going to regret it."

"Mara, come on," Ralek pleaded, sighing. "We're partners - "

Mara reached out a hand toward him, violently Force-shoving him against the wall. "Not anymore," she glowered, storming off into the night.


	196. The lunch lady and the garbage man

**Chapter 196**

_The next morning..._

"Mara... He _is_ sorry," Anakin said gently, as they sat together in his office.

"I don't care," Mara replied, scowling. "I hate him."

"There is no hate," the Assistant Director of Border Patrol chided her. "There is getting along with your partner."

"Gah," Mara sighed, exasperated. "I _tried,_ Master. I can't help it... I hate him."

"Mara, you're going to have to forgive him," Anakin told her. "He's the only one here who's able to bond with you. And now - " He sighed worriedly; as a result of all this, Mara had put up a wall so strong she could feel it herself, and not even Ralek had been able to get through.

"_You_ could be my partner," Mara suggested, giving her father a hopeful look.

Anakin laughed quietly. "I wish I could," he told her. "It would be a lot more fun than what I'm doing here," he sighed, casting a baleful glance at the piles of papers strewn all over his desk. "But I have to do my job, Mara," he said gently. "And if you want to stay here at Border Patrol, you're going to have to get along with Ralek."

Mara scowled. _I'm tired of being tricked,_ she frowned bitterly. _I'm tired of trusting people, and liking them, and - kissing them,_ she shuddered, still feeling violated._ Only to find out it's all just a cruel joke, and a lie._ "Can't I just work solo?" she pleaded.

"No, Mara," Anakin said, his expression regretful. "It was a special favor that Master Yoda let you come here at all," he reminded her. "And - it's for your own safety. It's a dangerous job out there, and I'm not going to let you do it without someone who can sense when you're in trouble, and watch your back."

"Yeah, well I'm not working with Snotsucker," Mara informed her father stubbornly. "Or stupid Koro, or Devron, or - _any_ of them," she added, furrowing her brows indignantly.

Anakin sighed, giving her a pleading look. "Come on, Mara," he begged. "It's Snotsucker, or Coruscant," he pointed out gently.

Tears filled Mara's eyes, and she shrugged, looking down. "I'll take Coruscant," she replied bitterly.

She could feel her father's heartache, and he got up from his desk now, coming over and sitting on the padded bench beside her. "Ahh," he sighed unhappily, wrapping his arms protectively around her and holding her close. "This is my fault," he whispered, his voice rough with emotion. "Master Yoda warned me - " he shook his head. "I'm sorry, Mara," he said, kissing her tenderly on the forehead.

Mara wept silently, as her father held her for a long moment. "It's not your fault, Master," she assured him. "I'm glad you let me try," she insisted. "And most of it was really fun," she confessed, managing a wistful smile. "But... bonding is not my thing," Mara told him, sighing.

Anakin nodded, stroking her hair. "Yeah, well... you could have fooled me," he laughed quietly, tears in his eyes. "I didn't see this coming, Mara," he insisted. "Which is probably why Master Yoda is the head of the Jedi Council, and I'm... _not_," he pointed out, with an apologetic grin. "But it's going to be all right, Mara," her father reassured her. "Obi-Wan will be there, and Cory, and Zak... And Qui-Gon, if he ever comes out of his cave," he said, his eyes twinkling with amusement.

Mara nodded; she'd never felt particularly close to any of them, but at least now she understood why. _They care about me, even if I can't feel it,_ she told herself. _And none of them are going to play stupid tricks on me, or kiss me..._ But now she blinked worriedly. "And Luke?" she asked cautiously, looking up at her father.

Anakin sighed. "Maybe," he told her, attempting an optimistic smile.

Mara nodded, not pushing the matter; she had sensed her father's profound heartache for weeks now.

"And I'll visit as often as I can," Anakin promised. "We'll go to Dex's, have a Bantha burger, and some Jawa juice... Maybe you can show me what this 'teal stuff' is all about," he teased her, with an amused grin. _And I'll get to see my mom..._ "It's going to be okay, Mara," he assured her, as Mara nodded in agreement.

"And who knows, maybe a better job has opened up, at the Jedi Temple," Anakin said, getting up and going back to his desk. "Let's take a look..." He brought up the job listings on his computer screen, and began reading through them; but then his brows furrowed worriedly.

"What is it, Master?" Mara asked.

"Well... There's still the Boys' Choir opening," Anakin told her, blinking doubtfully. "And... Cafeteria Server?" he suggested, giving her a guarded look.

Mara cringed. "Is there anything else?"

Anakin sighed. "No," he confessed, scrolling through the listings. "Nothing entry level. But it's a job, Mara," he pointed out optimistically. "And new positions open up all the time. In fact - " Anakin broke off, laughing quietly. "I should have known."

"What, Master?" Mara asked.

"Obi-Wan," Anakin sighed, rolling his eyes. "He took that Beginning Flight Instructor position - to hold for you, in case you needed to come back."

Mara's heart sank. "He knew I was going to fail?"

"No, Mara," Anakin told her gently. "It might not have been his idea; Master Yoda might have asked him to do it," he guessed. "But it's yours, if you want it."

Mara frowned, disturbed by her options. _Spend all day in a kiddie training fighter, or serve the worst food in the galaxy..._ "I'll take the cafeteria job," she said. Her mother was a waitress, after all; how bad could it be?

Anakin nodded. "It's a good place to start," he agreed, getting up from his desk. "Just keep checking the job listings, and applying for anything that looks interesting; eventually you'll find something you like better," he promised, sitting beside her again. "And you know _all_ the positions at the Temple are more important than they might seem," he reminded her, with a meaningful look. "If war breaks out, and anything gets through to Coruscant... Suddenly your job could get a lot more interesting."

Mara nodded in understanding. "Let's hope," she agreed mischievously.

"Ahh, don't say that," Anakin sighed, truly worried. He put an arm around her now, patting her on the shoulder. "I'm proud of you, Mara," he told her. "I'll visit whenever I can... And I _am_ sorry about this," he said, with a regretful smile.

"It's not your fault, Master," Mara assured him, smiling.

Anakin nodded sadly, kissing her on the temple. "It's not yours either."

* * *

><p><em>Meanwhile...<em>

Luke frowned in disapproval, sifting through the contents of the trash compactor at Lake Regions Waste Management Facility. _Come on, people,_ the sighed, pulling an empty juice bottle out from under a pile of rotten banana peels, used teabags, and other assorted biodegradables. _Is it so hard to sort your recyclables?_ He tossed the bottle into the nearby plastic recycling bin, gesturing lazily to correct its trajectory as he realized it was going to miss.

_No, I shouldn't do that,_ he scolded himself, resolving to aim better next time. Once he left the Jedi Order, he would no longer have any Force abilities; he peered through the pile of garbage in front of him now, looking for something else to practice with. _Here we go,_ he thought cheerfully, spotting an empty beer can and Force-pulling it into his hand. _Crap, that was cheating too..._ But he aimed for the aluminum recycling bin now, tossing the can experimentally into the air and letting it land where it may.

_Yes!_ Luke grinned triumphantly. _See? No problem..._ Lady Amidala had assigned him to trash duty this past week, in a vain bid to get him to return to the Order; but Luke had found ways to enjoy his new volunteer position. _It might not be as fun as making plushy toys, but it's important work,_ he realized, honored to be doing something that had a direct and undeniably beneficial effect on the environment, and helped to keep Naboo beautiful.

He'd meant to go to Coruscant two days ago, to officially resign from the Order; but he was the only volunteer sorter here at the facility, and if he left for even a few hours, countless recyclables and possibly even hazardous chemicals might end up being sent to the public landfill. He blinked in concern now, spotting a piece of plastic mesh netting amidst a pile of moldy, rotten oranges. _This could strangle a bird, or even a baby Womp Rat,_ he thought worriedly, carefully adding it to the plastics bin.

_And there's so much food waste,_ Luke sighed regretfully, glancing around the trash compactor. Naboo was a naturally bountiful planet, with more fruit than its residents could possibly eat; but there were many other planets where people went hungry, and fruit was a precious commodity. _See... there IS plenty of work to be done here,_ he realized, knowing for certain that Lady Amidala hadn't been completely honest with him about the availability of volunteer opportunities here on Naboo.

But he had to admire her resolve. It was obvious that her orders had come from Obi-Wan, or possibly even Master Yoda himself; but Lady Amidala took her responsibilities seriously, and had the courage and moral fortitude to do the _right_ thing, rather than the _pleasant_ thing. For the past week Luke had sensed her becoming more and more distant, her previous aura of sincere warmth and caring replaced by one of reserved politeness.

_And that's what I love about her,_ Luke admitted, as he continued sifting through the garbage. _And she cares about me too,_ he thought with a wistful smile, refusing to fall for her tough-love tactic. Though her studied detachment _had_ pained him this past week; which was another reason why he was leaving the Jedi Order. _I always get so attached to people,_ he sighed. After spending only a few weeks with Lady Amidala, the thought that she didn't truly care for him ripped his heart out.

Nevertheless, Lady Amidala was going to lose this battle of wills. True, sorting trash was less interesting than learning ancient Coruscanti, or even serving on the Jedi Council. But it was honest work, whereas staying with the Order would be a farce, and a disgrace to the very people who wanted him to return.

_I'm not special,_ Luke confessed, feeling a twinge of guilt. Ever since his thirteenth birthday, Master Yoda had seen him as a champion of women's rights; a person of extraordinary conscience and integrity, who had something very important to offer the Order. _Everyone seems to think I'm some kind of saint, when really I was just in love with Mara,_ he sighed. _The person they all believed in, never actually existed. I've been living a lie my whole life, and I'm tired of it. _

_This is honest work,_ Luke told himself proudly, as he scraped the contents of a half-eaten Nerf pie onto the heap of other biodegradables, then carefully tossed the disposable pie plate into the aluminum recycling bin. _I care about this planet,_ he admitted, smiling fondly as he envisioned Naboo's pristine lakes, meadows and forests - which would remain healthy and beautiful for generations to come, thanks to the efforts of the hard-working folks here at Lake Regions Waste Management Facility.

The hours passed quickly, as Luke made a whimsical game of tossing various recyclables into their respective bins, all the while dreaming of the beauty of this incredible planet, and the happy life he would have here on Naboo, once he officially resigned from the Order. _I'll go to Coruscant tomorrow,_ he resolved. There was no point in putting it off any longer; and once it was done, he hoped that Lady Amidala would welcome his volunteer efforts on a permanent basis, and stop acting so painfully distant around him.

But now he cocked his head, sensing a familiar presence nearby. _Mara...?_ Grinning in disbelief, he pulled off his gloves, hurrying outside to meet her.

"Mara!" Luke exclaimed happily, finding her in a secluded forested area near the landing platform. He embraced her lovingly; it had been over a month since he'd seen her, and his heart welled over with joy. _I've missed you..._ "What are you doing here?"

"I'm - " Mara broke off, staring at him. "What are _you_ doing here?" she countered, raising an eyebrow in confusion.

"Oh - I've been sorting recyclables," Luke explained, glancing at his bright yellow coveralls. "I'm a volunteer Waste Management Specialist."

Mara frowned. "Okay," she said uncertainly. "You look..." She shook her head, baffled. "And you smell even worse," she added, wrinkling her nose in disdain.

"Sorry," Luke apologized, grinning. "I've been working here all week; I don't notice the smell anymore," he told her, backing politely away.

"No, it's all right," Mara replied hesitantly; Luke blinked in surprise as she cautiously sniffed him. "Yes," she murmured. "This is good. This is the smell of _Luke_," she told herself, closing her eyes and breathing in his scent.

Luke laughed quietly. "You too?" he commiserated; he'd been plagued by inappropriate dreams of Mara for the past month.

Mara nodded, sighing. "But - " She sniffed him again, trying to ingrain this new smell into her memory. "Yes; this definitely helps."

Luke gave her a look of reproach. "Glad to hear it." Then he grinned, curious. "So how's Border Patrol?"

"Oh..." Suddenly he sensed her misery, as Mara's eyes filled with tears. "I - " She gulped, looking down. "I left..."

"What?" Luke stared at her in concern. "Mara, what happened?" He took her hand, leading her over to a nearby fallen log, where he sat beside her.

"My partner," Mara cried miserably. "He kissed me..."

"Oh, Mara..." Luke closed his eyes, feeling suddenly sick. _Gah, no..._

"Plus, he's a _snotsucker,_" she said, cringing in disgust.

Luke blinked worriedly. "What's a snotsucker?" _Dare I ask..._

"Oh; he's half Anzati - "

"Ugh!" Luke exclaimed, nauseated. He wasn't certain which was worse; the thought of an alien sticking its tentacles up Mara's nose, or the fact that in some bizarre way, he actually felt _jealous_ about it. "Mara, I'm sorry," he said, sharing her utter revulsion. _I think I'm going to throw up._

"Anyway, it was just a stupid joke," Mara told him, sniffing. "It was some kind of bet... The other guys gave him a hundred credits for it."

"What?" Luke asked, incensed by their cruel behavior. He had heard vague rumors of the sort of debauchery and general lawlessness that went on in Border Patrol, which was why he'd never wanted anything to do with it personally. _But I thought Mara would be all right, with Anakin there..._ "Mara, I'm sorry," he said again, shaking his head in disapproval. "Did you tell your dad? I mean - _our_ dad?" he asked, concerned.

"Yes," Mara said bitterly. "He told me I have to get along with him. He's the only one I can bond with," she explained. "Apparently it's a death stick baby thing," she added, seeing Luke's confused look. "I can't form a Force bond with anyone else; I've _tried,_" she insisted helplessly. "It only worked with Snotsucker because he's some kind of empathic freak," she grumbled, furrowing her brows. "But how can I ever trust him again, if I can't tell when he's lying to me?"

"You can't," Luke agreed darkly, not wanting his sister within a hundred parsecs of that snotsucking creep. "So what's going to happen?" he asked worriedly.

"Gah... I'm going back to Coruscant," Mara told him, shrugging. "To be a cafeteria server," she added glumly.

Luke nodded, accepting her decision. "It'll be okay," he reassured her. "New positions open up all the time," he pointed out; they had both known for years that Mara's only career options would be at the Jedi Temple, and had made peace with that reality long ago. "Eventually you'll find something you like better."

"Yeah, I know," Mara sighed morosely. Then she gave Luke a pleading look. "It would be a lot less awful if you were there."

Luke shook his head, looking down. "Mara, I can't," he told her. "I've been thinking about it - a _lot,_" he admitted unhappily. "But I can't spend the rest of my life studying some archaic language that doesn't even matter," he sighed. "Or serving on a Council whose tenets I don't even _believe_ in," he pointed out. "I'm sorry, Mara... I just can't do it."

"Well... There's an opening for Boys' Choir director," Mara suggested hopefully. "Unless you're morally opposed to singing too," she added, furrowing her brows in annoyance. "In which case you could probably volunteer to change diapers in the creche," she told him. "Seriously, Luke - if you _really_ enjoy working in Waste Management... Can't you just do it at the Temple instead?"

_Gah..._ "No, I can't," Luke apologized. "I can't explain it, but - I love it here on Naboo," he confessed. "It's so beautiful, and peaceful, and... I never want to leave," he sighed, gazing toward the forested mountains in the distance. "And I know we always planned to stay on Coruscant together, but - a lot of things have changed since then," he reminded her gently. _We're not married anymore._ "But I'll visit - all the time," he promised, with an encouraging smile. "It's going to be okay."

Mara hung her head. "Yeah," she agreed dully.

"Look, if you really hate working at the Temple, you don't have to," Luke pointed out. "Remember when we were twelve? We never expected to stay with the Order; we figured we'd serve five years in AgriCorps, and then get out at eighteen - and be free to do whatever we wanted," he reminded her, with a regretful smile. "If you really hate it... You could get a job here on Naboo - or even Coruscant," he added quickly, seeing her doubtful look. "You'd be near your mom - "

"Luke, no," Mara told him. "It might be all right for you, but I've had my Force powers switched off before... And I hate it," she confessed. "It's the feeling of failure. And if I quit now, everyone who said I should never have been in the Order to begin with, ends up being - " she broke off, tears filling her eyes. "I hate that they're right," she choked, hanging her head. "And - I hate that I'm letting my dad down," she wept, despairing.

"You're not letting him down," Luke assured her. "He understands how hard it's been for you. And so do I," he said, putting a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"The worst part is I actually _liked_ it there," Mara cried. "It's so unfair... The one job I was ever _good_ at, and really _loved..._ I can't do it, because stupid Snotsucker - " she sniffed, shrugging in defeat. "So now I'm stuck serving cafeteria food," she sighed unhappily. "And then someday if I'm _really_ lucky, maybe I can teach Level Three Katas to seven-year-olds," she grumbled, scowling. "Until one day I completely snap, and electrocute them all to death - "

Luke laughed gently. "That's not going to happen," he assured her.

"How do you know?" Mara countered, frustrated. "You won't even be there - "

"I _will_ be there," Luke promised, though his heart broke as he realized what he must do. "I'm going back to Coruscant tomorrow, to face my disciplinary hearing," he told her quietly. "I'm staying with the Order," he decided, managing a reassuring smile. _Yeah, I love this planet... But I love you more._

Mara's face lit up, and her emerald eyes sparkled with hope. "You're taking the Boys' Choir position?"

Luke laughed, getting up from the log. "Who said anything about Boys' Choir?" he asked, unzipping his yellow jumpsuit. "No, I'm requesting an assignment with Border Patrol," he informed her with a mischievous grin, pulling off his coveralls and rolling them up to throw in the laundry bin. "I'm your new partner."


	197. Are not actually lovers

**Chapter 197**

_A few days later..._

Luke studied his datapad intently, sitting on the edge of his bed in his new private quarters at the Lannik base. "You... with violence... might be?" he guessed, furrowing his brows as he attempted to translate the ancient Coruscanti text.

"Close," Obi-Wan said, sitting beside him. Luke's request to join Border Patrol had been granted by Master Yoda on three conditions: one, that Luke would continue his studies in ancient Coruscanti; two, that Anakin would remain silent about personal matters, until Luke legitimately became a Master; and three, that Obi-Wan himself would pay a visit to Lannik every weekend, to ensure that _both_ of them upheld their end of the agreement.

"Remember, many of these older texts were influenced by Yoda's own people," Obi-Wan told him now. "The sentence structure is often inverted."

"Oh; right," Luke nodded. "You... might be... with violence," he mused. "You might be violent?"

"Not quite," Obi-Wan corrected him. "What's another word for violence?"

Luke typed it into his datapad, consulting the dictionary. "Brutality, ferocity, power, terrorism... You might be a terrorist?"

"_Power_ was closer," Obi-Wan told him patiently. "And what's another word for power?"

"Uh..." Luke typed it into his datapad. "Ability, energy, force... Force!" he exclaimed, surprised. "You might be... the Force?"

"Very close," Obi-Wan said. "Now, go back to the original wording, and try again."

"You... with the Force... might be..." Luke grinned, figuring it out. "May the Force be with you."

"There you are," Obi-Wan said, nodding proudly. "You're doing well, Luke," he told him, with an encouraging smile.

Luke laughed worriedly. "I thought it said 'You might be a terrorist'," he pointed out, unconvinced.

"Ancient Coruscanti is a complex language, full of subtle nuances that can be very difficult to translate," Obi-Wan conceded. "Which is exactly why Master Yoda wants you to re-translate all these texts yourself - _without_ being influenced by the 'official' Basic translation," he added. "You might stumble upon a nuance that ancient scholars overlooked."

Luke nodded obediently. "All right; I'll try... I mean - I'll _do_ it," he corrected himself quickly. "I might not do it _well,_ but..." He sighed, shaking his head. "I'll probably end up translating the Jedi Code into an instruction manual for terrorism."

"Well, we shall save the Jedi Code for _last,_" Obi-Wan proposed, chuckling. "There are about fifty of these ancient documents to translate," he told Luke seriously. "Do that; produce a modern-day Basic translation to the best of your ability... And the Council will make you a Master," he promised quietly.

Luke nodded again, but Obi-Wan could sense his guilt. "I _am_ proud of you, Luke," he said, smiling fondly. "And I know that ancient Coruscanti may not seem to be the most practical field of study, but Master Yoda assures me - "

He was interrupted as Mara burst into the room, giggling excitedly. "Luke! Koro just dared Snotsucker to pole-dance at Jek's... Come on, you have to see this - " She broke off suddenly, noticing Obi-Wan. "Oh..." She frowned, uncomfortable. "You're still here."

Obi-Wan masked his indignation; _'You're still here'_ was not the customary greeting from a newly-knighted Jedi to her superior, but he managed a polite smile. "Hello, Mara," he said, nodding courteously. "Actually, we were just finishing up," he assured her, standing up to leave.

Luke smiled apologetically. "Thank you, Master," he said. "It was good to see you."

"You're very welcome, Luke," Obi-Wan replied. "Enjoy the pole-dancing," he added, giving his former padawan an amused look.

"Heh," Luke laughed, embarrassed. "Sure you don't want to come with us? Free blue stuff," he pointed out hopefully.

"Oh - please come," Mara begged, a mischievous glimmer in her eyes. "It will be _so_ much better with you there."

Obi-Wan laughed; he had no idea who Snotsucker was, but he was fairly certain he didn't want to see him pole-dancing. "Tempting; but I'll pass," he said, glancing down the hallway in the opposite direction. "I need to talk to Anakin before I leave."

"All right; see you next weekend," Luke said, with an appreciative smile.

Obi-Wan bowed formally. "May the Terrorism be with you," he teased his nephew, ignoring Mara's baffled look as he headed down the hallway. _They seem to be getting along well,_ he noted in surprise, continuing toward Anakin's office. Luke's sudden decision to join Border Patrol had confused everyone - including Anakin himself - but Obi-Wan was grateful that his nephew had regained at least some small grasp of sanity, and hadn't thrown his entire career away to sew plushy toys, or sort garbage.

As he approached the corner, he heard voices coming from the next hallway. "Yeah, let's go to Nikira's," a young knight was saying. "Her back rooms are the best... Satin sheets, pillows everywhere, embroidered wall hangings - "

"Who notices the wall hangings?" another voice replied, laughing mischievously.

"Yeah, no kidding," a third knight agreed; then suddenly all three of them blinked in alarm as Obi-Wan came around the corner. "Ah! You're still here? I mean - Master Kenobi," he corrected himself quickly, bowing. "It's an honor."

_Relax,_ Obi-Wan sighed, offering the young Jedi Knights a friendly nod as he continued through the hallway. _I've got two teenage grand-Zabraks; I'm decades ahead of any of you._ But he _was_ rather perturbed by the lack of common courtesy here at the Lannik base. Consorting with prostitutes was one thing, but _'You're still here'_ was not an appropriate way to greet a visitor - under _any_ circumstance - and Obi-Wan resolved to mention this breach of civility to Anakin.

He found him in his office, his feet propped up on his desk as he frowned at a stack of papers in his hands. "You're still here?" he asked absently, not bothering to look up.

Obi-Wan blinked in disbelief. "_This_ is how you greet an official representative of the Jedi Council?"

"Yeah, pretty much," Anakin replied, setting one paper aside and peering curiously at the next. Then, noticing Obi-Wan's obvious vexation, he rolled his eyes. "Hail, O Wise and Powerful Master," he said, with a magnanimous gesture. "Won't you please sit down."

"There; that's better," Obi-Wan said crossly, taking a seat.

Anakin grinned apologetically, tossing his papers aside. "Sorry... I was going over employee records," he sighed, casting a baleful glance at the messy stacks of papers strewn all over his desk. "Master Chi'nala wants me to sort all these by tomorrow."

Obi-Wan smiled in amusement. "My brother, the administrator."

"Eh..." Anakin shrugged dismissively. "So how'd the studying go, with Luke?"

"Very well," Obi-Wan replied. "It's likely he'll finish Master Yoda's translation project within the next year or so," he assured him. "Don't worry, Anakin; it won't be long before the Council makes him a Master."

Anakin nodded, smiling wistfully. "I'm just glad he's okay."

_So am I._ "He seems happy here," Obi-Wan pointed out optimistically.

"Yeah," Anakin agreed, resuming his paper-sorting project.

"And Mara too," Obi-Wan remarked.

Anakin nodded absently, reading through an employee file. "Yeah."

"I never would have expected those two to get along so well," Obi-Wan confessed.

Anakin grinned. "Neither did I," he agreed, tossing the file onto a messy stack in the corner of his desk, then picking up another.

"Do you suppose they're getting along _too_ well?" Obi-Wan asked cautiously.

Anakin's brows furrowed. "What do you mean?"

"I mean... Do you think something is going on between them?" Obi-Wan clarified, giving his brother a knowing look.

"Heh... No," Anakin laughed dismissively, tossing another paper aside.

"Think about it, Anakin," Obi-Wan said. "Luke has just learned a life-altering truth," he pointed out. "Plus, with the influence of the other knights here..." He sighed, truly concerned for his nephew. "Perhaps he's following in your footsteps after all?"

Anakin grinned, amused by the idea. "If he were following in my footsteps, he'd be on Naboo, doing Queen Tahila."

"Unless he's here on Lannik, 'doing' Mara," Obi-Wan countered. "They _are_ sharing a room together now."

Anakin scowled. "She's my padawan_,_" he reproached Obi-Wan. "Get your mind out of the gutter."

"She may have _been_ your padawan," Obi-Wan corrected him. "But now she's a young woman, Anakin," he pointed out gently. "And a very attractive one, at that."

Anakin rolled his eyes, picking up another employee file. "Even if Luke is interested in that sort of thing... Pretty sure Mara's asexual."

"Really?" Obi-Wan blinked. "What makes you think that?"

"Her last partner tried to kiss her, and she almost electrocuted him."

"Anakin, that doesn't exactly prove asexuality - "

"Trust me; I know her," Anakin insisted. "Anyway, even if they are - _whatever,_" he said, raising an eyebrow at Obi-Wan. "Why do you care?"

Obi-Wan frowned, uncomfortable. "I'm just - curious," he admitted cautiously. "You're really not?"

"Nope," Anakin replied, tossing another file onto his desk.

"How can you be so sure?"

Anakin sighed. "Because I installed a camera in their ceiling vent," he grumbled, giving Obi-Wan an annoyed look. "I've been watching it all week."

"You did not!" Obi-Wan gaped at his brother in shock.

"With our family history?" Anakin scowled defensively. "How dumb do you think I am?"

"Anakin, that is a breach of privacy - "

"There's no sound," Anakin insisted, pouting. "And it's an infrared camera; all I can make out are shapes," he assured Obi-Wan. "Trust me, I don't need to see details."

"Details or not... I'm fairly certain it's illegal to spy on your employees' private quarters," Obi-Wan told him disapprovingly.

"Not if they're my kid," Anakin countered, picking up his datapad and pressing some buttons. "Here... Republic Law, section 482-b: 'A parent has the right to monitor his or her child's bedroom through the use of electronic surveillance equipment'," he quoted, giving Obi-Wan a self-satisfied look.

"Anakin, they're talking about baby monitors," Obi-Wan sighed in annoyance. "And if you scroll up to the header for section 482, you'll see that 'child' is defined as a legal dependant under the age of thirteen," he informed his brother.

Anakin peered at his datapad, reading the fine print. "Ahh... Stupid dyslexia," he muttered, sighing. "I misread that as thirty-one."

"Anakin... In the name of - _WHY?_" Obi-Wan asked, exasperated.

"Because I thought - if something _is_ going on," Anakin told him, "then maybe it would be all right to talk to him... about - stuff," he said, giving Obi-Wan a hurt look.

"Anakin, I want to talk to him as much as you do," Obi-Wan assured him gently. "But that's not the only reason we're waiting," he said. "Luke is going through a very difficult adjustment; he nearly quit the Order altogether, and is only just starting to regain some stability," he pointed out. "Master Yoda feels he has something very special to offer - "

"Gah," Anakin sighed, scowling in resentment.

"I gave Master Yoda my word," Obi-Wan told him firmly. "At this point Luke shows very little interest in being on the Council, ever. He was ready to stay on Naboo for the rest of his life - even _without_ realizing he has family there," he added. "If he learns the truth... He might go back to his mother, and work for HOPE forever."

"So?" Anakin countered. "If he's happy there?" He shook his head dismissively. "Anyway, that's not going to happen," he sighed, glancing at the pile of papers on his desk. "There's a war about to break out, and Luke knows it," he said, with a disturbed frown. "If he learns his mother's planet might be in danger... He'll want to _protect_ her - not help her sew Ewoks," Anakin argued, crossing his arms obstinately. "Trust me... He'll come to his senses."

"Unless he completely _loses_ his senses," Obi-Wan countered. "Anakin, his Have-A-Heart companion died, and he went ballistic," he pointed out. "If he were to learn that his own mother was in danger... I fear he might do something foolish," he confessed worriedly.

Anakin scowled. "So would I."

"The difference being that you're the most talented pilot in the Jedi Order, and a better swordsman than he'll ever be - not to mention twice his size," Obi-Wan told him plainly. "If you were to do something foolish, you'd probably pull it off. Whereas Luke..." He shook his head, sighing. "He's not you, Anakin. Look what happened at the durasteel factory."

Anakin sighed, troubled. "So if war breaks out, and he has to abandon his studies... We don't tell him - _ever?_" he asked, blinking unhappily.

"Not until he's a Master," Obi-Wan replied stubbornly. "The rule is there for a reason, Anakin. Luke's behavior over the past month is irrefutable proof that Jedi Knights do not possess the wisdom or maturity to handle that sort of knowledge."

"And you really think that having him translate a bunch of ancient Coruscanti documents will make a difference?"

Obi-Wan frowned. "Possibly."

Anakin sighed, picking up another file. "Anyway, I've been meaning to ask you about - " he broke off, his expression troubled.

"About what?" Obi-Wan asked, concerned.

"Gah," Anakin sighed in frustration, tossing the file aside. "If you're going to go grey, why don't you just do it all at once?" he blurted out, annoyed.

Obi-Wan blinked; at fifty-eight, he thought he was doing quite well to still be _mostly_ ginger, but clearly his brother was of a different opinion. "I'm - sorry...?"

"No, not you," Anakin grumbled, retrieving a paper from one of his messy stacks. "Herman Valtrek," he said, handing his employee record to Obi-Wan. "Would you say his hair is more brown, or grey?" he asked, uncertain.

Obi-Wan frowned, glancing at his picture. "Grey," he replied cautiously.

"Crap, I said brown," Anakin muttered, adding it to a different pile on the far corner of his desk. "Ah, I should go through all these again..."

"Anakin... Why are you sorting them by hair color at all?"

"So I have a general idea where to look for their file," Anakin sighed, glancing dismally at the stacks of papers. "But now I'm thinking I should do it by height..."

"Anakin, just sort them by last name," Obi-Wan told him.

"I can't remember two thousand employees' last names," Anakin said, irritated. "I'm not a human encyclopedia."

_You don't say_. "Well if you can't remember someone's name, simply ask them, and look it up," Obi-Wan suggested helpfully. "And why are you using paper files to begin with, instead of a computer database?" he asked, baffled by his brother's administrative style.

"Because a computer database is a thousand times more likely to get hacked, than a file cabinet in my office," Anakin told him. "And in case you haven't noticed, we're preparing for a war here," he added, blinking disconcertedly. "It's not the ones who can tell me their name, that I'm worried about identifying."

Obi-Wan looked down, his heart sinking. "Anakin, I'm sorry."

"Eh... You're right though," Anakin admitted, casting a worried glance at his paper-strewn desk. "This isn't going to work. The way these kids play pranks on each other, who knows what color anyone's hair will be, from one day to the next," he sighed. "Eye color would probably be better; or maybe height..."

"No, no, Anakin; hair color is good," Obi-Wan assured him gently. "And then within each category, you can arrange them by eye color - and _then_ height," he suggested. "And in the case of rare exceptions, it won't take long to cross-check through each category."

"Brilliant," Anakin agreed, nodding gratefully. "Here," he added with an impish grin, picking up a stack of papers and handing it to Obi-Wan. "You can start with the redheads."

Obi-Wan laughed quietly, setting to work. They spent the next two hours sorting through employee records together, then organizing them neatly in the file cabinet; but presently they heard a quiet beeping sound, coming from Anakin's desktop computer.

Instantly Anakin got up from the floor, going to his desk and switching on the monitor. "We've got movement," he murmured, peering at the screen intently.

"What is it?" Obi-Wan asked, giving him a concerned look. _Some kind of security breach?_

"Looks like one of them's in the bathroom," Anakin said quietly, turning the screen so Obi-Wan could see it. "Probably Mara... And I think Luke's changing into his pajamas," he guessed, squinting at the vague infrared image. "They do this every night... Yeah, that's definitely Luke; that's his bed over there," he confirmed, as the blobby image switched to a horizontal position near the left side of the screen.

"And here comes Mara," Anakin pointed out, as another hazy form moved across the screen. "She's going over to her own bed," he said, as the infrared image curled up into a ball in the lower right corner of the screen, wriggling a bit before becoming still. "And... show's over," Anakin sighed, as the motion detector switched off, and the screen went black again. "Every night - same thing," he admitted, giving Obi-Wan a disappointed look.

Obi-Wan shook his head, amused. "We're going to have a true Jedi Master in the family, Anakin," he told him gently. "Give him his space," he counseled his brother. "Allow him to become something better than the rest of us; to achieve his true potential," he advised him, for his nephew's sake.

Anakin nodded, managing a brave smile. "Yeah."

"We must stay the course, Anakin," Obi-Wan told him encouragingly. "Your job is to win this war - or better yet, prevent it altogether," he said. "Luke's job is to study, and become a Master," he added. "And mine is to trust in Master Yoda's wisdom, and carry out the Council's orders," he confessed, sighing. "Speaking of which - take that camera out of his ceiling vent, before I charge you with illegal surveillance," Obi-Wan scolded his brother crossly.

"Gah... Okay," Anakin nodded. "I'll get it out of there tonight."

"You'd better," Obi-Wan said, furrowing his brows in disapproval. "But first - as an official delegate of the Jedi Council, I demand that you show me what sort of uncivilized establishments you people frequent here on Lannik," he added, failing to suppress a mischievous smile. "I hear they serve free blue stuff."

* * *

><p><em>Two weeks later...<em>

"Cut," Owen said, nodding in approval. "Perfect; that's a wrap... Ben, thanks so much for coming all the way out here," he added, with an appreciative grin. "You definitely went above and beyond the call of duty."

"Not at all," Ben assured him, smiling. Luke and the others had been filming on location here in the jungles of Mimban for the past two days; Ben's own part had been all of three lines - which he could easily have filmed at the studio on Geonosis, since his ghostly image required special effects anyway. But he had been dying to speak with his grand-nephew since his new assignment with Border Patrol, and nodded cheerfully as Luke joined him now.

"Nice outfit," Ben remarked, admiring Luke's black tunic, leggings, and leather boots.

"Heh... thanks," Luke said, taking a seat next to him on the fallen log. "My last one had a bit of a mishap," he confessed, with an embarrassed cringe.

"So I heard," Ben replied carefully; Obi-Wan had threatened him with all manner of doom if he said anything to Luke that might touch upon a sore spot, so he simply smiled now, giving his grand-nephew an encouraging look. "Congratulations on your new assignment."

"Thank you," Luke said, grinning shyly.

"I hear you and Mara are partners now," Ben added, with a knowing look; it amused him to no end that Obi-Wan and Anakin still seemed to have no idea that they were married. "That must be nice," he said, smiling mischievously.

"Ahh," Luke sighed, glancing cautiously at Owen - who was on the other side of the clearing with the rest of the _SITH_ crew, packing up to leave. "We're not - we're not married anymore," he told Ben quietly, his expression troubled. "I mean - not that we ever were... legally."

Ben sighed, troubled by this news; he knew that Luke had been going through a very difficult time this past month or so, and was dismayed to hear that even his relationship with Mara had suffered for it. "Give her time," he counseled his grand-nephew. "You know Mara; this isn't the first time she's declared sudden divorce - for no good reason," he pointed out, with a commiserative smile. "She's hot-tempered, and headstrong; Ludvika's the same way," he sighed. "But she'll come around, Luke," he promised. "She always does."

Luke shook his head quietly. "Not this time," he insisted. "It's really over."

"Oh dear," Ben sighed; but he remembered Obi-Wan's warning, and let the matter drop. He tactfully changed the subject, asking Luke about his work with Border Patrol, and listened delightedly as his grand-nephew filled him in on his latest adventures. But finally Luke had to leave, and Ben waved goodbye, watching as his Starfighter lifted off through the treetops, vanishing into the blue sky beyond.

"All right; we're almost ready to go here," Owen said, as they finished packing up the _SITH_ shuttle. "Ben, we can drop you off on Coruscant, if that's better for you - " He broke off, blinking in surprise as Luke's blue Jedi Starfighter returned, touching down in the clearing. "I guess he forgot something," Owen chuckled in amusement.

But it _wasn't_ Luke's Starfighter; a moment later the cockpit opened, and Qui-Gon emerged, nodding to them cheerfully. "Hello," he said, climbing down to join them. "Sorry I'm late," he apologized, to Owen. "I got a message that you needed me for a ghost scene?" he asked, curious.

"Yes," Owen replied cautiously, his expression puzzled. "That was three months ago."

"Ah; yes," Qui-Gon nodded apologetically. "I've been exploring a cavern on Creia VI; it took a bit longer than expected. But I came directly here," he assured Owen, with a respectful smile.

"I appreciate it," Owen said, nodding. "But - well, actually we've just wrapped up for the day," he explained, glancing at his cameraman, who was loading the last of the equipment onto his ship.

"Ah; not to worry," Qui-Gon replied cheerfully. "Perhaps next time."

Ben chuckled at Owen's obvious bafflement; Qui-Gon hadn't actually made it onto the show in nearly four years now, and his storyline had been left hopelessly hanging. But he seemed completely unconcerned by this fact as he joined Ben now, sitting beside him on the log. "I've received about fifty messages from Obi-Wan," Qui-Gon said, with a weary sigh. "I haven't had a chance to read them all, but... I gather that Luke and Mara are working together now, for Border Patrol?"

"Ah, yes," Ben nodded. "They seem to be doing very well."

Qui-Gon chuckled. "And Obi-Wan and Anakin still have no idea they're married?"

"No," Ben told him, equally amused. "Though to be fair - according to Luke, they're no longer married," he informed his brother-in-law. "And moreover, they never were."

"Hmm," Qui-Gon laughed softly. He had been well aware of Luke and Mara's turbulent relationship over the years, and this was not the first lovers' quarrel they'd had. "Give them time," he told Ben, his blue eyes twinkling mischievously. "They'll come around."


	198. And neither are Leia and Julian

**Chapter 198**

_Several months later..._

"Would you like to look at the stars?" Julian asked hopefully, as they left the concert hall. "There's a beautiful view from the spire."

Leia smiled apologetically. "I'm feeling tired," she confessed. It had been a long trip from Naboo this morning, and she'd done well to stay awake through dinner with King Bail and Queen Breha, plus this evening's operetta; but now she was ready to call it a night. "I think I'll go to bed early, if you don't mind."

"Of course, Milady," Julian nodded, understanding. "Sleep well."

"Thank you," Leia said, giving him an appreciative look. "Goodnight, Julian."

But as she retreated through the hallways of Alderaan's royal palace toward her guest chamber, she felt a familiar twinge of guilt. _When was the last time we looked at the stars together?_ she wondered, sighing. _Or did anything at all, as a couple - just the two of us?_ These days Leia managed to put on a happy face for the public, but secretly she was barely holding together, and had no energy left over for Julian himself.

Everything was an act these days: her fairy-tale betrothal to the Prince of Alderaan, and her ecstatic delight over their upcoming wedding. Not even her own parents knew the truth, and she prayed that Julian believed in her happy fantasy as well.

The last time she had acted _real_ had ironically been while filming for _SITH,_ seven months ago - when everyone had thought she was _acting_. Leia had allowed herself to show weakness, and despair, and heartache; but now she had no choice but to be strong. Especially with the threat of war looming on the horizon; she could sense tension and anxiety everywhere she went, and it exhausted her, but the people looked to her as a symbol of hope in these uncertain times, and she would not let them down.

Tomorrow was the first day of Spring Festival here on Alderaan, and Leia would do her part, smiling and waving cheerfully to the crowds, alongside her beloved prince-to-be. She would give the people what they so desperately needed: the belief that they were in safe hands, and that the crown of Alderaan would one day pass to a prince and princess who would rule with compassion and grace, defending the rights of _all_ their citizens, and not just the noble elite.

_But tonight, I will sleep,_ Leia sighed, returning to her guest chamber and closing the door behind her. She was grateful that Julian understood; he of all people knew what it was like to have this burden thrust upon him, with no choice but to uphold his duty. And she respected him deeply for it. What Julian lacked in romantic instincts, he more than made up for in courage and integrity, and Leia truly admired him for his sincere devotion to the people of Alderaan.

_And at least he TRIES to be romantic,_ Leia admitted guiltily. Julian had about as much sex appeal as a rock, but it wasn't for lack of effort. _He asked me to look at the stars with him,_ she recalled, gazing out her own window now. It was a beautiful evening, and the stars twinkled brightly against the clear night sky; Leia sighed, pulling a lightweight shawl out of her suitcase. _I should at least make an effort,_ she berated herself, draping it over her shoulders as she headed back out to the hallway.

She could sense him faintly, at the top of the spire; Julian's presence was always a bit elusive to her, and rather bland, but she thought she could feel a hint of sadness, and anxiety, and guilt. _Poor thing,_ Leia sighed, climbing the steps to meet him. She had always sensed his feeling of helpless inadequacy around her; Julian's attempts at intimacy were admittedly pathetic, but it pained her to realize that he _knew_ it, and blamed himself.

_It's not your fault, sweetheart,_ Leia thought with a tender smile, taking pity on her fiancé. Julian was a reasonably handsome man, just terribly awkward and uncertain of himself, and in desperate need of a woman's reassurance. _And I haven't done much to encourage him,_ she confessed; their initial experiments in kissing had failed so miserably that _both_ of them had given up trying altogether, except when it was expected of them in public.

_He is a good man, and deserves to be loved,_ Leia chided herself, as she neared the top of the spire. _He is to be my husband, and I can't neglect him like this._

But as she arrived at the top of the spire, and stepped out onto the terrace, her eyes widened in utter shock as she beheld her quiet, reserved, impeccably mannered husband-to-be kissing his own cousin - Princess Ariel Organa - with a passion and intensity that put her own _SITH_ performance to shame.

_This is a side to him I've never seen before,_ Leia admitted, blinking in fascination. _Maybe he's not as hopeless as I thought...?_

"Leia!" Julian exclaimed, his eyes widening in alarm.

"Ahhh!" Ariel gasped, hurriedly running off down the long spiral staircase.

"Leia... I'm so, so, terribly sorry," Julian began apologetically.

Leia blinked, utterly baffled. "You... and Ariel?"

Julian cringed painfully, hanging his head in shame. "What you must think of me...?"

"You... and _Ariel?_" Leia repeated, still trying to wrap her brain around this concept.

"Yes," Julian confessed, looking down. "Leia, I respect you too much to lie to you," he said, giving her a look of deep apology. "Ariel and I - have always had feelings for each other. Feelings that are inappropriate between cousins," he admitted unhappily. "Nothing can come of this," Julian assured her. "Nothing good, at any rate - "

"You... and... Ariel," Leia said again, staring at him.

"I understand if you're angry - "

"I'm not angry," Leia said quietly.

" - and if you want to call off the wedding," Julian added, shaking his head miserably.

"No," Leia said, furrowing her brows in concern. If they were to call off the wedding, Gorlan Organa would be next in line for the throne, and he planned to reinstate a feudal system that would cast ninety percent of Alderaan's population into a state of serfdom and poverty. "I won't let the people of Alderaan suffer for this," she insisted.

"And for that, I love you," Julian said, his brown eyes filled with regret. "You have my undying respect, Leia."

"Eh," Leia sighed, nodding. _It's nothing I haven't done myself._

"I never wanted to hurt you," Julian apologized.

"You didn't hurt me," Leia assured him.

"What you must think of me - "

"Really, it's okay."

"You don't know how terrible I feel - "

"Yes, I do," she insisted.

"Oh, Leia... you're a saint," Julian said, giving her a look of deep admiration.

"No, I'm not," she sighed.

"You _are_," Julian insisted. "To forgive me, after what I did - "

"I did it too," Leia told him quietly.

"No, you didn't," Julian protested, distraught. "I kissed Ariel, right in front of you..."

"I kissed Han, in front of the whole galaxy," she pointed out.

"Yes, but you were only acting - "

"No, I wasn't."

"You don't actually have feelings for him - "

"Yes, I do," she confessed.

"No, you don't... What?" Julian blinked, confused. "Leia... what?"

"Gah..." Tears filled Leia's eyes; she'd never told anyone else before, not even her mother.

"You... and Han Solo?" Julian asked, incredulous.

Leia's chin trembled, and she gasped miserably. "Yes," she cried.

"You... and Han Solo." Julian laughed in quiet amusement, shaking his head.

"It's not funny," Leia protested, heartbroken. "He's not a joke."

"I know he's not a joke," Julian assured her, putting a gentle hand on her shoulder. "And I pray that he will be all right," he added, sighing worriedly. "Oh, Leia, I'm sorry," he said, holding her close and stroking her back as she wept. "I'm so sorry," he said, kissing her chastely on the temple. "I didn't realize you cared for him."

Leia clung to him gratefully, sobbing; she had kept this secret inside her for three years now, and it was a tremendous relief to finally tell someone. "I'm so worried for him," she confessed, choking with tears.

"I know, sweetheart. We all are," Julian insisted gently, holding her. "And the experts believe he has an excellent chance of recovery," he reassured her. Doctors and scientists across the galaxy had been speculating on Han's unusual medical case, and most of them agreed that the TESB virus would not survive a year in carbon freeze - but that a human being probably _would._ The risk of death was highest during the freezing process itself, and scientists theorized that the permanent blindness suffered by eighty-five percent of the Womp Rats used in the study would most likely be only temporary in a human being, due to significant differences in physiology.

"What are his politics?" Julian asked, curious.

Leia blinked. "His politics_?_" _He's frozen in carbonite; he might die, or go blind... and you're wondering how he's going to vote in the next Chancellor election?_ "I don't think politics are a real high priority for him," she said, furrowing her brows.

"No, that's never been my impression either," Julian agreed, thoughtful. "The reason I ask is - are you aware who Han's mother is?"

Leia frowned. "No," she confessed.

"Kharis Solo," Julian told her. "Kharis _Organa_ Solo," he added, giving her a meaningful look. "Gorlan's older sister."

Leia blinked. "Han is half Alderaanian?"

"Yes," Julian said. "His mother is seventh in line for the throne of Alderaan. She would have had a higher claim than Gorlan - or even _me,_ if she'd married better."

Leia nodded; she knew that the crown of Alderaan traditionally passed to the royal couple with the most impressive combined pedigree, and that it was her own status as a former Queen of Naboo that would give Julian a higher claim than his cousin Gorlan.

"Kharis, Gorlan, and I are all third-degree royal," Julian told her. "We are the _grandchildren_ of an Alderaanian king. Kharis married a fifth-degree Solo prince, whereas Gorlan married a third-degree Dathomiri princess. But I will surpass both of their claims, by marrying a first-degree royal: not a princess, but an actual _queen_ of Naboo," Julian said, smiling appreciatively. Then he looked down. "Though there is another possibility," he confessed, blinking uncertainly. "One that my father and Uncle Bail have never taken seriously, as it seemed highly unlikely..."

Leia gave him a questioning look. "What's that?"

Julian sighed. "Han is the great-grandson of an Alderaanian king," he told her. "That makes him fourth-degree royal; one step below me. And as such, even if he were to marry a first-degree royal - an actual _queen_ - he would still never beat my own claim," Julian admitted. "Unless... unless I were to marry my cousin Ariel - who was adopted, and has no royal blood whatsoever," he told Leia quietly. "And if Han were to marry you... The two of you would beat Gorlan's claim, by one degree."

"_Han Solo_ could sit on the throne of Alderaan?" Leia asked, trying to picture him wearing a golden crown.

Julian laughed. "Leia... I care for my people," he said. "I will do what is right for them. And I'm not saying that Han would be the wisest king that Alderaan has ever known," he conceded, with an amused smile. "But you would be our greatest queen," he told her sincerely. "I know you, Leia. I trust you, and respect you. I know you will be a just and compassionate ruler - as you have already proved, on Naboo. And that whether you marry me, or Han Solo... The people of Alderaan will be in safe hands."

Leia blinked, sobered by this revelation. "So... What are we going to do?"

Julian smiled, taking her hands. "We will pray for Han's recovery," he told her encouragingly. "And I would like to talk to Ariel about this, if you don't mind," he said, as Leia nodded in agreement. "But I'm not ready to tell my parents just yet, or Uncle Bail," he confessed, looking down. "And if it's all right with you... I think it's best that we remain officially engaged for now, and keep this as quiet as possible, until we can talk to Han about it."

_No kidding, _Leia sighed, nodding. "That's going to be an interesting conversation," she pointed out wryly.

Julian laughed gently, kissing her on the forehead. "I'm sure it will be."


	199. Jabba attempts suicide

**Chapter 199**

_A few months later..._

"Anakin!" Boba Fett pulled up his visor as he hurried toward him, an anxious expression on his face. "Thank you for coming."

"No problem," Anakin replied, glancing worriedly around the entrance of Jabba's palace. "What's going on?"

"Ahh..." Boba sighed, distraught. "Jabba tried to kill himself."

"What?" Anakin asked, alarmed. "Is he all right?"

Boba cringed. "Kind of," he replied vaguely. "He's - upset... No one's been able to reason with him," he said, giving Anakin a pleading look. "Sorry; I didn't know who else to call."

Anakin blinked uncertainly; he'd never actually done a suicide negotiation before. "It's all right," he assured Boba, nodding. "So - what's this all about?"

"Eh... Gardulla's expecting two hundred thousand credits by next month," Boba explained, leading the way through the hallway toward Jabba's audience chamber. "Lando and Chewie actually managed to scrape the money together, but then - " he sighed in annoyance. "Jabba was watching the shopping channel the other night, and he bought a sail barge," he told Anakin, rolling his eyes. "He can't return it... Now there's no way he can pay Gardulla next month. She'll be taking over, for real this time," he warned Anakin, with a worried look. "Sooner, if Jabba manages to off himself before then."

Anakin frowned; he knew that once Gardulla took over Jabba's operations on Tatooine, war would soon break out against the Republic. "So - he really tried to kill himself?" he asked Boba, with a concerned look. "How?"

"Ahh," Boba sighed, as they continued through the hallway. "Well, he's been trying to eat himself to death for the past three years," he said, as Anakin nodded quietly; he'd heard rumors to that effect as well. "But it hasn't worked so far," Boba told him. "In fact - it might have saved him," he admitted, giving Anakin a hesitant look as they descended the last few steps into Jabba's audience chamber.

_Holy crap..._ Anakin stared in utter shock at the disturbing sight before him.

"He took a dive into the Rancor pit, and got stuck," Boba explained, as Anakin gaped at the massive green blob of flesh that protruded from a small opening in the floor, its tail thumping wildly as muffled moaning sounds came up from the pit below. "We can't get him out," Boba admitted worriedly. "That's why I called you."

"Okay," Anakin said, blinking in confusion. "I'll... see what I can do." Gathering his courage, he approached the gigantic, writhing mound of blubber, trying to assess the severity of the situation. _Whoa... Yeah, he's stuck pretty good._ "Jabba," he said hesitantly. "Your Excellency... It's Anakin Skywalker."

"Ahhh! Go away," Jabba moaned, in Huttese. "Go away, or I'll jump!"

_Uh... I think you already tried that._ Anakin frowned, uncertain what to say next.

"Unleash the Rancor! _Now!_" Jabba demanded crossly.

"No, Jabba; we're going to get you out of there," Anakin assured him. "It's going to be okay."

"No, it won't," Jabba protested. "Tiffany doesn't love me... _Baaawwwww..._"

_Who's Tiffany?_ Anakin blinked, suddenly wishing he'd had more training in Non-Aggressive Negotiations. "Look, I'm sure she loves you - "

"No, she doesn't," Jabba cried. "She thinks I'm fat."

"I'm sure she doesn't think that - "

"She _told_ me," Jabba insisted. "And she doesn't like my poetry," he sobbed.

"Of course she does," Anakin tried to convince him. "Everyone loves your poetry, Jabba."

"I'm a failure," Jabba bawled, miserable.

"No, you're not," Anakin promised. _Ahh, what the hell do I say?_

He was rescued by Jabba's kitchen crew, who now entered the chamber pushing a cart bearing the largest ice cream sundae Anakin had ever seen in his life. _You really think that's going to help?_ He blinked uncertainly, admitting that it couldn't be any worse than what _he'd_ been doing. "Jabba, we've got a delicious treat for you," he said hesitantly.

The moaning and thumping stopped momentarily. "What is it?"

"Ice cream," Anakin told him. "With whipped cream, and sprinkles, and hot fudge - "

"What flavor?" Jabba asked cautiously.

"Uh... Looks like - _everything,_" Anakin assured him, as the head chef - a white, furry Talz - nodded in vigorous agreement.

"Everything?" Jabba repeated, skeptical. "Even... Coffee-Toffee-Wookiee-Ookiee Crunch?"

Again, the Talz nodded. "Yes," Anakin promised. "Why don't you have some, and we'll talk about this?"

"Ohhhh," Jabba sighed morosely. "It will only make things worse," he cried. "I'm a big stupid fat blob."

Anakin rolled his eyes; he'd had this discussion a million times with Padmé, whenever she got hormonal, and imagined that she'd gained half an ounce. "You're not a big stupid fat blob," he told Jabba patiently. "You're very... attractive," he said, with a disturbed cringe.

"Obviously you haven't read the news," Jabba retorted grumpily.

_Actually, I have..._ "What news?" Anakin asked, trying to pretend it was no big deal. "Oh - you mean about the hovering platform?" It had made galactic headlines yesterday, that Jabba had finally gotten so morbidly obese that he needed a giant hovering platform to get around. "Hey, that's nothing to be ashamed of," he consoled him.

"Yes, it is," Jabba moaned, miserable. "Everyone is laughing at me... _Baaawwwwwww..._"

"Well, they're stupid," Anakin assured him. _Okay, think fast... Hovering platform, hovering platform - got it!_ "Hey, you know who else uses hovering platforms?" he asked, trying to cheer Jabba up.

Jabba stopped bawling momentarily. "Who?"

"Senators, of the Galactic Republic," Anakin replied proudly. "They use hovering platforms all the time. And no one ever laughs at _them,_" he pointed out.

"Ahhh," Jabba sighed. "I'm not a Senator."

"Well... you _could_ be," Anakin told him optimistically.

Jabba was quiet for a moment. "How?"

_I have no idea._ "Uh... Well, what if - what if you join the Galactic Republic?" Anakin suggested. _Yeah, like that's going to work,_ he berated himself. _But I don't have any better ideas..._ "You could be a Senator, for real," he told Jabba. "And no one would laugh at you _then,_" he promised stupidly. _Gah, I suck at this..._

"I... I could be a Senator?" Jabba asked cautiously. "Like... Padmé?"

Anakin furrowed his brows; Jabba's bizarre fixation with his wife had always disturbed him. "Yes," he said, uncertain where this conversation was going.

"All right. Yes," Jabba agreed. "I want to be a Senator."

_Uh...?_ "Okay," Anakin said, blinking. "That's - terrific," he told Jabba. _Seriously?_ "And you know what else?" he added, suddenly realizing what this meant. _Holy crap..._ "If you're a Senator, and join the Republic... the Jedi can protect Tatooine," he pointed out. "I promise you - Gardulla will _never_ take this planet," Anakin assured him.

"Ohhh," Jabba sighed, unconvinced. "Everyone will think I'm a traitor," he fretted. "It will be all over the news."

_True, but - _"Hey, you know what people watch, more than the news?" Anakin asked.

Jabba's tail lifted momentarily. "The shopping channel?"

"Ah - yes," Anakin nodded. "But I was also thinking about _SITH,_" he said. _Owen is going to kill me for this..._ "What if we tell a different story on _SITH -_ that you were brave, and loyal to the Hutts, and didn't go down without a fight," he suggested. "Whatever is on the news will be forgotten within a week," he pointed out. "But people will watch _SITH_ reruns forever," he assured Jabba. "And _that_ is how you will be remembered."

Jabba sighed. "Owen Lars might not let me," he admitted glumly. "He thinks I'm a troll."

"He's worked with you before," Anakin pointed out. "If you promise to be on good behavior, I'm sure he would consider it." _Force, how much worse could this negotiation possibly get?_ "And - hey, you could recite one of your poems, for - for Tiffany," he blurted out, immediately answering his own question. _Gah, I am an idiot..._ "If she hears you reading poetry for her, on _SITH_ - it might change her mind," he tried to convince Jabba.

"Ohhh," Jabba grumbled. "I don't like to recite my own poetry," he admitted. "My voice is so... unpoetic."

"Your voice is awesome, Jabba."

"I want Padmé to read it," he demanded suddenly.

Anakin winced at the thought. "Uh... Well, Padmé got killed off the show, about twenty years ago," he reminded Jabba. _She lost the will to act..._

"Oh... Well, then I want Leia to read it."

_I knew he was going to say that,_ Anakin sighed. _Leia's going to hate me forever._ "That - might be possible," he conceded hesitantly. "As long as it's appropriate for a family show... Can I hear it?" he asked, cringing worriedly.

At this, the blubbering mound writhed in misery. "It's terrible," Jabba moaned. "Ever since Tiffany - _aaahhhhh,_" he bawled.

"No, I'm sure it's fine," Anakin told him encouragingly. "Come on, what's the best one you've written lately?"

Jabba sniffed, valiantly trying to compose himself. "Hold me..."

_Okay..._ Anakin waited for the next line, but it didn't come. "That's it?" he asked, blinking.

"I've had writer's block," Jabba told him grumpily. "That's all I've been able to come up with." Then he shuddered, wailing and sobbing again. "It's no good," he moaned, miserable. "Tiffany is right... I'm nothing but a stupid, fat, talentless fraud..."

"No, no," Anakin assured him. "It's brilliant. "Honestly - I think it's one of your best," he told him sincerely. _Way better than the one he made Padmé recite._ "It's - minimalist," he pointed out. "I like it."

Jabba sniffed, hesitant. "You do?"

"Yes, I do," Anakin insisted. "Come on, Jabba... We'll do a whole show, featuring you. We'll have Leia read your poetry, and make a heroic battle scene - right here at the palace, so it looks like you put up a valiant fight," he told him. "And we'll see about making you a Senator, okay? You'll be a hero... No one will ever laugh at you again," he promised. _Gah, this is not going to work..._ "If I can get you a meeting with Owen Lars, and someone from the Jedi Council... Will you talk with them?"

"Ohhh," Jabba sighed, uncertain. "Can I still have ice cream?"

Anakin blinked, glancing at the dessert cart. _THAT'S the deciding factor in all this?_ "Yes. Absolutely."

"Ahhhhh... All right, then," Jabba agreed reluctantly, with a defeated sigh.

"Good job, Jabba," Anakin said, patting him on the shoulder. "Come on, let's get you back onto your platform, and have a nice treat," he added gently, preparing for the Force-extraction process. "Everything's going to be okay, I promise."

* * *

><p><em>Two days later...<em>

"How in the blazes did you pull that off?" Obi-Wan asked, taking a seat across from his desk.

"Pull what off?" Anakin asked cautiously; he hadn't heard the outcome yet.

"You got a Hutt Lord to join the Galactic Republic," Obi-Wan told him. "That's not been done, in the history of - _ever,_" he admitted, blinking in astonishment. "The Council is calling you The Negotiator With No Fear."

_The Negotiator With No Brains is more like it,_ Anakin thought, unconvinced. "So... it actually worked?"

"Yes," Obi-Wan confessed. "We've made an arrangement with Jabba; Owen has agreed to film an episode on Tatooine in three weeks, when Han is scheduled to be released from the carbonite," he told Anakin. "No one will suspect anything is amiss, during the filming; but as soon as everyone is safely away, Jabba will sign the treaty. And then _you_ will go in and take over the planet," he added with a meaningful look, as Anakin nodded in understanding.

"There will be some resistance on Tatooine itself - and utter chaos throughout the Outer Rim," Obi-Wan warned him. "Most of the other planets along the Southern Rim will quickly ally with Gardulla; a few of the smaller ones might join the Republic, and ask for our protection. But whatever else happens, we will hold Tatooine," he conceded. "It's by far the most important tactical base in the Southern Rim, and one that Gardulla had been counting on," he admitted, not ungrateful.

"Congratulations, Anakin," Obi-Wan said, sighing in apprehension. "You've started a war."


	200. The costume party from hell

**Chapter 200 **

_Three weeks later..._

"There will be no bargain," Jabba declared theatrically. "I will not give up my favorite decoration! I like Captain Solo where he is."

"Artoo, look," Threepio exclaimed. "Captain Solo! And he's still frozen in carbonite!"

"Ahahahahahaa!" Jabba's pet cackled maniacally, as the camera zoomed in on Han's frozen form.

"And... Cut," Owen called out, raising a hand. "Perfect! Okay, let's move on to Leia and Chewie's entrance - "

"No," Jabba interrupted him. "I want more music."

Owen nodded respectfully. "Of course... That would be great," he agreed, stepping back behind the cameras again, as the band began to play.

_Huh? _Lando blinked in confusion as the Pa'lowick diva flirted shamelessly with a nearby hovercam, making sure it got a point-blank view of her long, lipsticked snout. _I seriously don't remember this part from when I was a kid._ Not to be outdone, her hyperactive, furry brown Yuzzum band-mate scampered straight across the room now, right up to the main camera to give the viewers a close-up of his tonsils. _This is terrible... Come on, Owen. Cut this crap._

"Cut," Owen said, managing a polite smile. "Thank you all; great job, that was terrific. Now, let's move on to Leia and Chewie's entrance - "

"No," Jabba said. "Now I want to play with my slave girl."

Owen sighed, nodding. "Yes, of course. Let's get a shot of you doing that."

_Now THIS, I remember,_ Lando thought, grinning in amusement behind his palace guard mask as Jabba and his Twi'lek slave played a game of tug-of-war. But a moment later Jabba accidentally hit the lever to the trap door, and the girl shrieked, falling down into the pit below.

"Hahahaha," Jabba laughed. "Unleash the Rancor!"

"No! Cut! Cut!" Owen exclaimed, waving anxiously. "Jabba, you can't actually do that on the show," he reminded him. "There are rules; we can't use footage if anyone is seriously injured, or killed."

"Ohhhhh." Jabba pouted. "Well... Open the gate a little, so it _looks_ like she got killed."

"Fine; that will work," Owen agreed, nodding. "Let's get a shot of that... Great! And now, let's bring in Leia and Chewie - "

"Wait," Jabba interrupted again, frowning in disapproval. "My snack bowl is empty."

_This is going to take all day,_ Lando sighed, as more snack critters were brought in, and Jabba's snack bowl was replenished. But finally Leia and Chewbacca made their entrance, and proceeded to film a dramatic scene in which Leia - disguised as a bounty hunter - threatened Jabba with a thermal detonator.

"Ho ho ho ho ho ho," Jabba laughed heartily. "This bounty hunter is my kind of scum," he declared. "Fearless and inventive." He struck a deal with Leia, and Chewbacca was hauled off to the dungeon, roaring and wailing in protest.

"And - cut! Terrific job everyone... We're almost ready to wrap it up for the night," Owen said appreciatively. "Now if I could just - "

"Wait!" Jabba interrupted his mouth full, as critter juice dribbled down his chin. "We need more music."

"Yes, of course," Owen agreed. "I was just about to say - we should get a few more close-ups of the band members."

Lando chuckled in amusement as Owen diplomatically took some close-ups of the band members, before quietly going about his _real_ business, and documenting the main characters in this scene. He got a shot of Leia and Threepio speaking with Bib Fortuna, and then one of Boba Fett against the far wall; but now he blinked in confusion, looking around the room. He whispered something to his assistant, who shrugged apologetically, shaking his head.

_Yeah... They're looking for me,_ Lando sighed, waving to them now. _Over here..._

Owen nodded in acknowledgement, coming over to speak to him. "Hi... You had a question?"

"Uh... I just thought you might want to get a close-up of me," Lando replied cautiously. _Pulling my mask down, like a total idiot..._

"Oh; of course," Owen nodded politely, waving his cameraman over. "Can I get your name, for the credits?" he asked, pulling out his notepad.

_Well at least this explains it. _"Sure... it's Lando Calrissian - "

"Lando!" Owen blinked, caught off guard. "Ah - sorry, I didn't recognize you," he confessed, grinning. "I was just looking for you; we need to get a quick shot of you escorting Chewie to the dungeon." But now he peered at him, frowning critically. "Actually - I think that disguise might be a little _too_ good," Owen admitted. "Would you mind pulling your mask down a little bit, so we can get a close-up of your face? I want to make sure people realize you're in this scene."

_I knew he was going to say that._ But it was pointless to argue over something that was destined to happen anyway, so he simply nodded, as Chewie was brought back out for another take. Lando helped escort him back to the dungeon, then lingered at the tunnel entrance, adopting a mysterious expression as he gazed into the camera.

_Hi everybody,_ he sighed, pulling his mask down for no logical reason whatsoever. _In case you were wondering... It's me._

* * *

><p><em>Early the next morning...<em>

_Huh?_ Han roused momentarily, vaguely aware that he'd fallen out of bed, and was now lying face-down on the floor. _Must've gotten pretty drunk last night... Mmmmm,_ he sighed, drifting back to sleep. But now someone was hauling him upright, trying to wake him up. _Go away,_ he thought grumpily. _I'm sleeping._

_Crap, I don't feel so good,_ Han confessed, shuddering. _Ugh... Worst hangover ever..._

"Just relax for a moment," came a strange-sounding voice, as gentle hands caressed him. _Okay, sweetheart,_ Han agreed, trying to blink awake. _Gah, I feel kind of sick..._ But he took heart in the fact that for the first time in his life, he hadn't woken up _alone. _

_Did I get lucky last night?_ Han wondered groggily; could it be possible that the curse was lifted, and he was no longer a virgin? But suddenly the thought made him feel even _more_ sick. _I don't even remember what happened,_ he admitted, his heart sinking. _And I wanted it to be with Leia, not - whoever you are..._

"You're free of the carbonite," his new girlfriend told him; she had the gravelly morning voice of a heavy smoker, and he shuddered to think what she _looked_ like. Then he blinked worriedly. _Carbonite... what?_ It was used to make handcuffs, among other things... _Crap, what sort of kinky stuff did we do last night?_ He also became suddenly aware of the fact that he couldn't see anything. _What the - ?_ He rubbed his eyes, waving his hand in front of his face, but - _nothing..._

"You have hibernation sickness," his lady friend explained.

_What the hell is hibernation sickness?_ "I can't see," Han admitted worriedly. _Did we do some kind of crazy drugs?_

"Your eyesight will return in time," she told him.

_Okay; good..._ "Where are we?" Han asked; he seriously couldn't remember a thing about last night.

"Jabba's palace," his girlfriend croaked; her gravelly voice was starting to get on his nerves.

_All right; nothing to worry about,_ Han told himself, trying not to panic. Jabba was known to throw some pretty wild parties, and obviously things had gotten a little out of hand. _Just act casual,_ he resolved, reaching out to stroke his new girlfriend's hair. But she didn't seem to _have_ hair; his hand touched something cold and metallic where her face should have been, and he gasped in alarm. _What the hell did I sleep with?_

"Who are you?" Han asked, gulping apprehensively.

"Someone who loves you," came a familiar voice.

"Leia," Han gasped in relief as she kissed him. _Ahh, don't trick me like that..._ Obviously there had been some kind of costume party here at Jabba's palace, but at least Leia was here with him. _Does this mean we slept together?_ he wondered, hopeful and dismayed at the same time._ I can't even remember..._

"I gotta get you out of here," Leia said, helping him to his feet.

_Yeah,_ Han agreed wearily, struggling to stand up; he felt sweaty, and clammy, and in desperate need of a hot shower.

"Ho ho ho ho ho ho ho," came a deep, hearty laugh, from somewhere nearby.

"What's that?" Han asked hesitantly; obviously it was Jabba, but what was he laughing _at?_ _Hopefully not me,_ Han sighed; Leia was wearing some kind of weird, bulky metallic costume, and he dared not imagine what _he_ was wearing. "I know that laugh," he sighed dismally. _That's Jabba's 'You-owe-me-money' laugh._

"Hey, Jabba," Han said, gesturing blindly as Leia helpfully turned him in the right direction. "Look, Jabba - I was just on my way to pay you back," he assured him. _I think? _"And I got a little sidetracked," he admitted vaguely. _I may have even gotten lucky with Leia. _"It's not my fault," he protested. _I think someone spiked the Jawa juice..._

"It's too late for that, Solo," Jabba replied ominously, in Huttese. "You may have been a good smuggler - "

_What?_ Han blinked, suddenly alarmed. _This is more serious than I thought... _

" - But now you're Bantha fodder," Jabba informed him, as his minions cackled gleefully.

_Crap, what did I do?_ Han wondered; he honestly couldn't remember. "Look - "

"Take him away," Jabba commanded his guards.

"Jabba - I'll pay you triple," Han blurted out desperately, trying to reason with him. "You're throwing away a fortune here... Don't be a fool!"

_Yeah, he's in a bad mood, _Han sighed, as the guards hauled him off to the dungeon. Jabba had never been a morning person, and who knew how the spiked Jawa juice had affected him. _This'll be all right,_ he tried to tell himself, as he was thrown into a dank, wet dungeon cell.

But then he heard an ominous, snorting growl nearby. _Crap, what is that?_ But something about it sounded familiar... "Chewie?" Han asked hopefully. "Chewie, is that you?"

_"Han!" _Chewbacca roared anxiously, hugging him. "_Yes, it's me: Chewbacca,"_ he confirmed, shaking him gently. _"Do you remember me?"_

"Chewie!" Han laughed. _Of course I remember you; I just..._ "I can't see pal," he confessed. "What's going on?"

_"We're filming for SITH,"_ Chewie said, as Han blinked in surprise. _What... now?_ _"Don't worry, everything's okay,"_ he assured him. _"Luke's going to rescue us."_

"Luke?" Han laughed. _Oh, this morning just keeps getting better,_ he thought, realizing there was probably a hovercam in his face right now. _And if I'm THIS messed up, I don't even want to imagine what that Jawa juice did to Luke. _"Luke's crazy," he warned Chewie, simultaneously amused and disoriented. _He's probably passed out in a ditch somewhere. _"He can't even take care of himself, much less rescue anybody."

_"No... Luke will be here,"_ Chewbacca insisted stubbornly. _"He's a real Jedi Knight now. I mean - even on the show,"_ he explained.

"A Jedi Knight?" Han laughed, shaking his head. _When the hell did that happen?_ "I'm out of it for a little while, and everybody gets delusions of grandeur." _Gah..._ He gulped, fighting a wave of nausea as Chewbacca held him. _I'm never going to one of Jabba's parties again._

_"Han,"_ Chewie moaned worriedly, running a furry paw through his hair. _"Are you okay?"_

_I think so..._ Han squinted uncertainly; his eyesight seemed to be returning, and he could almost see the vague, blurry light of the hovercam in their shadowy cell. "I'm all right, pal," he assured Chewbacca, patting him on the arm. "I'm all right."

* * *

><p><em>You've got to be kidding me,<em> Leia sighed, changing into a gold metallic bikini in the dancers' lounge. Her father had warned her that part of Jabba's agreement to join the Republic had hinged on the stipulation that she read his poetry on the show. _But he didn't say I was going to have to wear THIS,_ she cringed, glancing at herself in the mirror.

"Here, Milady - you need more makeup," one of the dancers told her, assaulting her with powdery brushes and eyeliner pencils.

"No, really - I'm okay," Leia protested; but it was of no use, and she sighed, allowing them to do their jobs. _Dad was wise not to tell me the name of the official who negotiated this arrangement,_ Leia seethed, marching out to film her poetry reading with Jabba. _If I knew who put me up to this, I would probably shoot him._

"Leia! You're here," Owen exclaimed, trying not to stare.

Leia nodded, stepping up onto Jabba's giant hovering platform. "I'm ready," she said bravely. _Let's get this over with._

"Terrific," Owen nodded appreciatively, stepping back behind the cameras. "And... _Action._"

"Hold me," Leia pleaded, raising her arms in a gesture of embrace.

But Jabba just blinked, a troubled frown on his face.

_Gah, I forgot; he's too fat to move..._ Leia stepped closer, trying again. "Hold me," she said, pressing herself against his bloated stomach and trying desperately not to cringe from the smell of the foul green ooze dripping from his lower lip.

"No," Jabba said, frowning.

"The mighty Jabba says _'no'_," Threepio translated helpfully.

_Yeah, I got that..._ Leia blinked, baffled. _Did I just get rejected by a Hutt?_

"He doesn't want to do this," Threepio continued, translating for Jabba. "He says - he doesn't want anyone to think the two of you are... _involved._"

_Trust me, neither do I,_ Leia sighed; but it was part of Jabba's agreement to join the Republic, and she feared he was having second thoughts about signing the treaty this afternoon. "Jabba, you _promised,_" she reminded him; by all accounts, he had always prided himself in being a Hutt of his word.

"The great Jabba says that he agreed for you to read his poetry on the show," Threepio translated. "He didn't specify that you would read it to _him._"

Owen gave Jabba a questioning look. "Would you rather she read it to someone else?"

Jabba replied in Huttese, as Threepio listened patiently. "He says he wants Mistress Leia to read it to Captain Solo, instead."

_Oh, good,_ Leia sighed, stepping down from the platform. Her heart fluttered once again; she was still overwhelmed with relief that Han was all right.

"But he doesn't want her to do it _here,_" Threepio added. "His High Exaltedness says it should be recited someplace - faraway... and - romantic."

"Well... We're filming on Endor next week," Owen suggested, glancing at Leia; they'd been planning an episode to showcase HOPE's efforts in helping the Ewoks to build an effective planetary defense system. "Would it be all right if she reads it to him then?"

"His Excellency agrees to your terms," Threepio translated, as Jabba nodded in satisfaction.

_Thank goodness,_ Leia sighed, returning to the dancers' lounge to change back into her own clothes.

"Oh - Mistress Leia! Wait," Threepio called after her, waving his golden arms. _Aaghh... What is it now?_ "The great Jabba the Hutt requests that you play the part of - oh dear," Threepio murmured, as Jabba chuckled in quiet amusement. "His new slave girl," he translated reluctantly.

Leia rolled her eyes; her father had warned her that Jabba could be temperamental, and that appeasing him in small, petty matters such as this could be the deciding factor in whether Tatooine would soon be controlled by the Jedi, or Gardulla. And with Naboo only a few parsecs away, she didn't want to take any chances. "Fine," she sighed, returning to Jabba's hovering platform and taking a seat beside him, as the guards attached a chain around her neck. _Let's just get this over with._

* * *

><p>"So let me get this straight," Han said in a low voice, blinking in utter confusion. "I've been frozen in carbonite for a year; we're filming for <em>SITH<em> today; Jabba's about to join the Republic... and the Jedi are taking over Tatooine?"

_"That's the plan,"_ Chewbacca agreed quietly. _"Skywalker's waiting nearby with half of Border Patrol - "_ He broke off as they heard the sound of footsteps out in the hallway. _"It's the SITH medic,"_ he told Han, as their prison door creaked open again.

"Han - good news," the medic said, joining them in their cell. "Your blood test came back clear; no trace of TESB," he told him. "Let's check your vision again... Can you see this light?" he asked hopefully, shining a flashlight into Han's eyes.

"Yeah," Han said, following the hazy white light as it moved around.

"Good," the medic said, switching it off again. "No worries; you're going to be okay."

_"Hooooorrrraaaaayyyyyy!"_ Chewbacca roared exuberantly, grabbing Han in a fierce Wookiee hug. _Easy, pal..._

"You know, you guys don't have to wait in here," the medic pointed out. "There are refreshments upstairs in the lounge."

"Okay, we'll be there in a minute," Han told him, waving appreciatively. He waited as the footsteps retreated, then turned back to Chewie. "So... What about Leia?" he asked quietly. "How has she been?"

_"Oh; good,"_ Chewbacca replied vaguely; then he sighed. _"She's still engaged to Julian Organa,"_ he told Han reluctantly. _"They're getting married next month." _

Han closed his eyes; his heart ached with despair and loneliness, and he was grateful to feel Chewbacca's furry arms around him. _"I'm sorry, Han,"_ Chewie moaned commiseratively, stroking his hair in an effort to console him.

"No; it's okay," Han insisted, nodding bravely. "That's good," he gulped, trying to hide his misery.

_So I've been frozen for a year,_ he recounted, trying to make sense of all this. _There was no wild party last night, and Leia was only acting when she kissed me,_ he realized, sighing unhappily. _I'm a thirty-two year old virgin..._ Han hung his head, resigning himself to his fate. _And now I'll probably be one forever._


	201. The Rancor and the Sarlacc

**Chapter 201**

Luke entered Jabba's palace, walking quietly through the dimly-lit hallway, his black cloak trailing behind him. Black was the unofficial uniform of Border Patrol these days, and Luke wore it proudly, knowing that the trend had been set by his own father.

_The war begins today,_ Luke realized, steadying his nerves. Anakin and Mara were hiding on the dark side of one of Tatooine's moons right now, along with half of Border Patrol. Luke would join them in the initial battle to take over the planet, though they hoped much of it could be done peacefully. Jabba himself would announce his decision to join the Republic after today's filming, and issue a mandate for all residents to welcome the their new Jedi protectors.

Jabba had assured Republic officials that his own employees would put up no resistance. But the Jedi did not share his optimism, and Luke cast a wary glance at the two Gamorrean guards who moved to block his path now, crossing their halberds in front of his face. Gamorreans were notoriously pig-headed and stubborn, and resistant to mind tricks; but Luke was curious to test his abilities. He had been studying with Master Obi-Wan every weekend these past several months, and he gestured subtly to the guards now, willing them to step aside, and let him pass.

To his surprise, they not only stepped aside, but stumbled back against the walls, clutching their hands to their chests in a gesture of obedience. _Huh?_ Luke blinked, startled by this dramatic result. _I'm not THAT good..._ But now he sensed their amusement, and laughed quietly as the Gamorreans bowed before him. _Oh, you guys were faking._

"Greeting, Jedi," one of the Gamorreans said, in heavily-accented Basic. "Me Grunk," he introduced himself. "Him Torrkra."

"Hello," Luke replied in Huttese, bowing. "I'm Luke Starkiller."

"You speak Huttese?" Grunk asked hopefully. Luke nodded; unlike ancient Coruscanti, it was a relatively simple language, and he'd picked up quite a bit of it since serving on Border Patrol these past eleven months. "Oh, good," Grunk said, relieved. "Come with me; we're doing the Rancor stunt together."

_They seem friendly,_ Luke noted, following Grunk and Torrkra through the hallway. _Maybe the takeover won't be as bad as we thought._ There would be serious legal issues to deal with, in converting Tatooine to Republic law; slavery and spice trading would be abolished, among other things. But Luke's own task today was to help transport Jabba's pet Rancor back to its home planet of Dathomir, since Rancors were a protected species within the Republic, and it was illegal to keep them as pets.

Grunk led him into a private chamber now, where they met with an animal control expert from the Coruscant Zoo, along with Owen Lars, and Malakili - a burly, half-dressed man who had served as Jabba's Rancor keeper for the past fifteen years. They discussed their plans for the Rancor stunt; then Luke headed back out to the hallway, continuing toward Jabba's audience chamber.

He was accosted by Jabba's assistant. "You're not welcome here, Skywalker," the Twi'lek informed him, in Huttese. "Jabba won't bargain with you."

"I must speak with Jabba," Luke insisted calmly.

"He's sleeping," Bib Fortuna told him. "Jabba doesn't want to talk to you. No bargain."

Luke gestured to him subtly. "You will take me to Jabba now."

Fortuna blinked. "I will take you to Jabba now," he parroted back in Huttese, mimicking Luke's gesture.

_Heh..._ "You serve your master well," Luke told him, as the Twi'lek stupidly repeated in Huttese. "And you will be rewarded." _Jabba was right,_ he realized, following Fortuna into the audience chamber. _These guys couldn't put up much of a resistance, even if they tried._ But now he blinked in surprise, noticing Leia - who was chained to Jabba's corpulent, slumbering form, wearing a gold metal bikini. _Was that the plan?_

"Master," Bib Fortuna announced, as Jabba blinked awake. "This is Luke Skywalker, Jedi Knight."

Jabba frowned grumpily. "I told you not to admit him."

"I must be allowed to speak," Luke insisted.

"He must be allowed to speak," Fortuna repeated, in Huttese.

"Ohhhh!" Jabba roared. "You weak-minded fool," he reproached the Twi'lek, shoving him away. "He's using and old Jedi mind trick!"

Luke pulled his hood down, concentrating all of his focus on Jabba. "You will bring Captain Solo and the Wookiee to me." _Wow... Nope; nothing,_ he admitted, impressed by the Hutt's legendary mental fortitude. _Maybe if I offer him an ice cream sundae...?_

"Ho ho ho ho ho ho," Jabba laughed. "Your mind powers will not work on me, boy."

"Nevertheless," Luke said, enlisting Jabba's minions to back him up. "I'm taking Captain Solo and his friends. You can either profit by this, or be destroyed," he told Jabba. "It's your choice, but I warn you not to underestimate my powers."

"Master Luke!" Threepio interjected worriedly. "You're standing on - " _Yeah, I know._ Grunk was subtly moving closer as well, in preparation for their Rancor stunt.

"There will be no bargain, young Jedi," Jabba declared. "I shall enjoy watching you die."

_Here we go..._ Luke Force-pulled a blaster from one of the guards, and Jabba hit the lever to the trap door, sending Luke and Grunk down into the pit below. They watched in horror as the heavy durasteel gate lifted, and the Rancor emerged, advancing upon them slowly.

Grunk squealed loudly, getting the beast's attention. _He's brave,_ Luke admitted, as the Gamorrean frantically climbed up into a small tunnel, struggling against the iron grating. Grunk had done this dozens of times before; Jabba was under the impression that he had a small army of dispensable Gamorrean underlings, and had been feeding them to the Rancor for years. But in truth, there were only two left now. Grunk and Torrkra looked after each other, and knew exactly what to do.

Torrkra quickly opened the grating, hauling Grunk out; then he threw in a bundle of clothing, filled with Bantha meat. They'd pulled this stunt countless times before, but today the Bantha meat was laced with sedatives, to prepare the Rancor for his journey to Dathomir.

Luke watched as the Rancor devoured the meat-filled decoy. Supposedly the sedative was fast-acting, and Luke prepared to gesture dramatically, as if mind-tricking the beast to sleep. Rancors were immune to mind control, since they had barely any cognitive functioning to begin with; but hopefully the sedatives would do the job.

_Or maybe not,_ Luke thought worriedly, as the Rancor turned to him next, not looking the least bit sleepy. _Great..._ But the animal control expert had prepared for this eventuality, and now Luke picked up a large Bantha femur from the dungeon floor. It had been fitted with a tranquilizer dart; Luke held his ground warily as the creature advanced upon him. _I just need to get it into his mouth..._ The Rancor grabbed him in his clawed hand, and Luke aimed carefully, wedging the bone between its open jaws, and making sure the tranquilizer dart went into its soft gums.

_That should do it,_ Luke hoped, slipping out from the Rancor's grasp and wedging himself beneath a rocky outcropping. The beast roared angrily, chomping down and shattering the femur in its jaws; but still the creature advanced upon him, slowly and deliberately. _Wow, that thing is tough._ It was reaching a clawed hand toward Luke now, and he grabbed a nearby rock, smacking its bony fingers.

The Rancor reeled in pain; Luke seized this opportunity to run between its legs, across the pit toward the gate. _Sorry, Malakili,_ he thought, seeing the Rancor keeper's obvious dismay as he struggled against the iron grating. The burly, soft-hearted man had begged him to only use this tactic as a last resort; but the sedatives and tranquilizers seemed to have had no effect whatsoever, and Luke was running out of ideas.

_I hate to do this,_ Luke sighed, gazing at the controls to the heavy durasteel gate. Apparently the dungeon guards had done it many times before - usually to save each other, when Jabba had impulsively sentenced one of them to death. The Rancor's skull was extremely thick, and its brain extremely tiny; dropping the gate on its head would knock it out for a few hours, but aside from minor lacerations - and a whopping headache the next day - the creature would suffer no serious injury.

_But maybe a mind trick would work, now that it's sedated?_ Luke had learned some advanced empathic techniques from Ralek Snotsucker, though he didn't possess the Anzati's innate talents. _It's worth a try, though,_ he decided, focusing his concentration on the Rancor. _I'm not the breakfast you're looking for,_ he thought, probing the creature's mind; but it was of no use. The Rancor truly didn't seem to _have_ a mind, and continued to advance upon Luke, infuriated.

_Damn it..._ Sighing unhappily, Luke picked up a large rock from the dusty floor, hurling it at the controls. A moment later the heavy durasteel gate dropped onto the Rancor's head; it yelped in pain, then snuffled pathetically, passing out. _Gah, I'm sorry..._

"Bring me Solo and the Wookiee!" Jabba roared, from the audience chamber above. "They will all suffer for this outrage!"

Malakili rushed through the door now, a worried expression on his face. "He'll be all right," Luke assured him, sensing the Rancor's strong life-force. "I'm sorry," he added, giving him an apologetic look. "He's just unconscious; he'll be fine," Luke promised.

Malakili nodded bravely, though he was fighting tears. "I know."

"And I'm sure he'll be happy to have a friend with him on Dathomir," Luke added appreciatively. Malakili would be accompanying the Rancor to his home planet, to help him adjust to his new surroundings. Again, Malakili nodded, gulping; but as he approached the unconscious beast, he broke into tears, sobbing helplessly as one of the other dungeon guards put an arm around him, leading him back outside.

_Well... At least he's been well cared-for,_ Luke sighed, helping the animal control team to load the unconscious creature onto an awaiting transport, in preparation for its journey home to Dathomir. _Be well,_ he thought regretfully, placing a gentle hand on the Rancor's head. _Enjoy your new life._

* * *

><p><em>Several minutes later...<em>

"I think my eyes are getting better," Han said, squinting as they flew across the Dune Sea. "Instead of a big dark blur, I see a big light blur."

"There's nothing to see," Luke told him. "I used to live here, you know."

"You're gonna die here, you know," Han pointed out wryly. "Convenient."

_He's taking all this in stride,_ Luke thought, impressed by Han's casual acceptance of the situation. Han was still half-blind, and no doubt disoriented after a year in carbon freeze, but didn't seem the least bit shocked by any of this. _He's a Solo; his entire life has been insane. This is nothing to him. _"Just stick close to Chewie and Lando," Luke reminded him. "I've taken care of everything."

"Oh," Han replied sarcastically, unconvinced. "Great."

Luke laughed quietly, as they continued out toward the Pit of Carkoon. _The one thing that might go wrong with this stunt is YOU._ Chewbacca was supposed to get shot early on, whereupon Han would kneel beside him, bandaging his knee and staying safely out of the way; but Luke had his doubts as to whether that would actually happen.

They reached the Sarlacc pit, and Luke walked calmly out onto the gangplank, as Jabba sentenced them to death. Now a guard moved to prod him into the pit, and Luke jumped down, grabbing the gangplank and somersaulting back up onto the transport, catching the lightsaber that Artoo launched toward him.

_So far, so good,_ Luke thought, slashing at the guards, as some of them fell dramatically into the pit. Apparently this was a frequent occurrence here on Tatooine; all of Jabba's employees had been sent to the Sarlacc at one point or another. The sand was soft, and the Sarlacc even softer, though it enjoyed tickling its victims, and gently licking them with its dry tongue.

But now he heard an anxious yelp, and looked down to see Lando dangling from a rope. "Help!"

_Crap, that wasn't supposed to happen..._ Boba Fett was rocketing onto their transport now, and Luke quickly slashed through his fake blaster. _Now what?_ He was supposed to jump across to the other transport, leaving Lando to fight Boba, but obviously that wasn't happening.

Now Boba decided to improvise, shooting his retractor cable around _Luke_ instead. _Gah... You're supposed to be doing this to Lando,_ Luke grumbled, extracting himself from the winding cable. But at least Han was on task, staying out of the action and tending to Chewie's injured leg.

"Han! Chewie!" Lando yelled, still dangling helplessly from a rope beneath their transport.

_Great... _Luke peered over at the other transport, where half a dozen guards were continuing to shoot at them. _It isn't believable that they keep missing us, _he admitted. _I'd better get over there._ Boba was lying face-down on the deck now, and Luke quickly decided the situation had been dealt with. _Boba's dead; Han and Chewie will manage to pull Lando up... Everything's under control,_ Luke hoped, jumping across to the other transport to take out the rest of the guards.

But now he heard _another_ anxious yelp, and looked over to see Boba Fett rocketing through the air toward Jabba's sail barge. He crashed against the hull, then fell down into the Sarlacc pit. _Well THAT wasn't supposed to happen,_ Luke sighed, continuing to fight the guards. Now Han had somehow fallen off the transport as well, and was dangling precariously by his boots, as Chewbacca frantically tried to hold onto him. _Good grief... I forgot how massively wrong everything goes, when Han is around._

Luke jumped across to Jabba's sail barge, heaving another guard into the pit as he climbed up to the deck. Igniting his green lightsaber, he began fighting against the gunmen. Thankfully Leia had managed to keep to the script, and joined him now on the deck. "Grab the gun!" Luke yelled to her. "Point it at the deck!"

_And now for my close-up..._ "Ahhh!" Luke yelled, feeling a mild sting against his hand as one of the guards shot at him. Owen gestured from behind the camera, as an effects technician hurried onto the scene, fitting Luke's hand with a piece of singed metal and wires. _Heh, that's pretty cool..._ The fans had been disappointed with his life-like robotic hand, and had been wanting to see something more dramatic-looking for months now.

"Come on!" Luke yelled to Leia, grabbing onto a sail rope with one hand, and holding her carefully in the other. _Please don't kiss me this time..._ He kicked the gun trigger, then swung across the pit to the awaiting transport. "Let's go," he told the others. "And don't forget the droids."

"We're on our way," Lando said, with an exhilarated grin. They picked up Artoo and Threepio from the nearby sand dune, then sped away from Jabba's sail barge - which would explode in a dazzling ball of flame, once Owen added the special effects.

"And... Cut," Owen announced over the loudspeaker, as the sail barge caught up with them. "That's a wrap for today... Thanks everyone, you did great." Two of Jabba's guards boarded the other transport now, heading back toward the Sarlacc pit to rescue their less-fortunate colleagues. "All right; let's head back to Mos Eisley," Owen told the others. "We're running a little late for this afternoon's shoot on Geonosis, so we'll need to leave right away."

Luke nodded; in reality there _was_ no shoot on Geonosis this afternoon, but the _SITH_ crew and guest actors needed to evacuate the planet quickly, before Jabba signed the treaty, and all manner of chaos broke loose. Luke could sense Anakin and Mara just beyond Tatooine's atmosphere; the Jedi fleet had mobilized, and was ready to swoop down and take over the planet as soon as they received the signal.

Steadying his nerves, Luke carefully switched his lightsaber back to its full-power setting. _Playtime is over,_ he realized, sharing a knowing glance with Lando and Chewbacca, who were quietly re-loading their own weapons as well. _The Hutt War begins today_.


	202. The Return of JEDI

**Chapter 202**

_Four days later..._

"I don't think he's coming," Cliegg admitted regretfully, giving Anakin's stunt double an appreciative nod. "Let's do this."

Rory Kellen nodded, pulling his black mask down over his face. Rory had been standing in as Darth Vader for the past twenty-two years, whenever Anakin had been busy with his _real_ Jedi work; and now that war had broken out across the Outer Rim, it was doubtful that Anakin would be able to spare much time for filming at all, in the foreseeable future.

_I hope he's all right, _Cliegg sighed, stepping back behind the camera as Rory marched through the Death Star's main hangar, past two legions of Stormtroopers. So far the Jedi seemed to be holding strong in this fledgling war; they had taken Tatooine, and were managing to protect a dozen other small planets which had chosen to join the Republic four days ago, after Jabba had signed the treaty.

Gardulla had claimed the _rest_ of the Outer Rim, however, and the Jedi were now spread far too thin, trying to be in a hundred places at once. And wherever the danger had been greatest, Anakin had been there, leading an elite division of Jedi Border Patrol's most experienced and talented fighter pilots into the thick of battle.

_He promised he'd be here today though,_ Cliegg admitted worriedly. He'd spoken with Anakin just a few hours ago; Anakin had calmly assured him that he'd stop by the Death Star today for filming, insisting that it was no problem at all. But Cliegg had heard the nonstop barrage of blaster fire in the background - as well as the distinct hum of a lightsaber at point blank range, causing tell-tale static feedback over the transmitter - and knew that the situation was far less 'under control' than Anakin was claiming.

He was also concerned about the rumors he'd heard on the HoloNet: according to unofficial reports, Anakin had been wounded three days ago, while leading an attack in the Zhar system. The Jedi Council had denied these rumors, assuring the public that their fearless war leader had _not_ in fact taken an electrostaff to the chest, nor had he collapsed to the ground in shock, and lost his lightsaber - on the second day of battle - to a minor henchman of the Nar Shaddaa Mafia.

But eyewitnesses claimed otherwise, and Cliegg sighed, praying that these reports were false. Not that he was seriously concerned for Anakin's health; Jedi were famous for their resilience, and Anakin had gone on to lead four other major victories since then. But the whispers had struck a blow to public morale, and civilians across the galaxy were suddenly faced with the frightening reality that the Jedi were heavily outmatched in this conflict, and that soon Gardulla would reorganize her efforts, perhaps even striking at Republic planets.

_Anakin's the best we've got,_ Cliegg realized. _We need him out there fighting this war, not here filming for SITH._ He gestured subtly to Rory now; the Emperor's shuttle had just touched down in the docking bay, and Rory knelt humbly as Sidious emerged, descending the ramp slowly with the aid of his walking stick.

"Rise, my friend," Palpatine said, as they began walking back through the hangar together.

"The Death Star will be completed on schedule," Rory assured him; but now they both turned in surprise as another ship suddenly entered the hangar, at an alarming rate of speed. It was a yellow Jedi Starfighter, covered in blast burns and looking decidedly worse for wear; but the cockpit opened with a familiar hiss as it touched down neatly in a corner of the hangar.

"Sorry I'm late," Anakin said, striding quickly toward them; he cast an apologetic glance at Cliegg, then at Palpatine, and Rory.

"Anakin! No, don't worry about it," Cliegg assured him, with a surprised grin. "I'm amazed you could make it at all... How have you been?"

"Fine," Anakin replied, bristling slightly at the question; there was a hardness to his face that Cliegg hadn't seen before. "So what are we doing here?"

Cliegg patted his back reassuringly. "Suit up; I'll explain it to you," he said, as the costume team approached to help Anakin into his Vader outfit.

* * *

><p><em>A few minutes later...<em>

_Ooof,_ Anakin winced, kneeling before the Emperor and trying to ignore the sharp pain in his knee. _That really hurts._

"Rise, my friend," Palpatine said, with a magnanimous gesture.

_Yep; no problem..._ Anakin stood up, pretending that his knee wasn't a swollen, black-and-blue mess, as it had been for the past three days. He was fairly certain it wasn't broken; just bruised and tender - and thankfully _walking_ felt a whole lot better than _kneeling._ But in any case, the pain itself didn't trouble him nearly as much as his confusion over how it had happened.

Well, the _how_ was obvious; he'd taken an electrostaff to the chest three days earlier, and had collapsed to the rocky ground in momentary shock - smashing his knee rather spectacularly in the process. But the real question was _why_ it had happened to begin with. Everything had been going just fine, until suddenly he'd gotten jolted with ten thousand volts of electricity, out of nowhere... _Why didn't I see it coming?_ Anakin asked himself again, furrowing his brows in concern.

Even worse, a similar incident had happened just yesterday, during a space battle just outside Lok. He'd suddenly found himself caught off guard, confused and disoriented amidst the chaos of laser fire and missiles all around him. He'd managed to quickly regain control, but his yellow Starfighter had taken quite a beating. It was pathetic, and embarrassing.

_I need to pay better attention,_ Anakin scolded himself, walking slowly beside Palpatine through the hangar. Focus problems were nothing new to him, after all. He'd zoned out like that thousands of times in the past - though usually in the library, when he'd been trying to study. Never before had it happened to him during combat; but then again, they'd never actually been at _war_ until now. _It'll be fine,_ Anakin told himself stubbornly, as he'd been doing for the past three days. _I'm just a little stressed out, that's all._

Still, another concern was beginning to nag at him. His attention and focus problems were the result of brain damage that he'd suffered at birth; but was it possible that his symptoms were getting worse with age? Anakin had recently turned forty-five; he hated to admit it, but several times over the past month he'd experienced faint muscle tremors -

_No, I haven't,_ he told himself once again, frowning. _This isn't happening._ It _couldn't_ be happening; there was a war going on, and Anakin simply didn't have time to be sick, or brain-damaged, or whatever the hell was wrong with him. Besides, it was probably nothing. How many times had Obi-Wan lectured him as a padawan - for being a pouty, sulking drama queen, taking everything to heart, and blowing even the most insignificant of problems way out of proportion?

_It's all in my imagination,_ Anakin told himself. After all, there were plenty of perfectly ordinary explanations for muscle tremors. Too much coffee, for example - which could very well explain both his physical jitters, as well as his anxiety and paranoia over the whole situation. As for his lapses in attention... Anakin sighed unhappily, guessing at the cause of that as well. _I've been lazy and undisciplined, and lost my mental focus._ It had been over a year since he'd become a Master, and he hadn't bothered with any kind of academic pursuits since then. _A Jedi must have the deepest commitment; the most serious mind..._ He'd heard those words countless times as a youngling, but not until now did he understand their true meaning.

_Fine,_ he resolved, as he continued through the hangar beside Palpatine. _I'll cut back on the caffeine, and read a book now and then..._

"Anakin?"

_Huh?_ Anakin blinked, realizing they'd made it halfway through the hangar, with no dialogue. _Crap, I zoned out again..._ "Sorry," he apologized, to Cliegg. "I'm just - distracted," he confessed, as Palpatine chuckled in amusement, patting him on the shoulder as they returned to their starting place near his Imperial shuttle.

"Heh... I can't imagine why," Cliegg said, his eyes twinkling good-naturedly. "No worries; let's just try that again."

"Uh - with the kneeling, or - ?" Anakin asked hesitantly. _Please say no..._

"No, no - just from your line... 'The Death Star will be completed on schedule'," Cliegg reminded him. "And - _Action._"

_Thank the Force..._ "The Death Star _will_ be completed on schedule," Anakin intoned solemnly, as they began walking through the hangar once again.

"You've done well, Lord Vader," Palpatine congratulated him, his tone dripping with condescension. _Yes, I actually managed to say one line_. "And now, I sense you wish to continue your search for young Skywalker."

_Not really..._ "Yes, my Master," Anakin replied. He had managed to avoid filming with Luke since their rather disastrous duel on Bespin a year ago; but Cliegg was eager to explore their father/son storyline, and it seemed they would be working together closely on the show for the next several months. _Though Rory will probably do most of that,_ Anakin predicted; he'd barely made it here at all today, and it was unlikely he'd have much time to spare, for at least the next several weeks.

_And it's probably for the best,_ Anakin told himself. He wasn't sure exactly what Cliegg had in mind for this upcoming plot, but if it involved Vader telling Luke about his mother, and sister... _Yeah, best if Rory handles that,_ he admitted worriedly. Luke was so close to finally becoming a Master; Anakin didn't want to accidentally say - or _do_ - anything that might set him back again.

"Patience, my friend," Palpatine advised him. "In time, he will seek you out. And when he does, you must bring him before me. He has grown strong," he confessed. "Only together can we turn him to the Dark Side of the Force."

"As you wish," Anakin replied. _Heh... That's going to be pretty interesting,_ he thought, amused by the idea.

"Everything is proceeding as I have foreseen," Palpatine gloated, with a triumphant cackle.

"And... Cut," Cliegg said, raising a hand for attention. "Thanks, everyone; that's it for today," he called out loudly, as the Stormtroopers relaxed their militant formation, and began filing out toward the hallway. "So," he continued, turning back to Anakin and Palpatine. "We've got your duel with Luke tentatively scheduled for Tuesday, but we can put it off another day or two, depending on what's going on with the war," Cliegg said, giving Anakin a concerned glance. "I'll be in touch with both of you early in the week, okay?"

"Sounds good," Anakin said, pulling his visor up over his helmet. "All right, I'll see you guys Tuesday, then." He managed a confident, cheerful grin; but as he began pulling off the rest of his armor, he sighed, admitting that it was unlikely. The Jedi Council had just authorized two more tactical strikes against known Nar Shaddaa Mafia holdouts; Anakin would be leading an assault on Raxus tomorrow, and then they would begin their invasion of Kessel - which was likely to last several days, if not weeks.

_No, there's no way I'll be able to film our duel next week,_ Anakin confessed, returning to his Starfighter and wincing slightly at the pain in his knee as he climbed into the cockpit. _I'll sit the rest of this episode out... But hopefully in a few more weeks things will settle down, and it won't be quite so crazy._

* * *

><p>Cliegg sighed thoughtfully, watching as Anakin's yellow Starfighter took off. <em>He probably won't make it back for the rest of this episode.<em> Though it was nothing Rory couldn't handle; in addition to being a talented actor, he was also one of _SITH's_ main stunt coordinators, and Cliegg knew he'd do a brilliant job with the lightsaber duel.

But another worry had been nagging at him for the past few days. _This dark turn is the last thing people need right now._ Luke was supposed to be tempted by the Dark Side for the next dozen or so episodes; it was a dramatic twist that had seemed powerful and compelling when the writers had first suggested it, over a month ago. But now that the galaxy was at war, the viewers needed heroics, not this dark, depressing storyline.

_I need to rethink all of this,_ Cliegg admitted with a reluctant sigh, heading back to his office to work out a new plan.

* * *

><p><em>Two days later...<em>

"Qui-Gon!" Cliegg exclaimed, looking up from his desk in surprise. "You're here!"

The elderly Jedi bowed politely, his blue eyes twinkling. "Yes, for once I'm on time," he agreed cheerfully. "You said you needed me for a ghost scene?"

"Yes; I'm glad you could make it," Cliegg said, leading the way toward the filming studio. "What, no exotic caverns to explore?" he teased him good-naturedly.

"Actually, there are several in the Zhar system I'd very much like to study," Qui-Gon sighed, as they continued through the hallway. "But the Council has been keeping me busy with diplomatic assignments this past week," he admitted, with a regretful smile. "I'm glad to be here today. So, what is this scene about?" he asked, curious.

"Ahh..." Cliegg laughed quietly, shaking his head. "Short version: this will be the final episode of _SITH,_" he explained. "Vader and Sidious will be killed off; and starting next week, we're going back to _JEDI._"

"Are we?" Qui-Gon asked, intrigued by the idea. "So will Anakin be a Force ghost as well?"

Cliegg blinked. "I suppose so," he agreed; he hadn't quite thought that far ahead.

"Excellent," Qui-Gon nodded, beaming. "Perhaps we can get Obi-Wan back on the show as well," he added with a conspiratorial grin. Obi-Wan hadn't made an appearance in years; neither had Qui-Gon, for that matter, though in his case it was more a matter of being perpetually late, rather than consciously _trying_ to avoid it. "Though he might need some remedial acting lessons," he conceded, an amused twinkle in his eyes. "It's doubtful he could play himself nearly as well as Ben does."

"Heh... That would be... something," Cliegg agreed diplomatically, nodding. "Anyway, the plan for this episode is that Mace's band of exiled Jedi stragglers will finally team up with the Rebel Alliance," he explained, leading the way onto one of the smaller sound stages. "But for that to happen, I need you to contact Mace, and let him know how to find them." Cliegg filled him in on the details, as Qui-Gon nodded agreeably; then he stepped in front of camera, adopting a ghostly posture.

_"Maaaace,"_ Qui-Gon said, in his best dramatic, etherial voice. _"You will gooooo to the Endorrrr systemmm,"_ he informed him solemnly. _"There you will aid the Rebel Alliance, in their attack against the Death Starrrrrr,"_ he prophesied, his voice trailing off eerily.

"Perfect," Cliegg nodded, satisfied. "That should do the job."

Qui-Gon chuckled, pleased with his effort. "I should have done that years ago," he joked good-naturedly. "It would have saved them all a lot of trouble."

"Heh," Cliegg laughed wearily, admitting the Jedi Master was right. "These are all last-minute changes; it was the best idea I could come up with."

"And it will be brilliant," Qui-Gon assured him, bowing respectfully.

"Thanks, Qui-Gon," Cliegg said, as they headed back out to the hallway.

"You're very welcome," Qui-Gon replied, with a cheerful nod. "Let me know if you need me for anything else."

"Will do," Cliegg agreed, as the Jedi Master took his leave. But as he headed back to his office, he sighed worriedly. _Qui-Gon's right,_ he admitted, his brows furrowing. Mace had spent the past twenty years _trying_ to team up with the Rebel Alliance, to no avail; they were extremely adept at hiding, and had mistrusted his suspicious attempts to contact them from the very beginning. _If it were truly this easy to bring them together, it makes the last twenty years of this show look completely stupid._

_All right, then,_ Cliegg sighed, returning to his office and sitting down at his desk once again, sifting through the pages and pages of notes he had compiled for this episode. _So, how in the heck can we get Mace to join up with the Rebels, in a way that wouldn't have been possible until now...?_


	203. From a certain point of view

**Chapter 203**

_The next day..._

"That face you make," Yoda said, gazing into the fireplace. "Look I so old to young eyes?"

"No," Luke protested. "Of course not." In truth, he was far more concerned about the fact that he was here at _all_ - filming for _SITH_ on a sound stage on Geonosis, instead of back on Tatooine with Mara, helping to stabilize the Republic's newest planet. Though he had to admit that situation was well under control; Jabba had been admirably cooperative with the Senate and the Jedi Council, and those who sided with Gardulla had been routed from Tatooine a week ago, when the Jedi had assumed military control of the planet.

_And that's exactly why Master Anakin assigned us there,_ Luke guessed. He and Mara had been dismayed not to be chosen as part of Anakin's elite force of Jedi fighter pilots. It was true they were both first-year novices with Border Patrol, but somehow they had hoped their father would make a special exception for them. _But instead, he left us to keep guard on Tatooine - where NOTHING is happening,_ Luke sighed. It was obvious Anakin had given them the most boring assignment possible, so he wouldn't have to worry about them.

_Meanwhile he's charging headfirst into the worst conflicts imaginable,_ Luke thought worriedly. This was a critical time for the Jedi to show their prowess, and to break up various Nar Shaddaa Mafia holdings across the galaxy, before Gardulla had a chance to reorganize. Today Anakin was launching an attack on Kessel itself, and Luke was genuinely concerned for his father's safety. Especially considering the rumors he'd heard... But he set aside his thoughts for the moment, forcing himself to focus on the scene at hand.

"I do," Yoda insisted, with a feeble cough. "Yes, I do. Sick have I become. Old and weak." He gave Luke a reproachful look. "When nine hundred years old _you_ reach, look as good _you_ will not, hmm?" He giggled, still coughing pathetically as he hobbled across the room. "Soon will I rest. Yes... Forever sleep," Yoda said, sitting down on his bed. "Earned it I have."

"Master Yoda, you can't die," Luke protested. _That's not the plan, is it?_ According to Cliegg's memo from a few days ago, Luke was supposed to visit Yoda to receive some proper Jedi lightsaber training, in preparation for his duel with Vader later this week.

"Strong am I with the Force. But not that strong," Yoda said, handing Luke his gimer stick. "Twilight is upon me, and soon night must fall." _Seriously?_ Luke frowned in confusion, helping him with his blanket. "That is the way of things," Yoda told him. "The way of the Force."

"But I need your help," Luke said. "I've come back to complete the training." _So that our duel next week won't be quite as pathetic as the last one,_ he sighed; though it was likely he would be fighting Rory, rather than Anakin. And in any case, he was supposed to _lose_ this duel, and begin a season-long character arc in which he temporarily fell to the Dark Side. _I guess I don't need special Jedi training in order to lose to Rory,_ Luke admitted, though personally he wasn't ecstatic about this depressing, gloomy plot twist.

"Completed, your training will be," Yoda assured him, coughing weakly. "But not by me."

Luke's brows furrowed. "By whom, then?" he asked cautiously. _Vader?_

Yoda frowned, equally troubled. "There is... another," he told Luke. "Survived, my old pupil has. More and more lately, his presence have I felt. Find you soon, he will," he promised Luke. "Completed, your training will be... By Jedi Master Mace Windu."

"What?" Luke blinked, utterly confused. _This was NOT in the memo..._ "Master Windu's going to teach me?"

"Yes," Yoda rasped. "An expert swordsman, he is," he assured Luke. "In good hands, you will be."

Luke nodded solemnly, processing this new information. "Okay... uh..."

"Cut," Cliegg said, chuckling quietly. "I take it you didn't get the latest memo."

_Gah..._ "Sorry," Luke apologized, cringing. "There was another one?"

"I just sent it out last night," Cliegg told him. "No worries; you have a good excuse, what with the war going on... I appreciate that you could make it here at all," he assured him. "But just to fill you in on the latest changes - we're going in a completely different direction, starting with this week's episode," Cliegg explained. "You won't be turning to the Dark Side after all. You're going to _win_ the duel against Vader," he said, a mischievous glimmer in his eyes.

Luke blinked. "Really?"

Cliegg nodded. "This will be the final episode of _SITH,_" he told him. "Vader and Sidious will be defeated... And starting next week, we're bringing back _JEDI._"

_No way..._ Luke grinned in disbelief, delighted by the idea. _JEDI was so much cooler than SITH._ But now he frowned, confused. "Wait... So why is Master Yoda dying?" _He's survived all these years in exile, only to die now? That sucks..._

"Ah," Cliegg nodded. "It's the best way we could come up with, to bring the Rebel Alliance together with the exiled Jedi stragglers," he told Luke. "Yoda will die, and his Force ghost will contact Master Windu, and let him know how to find you guys," Cliegg explained. "You'll join forces in an attack on the Death Star, and starting next week you'll be working together permanently."

Luke grinned. "Awesome," he agreed, nodding. _That's way better than me turning to the Dark Side for a whole season._ "So Master Windu is going to train me in lightsaber techniques - before my duel with Vader?" he asked hopefully.

"Ahh... No," Cliegg said, furrowing his brows. "In fact, now I'm thinking it's best if Yoda doesn't tell you about him at all," he confessed. "It would add to the tension in your duel, if you think your friends are doomed, and don't realize there's a force of highly-trained Jedi Knights on their way to help them," Cliegg admitted, as Luke and Yoda nodded in agreement. "Okay, let's try this again... This time - Yoda, don't tell him about Mace, just tell him - uh..." He grinned, waving dismissively. "Eh, you'll think of something," he nodded confidently to Yoda, stepping back behind the camera. "And... _Action._"

Yoda lay back against his pillow again, half-closing his eyes. "No more training do you require," he told Luke. "Already know you, that which you need."

Luke blinked. _Seriously?_ "Then I am a Jedi," he murmured, stunned by this revelation. _After just two days of formal training? Not bad..._

"Oh!" Yoda covered his amusement with a fit of pathetic coughing. "Not yet," he corrected Luke. "One thing remains: Vader. You must confront Vader. Then, only then, a Jedi will you be," he said cryptically, alluding to the fact that Luke would join Master Windu's faction afterward. "And confront him you will."

"All right," Luke nodded obediently. _Uh... Now what?_

"Cut... good job," Cliegg told them. "Now we just need to tidy up a few details," he said, pulling out his datapad. "I tried to make a list of stuff the fans have been asking about for years now, so we don't miss anything," he sighed, scrolling through his notes. "Okay, first off: why did Ben or Yoda never tell you about Leia... Eh, good point," he muttered, scratching his head. "Ben's on his way here; I was hoping we could squeeze in a scene where he clears up some of these issues... But in case he doesn't make it before you have to leave for Endor - "

"No, he's here now," Luke told him, sensing a familiar presence nearby which reminded him faintly of Obi-Wan, but _wasn't._ "I think he's in the docking bay."

"Oh! Great," Cliegg nodded. "So for now... Luke, why don't you ask Yoda if Vader is your father, and press him for the truth - because obviously that's been troubling you," he pointed out, glancing at his notes. "And then Yoda... Eh, just say something cryptic about Leia," he suggested casually. "We'll get Ben to explain the details afterward. And... _Action,_" he said, nodding to Luke and stepping behind the camera once again.

_Crap..._ Luke gulped, trying to mask his sudden anxiety. "Master Yoda," he asked carefully. "_Is_ Darth Vader my father?" It wasn't a topic he wished to be discussing with the head of the Jedi Council, and he prayed that Yoda wouldn't sense his veiled panic. _I can't let Anakin get expelled from the Order; especially not with a war going on..._

Yoda seemed equally disturbed by this conversation. "Rest I need," he said, turning away from him in his bed. "Yes; rest..."

"Yoda, I must know," Luke insisted reluctantly, grateful that Yoda couldn't see his troubled expression. _This has been a plotline on SITH for two decades now. Don't panic,_ he told himself, steadying his breathing. _We're just acting here; this is no big deal._

But Yoda's response caught him entirely off guard. "Your father he is," the ancient Jedi Master confirmed, the truth of his words echoing undeniably through the Force.

_What?_ Luke gasped, stunned by the realization. _Yoda knows?_ He looked away, trying to make sense of this new circumstance. The Jedi Council was quietly aware of the fact that Border Patrol Knights frequently consorted with prostitutes on Lannik; it wasn't technically against the Code. Attachments were forbidden... _Marriage_ was forbidden... But if a child were to be accidentally conceived? _Yoda's known that Anakin is my father all along,_ Luke realized suddenly. _It's possible the whole Council knows._

"Told you, did he?" Yoda asked, somewhat reproachfully.

"Yes," Luke said, not bothering to mask his troubled confusion; there was no point in hiding what Master Yoda obviously already knew. _He knows that I know too... And still he refuses to acknowledge the truth, or let me speak openly with my father - who is fighting a war for him, and could be killed before I ever become a Master,_ Luke thought, worried and betrayed.

"Unexpected, this is," Yoda said, with a heavy sigh. "And unfortunate."

"Unfortunate that I know the truth?" Luke asked, unable to mask the bitterness in his tone. _You honestly think all this denial has been good for me?_

"No," Yoda conceded, turning back over in bed to face him; obviously he realized there was little point in masking his emotions either. "Unfortunate that you rushed to face him," he told Luke, pointing a finger scoldingly. "That incomplete was your training," he reminded him. "That - not ready for the burden, were you."

_Oh,_ Luke sighed, sensing Master Yoda's genuine disappointment. _This is about Cora._ He shook his head in apology, admitting that he'd handled that situation badly. _He knows Cora was my mother. He knows why I went off the deep end after she died..._ "I'm sorry," he said, sincerely regretting his actions.

"Remember, a Jedi's strength flows from the Force," Yoda told him. "But beware: anger, fear, aggression. The Dark Side are they." _No kidding,_ Luke sighed, grateful that he hadn't been expelled for his ill-conceived retaliation against Cora's rockstim supplier. As it turned out, Elan Sel'Sabagno had been a lightweight, and even somewhat of a local hero to the residents of Cora's neighborhood, as he had kept that area safe from _other_ crime lords; but now... Luke hung his head, admitting that he'd only made that situation worse.

"Once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny," Yoda continued, getting on with his death scene. "Luke," he rasped weakly. "Luke. Do not... do not underestimate the powers of the Emperor, or suffer your father's fate, you will," he warned him. "Luke... When gone am I, the last of the Jedi will you be." _Right; aside from Master Windu, and Zak, and all the others he's been training for the past twenty years,_ Luke thought, still excited by the prospect of working with them in future _JEDI _episodes. _That's going to be so cool..._

"The Force runs strong in your family," Yoda told him proudly; once again, Luke sensed the sincerity behind his words. _So he knows about Mara too,_ he realized. _And still he allowed Anakin to take her as his padawan?_ Luke sighed in utter confusion._ If that's not an attachment, I don't know what is._ "Pass on what you have learned," Yoda beseeched him desperately. "Luke," he choked, exhausted by the effort. "There is - another... Sky...walker..." Then, laying his head feebly against the pillow, the tiny Jedi Master fell silent, and became unnaturally still.

Luke stared at him, feigning shock and grief. "Cut," Cliegg said quietly, a moment later. "That was brilliant; both of you," he told them, nodding appreciatively. "Now we just need to do some kind of vanishing effect here... Luke, can I get you to hold that blanket right where it is? And Master Yoda, if you could just crawl out from underneath..." Luke nodded, using the Force to hold the blanket carefully in mid-air as Master Yoda escaped the scene; then at Cliegg's signal, he gently released it, letting it float softly down onto the bed.

"Perfect," Cliegg said, grinning. "All right; Luke, I'll be with you in a minute, and we'll do your scene with Ben," he reminded him. "But first - Master Yoda, while I've got you here, let's shoot your Force ghost scene, where you contact Mace," he suggested, as Yoda nodded agreeably, following him out of the little hut.

But as they emerged onto the sound stage - which was a perfect replica of Yoda's home on Dagobah, along with its swampy surroundings - Cliegg's transmitter buzzed, and he sighed apologetically, answering it. "Hey, Owen... What's up?" He listened for a moment, his brows furrowing. "Yes, Luke's here," he told Owen. "I need him for one more quick scene with Ben, and then he's all yours," he promised; Luke was supposed to film a short tactical meeting aboard the Rebel Alliance flagship after this.

But now Cliegg frowned, shaking his head. "Can't you guys wait just a few minutes? I really need Luke and Ben to do this scene," he confessed. Then he rolled his eyes at his son's answer. "Fine - go ahead and start without him. Get Ackbar or Nadine or somebody to cover Luke's part," Cliegg suggested, unconcerned. "I'll send him up there in a few minutes - he'll probably catch the end of the meeting. We'll just say he's late, because he's been on Dagobah. Okay?" Cliegg nodded. "All right. Five minutes, he'll be there. I promise. Bye."

Cliegg turned back to Luke and Yoda, sighing. "Okay, so I guess we're going to film Luke and Ben's conversation first... And then we'll do your ghost scene afterward," he apologized to Yoda, who nodded patiently, taking a seat at the edge of the stage. _Yeah, we'd better hurry this up,_ Luke realized, knowing that both Yoda and Mon Mothma needed to get back to Coruscant right away. There was a war going on, and neither the Chancellor of the Galactic Republic nor the head of the Jedi Order had the luxury of wasting time here on Geonosis, filming for _SITH._

Ben joined them a moment later, and Cliegg quickly went over the various points they would need to discuss in this scene; then he nodded quietly, stepping back behind the camera once again. "And... _Action._"

Luke joined Artoo beside the lightweight X-wing prop nearby; the exterior shots from this scene would be spliced together with some actual stock footage from Dagobah, and Luke trusted that in the end it wouldn't look like his X-wing was crammed into the corner of a sound stage. "I can't do it, Artoo," he admitted sadly. "I can't go on alone."

"Yoda will always be with you," came a familiar voice, as Ben emerged from behind a thicket of artificial trees.

"Obi-Wan," Luke exclaimed, going over to talk to him. "Why didn't you tell me?" he asked, getting right to the point; they didn't have time to waste on chit-chat. "You told me Vader betrayed and murdered my father," he said, reminding him of their first conversation nearly four years ago. _Heh, I barely remember that myself..._ But clearly the _viewers_ did - which was the entire point of this scene - and Luke did his best to give Ben an accusatory, hurt look.

"Your father," Ben countered calmly - with an air of unruffled condescension that rivaled Obi-Wan's - "Was seduced by the Dark Side of the Force. He ceased to be Anakin Skywalker, and became Darth Vader," he told Luke, subtly altering his earlier story. "When that happened, the good man who was your father was destroyed," he pointed out, managing to sound annoyingly reasonable. "So what I told you was true, from a certain point of view."

Luke gave him a frustrated look. "A certain point of view?"

"Luke, you're going to find that many of the truths we cling to depend greatly on our own point of view," Ben said, sitting down on a fallen log and valiantly attempting to make better sense of his previous story, as Luke sat patiently beside him. "You cannot escape your destiny," Ben told him, at length. "You must face Darth Vader again."

"I can't kill my own father," Luke protested. _Though it will probably be Rory, anyway,_ he realized; Yoda and Chancellor Mothma may have managed to spare a few hours this morning for filming, but Anakin's schedule - if it could be called that - was far more erratic, and it was doubtful he'd even make it to his own death scene.

"Then the Emperor has already won," Ben sighed, disappointed. "You were our only hope."

_Right; about that..._ "Yoda spoke of another," Luke said, giving him a curious look.

"The other he spoke of is your twin sister," Ben told him.

"But I have no sister." _Aside from Mara,_ Luke sighed, praying once again that Ben would _never_ learn the truth about that. _He knows we were married; if he ever finds out she's actually my sister..._ Luke shuddered inwardly, forcing the disturbing thought aside.

"To protect you both from the Emperor, you were hidden from your father when you were born," Ben told him. "The Emperor knew, as I did, that if Anakin were to have any offspring, they would be a threat to him. That is the reason why your sister remains safely anonymous," he explained vaguely.

_Wait - so you didn't tell me about Leia... In order to protect the EMPEROR?_ Luke blinked, trying to make sense of Ben's excuse. _Yeah, that makes sense... Ahh, whatever. _"Leia," he blurted out, realizing they needed to finish up with this scene. "Leia's my sister."

"Your insight serves you well," Ben nodded sagely.

_Gah... I wish,_ Luke sighed, avoiding his gaze. _If it were that easy to tell if someone is your sister, it would have saved us both a lot of trouble._

"Bury your feelings deep down, Luke," Ben advised him. _Ugh, no kidding._ "They do you credit, but they could be made to serve the Emperor." _No, they're more likely to get us both expelled from the Order,_ Luke thought unhappily. Master Yoda might turn a blind eye to prostitutes, and the occasional accidental child; but Luke was fairly certain that being married to one's own sister constituted a level of attachment beyond anything the Jedi Council had ever tried to cover up, in its thousand-year history.

"Cut... great job," Cliegg said, nodding appreciatively. "All right; Luke, if you could head on up to the meeting with the Rebel fleet - before Owen wets his pants?" he asked, grinning good-naturedly, as Luke nodded in agreement. "Thanks, Luke," Cliegg said, patting him on the back. "I'll see you for the duel with Vader next week."

"Have a good time on Endor," Ben called after him. Luke smiled, nodding to the others as he took his leave, with Artoo faithfully at his heels. _Gah... Endor,_ Luke sighed, heading back to the docking bay. He still couldn't believe that with the Hutt War raging throughout the Outer Rim, he was being excused for a two-day location shoot on the opposite side of the galaxy. _Anakin was probably behind this too,_ he suspected, wondering if his father was _ever_ going to let him do anything interesting, or useful.

_Ahh... He has enough to worry about,_ Luke admitted, still concerned by the rumors he'd heard. As unlikely as it seemed, reports were continuing to surface - the latest one claiming that Anakin had faltered again just yesterday, during a skirmish on Raxus. _The last thing he needs is to be distracted, wondering if Mara and I are all right,_ Luke confessed, troubled.

He reached the docking bay, and climbed into the cockpit of his own blue Jedi Starfighter, as Artoo situated himself in the astrodroid socket; then they took off, continuing up to join the Rebel fleet - which was currently stationed just off Geonosis, near the Death Star Hotel. He landed aboard the Rebel flagship, then quickly hopped down from his Starfighter, hurrying toward the main conference room along with Artoo. _What the heck is this scene about? _he wondered, as Owen beckoned him over, smiling in obvious relief.

"Luke! You're just in time," Owen whispered, glancing inside the conference room, where the Rebel tactical meeting had already begun.

"Sorry," Luke apologized, giving him a questioning look. "What am I supposed to do here?"

"General Solo," Nadine was saying now. "Is your strike team assembled?"

"Uh - my team's ready," Han told him. "I don't have a command crew," he confessed.

Owen grinned, gesturing toward the conference room. "Volunteer for that," he told Luke, as Chewie roared exuberantly, raising a furry hand.

_Gotcha,_ Luke nodded, waiting for a good moment to make his entrance.

"General," Leia added, smiling affectionately. "Count me in."

"I'm with you too," Luke announced, entering from the doorway. _Heh, I should be late for every scene,_ he thought, joining them at the bottom of the steps. _It's so much easier this way. _

Leia hugged him warmly, and once again Luke appreciated their easy-going friendship; ironically it was Leia's role as his fictional twin sister on _SITH,_ that had helped him to develop a more appropriate relationship with Mara over the past year. _I just try to treat her the same way I treat Leia..._ But now she gave him a curious look. "What is it?"

_Ahh! Nothing,_ Luke blinked, realizing he'd zoned out. But then he remembered his revelation from the previous scene. _Am I supposed to tell her about that?_ he wondered, glancing around uncertainly. _Obviously not right here, in front of everybody..._ "Ask me again sometime," he told her mysteriously. _Better yet, ask Owen, or Cliegg..._

"Luke," Han said, greeting him with a friendly smile.

"Hi, Han... Chewie," Luke replied, feeling a bit awkward. _Uh, where is this scene going?_ But thankfully it seemed to be over_,_ and the rest of the Rebels began filing out of the conference room, heading toward the adjacent docking bay. Artoo let out a cheerful whistle, but as usual, Threepio did not share his optimism.

"Exciting is hardly the word I would choose," the protocol droid fretted characteristically, as Owen called for them to cut.

_Yeah... Relaxing is more like it,_ Luke thought, heading out to the docking bay along with the others. Though it was nerve-wracking at the same time; as boring and pointless as his job was on Tatooine these days, he still felt that he ought to be there with Mara, instead of taking two days off to film for _SITH_ on Endor.

_Eh, I'm sure it'll be fine,_ Luke told himself stubbornly, boarding the Imperial shuttle along with Leia and Chewie. _Nothing to worry about._

* * *

><p>Leia smiled at her brother as they took their seats aboard the Imperial shuttle. "Hey," she said, sensing his veiled concern. "You all right?"<p>

"What? Me?" Luke blinked; then he grinned sheepishly. "Fine," he assured her, with an apologetic smile. "Sorry... I'm a little distracted."

Leia nodded sympathetically. "Things have been all right on Tatooine, though?"

"Yeah, great," Luke said. Then he gave her a concerned look. "How have you been?"

_How have I been?_ Leia blinked; she hadn't had a spare moment over the past week to even ask herself that question. "Busy," she confessed, giving her brother a regretful smile. "I've been bouncing back and forth between Naboo and Alderaan all week - in between emergency Senate meetings on Coruscant," she admitted, with a weary laugh. "What day is it again?"

"Saturday," Luke reminded her, with a commiserative grin. "Sounds like you could use the weekend off."

"No kidding," Leia agreed, sighing as she sank back against her seat. But as jet-lagged as she was from this past week, she realized it was nothing compared to what her father had been dealing with. "Have you heard from Anakin?" she asked Luke, hoping for some first-hand news; she didn't like the rumors she'd been hearing lately. "How's he doing?"

"Uh... No, I haven't talked to him," Luke admitted, his expression momentarily troubled. "But he's doing terrific," he added quickly. "He took out a Nar Shaddaa Mafia facility on Raxus yesterday, and he's terrorizing Kessel today," Luke told her, with a mischievous grin. "I'm sure it'll be all over the news by tonight."

_Right,_ Leia thought, managing a smile. _Let's hope it's good news..._ She gazed out the window, trying to hide her concern; but now her worry was replaced by a flutter of hope and fondness, as she caught sight of Han in the docking bay. He was filming with Lando, near the _Falcon;_ it was a bit of an awkward situation, as Lando had come to depend on the freighter for Tibanna gas deliveries this past year. Apparently Han was planning to help him with that, now that he was free of Jabba's service; but Leia hadn't had a free moment to catch up with him, amidst the confusion of this past week. _And now isn't exactly the time either,_ she sighed, as Han climbed up the ramp, joining them aboard the Imperial shuttle.

"Got her warmed?" Han asked, heading for the pilot's seat.

"Yeah, she's coming up," Luke said, flipping some switches on the control board.

"Arrr Rrrarrrrr Rrrrarrrrgghh!" Chewbacca complained in frustration, clumsily mashing some buttons on the dashboard with his big furry paws.

"Yeah, well I don't think the Empire had Wookiees in mind when they designed her, Chewie," Han pointed out wryly, taking over for him. But now he stared out the window toward the _Falcon_, his expression troubled.

_What's this about...?_ Leia glanced uncertainly at Luke, who shrugged in confusion. "Hey," Leia said, putting a gentle hand on Han's shoulder. "You awake?"

"Yeah, I just got a funny feeling," Han admitted. "Like I'm not gonna see her again."

_Oh, right,_ Leia remembered; Lando would be filming a dramatic attack against the Death Star early next week, along with the rest of the Rebel fleet. Unfortunately they would fly straight into the Emperor's trap, finding themselves impossibly outnumbered - until Mace and his Jedi warriors arrived at the last moment, to save the day. "Come on, General," Leia said, with a warm smile. "Let's move."

"Right," Han agreed. "Chewie, let's see what this piece of junk can do. Ready, everybody?"

"All set," Luke confirmed, strapping himself in.

"Here we go again," Threepio sighed worriedly, as they took off from the docking bay.

But they didn't go _far;_ after feigning a jump to lightspeed, they turned back, heading toward the nearby Death Star Hotel, which - unlike its fictional counterpart - was stationed permanently off Geonosis, not to mention fully completed, as it had been since its construction six years ago. But the special effects editors would no doubt make it look like the half-finished structure that had been featured on the latest season of _SITH._

They radioed Owen, who was now aboard the _Executor;_ and after a brief discussion of the next scene, they took their places once again. "If they don't go for this, we're gonna have to get out of here pretty quick, Chewie," Han said, cautiously approaching the Imperial fleet.

"We have you on our screen now," came a voice over the transmitter. "Please identify."

"Shuttle _Tydirium,_ requesting deactivation of the deflector shield," Han replied, trying to sound official.

"Shuttle _Tydirium,_ transmit the clearance code for shield passage," the operator instructed him.

"Transmission commencing," Han said, pressing a button on the control panel.

"Now we find out if that code is worth the price we paid," Leia murmured; she had been involved in a rather heart-wrenching episode two weeks ago, in which their Bothan allies had suffered heavy losses in procuring vital information on the Empire's activities.

"It'll work," Han assured her confidently. "It'll work."

"Uh..." Luke frowned suddenly. "Is Vader aboard the _Executor?_" he asked, uncertain. "Wouldn't he sense me?"

Han rolled his eyes; but Chewie nodded, letting out an enthusiastic _'Roufff'_ and gesturing toward the communicator. "Fine," Han sighed, pressing the button. "Uh, Owen?" he asked, over the transmitter. "Luke's wondering if Vader would sense him here," he said, clearly annoyed by this unnecessary detail.

"Uh... Nah, don't worry about it," came Owen's reply. "Just keep going; we'll clear you in a second."

"But..." Luke's brows furrowed, and he got up from his seat, approaching the communicator. "The last time I was this close to the _Executor,_ we were having some kind of psychic conversation through the Force," he pointed out.

"True," Owen replied, sighing. "But - well, Anakin isn't here right now, and neither is Rory," he confessed. "We'll just pretend - Vader's asleep, or something."

Luke laughed apologetically. "Okay," he agreed. "Sorry, I just did that whole scene with Ben, trying to fix stuff like this; I guess I'm paranoid."

"Ahh... No, you're right," Owen admitted. "Tell you what - go ahead and act like you're worried about that," he told Luke. "I'll try to get Rory to film something later, on this end... Worst case, if it doesn't work out, we'll just cut it," he proposed.

"All right," Luke nodded, going back to his seat, and adopting a troubled expression. "Vader's on that ship," he murmured, apprehensive.

"Now don't get jittery, Luke," Han reproached him, trying to cover for the fact that Vader wasn't actually _there_. "There are a lot of command ships," he pointed out. "Keep your distance though, Chewie," he conceded. "But don't _look_ like you're trying to keep your distance..." _Good Lord,_ Leia giggled, amused by his babbling. _I forgot how much I've missed him._

"Rrrrrr?" Chewie asked, confused.

"I don't know," Han retorted, annoyed by this whole scene. "Fly casual."

Now Luke rolled his eyes, and Leia stifled a laugh, admitting Han had completely ruined his attempt at dramatic tension. _Yeah, that's going to get cut._

"Shuttle _Tydirium,_" came the operator's voice over the transmitter. "What is your cargo and destination?"

"Parts and technical crew for the forest moon," Han replied, obviously grateful to be getting on with the original scene.

But Luke was not to be deterred. "I'm endangering the mission," he murmured. "I shouldn't have come."

"It's your imagination kid," Han reproached him, equally stubborn. "Come on, let's keep a little optimism here."

Luke sighed defeatedly, slumping back against his seat. But now Leia gave her brother a sympathetic smile, coming to his aid. "You know, we _are_ supposed to be worried that this code might not clear," she reminded Han gently.

"Gah... Right," Han sighed, nodding. "Fine; whatever... They're not going for it, Chewie," he said reluctantly.

But a moment later the operator's voice came through over the transmitter. "Shuttle _Tydirium,_" he announced. "Deactivation of the shield will commence immediately. Follow your present course."

"Okay," Han said, turning around and giving Luke a triumphant look. "I _told_ you this was going to work. No problem," he insisted, as Luke continued to frown in disapproval.

_Wait until those two find out they're going to be brother-in-laws,_ Leia thought, suppressing an amused smile. _I hope..._ She sighed, glancing at Han once again. There had been no time to speak with him privately this past week; but her wedding to Julian was fast approaching, and unfortunately she didn't have the luxury of breaking the news to him slowly. _Hi, Han; I'm so relieved you survived a year in carbon freeze. How do you feel about becoming King of Alderaan?_ Leia shook her head, admitting this was not the time or place for that conversation.

_But maybe once we get aboard the Avenger,_ she thought hopefully, as they continued toward one of the smaller Star Destroyers. The _Executor's_ tour had been cancelled this week, in light of the outbreak of the war; it would remain here on Geonosis with the rest of the _SITH_ fleet, while Luke, Leia, Han, and Chewie continued to Endor aboard the Star Destroyer _Avenger,_ along with a platoon of Stormtroopers. Though far smaller than the _Executor_, the _Avenger_ was tactically the safest vessel for this journey, as it was outfitted with the maximum shields and weaponry permitted for a Republic starship.

As they landed in the _Avenger's_ docking bay, Leia noted that Luke's blue Jedi Starfighter had been brought aboard as well; but hopefully there would be no need for the extra security precautions they were taking. After all, the entire reason they were filming on Endor was to showcase the new state-of-the-art deflector shield which HOPE had recently built, to protect the forest moon from slaving vessels. _Not even Gardulla has any ships that could get through that shield,_ Leia reassured herself. _It's going to be all right._

But more than anything, Leia was looking forward to taking a few days off from the political chaos of this past week, and the string of public appearances she had been forced to make on both Naboo and Alderaan, in an attempt to reassure the citizens that all was well. _Mom is still dealing with that,_ Leia sighed, as she exited the Imperial shuttle along with Luke, Han, and Chewie. _And Julian is handling things on Alderaan..._ This was a particularly bad time to cause further public concern by calling off their wedding; but she and Julian had agreed that it couldn't be helped.

_I'll talk to him now,_ Leia decided nervously, following Han through the _Avenger's_ docking bay, toward their guest quarters. _Before we get to Endor, and are surrounded by cameras again..._ "Han," she said, working up her courage as they approached the elevator. "I was hoping I could talk to you for a minute?"

"Sure," Han nodded agreeably. "What's up?"

"Ahh - " Leia glanced around, anxious; Luke was checking messages aboard his Starfighter, but Chewie was still beside them. "Privately?" she asked, giving the Wookiee an apologetic cringe.

"Rrrrrfff," Chewie nodded vigorously, waving a furry arm and heading off toward the lobby. "Arrrrg Rrrouff!"

"Thanks, pal," Han called after him; then he turned back to Leia, his expression guarded. "What is it?" he asked, as the elevator dinged, reaching their level; she could sense his sudden nervousness as well.

But now the elevator door opened, and Jonah Lars stepped off. "Oh! I was hoping to catch you guys," he said, with a friendly grin. "Han, I need to go over some stuff with you - actually we're meeting with the Stormtroopers in a few minutes, to plan some of the action sequences for tomorrow... Would you mind joining us for that?"

"Uh..." Han gave Leia a subtle questioning look, but she nodded almost imperceptibly. "Sure," he told Jonah. "No problem." But as he followed him out to the hallway, he turned back, his expression apologetic.

_It's all right,_ Leia smiled reassuringly, waving to him. _We'll talk later._ She stepped onto the elevator, continuing up to her guest quarters; but then she was overcome by a weary yawn. _When was the last time I slept?_ she wondered suddenly. She'd traveled from Naboo this morning, but had arrived from Coruscant late the night before, and had stayed up most of the night talking to her mother. _I could use a nap,_ she confessed, arriving at her guest room and closing the door behind her. _Just for a few minutes,_ she resolved, lying down on the bed and closing her eyes in exhausted gratitude. _And then I'll talk to Han..._

But when she awakened again, it was to the sound of a familiar voice over the _Avenger's_ loudspeaker system. "Attention please - we have arrived in the Endor system," Jonah Lars announced cheerfully. "Everyone involved in the Rebel landing scene, please report to the docking bay."

_Great..._ Leia sat on the edge of her bed for a moment, blinking awake. _Well, _she sighed, getting up and heading back down to the docking bay to rejoin Han and the others, for what would undoubtedly be a busy afternoon of filming. _Hopefully I'll get a chance to talk to him tonight._


	204. No Stormtroopers were harmed

**Chapter 204**

_A few minutes later..._

"Should we try and go around?" Leia asked, as they crouched behind a fallen log, peering through the forest at the two Stormtroopers they'd just spotted.

"It'll take time," Luke admitted worriedly.

"This whole party will be for nothing if they see us," Han countered. "Chewie and I will take care of this," he decided, taking charge. "You stay here."

"Quietly," Luke cautioned him. "There might be more of them out there."

"Hey," Han replied, with a cocky grin. "It's me."

_My point exactly..._ Luke shared a knowing glance with Leia; but he was surprised to sense her amusement, rather than scorn. The last he'd known, Leia had been furious with Han - for taking advantage of her kindness, bankrupting her charity, and generally being a stuck-up, half-witted, scruffy-looking Nerf herder. But that had been before Han contracted a life-threatening illness, and had spent a year in carbon freeze. _I guess she's forgiven him in the meantime,_ Luke noted gratefully; the animosity between them had been impossible to ignore, and had often made him feel uncomfortable.

Han was sneaking up behind one of the Stormtroopers now; but with his characteristic Solo luck, he stepped on a twig, which cracked loudly. Again, Luke was surprised by Leia's stifled giggle; but he quickly improvised, getting up from behind the fallen log. "Great... Come on," he muttered, as he and Leia hurried down to help them.

The plan was for Han and Chewie to interrogate these two, while Luke and Leia stole their speeder bikes, to chase after two others. But with Jonah Lars directing this location shoot - and Rory Kellen in charge of stunt coordination - Luke knew that _anything_ was bound to happen, and that they'd need to think fast. Sure enough, the two Stormtroopers - who were _supposed_ to surrender to Han - decided to fight back instead.

"Go for help! Go!" the first Stormtrooper yelled, still fighting against Han as his partner took off on his speeder bike. Or rather, _Luke's_ speeder bike - which he needed for the upcoming chase scene. _Terrific,_ Luke sighed, as Chewie aimed his bowcaster at the fleeing Stormtrooper - who, feeling the jolt of the low-powered red laser, obediently pulled over. His actual crash stunt would be shot afterward; the Stormtroopers involved in today's location shoot were all professional stunt actors, and their deaths were certain to be nothing short of spectacular, once Rory finished with his work.

"Over there!" Leia exclaimed now, pointing to a nearby clearing. "Two more of them!"

"I see them," Luke agreed. _But now I don't have a speeder bike..._ "Wait - Leia!" he called after her, jumping onto the back of her bike as she took off. _Now what?_ "Quick, jam their comlink - center switch," he instructed her, in an attempt to proceed with the scene as planned. The basic idea - as usual - was for Luke to play the part of the action hero, whereas Leia was supposed to fall off her bike almost immediately. But - ignoring the fact that he was now clinging to her like an idiot - there were at least two other problems with that plan. For one, Leia had slept through Jonah's meeting aboard the _Avenger_, and had only a vague notion of what they were doing here. And secondly... _She's actually a great driver,_ Luke realized, impressed by Leia's skill as they careened through the forest.

Leia had always been surprisingly good at stunt work, though it was seldom required of her on the show. _She gets that from her father,_ Luke suspected; Captain Typho had served as Lady Amidala's bodyguard for years, and had obviously taken precautions to ensure that his daughter knew how to handle herself in tough situations. Luke sensed no fear in her now as she maneuvered expertly between the trees, and he reassured himself that this was nothing she couldn't handle. After all, it was no worse than Coruscant traffic on an average day; it had never ceased to mystify him, how people could navigate rush hour on that planet _without_ Force powers.

Still, he felt stupid clinging to the back of Leia's speeder bike, and quickly came up with a new plan. "Move closer," he told her now. "Get alongside that one." Leia did as instructed; and guessing what Luke was up to, one of the Stormtroopers conveniently slowed down, helping them out. _Thanks, buddy..._ Luke hopped over onto his speeder bike, tossing him off into the soft ferns, as he yelped dramatically.

_He's fine,_ Luke confirmed, looking back to see him already getting up again; though no doubt Rory would make his fall look far more dramatic.

"Should we shoot this guy down?" Leia asked, as they both continued to chase after the final remaining Stormtrooper.

"No," Luke told her. "You're supposed to follow him to the clearing up ahead, and then fall off," he explained. "But _slowly_, okay?" he cautioned her, as Leia nodded in agreement. But now he noticed a green light flashing on one of the hovercams; it had chosen that moment to do a close-up of his face, and he realized his dialogue made no sense. _Eh, they'll just mute that part, and use a different camera angle,_ he told himself. _I hope..._ Luke, Leia, and Han were all guilty of chatting randomly during scenes, and sometimes it ended up looking like they were moving their lips for no reason.

Now two more Stormtroopers joined the chase, and one of them fired at Luke. _Just like we planned..._ "Keep on that one; I'll take these two," Luke said, putting on his brakes and getting behind them. He quickly fired at one of them - who obediently veered away, to film his crash stunt later. But the second Stormtrooper was not as easily deterred. This was Rory himself, and they both accelerated now, filming a high-speed chase through the forest.

Presently Luke managed to catch up with him, and slammed his speeder bike against Rory's. The plan was to break off his front steering mechanism, whereupon Rory would go into a dramatic spin, jumping off at the last second as his speeder bike crashed violently into a tree. Rory had loosened the steering mechanism beforehand, so that it would snap off easily; but it didn't seem to be working. _Come on... Break off,_ Luke frowned, slamming against him again.

But now his own steering mechanism got stuck against Rory's; he tried yanking his bike sideways, to no avail. Now neither of them could steer, and they were heading straight for a large tree. _Not good..._ Failing to see any other way out of this, Luke Force-shoved Rory safely to the side, diving off his own bike at the last second as it crashed into the tree.

_Terrific,_ Luke sighed, pulling out his comlink and contacting Rory. "I thought you said you loosened that thing?"

"Apparently not enough," Rory agreed good-naturedly, swerving back around toward him. "Guess you'll have to chop it off with your lightsaber."

_Seriously?_ Luke blinked worriedly, pulling out his green lightsaber. Rory was opening fire on him now, careening toward him at an alarming rate of speed. _He is nuts..._ But Rory had been performing stunts on _SITH_ for years, and as usual, Luke sensed his calm, steady focus; so at the last second, he slashed through Rory's steering mechanism, sending his bike spinning around in circles.

Luke watched anxiously as Rory clung stubbornly to his speeder bike through three full rotations; but finally he jumped clear, a split second before it crashed into a tree. The bike had been rigged with three types of stage explosives - all of which triggered now, erupting into a massive ball of flame, and starting a small forest fire.

_Well that was - something,_ Luke sighed, hurrying over to assist Rory - who was already whistling cheerfully, putting out the fire with his mini-extinguisher. "You okay?"

"Fine," Rory nodded casually; there was a large piece of fern stuck in his armor, and he pulled it off now, along with his helmet. "Not bad, eh?" he asked, his blue eyes twinkling with mischief.

"Heh... Yeah, that was pretty good," Luke agreed, sharing an amused grin with the veteran stuntman as they trudged back through the forest to rejoin the others.

* * *

><p><em>A few minutes later...<em>

"There's two more wrecked speeders back there," Luke said, joining Han and the others in the clearing. "And I found this," he confessed, tossing Leia's helmet over to Han.

"I'm afraid that Artoo's sensors can find no trace of Princess Leia," Threepio informed them.

Han frowned worriedly. "I hope she's all right."

"He does, however, pick up some smaller life forms, approaching from the north," Threepio added, as Artoo whistled, turning his scanner in the direction of the newcomers. "My planetary databank indicates that they might be Ewoks," he added helpfully. "There is a small colony of them here on this moon; they are peaceful creatures, with only the most primitive of weapons - "

_Uh - oops..._ "Cut," Jonah said, shaking his head. "Threepio, that's supposed to be a surprise," he explained. "Anyway, we - "

"A surprise?" Threepio asked, swiveling his head. "Oh dear; I'm terribly sorry, Master Jonah - "

"No, no, it's okay," Jonah waved dismissively; he'd forgotten to invite his grandfather's protocol droid to the meeting earlier_._ _Gah, I'd better fill him in, before he screws something else up..._ "So the point of this episode is to showcase the planetary defense system, here on Endor," he explained. "Not just the new deflector shield that HOPE built, but also the Ewoks' own military prowess - "

"But Master Jonah - _what_ military prowess?" Threepio interrupted. "My databank indicates that their only weapons are wooden spears, and crude slings - "

"Your databank needs to be updated," Jonah told him patiently. "Like I said, HOPE has been working with the Ewoks over the past several months - teaching them _new_ tactics, to defend themselves against slave traders, and other Outer Rim pirates," he explained. "And what we want to demonstrate in this episode is that they're a force to contend with, so that future slavers will think twice before messing with them. Tomorrow they're going to take out an entire platoon of Stormtroopers; but today, they're actually going to capture you guys - "

"What?" Threepio exclaimed, alarmed. "Master Jonah, we must take cover! Artoo's scanner indicates they are approximately fifteen meters away - "

"Threepio," Jonah sighed, already regretting his decision to bring him along on this shoot. "Are _we_ slave traders?"

"Well - no..."

"We're just acting, here," Jonah reassured him. "Don't worry, they're our friends. But the point of this next scene is that even our best Rebel warriors are no match against Ewoks," he explained, as Luke and Han nodded seriously. "Now, apparently they've set up a trap for you guys; I'm not sure exactly what it is, but - " Jonah broke off, blinking in surprise as two small, furry creatures suddenly emerged from the underbrush, kneeling humbly before him and bowing their heads. _Uh..._ "Hello," he said, glancing hopefully at his grandfather's protocol droid. "Threepio, tell them 'Hello'," he instructed him.

"Oh - of course, Master Jonah," Threepio said eagerly, shuffling toward him. "I _am_ fluent in over six million forms of communication... _Treeto dobra,_" he said proudly, addressing their new companions.

At this, the Ewoks bowed even more deeply; and with a reverential gesture, the taller one proceeded to babble in Ewokese.

"Oh, my," Threepio said, swiveling his head toward Jonah in confusion.

"What did he say?" Jonah asked.

Threepio gestured to the taller Ewok, translating for him. "The humble and unworthy Teebo - and his young companion, Paploo - welcome your Exalted Magnificence, and ask how they may serve you?"

"Oh." Jonah blinked, surprised. _Polite little things..._ "Tell them - remind them... My - my humble grandfather sent word to their - powerful and mighty Chief Chirpa, less than - uh, one moon ago," Jonah said, looking up to the sky uncertainly; then he cringed, realizing this _was_ Endor's moon. _Gah..._ "He asked you to set up a trap - that could capture several men, without injuring them?"

Threepio translated, and at the mention of 'moon' the Ewoks both looked upward in confusion; but Teebo nodded vigorously, babbling and pointing toward a nearby clearing.

"He says they have prepared a trap, just a tree-fall away from here," Threepio told Jonah. "He realizes that your Luminous Majesty would never fall prey to it; but he assures you that it is a very clever trap, certain to outwit any mere mortal - including your own faithful and honorable servants," Threepio translated, as Teebo gestured to Han, Luke, and Chewbacca.

"Great," Jonah nodded appreciatively. The point of this next scene was to show that while the Rebels had easily taken out a half dozen Stormtroopers, they were helpless against the fearsome Ewoks. But as he followed Teebo's gaze, he frowned in confusion. This 'trap' they spoke of appeared to be nothing more than a dead animal on a stick. _Uh... They really think Han and Luke are going to go for that?_

But thankfully Chewbacca volunteered for the task, raising a furry hand and chuckling in amusement. "Rrrrraaaaauuugghhh!" he exclaimed suddenly, running toward it. _Heh..._ Jonah nodded quietly, stepping back behind the camera and gesturing for the others to continue. _This __ought to be interesting..._

"What, Chewie?" Han asked, as Chewbacca continued to roar and gesture enthusiastically. "What, Chewie?" Frowning worriedly, Han followed him into the nearby clearing.

"Rrrrrfffff Arrrrrr Grrraarr Rrrarrrrr Mmmrrrrfff... Rrroufff!" Chewbacca explained, as the others gathered stupidly around the carcass.

_I don't want to know what he just said,_ Jonah sighed; the fans on Kashyyyk had a completely different experience watching _SITH_, as most of Chewie's dialogue tended to consist of commentary on Han's acting, or blatant explanations of what was going on in the scene - interspersed with personal messages to his wife Malla, and their young son Lumpy. _He's probably sending them a recipe for __Gurreck__ Kebabs__..__._

"Hey, I don't get it," Han said. "Yeah, it's just a dead animal, Chewie."

Chewbacca reached for the Gurreck carcass now, but Luke cried out in alarm. "Chewie, wait! Wait - don't!" he exclaimed; but it was too late, and suddenly a large net came up from the ground, ensnaring them.

_Haha, this is awesome,_ Jonah laughed, as Han and Luke proceeded to bicker, flailing around in a vain attempt to escape. _Grandpa will love this._ But Artoo was already taking care of business, and a moment later they all crashed unceremoniously to the ground.

Han winced, faking back pain as he tried to sit up. At least, Jonah _hoped_ he was faking; he took heart in the fact that Luke was cringing dramatically too, instead of sensing that anyone was seriously hurt. But now there was a rustle of ferns all around as Teebo, Paploo, and the rest of the Ewok scouts emerged from the underbrush, slowly advancing upon them.

Han and Luke looked around in disbelief, their expressions guardedly amused. The point of this scene was to set an example, and demonstrate what would happen to people who didn't take the threat of Ewoks seriously. "What?" Han laughed, sitting up; but suddenly a wooden spear was thrust in his face. "Hey..." Han scowled indignantly. "Point that thing someplace else." He tried to grab the spear from them, raising his blaster. "Hey!"

But Luke stopped him. "Han, don't," he warned him quietly. "It'll be all right."

_That's right,_ Jonah nodded. Leia had already befriended one of the younger Ewoks; the plan was for Han, Luke, and Chewie to get captured and brought back to the village, whereupon Leia would explain that these were her friends, and they would be set free. _Moral of the story: if you don't want to end up barbecued by Ewoks, you'd better treat them nicely._

"Chewie, give them your crossbow," Luke told him, surrendering to the Ewoks.

But suddenly Threepio sat up, amidst the ferns. "Oh, my head!"

There were startled gasps all around, as the furry little creatures hopped back a pace, retracting their spears.

"Oh my goodness," Threepio exclaimed, swiveling his head around in surprise as the Ewoks began talking amongst themselves. But quickly their babbling gave way to bowing and chanting, and Jonah furrowed his brows in confusion. _Uh__ - t__his wasn't __the plan__..._ "Treeto Dobra," Threepio said now, greeting them in Ewokese. "Eee so yoto ab'muno nokka!"

Luke gave him an uncertain look. "Do you understand anything they're saying?"

"Oh, yes, Master Luke!" Threepio assured him proudly. "Remember that I am fluent in over six million forms of comm - "

"What are you telling them?" Han asked, impatient.

"Hello, I think," Threepio said. "I could be mistaken; they're using a very primitive dialect," he continued hesitantly. "But I do believe they think I am some sort of god."

Jonah blinked, frowning. _Okay, I thought there was something weird going on with that,_ he confessed. _Heh... I guess I'm not the Luminous Exalted One after all._

Luke stifled an amused laugh at this turn of events; but Han didn't miss a beat. "Well why don't you use your divine influence, and get us out of this?" he suggested sarcastically.

"I beg your pardon, General Solo, but that just wouldn't be proper," Threepio protested.

"Proper?" Han asked, frustrated.

"It's against my programming to impersonate a deity," Threepio informed him.

Luke laughed, covering his mouth with a black-gloved hand; but Han proceeded to attack the protocol droid, getting up and reaching for his throat. "Why, you - "

Suddenly a dozen spears were shoved in his face.

"My mistake," Han apologized, backing off. "He's an old friend of mine."

_Ha,_ Jonah laughed to himself, as Han, Luke, and Chewie were led back to the village at spear point, with Threepio carried proudly between the Ewoks' shoulders. _Grandpa's going to love this._

* * *

><p><em>Meanwhile...<em>

Leia changed quickly into her peasant dress, preparing for the next scene. Days were short here on the forest moon of Endor, and night was already falling over the village. _I should do something different with my hair,_ she thought, unbraiding the coil from her head and brushing it out. _Why_ she was dressing as a peasant to begin with was another matter entirely; but hopefully Jonah wouldn't question her about it. It was a slight misunderstanding amongst the Ewoks - which had started over a year ago, when she had first approached them with HOPE's offer to help protect their forest moon from slaving vessels. They seemed to think that Leia was a handmaiden of sorts, and that her silver-plated translator droid, T-4B2, was the true benevolent entity responsible for their newfound peace and prosperity; but she'd never had the heart to correct them.

_Besides, it's nice just being treated like a regular person,_ Leia confessed, braiding a thread of soft leather through her hair. It was sometimes exhausting to be a royal celebrity, always having to smile, and be strong for those who looked up to her. Especially this past week; she appreciated having a break from the stress of her real life, even if only for a couple of days.

_Though I should at least check my messages,_ Leia sighed worriedly, going over to her pack and pulling out her transmitter. As usual, there were several internal memos from various members of the Senate; but nothing from Chancellor Mothma herself, which Leia took as a good sign. _I'll just check the news channel, and see what's going on with the war..._

But as she read the latest headline, she gasped in alarm. _'Anakin Skywalker killed in an attack on Kessel'..._

"No," Leia whispered, sinking onto the little bed in her guest house. _It can't be true..._ But the other news channels were all confirming the same thing: _'Galaxy mourns death of Jedi war leader,'_ another headline proclaimed, as Leia flipped through the channels. _'Skywalker's final days: a retrospective'..._

"Dad," Leia choked, tears springing to her eyes. _No; this isn't true..._ She gasped suddenly, jumping as her transmitter buzzed. "Ahhh!" It was a new text message from Padmé Amidala; Leia's heart sank as she realized her mother had just gotten the devastating news as well. But as she read through Padmé's message, she breathed a sigh of profound relief.

_'I just spoke to Obi-Wan,'_ her mother had texted. _'He sensed Anakin on Kessel a minute ago. It's just another stupid rumor...' _

_Thank goodness,_ Leia sighed, wiping away her tears. But then she frowned indignantly. There had been far too many 'stupid rumors' lately concerning her father, and she guessed that Gardulla was behind them. _She's trying to tear down the Republic's confidence in the Jedi, so we withdraw our attacks._ The subject had been hotly debated in the Senate this past week, with opinions divided on whether aggressive strikes against major Nar Shaddaa Mafia bases were the best use of Jedi resources, or whether they should focus their efforts on defending outlying Republic territories.

Leia had certainly been tempted to vote for the latter option, as Naboo was one of the 'outlying Republic territories' in question - not to mention the fact that her father was the 'Jedi resource' who would be leading the attacks. But in the end she had voted to proceed with the aggressive strikes - based mainly on her father's own confidence that he could pull it off, plus his quiet concern that if they _didn't_ take out Gardulla's known military bases right away, there might not _be_ any 'outlying Republic territories' to defend.

_Dad can do this,_ Leia told herself stubbornly, annoyed by the rumors of his incompetence. _He wasn't injured on Zhar VI, and he didn't falter on Lok, or Raxus; just like he didn't die on Kessel,_ she scowled, furrowing her brows. _He's going to win this war for us, even if no one believes in him._ Hopefully the news stations would soon get their stories straight, and check their sources more carefully in the future.

She heard the sound of a primitive trumpet in the distance, and realized Jonah and the others were arriving here at the village. _Gah, is my make-up screwed up?_ Leia wondered, pulling her compact out of her bag. _Of course,_ she sighed, quickly wiping away the tear-streaked mess and making herself presentable. Still, she was grateful beyond words to not have to deliver bad news to her brother. _Though I should warn him about this,_ Leia realized, knowing that Luke would be devastated if he heard the news as well.

But first she would have to _save_ him - from being roasted and served to her for dinner - so she emerged from her guest cabin now, looking around in concern. "But these are my friends," Leia protested, trying not to laugh at the sight of Han and Luke tied onto barbecue sticks, and hanging over the fire pit. "Threepio, tell them - they must be set free!" _Why is he sitting in a chair?_ Leia wondered, blinking. _Crap, did they break him?_ Knowing Jonah, anything was likely to have happened in the previous scene... But thankfully Threepio's language circuits seemed to be working all right, and he obediently translated her message.

But Logray, the chief Shaman, shook his head, gesturing for firewood to be placed on the coals.

"Somehow I got the feeling that didn't help us very much," Han observed.

_No kidding,_ Leia thought, giving Jonah a confused look; the Ewoks were supposed to free them immediately, at her request. But Jonah just grinned quietly, shaking his head and gesturing for her to go along with it. _All right,_ she agreed, trying to follow what was happening.

"Threepio," Luke said now. "Tell them if they don't do as you wish, you'll become angry, and use your magic."

"But Master Luke, what magic?" Threepio protested. "I couldn't possibly - "

"Just - tell them," Luke said.

Threepio spoke to the Ewoks again; but still, Logray refused to cooperate, gesturing for the torches to be lit. "You see, Master Luke? They didn't believe me, just as I said they wouldn't."

But a moment later his chair began to levitate, and Leia suppressed a giggle, finally understanding what was going on. _He's not broken; he's their new god,_ she realized, as the Ewoks trembled in fear before the floating protocol droid. They'd reacted the same way to T-4B2 - who had already become a mythical figure of legendary proportions, and the subject of countless fireside stories. And _he_ had never once flown... _Luke, you're just confusing them more,_ she laughed despite herself.

Luke grinned momentarily, but quickly masked his amusement, closing his eyes and letting out a dramatic sigh. But Han's relief was palpable, and Leia's heart fluttered sympathetically now, realizing he had been truly worried. _Oh, sweety, we're just acting,_ she wanted to reassure him; except now she _didn't_ want to say anything_,_ because he was gazing at her with a look of unbridled love, and concern. Whenever things got intense on the set, and Han lost his grasp of reality, his first thought had always been of her safety, and Leia smiled at him now, returning his loving gaze. _I'm all right, sweetheart..._ A relieved grin crossed Han's face, and then suddenly they were rushing toward each other, embracing each other lovingly as they shared a passionate kiss. _Oh... Let's do that again,_ Leia gasped, kissing him once more. _I don't care how stupid this looks..._

But now it seemed _Luke_ expected a hug too, and so Leia reluctantly tore herself away from Han, smiling warmly as she embraced her brother. _Dad's all right, by the way..._ But now she blinked, sensing Han's sudden jealousy - followed by momentary confusion, and finally embarrassment, as he looked down uncomfortably, reality dawning on him once again. _Oh - poor thing..._

"Thanks, Threepio," Luke said, trying to cover up this awkward moment.

"I never knew I had it in me," Threepio sighed, slumping wearily in his chair.

"And - cut," Jonah said, raising a hand. "Great job, everybody; that was awesome," he added, as Han quickly skulked away, his embarrassment obvious.

"He's - confused," Luke admitted quietly, seeing Leia's concerned look. "You know Han," he added, with a regretful smile.

"Yeah," Leia nodded. _Better than you think..._ There was so much she wished she could tell _both_ of them - but as always, this wasn't the time, and she shared a commiserative smile with her brother as they headed inside the main treehouse along with the others, to prepare for the next scene.

Han appeared in the doorway a moment later; his expression was uncertain, but Leia smiled reassuringly, gesturing for him to sit beside her. He nodded quietly, taking a seat next to her. They _were,_ after all, supposed to be lovers on the show, and he gave her an embarrassed grin now, rolling his eyes. But as Jonah called for _'action' _and Threepio began his storytelling session, she could sense Han's quiet discomfort once again.

_Sweety, I really do love you,_ Leia sighed, laying her head against his shoulder and snuggling against him. _And as soon as we're done here, I'm going to tell you,_ she resolved. They would be staying here at the Ewok village overnight, which should give her plenty of time to break the news to him - about her own loveless engagement, and his awaiting kingdom. _Though how he'll take it, I have no idea..._

Presently a young Ewok child snuggled against Han's _other_ side, and Leia giggled as Han rolled his eyes, reluctantly putting an arm around him. _He pretends to be tough, but he's just a big softy inside,_ she knew. _He's going to be a wonderful father someday,_ she sighed dreamily. As King and Queen of Alderaan, they would of course be expected to produce heirs, and Leia had already lovingly picked out names for her children. _Nookee if it's a boy, and Boobé if it's a girl... Oh, I hope he likes Nabooan names..._

But as Threepio finished with his storytelling, a hushed murmur suddenly arose among the Ewoks.

"What's going on?" Han asked uncertainly.

"I don't know," Leia confessed; Logray was speaking quietly with Chief Chirpa now, and she frowned worriedly. There was a reason why Logray handled most of the tribe's logistical decisions, while Chief Chirpa sat absently in his chair, a glazed look in his eyes. Several reasons, actually; one being that Chief Chirpa was over a hundred years old, and that was pretty much all he was capable of doing these days. But even in rare moments of lucidity, the chief tended to be rather eccentric, and unpredictable. For what none of the Ewoks knew - not even Chirpa himself - was that their chief was none other than former Jedi Master Sifo-Dyas: Qui-Gon's old Master, who had gone insane decades earlier, and cloned himself in a Kamino laboratory.

Master Sifo-Dyas was in fact the only surviving remnant of the clone army which Obi-Wan had quietly brought here years ago, upon discovering its existence. This had been an Ewok colony even before that, and several of the clones had mated with the local female residents; but many had been captured by slavers since then, and the rest had eventually died of old age. Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon had quietly done what they could to help them out over the years, and it had in fact been Qui-Gon's idea to build an energy shield here on the forest moon, to protect them from slave traders.

Logray called for attention now, and there was a ceremonial beating of drums, as Paploo - his young acolyte - made a formal announcement.

"Wonderful!" Threepio exclaimed, translating for the others. "We are now a part of the tribe."

Leia laughed quietly as Han was suddenly tackle-hugged by an enthusiastic young Ewok. "Just what I always wanted," he said, managing a good-natured smile.

But now Luke stood up, quietly escaping the scene, and Leia blinked in surprise as Jonah motioned for her to follow him outside. _What, me?_ But she nodded agreeably, joining her brother outside on the bridge. _Uh..._ "Luke, what's wrong?" she asked, trying to guess what this scene was about.

"Leia." He turned to face her, sitting on the railing. "Do you remember your mother?" he asked suddenly. "Your real mother?"

_Crap. Are we really having this conversation? _"Just a little bit," Leia replied cautiously, perching next to him. "She died when I was very young."

"What do you remember?" Luke asked.

_Uh... I don't know..._ Leia blinked; she'd slept through the meeting aboard the _Avenger,_ and hadn't prepared for this scene. "Just - images, really," she improvised. "Feelings."

"Tell me," Luke pressed her, curious.

_Um - well... _"She was - very beautiful," Leia stammered vaguely. "Kind... But - sad," she added; she'd seen the old _JEDI_ episode where Padmé had given birth to Ariel and Jonah, before randomly losing the will to live. _That WAS sad,_ Leia thought, remembering her mother's decidedly pathetic cause of death. "Why are you asking me this?" _Did you some__how find out about her? Did Yoda tell you? Or Ben? What's going on here?_

"I have no memory of my mother," Luke murmured quietly. "I never knew her."

_Crap... Neither did I,_ Leia realized suddenly, cringing. _Eh, Jonah will cut that. _"Luke, tell me... What's troubling you?" _Qui__t asking me trick questions..._

"Vader is here," Luke told her, randomly changing course. "Now. On this moon."

_Okay; and that's related to this conversation... how?_ "How do you know?" Leia asked cautiously, trying to keep up. _Though at least he dropped the mother topic..._

"I've felt his presence," Luke admitted. "He's come for me. He can feel when I'm near. That's why I have to go," he told her. "As long as I stay, I'm endangering the group, and our mission here. I have to face him."

_Really? Uh..._ "Why?" Leia asked. _Was this Jonah's idea, or is this like that scene we did aboard the shuttle?_ She remembered vaguely that the _Executor_ was supposedly stationed near Endor right now, along with the Death Star itself. _Maybe they're going to have another psychic conversation or something..._

"He's my father," Luke confessed now.

_Right. I mean - wrong..._ "Your father?" Leia asked, furrowing her brows; she'd been careful never to discuss this with him on the show before. _No... There's no way Rory Kellen could possibly be your father,_ she thought stubbornly, realizing _he_ was the only one on hand to play Vader right now. _That's crazy talk, Luke._

"There's more," Luke said. _Crap..._ "It won't be easy for you to hear it, but you must," he apologized, sensing her discomfort. _No, no; it__'s fine,_ Leia thought stubbornly, trying to bury her feelings. _Why would I be uncomfortable about any of this?_ "If I don't make it back, you're the only hope for the Alliance," Luke told her gently.

_Huh? What's this about?_ "Luke, don't talk that way," Leia protested. "You have a power I - I don't understand... and could never have." _What, are they making me a Jedi too now?_

"You're wrong, Leia. You have that power, too," Luke told her. "In time, you'll learn to use it, as I have."

_Really?_ Leia blinked; she'd heard the news that _JEDI_ was being brought back, but had no idea she'd be _one_ of them. _That might be pretty fun, actually,_ she thought; she'd always found her role on _SITH_ a bit boring.

"The Force is strong in my family," Luke continued. "My father has it. I have it. And - my sister has it," he added, giving her a meaningful look.

_Sister? __What? No, Luke__,_ Leia frowned, stubbornly avoiding his gaze. _There you go with the crazy talk again..._

"Yes," Luke insisted softly. "It's you, Leia."

_Gah, let's just get this over with._ "I know," Leia murmured, praying he wouldn't sense the truth. "Somehow... I've always known," she confessed, honestly surprised by the memory. Her mother hadn't told her about Luke until her third birthday; but somehow, she'd _known..._

"Then you know why I have to face him," Luke told her.

_Uh - right,_ Leia nodded vaguely, trying to remember the plot of this week's episode. _I mean - _"No," she protested, getting up from her perch. "Luke, run away," she begged him. "Far away. If he can feel your presence, then leave this place," she advised her brother. _I wish I could go with you,_ Leia thought, admitting she could use a vacation right about now. _Crap - did I say that out loud?_

Luke smiled in gentle amusement, sensing her confusion. "No, you don't," he reassured her. "You've always been strong."

_Tell me about it,_ Leia sighed; the frustrating thing about always having _been_ strong, was that people tended to take it for granted, and expected you to always _be_ strong, as if it came easily to you. "But why must you confront him?" Leia asked, still trying to understand what this was about.

"Because - there is good in him; I've felt it," Luke insisted, holding her hands reassuringly. "He won't turn me over to the Emperor. I can save him. I can turn him back, to the good side. I have to try." His smile was almost apologetic as he leaned closer, kissing her chastely on the cheek; she was surprised once again to sense his sincere gratitude_,_ for moments of closeness like this. _Oh, Luke... I love you,_ she thought, fighting tears as her brother gently extracted himself from her clinging grasp, continuing quickly across the bridge and off into the darkened forest beyond.

_So I guess he and Rory really are going to film a scene together?_ Leia wondered, gazing uncertainly toward the shield generator facility. _Well... I'm just glad it's Rory, and not Dad,_ she sighed, grateful to have made it through her own scene without saying anything catastrophic. _I will be SO glad when he's finally a Master,_ Leia admitted; tears suddenly filled her eyes, and her heart ached as she allowed herself to feel her true emotions, just for a moment. _I've missed him so much..._

"Hey," came an uncertain voice from behind her. "What's going on?"

_Gah..._ "Nothing," Leia protested, turning away; she didn't want Han to see her tears. "I just want to be alone for a little while." _And then I'll come find you, and we'll talk; I promise..._

"Nothing?" Han asked, skeptical. "Come on, tell me," he said, sitting down on the railing. "What's going on?"

_What's going on? I want to tell my brother how much I love him, but I can't. My father was just reported dead; but I can't tell anyone about that either..._ "I - I can't tell you," Leia apologized helplessly. _I wish I could; but first I need to know how you feel about the whole King of Alderaan thing..._

"Could you tell Luke?" Han asked indignantly, pointing toward the forest. "Is that who you could tell?"

_No, I couldn't tell him either..._ "I - " Leia turned around, fighting tears. _Please, Han. Just __leave me alone for a minute. I can't deal with this right now..._

* * *

><p>"Ahh," Han waved in annoyance, giving up on his attempt at conversation. Leia was being impossible again, and annoyingly secretive about everything lately. <em>She SAID she wanted to talk to me, back aboard the Avenger; but obviously she's changed her mind about that,<em> he grumbled, storming off. But then he saw Jonah's confused look, and remembered, sighing. _Crap, I forgot about the poetry reading..._

Han nodded subtly to Jonah, turning back onto the bridge. "I'm sorry," he apologized, with genuine sincerity. "But - we really need to do Jabba's poetry reading now," he reminded Leia gently. It was_,_ after all, one of the main stipulations in Jabba's agreement to join the Republic, and Han gave her a sympathetic look. _Trust me, I don't want to be doing this any more than you do._

"Ahhh," Leia sighed miserably; Han was sobered to see tears in her eyes. _Something really IS going on... _ But she nodded bravely, trying to compose herself. "Hold me," she said, clinging to him helplessly.

_Sure, Leia,_ Han agreed, embracing her gently and patting her on the back. It felt so wonderful, and _right;_ he suddenly couldn't remember why he'd been annoyed with her a moment ago. _It's all right, sweetheart. We'll just go back to our little treehouse together, and I'll hold you all you want; just the two of us -_

"Cut," Jonah said, from the doorway. "Great job; that was perfect," he told them. "Okay, that's it for tonight; see you guys in the morning," he added with a cheerful wave, heading back inside.

_Damn it..._ Han's heart sank, and he felt a sudden pang of embarrassment as he realized he'd gotten lost in his acting yet again. _I swear, I hate this stupid show,_ he scowled in frustration, following Jonah back inside the main treehouse. But then he rolled his eyes in exasperation as he heard a plaintive, princessy voice behind him.

"Han," Leia called after him pathetically.

_Gah..._ "What?" Han asked, raising his hands in annoyance as he joined her on the bridge again.

Leia blinked. "I - I'm sorry," she apologized. "If this is a bad time - "

"No, Your Worshipfulness," Han insisted sarcastically; but then he sighed, relenting. "Eh... I got nothing better to do tonight," he pointed out, glancing toward the Ewok village. _Except go back to my little treehouse - alone - and listen to Chewie snore all night,_ he admitted, taking a seat against the railing again. "Come on... You want to talk to me, or not?" he pressed her, with a concerned look.

"I - " Leia sighed unhappily. "You're sure you don't mind?"

_This is why I hate princesses..._ "I _said,_ I don't mind," Han reiterated, attempting to be patient. "What's going on?"

"Ahhh..." Leia looked away, shaking her head.

Han rolled his eyes. "Fine," he said, getting up. "Tell me, or don't tell me; I really don't care," he grumbled, heading back inside. "If you want to talk, you know where to find me."

"I caught Julian kissing another girl," Leia blurted out helplessly.

_What?_ Han stopped in his tracks; he felt suddenly _angry_ at the thought. _If I had a girl half as good as Leia, I sure as hell wouldn't be kissing anyone else._ "Who?" he asked, incensed by the very idea.

"His cousin Ariel," Leia told him cautiously, as if trying to gauge his reaction.

"Gah..." Han shook his head in disgust. _This is why I hate royalty,_ he scowled; he'd grown up at the royal palace on Corellia, and this was the sort of bullshit he and his father had purposely left behind. _Especially_ when it was between cousins; that was exactly the sort of thing that had gotten the Solo family into their predicament to begin with.

"She's adopted," Leia added gently, seeing his obvious disdain.

"I don't care," Han retorted, furrowing his brows; then he shook his head, sighing. "I mean... I'm sorry," he told her, trying to be sympathetic.

Leia nodded, gazing out across the starlit forest. "He doesn't love me," she admitted quietly. "He's only marrying me for political reasons."

Han felt another stab of anger course through his heart. "So he can be king," he realized, glowering. Han's mother had originally been from Alderaan, and he was vaguely aware of the planet's ridiculous tradition - in which the crown generally passed to whichever royal idiot could marry the most influential princess, or some such nonsensical thing.

"Yes," Leia agreed, nodding. "But - Julian would be a _good_ king," she insisted reluctantly. "And if he doesn't marry me... Gorlan Organa will be next in line," she confessed, troubled.

Han blinked, caught off guard. "Gorlan?"

Leia gave him a guarded look. "You know him?"

Han furrowed his brows. "Not really," he confessed uncomfortably; he'd only met his uncle once, when he was a small boy. _He was a total asshole to my dad... He's the reason my parents split up._ Gorlan had convinced his mother that she could do better than this 'low-ranking, brainless Solo clown' - whereupon she had proceeded to marry a somewhat higher-ranking - and infinitely _more_ brainless - Solo clown. _Though I should thank him,_ Han sighed; his dad was a lot better off without her, and was much happier with Gwen now.

"Are you familiar with Gorlan's political platform?" Leia asked him.

_His political platform?_ Han blinked. _What the hell kind of question is that?_ "Sorry, I - uh... haven't been following politics much lately," he confessed. _What with being frozen in carbonite, and all..._

"Right," Leia nodded, giving him a sympathetic smile. But then she sighed, troubled. "If Gorlan becomes king, he plans to reinstate a feudal system that will cast ninety percent of Alderaan's population into serfdom, and poverty," she explained quietly. "It's technically legal, but just one step above slavery."

Han rolled his eyes; it sounded exactly like something his Uncle Gorlan would do. _Or_ his mother... _This is why I hate politics,_ he sighed in annoyance.

"Han," Leia continued seriously. "Julian isn't marrying me because he wants to be king. He's not doing it for power," she told him. "He's doing it to save the people of Alderaan - from what will happen if he _doesn't_," she insisted. "And so am I," she said, a look of determination on her face. "I _will_ be the next Queen of Alderaan."

Han nodded quietly, accepting her decision; he'd spent an entire lifetime stuck in a string of no-win situations, and understood how these things went.

"The only question is who's going to be the next king," Leia confessed hesitantly, looking down.

Han frowned. "What do you mean?" he asked, not following. "Wouldn't it be Julian?"

"Not necessarily," Leia told him. "Julian doesn't care about being king. He only wants to make sure that Gorlan _isn't,_" she explained. "But if I marry _another_ Alderaanian prince - of at least the fourth degree... Who _doesn't_ want to cast the entire population of Alderaan into poverty," she added, giving Han a meaningful look. "It would still beat Gorlan's claim," she told him quietly.

Han furrowed his brows, doubtful. "So - who else is there?" he asked; as far as he knew, Julian was the only heir on King Bail's side.

"Well, Gorlan has two sons," Leia said. "But they side with their father politically, so that's no use," she admitted. Then she looked down, suddenly uncomfortable. "Though interestingly enough... Gorlan's sister, Kharis, also has two sons," Leia pointed out, giving Han a questioning glance. "Neither of whom seems to give a crap about politics."

Han frowned, not daring to trust where this conversation was going. Technically, his little brother Anaeryn cared less about politics than _he_ did, and was far more interested in finger-painting... "What are you saying?"

"I'm _saying,_" Leia replied plainly, "that if I marry one of Kharis's sons, I would still be the next Queen of Alderaan," she told him, looking down. "And Julian could marry Ariel."

_You can't be serious... _Han blinked, still trying to wrap his brain around this concept. "Is this some kind of joke?" he asked, furrowing his brows in suspicion.

"No," Leia assured him. "_'Some __kind of joke'_ would be if I told you I'm thinking of marrying Anaeryn," she pointed out wryly. "Han, I've spoken to Julian about this... And we've discussed it with his father, and King Bail," Leia explained, with a hesitant look. "We've all been hoping that you - " She broke off suddenly, tears filling her eyes. "Please, Han," she whispered, shaking her head helplessly. "Save us all from this mess."

_What?_ Han stared at her in confused disbelief; but Leia looked up at him now, her expression desperately pleading. "Uh... Okay," he stammered, as Leia suddenly clung to him, sobbing quietly.

"Oh..." Leia sighed in relieved gratitude, laying her head against his shoulder. "I love you, Han," she choked pathetically.

"I know," Han assured her, patting her on the back. "It's no problem."

Leia gave him a hopeful, apologetic look. "Are you sure?"

Han rolled his eyes. _This again..._ "Yes, I'm sure," he promised, kissing her on the forehead. _I'd do anything for you, Leia; I don't care how awful it is._ But then he sighed wearily, as the irony of his situation began to sink in. "Great... Be the King of Alderaan, or a virgin forever," he muttered to himself, cursing his Solo luck. "Why are my options always this bad?"

Leia extracted herself from his embrace. "What?" she asked, furrowing her brows.

_Crap__..._ "Nothing," Han said, scowling.

Leia blinked. "_You're_ a virgin?"

"No," Han protested stubbornly; then he shrugged, sighing. "Maybe," he confessed reluctantly.

Leia laughed despite herself. "_You_ are a virgin."

Han scowled. "It's not funny."

"Trust me, it is," Leia said, still giggling.

"Trust me, it _isn't_," Han assured her, frustrated and hurt. "It's embarrassing." _I'm the oldest virgin on the entire Outer Rim._

Leia managed to stifle her mirth for a moment, nodding in commiseration. "It _is_ kind of pathetic," she admitted.

"Thanks." Han gave her a resentful look. "So... You're not?" he asked, surprised by the thought.

Leia frowned, indignant. "This isn't about me."

"Ahhh?" Han grinned triumphantly, pointing in her face. "You _are!_"

"Well of course I am," Leia retorted. "I'm a princess... of _two_ planets," she told him proudly.

"Well, I'm a prince... of _two_ planets," Han shot back, not to be outdone. "Your point is?"

"My point is..." Leia shook her head in profound confusion. "You're way too hot to be a virgin."

"Well - " Han blinked, not at all certain who was _winning_ this argument. "So are you," he said, defensive. "What are you gonna do about it?"

Leia laughed, amused by his question. "There's pretty much only one thing we _can_ do about it," she said, casting a knowing glance toward the treehouse village.

Han stared at her, caught off guard. "You're serious?"

"I've got nothing else to do tonight," Leia confessed, her dark eyes glimmering with mischief. "But only if you marry me first," she stipulated.

"Uh - okay... Sure," Han agreed quickly, nodding. But then he gave her a confused look. "How?"

"I'm not sure," Leia confessed; but she smiled unworriedly, as if getting married on a backwards moon colonized by overgrown furballs was the most normal thing in the world. "We'll have to ask what the local custom is," she decided, taking his hand and leading him back inside. "Come on."

But as they entered the treehouse, an enthusiastic young Ewok jumped out from behind the doorway. "Yub Yub!" he exclaimed, tackle-hugging Leia.

"Yub yub, yourself," Leia replied fondly, embracing him. "Wicket, this is Han," she told him. "The one I was telling you about earlier?"

"Ohhh! Nee chukku nub yo!" Wicket babbled, nodding and jumping excitedly.

Han gave her a questioning look. "You told him about me?"

Leia smiled shyly. "Only about a hundred times... I've been here a lot over the past year," she confessed, a touch of longing in her voice. _Oh,_ Han blinked; his heart fluttered, and he couldn't help returning her smile of relieved gratitude. _She DOES love me..._ "Come on; we need to find Threepio," she said, heading out into the village.

They found him near the bonfire pit, where he seemed to be engaged in a meeting with the tribe's elders; but when he saw them, he waved desperately. "Oh! Mistress Leia! General Solo... Do you need me for anything?" he asked, getting up from his wooden throne and shuffling eagerly toward them, as Logray, Paploo, and Teebo shook their heads in disapproval, and Chief Chirpa stared blankly into the fire.

"Yes," Leia said, giving the others an apologetic smile. "Just for a few minutes," she promised them.

"Oh, my," Threepio sighed wearily, as they returned to the main treehouse. "I never knew how difficult it was, being a god," he confessed. "My temporary files are overloaded; I'm in desperate need of a reboot... And I fear my Ewokese is dreadfully outdated," he lamented, following the others out onto the bridge.

"You're doing fine, Threepio," Leia assured him gently. "We'll make sure you get some rest after this."

"Oh; thank you, Mistress Leia," Threepio said gratefully. "So, how might I be of service?"

"Well, it's a secret," Leia cautioned him. "But - we need you to ask Wicket... How do people get married, here on Endor?"

"Oh, my," Threepio exclaimed, swiveling his head in Han's direction, then back to Leia. "Yes, of course," he agreed, translating for Wicket - who, after jumping up and down excitedly, launched into a string of enthusiastic babbling. "He says - the female must tell the male: 'I choose you'," Threepio translated. "Then she kisses him," he added, as Wicket nodded vigorously. "It must be done in front of - " He swiveled his head in surprise. "The golden god," he told them, obviously unfamiliar with this tradition. "Oh dear, I must update my databank - "

"So... that's it?" Leia asked, as Wicket nodded, babbling cheerfully.

Han shared a look of ecstatic disbelief with his bride-to-be. _Lucky thing we brought our own golden god with us..._

"All right," Leia said; then she looked into Han's eyes, smiling shyly. "I choose you," she told him softly, taking his hands in hers. Then she kissed him; tenderly at first, and then with more passion -

"Eeep! Nyub no," Wicket interrupted, shaking his head. "Nukku teepi yab'wa," he told them.

"He says - you must speak the words in Ewokese," Threepio translated.

"Oh." Leia nodded reluctantly, extracting herself from Han's embrace. "How do I say it?" she asked, giving Wicket a curious look.

"Heesmai bru'thrr," Wicket told her helpfully.

"All right," Leia nodded again; then she gave Han a tender smile. "Heesmai bru'thrr," she murmured lovingly, kissing him.

_Did it work?_ Han wondered, glancing furtively at the young Ewok, as he kissed his bride. This time Wicket nodded in enthusiastic approval, and Han grinned ecstatically, a wave of disbelief washing over him as he kissed Leia again, more fervently this time. _Ahh... This is the happiest moment of my entire life,_ he confessed, closing his eyes and resting his cheek against her head as he held her close. _I love you, Leia..._

But suddenly he became aware of a persistent tugging sensation on his pant leg. "Mmm... Nyoop'thu," Wicket told them, babbling and gesturing dramatically.

"What's he saying?" Han asked uncertainly, giving Threepio a hopeful look. _Are we married now?_

"Oh dear," Threepio sighed. "I'm afraid - apparently I'm not the golden god he was speaking of," he admitted reluctantly. "He says the almighty Sun God himself must witness your ceremony... From high above - in the sky," he translated, as Wicket pointed up toward the stars. "It seems the ceremony can only occur in the daytime."

_Great,_ Han sighed unhappily. _Just my luck... _

But Leia nodded quietly, extracting herself from his embrace once again. "I guess this isn't going to happen tonight," she confessed, managing a regretful smile.

"Yeah." Han gulped, trying to hide his disappointment. "I guess not." _Ahh, what were we thinking,_ he sighed; if they were to be King and Queen of Alderaan, they'd need a far more public wedding anyway. _I've held out for thirty-two years,_ he admitted glumly. _I can hold on for a little while longer. It's what I'm good at,_ he thought, looking down.

"Well... we'd better get some sleep," Leia said reluctantly, glancing toward the village. Days were short here on the forest moon, and nights even shorter; they would only have a few hours before sunrise. "It's a busy day tomorrow," she pointed out, giving him a look of quiet longing.

Han nodded. "Yep," he agreed, following her back inside the main treehouse, along with Wicket, and Threepio. They said goodnight to their young Ewok friend, and helped Threepio over to a quiet corner of the treehouse, where he shut down in weary gratitude. Then, sharing a quiet, tender smile, they held hands, making their way across the network of bridges toward their own guest houses.

"Goodnight, Han," Leia said softly, kissing him again as they arrived at her doorstep. "Sleep well."

"I will," Han assured her. _It's not like I've got anything else to do,_ he sighed, as Leia smiled sympathetically, heading into her guest house. But then he realized he hadn't properly said goodnight to her. Chewie was always scolding him for failing to reciprocate social niceties, and leaving expressions of affection awkwardly one-sided. _Damn it..._ "Leia," he called after her now; if he was to be King of Alderaan - as well as Leia's husband - he would need to start paying more attention to this sort of thing. _Uh... Good night? Sleep well?_ He blinked momentarily, realizing he would only be parroting her own words back at her. _Seriously, I don't get the point of that..._

"Yes?" Leia appeared in the doorway once again, her expression hopeful.

_Um..._ Han gulped uncomfortably, suddenly realizing he had absolutely no idea what to say to her. _THIS is why I'm a thirty-two-year-old virgin,_ he berated himself, desperately trying to think of a way to express his feelings for her in a way that was genuine and heartfelt, rather than stupidly cliché and unoriginal. "I - I love you," he blurted out idiotically, failing spectacularly in that endeavor.

But Leia's eyes sparkled with warmth and affection, as Han's own heart fluttered helplessly in response. "I know," she replied, a smile of tender amusement crossing her face as she retreated inside her treehouse for the night.


	205. In the making of this episode

**Chapter 205**

_The next morning..._

"The main entrance to the control bunker is on the far side of that landing platform," Leia told Han and Chewbacca, as they crouched behind a fallen log. "This isn't going to be easy."

"Hey, don't worry," Han reassured her. "Chewie and me got into a lot of places more heavily guarded than this."

"Rrrrfff," Chewbacca agreed confidently. "Grrarrr Aaarrrr Rrrrouuffff!"

"That's right," Han said. "I got a lockpicking kit aboard the _Falcon;_ it'll only take me second..." He blinked uncertainly, realizing the _Falcon_ wasn't actually here. "Oh."

"Cut," Jonah said, as Leia laughed, shaking her head. One of her fiancé's most adorable qualities was his naive overconfidence in his abilities. The shield generator facility here on Endor - which HOPE had built - boasted a state-of-the-art security system, requiring both a key card _and_ retinal scan by authorized personnel only. It wasn't the sort of Outer Rim junk that Han was accustomed to dealing with. _Besides, the point of this scene is to show that it's NOT that easy to get into._

"Ah... Sorry," Han apologized; they were on a tight filming schedule today, and didn't have time for multiple takes, or mistakes.

"That's okay," Jonah assured him cheerfully. "Most of that was good; we'll just cut that last bit... And, on to Wicket and Threepio," he directed them, stepping back behind the camera. Wicket nodded, proceeding to babble in Ewokese, as Threepio listened intently.

"What's he saying?" Leia asked, truly curious; she had picked up a little bit of Ewokese over the past year, but not enough to really follow anything.

"He says, there's a secret entrance on the other side of the ridge," Threepio translated.

"And - cut! Great job," Jonah said. "All right, let's move on to the control bunker," he said, leading the way along the forest path. "We're going to have to try to be quick with this next scene," he reminded them. "We only have about two hours before we lose the light."

Leia nodded, following along with the others. Days were short here on the forest moon, but today would be shorter than most, as the moon would be passing behind its planet, experiencing a solar eclipse - which was a common occurrence here on Endor. She cast an anxious glance at the sun now, hoping they would finish well before their deadline, though her reasons were entirely different from Jonah's.

_I want to get married - here, today,_ Leia thought, her heart fluttering nervously as she shared a quiet smile with Han. She hadn't discussed it with him yet, but she hoped that he would understand, and agree with her: that a big public wedding, in the wake of her shocking breakup with Julian Organa, was the last thing that either of them wanted. _But hopefully we can slip away at some point, and have a nice quiet ceremony._ All she had to do was say the words, and kiss him, with the golden Sun God bearing witness, and it would be official according to galactic law, as well as the local tradition here on Endor.

_And it's my family's tradition as well,_ Leia realized, proud to be following in her parents' footsteps, and eloping on a small, out-of-the-way planet. Though how they would take the news, she had no idea; which was another reason why she so desperately wanted to do this today. Julian had known of her plan for months, and they had even discussed the matter with his parents, and King Bail. But Leia had never managed to find the opportune moment to bring the subject up with her own mother - or Force forbid, her _father_ - and she felt a pang of anxiety now, wondering how they would react to the mind-boggling reality that she was in love with a crazy Solo. And not just _any_ Solo, but specifically the one who had bankrupted her charity just two years earlier, and whom she had once professed to bitterly despise.

_But if we get married today, at least it will be done, and they can't try to talk me out of it,_ Leia sighed, resolving to deal with that situation later. They were arriving at the control bunker now, where they met up with Paploo - who, after a brief discussion with Jonah and Threepio - waved to them excitedly, chattering in Ewokese.

"Back door, huh?" Han said, crouching behind a thicket of ferns. "Good idea." He peered toward the bunker, carefully assessing the situation. "It's only a few guards," he noted, turning to Leia. "This shouldn't be too much trouble."

"It only takes one to sound the alarm," Leia pointed out worriedly.

But Han flashed her a confident grin. "Then we'll do it real quiet-like."

_Right, like when you stepped on that stick,_ Leia thought, suppressing a giggle. Though she had to admit it was a wonderful feeling, trying _not_ to giggle; life had weighed far too heavily on her this past year, but since last night's conversation with Han, she suddenly felt light-hearted and carefree, for the first time since she could remember. _We're going to get married,_ Leia realized in joyful disbelief, her heart fluttering. _Hopefully today..._

"Oh, my! Princess Leia!" _Whoops..._ Leia blinked, tearing herself away from her daydreams and clamping a hand over Threepio's mouth. "I'm afraid our furry companion has gone and done something rather rash," Threepio warned them quietly, pointing toward the control bunker.

"Oh, no," Leia said, feigning concern as she followed his gaze.

"There goes our surprise attack," Han said, as Paploo climbed up onto one of the Stormtroopers' parked speeder bikes.

_Heh... Watch this,_ Leia thought proudly. Paploo was the offspring of one of the Sifo-Dyas clones, and was unusually strong in the Force. In addition to being one of the tribe's fiercest warriors, he also possessed obvious mystical talents, and was an acolyte to Chief Shaman Logray as well. He had been curious to learn how to ride a speeder bike ever since HOPE's arrival on the forest moon a year ago; Leia had taught him herself, and he had turned out to be a natural pilot.

Sure enough, a moment later Paploo took off, racing through the forest on his stolen Imperial speeder bike. "Look! Over there," the shortest of the four Stormtroopers exclaimed, as they all ran away from their post. "Stop him!"

Leia giggled; this was Luke, though the vocal modulator in his helmet made his voice sound very different. Luke was helping Rory with today's stunts; she could sense his amusement as well as he hopped on a speeder bike along with two of the other Stormtroopers, chasing after Paploo.

"Not bad for a little furball," Han said, impressed. "There's only one left." He turned to Threepio, pointing sternly. "You stay here," he instructed him. "We'll take care of this."

They proceeded toward the bunker, where Han sneaked up behind the final remaining Stormtrooper, tapping him mischievously on the shoulder and running past him. "Hey!" the Stormtrooper exclaimed, chasing Han around the corner of the bunker - where six other armed Rebels were waiting. Han gave him a smug, triumphant look, obviously pleased with himself.

_Yeah, you're just lucky Luke cleared the area of sticks before you did that,_ Leia thought wryly, joining him at the entrance to the bunker. In reality it wasn't nearly as easy to get into as Han was trying to make it look; Leia inserted her key card now, submitting to a quick retinal scan in order to open the bunker's outer door.

They continued to the control room, where again Leia inserted her key card and passed the retinal scan, as Han pretended to blast the inner door open. "All right - up!" Han ordered the Imperial officers, pointing his blaster at them. "Move! Come on," he said, as Chewie herded them into a corner of the room. "Quickly, quickly..."

_Right,_ Leia remembered; Jonah had explained that the Rebel fleet was supposedly preparing to launch its attack on the Death Star, and their job was to disable the shield generator. "Han, hurry," she said, pretending to push some buttons on the control panel. "The fleet will be here any moment."

Han nodded tersely; but then he cast an uncertain glance around the control room. "Uh... Hurry with _what?_" he asked. "Aren't we supposed to get captured?"

"Yeah," Jonah said, equally confused by the lack of Imperial reinforcements. "Where are they?"

A moment later the intercom buzzed, and Leia hesitantly pressed a button on the console, answering it. "Hello?"

"Sorry, can you open this outer door again?" a voice on the other end asked. "We got locked out."

"Oh! Of course," Leia replied, over the intercom. "Sorry, I forgot it closes automatically - just a second..." She inserted her key card into the main console, then performed a quick retinal scan. "Here you go," she said, pressing a button to open the bunker's outer door once again.

"Thanks," the Imperial officer replied over the intercom. "All right; we're on our way."

"Charges! Come on... Come on!" Han said urgently, catching one.

Suddenly an Imperial commander emerged from the hallway. "Freeze!" he said, pointing a blaster pistol at them.

Han threw the explosive pack at him; but a moment later another officer arrived, along with several Stormtroopers. "You Rebel scum," he said, as his team surrounded them, confiscating their weapons.

Chewie began to fight bravely against them, as planned; but Leia sensed Han's sudden alarm as he held a hand protectively toward her, realizing that struggling would only endanger her, if this were a real-life scenario.

_This again,_ Leia sighed, finding Han's unique acting style simultaneously amusing, tragic, and brilliant. _It's all right, sweety; these nice stunt actors aren't going to hurt me. _But then she frowned, suddenly getting the nagging feeling that she was forgetting something. Something important... _Did I have another line?_ she wondered; it was often Leia's job to subtly explain to the audience what was happening in a scene, as Han usually forgot, and Chewie - though he tried valiantly - wasn't much help either. But Jonah seemed pleased with their performance thus far, so Leia dismissed her concerns as they were marched back outside the facility.

"All right! Move it," the officer said, herding them into a clearing where the entire Imperial army had gathered, along with the rest of the captured Rebels. Leia glanced back at the bunker in concern; two Stormtroopers were guarding the entrance now, physically holding the door open so that it couldn't lock them out again. _Gah, they shouldn't be doing that,_ Leia cringed, realizing it was against HOPE's security protocol.

But the other officer was urging them forward. "Keep moving... Come on!" he said, as Leia sighed, obediently putting her hands behind her head and trusting that none of the stunt actors here today were interested in compromising the forest moon's security.

"Hello!" a familiar voice called out from the nearby forest ridge. "I say, over there!" Threepio exclaimed, waving his golden arms. "Were you looking for me?"

"Bring those two down here," the Imperial commander ordered, as a dozen Stormtroopers rushed into the forest to retrieve Artoo and Threepio.

Jonah nodded subtly to Rory, who was in charge of today's stunts; and a moment later the forest came alive with Ewoks. "Aiyeeeee!" they cried, jumping out from behind the ledge and tackling the confused Stormtroopers. Primitive horns sounded in the distance, and a hundred more Ewoks emerged from the underbrush, wielding bows and arrows.

_Here we go,_ Leia thought proudly, watching as her friends showed off the new fighting skills they had been learning over the past year, as part of HOPE's effort to help protect them against slave traders. _Trust me; you don't want to mess with these little guys anymore._

Han and Chewbacca seized this opportunity to fight back against their captors, and Leia followed suit, kicking a Stormtrooper to the ground, then shooting at an officer atop one of the two-legged Imperial Scout Transports.

The rest of the Stormtroopers rushed into the forest to join the battle against the Ewoks; but a dozen Imperial officers fled back inside the bunker. The door shut automatically behind them, and once again Leia felt a twinge of anxiety at this breach of protocol. But it was part of the plan for this scene, and she stubbornly forced away her concern. _These people are actors, not slave traders,_ she told herself. _Besides, it's not like they can do anything without my key card..._

_Oh, crap._ Leia's eyes widened, and she reached quickly into her pouch - only to discover it empty. _Damn it, that's what I forgot back in the control room..._

"All right," Jonah said, moving on to the next scene. "Now you guys are going to retake the bunker, and plant those explosives," he reminded them, heading back over to the entrance. "Leia, I'd like to get a shot of you entering the secret code that the Bothans procured for us; we forgot that in the last scene... What?" he asked, seeing her disturbed expression.

"Uh... There might be a slight problem with that," Leia confessed hesitantly.

Jonah grinned. "Yeah, I noticed before; there's no number pad in the doorway," he agreed. "Don't worry, just push the intercom button - "

"No, it's not that," Leia said. "I - um... I think I left my key card inside the control room," she admitted.

"Oh." Jonah blinked. "Well - Myron and the others are in there now," he pointed out. "They can let us in, right?"

"Not without my retinal scan," Leia said unhappily. "Crap... I'm going to have to call the security company, and get someone out here," she said, pulling out her transmitter. "Don't worry, they're supposed to respond within minutes," she assured Jonah, dialing the emergency number.

"SafePlanet Security," replied a calm but serious voice, over the transmitter. "What is the nature of your emergency?"

"Hi, this is Leia Amidala, calling from Endor," she told him. "I accidentally locked my key card inside our shield generator facility; I was hoping you could send somebody out here to let us in?"

"Absolutely, I can help you with that," the operator assured her. "We'll send a technician right away."

"Thanks," Leia said, breathing a sigh of relief. "I really appreciate it."

"No problem at all," he told her. "A security technician should be there in about five hours."

"Five hours?" Leia blinked. "No... I thought - I was told that in an emergency, we'd receive help within minutes?"

"That's correct; if you're in danger, I can alert Jedi Border Patrol, and they'll be there immediately," the operator assured her. "Are you currently under attack?"

"Um..." Leia glanced balefully out toward the forest, where the Ewoks were mercilessly clobbering an entire army of Stormtroopers. "No," she confessed. "But there are a dozen people trapped inside the control bunker," she pointed out worriedly.

"Do they have adequate food and water, to survive for a few hours?" he asked, concerned.

Leia sighed. "Yes," she admitted; the facility's kitchen was well-stocked, and could support a hundred people - or Ewoks - for a week, in the unlikely case of a siege.

"And there's no one else from your organization you can call, who has a key?"

"No," Leia told him. "They're all volunteers, from Naboo; I gave them the weekend off," she explained, already regretting her decision. _I figured with Luke here, and Jedi Border Patrol nearby, we'd be okay..._

"Well, if you need immediate military assistance, you can either call us again, or alert the Jedi directly," the operator told her. "But if it's not a life-threatening emergency... Our technicians are based on Coruscant," he explained apologetically. "It will take several hours for anyone to get there."

Leia shook her head unhappily; the sun would set in another hour or so, and it would be dark before the technician arrived. _Jonah's not going to be happy about this... _But she thanked the operator, then explained to the others what was going on.

"Five hours?" Jonah repeated, casting a worried glance at the sun.

"No kidding," Leia said, apologetic. "Well... At least we can film the interior shots tonight, and place the explosives," she pointed out. _And maybe we'll have the rest of the afternoon off,_ she thought optimistically, glancing quietly at Han.

But Jonah grinned, unconcerned. "Eh, we'll just have to figure something else out," he said cheerfully, in true Lars fashion. He pressed the intercom button, explaining the situation to the actors who were trapped inside the bunker; then he turned back to Leia. "So there's really no other way into this place?"

"No," Leia admitted unhappily. _That's the whole point of a security system..._

"Ahh," Han sighed, shaking his head. "If I had my lockpicking kit with me, I could get in there real easy," he told them, examining the control panel. "Hey - I could call Lando; he can probably get here a lot sooner than the security guy - "

"Han, no," Leia told him sternly. "I have procedures I'm supposed to follow," she insisted, as Han rolled his eyes, unimpressed. _Besides, this place is specifically designed to hold up against lockpicking kits._

But Jonah was intrigued by Han's idea. "What about Artoo?" he suggested. "Could you use him to get in there somehow?"

"Uh... maybe," Han said, casting a doubtful look at the control panel. "He might be able to override the security system; at least for a few seconds, so I can get the door open... It's worth a try," he agreed.

"Leia, is that okay with you?" Jonah asked hopefully.

_Gah..._ Leia sighed, masking her anxiety. _I hope it's not actually that easy..._ But she was concerned for the actors who were trapped inside the bunker, so she nodded, managing an optimistic smile. "Let's hope he can do it."

Jonah wanted to film their attempt, so after a brief discussion of the proposed scene, he called for action, stepping back behind the camera. "The code's changed," Leia told Han worriedly, pressing the intercom button, to no avail. "We need Artoo!"

"Here's the terminal," Han pointed out, covering for her as the Stormtroopers continued to fire at them.

"Artoo, where are you?" Leia asked, over her comlink. "We need you at the bunker right away!"

A minute later the droids joined them, and Artoo obediently accessed the terminal, while Han stood by the control panel, preparing to open the bunker's door during the short window of opportunity they might get from this attempt. _Is it really this easy?_ Leia wondered, quietly hoping it wasn't.

Unfortunately she got her wish - as Artoo screamed in alarm, backing frantically away from the terminal and twittering helplessly as blue sparks coursed through his circuits for several seconds, before blowing every fuse in his entire body all at once.

"Oh my goodness," Threepio exclaimed in dismay. "Artoo, why did you have to be so brave?"

Han sighed, casting a baleful glance at the mutilated astrodroid. "Yeah... I was worried about that," he confessed.

"Worried about what?" Leia asked cautiously. _You knew that was going to happen?_

"This place has a pretty advanced anti-theft system," Han admitted, shaking his head. "It's programmed to overload any unauthorized device that gets plugged into it," he explained. "But maybe I could try hotwiring it," he suggested doubtfully.

"Will that work?" Jonah asked.

"No idea," Han sighed, peering at the wires.

_More to the point... _"Will it blow us up?" Leia asked warily.

"No," Han assured her. "The overload charge has already been tripped," he pointed out, with a regretful glance at Artoo.

"Well, it's worth a try," Jonah agreed, stepping behind the camera and gesturing for them to continue.

Han nodded, still gazing worriedly at Artoo. "Well... I suppose I could hotwire this thing," he said, turning to the control box.

"I'll cover you," Leia said, crouching inside the doorway and shooting back at the Imperials. Once again, she found herself quietly hoping that Han _couldn't_ break in; this security system was supposedly the best in the galaxy, and had been designed specifically to resist such attempts.

"I think I got it," Han said, about five seconds later. "I got it!" he announced triumphantly.

_Seriously?_ Leia blinked, turning to look. _You did it that fast?_ But instead of opening, now _another_ heavy blast door was closing over the first one. "Nice job," she said, giving her fiancé an _I-told-you-so_ look.

"Gah," Han sighed. "I really need my lockpicking kit," he admitted, shaking his head.

"Well, let's just move on for now, before we lose the light," Jonah proposed, as Han and Leia nodded in agreement. "So, you've disabled the shield, but now Leia gets shot on the way back out - " He blinked, another thought occurring to him. "Actually... Hang on a second," he said, pulling out his datapad and going over his notes. "You know, I was having trouble with the timing of that scene," Jonah confessed, furrowing his brows. "This all has to be spliced together with Luke and Vader's duel, and the Rebel fleet's attack against the Death Star," he reminded them. "Would you guys mind trying a take where Leia gets shot _before_ you get inside the bunker?"

_Of course not,_ Leia sighed, casting a longing glance up at the golden Sun God, which would disappear in just another hour or so. _Why would I mind doing a whole scene that's probably just going to get thrown out?_ But she listened patiently as Jonah explained his idea to them, nodding in understanding as they took their places once again.

"Ahh!" Leia cried suddenly, pretending to be shot in the shoulder.

"Princess Leia!" Threepio exclaimed, as Han helped her to the corner of the doorway. "Are you all right?"

"Let's see," Han said quietly, feigning concern.

But Leia shook her head reassuringly. "It's not bad," she told him.

"Freeze!" said a voice from outside the bunker, as two Stormtroopers suddenly appeared, blasters drawn. "Don't move!"

Leia quietly pulled out her blaster, and Han gave her a look of heartfelt appreciation. "I love you."

"I know," Leia replied, as they shared a secret smile. _Hopefully we'll get married soon..._

"Hands up!" the Stormtrooper ordered them. "Stand up!" Han obeyed, raising his hands and getting to his feet; but Leia quickly blasted both of them, as they fell dramatically to the ground.

"And - cut," Jonah said. "Thanks guys, that was perfect... I think we'll go with that version - " He frowned in confusion as a two-legged Imperial Scout Transport suddenly burst onto the scene, stomping toward them. "What the - ?"

_It's Chewie,_ Leia sensed, equally puzzled by his unexpected arrival; but Jonah was gesturing for them to go along with it, so Han improvised, raising his hands in surrender and adopting an apprehensive expression.

"Rrrrraaaauuuughhhh," Chewbacca moaned, emerging from the Scout Walker's top hatch.

"Chewie!" Han exclaimed, relieved. "Uh... What are you doing here, pal?"

"Arrrrrgggghhhh Rrrrouuuffff Rrrrarrrrrrgggh Rrraaauughhh... Rrrouuufff!" Chewie replied, gesturing worriedly.

"Luke?" Han asked, surprised. "No, we're okay; we just - ahh..." He cringed in helpless apology, giving up on his acting attempt. "Luke sensed we were worried about something," he explained, to Jonah and Leia. "He sent Chewie to help."

"Ah," Jonah nodded, as Leia smiled quietly, touched by her brother's concern. "Okay, uh... crap, where is this scene going?" Jonah muttered, furrowing his brows. "Well - just tell Chewie to get down there and help you," he proposed, gesturing for them to continue. "And... _Action._"

Han looked confused as well, but nodded agreeably. "Get down here! She's wounded," he said, as Chewie roared in agreement, disappearing back inside the transport. "No, wait," Han said suddenly, changing his mind. "I got an idea," he confessed, giving Leia a look that was a mixture of roguish bravado, with a hint of apology.

_Good Lord,_ Leia sighed, wondering what her darling fiancé had in mind next. "So what's your idea?" she asked, not certain she wanted to hear the answer.

"Well, I was thinking..." Han peered at the Scout Transport critically. "We can rewire that Walker," he suggested. "Divert all power to the weapons system, and then use the laser cannons to blow out the whole control panel - "

"Han, no," Leia told him firmly, shaking her head. "This is already going to be hard enough to explain when the technician gets here," she admitted, casting a baleful glance at the torn wires spilling out from the control box. "You've already wrecked the access panel... _And_ the terminal," she pointed out. "_And_ Artoo - "

"Sorry, Your Worshipfulness," Han retorted, defensive. "_I'm_ not the one who locked my key card in there - " He broke off, looking up at the sky as the _Millennium Falcon_ suddenly appeared in the distance. "Lando...?" He blinked in surprise, frowning. "What's he doing here?"

But Jonah gave him a hopeful look. "Maybe he has your lockpicking kit?"

"Yeah; we always keep it aboard the _Falcon,_" Han told him, leading the way toward the nearby platform, where the _Falcon_ was coming in for a landing. Then he gave Chewie an amused grin. "I swear, Lando's some kind of psychic," he told Leia and Jonah. "Remember that time we filmed on Bespin? Lando special ordered Wookiee-ookiees - two days before _we_ even knew we were going there," he said, as Chewbacca chuckled heartily.

Leia sighed, remembering that day all too well. _Right; just like he 'knew' you'd survive a year in carbon freeze - based on some dumb movie he saw when he was a kid._ Leia was still not entirely pleased with the way that Lando had gambled with Han's life, though she was admittedly grateful that his idea had worked out in the end. But now she frowned, another realization coming to her. "How did he get past the energy field?" she asked, glancing toward the shield generator in alarm. _Crap..._ "Did it get turned off somehow?"

But Han grinned, shaking his head. "There's no energy field in the galaxy that can stop the _Falcon_ from getting through," he told her.

"Seriously?" Leia blinked worriedly. "So - slaving vessels might actually get through that thing?"

"No," Han reassured her. "I told you; the _Falcon_ is - special," he insisted vaguely, furrowing his brows.

"All right; I believe you," Leia sighed, as they arrived at the landing platform. _Is Han really some kind of genius electrician?_ she wondered suddenly. She had always attributed his characteristic overconfidence to sheer Solo stupidity, mixed with a healthy dose of dumb luck. In fact, she had observed him working on the _Falcon_ several times in the past; Han's repair techniques - if they could be called that - were definitely 'special', though in an entirely different sense of the word. _But maybe I've been wrong about that..._

Lando was climbing down the _Falcon's_ ramp now, and Han greeted him with a gesture of bewilderment. "Hey... What are you doing here?"

"I was in the area, making a delivery on Firrerre," Lando told him, grinning. "Just thought I'd stop by and see how things were going."

"Well, I'm glad you did," Han confessed. "We're locked out of the facility," he explained, mercifully omitting the specifics of _how_ that had happened. "Hang on; let me grab my lockpicking kit," he told the others, climbing up the ramp to retrieve it.

He returned a moment later, carrying a small pack slung over his shoulder. "We should probably use it on the main entrance," Han proposed, heading for the stairway. "We kind of messed up the controls to the back door," he explained to Lando, who grinned in amusement.

"Yes, _we_ did," Leia agreed wryly, following him down the stairs.

"Well, if _we_ hadn't locked our key card inside, _we_ wouldn't have to be doing any of this in the first place," Han pointed out, turning around and giving her a reproachful look.

_True,_ Leia sighed, nodding appreciatively. "So you really think you can get in?" she asked, as they arrived at the main entrance.

Han rolled his eyes. "Yes," he said, pulling a strange-looking contraption from his pack and hooking it up to the control panel. "I just need a second... There we go," he said with a cocky grin, as the front door immediately opened. "After you, Your Worship," Han added, gesturing magnanimously toward the doorway.

Leia shook her head, laughing quietly. "Thank you," she said, sincerely grateful for his help. But as they headed back through the facility toward the control bunker, she gave him a worried look. "So - how does that thing work?" she asked, glancing at his pack.

"No idea," Han confessed. "You hook it up to the security system, and... the door opens," he explained, as Chewie chuckled quietly.

"And who else has one of those?" Leia asked worriedly.

"As far as I know... Just us," Han said, sharing a knowing glance with Lando. "It came with the ship."

"I won the _Falcon_ from a guy named Tarv; he was some kind of crazy genius," Lando explained. "And a slave trader," he added, as Chewbacca growled in quiet outrage. "But no one's heard from him in a few years now," Lando said, shaking his head in regret. "He's probably dead."

"Let's hope," Leia agreed, casting another apprehensive glance at Han's pack.

They arrived at the bunker's control room, where Leia apologized to the actors who had been locked inside for the past half hour. Her key card was still in the main computer console; she submitted to a quick retinal scan now, opening the outer door to the bunker so they could continue with their filming. _Though we'll still need that repair technician when he gets here,_ Leia admitted, remembering the violence Han had inflicted upon the control box.

"All right," Jonah said, as they reconvened outside the bunker. "I liked what you guys did with that last scene; maybe we can try Han's idea, and pretend to use the Scout Transport to blow out the controls, and open the door," he proposed, for lack of a better idea.

"Or," Lando suggested, his expression thoughtful. "You know - I saw this movie when I was a kid," he told them hesitantly. Leia rolled her eyes; Lando got far too many ideas from movies he'd seen as a kid - including the idea to freeze Han in carbonite. "So the good guys were trying to break into the bad guys' bunker," he explained, as Jonah listened, nodding. "And the main guy - " he gestured to Han - "dressed in one of the bad guys' uniforms..."

_Here we go again,_ Leia sighed, as Jonah of course thought the idea was brilliant, and Han followed his 'psychic' friend's advice with unwavering stupidity. Thankfully this time all that was at stake was Han's image as galactic heartthrob, as he donned a black Imperial helmet and adopted a decidedly anal-retentive, nasal voice. "It's over, Commander," Han said, over the intercom system. "The Rebels have been routed. They're fleeing into the woods; we need reinforcements to continue the pursuit."

"Send three squadrons to help," the Imperial officer replied, over the intercom. "Open the back door."

_No problem,_ Leia nodded quietly, inserting her key card and submitting to yet another retinal scan, opening the door once again. A moment later several Imperial officers and Stormtroopers rushed outside the building - only to be met by Han, Chewie, and fifty Ewoks, who had finished with their own battle scene. Han stood in the center of the doorway, giving them a look of sarcastic apology, as Leia and the other Rebels entered the bunker once again.

They continued to the control room, where they proceeded to film the final portion of the scene, as planned. "Throw me another charge," Han said urgently; he quickly attached it to the ceiling, then switched it on.

"And... Cut," Jonah said, with a relieved grin. "Nice job, guys."

_Finally,_ Leia agreed, sharing a hopeful look with Han as they went back outside. _Maybe we can sneak away for a few minutes, before he needs us again..._

But of course Jonah had other plans. "Okay, we'd better move on to the final scene here, before we lose the light," he said, glancing worriedly at the late afternoon sun. "And then we'll need to get ready for the fireworks party..."

_No,_ Leia blinked unhappily, her heart sinking. _Come on, Jonah; give us a break..._ But she nodded, dutifully following him back through the forest to the nearby clearing, where several of the Ewoks had already gathered.

_There's still time, if we finish this quickly,_ Leia reassured herself, glancing up at the sun once again. _And if not..._ She gazed longingly at her husband-to-be, feeling another wave of panic at the thought of being forced into a high-profile royal wedding on Naboo, or Corellia - or even worse, Alderaan...

_No, that's not going to happen, _Leia resolved stubbornly. _I will find a way._

* * *

><p><em>Half an hour later...<em>

"Okay, let's get started," Jonah said, joining Han and Leia in the forest clearing. "Sorry for the wait," he apologized, clipping his transmitter back onto his belt. "I just got a call from my grandfather; you know how he likes to talk," he laughed cheerfully, rolling his eyes. "Anyway, he wants us to do something different with this final scene, so I had to throw out everything I'd written before, and - gah," Jonah sighed, shaking his head.

"So here's the plan: he thinks you guys need a bigger romance scene, and that Jabba's love poem last night was too short," Jonah told them. "Also he wants to resolve this weird - love triangle - thingy - that's been going on with Luke," he added, with a somewhat disturbed cringe. _No kidding,_ Han sighed; he'd never been a fan of that particular storyline, with its vaguely incestuous undertones. _It's about time we put that to rest._

"So he thought a good way to end this episode would be if Han says 'I love you', and then Leia says 'I know' - "

"Wait," Leia interrupted, frowning. "Didn't we just do that at the bunker?"

Jonah sighed, nodding. "I know," he commiserated. "That's what I just spent the last half hour arguing with my grandfather about. But he really thinks it should be the final scene for you guys, and not just in the middle of everything, so... That'll probably get cut, and we're going to go with this version," he apologized.

_Yeah; fine... whatever,_ Han shrugged, nodding. _As long as we get this over with soon, I'm happy._ He glanced anxiously at the sun now; he had been keeping a watchful eye on it since this morning, hoping that he and Leia might find a moment to sneak away, and tie the knot - here, on Endor, with just the golden Sun God bearing witness, as opposed to thousands of people on Corellia, or Naboo - or worst of all, Alderaan...

Han had attended a royal Alderaanian wedding once as a kid; it had been a seven-day affair, with the most ridiculous outfits he'd ever seen. He'd never been forced to do so many traditional dances in his entire life, and in the end the bride and groom had _sung_ their wedding vows, in native Alderaanian. _No way in hell am I doing that,_ Han vowed; he loved Leia, but -

He sighed, admitting that he _would_ do that, if Leia asked him to. _Which is exactly why we need to do this today,_ Han thought, waiting impatiently as Jonah filmed the first part of the scene with Chewie, Threepio, and the Ewoks. _Leia just has to say the words, and then we kiss under the golden Sun God, and it's official..._

The only problem was that Han didn't remember the exact words, in Ewokese. _Mees'hai thru'brr_, or _breesmai mu'brr_, or something like that... They'd have to ask Wicket again, but thankfully he was here on the set now; with any luck they'd be able to sneak away right after this, and get it done. _That is, if Leia actually WANTS to,_ Han admitted worriedly. She'd been giving him secret, starry-eyed looks all day, and he feared that her princessy little mind was already filled with dreams of a fairy-tale royal wedding.

_Gah... If that's what she really wants, I'll go along with it,_ Han confessed. _I'd do anything for her,_ he thought, gazing at her longingly now. Her hair was braided tightly around her head with a string of rough leather running through it, and she was wearing a tattered, dirty Rebel uniform; but even so, she was the most beautiful thing he'd ever laid eyes on. _And we're going to be married soon,_ he realized, seeing the adoring look in Leia's eyes as well. His heart fluttered suddenly, and he felt a strange excitement as he realized that one way or another, his virgin days would soon be over. _I don't care if it's on Corellia, or Naboo, or Alderaan,_ Han thought, wishing he could kiss her right now. _I just want to be with her, forever..._

"All right, let's give this a try," Jonah said, coming back over to join them. "You see the Death Star explode, and you're worried about Luke," he reminded them, as Han and Leia nodded, taking their places. "And... _Action._"

Han gently fussed with the bandage around Leia's arm, tying the ends together; then they both looked up at the sky, pretending to see the explosion of the Death Star. "I'm sure Luke wasn't on that thing when it blew," Han said, giving her a worried look.

"He wasn't," Leia assured him, a dreamy expression on her face. "I can feel it."

Han gave her a rather disturbed look. "You love him," he said, finally confronting Leia about her character's bizarre, incestuous desires. "Don't you?" In the four years that they had been filming together, Leia had kissed _Luke_ about a hundred times, and Han only five. _Trust me, I've been counting._

Leia gave him a puzzled look. "Yes," she told him matter-of-factly, as if being in love with one's own brother was the most normal thing in the galaxy.

"All right," Han said. "I understand. Fine," he nodded playing the part of the stoic, non-judgmental, gentlemanly hero. "When he comes back, I won't get in the way," he promised. _What two consenting siblings do in private is none of my business._

But Leia smiled in amusement, shaking her head. "It's not like that at all," she assured him, her dark eyes twinkling fondly.

Han caught her look, and gazed at her in unconcealed adoration. "I love you," he confessed quietly, giving her a hesitant, hopeful look.

Leia smiled, kissing him tenderly. "I know," she said, as they shared a loving gaze; then they kissed again, even more passionately than they had on Bespin, or inside the asteroid cave...

"And - cut," Jonah said, nodding. "Awesome job, you guys; that was perfect," he told them. "All right, let's head back to the village, for the fireworks scene - "

"Wait," Leia said, her expression apologetic. "Can we try one more take? Just that last part; I think I could do better," she confessed.

_Better?_ Han blinked; it was true that he was a virgin, but he'd _kissed_ dozens of women before, and in his personal opinion, he'd thought Leia had done pretty darned well. _But if she wants to try again... Hey, I'm not gonna argue, _he decided, catching the mischievous gleam in her dark eyes as she valiantly avoided his gaze. But then he felt a twinge of disappointment as he realized what this was about.

_She doesn't want to get married here today,_ Han guessed, his heart sinking. _Otherwise she'd want this scene to be over with, and wouldn't be asking for another take._ But he smiled at her, setting aside his own fears and resolving to give her the big, fancy, fairy-tale royal wedding she was obviously dreaming of. _Whatever you want, sweetheart. It's okay with me._ Today, they would have to content themselves with one more take of their kissing scene, before dutifully hiding their feelings for each other once again.

Jonah seemed surprised by her request as well, but nodded agreeably. "Sure; uh... take it from - wherever you like, I guess," he told Leia, with a cheerful grin.

Leia nodded, composing herself; then she smiled at Han reassuringly. "It's not like that at all," she told him.

Han furrowed his brows, trying to figure out where exactly in the scene they were. _Am I still worried about Luke, or is this where I say I love her?_ He gave her an uncertain look, hoping for a clue. _Uh... Yeah, I think I'm supposed to say I love her now,_ he guessed. _Okay, then -_

But he'd hesitated too long, and now Leia gave him an amused smile. "He's my brother," she improvised, covering for his lapse. _Right,_ Han realized suddenly, looking away for a moment and pretending to be astounded by this news. _Yeah, we really should have mentioned that before,_ he agreed, impressed by Leia's attention to detail. _Uh... So do I tell her I love her now?_ he wondered; the timing felt a bit off, but he couldn't think of anything _else_ to say. _Yeah, I guess so -_

But again, Leia interrupted his attempt at dialogue - this time by kissing him. It was a tender, chaste kiss, unlike the previous one; and now Han was confused to see Leia's secret glance - up toward the sky, where the golden Sun God shone high overhead... Han's eyes widened in surprise as he realized what she had just said. '_Heesmai bru'thrr'...?_

_We're married!_ Han grinned in disbelief, sharing a look of joyful gratitude with his new bride as they kissed again. _Oh, I love you..._ Wicket joined them now, babbling excitedly and grasping their hands warmly, thrilled to be the first to congratulate them. _Thanks, pal..._

Presently _another_ furry friend ambled over, roaring in casual greeting. _"Lando's got some Wookiee-ookiees aboard the Falcon,"_ Chewbacca told him, completely oblivious to what was going on. _"We have time for a drink before the fireworks scene,"_ he suggested.

"Ahh..." Han gave Leia a hesitant look, uncertain what to say. "That's all right; you go ahead," he told Chewie, wanting to spend at least a few minutes with his wife before they were cast into yet another ridiculous acting scenario. "I'll catch up with you guys later, okay?"

Chewbacca looked momentarily surprised, but nodded agreeably. _"Fine... More Wookiee-ookies for me,"_ he chuckled good-naturedly, heading off to join Lando at the shield generator facility, where the _Falcon_ was docked.

Han laughed quietly, watching him leave; then he turned back to Leia, and they shared a quiet, loving smile. "We've probably got at least an hour before Jonah's ready to film anything," Leia predicted, with a sigh of weary amusement. "Come on," she said, her dark eyes twinkling with mischief as she took his hand, leading the way back along the forest path toward the Ewok village. "I've booked us the honeymoon suite."

* * *

><p><em>An hour later...<em>

Fireworks burst over the Ewok village, exploding in dazzling sparkles of white and gold, as Luke and Rory watched from the distance, enjoying the show. "Jonah's having far too much fun," Rory observed, with a proud chuckle. Rory had been directing stunts for _JEDI_ and _SITH_ since before Jonah was born, and had no doubt been sent on this location shoot by Cliegg himself, to keep a watchful eye on the youngest Lars director.

But Luke and Rory had a pyrotechnic project of their own to deal with, and Rory sighed in wistful regret as he carefully lay his Vader costume atop the funeral pyre they'd built, dousing it with lighter fluid. "I'm going to miss him," he confessed, giving Luke a sad smile.

"Yeah... me too," Luke agreed, somewhat surprised by the realization. Darth Vader had been an iconic figure of his childhood; he couldn't imagine a galaxy in which the dreaded, black-masked Sith Lord _wasn't_ on the Holo every week, wreaking havoc and destruction everywhere he went. And Rory had filmed at least half of Vader's appearances himself over the years, sharing the role with Anakin; Luke gave him a sympathetic smile now, sensing his quiet regret.

"All right," Rory said bravely, handing the torch to Luke. "Let's do this."

Luke nodded solemnly, taking the burning torch from him and proceeding slowly toward the funeral pyre, where he reluctantly set Rory's costume ablaze. There were _other_ Vader costumes, of course; Luke and Rory would be filming their final duel aboard the Death Star later this week, and in a sense Darth Vader would always live on, as a permanent fixture at fan conventions, as well as aboard the _Executor,_ and the Death Star Hotel. But seeing Vader burn now filled Luke with a strange sense of regret, as he realized that a significant phase of his life - as well as his father's, and Mara's, filled with so many happy memories - would soon be over.

_And it's already over, for Anakin,_ Luke admitted unhappily. That Rory would be filming their duel later this week was a certainty; Anakin was far too busy fighting _real_ battles these days, and had no time to spare for make-believe ones. Never again would Anakin be seen on the set of _SITH,_ stomping around between takes in his high-heeled boots, looking utterly ridiculous with his black visor pulled up over his head, a lock of unruly hair stubbornly attempting to escape from his helmet.

_He missed out on a lot of fun today,_ Luke sighed, wishing his father could have been here this weekend, instead of on the opposite side of the galaxy, leading an invasion on Kessel. Though he had genuinely enjoyed working with Rory; they had both played Stormtroopers in today's battle scene, and Luke had been tackled by Ewoks, bonked over the head by blunt objects, clobbered with rocks, hit by arrows, slingshots, catapults, rolling logs... He and Rory had tried to outdo each other in coming up with the most stupidly comic death scenes, and Luke had won that contest when he'd driven his speeder bike full-tilt into an outstretched length of rope.

_I just hope Master Anakin's all right,_ Luke thought, gazing into the fire. He'd spent last night back aboard the _Avenger,_ talking to Mara over the transmitter. The latest rumor of his death had shaken her deeply; not that she'd actually _believed_ it, but she swore that she'd sensed he was in pain, and that something was truly wrong. Something he wasn't talking about, or admitting openly... Mara had been a sobbing wreck, and Luke had spent three hours trying to calm her down, pointing out that Master Anakin was in fact doing incredibly well, and that just hours earlier he had successfully destroyed Gardulla's main command center on Kessel.

But Mara had also heard whispers that Anakin's next attack would be on Nar Shaddaa itself, and Luke fervently hoped that these rumors were false as well. An assault on Nar Shaddaa was suicide, even for a Jedi; the planet was heavily guarded, protected by three energy shields and a dozen ion cannons, with a vast mine field surrounding its outer atmosphere. _There's no way they'd send Anakin's strike team there,_ Luke knew, stubbornly pushing away his own fears. _Even if the Senate moves for an aggressive strike, the Council would never approve it..._

Still, he had to admit that if Anakin's elite division _did_ somehow manage to breach Nar Shaddaa's defenses and strike at Gardulla herself, it would quickly put an end to this war. _And if anyone can pull off a crazy stunt like that, it's Master Anakin..._ Only the most talented fighter pilots had even the slightest chance of navigating the mine field and making it down to the planet alive; but these were exactly the pilots who couldn't be spared from the _rest_ of this war - or the Jedi Order in general.

_No,_ Luke told himself stubbornly, as he had told Mara last night. _That's not going to happen._ Which meant that this war would probably drag on for years, or decades - possibly even centuries, as Gardulla was not likely to die of natural causes anytime soon. But thanks to Master Anakin's efforts over the past week, the war would most likely be confined to the Outer Rim, rather than being fought within Republic territory.

_Gardulla's behind all the stupid rumors that have been going around lately,_ Luke suspected, annoyed and offended by some of the things he'd heard this past week. His father was being portrayed by the media as some kind of pathetic, doddering old has-been, faltering every step of the way and getting beat up by Gardulla's lowliest henchmen everywhere he turned - not to mention _dying_ on Kessel... It troubled Luke that half the galaxy actually believed this obvious nonsense - including Mara herself, who had been reduced to a hopeless, paranoid basket case in the two days that Luke had been away from her. But he reassured himself that the facts told an entirely different story: that contrary to rumors of their father's glaring incompetence, the undeniable truth was that over the past week Anakin and his special force had successfully taken out _all_ of Gardulla's known military outposts - on Zhar VI, Lok, Raxus, and finally Kessel.

_Not that there aren't others,_ Luke admitted; but Anakin had struck a heavy blow to Gardulla's operations, and it was likely that from this point on, the fighting would be contained to a few contested Outer Rim planets, and might even reach an equilibrium of sorts over the next few weeks.

_The worst of it is over,_ Luke hoped, gazing thoughtfully into the fire. Vader's suit was completely incinerated now, and even the black helmet had warped grotesquely amidst the flames; once again, Luke was surprised to feel a pang of grief at the sight, but quickly pushed his troubled feelings aside. _He's not even real,_ Luke sighed, embarrassed by his own naiveté. _Gah, I'm as bad as Mara; getting upset over things that have no basis in reality,_ he scolded himself.

_This is Rory's fault,_ Luke laughed to himself quietly, realizing that he'd been picking up on the older man's feelings. But he appreciated Rory's thoughtful presence, and they shared an understanding smile now, enjoying this moment of quiet respite after today's busy filming.

_It's going to be all right,_ Luke trusted, turning his gaze upward to the fireworks, which continued to burst against the starry night sky. _Some things will be different from now on,_ he confessed, casting another regretful gaze at Vader's melted helmet, and admitting that the galaxy was likely to remain at war for the rest of their lives. _But we'll settle into a new type of normalcy,_ he resolved, refusing to give in to the apprehension that he'd felt everywhere lately. _I'll go home to Mara tomorrow, and try to convince her that Master Anakin isn't sick, or hurt, or dying, or whatever the heck she seems to believe,_ he thought, smiling in amusement at his sister's paranoia.

_And Anakin will probably stop by Tatooine one of these days, to see us..._ This past week had been decidedly stressful, with the outbreak of the war; but things seemed to be settling down now, and Luke looked forward to seeing his father again. _And Mara,_ he sighed wistfully, gazing into the fire; he still sometimes felt an unbidden sense of longing when he thought of his sister, but had learned to simply accept it.

_I love her,_ Luke admitted quietly, with a fond smile. _And Master Anakin too._ He had been forced to come to terms with the fact that as Jedi, they shouldn't even _be_ a family to begin with; but they were one nonetheless, and shared every bit as much love as any other family that Luke had observed, in his twenty-two years.

_I can't wait to see them both,_ Luke confessed, looking forward to giving Mara a gentle, consoling hug - before teasing her mercilessly for believing in ridiculous rumors; then finally catching up with their father, and hearing the _real_ story of what he'd been up to this past week.

_We'll find a way to be together again,_ Luke trusted, gazing serenely up at the stars. _Hopefully soon._

* * *

><p><em>Meanwhile...<em>

Horns sounded in the distance as fireworks exploded against the night sky, and the festive beating of drums and Stormtrooper helmets could be heard throughout the village, as the Ewoks danced jubilantly around their little bonfires. Lando had watched this scene countless times as a child, but _being_ here was a different experience entirely, and he couldn't help grinning from ear to ear, swept up by the excitement of this happy moment.

He hadn't been surprised when Jonah had asked him to help represent the Rebel fleet in this scene. Jonah was dressed in an orange jumpsuit now, playing his _SITH_ character Wedge Antilles, though Lando was still wearing his work clothes from the Tibanna gas delivery he had scheduled today on Firrerre, less than a parsec away.

He was, however, amazed to realize that this party was in fact Han and Leia's wedding celebration. The news of their marriage had spread quickly among the Ewoks; and just a few minutes ago Threepio had made the startling announcement that the two of them were now officially married, according to the local tradition. Jonah had set off an extra round of fireworks in their honor, but Han and Leia hadn't yet emerged from their honeymoon treehouse, and were no doubt busy making fireworks of their own.

_I never thought I'd see this day,_ Lando confessed, thrilled for his old buddy. Of course, in a very literal sense, he'd _always_ known he'd see this day; but he'd given up years ago on the idea that it would be anything more than play-acting, or that Han and Leia actually had feelings for each other.

_But I'm not going to dance around and clap my hands like an idiot,_ Lando resolved, chuckling to himself. Of course, he knew that he somehow _would,_ before this evening was through; but he vowed to resist it. After all, he had come here today of his own volition - not waiting to be asked - and had practically spoon-fed them the idea for the bunker scene earlier. _Though if I hadn't, it would have somehow still happened anyway,_ he strongly suspected.

_All right; time to test that theory,_ Lando decided mischievously. It was his last chance to see what would happen if he _didn't_ purposely try to make everything turn out the way he remembered it, and he resolved to not make this scene easy on Jonah. _The only way I'm gonna clap my hands like a fool is if Jonah begs me to do it,_ Lando decided, laughing to himself. _I'll demand a raise; I'll tell him it's against my character..._

It _was_ against his character, after all; in truth Lando was a terrible dancer, and had no sense of rhythm whatsoever. The embarrassing reality was that he probably couldn't even clap to the beating of the Ewok drums, even if he wanted to. It wasn't that he didn't _like_ music; he often enjoyed humming a cheerful tune, or whistling to himself as he went about his work, back on Cloud City. But his efforts were generally met by amused looks - usually from Vicky, who would just shake her head hopelessly.

An excited cheer arose among the Ewoks now, and Lando turned to see Han and Leia emerging from their little treehouse. They blinked in surprise, seeing that everyone was staring at them; but then they laughed in shy embarrassment, realizing their secret was obviously out. Leia smiled, taking Han's hand and leading the way across the little bridge to join the others, where Wicket tackle-hugged them cheerfully, jumping up and down in excitement.

"Hahaha!" Lando laughed, embracing his old friend. "Congratulations, you old pirate," he said, as Han grinned like a fool, unable to conceal his obvious happiness. "Leia... you're a brave woman," he added, as Leia returned his amused smile, her eyes sparkling joyfully. "Congratulations, both of you."

The Ewoks were gathering around the happy couple as well, jumping and babbling excitedly; and now one of the tribe's elders - a shaman of some type, Lando guessed - was presenting Han with a ceremonial wooden smoke-pipe. "Oh! Uh... thanks," Han said uncertainly, taking it from him. The shaman gestured for Han to try it, and he nodded amiably, taking a little smoke and managing a good-natured smile. The Ewoks cheered, urging Leia to try it as well.

The ceremonial pipe was passed around - to Jonah, Chewbacca, and the handful of other Rebel actors who had been recruited for this scene; but when it came to Lando, he shook his head good-naturedly. "Nah, I don't do that stuff," he apologized to the Ewok shaman, hoping he would understand. Lando's mother had been a drug addict, and he had spent a lifetime trying to avoid the sort of mind-altering substances that had given her the brilliant idea to name him after a _Star Wars_ character.

But the shaman insisted, pressing the pipe into his hands and urging him to have a smoke. "No, really; I - " Lando raised his hands apologetically, looking to Han for help.

But Han just rolled his eyes. "It's not gonna kill you, I promise," he said. "Come on, it's my wedding party," he pointed out, as the Ewok shaman nodded in agreement, gesturing for him to have a smoke. "Live a little," Han reproached him.

Lando laughed, shaking his head in defeat. "All right," he agreed, accepting the ceremonial pipe and managing a brave smile, before hesitantly taking a little smoke. To his surprise, it had a pleasant, woody scent, and didn't really seem _smoky_ at all. _Actually, that's kind of nice..._

"Huh?" Han teased him, with a triumphant look.

Lando grinned sheepishly. "All right, all right," he said, having another smoke - a much deeper one this time, as the Ewoks cheered jubilantly. _Heh..._ "But only because it's your wedding," he told Han, nodding politely as he handed the pipe back to the Ewok shaman. _Besides, if these little guys smoke it, it can't be anything too strong,_ he realized, chuckling to himself. _It's probably just some kind of cooking spices._

_Han's right... I should live a little,_ Lando admitted with a contented smile, watching as the Ewoks continued to dance happily around their bonfires. _These guys know how to have a good time._ He felt a twinge of regret, thinking of Cloud City, and its admittedly sterile atmosphere. _You know, I should throw a bonfire party for the whole city, when I get back home,_ he thought. _Add a little warmth to the place._ Then again, 'adding a little warmth' could be slightly problematic, since much of Cloud City was built from Tibannisteel, and didn't react well to heat; Lando sighed, admitting that probably wasn't a good idea.

_But that doesn't mean we couldn't have some music, and dancing,_ he thought optimistically, nodding subtly to the beat of the Ewoks' drums. The rhythm was simple, yet catchy; Lando listened carefully now, wondering if maybe he could teach it to some of Vicky's schoolchildren. _Yeah, I think I got it..._ He grinned in surprise, swaying to the music and clapping his hands a bit. _See? Yeah, I got this..._

Suddenly there was a bright flash overhead, and Lando looked up to see fireworks bursting in the sky. _Whoa..._ Jonah had been setting off fireworks all evening; but none of them had been anything like _this..._ "Chewie!" Lando exclaimed, prodding him on the shoulder. "Chewie, did you see that?"

Chewie blinked in surprise. _"See what?"_ he asked, following Lando's gaze skyward.

_Oh my god..._ "That," Lando said, pointing in excitement as several more bursts appeared in the night sky, raining down magical, shimmering sparkles onto the heavens themselves. _Double-double fireworks... _"Look! There they go again!" _Whoa..._

_"Yeah,"_ Chewie agreed, nodding. _"Those are some nice fireworks."_

"Nice?" Lando blinked. _Did you even SEE them?_ "They're amazing," he told Chewie. "Incredible... Unbelievable... Double-double fireworks," Lando murmured, his mind completely blown by this phenomenon. "Far out..."

_"Uh... okay,"_ Chewie said, blinking worriedly; then he turned around, noticing that Luke had arrived at the village. _"Hey! Luke's here,"_ he said, with a friendly wave.

_Right,_ Lando nodded, watching as Luke embraced Leia, then Han, and finally Jonah, before standing beside a tree, gazing quietly out at the little rope bridge. _Just like in the movie..._ "Yeah, he's doing that scene where he looks at the ghosts," Lando explained matter-of-factly.

_"Ghosts?"_ Chewbacca blinked in confusion, following his gaze.

"Yeah; right over there," Lando said, pointing to the bridge. "Ben, and Yoda, and Rory..." _I can almost see them, if I look hard enough..._

_"Uh... Lando?"_ Chewie asked.

"Hmm?" Lando replied absently; he was still engrossed in the music, nodding and swaying to the beat of the drums.

_"You okay, buddy?"_ Chewie asked him, concerned.

"Am I _okay?_" Lando laughed, shaking his head. "I'm great... I'm awesome," he assured Chewie, clapping his hands and dancing to the music. _I am on fire..._

"All right, everybody," Jonah said now, raising a hand. "Would you all mind gathering around here? I'd like to get a cast picture."

_Cast picture? Cool,_ Lando agreed, jiving his way over to get into the shot. _I'm down with that..._

"Great; that's perfect," Jonah nodded. "All right, on three... Uh - Lando, would you mind holding still for a second, so I can get this shot?"

_Huh?_ Lando blinked, confused. _Nah, man; I'm in the groove here,_ he thought, clapping his hands and swaying to the beat of the drums. _Yeah, I got rhythm..._

"Okay, uh... That's fine, then," Jonah said, taking the shot. "Perfect; got it... And - that's a wrap," he announced. "Thanks, everybody," Jonah said, switching off his camera. "You all did a terrific job this weekend; I appreciate you coming out here."

_You got it,_ Lando nodded, still dancing to the music. _It was really no trouble at all,_ he realized suddenly, clapping his hands and flashing Han a confident grin now, in response to his friend's slightly confused, worried look. _Eh, I had to come out here anyway, to be in this movie I saw when I was a kid._


	206. Anakin, however, is less fortunate

**Chapter 206**

_Four days later..._

"Your fleet is lost," Palpatine said, as Luke gazed out the window of the Death Star's throne room. "And your friends on the Endor moon will not survive. There is no escape, my young apprentice. The Alliance will die; as will your friends." Luke turned, eyeing his lightsaber hilt, which lay by the Emperor's side. "Good," Palpatine said. "I can feel your anger. I am defenseless. Take your weapon. Strike me down with all of your hatred, and your journey towards the Dark Side will be complete."

Resisting the temptation, Luke stared out the window once again; but suddenly he turned back, Force-pulling his lightsaber hilt into his hand and striking at the Emperor. But Rory was prepared, and ignited his own red lightsaber, blocking Luke's blow as Palpatine cackled in amusement.

Then the duel began, and Cliegg stepped back several paces, staying out of the way as Luke and Rory proceeded with their fight scene. They had delayed filming this duel as long as they could, hoping that perhaps Anakin might be able to make it, after all; but this week's episode would air tomorrow, and finally they could wait no longer.

Anakin wasn't the only one who had missed out on _SITH's_ epic finale. Even more problematic was the fact that Mace Windu hadn't been able to make it either. Owen had filmed the Rebel fleet's attack on the Death Star yesterday, and Mace and his exiled Jedi warriors were supposed to arrive at the last second, saving the Rebel fleet from certain annihilation. But on the way here to film the battle scene, a _real_ battle had broken out on Tythe, and Mace and his crew had been forced to deal with the situation.

Owen had managed to improvise, and in the end Lando had destroyed the Death Star instead of Mace. Cliegg and Owen had been up all night in the editing room, trying to rework the plot of this episode so that it made sense without Mace's heroic ending. _I guess we'll have to find a way for him to meet up with the Rebels another time,_ Cliegg sighed, resolving to deal with that headache later.

Still, as he watched Luke and Rory duel, he couldn't shake a nagging sense of doubt - that perhaps he was doing the wrong thing in killing off Vader and Sidious, bringing _SITH_ to a close, and beginning a new era of _JEDI._ It had _seemed_ like a good idea, a week ago; but the entire premise of _JEDI_ hinged on Mace's regular involvement, as he would need to train Luke, Leia, and Mara, and rebuild the Jedi Order. But with the war going on, Mace might not be available every week - and neither might any of the others, for that matter.

_It might be better to keep SITH going,_ Cliegg confessed. At least Rory and Palpatine were available to film regularly, as were most of the actors involved in the Rebel Alliance. Even Luke had managed to play a major role in this episode, and Cliegg found himself tempted to go back to their original plan - which was for Luke to be lured temporarily over to the Dark Side, and embark on a dramatic storyline that would continue for the next several episodes.

_This is my last chance to change my mind,_ Cliegg realized. Owen wouldn't be happy with his change, as they would undoubtedly have to re-edit everything yet _again_; but if it meant that they could continue the show with actors who were more likely to show up for filming... _Ahh,_ Cliegg sighed, shaking his head. _I don't know..._

Suddenly the door opened behind him, and Cliegg turned, blinking in disbelief as Anakin Skywalker entered the throne room. Luke and Rory stopped their duel, gaping at him in surprise. "Anakin!" Cliegg exclaimed, incredulous; the rumors about him had gotten worse and worse over the past week - including one that he'd died - and Cliegg was relieved to see him here in the flesh, looking alive and well as ever. "I can't believe you made it!"

Anakin grinned, nodding to the others as well. "Yeah, well, I managed to get a little time off," he told them.

"So things are settling down a bit?" Cliegg asked; he knew that Anakin had successfully destroyed four of Gardulla's biggest military outposts over the past week, and it was hoped that the fighting might actually ease off at this point. Cliegg had _wanted_ to believe the latest predictions, but Mace's unexpected absence yesterday had shaken his confidence that the political analysts had any idea what they were talking about.

Anakin nodded. "Looks like it," he said confidently. "I mean - it's still a giant mess," he confessed with a weary laugh. "And probably will be, for - who knows how long," he sighed. "But things are getting more and more under control," he assured the others.

"I'm glad to hear it," Cliegg said. "And it's good to see you," he insisted, relieved to note that the _real_ Anakin Skywalker was the complete antithesis of the one who had been portrayed in the media lately: proud, strong, exuding confidence, and back from a string of victories. He patted him on the back now. "You ready for this duel?"

Anakin grinned, shrugging. "Sure," he said. "I mean..." He gestured to Rory hesitantly.

"Heh... Go for it," Rory agreed with a cheerful nod, pulling up his visor. Then he pointed a black-gloved finger at Cliegg. "But you're keeping my dialogue up to here," he insisted, furrowing his brows. "I worked hard on that part."

Cliegg laughed. "You had two words," he teased him.

Rory grinned. "Yes, but I said them very well," he insisted. _"His lightsaber,"_ he repeated dramatically, as Anakin laughed, amused. "Oh, wait - and _'It is pointless to resist, my son',_" Rory added, catching Anakin up on the scene so far.

"Gotcha," Anakin nodded, giving him an appreciative grin.

"All right - suit up," Cliegg said, as Anakin nodded good-naturedly, heading down to the costuming room. _All right, that settles it, then,_ he decided, a huge weight lifting from him. _If Anakin could make it here today, and says things are settling down... Then we're going forward with JEDI._

* * *

><p>Luke grinned as Master Anakin returned to the Death Star's throne room - dressed in full Vader regalia, his visor pulled characteristically up over his helmet. <em>I thought I'd never see that again,<em> he admitted, ecstatic that his father had made it back for this last scene. _This is going to be awesome._

"Okay," Anakin said, giving Luke a proud smile as he pulled his visor down over his face. "Let's do this."

_Heck yeah,_ Luke agreed, switching his green lighsaber back on, as Master Anakin ignited his red one in response. He'd been going easy on Rory earlier, but now that his father was here, he realized he didn't have to hold back. Of course, they'd still have to stick to the 'self-taught-Rebel' and 'evil-robotic-geezer' fighting styles that they had developed for their characters on _SITH;_ but at least now Luke didn't have to worry about physically hurting his opponent, if things got a little out of control.

Luke struck the first blow, hacking at his father in an angry, intense, but woefully unskilled outburst, as Anakin fought back with a maximum of brute force, and a minimum of grace. _Heh, this is fun..._ But after exchanging random blows for several seconds, Luke decided to add some variety to their fight, kicking his father in the chest and sending him tumbling backwards down the stairs.

"Ohhh! Gaaa_aahhhh_," Anakin yelped pathetically, clattering to the floor and landing heavily on his wrist. Luke blinked in alarm; he sensed his father's genuine pain, and peered down at him anxiously. _Crap, I really hurt him,_ he realized, baffled. _I didn't hit him that hard..._ His father had quickly masked his pain, but still lay cautiously on the floor, not attempting to get up.

"Gooooood," Palpatine said from his throne, unaware of the fact that Anakin was actually hurt. "Use your aggressive feelings, boy. Let the hate flow through you."

_Uh..._ Luke glanced down at his father uncertainly. _Dad? You okay?_

* * *

><p>Anakin blinked, attempting to mask the sharp pain that coursed through his wrist - as well as his chest, shoulder, knee, and just about every other part of his body - all souvenirs of the various battles he'd been fighting this past week. <em>Crap, Luke, take it easy... <em>He was fairly certain nothing was broken, but he lay still for a moment, not wanting to make the embarrassing mistake of falling _again,_ if he tried to get up too soon. His head was still reeling a bit; he didn't take falls well these days, and it usually took several seconds to regain any sense of balance. _I'll be okay in a minute, though..._

The disturbing truth was that Anakin had been falling a _lot_ lately. It had happened again just this morning during an assault on Yorusz, and his second-in-command had finally convinced him to take the day off, urging him to see a doctor. And he _planned_ to see a doctor - just as soon as this lightsaber duel was finished. But he hadn't wanted to miss out on his last chance to play Vader - especially since Luke was here today - and so he had stopped by the Death Star on his way back to Lannik, hoping he wasn't too late.

_I shouldn't even be here,_ Anakin admitted, feeling a twinge of guilt as he realized his strike team was still on Yorusz, fighting a _real_ battle, while he was here play-acting with his kid. But his team was more than capable; in fact, the depressing reality was that they were a whole lot more capable than _he'd_ been lately.

_Ahsoka can handle this,_ he knew. He had complete faith in his second-in-command; the young Togrutan had proved an invaluable member of his team this past week, and had in fact been the driving force behind their series of victories on Zhar VI, Lok, Raxus, and Kessel.

He and Ahsoka went way back; they'd first met when he was newly knighted, and she was a starry-eyed youngling, visiting the Lannik base as part of her class's Career Week. Master Yoda had assigned her to be Anakin's 'junior padawan'; and for three days she had been his bouncy little shadow, following him everywhere, eager to learn all about life on Jedi Border Patrol. She'd called him 'Skyguy', and he'd called her 'Snips'; they'd even had a brief appearance on _JEDI_ together, back in the days of _Space Troopers_ and the Clone Wars. Ahsoka had been a fun kid, and surprisingly talented; Anakin had fond memories of the time they'd spent together.

Ahsoka had been taken as a _real_ padawan soon after that, and they'd lost touch over the years. He had been proud to hear the news of her knighting several years later, and was vaguely aware that she had been assigned to one of the other Border Patrol outposts. But five months ago - when Anakin had been begun putting together his elite strike team, based on recommendations from the other Border Patrol directors - he had been surprised to see her name on the list of candidates.

At first he had been hesitant to choose Ahsoka for his team. He'd always thought of her as just a baby, since the last time he'd seen her, she'd clung to him pathetically, sobbing in protest when it had been time to go back to her youngling class on Coruscant. And Anakin had _almost_ turned her down - for the exact same reason that he hadn't wanted Luke or Mara to be part of his team either. _But she's been brilliant this past week,_ he confessed. _She's saved my butt a hundred times._

Which was exactly the problem: the fact that she'd _had_ to save his butt a hundred times. At this point Anakin couldn't deny that something was seriously wrong; for over a week now, he'd been plagued with bouts of dizziness, weakness, muscle tremors, loss of balance, disorientation, general confusion... Ahsoka had been covering for him every step of the way, and the others had respectfully pretended not to notice, but it seemed to be getting worse, rather than better.

This morning on Yorusz he'd gotten another stupid muscle tremor - in his leg, of all places - and had fallen down like an idiot, in front of everyone. Worst of all, they hadn't even been fighting at the time. But there had been no point in trying to cover it up; his whole team knew this had been happening for days, and finally Ahsoka had taken charge, calmly telling Anakin to go back to Lannik and see a doctor - and that if he _didn't,_ she would talk to Master Chi'nala about it tomorrow.

_And I WILL,_ Anakin grumbled, ignoring the pain as he got to his feet again, picking up his red lightsaber. But for now he was determined to enjoy something _fun_ for a change, and faced Luke once again, reveling in this final act of denial. _Come on, Luke. Let's play._

* * *

><p><em>Mara was right,<em> Luke realized anxiously, cautiously retracting his lightsaber. _Something is really wrong with him..._

But Anakin had gotten back to his feet, and was stubbornly continuing with their duel. "Obi-Wan has taught you well," he conceded dramatically.

_No; I learned that move when I was three,_ Luke thought, disturbed that his father had just gotten his ass kicked by the most basic of youngling techniques. "I will not fight you, Father," he told him firmly. _You're hurt; you need to see a doctor._

Anakin walked slowly up the stairs; Luke backed hesitantly away, sensing his father was struggling just to keep his balance. _You really shouldn't be doing this..._ But Anakin refused to give in. "You are unwise to lower your defenses!" he declared abruptly, hacking at Luke once again.

_Crap..._ Luke carefully parried his father's blows, trying not to injure him any further; and a moment later they wound up in lightsaber lock. _Come on, Master. Don't do this..._ They exchanged a few more blows, but then Luke quickly hopped out of the way, somersaulting up onto the bridge above them. _Ah, let's just get on with the dialogue._ "Your thoughts betray you, Father," he chided him. _I know you're hurt; you don't have to try to hide it from me._ "I feel the good in you. The conflict."

Luke felt a tremor of hesitancy; but Anakin stubbornly masked his feelings once again. "There is no conflict."

"You couldn't bring yourself to kill me before, and I don't believe you'll destroy me now," Luke told him. _I doubt you could jump up here, even if you wanted to,_ he thought, sensing his father's extreme dizziness. _I have the high ground; don't try it, Master..._

"You underestimate the power of the Dark Side," Anakin declared arrogantly. _Oh Force, it's gonna be Mustafar all over again,_ Luke thought, laughing despite himself and praying his father had more sense than that. _I'm serious, Master. Don't try it._ He could sense his father's amusement as well, and suppressed a relieved grin. _Okay, if he's laughing about this, it can't be all that bad._

"If you will not fight," Anakin glowered dramatically, remaining sensibly where he was. "Then you will meet your destiny!" Then - rather than throwing _himself_ into his opponent's lightsaber - he chose the opposite (though equally stupid) approach, by flinging his lightsaber up at Luke. _I gotta hand it to you, Dad,_ Luke laughed, ducking out of the way as Anakin's red lightsaber hit a support beam, then clattered away ineffectively. _You get points for creativity._

But a moment later the entire bridge ripped violently from the ceiling, and Luke blinked in alarm, jumping clear of the falling structure as it crashed down to the floor below. _Well... At least his Force powers are okay,_ Luke tried to reassure himself, though he was far less confident in his father's common sense. _Seriously, Dad,_ he sighed, sensing Anakin's sudden, sharp pain from the effort - which he quickly masked once again. _You need to see a doctor._

* * *

><p><em>Ahh...<em> Anakin winced, confused once again by the intense pain in his right side. _What the hell IS that?_ It felt like a broken rib - or two, or three... Except that it _wasn't. _There was no bruising, and he couldn't even remember how it had happened. It had just randomly started hurting a few days ago, and had been getting progressively worse. _This has not been my week,_ Anakin confessed; but suddenly he grinned despite his pain, sensing Palpatine's amusement, along with Cliegg's.

"Good... Good," Palpatine praised him, cackling gleefully as he came over to inspect the damage.

_Thank you... Thank you..._ Destroying sets had become Anakin's speciality over the years, and he cast a proud glance at his handiwork now, bending down to retrieve his lightsaber from the collapsed structure._ That was pretty good, huh... Oww!_ Anakin gasped at the stabbing pain in his side, standing up carefully as he fought another wave of dizziness. He dutifully masked it, not wanting to alarm Luke; but now he sensed his son's echo of concern, and realized he wasn't fooling anyone.

_Gah... I'm all right,_ Anakin grumbled, sending Luke a wave of reassurance. But then his brows furrowed in confusion. _Where'd he go?_ He sighed wearily, realizing that his son was masking his presence, hiding in the shadows in yet another pathetic attempt to spare Anakin from having to fight. _Great..._ Anakin rolled his eyes, annoyed by the way that everyone had been coddling him lately. _You're worse than Ahsoka.._. "You cannot hide forever, Luke," he reproached his son. _You DO understand the basic premise of a lightsaber duel?_

But apparently Luke didn't. "I will not fight you," he insisted calmly, once again.

_Well..._ Anakin blinked, at a loss. _Now what?_

"Cut," Cliegg said, joining them in the darkened, recessed area. "That was... interesting," he chuckled, amused by Luke's pacifistic approach. "But we need to move forward with the dialogue," he reminded them. "Anakin, you're going to taunt him one last time, and then threaten to go after his sister next."

_What? Noooo!_ Anakin blinked, carefully masking his emotions. "Uh... Do I know about his sister?" he asked cautiously.

Cliegg frowned. "Good point," he admitted uncertainly. "No, I suppose you don't," he realized, blinking. "All right; let's say you figure that out now_,_" he proposed. "You sense that he has a twin sister..." _What - out of nowhere?_ "And - ahh, I don't know," Cliegg chuckled, waving dismissively. "You'll think of something," he assured Anakin confidently. _I will?_ "Okay, let's give this a try... And, _Action,_" he said, stepping back behind the camera.

_Uh..._ "Give yourself to the Dark Side," Anakin blurted out, trying to recall how Palpatine had converted _him,_ twenty years earlier. _Oh; right..._ "It is the only way you can save your - " _Wife? Sister? Gah - _"Friends," he threatened vaguely, still trying to avoid this awkward subject.

_Come on; don't screw this up,_ Anakin scolded himself, falling back on Obi-Wan's remedial lessons in how to avoid another disaster like Cloud City. _Focus on Luke's emotions, not my own,_ he remembered, forcing himself to let go of his self-consciousness, and probe Luke's feelings instead. _Okay; yeah, that's a lot better,_ he admitted, relieved to shift the focus away from his own anxiety. But now he sensed _Luke's_ anxiety, and blinked, startled. _What's he anxious about?_

But he decided to use it to his advantage. "Yes, your thoughts betray you," Anakin pressed on, keeping the focus on Luke. _Seriously, what's he upset about?_ "Your feelings for them are strong," he continued. "Especially for... _sister,_" Anakin said, turning around in surprise as he sensed Luke's veiled discomfort. _Crap... He already knows about Leia?_

Anakin blinked in utter confusion; he'd spent a year carefully avoiding this subject with Luke, not wanting to say anything that might send him off the deep end again, or set him back in his studies to become a Master. _But if he already knows about Leia, and Padmé... Why the hell do I have to keep hiding everything from him?_ Anakin wondered, frustrated by the whole situation. _Okay, that does it,_ he decided, frowning stubbornly. _If he really does know about this, it's time to just be honest with him. _

"So, you have a twin sister," Anakin continued, forcefully probing his son's emotions. _Yeah, he totally knows,_ he sensed now, rolling his eyes in exasperation._ Gah, he's probably known all along..._ "Your feelings have betrayed her as well," he reproached his son. _Seriously, Luke... Why didn't you just tell us?_

But now he was surprised to feel something else: profound guilt, regret, heartache - and an overwhelming sense of shame... _Huh? Why is he ashamed of his feelings for his sister?_ Anakin wondered, not following. Then it hit him, like a ton of duracrete. _He's not ashamed of his feelings,_ Anakin realized, his heart sinking. _He's ashamed of me._

He'd sensed it before, in Cloud City - and very strongly, in the terrible week that had followed, before Obi-Wan had finally sent Luke away to Naboo. And Luke _seemed_ to have gotten over the worst of his anger, and come to accept the situation... _But obviously he hasn't,_ Anakin realized unhappily, sensing his son's carefully-veiled but undeniable shame.

_Crap..._ Suddenly the weight of this past week hit him, with soul-crushing force. _It's bad enough that the entire galaxy thinks I'm incompetent, and a joke,_ Anakin thought, dismayed by the news reports he had been reading lately. _But for my own kid to be ashamed of me..._ He closed his eyes, his heart aching with misery and despair. _I'm sorry, Luke..._

* * *

><p>"Cut! Brilliant job," Cliegg said cheerfully, impressed by Anakin's performance. "All right, let's move on to the last bit of the fight - "<p>

"Uh - wait," Luke interrupted, alarmed by his father's sudden distress. A moment ago Luke had been caught up in his own anxiety, trying desperately not to think about his 'sister'; but now he peered at Anakin worriedly. _Master, are you okay?_ He'd been sensing his father's dizziness all along, but now he noticed a faint tremor in his left hand, as his black glove shook feebly. _Crap, that's not good..._

Cliegg blinked at him, surprised. "Yes?"

"Um - " Luke tried to hide his concern, not wanting to embarrass Master Anakin publicly. _He's gotten enough of that lately... _"I, uh... I have to go to the bathroom," he apologized, stalling for time.

"Oh." Cliegg chuckled, nodding. "Of course; no rush," he assured him good-naturedly.

"Thanks," Luke said, heading out to the hallway. _Gah, now what?_ He hid around the next corner, pressing his back to the wall and closing his eyes, trying to sense Master Anakin's feelings. _He's exhausted... Hurting... And - sorry?_ Luke blinked in surprise, sensing his father's profound apology. _He feels guilty; inadequate, ashamed..._

_What's he ashamed of?_ Luke wondered, furrowing his brows. _His injuries? And if he's hurting so bad, why is he trying to cover it up?_ He recalled his father's air of proud confidence when he had first arrived, and realized Anakin was stubbornly trying to hide the fact that he was hurt. _Why won't he just admit to it, and see a doctor?_

He frowned in concern, piecing together what he'd read in the news reports, as well as what he'd observed himself. _He's dizzy, and unsteady; he's been falling a lot, and getting beat up everywhere he turns - which could account for whatever injuries he has,_ Luke guessed.

But he was deeply concerned by the tremor he had just seen, in his father's gloved hand. That could be an indication of something serious; brain damage, or a neurological condition... _No,_ Luke blinked in alarm, wondering if Mara might have been right after all: that their father had some kind of terrible degenerative illness, and was dying... It had been one of the more preposterous theories being tossed around lately, and Luke had ridiculed Mara for believing in it; but maybe it was actually true?

_Dad..._ Luke reached out to him now, sending him a wave of deep concern. _Are you okay?_ He felt Master Anakin's response, and was relieved by the sense of quiet reassurance his father was sending him; but again he was surprised to sense his profound apology, guilt, and shame. _So - it's nothing too serious,_ Luke reassured himself. _But - he feels guilty about it? And won't see a doctor?_ He blinked, utterly baffled. _Why is he trying to cover this up?_

Then a disturbing thought occurred to him. _He has to cover it up, because he did something he shouldn't have. Something illegal... That's why he can't see a doctor._ Luke knew that life on the Outer Rim dealt in shades of grey, and that _nothing_ anyone did at Jedi Border Patrol was entirely according to the rules. And he'd known for years that Anakin wasn't much of a rule follower to begin with... _So what kind of illegal activity gets you sick... With dizziness, weakness, tremors...?_

Suddenly the answer came to him, and Luke's heart sank. _No..._ For _another_ issue that had been featured in the news lately was related to something Luke and Mara had instigated themselves. They had been stationed on Tatooine for the past week and a half, and a big part of their job had been to deal with Jabba's various spice warehouses, destroying the illegal drugs that had been his main source of revenue, before he had joined the Republic.

Luke and Mara had taken great pride in their work, incinerating massive stores of glitterstim, rockstim, death sticks, and other illegal drugs - making sure that no one would ever have to suffer from the effects of these substances, the way that Mara had suffered her entire life. Of course, there were hundreds of _other_ spice warehouses across the Outer Rim, and in most cases their efforts had not made even the tiniest dent in the spice trade overall. Except in the case of one specific substance: a glitterstim and steroid hybrid which was known by the street name of jockstim.

Jockstim was a relatively harmless designer drug that had been popular among young athletes for decades, as a performance enhancer. No one knew exactly what was in it, but it was produced only on Tatooine, at one of Jabba's glitterstim labs. In fact, Jabba was the only known supplier of jockstim; and so when Luke and Mara had destroyed his stash last week, they had effectively eradicated the entire galaxy of the substance.

Mara had gleefully been following the news of their success this past week, laughing mischievously at reports of jockstim addicts all over the galaxy, who were now experiencing the ravages of withdrawal - plagued by dizziness, weakness, muscle tremors... _Anakin's symptoms started about a week ago; around the same time that the supply got cut off,_ Luke realized, suddenly guessing at the reason for his father's guilt, and shame. _Oh, crap... He's a jockstim addict._

Luke frowned disapprovingly, betrayed by his father's stupidity. _I've always looked up to him - for being the biggest, and the strongest, and the fastest, and the best pilot, and lightsaber fighter... But it was all just because of drugs,_ he realized, outraged. _After everything Mara has been through, all her life... How could he?_ Luke scowled bitterly. _Dad, I know you're not the brightest bulb in the box, but I thought you had more sense than that._

He felt another wave of profound apology from Master Anakin now, in response to his sudden anger; but Luke steeled himself obstinately, not answering it. _I've been coddling you this whole fight,_ he thought indignantly, storming back to the throne room to continue their duel. _But no more. Whatever pain you're in, it's your own stupid fault,_ Luke glowered, carefully masking his expression and refusing to look at his father as he rejoined the others once again.

"All right, let's move into the final skirmish," Cliegg said. "Luke, you're going to push Vader back to the edge of the reactor core, and then chop off his sword hand - just like he did to you last time," he explained. "We're going to need lots of intensity, and anger," he coached him, as Luke nodded in subtle agreement. _You want anger? No problem..._ "And, _Action,_" Cliegg said, stepping back behind the cameras.

Anakin turned his helmeted gaze toward Luke, sending him one last plea of helpless apology; then he reluctantly began. "So, you have a twin sister," he repeated ominously, continuing with their dialogue. "Your feelings have betrayed her as well. Obi-Wan was wise to hide her from me," he added. "Now, his failure is complete. If you will not turn to the Dark Side... Then perhaps _she_ will."

_Yeah, I don't think so..._ "Never!" Luke yelled, igniting his green lightsaber as he lunged at his father, hacking at him mercilessly. _Mara's been worried sick about you,_ he thought indignantly, driving Anakin backwards through the darkened recesses of the throne room. _But you're just a stupid jockstim addict..._ He could sense his father's alarm as he stumbled backwards, along with dizziness, and random jabs of pain - in his wrist, and side, and knee... But Luke didn't care, and continued to slash at him furiously, unrelenting. _All your life you've been bigger and stronger than everybody else... But how do you feel NOW? Huh?_

He drove Anakin back to the reactor core, where he staggered dizzily, grasping the rail to catch his fall. _Get back up, I'm not done with you,_ Luke scowled, hacking at him some more. But Anakin could barely keep his balance now, and finally collapsed again, grabbing at the rail pathetically as Luke continued to wallop him, pounding at his sword hand with righteous outrage. _You - stupid - no - good - jockstim - addict..._

"Cut," Cliegg said, grinning in amazement. "Luke, that was incredible. Both of you," he said, nodding to Anakin as well. "All right; on with the arm-hacking," he added with a good-natured chuckle, as a props technician brought in a severed robotic wrist to strap onto Anakin's hand, complete with singed wires spilling out of it. "Luke, if you could switch to full power for this, and slash right through that rail?" Cliegg asked, as Luke nodded, igniting his lightsaber to its maximum setting. "And... _Action._"

"Ahhhhh!" Luke yelled in frustration, missing Anakin's severed wrist by just one millimeter as he hacked straight through the durasteel rail.

"Mooooooooooooo," Anakin mooed, for reasons which Luke could not even begin to fathom. _Seriously?_ He collapsed to the floor, waving a hand in feeble protest as Luke stood over him in confusion, green lightsaber blazing.

"Hahahahahaha," Palpatine cackled as he came over to join them, obviously amused by Anakin's bovine impersonation. "Good," he praised Luke now, clasping his hands gleefully. "Your hate has made you powerful. Now, fulfill your destiny, and take your father's place at my side."

Luke looked at his own gloved hand, then at Anakin's severed wrist, frowning in confusion. _What does any of this have to do with farm animals?_ He sighed, retracting his lightsaber. _Ah, I don't get it._ "Never," he said, tossing the hilt away. "I'll never turn to the Dark Side," he told the Emperor. "You've failed, Your Highness. I am a Jedi," Luke declared proudly. "Like my father before me," he added grudgingly. _Except I'm a REAL one, not some loser jockstim addict._

Palpatine glowered at him dangerously. "So be it... Jedi," he spat, disdainful. "If you will not be turned... You will be destroyed!" And with that, he raised his hands, zapping Luke with imaginary blue lightning.

_Here we go,_ Luke sighed, throwing himself against a piece of machinery and writhing in pain. Cliegg had wanted this to be the worst Sith lightning attack - _ever_ - which Luke had initially thought was a fun idea; until he realized that he was going to have to squirm around and scream like a girl for at least a full minute.

"Young fool," Palpatine said. "Only now, at the end, do you understand." _Yeah,_ Luke thought, flailing around and clinging to the piece of machinery. _I understand that my father is an even bigger moron than I ever imagined._ "Your feeble skills are no match for the power of the Dark Side," Palpatine gloated, zapping him again. "You have paid the price for your lack of vision."

"Ahhhh!" Luke cried, falling to the floor and writhing in agony. "Father, please!" _Please don't let Mara find out about this,_ Luke thought miserably, as he continued to roll around on the floor, crying out in pain. _It would kill her..._ "Help me," he begged. _Help me to convince her that everything's okay..._ "Aaagghhh!" he yelled in frustration.

"Now, young Skywalker," Palpatine said, with a disturbing calmness. "You will die."

"Aaaaaahhhhhh!" Luke screamed, flailing dramatically as the Emperor pretended to zap him once again. _Gah, I feel stupid here... Can we hurry this up?_ Finally his father took pity on him, turning abruptly to Palpatine and lifting him up over his head; Luke blinked anxiously, sensing Anakin's pain and dizziness once again. _Crap, don't drop him,_ he cringed, not at all confident in his father's abilities right now.

_He can barely even lift him,_ Luke realized, trying to hide his amusement as he watched Anakin struggle with this simplest of tasks. _Mara is right; this is funny to watch..._ She had been laughing her butt off all week at news footage of jockstim addicts failing stupidly at public athletic events, and Luke had to admit there was something hilariously gratifying about it. _Serves you right,_ he thought, unsympathetic to his father's obvious distress.

A black-robed dummy was brought over - which Anakin heaved down into the reactor pit, before collapsing pathetically against the rail once again. _I hope you've learned your lesson,_ Luke scowled, hearing his father's labored breathing and sensing the intense pain in his lungs from the exertion.

_Crap, he's really hurting, _Luke sighed, getting up and helping him. _Come on, Master; you're okay..._ Anakin was gasping for breath now, and Luke helped him to lie down for a moment, holding his hand and grudgingly offering a gentle, healing wave. _Pull it together here; we're not done yet._

"Cut," Cliegg said now. "That was brilliant - _all_ of you," he told them, as Palpatine smiled wistfully, realizing that his three-decade involvement with _JEDI_ and _SITH_ had finally come to a close. "Palpatine, I can't thank you enough," Cliegg added sincerely. "You've been - wonderful," he confessed.

But Palpatine frowned. "Oh dear," he murmured, blinking. "I was going for _terrible_."

Cliegg chuckled, patting him on the shoulder. "That too," he assured him, as they shared an amused smile. "All right, let's finish this up," he proposed, turning back to Luke and Anakin. "Luke, you're going to help him back to the docking bay, and then we'll take a quick break for the makeup crew to do their thing," Cliegg reminded them, stepping back behind the camera again. "And - _Action._"

Luke helped his father to his feet, and half-carried, half-dragged him out to the docking bay. _Gah, you're not helping here,_ he grunted, as Anakin leaned against him heavily, barely even trying to walk. Finally he gave up altogether, crashing to the floor; Luke rolled his eyes, dragging him the rest of the way to the shuttle by his wrists. _Quit being such a baby..._

He sensed his father's utter exhaustion as he lay against the shuttle's ramp, but he sighed in frustration, unsympathetic. _It's not nap time yet, Master. We still have one more scene here,_ he grumbled, forcing him to sit up again.

"Luke," Anakin said stupidly, forgetting a rather glaring logistical detail. "Help me take this mask off."

Luke shook his head, laughing quietly despite himself. "Uh, we're not quite ready for that yet," he reminded his father, with a meaningful glance at the makeup crew that was now arriving to help turn him into a barbecued meatball head.

"No," Anakin protested weakly, reaching helplessly for his visor with his severed wrist. "Take it off..." Luke sensed his desperation, and nodded, realizing he truly was struggling to breathe. _All right,_ he sighed, gently pulling up his visor for him. _But I'm serious, Master. Pull it together here, before anyone else sees you -_

_Oh, crap!_ Luke blinked in alarm, seeing the deathly pallor of his father's face. _That doesn't look good..._ "Master," he exclaimed worriedly.

"I don't... feel - so good," Anakin breathed feebly, closing his eyes again. "Gahhhh..."

_No kidding_, Luke agreed, gulping. _He's in serious withdrawal,_ he noted, his heart sinking as he realized his father was a heavy user; probably a lifelong addict. _There's no way to cover this up now,_ Luke admitted unhappily, gently pulling down his lower eyelid to check for telltale signs of drug use.

Jockstim caused - among other things - a unique secretion of microscopic crystals through the tear ducts, leaving deposits of foreign matter all along the inside of the lower lid. Even a single use would create a few of these spots, which took months to clear up; but in a heavy user, the lower lid was completely covered in lesions, and Luke peered apprehensively at his father's eyelid now, trying to assess the severity of his addiction.

Then he frowned, confused. _Wait a minute..._ He checked his other eye, then blinked, baffled. There wasn't a single spot or lesion to be seen; both eyelids were completely clear. _Which means... Oh crap!_ Luke realized, his eyes widening in sudden alarm. _He's not a jockstim addict at all... This is something else entirely._ "Master," he said urgently, his heart sinking. "Master, what's wrong?"_ Crap, I just beat the living hell out of him..._

"I - " Anakin gulped, coughing weakly. "I - don't know," he rasped, wincing in pain from the effort.

The makeup crew was arriving now, and Luke turned to them urgently. "We need a medic," he said, as they peered at Anakin in alarm; but one of the technicians nodded quickly now, rushing off to get help.

"Come on, Master; hang in there," Luke said gently, doing what he could to ease his pain as Anakin doubled over in another fit of coughing. "Take it easy; you're all right." Anakin nodded bravely, managing to sit up again; but now there was blood trickling from the side of his mouth. _Crap, that's not good..._ The medical team was arriving now, and Luke quickly helped them to lay Anakin on the hovering gurney, accompanying him to the Death Star's medical ward.

They brought him to the emergency room, rushing him into the surgical station; Luke started to follow, but was turned away at the door, by a doctor whose expression left no room for argument. _Gah..._ Luke sighed helplessly, closing his eyes and hanging his head. _Please, let him be all right..._

Presently he felt a hand on his shoulder, as Cliegg joined him in the waiting area. "I'm sure he'll be fine," he told Luke, offering an encouraging smile. "Don't worry... Anakin's as tough as they come." Luke nodded, grateful for his presence as they waited for news of his father's condition.

A few minutes later a nurse emerged from the inner ward, coming over to speak with them. "He's in surgery," she explained. "He's got some bleeding in his lung; it will be at least another hour," she told them, as Luke nodded in understanding. _It's just a broken rib or something, _he told himself stubbornly. _He's going to be fine._

Some other members of the film crew stopped by the waiting room, their expressions concerned. Cliegg went over to speak with them quietly; but he returned a minute later, giving Luke an apologetic look. "We need to finish up this scene," he said. "The makeup crew is working on Rory now."

Luke nodded quietly, following him out of the medical ward and back through the Death Star's hallways to film Vader's death scene with Rory.

* * *

><p><em>Sometime after that...<em>

Anakin blinked groggily awake, vaguely aware of the fact that he was in some type of medical ward. _Well,_ he sighed, casting a baleful glance at his intravenous line, and the various monitors he was hooked up to. _Ahsoka will be happy._

Luke had been holding his hand, but looked up at him now, surprised. "Master!" he exclaimed, his expression hopeful. "How are you feeling?"

_Uh..._ "Great," Anakin nodded, managing a reassuring smile. "Perfect."

A relieved smile crossed his son's face. "They managed to stop the bleeding in your lung," Luke told him. "They pulled something out of there - some kind of shrapnel, I guess," he explained, as Anakin blinked in surprise. _Shrapnel?_ "Don't worry, Master; you're going to be fine."

"Okay... good," Anakin said, masking his confusion as to how a piece of shrapnel had gotten into his lung, without any kind of entrance wound. There had been no bruising, no cuts or bleeding; just a mysterious, stabbing pain, for days now.

But now Luke looked down, uncomfortable. "Master, I'm sorry... about - the fighting, earlier," he said, his blue eyes filled with apology. "I didn't mean to hurt you."

Anakin grinned in embarrassment, recalling Luke's admittedly impassioned performance. "Nah, you didn't," he assured him. _Not physically, anyway._ "It's not your fault." He had sensed his son's intense anger earlier, but was grateful that it seemed to have subsided for the moment. _I'm sorry this has been so hard for you, Luke._

Luke nodded apologetically, but again Anakin sensed his quiet sadness as he looked down, not knowing what else to say. They were both under specific orders - from Yoda himself, backed by Obi-Wan - to not speak of certain issues until Luke became a Master, and their conversations tended to fall into awkwardness at times. _He's guessed about Padmé and Leia, but he's not ready to talk about any of this yet,_ Anakin sensed, saddened that his son was still struggling with profound feelings of anger, and shame. _He'll come to terms with it eventually, but he needs more time._

"So," Anakin said, changing the topic to something _other_ than Luke's sister. "How's Mara doing?"

"Oh - great," Luke nodded, grinning in shy amusement. "She's been having fun incinerating every spice stash she can find," he told Anakin, laughing quietly. _Heh; I thought she'd enjoy that._ "She says hello by the way," Luke added. "She just called a few minutes ago... She's been worried about you," he confessed, with an apologetic smile.

"Eh... Tell her I'm all right," Anakin sighed, casting a dismissive glance at the monitors he was currently hooked up to.

Luke nodded reassuringly. "I will," he promised.

"Now_,_" Anakin clarified, giving his son an emphatic look.

"What? No," Luke protested. "The doctor wants to keep you here, at least overnight."

"I'll bet he does," Anakin muttered, rolling his eyes; then he pointed a stern finger at Luke. "But I'm still your boss," he reminded him. "And I don't recall giving you the afternoon off," he reproached him playfully. "Come on; get out of here... That's an order," he insisted. "Quit slacking."

Luke laughed, shaking his head; but then he reluctantly stood up. "All right, Master... Feel better."

"I will," Anakin nodded confidently. "Tell Mara I say hello."

Luke nodded, giving him a reassuring smile. Anakin caught the look of deep affection in his son's eyes, and once again felt his quiet regret, and apology; but he sensed no unusual measure of _concern_ as Luke took his leave, and Anakin sighed in relief now, closing his eyes. _So, they haven't told him what's wrong with me._

_And maybe the doctors haven't figured it out yet, either,_ Anakin considered, frowning. They'd apparently taken some kind of shrapnel out of his lung - a circumstance which continued to baffle him - and they seemed to have bandaged his sprained wrist, and were monitoring his vitals, as a matter of course. But Anakin knew that the minor injuries he had incurred over the past week were merely side effects, and that the underlying problem was something much more serious.

He'd quietly researched his symptoms on the HoloNet's medical database, and the results had terrified him. Balance problems, muscle tremors, weakness, disorientation, and inexplicable lapses in consciousness all pointed to some kind of neurological condition - one that was likely to be progressive, and incurable. Anakin had read through the descriptions of two or three of these illnesses, discovering that he already had _all_ of the initial symptoms - before he had been overcome by a wave of nausea and panic, and had quickly switched off his datapad, vowing to never go _there_ again.

Instead, he had remained in firm denial this past week, stubbornly focusing on his work. Though it had been admittedly difficult to ignore, as he had been falling down constantly, and getting his ass handed to him everywhere he turned. But until Ahsoka had finally called him out on it this morning, there was still a tiny part of him that had hoped that he was just being paranoid; that it was all in his imagination, and wasn't really happening.

But apparently it _was_ happening; and whatever it was, it had already progressed to the point where he was completely useless as a Jedi, and his own team was better off without him there. Anakin's heart gripped with panic as he realized that what so far had only amounted to a bunch of vague, unconfirmed rumors, would soon become a terrifying reality. One that he could not run from - or manage to hide any longer, from the people who actually _mattered_ to him.

_I'll be taken off active duty - immediately,_ Anakin realized, frightened tears springing to his eyes. _And then what?_ Part of him had always longed to just leave it all behind, and go home to Padmé... But if this thing was just going to keep getting worse...? _Gah,_ Anakin sighed miserably, gulping back his tears. _I can't deal with this..._

Presently the door opened, and Anakin quickly composed himself as the doctor came in to check on him. "Anakin... I'm Doctor Gelkram," he introduced himself, with a friendly smile. "How are you feeling?"

"Oh - great," Anakin assured him, nodding. "Luke said you found some kind of shrapnel in my lung?" he asked, praying that was all it was.

"Er... yes," the doctor replied hesitantly. "But first I have a few questions," he admitted, taking a seat next to Anakin's bedside and pulling up his chart on his datapad. "Have you been feeling disoriented lately?" he asked. "Any momentary lapses in consciousness, that you can't explain? Muscle tremors, weakness, dizziness...?"

_Oh, crap,_ Anakin gulped, his heart suddenly racing; this was exactly the conversation he had been dreading. But he managed a brave nod. "Yes," he admitted, giving the doctor a worried look. "So... What is it?"

The doctor nodded respectfully. "You have Kreechiphyllis," he informed Anakin, keeping his manner carefully professional.

Anakin blinked; it wasn't one of the conditions he'd researched, but he could tell from the doctor's tone that it was serious. "Okay," he said numbly, giving it a moment to sink in; he was in no rush to hear what he suspected would be a rather depressing prognosis.

"Are you familiar with the condition?" the doctor asked hesitantly.

Anakin gulped. "Um... no," he confessed, looking down.

"It's also known as Kreech-Crabs," the doctor explained, pulling a small glass vial from the pocket of his lab coat. "We found this in your lung."

Anakin took it from him, peering at it cautiously. _Holy crap..._ "What the hell is that?"

"Ahh... Well, it's a Kreech-Crab," the doctor replied carefully. "You've never seen one before?"

Anakin blinked, peering at the specimen; it appeared to be some kind of dead insect, about two inches long. "No," he said, frowning.

"Kreech-Crabs are a parasitic infection; the eggs travel through your blood stream, and can lodge in any part of your body, where they incubate, and finally hatch," the doctor explained, as Anakin blinked in alarm. "But they also carry a virus known as Kreechiphyllis, which is what has been attacking your nervous system."

Anakin nodded, gulping. "Okay... So - how did I get this?"

The doctor looked down, uncomfortable. "Well... it's is a sexually transmitted disease."

"What?" Anakin's eyes widened in alarm. _Crap, does Padmé have this thing too?_ "So how did we - I mean - how did I get it?" he asked, baffled.

The doctor blinked, uncertain how to answer that question. "You _are_ familiar with the basic concept of STDs?"

"Well - yeah," Anakin said cautiously. "But I mean - this thing had to come from _somewhere,_ right?"

"Yes," the doctor confirmed, struggling to remain carefully professional. "Kreech-Crabs are transmitted through sexual contact, which means you got this from your, ahh - _partner,_" he told Anakin, blinking uncomfortably at the concept. "And your partner got it from someone else," he explained, with quiet regret.

"What? No," Anakin said, shaking his head. _That couldn't have happened..._ But he sensed the doctor's apology - and worse, _pity_ - and blinked, caught off guard. "No," he protested, his eyes widening in disbelief. _It's not possible... Is it? _True, he hadn't been able to see Padmé as often as he'd wanted to lately, but - _Noooo..._ Anakin gulped, fighting tears as he felt a stabbing pain in his heart. _Crap... Can this day possibly get any worse?_

Suddenly, his day got worse. "You should be aware that this particular STD is extremely rare in humans," the doctor told him quietly. "It can only be contracted through - " he hesitated, uncomfortable. "Through sexual intercourse with a Hutt," he explained, managing to keep his tone professional.

"What?" Anakin blinked in utter disbelief. _So Padmé cheated on me - with a Hutt? Gah..._ He cringed in disgust, nauseated by the thought. But then his heart sank as he realized that was the entire problem. _This is because of that dumb joke I made about Ziro,_ he guessed, sighing miserably. _Ahhh, why did I have to be so stupid?_ Ziro ran a strip club on Coruscant, and Anakin had once made a rather off-colored remark about the Hutt's sexual habits; but Padmé - as usual - had gotten defensive, telling him it wasn't his place to judge, and that he should be ashamed of himself. _She's been on Coruscant a lot lately, helping Leia out with HOPE stuff..._

Then his eyes widened as an even _worse_ thought crossed his mind. _Maybe it was Jabba...?_ It was no secret that Jabba had been in love with Padmé for years; he'd published volumes of poetry, inspired by her exquisite beauty. Whereas the last time Anakin had seen his wife, he'd remarked that her hair looked as though it had been struck by lightning, and then stuffed into a flower pot. _But I meant it in a NICE way,_ he insisted helplessly, tears stinging his eyes.

_Padmé, how could you?_ Anakin cried, betrayed. He admitted that he hadn't been with her in over a month now, so this had obviously been going on for some time. He'd _wanted_ to see her, but just hadn't been able to get away lately, with the war going on... _And she's probably glad I haven't been around,_ he thought unhappily. _She SAID she was worried about me, but - she doesn't love me anymore,_ he realized, his heart breaking into a thousand pieces.

But then his brows furrowed. _No, this can't be true,_ he thought stubbornly_. Padmé wouldn't do that to me._ There were other ways to get STDs, after all; blood transfusions and such... Then he blinked, remembering. "Crap, I must have gotten it from Jabba," Anakin blurted out suddenly. It had happened a month ago, during his suicide negotiation; Jabba hadn't felt entirely well after Anakin had extracted him from the trap door, and after gorging himself on a fifty-pound ice cream sundae, he'd gotten violently ill...

The doctor nodded respectfully. "Well, the good news is that Kreech-Crabs can't survive inside a human host - at least not for very long," he assured Anakin. "This one was just a baby; in Hutts they can get up to eighteen inches long," he explained. "So it wasn't old enough to reproduce; you don't have to worry about new hatchlings."

Anakin blinked, apprehensive. "Hatchlings?"

"Don't worry; it's biologically impossible," the doctor promised him. "And we've just given you a triple dose of antiviral medication, to get rid of the infection that's been attacking your nervous system," he added, glancing at Anakin's intravenous line. "You'll be feeling better in a day or so," he assured him confidently. "Though in the future..." He looked down, uncomfortable. "I'm afraid you and Jabba will need to seriously consider using protection, or this could happen again," he cautioned him.

"Protection? What? No," Anakin said, shaking his head.

"I'm very serious," the doctor told him firmly. "Your health is at stake here - "

"No!" Anakin blurted out. "I mean - it's not like that. Jabba and me - we're not... We didn't - "

"Look, I'm not here to judge," the doctor told him gently.

"No, I swear!" Anakin protested. "A few weeks ago, I was at his palace, and - ahh, long story... But he - he..." Anakin gulped, cringing in disgust. "He vomited on me," he confessed, giving the doctor a helpless look.

The doctor frowned, surprised and concerned. "Was there blood in the vomit?"

"Uh..." Anakin frowned uncertainly. "I'm not sure." He had tried very hard to block that particular memory from his mind; but he _did_ recall there had been a disturbing amount of Coffee-Toffee-Wookiee-Ookiee crunch, mixed with green slime...

"Keep in mind, Hutt blood is green," the doctor told him.

"Oh." Anakin blinked, disturbed. "Well then yes."

"Well..." The doctor sighed, glancing thoughtfully at his datapad. "There are no known cases of Kreechiphyllis being transmitted in any way except through sexual intercourse," he told Anakin. "But just because it's never been reported, doesn't rule out the possibility," he conceded. "I'm going to take your word on this, and put that in my report."

Anakin breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you." Then his brows furrowed. "I mean - Report? What? No," he protested, waving his fingers. "You don't need to report this."

The doctor completely ignored his gesture. "Yes, I do," he told Anakin. "This is an unusual case; it needs to be documented that Kreechiphyllis can be contracted by other means. _Especially_ in the case of a Jedi; that would suggest that perhaps it thrives in hosts with a high midichlorian count. This needs to be documented in medical journals - "

"No, it doesn't," Anakin interrupted him; he'd already been in the news far more than he would have liked lately. _I don't need to be the poster boy for Kreechiphyllis, on top of everything else._ "That won't be necessary," he told the doctor, waving his fingers.

"I'm afraid it is," the doctor insisted. "I'm required to follow protocol here," he explained, somewhat apologetic. "But don't worry, your personal information will be kept confidential. Your name won't appear on the report, or your date of birth," he assured him.

_Right,_ Anakin sighed; but the _doctor's_ name would, along with the date of the incident. And once the tabloids got hold of the news that a human had been diagnosed with a Hutt STD, it wouldn't take them long to trace the details back to the Death Star's medical ward... _They'll figure it out,_ he realized glumly.

"I do need to ask you a few more questions, regarding the details of how this happened," the doctor continued, going over his notes. "Were you bleeding at the time?" he asked. "Any cuts, or open wounds?"

"No," Anakin said. _Gah, why can't I just mind-trick this guy?_ "I didn't have any cuts, or open wounds," he grumbled, subtly waving his fingers; sometimes it helped to start out by reinforcing the _truth_ - to get people comfortable with the feeling of the mind trick, as something they could believe, and trust.

But the doctor wouldn't even believe _that_. "Er... I can't help noticing you've got a scar, right there; next to your eye," he pointed out.

"What?" Anakin's brows furrowed. _I do? _"Oh... No, that's been there forever - "

"But the skin _is_ broken," the doctor countered, making a note of it on his report. "It could be significant."

_Gah..._ "Look, could we go over this another time?" Anakin asked, giving him a pleading look. "I'm kind of tired right now," he confessed, apologetic.

The doctor nodded, understanding. "Of course," he agreed, getting up. "I'll need to file this report by the end of my rounds today, but I'm on a twelve-hour shift; I'll be here until midnight," he told Anakin, with a sympathetic smile. "I'll check back later... Get some rest," he said, heading for the door.

"Thank you," Anakin said; then he sighed, closing his eyes and laying back against the pillow. _My mental focus has been crap lately,_ he confessed. _I can't do this..._ But maybe Luke could? Tatooine was only a parsec away, and Luke had wanted to stay here with him anyway. _But how do you tell your kid you have a Hutt STD?_ Anakin blinked helplessly. _Especially if he already thinks you're some kind of pervert for having sex with a human?_

Anakin glanced balefully at the table beside his bed; his Jedi clothes had been brought in for him, and were now folded in a neat stack, with his utility belt on top. _Is there any other way out of this mess, than what I'm thinking?_ He closed his eyes for a moment, contemplating his options; but then he sighed, shaking his head wearily. _No,_ he grumbled, wincing at the sharp twinge of pain in his side as he reached for his transmitter. _Of course not._

* * *

><p><em>Later that evening... <em>

"Master Kenobi!" the doctor exclaimed in surprise, as he stopped by on his rounds. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

Obi-Wan smiled, bowing respectfully. "I was hoping I might speak with you, about Anakin's test results?"

The doctor glanced cautiously at Anakin for permission, then nodded. "Of course."

"This wasn't a Hutt STD," Obi-Wan informed him quietly.

The doctor's brows furrowed in surprise as he re-checked Anakin's file. "This wasn't a Hutt STD," he agreed, updating the information on his datapad.

"You don't need to submit that report," Obi-Wan told him.

"I don't need to submit this report," the doctor realized, deleting it from his records.

Obi-Wan nodded. "He can go home now."

"You can go home now," the doctor told Anakin, smiling confidently.

"Thank you," Obi-Wan said, with a polite bow. "We'll show ourselves out." He watched thoughtfully as the doctor took his leave; then he turned to Anakin - who was already out of bed, and getting dressed. "How are you feeling? he asked, concerned by the rather dreadful-looking bruise on his knee, as well as his bandaged wrist.

Anakin pulled on his pants, buckling his utility belt. "Fine," he said, a bit defensively. But then he gave Obi-Wan an apologetic look. "Thank you."

"Oh, no worries," Obi-Wan assured him, attempting a politely mild-mannered smile.

But Anakin sensed his hidden amusement. "It's not funny," he reproached him, pulling on a black boot.

"No," Obi-Wan agreed solemnly. "Not at all."

Anakin adjusted his black cloak, giving him a dangerous look. "You're not going to tell Qui-Gon."

"I am," Obi-Wan replied calmly.

"You're not," Anakin insisted, clipping his lightsaber onto his belt.

"Oh, I am," Obi-Wan assured him.

Anakin laughed defeatedly, shaking his head. "Gah..."

But Obi-Wan smiled, giving him a look of tender affection. "I'm glad you're all right," he admitted quietly. _I've been worried about you, little brother._

Anakin shrugged. "Yeah, yeah..." He rolled his eyes, sharing an amused grin with Obi-Wan. "Come on," he said, heading for the door. "Blue stuff's on me."


	207. Han, I am your father-in-law

**Chapter 207**

_Two weeks later..._

Han stretched luxuriously amidst the tumble of satin sheets and pillows, a blissful smile crossing his face as he awakened to golden rays of sunshine streaming in through the window of Leia's Varykino bedroom. "Mmm," he sighed, lazily reaching an arm out to caress his wife. "I never wanna leave this place."

But Leia wasn't beside him, and he frowned in concern as she emerged from the refresher, looking decidedly pale. "You okay?"

"Fine," She said, managing a smile. "Just - nervous," she admitted, sitting beside him on the edge of the bed.

_This again..._ "Hey, it's gonna be all right." He gave her a reassuring kiss. "I promise."

"I know." Leia nodded bravely. "It better be," she added, with an apprehensive laugh. "It's not like I can put this off any longer."

"No kidding," Han agreed, trying to hide his own hurt feelings. They'd told _his_ parents about their marriage two weeks ago, and Arthur and Gwen had been ecstatic when they'd stopped by Dantooine to share their happy news. But Leia had been reluctant to inform her own parents that she'd married a crazy Solo rather than the crown prince of Alderaan, and Han gave her a sympathetic smile now, trying to not take it personally. "Hopefully they won't be too disappointed."

"What?" Leia blinked. "No, it's not like that," she assured him. "I just wanted to tell them - _together,_" she explained, looking down. "And my dad hasn't been home much lately," she confessed, somewhat uncomfortably.

Han gave her a concerned look. "What, are they not getting along?" Captain Typho was Lady Amidala's bodyguard; it was his _job_ to be home.

"No, they are, it's just - " Leia broke off, shaking her head. "I'm so tired of this," she whispered, tears filling her eyes.

_You and me both,_ Han sighed, hiding his own frustration as he wrapped an arm around her, holding her close. "It'll be all right," he promised again. "We'll tell your mom this morning, and - you can send a message to your dad, on the way to Alderaan," he suggested, as Leia nodded, sniffing away her tears. "And then we'll meet with King Bail this afternoon, and he'll make the official announcement," he reminded her, pretending not to be terrified by today's agenda himself. "Nothing to worry about."

But Leia sensed his apprehension, and smiled in commiseration. "Thanks, Han," she said. "And I'm sorry if I haven't been completely honest with you about - certain things," she admitted; this was not the first time she had subtly evaded his questions regarding her father.

"Hey, no, it's all right," Han assured her. "But you can trust me, you know," he added, with a look of reproach. "I know how to keep secrets."

"So do I," Leia sighed. "Which is exactly why I can't tell you, until I have their permission," she pointed out. "I made a promise - when I was three," she told him, smiling regretfully. "I'm not about to break it now."

Han laughed, shaking his head. "Right," he agreed, letting the matter drop once again. Not that her father's identity was such a huge secret; the _real_ mystery in all of this was how Leia could possibly be unaware that the entire galaxy had known about Captain Typho's relationship with her mother for decades now. _Doesn't she ever read the tabloids?_ "Anyway, don't worry about it," Han said, kissing her. "You can tell me when you're ready... What?" he asked, seeing her sudden look of panic.

"He's here - now," Leia whispered, her eyes widening in alarm.

"What?" Han cast an anxious glance toward the bedroom doorway; Leia had assured him that no one planned to use her grandparents' Varykino retreat this weekend, and he frowned, listening for sounds of intruders. _This is not exactly the first impression I wanted to make._

"No, I mean - he's here, on Naboo," Leia clarified, furrowing her brows. "With my mom - in Theed..."

Han sighed, rolling his eyes. _Well duh, of course he is._ "It's all right," he told her again. "He'll never know we were here." _Besides, we're legally married,_ Han reminded himself, scowling. _It's not like we're doing anything wrong._ "Your mom thinks you're on Alderaan, right?"

"Yes... But - my dad will _know,_" Leia insisted worriedly, getting up from the bed and packing her things.

Han laughed dismissively. "What is he, some kind of psychic?"

"_Yes,_" Leia told him, exasperated. "And... they're on their way here," she added unhappily, closing her eyes. "Great..."

"How do you know?" Han gave her a skeptical look. _Are YOU some kind of psychic?_

"Just - get dressed," Leia scolded him impatiently, handing him his clothes. "They'll be here in a few minutes."

"Fine," Han retorted, pulling on his pants. "I'm tired of all this sneaking around anyway," he grumbled, pulling on a black boot.

"Well, we won't have to much longer," Leia pointed out, with an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry, Han," she sighed, straightening out their rumpled bed covers. "I know my timing has been really awful, with all of this," she admitted.

"No kidding," Han agreed, scowling; but then he relented, seeing her look of helpless dismay. "Ahh... Don't worry about it," he assured her, strapping on his holster. "It's okay." After all, Captain Typho was Boba's cousin - once removed, or something like that - and he seemed like an easy-going, likeable sort of guy; in fact, Han couldn't imagine anyone else he'd _rather_ have as a father-in-law. "I promise, it's gonna be all right."

Leia smiled, gazing into his eyes. "Thanks, Han," she said, giving him a quick kiss. "I love you."

"Yeah, yeah," Han agreed with a wry grin, as Leia headed downstairs to straighten this out with her parents. _I know._

* * *

><p>"I wasn't expecting Leia today," Padmé confessed, as Anakin landed the silver Nubian vessel on the platform next to Leia's ship. "She was asking me if anyone would be at Varykino this weekend, but I must have misunderstood her," she babbled on excitedly. "I assumed she and Julian would be busy with wedding rehearsals today... What?" She gave Anakin a curious look, seeing his amused grin.<p>

"Uh... I think they've been busy with something else," Anakin told her, glancing up at Leia's bedroom window.

Padmé's eyes widened. "What? Julian's here? _Now?_"

"Yeah," Anakin confirmed; he sensed a vaguely nervous presence in Leia's bedroom.

"Oh my - " Padmé clapped a hand over her mouth, suppressing a giggle.

Anakin laughed quietly, shaking his head. "Well... I guess this proves you were wrong, about - " He gave her a meaningful look.

Padmé nodded. "I guess it does," she agreed, as they shared a relieved smile. For years now, Padmé had been quietly worried that Leia was only marrying Julian for political reasons; Anakin had tried to convince her that he sensed genuine love between them, but until this moment, he had never been certain of it himself.

_Those crazy kids..._ "I'll wait here," Anakin told her, grinning in amusement.

"All right; I'll just be a minute," Padmé promised, heading for the exit ramp. "I'm sure she'll want to get rid of me," she added, giggling. But as she left, Anakin caught her look of quiet sympathy, and nodded reassuringly. _It's okay, Padmé. It's just how it is._ Leia had chosen not to tell Julian about her illegal Jedi family, not wanting to put him in a position where he would be forced to lie on her behalf. _This way when anyone asks him about Leia's father, he can honestly say he doesn't know._

But when Leia appeared a moment later, hurrying across the landing platform to join them, Anakin smiled in delight, welcoming her aboard. "Hey, kiddo," he said, kissing her on the cheek. "Fancy meeting you here," he added with a mischievous look, as Padmé led them into the ship's tiny lounge area.

"Gah... No kidding," Leia sighed, taking a seat across from them. "I'm glad you're here," she confessed, blinking disconcertedly. "I need to talk to you guys."

"About...?" Anakin asked, playing innocent.

"About - " Leia gulped. "I've wanted to tell you for so long, but - I couldn't," she began nervously. "And now..." She shuddered involuntarily, clutching her stomach. "Ohhhh," she cried miserably, getting up and running to the refresher.

"That... doesn't sound good," Anakin remarked, sharing a concerned look with Padmé as they listened to muffled retching sounds coming from the adjacent room.

"No, it doesn't," Padmé agreed, frowning. "I hope it's not the flu...?"

"Eh, it's probably just wedding jitters," Anakin said. "She never gets sick," he reassured her.

"That's what worries me," Padmé said, troubled. "Ani, she was Queen of Naboo for eight years. It's not like big public ceremonies are anything new to her," she pointed out. "If she's this upset about her wedding..." Padmé blinked, giving him a helpless look. "You're _sure_ they're happy together?"

"Yes," Anakin insisted confidently, as always. "Why else would they be sneaking off for a romantic getaway - a week before their wedding?" he countered, gesturing toward the nervous presence emanating from Leia's bedroom. "She just _said_ this has been going on for a long time," he added, with an impish grin.

Padmé's brows furrowed. "You're right," she admitted, thoughtful. Then her eyes widened. "Oh my goodness!"

"What?" Anakin asked, not following.

"What?" Leia asked, returning from the refresher.

"Leia!" Padmé exclaimed, incredulous. "Sweety... You're pregnant?"

"What?" Anakin asked, blinking. _Did I miss something here?_

Leia gulped, sinking back down onto the sofa. "Gah... I think so," she said, giving her mother a helpless look.

"What?" Anakin asked again stupidly, still trying to catch up.

"Oh, sweetheart, it's all right," Padmé said, embracing her lovingly. "The wedding is next week; no one will know," she assured her. "Oh, this is wonderful news," she cried happily, smiling in tearful disbelief. "Ani, we're going to be grandparents!"

"What?" Anakin asked, his confusion suddenly reaching a whole new level.

"How far along are you, sweety?" Padmé asked, stroking Leia's hair.

"Almost three weeks," Leia admitted numbly, clutching her stomach. "I mean, I'm not completely sure, but - I'm _late,"_ she confessed. "And I'm _never_ late," she told her mother worriedly. "Plus I've been feeling sick in the mornings... "

"Grandparents?" Anakin repeated, still several steps behind.

"It must have happened on Endor," Leia murmured, blinking. "We've been so careful, aside from that."

"Does Julian know?" Padmé asked gently.

"Julian was on Endor?" Anakin grinned, amused by the idea.

"Um... No," Leia replied cautiously. "To both," she confessed, looking down.

"What?" Anakin's brows furrowed in confusion.

"It's all right, sweety," Padmé reassured her; but then she frowned, blinking. "Wait... What?"

"If he wasn't on Endor, then how - " Anakin broke off, baffled. _I give up._

Leia gulped, avoiding their gazes. "Julian's not the father," she told them quietly.

"What?" Padmé gasped, shocked.

Anakin blinked, suddenly catching up. _I know,_ he realized, surprised by his complete _lack_ of surprise. _I've known since Cloud City..._

"Leia..." Padmé stared at her in disbelief. "What's going on?"

"I - " Leia choked, tears filling her eyes. "I don't love him," she confessed. "I never have," she blurted out, sniffing. "I'm in love with... with - "

"With Han," Anakin finished quietly, identifying the vague presence he sensed in Leia's bedroom.

"What?" Padmé asked, stunned. "Han _Solo?_"

"Yes," Leia replied, giving her mother a hurt look. "Why is that so hard to understand?"

"Ah - it _isn't,_" Padmé assured her quickly. "I just - " She broke off, turning to Anakin in disbelief. "You knew?"

"What? No, I swear - " Anakin blinked helplessly, raising his hands. _How is this MY fault?_

"Anyway," Leia continued, with a stubborn frown. "Han is half Alderaanian," she told them. "His mother is Kharis Organa."

"What?" Padmé asked, obviously startled by this revelation.

"What?" Anakin repeated, wondering what in the heck that had to do with anything.

"We've already worked it out with King Bail," Leia said, giving them an apologetic look. "Julian wants to marry Ariel anyway, and then Han and I - " she hesitated, blinking. "Will be the next King and Queen of Alderaan," she informed her parents, trying to regain her dignity.

"What?" Anakin laughed, getting up and going over to the cabinet. _I need green stuff..._

"What?" Padmé repeated, staring at Leia. "How long have you and Han been planning this?"

"Uh... _Han,_ not at all," Leia told them, as Anakin grinned, pouring himself a shot of green stuff. Then Leia looked down. "Julian and I have been planning it for months," she confessed, cringing in apology. "I'm sorry; I wanted to tell you, but - I didn't want you to worry," she insisted.

"Oh, sweety, it's okay," Padmé assured her, embracing her lovingly. "The important thing is that you're happy."

_Yep,_ Anakin agreed, downing his green stuff in one gulp. _All good._

"You _are_ happy...?" Padmé asked, giving Leia a concerned look. "This isn't just some kind of - I mean... The last I knew - " She broke off, at a loss. "I thought you hated him," she confessed, baffled.

Leia's dark eyes twinkled impishly. "I'm not saying I've loved some of the things he's done," she admitted. "Though even then, he's had his reasons," she sighed. "But I love _him_," she insisted, with a wistful smile. "And - I love that he loves _me,_" she confessed quietly. "In a way that Julian never did."

"Oh..." Padmé cried happily, sharing an adoring smile with Anakin; but then her brows furrowed. "You knew this all along!"

"I - " Anakin blinked, innocent. "I was trying really hard not to see it," he promised both of them, cringing in apology. "But yeah... They're crazy about each other," he assured Padmé, with a meaningful look. "Congratulations," he said, embracing Leia tenderly and kissing her on the forehead. "Han's a good guy... I'm happy for you."

"He is?" Leia blurted out, surprised. "You are? I mean - thank you," she corrected herself quickly. "Because..." She cringed, giving them a pleading look. "I really want to tell him, about - _everything,_" she said, with a hesitant glance at Anakin.

Padmé frowned worriedly. "You really think that's a good idea?" she asked, doubtful. "Can he keep a secret?"

But Anakin just laughed quietly. "Han's spent a lifetime keeping secrets," he told Padmé. "He singlehandedly held off this war, for over a decade," he reminded her. "He knows about Solaris Three - "

"He does?" Padmé blinked, startled by the thought.

"He does?" Leia asked, wide-eyed.

Anakin grinned, amused by their reactions. "Yeah," he nodded. "Han knows how to keep secrets," he assured them. "I'm not sure I want him to know about _this_, but... I trust him," he said, giving Leia an understanding smile.

"Oh - thank you," Leia exclaimed, hugging him gratefully. "I can't lie to him... I _can't,_" she said, teary-eyed. "And... I want our baby to know its grandfather," she confessed with a quiet, tender smile, holding a hand to her belly.

_Oh, wow..._ Anakin hugged her close, tears filling his own eyes, but he managed to blink them away. "I'd like that too," he said roughly, sharing an incredulous smile with Padmé. _We're really going to have a grandkid...?_

Leia beamed, delighted. "I'm going to tell him now," she said, heading for the exit ramp. "Give me a few minutes, okay?"

"Of course, sweetheart," Padmé said, smiling warmly. "We can't wait to meet him."

Anakin nodded in agreement, as Padmé hugged him ecstatically. But as he held her close, his senses honed in on the vague, anxious presence in Leia's bedroom, and he grinned in mischievous amusement, suddenly feeling sorry for his son-in-law. _This is going to be interesting._

* * *

><p>"Leia," Han exclaimed, giving her a hopeful look as she returned to their bedroom. "How'd it go?"<p>

"Great!" Leia smiled happily, embracing him. "I talked to my parents; they're okay with everything... They want to meet you," she assured him.

"Oh... Terrific," Han said, managing an amiable smile. _Well, at least they don't want to kill me._ "So - your father too?" he asked hesitantly.

"Yes." Leia's eyes sparkled. "He really likes you, Han," she promised him. "He says he trusts you. They both do."

Han grinned, pleased with himself; he hadn't mentioned any of this to Boba, but obviously his friend had already put in a good word for him with Captain Typho. _See? No problem._ "I told you there was nothing to worry about," he teased Leia, grateful to see her so happy, and that all this ridiculous sneaking around was finally about to end. "So... Who is he?" he asked innocently, pretending not to know.

"Gah..." Leia cringed, suddenly nervous. "Promise you won't freak out?"

Han grinned. "I promise," he said, kissing her. "Come on... Who is he?" he asked again, preparing to act surprised, shocked, and mischievously delighted at the scandalous revelation that Lady Amidala, former Senator and Queen of Naboo, had been secretly married to her own bodyguard all these years.

"He's - " Leia broke off, helpless. "Please, Han," she begged him. "You can't tell anyone... _ever,_" she pleaded.

"Hey, no - I won't... I promise," Han assured her. Then, seeing her obvious distress, he took pity on her, and offered a sympathetic smile. "Anyway, I think I already know who it is," he confessed, somewhat apologetically.

Leia blinked, caught off guard. "You do?"

"Yes," Han nodded. _I don't want to play games with you, Leia. _"It's Captain Typho," he asked gently. "Isn't it?"

But Leia let out a weary, dismissive laugh. "Han... Do I look anything like him?"

"Well..." Han's brows furrowed. "You have dark eyes," he pointed out. "And hair - well, kind of..."

"So does my mom," Leia countered, giving him a knowing look. "Don't get me wrong; Captain Typho has been wonderful to me, and has gone above and beyond the call of duty as my mom's security guard," she conceded, with a fond smile. "He's played the part of her secret lover all these years; they make sure they're seen now and then, kissing in the shadows when they think no one is watching," she told Han, giggling mischievously. "But he's not my father," she said quietly.

Han blinked, stunned. "He's not?"

"No," Leia said. "I can't believe no one has ever guessed," she told him, baffled. "Well - lots of people _have,_" she confessed worriedly. "My parents have been dragged through the tabloids hundreds of times, and yet... Somehow my dad's always gotten away with it," Leia sighed, shaking her head.

Han frowned; embarrassing as it was to admit, he and Chewie had always been avid readers of the _Galactic Enquirer,_ finding hours of entertainment within its pages during their admittedly boring trips through hyperspace. But as far as he knew, Lady Amidala had only ever been linked to Captain Typho... Unless of course you counted the idiotic '_SITH_-is-real' conspiracy theories that got tossed around on a weekly basis, in which case -

"No..." Han's eyes widened as a terrifying thought suddenly came to him. _No no no no no..._

"What?" Leia asked, furrowing her brows.

"Gah," Han gulped, horrified. "Please, tell me it's not - " he choked, gasping. "No," he protested, falling to his knees. "Anyone but him..."

"Who?" Leia asked, frowning.

Han gave her a miserable, pleading look. "_Skywalker?_" he asked, betrayed.

Leia blinked uncomfortably. "Yes," she admitted.

"Gahhhhh," Han gasped, laying his head on the floor. "Noooooo..."

Leia gave him an indignant look. "Why anyone but him?"

"Because - " Han blinked, managing to crawl up onto the bed, where he sat with his head between his knees. _Where do I start?_ "Well, there was that time I forgot the name of your charity, and tried to pay him for LOVE..."

"What?" Leia let out an involuntary giggle.

"And let's not forget all the times I went nuts and blasted the crap out of him, when we were supposed to be acting," Han told her, mortified. "It's not funny," he said, giving her a reproachful look. "He hates me... Ahh, this is a nightmare - "

"Han, he doesn't _hate_ you," Leia promised, rolling her eyes. "He's a Jedi; he's not allowed to hate anyone."

"Yeah, well... He's also not allowed to be married - or have a kid," Han pointed out, unconvinced by that argument.

"Two kids," Leia corrected him. "Thus the secrecy," she sighed, sitting beside him. "Luke is my brother," she explained quietly.

"What?" Han blinked, baffled. "_Luke_?" he asked, laughing at the idea. "Oh, this just keeps getting better..."

"I'm glad my family amuses you," Leia retorted, scowling.

"No," Han told her, with a look of apology. "I mean - look at mine," he commiserated.

Leia laughed quietly. "True," she admitted. "Anyway, Luke doesn't know about this; you can't tell him - or _anyone,_" she said, giving him a pleading look.

"No kidding," Han agreed, blinking. _Luke really doesn't know?_ He saw Leia's troubled look now, and gave her a sympathetic smile. "I'm sorry," he said, putting an arm around her consolingly. "That's got to be hard for you."

"Ahh... it has been," Leia confessed. "But Luke will be a Jedi Master soon, and then he'll be allowed to know about us," she told him, smiling optimistically. "Though it will always have to be a secret," she warned Han. "My dad's just been named Director of Operations for the new Border Patrol base on Tatooine, and - the situation on the Outer Rim is just _finally_ starting to get under control," she pointed out. "But we're still at war," Leia reminded him seriously. "And if my dad were to get expelled from the Order - "

"Yeah, I get it," Han assured her, nodding. "Trust me, I'm not gonna say anything."

Leia smiled appreciatively. "I know. And he _said_ he trusts you," she added encouragingly, as Han suddenly became aware of hushed voices coming from downstairs. _This can't be happening..._ "He likes you, Han," Leia insisted. "They both do. It's going to be okay, I promise."

"Gahhh," Han sighed, nodding in defeat. _Not like I've got much of a choice._

"Come on," Leia said, taking his hand.

He could hear hushed whispers coming from the kitchen - which stopped abruptly, and a moment later Lady Amidala appeared, followed by an all-too-familiar black-cloaked figure. _This isn't happening..._ "Han," Padmé exclaimed, smiling graciously and embracing him. "It's so wonderful to meet you!"

"Ahh... Thank you - Lady Amidala," Han stammered, nodding politely. "Master Skywalker - sir - "

"Please, call us Padmé and Anakin," she insisted.

"Yes... Thank you - Your Worship," Han gulped, blinking. _Gah..._

"Come, sit down," Padmé offered warmly, inviting them into the living room. "Would you like some tea?"

"Ah - yes, thank you," Han said, taking a seat on the couch next to Leia.

"Here you go," Padmé said, handing him a cup of tea, then pouring three more from her flower-patterned teapot. "Help yourself to fruit, and cranberry muffins, and jam," she added brightly, gesturing to the plates of food on the coffee table. "My mom just happened to be making muffins this morning, when Anakin stopped by our house in Theed, and then we realized Leia was here," Padmé explained. "We weren't expecting visitors - not that you're a visitor," she corrected herself quickly, with a gracious smile. "Anyway, it's an old family recipe, and - oh dear, now I'm babbling," Padmé sighed. "Anakin, _say_ something," she whispered, giving him an exasperated look.

"Uh... Hi," Anakin said, offering an amused smile. "And... Congratulations," he added, with a meaningful glance at Leia.

Han had just taken a bite of his muffin, and gulped self-consciously. "Ahh... Thank you, Master Skywalker - sir," he said, staring anxiously into his teacup and praying that Lady Amidala would mercifully resume her babbling monologue.

"Yes, congratulations," Padmé said, with a delighted smile. "Leia just told us the wonderful news... We're so excited to be grandparents - aren't we, Anakin?"

"Ah - yes," Anakin nodded in agreement. "Yes, we are."

_Grandparents?_ Han blinked, not following. _What?_

"Have you picked out any baby names yet?" Padmé asked brightly, making conversation.

_Baby names?_ Han stared at Leia in confusion. _What the heck are they talking about?_

"Ahh... We haven't actually discussed it," Leia confessed, giving Han a cringe of heartfelt apology. "Actually... Han doesn't know yet."

"Know what?" Han asked.

Padmé gave Anakin a worried look, but he sighed, shaking his head.

"What?" Han asked again, looking at Leia hopefully.

"I think I'm pregnant," she confessed, blinking.

"What? How?" Han blurted out. "I mean - " _Gah, don't answer that..._

"Sorry," Leia said, cringing. "I was going to tell you after," she added, giving him a look of pained apology, as Padmé sighed, and Anakin shook his head, staying out of this conversation. "But yes," Leia continued with a hopeful smile, glancing at her mother. "I've been thinking about baby names... I'm thinking - Nookee if it's a boy, and Boobé if it's a girl... That is, if Han agrees," Leia added, giving him a shy, hopeful smile.

_This has to be a nightmare,_ Han thought, still stunned._ Chewie, wake me up..._

"Oh, those are beautiful names," Padmé said, tears of joy filling her eyes. "Aren't, they, Anakin?"

"Ah, yes," Anakin nodded dutifully. "Yes, they are."

"Well, we haven't officially decided yet," Leia conceded gently, sensing Han's distress. "We have plenty of time to think about it."

"What? No," Han stammered, trying to keep up. "Those are perfect names," he insisted, managing a forced smile. _For Twi'lek porn stars,_ he sighed, trying - unsuccessfully - to imagine anything worse.

Leia beamed. "You really think so?" she asked; once again, he caught her look of helpless apology.

"Sure," Han insisted, giving her a reassuring smile. _As long as your father's sitting there with a lightsaber hanging from his belt, I ain't gonna argue._

"Oh!" Padmé exclaimed happily. "This is so exciting... We'll have to start a new baby album," she proposed, going over to the nearby bookshelf. "This one's Leia's," she explained to Han proudly, sitting beside him and showing him the pictures. "Wasn't she adorable?"

Han couldn't help smiling. "Yeah, she was," he agreed, admiring Leia's baby pictures. "This one's cute," he added, pointing to one in which she was wearing a pink lacy dress and princess tiara, flashing an adorable toothless smile, while hugging a unicorn plushy toy. "Wow, your eyes were really blue," he told Leia, surprised.

But Padmé and Leia shared an amused giggle. "Actually... that's Luke," Padmé explained, her eyes twinkling mischievously.

"What?" Han blinked, staring at the picture. _No wonder that kid has problems,_ he thought, as Anakin sighed dismally, getting up from the couch.

"Where are you going?" Padmé asked him, somewhat disapprovingly.

"To get a beer," Anakin said, continuing toward the kitchen. "Want one?" he offered, giving Han a commiserative look.

_Who, me?_ "Ah - yes," Han nodded, getting up and following him into the kitchen. _I really, really do._

"Hey... Congratulations," Anakin said, handing him a beer and offering a sympathetic grin.

"Oh - thank you, sir," Han said cautiously, uncertain whether he ought to be _congratulated_ for getting Leia pregnant on their first night together.

Anakin saw his nervousness, and laughed quietly. "No... Thank _you,_" he said, as Han blinked in confusion. _Seriously?_ Anakin glanced back through the kitchen doorway at Leia and Padmé, who were still fawning over the photo album, and talking excitedly about baby stuff. "I've never seen Leia this happy... _Ever,_" Anakin confessed, with a grateful smile. Then he gave Han a quietly serious look. "Don't screw this up."

Han gulped. _Right._ "I won't, Master - sir," he promised. "I swear."

Anakin nodded, accepting it. "I just have one request."

"Yes, Master Skywalker - sir..."

Anakin's brows furrowed. "Two requests," he corrected himself. "One, stop calling me that," he chided Han.

"Yes, Your Masterfulness - "

"Anakin," his father-in-law reminded him.

"Right," Han nodded, gulping, as Anakin gave him a weird look.

"And two..." Anakin glanced worriedly at Leia and Padmé again, and leaned in closer, lowering his voice. "Whatever happens... Don't let my grandkid be named Nookee or Boobé," he pleaded, cringing.

Han caught his amused look, and laughed quietly. "Yes, sir," he promised. "I mean - I'll do my best."

Anakin pointed a stern finger at him. "I'm counting on you." Han nodded vigorously. "All right." Anakin grinned, patting him on the shoulder as they headed back into the living room to rejoin the others. "Welcome to the family."

* * *

><p><em>Later that day...<em>

"So," King Bail said, taking a seat at his desk in the royal office, as he looked over Han and Leia's paperwork. "You wish to apply for Alderaanian citizenship?"

"Yes, Your Majesty," Leia replied, as Han nodded in agreement.

"And you are eligible for citizenship based on...?" Bail gave them a questioning look, pretending as if he didn't already know the answer.

"My mother was Alderaanian," Han told him. "Kharis Organa Solo."

Bail looked it up in his database. "Ah, yes," he confirmed, noting it on their application. "And Leia's claim is based on...?"

"She's my wife," Han told him.

"Is she?" Bail asked, giving them a curious look. "I'll need to see a marriage certificate," he pointed out.

"We were married on Endor, according to the local custom," Leia explained, handing him a datachip. "We recorded a holovid of the ceremony, along with a verbal confirmation of marriage, by the tribe's elders."

"I see..." Bail watched the recording - which included a scene from a recent _SITH_ episode, plus additional footage of Shaman Logray announcing - along with Threepio's translation - that they were officially married, according to Ewok tradition. "Yes, that appears to be in order," he agreed. "All right, then... Your application is hereby approved," he said, stamping it with the royal seal and offering a congratulatory smile. "You are now citizens of Alderaan."

Leia smiled gratefully. "Thank you, Your Highness." This change in citizenship would force her to resign from her job as Senator of Naboo; but she was honestly relieved to give up politics, and looked forward to focusing her efforts on HOPE full-time.

"Oh; by the way," Bail remarked, looking over his records. "How curious... It appears that the two of you are now next in line for the throne of Alderaan," he said, raising his brows as if surprised by this fact. "Oh dear, I shall have to notify my cousin Gorlan, and let him know he's no longer my heir," Bail sighed. "Ah well, such is the way of things," he said, an impish twinkle in his eyes. "Come, let me give you a tour of the castle."

Leia had visited Alderaan's royal palace many times before, during her engagement to Julian; but Han had only been here once when he was a child, and Bail was eager to show him around the lavish castle that would be their home one day, when they succeeded him as King and Queen. But as they continued with their tour of the palace, Leia sensed Han's growing boredom, and gave him a quiet, appreciative smile. _I'm sorry, Han,_ she thought. _I know this isn't your thing._

Finally they returned to the royal office, and Bail sat down with them on the couches in the center of the room, to discuss the political situation. "I am relieved to hear that you both oppose Gorlan's proposed taxation plan," he said, giving Han and Leia a grateful look. "But I must warn you about a few things," Bail told them. "When you succeed me as King and Queen, most likely I will be gone," he reminded them, as Leia smiled gently, and Han looked down, his brows furrowed.

"And the people _next_ in line for the throne, after you, will probably be Gorlan and his sons," Bail pointed out. "Which means you'll have to deal with the same situation I've faced, my entire reign," he confessed, sighing. "Nothing _ever_ gets approved," he admitted. "It takes the current monarch, _plus_ the ratification of his successor, to make any kind of changes," he explained.

"So you'll most likely be forced into maintaining the status quo, for the duration of your reign," Bail told them. "Anything you propose will be shot down, by Gorlan and his sons," he warned them. "But the _good_ news is that for the moment, I appear to be blessed with successors who might be willing to work with me," he said, smiling at Han and Leia appreciatively. "And if you don't mind, I'd like you to take a look at these proposed legislative changes I've prepared," he said, handing them a pile of manuscripts. "Take your time to look over them; but if there are any you might agree to ratify, I would be most grateful."

Leia nodded, giving him a reassuring smile as she read through the proposals. Most of them were to allocate funds for various public programs, including schools, affordable health care, public transportation, and assistance to disadvantaged families. The funds were to be drawn from Alderaan's royal account - which had an astronomically high balance, due to King Bail's inability to actually _spend_ the money on anything other than his own personal comforts, according to current law.

One by one, Leia read through the documents, signing each one, before passing them to Han - who sighed in boredom, scribbling his signature next to hers, without paying much attention to what he was signing. But finally all the proposals were ratified, and Bail thanked them profusely for their help in making these much-needed changes.

"Now, there's just one more thing I need to discuss with you," Bail said, looking down. "As I mentioned before, the next three royal couples currently in line for the throne are Gorlan, and his sons," he reminded them. "So when your own reign comes to an end... They will have the power that we do now: to pass any bills they want - even changes to the constitution itself," Bail admitted. "And Gorlan's dream of returning Alderaan to its 'glorious' state of feudalism will become a reality," he warned them, concerned.

"_Unless,_" Bail continued, giving Han and Leia a hopeful look. "You can produce heirs of your own, to succeed you," he pointed out. "Now, it's possible that Julian may end up having children - who would be sympathetic to your cause, though their claim to the throne would depend upon them marrying _very_ high up," Bail said. "But if the two of you were to have a child... It would go a long way toward reassuring the people of Alderaan, that they are in safe hands."

Leia shared a mischievous smile with Han. "We're already on it," she assured Bail, glancing shyly downward. "Possibly within the next eight months."

"Really?" Bail exclaimed, a delighted smile crossing his face. "Congratulations; that's wonderful news."

"Thank you," Leia replied, smiling; but quietly she felt a sense of sorrow for her unborn child. Her baby would inherit the burden that Julian had faced all his life as well - forced to marry for political status, for the sake of the people of Alderaan, rather than for love. _I wouldn't wish that on an innocent child,_ Leia confessed unhappily. But that burden had been placed upon her as well, which was why she and Han were here today, petitioning to become the next King and Queen of Alderaan. _It's what we do,_ she told herself, sighing. _We accept the responsibilities of our royal status, and give up some our own freedom, to protect the freedom of those who are powerless._

Han had been quiet through all of this, and Leia assumed he hadn't been paying attention; but now his brows furrowed. "So... It takes both the current king, and the next in line for the throne, to make any kind of changes to the constitution?" he asked, still several steps behind in this whole conversation. _It's all right, sweety,_ Leia thought with an indulgent smile, proud that he'd even been able to grasp _that_ much of their political discussion. _You're trying._

Bail nodded respectfully. "That's right," he told Han.

"Well..." Han blinked, confused. "Why don't _we_ just change things... Right now?" he asked. "If the whole problem is because Alderaan has a stupid way of electing its rulers - no offense," he added casually, to Bail. "Then why not just change it?" he asked. "Why not just - I don't know... Turn it into a democratic system, like Naboo?" he suggested, off the top of his head. "That way the people can vote for whoever they want to be king and queen, and everybody's happy."

Leia blinked, startled. _He has a point..._ She glanced hesitantly at Bail now, who looked equally surprised by this idea. _Seriously... Why did none of us think of that?_

"You're right," Bail confessed. He sighed, looking down. "The people of Alderaan have long revered its royal traditions," he admitted. "For centuries, they have looked to the Organa family, as a symbol of their cultural pride, and prosperity. But it's not worth the constant risk to their freedom: the ever-looming threat of feudalism, and serfdom," Bail admitted. "Nor is it worth the burden it has placed on Julian, or the two of you," he confessed. "You're absolutely right," Bail sighed, nodding respectfully to Han and Leia. "It's time to instate a democratic system, similar to the one on Naboo."

Leia smiled, overwhelmed with relief - for her unborn child, and for herself - and she cast an adoring gaze at her husband now, realizing that he had managed to accomplish what no King or Queen of Alderaan had been able to do, in seven centuries. _Leave it to a crazy Solo to think of something like that._

* * *

><p><em>Meanwhile...<em>

"Ariel!" Julian exclaimed, joining her on the balcony outside her bedroom at the royal palace. "It's done," he told her breathlessly, with an ecstatic grin. "They're married; it's official - they're next in line for the throne," he said. "Your father just endorsed it."

Ariel smiled in delight as Julian kissed her passionately; then her heart fluttered as he took her hands in his. "Ariel... Will you marry me?" he asked, gazing tenderly into her eyes. "We can have a quiet ceremony with the priest, just the two of us," he offered, with a hopeful smile. "We could do it right now, if you'd like."

Ariel giggled, shaking her head. "Are you kidding?" she retorted. "I've waited my whole life for this," she said, smiling in disbelief. Ariel and Julian had played at King and Queen since they were small children; she knew every part of the royal wedding ceremony by heart, including all the traditional songs, and dances. And as it so happened, Julian's wedding preparations had already been made - with thousands of guests expected to arrive next week. Ariel had longingly admired the seven exquisite wedding gowns that had been made for Leia - who, coincidentally, was exactly her own size...

"I want my fairy-tale wedding," Ariel confessed with a hopeful smile, gazing adoringly into Julian's eyes.


	208. Zak, why are we not surprised

**Chapter 208**

_A few weeks later..._

"Hey... Luke?" Zak asked hesitantly, finding him backstage at the Geonosis studio.

Luke looked up from his studies, seeing his friend's questioning look. "Oh - is Jonah ready for me already?"

"No, no..." Zak waved dismissively toward the nearby sound stage, where Jonah and Master Windu were chatting about the upcoming scene. "I just, uh... Am I bothering you?" he asked, glancing apologetically at Luke's datapad.

"Nah, I'm just working on some more translations," Luke said, setting his ancient Coruscanti work aside. "What's up?"

"Um..." Zak glanced worriedly back toward the stage. "It's kind of - personal."

_Oh._ Luke gave the younger Zabrak a concerned look, but nodded quietly, as they retreated to a nearby equipment storage room. "What's going on?"

"Gah... Master Cory's going to kill me," Zak said, blinking apprehensively.

Luke laughed gently, unconcerned. Zak was twenty now, and had been knighted two years ago, but he and Master Cory had chosen to remain partners. They had always been a fantastic team - renowned within the Jedi Order for their unique Zabrak fighting style, with their double-ended lightsabers. "I'm sure he's not going to _kill_ you," Luke reassured him. "Come on... What's this about?"

"Please, Luke - don't tell anyone," Zak begged him, anxious.

Luke gave him a worried look. "All right," he agreed; he'd never seen him so distraught.

Zak gulped, nodding. "I'm - I'm leaving the Order," he told Luke shakily. "And so is Nadia."

"What?" Luke asked, glancing out toward the set. Nadia was a padawan, a human girl just a year younger than Zak, and had been a member of Mace's exiled Jedi faction on _SITH_ and _JEDI_ since she was a youngling as well. "Why are you guys leaving?"

"Because..." Zak cringed, apprehensive. "She's pregnant."

Luke's eyes widened. "Pregnant?" He gave Zak an astonished look. "I'm guessing you had something to do with that?"

"Please don't tell anyone," Zak begged him again. "I mean - everyone will know, soon enough, but... " He broke off helplessly. "Luke... You're studying to be a Master," he pointed out, glancing at Luke's datapad. "I was just wondering - how bad is this going to be, when people find out?"

Luke sighed, regretful; as far as he was aware, no padawan had ever gotten pregnant, in the history of the Jedi Order. At least, not that anyone _knew_ about, though he and Mara had been in the same predicament a year ago. "It's - bad," Luke admitted, as Zak blinked helplessly. But there were those who would understand; Obi-Wan had been covering for Anakin's transgressions for years now, and it was likely that even Master Yoda knew about it. _Maybe they could help him..._

"Zak... Before you leave the Order - talk to Master Obi-Wan," Luke advised him cautiously. Obi-Wan had been Zak's youngling teacher, and they'd always been close. "He's on the Council; if anyone can help you... it's him," he confessed. "Besides, there's a war going on," he pointed out. "The last thing the Council wants is a scandal. You and Nadia have been on _SITH_ since you were younglings; it would be all over the tabloids."

"Gah, don't remind me," Zak sighed miserably.

"Talk to Obi-Wan," Luke reassured him. "Trust me, the Council will want to keep this as quiet as possible."

Zak's eyes widened in horror at the thought; but finally he nodded. "All right; I'll talk to him."

"How far along is Nadia?" Luke asked.

"Uh - about four months," Zak told him worriedly.

"Four months?" Luke repeated, concerned. "Has she seen a doctor?"

"No," Zak confessed. "But she needs to, especially since..." He gulped. "The baby could be born with horns fully developed," he told Luke. "Besides - Zabraks don't intermix with humans; it just isn't done," he admitted, overwhelmed.

"Hey, no, don't worry about that," Luke assured him. "You're not the first," he pointed out gently. "Look at Maia, right?" Cory and Zak had been sponsoring her for years, through a mentoring program for disadvantaged children on Coruscant. Her mother, Elena, was human, but Maia was obviously half Zabrak, and fit in perfectly well on Coruscant. "It's going to be all right," Luke promised. "But Nadia will need to see a doctor right away. Maybe Elena could help you with that," he suggested.

The fact that they would have to leave the Order was a given; Luke and Mara had been through this themselves a year ago. It wasn't the same as Anakin and Tessa's situation; Nadia was a Jedi, and would face certain expulsion, once her pregnancy was discovered - which it _would_ be, and very soon. And Luke of all people understood Zak's decision to leave as well, rather than allowing Nadia to suffer expulsion and exile alone.

Zak nodded, grateful for his advice. "Thanks, Luke. And I'm sorry about this, I just - didn't know who else to talk to," he apologized. "I mean - I've heard stuff like this happens on Border Patrol, right?" he asked, giving Luke an uncertain look.

"Heh..." Luke sighed. _More often than you think._ "The Council isn't stupid," he told Zak quietly. "They know what goes on in Border Patrol, and choose to turn a blind eye to it. _Obi-Wan_ knows," he added, as Zak blinked worriedly at the thought of having to confide in his youngling teacher. "If anyone can advise you in this situation, it's him."

"All right," Zak nodded, gulping. "Thanks, Luke."

* * *

><p><em>A week later...<em>

"All right, that's a wrap," Jonah said, as they finished filming this week's _JEDI_ episode. "Thanks everyone - I appreciate your hard work."

Luke nodded cheerfully, waving to Jonah as he left the sound stage; but now he caught Zak's urgent glance, and followed him into the nearby equipment storage room. "Hey... Did you get a chance to talk to Obi-Wan yet?"

"No," Zak confessed. "But..." He blinked, hesitant. "Luke, you can't tell anyone - please."

Luke nodded, giving him a questioning look. "Of course."

"Nadia talked to her Master... Ma-Kio," Zak told him quietly. "Ma-Kio was Ki-Adi-Mundi's padawan," he explained, as Luke nodded, trying to follow what he was saying. "So then Ma-Kio talked to Master Ki-Adi, and..." He sighed in relief. "Master Ki-Adi sent Nadia and Ma-Kio on a top-secret assignment to Cerea, for the next six months," Zak told him. "Apparently Master Ki-Adi has relatives there, who can help her."

Luke blinked, incredulous. "Master _Ki-Adi_ covered for you guys?" Ki-Adi-Mundi was known to be one of the strictest traditionalists in the Jedi Order, and was one of the top three members of the Council.

"Luke, I'm serious. You can't tell anyone. _Especially_ not Master Obi-Wan," Zak pleaded. "I wasn't supposed to tell you. Master Ki-Adi could be expelled, if anyone found out what he did. Please, Luke. Promise me you won't tell."

_Gah..._ Luke sighed; obviously Master Ki-Adi didn't realize that Obi-Wan had spent a lifetime covering for his _own_ padawan. _Those two really need to talk to each other..._ But he nodded, honoring Zak's wishes. "All right. I won't tell him," he agreed. Then he gave him a hopeful look. "So you're both staying with the Order, after all?"

"Yeah," Zak said, relieved. "Master Ki-Adi says girls are too rare within the Order; he didn't want Nadia to fail. So we're going to send the baby to the Temple once it's born," he told Luke. "Master Ki-Adi says with both parents being Jedi, it's pretty much guaranteed to have a high midichlorian count," he added. "So at least we'll know the baby is safe. And Master Ki-Adi even said - when the time comes, if one of us decides to take it as our padawan... He's not going to stop us."

Luke smiled, looking down. _Just like Anakin and Mara._ It was clear to him now, that this sort of thing happened far more often than anyone realized - perhaps even the Council members themselves, since they all seemed to be so intent on hiding it from each other. "That's great, Zak. I'm happy for you."

"Thanks, Luke. And - please," Zak begged him once again. "Promise me you won't tell anyone - ever. _Especially_ not Master Obi-Wan," he said, horrified by the thought. "He was my youngling teacher; I would die if he ever found out."

Luke sighed, nodding. "All right," he agreed. _I would die if Obi-Wan ever found out about Mara and me,_ he confessed, still apprehensive about the fact that Obi-Wan's uncle knew about their former marriage. _Yeah... Some things are best kept secret._


	209. Revenge of the Hutt

**Chapter 209**

_A few weeks later..._

"...And so I am proposing to designate funds to accommodate a thousand more Jedi at the new Tatooine base," Senator Julian Organa of Alderaaan declared, addressing the members of the Galactic Senate from his hovering pod inside Coruscant's Senate hall.

Jabba observed today's proceedings from his own hovering Senate pod, immensely pleased with himself. Or perhaps, just _immense_; he still didn't completely fit into his pod, but he was working on that.

It had been three months since his suicide attempt, when he had hit rock bottom. But things were much better now: in addition to being a senator, he had also named himself King of Tatooine, and was proud to be a citizen of the Galactic Republic. Of course there were some pesky minor drawbacks, such as his inability to own slaves, or amass piles of wealth by trafficking spices; but on the whole, life was good.

"Very well," Chancellor Mothma said. "Let's put it to a vote. All in favor of expanding the new Tatooine Border Patrol outpost to accommodate a thousand more Jedi Knights, vote yes. Those opposed, vote no," she instructed the Senate, speaking slowly and clearly; several of the newest Outer Rim senators were still struggling with the basic concept of voting - as well as the Basic language itself.

_Yes, I want more Jedi on Tatooine,_ Jabba agreed. The Jedi made him feel safe, and powerful, and were doing an excellent job of keeping things under control in his sector. Jabba prided himself in his knowledge of Basic; he could speak it fluently when he wanted to, and most of his poetry was written in Basic, as he found it more lyrical and expressive than Huttese. So he arrived at his decision very quickly; but he appreciated the slowness of some of his Outer Rim colleagues, since he found voting a bit tricky himself, as he was supposed to press a button on the dashboard of his Senate pod. A button that was currently buried underneath his overflowing stomach...

Jabba faced his own unique struggles when it came to voting, but he'd figured out a way to suck in his stomach, quickly open the panel and press the button, and then close the panel again, so that he he didn't accidentally press _more_ buttons, when his stomach expanded once again. He'd learned that lesson the hard way on his first day, and had spent several minutes flying slowly around the Senate hall in a wide circle, before he had figured out how to make it stop.

_Ahh, I still need to lose a few pounds,_ Jabba admitted, glancing balefully at his stomach, which still poofed out a bit over the edge of his floating Senate pod. _I should hit the gym after this,_ he decided. His Uncle Ziro had recommended a fitness club here on Coruscant, and Jabba had made great progress so far. He'd lost three hundred pounds already, and thanks to his initial mandatory physical exam, he had been treated for the pesky Kreech-Crabs which had plagued him for decades now. _There's a cure for that - who knew?_ Jabba realized, impressed by the medical benefits he was now entitled to, as a citizen of the Galactic Republic.

He was grateful to be pulling his life back together, slowly but surely, though it was still difficult at times. _Uncle Ziro is right, though,_ Jabba told himself stubbornly. _I can't let one bad relationship get me down._ He was still heartbroken over Tiffany's cruel words over a year ago; but he was learning to take responsibility for himself, and admitted that it might have been exactly the wake-up call he needed. His poetry _had_ slipped into mediocrity lately, and his weight truly was a disaster. _But maybe if I lose a few more pounds, she'd love me again..._

_No,_ Jabba scolded himself, remembering his Uncle Ziro's advice. _I'm doing this for myself, and not for anyone else._ And he was doing incredibly well; he'd been losing a steady hundred pounds per month, and only had six hundred more to go...

_I can do this,_ Jabba told himself proudly, pulling in his stomach as he cast another vote. _Six more months, and I'll be in great shape._

* * *

><p><em>Six months later...<em>

"We have a couple hours before we need to leave for Zeltros," Master Cory pointed out, as they left the Jedi Council chamber after receiving their latest assignment. "Hey, let's go visit Maia," he suggested.

_I knew you were going to say that,_ Zak sighed; but he managed a smile, nodding obediently. "Yes, Master."

"What, don't you want to?" Master Cory asked, sensing his reluctance.

"No, I do," Zak protested. _Ahh, how do I get out of this?_ "It's just - I was hoping to work on a fight scene, for _JEDI_... with Luke Skywalker," he improvised quickly, spotting the tall, dark-skinned young man in the hallway nearby. _THAT'S my excuse?_ "I know it's stupid, but - we really want to make it look good."

Master Cory laughed. "All right, then," he said, heading for the Temple's exit. "You two have fun."

"Thanks," Zak said. "Tell Maia and Elena I say hello," he added, feeling a twinge of regret; but then he hurried to catch up with Luke Skywalker, who was headed for the library. "Hey, Luke," he said, as his friend turned around, curious. "If Master Cory asks, we were practicing for a fight scene, okay?"

"Huh? Okay, sure," Luke agreed; but then he gave Zak a puzzled look. "What _are_ you doing?"

_Crap! Think fast..._ "Eh, Master Cory's visiting our 'Little Sister', for the charity program," Zak explained. "And - well, she's not so little anymore," he admitted. "She just turned eighteen, and she's like - _flirting_ with me, or something," he lied, cringing. "And then her mom gives me milk and cookies like I'm five years old," he laughed; that part was true. "It's just - awkward," he told Luke, shrugging apologetically.

Luke laughed. "Sure, no problem," he told him. "I wish I _could_ work on a fight scene with you; it would be a lot more fun than studying," he sighed, casting a baleful glance toward the library. Luke had been Master Windu's padawan, and was now under intense pressure to become a Master himself.

Zak nodded sympathetically; Luke Starkiller had the same problem with Obi-Wan. "Thanks, Luke," he said, heading back through the hallway. _I'm glad I got a fun Master,_ he admitted; Cory had never cared much about studying, and they spent their free time just goofing off and doing whatever they wanted.

_Still, he'd kill me if he knew anything about this,_ Zak sighed, as he continued toward the Temple's nursery. Nadia had spent the past several months on Cerea during her pregnancy, and Tara had been born two months ago; just last week they had secretly left her on the Temple's doorstep.

Nadia and Ma-Kio had already been sent off on another diplomatic assignment, though Zak had finally seen her a few days ago, when they'd filmed for _JEDI_ together. But he hadn't seen Tara yet, and his heart fluttered with excitement as he entered the Temple's nursery. "Hello," he nodded politely to the attendant. "I'm just - visiting the babies," he told her, flashing an innocent smile; people did all the time.

_Though if I come down here fifty times a day, that might look suspicious,_ Zak admitted, making a point of stopping by each crib and admiring _all_ of the infants, and not just one in particular. But finally he came to his own daughter, and smiled wistfully as he read the name on her crib. _Tara Starshine... Aww, that's an adorable name,_ he thought, gazing at his daughter lovingly. She took after her mother, and looked completely human; still, the baby fuzz on her head was strawberry blonde - more like Zak's flame-red hair, than Nadia's dark tresses. And when he gently reached a hand out to touch her, the eyes that opened sleepily were blue, just like his own.

But thankfully she had no stripes or horns, and Zak smiled at her adoringly, taking an extra moment before moving on to the next baby. _It's not like anyone would ever suspect she's mine,_ he realized, holding her tiny hand. _Hello, Tara. It's nice to finally meet you._

* * *

><p><em>Meanwhile...<em>

"Do you, Prince Blobbo, take Princess Yorga to be your lawfully wedded wife?" the Hutt priest asked, frowning as he read the unfamiliar words of the foreign wedding ceremony the bride had requested. "To have and to hold, to love and to cherish, for as long as you both shall live?"

Prince Blobbo of Ylesia smiled broadly. "I do."

The priest turned to Yorga. "Do you, Princess Yorga, take Prince Blobbo to be your lawfully wedded husband?" he asked. "To have and to hold, to love and to cherish, for as long as you both shall live?"

_Come on, you little snot,_ Gardulla thought, clenching her jaw as she sat among the congregation of Hutts here on Ylesia. _Say yes._ It was annoying that Yorga had insisted upon a human-style wedding, rather than a traditional Hutt ceremony; but as long as she married Blobbo in the end, Gardulla didn't care _how._

Gardulla would have preferred to marry Blobbo herself, and become the next Queen of Ylesia - inheriting untold fortunes in precious gems and minerals, as well as exclusive rights to the planet's bountiful glitterstim mines. But this method would work just as well; Gardulla was Yorga's only living relative, and as such, she would inherit everything anyway - should a terrible, freak accident suddenly befall Yorga, Blobbo, and his entire family.

And the chances of that happening were reasonably good. After all, that was how Gardulla had gained control of Nar Shaddaa, after Yorga's own parents had unexpectedly died several years ago - similar to the way Jabba's parents had, five centuries earlier. Accidents happened all the time; especially among Hutt royalty.

"I - " Yorga gulped, blinking. "I..." But her lower lip began to tremble and quiver, and a moment later giant tears filled her eyes. "I can't," Yorga blubbered pathetically. "I'm sorry, Blobbo... I can't marry you," she cried, turning from the altar and slithering quickly away, across the chapel lawn.

_Damn it..._ "Stop her!" Gardulla yelled, chasing after her niece. She wished she'd brought her own bodyguards from Nar Shaddaa; but Ylesia held a proud tradition of allowing only Hutts to attend official royal ceremonies. So if she had any hope of stopping Yorga from reaching the nearby docking platform - where Gardulla's personal shuttle was docked - there was only one way to do it. Clenching her jaw angrily, she slithered after Yorga, as fast as she could go.

Which admittedly wasn't very fast. Yorga had a significant head start, and being only twenty, was the youngest and fittest of the Hutts in attendance. She had always won races at school as a child, and had once completed the hundred-yard slither in a record-breaking minute and a half. But unfortunately Gardulla and the others were not in such good shape, and Gardulla huffed and puffed now, chasing across the lawn after her wayward niece.

"Stop her!" she yelled again. Yorga was reaching the landing platform now, and would be aboard Gardulla's ship in just seconds. _You annoying little snot..._ "Yorga! Get back here!" she shrieked. "Get back here right now, or you're going to regret it!"

Yorga was slithering up the gangplank to Gardulla's ship now. She turned momentarily, a look of helpless apology in her eyes. "I'm sorry, Blobbo," she choked tearfully; then, ignoring Gardulla's furious glare, she slithered quickly aboard the ship, closing the hatch behind her.

"Somebody _stop_ her!" Gardulla yelled, as the ship lifted off the ground a moment later. "Shoot her down!"

The other Hutts looked uncertainly at Prince Blobbo; but he shook his head sadly. "Let her go," Blobbo told them quietly. "If she doesn't want to marry me, I will not force her."

_Damn you, Yorga, _Gardulla sighed in frustration. _You stupid, no-good little snot of a princess._

* * *

><p><em>Later that day...<em>

_Hold me, like you did - when? Where?_ Jabba frowned as he sat at his desk, quill in hand. For all his poetic talent, the truth was, he had never been held by anyone, _anywhere_ - at least not in a way that he had found to be particularly romantic. But he was determined to make a comeback with his love poetry, and so he carefully flattened out his manuscript parchment again, dipping his colorful Goffbird plume into the ink. He'd treated himself to fancy writing supplies from a specialty shop on Coruscant, hoping they might inspire him; but so far, he hadn't had much luck.

_Just write from the heart,_ Jabba decided, recalling his Uncle Ziro's advice. _Write for myself; don't worry what anyone else thinks of it. _Sighing wistfully, he put his quill to the paper, letting his feelings flow from him.

_Hold me, inside a warm, squishy mud bath,_ he wrote, smiling wistfully. _With nothing but our love; no ice cream, no snack critters, no Snowball pudding..._ Jabba had given up such decadent treats for several months now, and though he sometimes missed them, he had to admit it was nice to be back to a reasonable weight - able slither about the palace on his own again, without being confined to a massive hovering platform.

Presently Bib Fortuna entered his private chamber, his expression concerned. "Your Excellency, we've just received word from the Jedi," he informed him. "They've captured Princess Yorga of Nar Shaddaa... Gardulla's niece."

Jabba frowned. "I know who she is."

"She has requested amnesty, and an audience with Your Majesty," Fortuna told him.

_It's a trick,_ Jabba suspected. Yorga had been raised by Gardulla since she was a small child; surely she was a spy. "Send her in," he ordered Fortuna, slithering quickly to his audience chamber. A minute later he frowned suspiciously at the young Hutt that was brought before him by his Gamorrean guards, prodded by their halberds.

"Why are you here?" Jabba demanded, narrowing his eyes at her.

"Please, Your Majesty," Yorga begged, acting helpless. "I ask for your protection, and amnesty."

"Why?" Jabba maintained a stubborn frown.

"Because - " Yorga sniffed tearfully. "I hate my Aunt Gardulla. She took my computer away - so I couldn't read your poetry anymore," she cried, distraught.

Jabba blinked in surprise. "You've read my poetry?" he asked, cautious.

Yorga nodded vigorously. "Hold me," she quoted, in a soft, and tender voice. "Like you never did before..."

_Ohhh...?_ Jabba stared at her, hardly daring to believe it. "You're - you're Tiffany?"

Yorga broke into a delighted grin. "Yes!" she said, ecstatic that he remembered her. "I'm so sorry I haven't written," she apologized sincerely. "My stupid aunt took away my computer, over a year ago."

_Ohhhhh..._ Jabba wanted so badly to trust her; but his heart ached as he remembered her cruel words. "In your last message, you said you didn't like my poem," he pointed out, with a troubled frown. _And that you thought I was fat..._

"What? No," Yorga protested. "I love all your poetry!" Then she sighed, rolling her eyes in frustration. "That must have been my Aunt Gardulla," she grumbled. "No, I promise; it wasn't me," she insisted. "Please, Your Majesty," Yorga said, her eyes brimming with tears. "I beg for your protection."

_Oh, you poor thing..._ Jabba's heart melted, and he smiled at her tenderly. "You shall have it," he promised.

"Thank you, Your Majesty," Yorga said, breaking into a relieved smile.

"Come," Jabba said, offering his hands, and clasping hers affectionately. _Hold me,_ he sighed, gathering the courage to confess his love to her. _No; I need a more romantic setting._ He smiled, giving her a hopeful look. "Do you like mud baths?"

Yorga's lovely pale green eyes sparked with joyful anticipation. "I love them."

* * *

><p><em>The next day...<em>

_That little snot,_ Gardulla fumed, slithering through the hallways of her palace on Nar Shaddaa. The embarrassing wedding incident on Ylesia had been bad enough; but now Prince Blobbo was withdrawing his promised loyalty to the Nar Shaddaa Mafia, and Gardulla would have no claim whatsoever to Ylesia's royal coffers.

She had been counting on that money to rebuild her military fleet, which had been decimated by Skywalker and his Jedi strike team over the past several months. _But there might be another way,_ Gardulla considered, narrowing her eyes thoughtfully. She'd heard rumors of a hidden planet that boasted spices more potent than any known to this galaxy, along with precious minerals, and billions of human slaves... It might only be a smuggler's tale, but if it was true, this hidden planet could provide the resources she needed to win this war.

Gardulla peered at her holomap of Hutt Territory, setting set her sights on the Maw, and the mythical hidden planet of Solaris Three.


	210. Anakin's suicide mission

**Chapter 210**

_Three days later..._

_Late again,_ Anakin sighed, taking the steps two at a time as he hurriedly made his way up the winding staircase to the Confessional chamber, atop the fourth spire of the Jedi Temple. He'd received a top-secret memo from Master Yoda yesterday, asking him to come here this afternoon; but his duties as Director of the new Jedi Border Patrol outpost on Tatooine kept him busy these days, and it had been difficult to get away.

_I'm not the only one who's late, though,_ he realized, failing to sense Obi-Wan's presence, or Qui-Gon's, or Cory's, or Duke's. Secret meetings in the Confessional chamber usually had to do with business on Solaris Three, but as Anakin reached the top of the spiral stairway and stepped inside the familiar circular chamber, he was greeted only by Yoda and Mace, their expressions solemn.

"Anakin," Mace said, as Yoda nodded respectfully. "Thank you for coming."

"Of course," Anakin replied, taking a seat on a padded stool, and giving them a concerned look. "What's going on?"

Yoda sighed, bowing his head. "Troubling news I have received, from the people of my own galaxy."

Anakin gave them a questioning look. "Has something happened on Solaris Three?"

"Solaris Three is fine," Mace assured him. "Though Gardulla seems to have taken a sudden interest in finding it."

Anakin blinked in alarm; he had known for years that Yoda's own people quietly patrolled the area surrounding Solaris Three, and were able to observe activity within Hutt Territory from their uniquely hidden vantage point inside the Maw. "Gardulla's trying to find the breach in the Force field?"

"Yes," Mace told him. "Over the past three days, at least a dozen Nar Shaddaa scouting vessels have been destroyed, trying to enter the Maw," he explained. "So far she's had no luck. But they're getting closer to the breach," Mace warned him. "It's only a matter of time before they find a way in."

_Crap..._ Anakin gave Mace a worried look. "What do you think she's after?"

Mace sighed. "Everything," he told him. "Spices, minerals... _slaves_," he muttered darkly, disturbed by Gardulla's interest in his home planet. "And if she succeeds in taking over Solaris Three, she'll have access to weapons of mass destruction, that can level an entire city in a single blast," he admitted. "One nuclear missile could take out Coruscant, or Tatooine, or Lannik... Not to mention what will happen if they find the portal to Yoda's own galaxy," he pointed out.

"Stopped, Gardulla must be," Yoda agreed quietly, bowing his head.

Anakin nodded. "So you're going to reinforce the Maw?" He knew that Yoda's father had created the Force field a thousand years ago; but he had left a hidden, unprotected breach - large enough that even Gardulla's battleships could pass through, if they knew where to look.

But Yoda shook his head. "Not yet," he said. "Extreme focus, it will require," he told Anakin. "And with all the activity in that area... Noticed, we will be," he admitted. "If any attention we draw, to the area surrounding Solaris Three... Know for certain Gardulla will, that hiding something we are."

Anakin sighed unhappily, seeing his point. "So how are we going to stop her?"

"The time has come to end this war," Mace declared, his expression fierce. "Once and for all."

"End it?" Anakin blinked in surprise; he'd only just _started_ it a few months ago. "How?" They'd managed to reach a stalemate of sorts, in which the fighting was confined to Jabba's territory along the Southern Rim; but to _end_ the war would require a direct assault on Nar Shaddaa itself, which even Anakin admitted was unlikely to succeed. He gave Mace and Yoda a worried look. "Please tell me the Council hasn't ordered us to invade Nar Shaddaa." _It won't work..._

"The _Council_ doesn't know anything about this," Mace told him quietly. "And you're right: an attack on Nar Shaddaa would be suicide," he agreed, looking down. Anakin nodded regretfully; the planet was surrounded by a vast mine field just outside its atmosphere, which only the most talented Jedi pilots had any chance of navigating. _And then there's the ion cannons, and the three energy shields..._ "Our only hope is if we disable that mine field," Mace admitted, his expression regretful.

"Yeah, there's no way," Anakin agreed. "They're solar powered - "

"They're not solar powered," Mace told him.

Anakin looked up, caught off guard. "What?" he asked, confused. "Yes they are - "

"Anakin, have you actually _analyzed_ them?" Mace asked.

Anakin's brows furrowed. "Well, no..."

Mace sighed. "Master Chi'nala told you they were solar powered, so you wouldn't get any crazy ideas about disabling them yourself."

"What?" Anakin gave him a stunned, somewhat hurt look. "So you're saying... There's a way to turn them off?"

Mace nodded. "They run on battery power," he explained. "The batteries are charged by the reactor inside Gardulla's main power facility, which is located in the middle of Nar Shaddaa's biggest military compound," he told Anakin. "If we destroy that power facility, and take out the reactor core, along with the shield generator... The shields will be down, and the mines will run out of battery power within twenty-four hours."

Anakin grinned wickedly. "All right, let's do it."

"Anakin, we have to keep this quiet," Mace warned him. "This is _not_ sanctioned by the Council, or the Senate. The war is relatively stable at the moment; they would never agree to a strike on Nar Shaddaa, and risk escalating this conflict, unless they believed the situation to be critical. And we can't tell them about Solaris Three."

Anakin nodded. "Right," he said, furrowing his brows. "So what do you need me to do?"

"First, you'll need to breach the outer defenses," Mace told him. "And get past the fleet of battleships and smaller fighters surrounding the planet."

Anakin nodded. "Not a problem."

"Then you'll enter the mine field, and have to navigate through several hundred nearly invisible, constantly moving explosive devices - while being shot at by battleships from above, and ion cannons from below," Mace explained.

"Sounds like fun," Anakin replied.

"Once you enter the planet's atmosphere, you'll be greeted by Gardulla's entire military base - air and ground forces," Mace continued. "We estimate she has about two thousand troops stationed on Nar Shaddaa."

_Two thousand to one..._ Anakin frowned, doubtful. "I'm not so sure about that part."

"Here's where it gets tricky," Mace agreed, as Yoda bowed his head quietly. "We've been going over various tactics since yesterday, and..." Mace sighed. "Your only chance of getting down to the planet is if they think you're already dead."

Anakin laughed mischievously. _Brilliant..._ "What do I need to do?"

"Engage the fighter pilots at close range," Mace advised him. "You'll probably have at least a dozen of them on you, the moment you enter the atmosphere. Shoot some of them down. But at some point, you'll need to flash your burners, open your exhaust valve, and go into a spin, as if you've been hit," he explained, as Anakin nodded. "Then, amidst the smoke and confusion, you'll eject from your Starfighter, and board one of the enemy fighters - "

"Wait - wait - wait," Anakin interrupted, suddenly alarmed. "What happens to my Starfighter?"

"You shoot it down yourself, once you take over the enemy fighter," Mace told him. "And then you report over the transmitter that Skywalker has been killed."

_No,_ Anakin thought, horrified. _My yellow Starfighter..._

"You'll need to be wearing a Nar Shaddaa military uniform," Mace pointed out. "I assume you have one?"

"What? Um - yeah," Anakin nodded, still coming to terms with the loss of his Starfighter.

"At this point they'll deactivate the energy shield surrounding the base, and you'll land along with the others, then make your way toward the main power facility," Mace instructed him. "Mind-trick your way past the security guards, get to the reactor core, and plant this," he continued, handing Anakin a thermal detonator. "It has a motion sensing trigger," Mace pointed out. "Once it's armed, if anyone touches it, or tries to move it, it will go off."

"Right," Anakin agreed, nodding. _No touching._

"You'll have five minutes to get out of there, get back to your stolen fighter, and get off the planet, before this thing detonates," Mace told him. "Theoretically," he added, sharing an apprehensive glance with Master Yoda.

Anakin frowned. "What do you mean, _theoretically?_"

"The moment you enter the reactor core chamber, the security system will sense the device," Mace admitted reluctantly, glancing at the thermal detonator. "Alarms will sound, and you'll have to fight your way past two thousand armed troops, to get out of the building, and back to your ship."

"Oh." Anakin blinked uncertainly. "How do you suggest I do that?"

Mace looked down, declining to answer him.

"To get inside the facility, a single Jedi is required," Yoda said quietly, his tone somber. "To get out, requires at least a dozen."

"And we don't have a dozen pilots who can get through that mine field," Mace admitted unhappily. "Tactical scans indicate that it's about twice as difficult to navigate as Coruscant's flight training course," he told Anakin. "In the entire Order we only have four pilots who have successfully navigated the training course at maximum speed," he added. "And of those four, only one can do it consistently."

Anakin blinked. "Oh," he said numbly, the reality of it slowly hitting him.

"Anakin, you're the only one who has a chance of getting in there," Mace told him, with a regretful look. "But..."

Anakin gulped, nodding. _There will be no getting out._

"Once the detonator goes off, it will level the entire facility, including the reactor core, and shield generator," Mace informed him, in a tone of quiet respect. "The shields will be down at that point, and Jedi Border Patrol will begin their assault against the fleet surrounding the planet. It will take another twenty-four hours before the mines run out of battery power, but... Eventually we'll get through," Mace assured him. "We'll take over Gardulla's palace, and we will kill her," he vowed solemnly. "Once she's gone, the rest of the Nar Shaddaa Mafia will fall quickly. We _will_ win this war, Anakin," Mace told him. "I promise you that."

Anakin blinked, nodding silently again; words completely failed him. But then Yoda spoke up, offering the familiar words of an old Jedi prophecy - one which had seen renewed popularity this past year, in relation to Vader's epic redemption on _SITH_.

_"The Chosen One will be called Skywalker  
><em>_Born of midichlorians - "_

Anakin laughed quietly; he was hardly 'born of midichlorians', and Yoda and Mace both knew perfectly well who his parents had been. But he appreciated the sentiment nonetheless, and listened as Yoda recited the rest of the ancient prophecy.

_"He will suffer great hardships  
><em>_And obey the Jedi Code:  
><em>_There is no emotion, there is peace  
><em>_There is no ignorance, there is knowledge  
><em>_There is no passion, there is serenity  
><em>_There is no chaos, there is harmony  
><em>_There is no death, there is the Force."_

Anakin fought tears at Yoda's words, but nodded bravely, preparing himself for the final task that had been set before him.

_"He will be a champion of the Light  
><em>_A guardian of peace and justice  
><em>_Who will destroy the Sith  
><em>_And bring balance to the Force."_

Anakin smiled appreciatively. "I'm not exactly destroying the Sith," he pointed out.

"Oh?" Yoda retorted, giving him a challenging look. "What know you of the Sith, hmm?"

Anakin grinned, apologetic. "Not much," he confessed. "It means... 'Darkness' - I think?"

"Agents of the Dark Side, the Sith were," Yoda told him solemnly. "Motivated by anger, greed, selfishness... Always have the Hutts hungered for power," he confessed, shaking his head.

"The Hutts lost their knowledge of the Force a millennium ago, when their most powerful leaders were vanquished," Mace added, with a respectful nod toward Yoda. "But their children were granted amnesty, and mercy," he explained. "Gardulla and her kind are the last living descendents of the Sith."

Anakin blinked, stunned. "The Sith were Hutts?"

Yoda nodded, giving him a sorrowful look. "The truth, you deserve to know."

"So - the Chosen One prophecy... It's real?" Anakin asked, incredulous. "And - it's about me?" Aside from crazed _SITH_ fanatics, no one within the Jedi Order had ever taken it seriously. It was thought to be more of a legend than a prophecy, and had probably been fulfilled a thousand years ago, when the Sith had been destroyed. 'Skywalker' was one of the oldest names known to the Jedi Order, which was why it was commonly bestowed upon orphans left on the Temple steps.

"Many interpretations of the prophecy, there are," Yoda told him. "But real, it is," he confirmed. "Once, it may have been about our forefathers," he admitted. "In a way, it is about all of us," he added cryptically. "But today... it is about you," he said, gazing at Anakin thoughtfully.

Anakin nodded, fighting tears as the weight of his assignment hit him. "I won't let you down," he promised, gulping.

"I know you won't," Mace replied, his expression filled with quiet respect. "We won't let you down either."

Yoda's smile was filled with love and encouragement. "The Force will be with you, young Skywalker... always."


	211. Gets completely ruined

**Chapter 211**

"Anakin!" Padmé exclaimed happily, as he joined her on the balcony overlooking the lake at Varykino. "I got your message... I didn't expect you until the weekend," she said, smiling in delight as she embraced him.

"Eh... Change of plans," Anakin said, gazing at her adoringly. "Oh - cinnamon buns," he murmured, lovingly caressing her hair; then he drew her closer, his lips meeting hers. His kisses were tender and passionate, yet felt somehow more _desperate_ than usual, and his eyes were filled with longing...

Padmé giggled, taking his hand and leading him inside. "Come on," she said, with a playful smile; it was obvious what he wanted.

But Anakin just sighed, shaking his head. "No, I can't stay," he apologized, smiling at her wistfully. "I just - I had to stop by, and see you," he said, holding her close again, and nearly enveloping her in the folds of his black cloak. "I love you, Padmé," he whispered, kissing her on the forehead.

"I love you too," Padmé said, hiding her dismay at the shortness of his visit. "See you this weekend?"

Anakin blinked momentarily, as if caught off guard. "Yeah... yeah," he assured her, with an apologetic nod. "Of course. Sorry I can't stay," he said again, reaching a hand up and delicately stroking her cheek. "You take care of yourself, all right?"

_Take care of myself?_ Padmé gave him a worried look. "Ani... is something wrong?"

"What? No," Anakin assured her, smiling. "Everything's fine, I promise. Everything's going to be all right."

Padmé nodded, trying to hide her concern. "You take care of yourself too," she pleaded quietly.

"Always," Anakin replied, with a mischievous grin. He gazed at her for a moment, smiling adoringly, as if trying to memorize every feature of her face. "I - " He broke off, looking down, at a loss for words. "I have to go," he said quietly, kissing her again. "See you this weekend."

Padmé nodded, and they shared a tender look of love, and affection; but as Anakin turned to leave, she caught a fleeting glimmer of anguish in his blue eyes, before he walked quickly away from her, down the veranda steps and around the corner, his black cloak trailing silently behind him.

_Something's wrong,_ Padmé knew, tears filling her own eyes as she turned back toward the lake, trying to remain strong for him. _Ani, you're scaring me._

* * *

><p><em>Later that day...<em>

"How are you feeling?" Han asked gently, joining Leia inside their little guest treehouse on Kashyyyk. They'd stopped by for the day so Chewie could say hello to Malla and Lumpy, but Leia had been tired from their flight, and had spent most of the morning in bed.

"I'm fine," Leia assured him, with an apologetic smile. "Nookee and Boobé have been kicking a lot today," she confessed, holding a hand over her belly. She was eight months along now; Han still couldn't believe he was going to be a father, in just a few short weeks.

But he _also_ couldn't believe the awful names that his wife had chosen for their poor, innocent children, and cringed inwardly, remembering once again his promise to his father-in-law. _Don't let my grandkid be named Nookee or Boobé..._ So far Han had failed to uphold that promise - and even worse, now it looked as though Anakin would end up with grandkids named Nookee _and_ Boobé, since Leia was expecting twins.

"I was thinking," Han said, joining her on the bed and cradling her tenderly in his arms. "I really love the idea of naming them after your maternal grandparents," he began, kissing her on the temple and gently running a finger along her belly. "But then it occurred to me... _My_ maternal grandparents had nice names too," he said, trying to make the suggestion sound casual, and innocent.

Leia blinked, frowning. "What were their names?"

"Tyrellius and Drusilla," Han told her; they had once been Prince and Princess of Alderaan.

But Leia wrinkled her nose. "It sounds so - pretentious, and formal," she protested.

_As opposed to outright stupid..._ "Yeah, I suppose," Han agreed, sighing; he'd never liked his mother's side of the family anyway. "Well how about my dad's side?" he suggested. "Arthur's a nice name," he offered casually.

Again, Leia cringed. "He's my _father-in-law,_" she pointed out, disturbed by the idea. "How would you feel if we named our kid Anakin?"

Han sighed, nodding absently; she had a point. "Well - why do we have to name them after _people,_ anyway?" he asked. "Why can't we just name them after... I don't know... Other things?" he protested helplessly, running out of ideas.

"Things?" Leia gave him a doubtful look. "What sort of things?

"I don't know," Han confessed, frustrated. "Things that are meaningful to us," he suggested.

Leia frowned. "Such as?"

"Well - " Han sighed, at a loss. "I like my blaster," he admitted. "And - _Falcon_ is a nice name," he offered, shrugging.

"Blaster and Falcon?" Leia repeated, blinking in disbelief.

"Well - it's better than Nookee and Boobé," Han retorted defensively.

"How is that better?" Leia asked, baffled. Then she held a hand over her belly, crestfallen. "You really don't like Nookee and Boobé?"

"No, I do," Han assured her. "It's just - " He broke off suddenly, as Chewbacca appeared in the doorway, his eyes filled with anxiety. "Chewie... What's going on?"

_"It's all over the news,"_ Chewie began hesitantly, casting a worried glance at Leia. _"They're saying Anakin's dead."_

"What? No," Han said, refusing to believe it; this wasn't the first time his death had been falsely reported. "What are they saying this time?"

_"He got shot down over Nar Shaddaa,"_ Chewbacca told him, still apprehensive. _"The Jedi Council confirms he's missing, but they say he wasn't authorized to be there."_

"Crap," Han muttered, suddenly worried. "No, it's not true," he insisted. "He may be crazy, but he ain't stupid."

"Who?" Leia blinked, concerned.

Han sighed, getting up. "Your father," he told her, trying to break the news gently. "They're saying he got shot down over Nar Shaddaa - "

"What?" Leia exclaimed, horrified.

"It's not true," Han assured her, kissing her on the forehead. "You stay here; I'll try to figure out what's going on."

"Oh... I'm coming with you," Leia said, struggling to get up from the bed.

_Of course you are,_ Han sighed, helping her to her feet, and over to the doorway, where she carefully began climbing down the ladder. _You really shouldn't be doing this..._ "I'm sure he's fine," Han promised, as they reached the hanging bridge below. "They've been wrong about this before," he pointed out.

"Yeah," Leia nodded bravely, as he helped her across the narrow bridge toward Kashyyyk's military command center; but then she sighed. "I don't know," she confessed, blinking worriedly. "I have a bad feeling about this."

"It's just another stupid rumor," Han told her. "He'd never attempt a solo attack on Nar Shaddaa. It would be - suicide," he admitted, frowning as he realized that hadn't come out sounding as encouraging as he'd meant it to. "It'll be okay, I promise."

But as they reached the command center, Tarfful roared in anxious greeting, and they turned their attention to the video screen. _"Jedi Master Anakin Skywalker is confirmed missing, though the Council denies any knowledge or authorization of his alleged solo assault on Nar Shaddaa earlier today,"_ the news reporter announced. _"A video released by the Nar Shaddaa Mafia shows what appears to be a yellow Jedi Starfighter exploding in mid-air over Gardulla's military compound - "_

"No," Leia whispered, watching in horror as an all-too-familiar yellow Starfighter spun past the video screen, erupting into flames before bursting into a horrific cloud of dust, metal, and thick black smoke. "No," she cried again, burying her face against Han's chest and trembling in shock as he held her protectively.

"I'm sure it's okay," Han murmured, though it was hard to deny what they had just seen. "That footage came from the Nar Shaddaa Mafia; it's probably fake," he told her. "Gardulla's just trying to..." _What?_ he wondered, blinking worriedly; releasing fake video footage wasn't exactly Gardulla's style.

"I'm calling my mom," Leia said, still shaking. "Tarfful... May I use your conference room?"

"Rrraaaauuggghhh," the Wookiee Chieftain offered proudly, gesturing toward the adjacent chamber. "Rrroufff Rraarrgh!"

"Thank you," Leia said, as Han and Chewie followed her inside. She took a seat at the conference table, her hands trembling as she reached for the holo-transmitter, shakily pressing the buttons. "Mom," she blurted out, as Padmé's holographic image materialized before them. "What's going on?"

"Leia!" Padmé exclaimed. "I just spoke to Obi-Wan," she said, equally distraught. "He's sensed Anakin on Nar Shaddaa. He's alive, but - anxious," Padmé admitted, fighting tears. "Obi-Wan and the others are on their way there now... There's not much they can do; they can't get past the mine field, but - at least Anakin will know they're nearby," Padmé said, choking up. "And - if he makes it off the planet, they'll be there to help him."

Leia gasped, horrified. "_If?_"

"_When,_" Padmé corrected herself, nodding resolutely. "I meant _when_."

Han shared a worried glance with Chewie. _That doesn't sound good..._ "The _Falcon_ might be able to get through that mine field," he suggested, as Chewbacca roared in agreement. "She's got a lot of special modifications... We've done that sort of thing before."

Leia blinked. "On Nar Shaddaa?"

"No," Han admitted. "But - it's worth a try," he pointed out, giving Padmé a questioning look. "You said the 'others' will be there... How many 'others' are we talking about?"

"Obi-Wan, Qui-Gon, Cory, Zak, Luke, Mara," Padmé listed off, her expression guardedly hopeful. "You really think you can get through?"

"Yeah," Han nodded casually. "Well - hopefully," he said, furrowing his brows. The _Falcon_ had come pre-equipped with a vast array of technologically advanced - and highly illegal - modifications, thanks to her previous owner, Tarv, who had been somewhat of a criminal mastermind.

But Leia frowned, unconvinced. "_Hopefully?_" she repeated.

"We can at least get past Gardulla's fleet, and test it out," Han suggested. "The _Falcon's_ got a disarming system that can temporarily override any security device within a fifty-yard radius... Remember my lockpicking kit, on Endor?"

"I'm trying not to," Leia sighed, still embarrassed by that incident; but then she nodded. "He's right, mom," she assured Padmé.

"The _Falcon_ and six Jedi Starfighters, against Nar Shaddaa's entire military," Han mused, not liking those odds. "It's going to be tight," he admitted. "But a lot better than _one_ Jedi... Who doesn't seem to have a Starfighter at all," he pointed out, still disturbed by the news footage they'd seen. "We can at least go there, and meet up with Obi-Wan and the others," Han proposed, as Chewbacca nodded in agreement. "And then we'll figure out a plan from there."

Padmé nodded, her expression pained, but grateful. "Thank you, Han."

"No problem," Han assured his mother-in-law, with a confident nod. "We'll be there in about three hours."

"Bye, mom," Leia said, giving her an encouraging smile. "I'll talk to you later."

She switched off the holo-transmitter, and Han carefully helped her to her feet. "Come on; let's get you back in bed," he said gently, opening the door for her.

"No," Leia protested stubbornly. "I'm coming with you."

"To Nar Shaddaa?" Han laughed, continuing through the Wookiee command center. "No," he told her firmly.

"I can man the gun turret," Leia insisted, following him toward the nearby landing platform, where the _Falcon_ was docked.

"We're not gonna _need_ the gun turret," Han told her. "We'll be flanked by six Jedi Starfighters; you wouldn't be able to get a clear shot past them," he pointed out. "The turrets are more for solo fighting," he explained, as Leia blinked unhappily.

"Han, he's my _father_," she pleaded, giving him a helpless look.

"And I'll do everything I can to get him out of there," Han promised, as they arrived at the _Falcon._ Chewbacca headed up the ramp to get the engine started, but Han hung back, kissing Leia on the forehead and taking her hands in his. "Besides, this isn't just about you," he reminded her gently, casting a meaningful glance at her pregnant belly.

"Oh..." Leia sighed, but nodded reluctantly, holding a protective hand over her stomach.

"We'll get Anakin out of there," he assured her, kissing her again; then he smiled tenderly, remembering their earlier argument. "I promise... Nookee and Boobé will know their grandfather," he said, letting her have the names she had lovingly chosen. _Anakin will just have to deal._

At this, Leia smiled, her brown eyes filled with appreciation. "Be careful, Han," she implored him. "I want..." She sighed, looking down at her belly. "I want Blaster and Falcon to know their father," she countered, a mischievous twinkle in her eye.

Han grinned, kissing her goodbye. "Hey, it's me," he reassured her, heading up the ramp to the _Falcon._ Leia nodded, and they shared a loving smile; then he waved to her confidently, continuing inside and proceeding toward the cockpit. "All right, Chewie, let's get out of here," he said, switching on the navicomputer as Chewbacca lifted off from the platform.

"Nar Shaddaa," Han murmured, looking up the coordinates. "We'll aim for the outer edge of the hyperspace zone surrounding the planet," he told Chewie, preparing the coordinates. "That'll give us the best chance of avoiding their radar."

_"Sounds like a plan,"_ Chewbacca agreed, as they continued up through Kashyyyk's atmosphere.

Han sat down in the pilot's seat, then blinked, remembering. _Crap, I forgot to wave goodbye to Leia..._ He tried to look back through the side window, craning to see the landing platform below them; but it was only a tiny speck in the distance, and he sighed, shaking his head ruefully.

_"Hehehe,"_ Chewbacca laughed, amused. _"Did you forget again?"_

Han gave him an annoyed glare; Wookiees didn't make a big deal over goodbyes, and Chewie had always found this particular human custom amusing. In fact, he and Tarfful had made a public mockery of it once on _JEDI,_ offering a dramatic and long-winded farewell to Yoda, before collapsing in howls of laughter.

"Eh... I'm gonna take a nap," Han said, getting up from his pilot's seat and heading for the hallway. "Wake me up when we get there, okay?"

_"All right,"_ Chewie agreed, casually waving a furry paw. _"Get some sleep."_

_Seriously,_ Han sighed, heading back toward his bunk. He and Boba had been helping Jabba out these past several months, as Tatooine struggled to adjust to Republic rule, without slavery or revenue from the spice trade. This past week had been particularly hectic, and he'd been hoping to catch up on some sleep during their visit to Kashyyyk. _But even if I can get three hours in, that's something,_ Han thought, pressing the button to open his bedroom door.

But the button didn't work. _Gah..._ Han pressed it again a few more times, but still the door refused to open. It could only be locked - or unlocked - from _inside_ his bedroom, which meant he'd need to crawl through the ceiling, and get in there to fix it... _Whatever,_ Han sighed wearily, going back to the lounge and flopping down on the couch by the holo-chess table. _I'll deal with that later._

Still, as he wriggled onto his side, trying to get comfortable on the curved sofa, he smiled in faint amusement, taking this as a good sign. _If something was gonna randomly break down on this trip, I'm glad it was just my bedroom door,_ he admitted, closing his eyes and drifting off to sleep.

* * *

><p><em>Three hours later...<em>

"He's anxious... But hopeful," Qui-Gon murmured over the transmitter, sensing Anakin's presence on the nearby planet of Nar Shaddaa. "He knows we're here... But - he's waiting for something," Qui-Gon guessed, troubled.

"Well if he's waiting for us to come down there, he's going to wait a long time," Obi-Wan pointed out worriedly.

"No," Qui-Gon replied, from the cockpit of his Starfighter. "He knows we have no chance of getting through that mine field," he told the others, who were spread out just beyond the hyperspace zone, safely out of range of Gardulla's radar.

"Maybe he wants us to create a diversion, and engage Gardulla's fleet?" Cory suggested; they could faintly see the lights of three battleships in the distance, but knew that the area surrounding Nar Shaddaa's legendary mine field was patrolled by at least a thousand smaller fighters.

"What good would that do?" Zak asked. "We're up in space; he's down on the planet... It'll be six against a thousand," he pointed out. "They won't bother to send reinforcements from the base."

"Well, at least we could distract them," Mara retorted stubbornly. "Whoever's in charge of the military base will be stuck talking over his transmitter for a few minutes, trying to figure out what's going on; maybe that's all Master Anakin needs."

"If we attack, the whole base will immediately go on heightened alert," Luke pointed out. "We might make things worse for him."

"Gah," Mara sighed audibly, over the transmitter.

But now Cory spoke up. "Scouts," he warned them, from his vantage point several hundred meters away. "Two of them coming in, three-six-four."

"Pull back," Qui-Gon said, as they quietly switched on their engines, retreating even further away from the planet before powering off again.

"They're patrolling the _outside_ of the hyperspace zone," Obi-Wan noted, frowning. "That's unusual, isn't it?"

"They just got attacked by a solo Jedi Starfighter - who made it all the way through their mine field... That's unusual too," Cory pointed out. "They're probably wondering when the rest of us are going to show up."

"Well, let them wonder," Obi-Wan muttered, watching from his darkened cockpit as the faint, distant lights of the scout ships came into view. "I don't think engaging Gardulla's fleet will accomplish anything," he admitted reluctantly.

"Nor do I," Qui-Gon agreed. "For now we will remain watchful, and hope that Anakin will find a way out of there."

_Come on, Anakin,_ Obi-Wan sighed, sending his brother an encouraging but insistent feeling. _Whatever you're doing, do it now, and get out of there._

He watched quietly as the scout fighters passed several hundred meters in front of him, failing to detect his presence; but a minute later there was a flash of light just beyond the scout ships, as a larger ship emerged from hyperspace.

"Looks like a smuggling freighter," Zak noted, from his position closest to the incoming vessel. "The scouts are coming around to join it... Wait a minute," he said, as Obi-Wan saw another faint flash of light in the distance. "They're firing at it," he told the others, his confusion obvious. "And now they're all heading this way - crap," Zak cursed, starting his engine, though he kept his lights off. "Everybody pull back - "

"What the - ?" Mara said, as the enemy ships drew closer, spinning and twirling amidst a rapid barrage of laser fire. "It's the _Falcon,_" she said, baffled.

"Aaaaand, now he's blowing up their scout ships," Luke noted balefully, as the _Falcon_ came into view, leaving two fiery explosions in its wake. "Nice job, Han," he grumbled, starting up his own engine.

"What in the blazes is he doing here?" Obi-Wan asked; he could see the lights of several dozen more fighters approaching in the distance as Nar Shaddaa's entire starfleet turned its attention toward them.

"No idea," Luke sighed, contacting him over the transmitter. "Han, ol' buddy," he said casually, trying not to sound annoyed. "Whatcha doin'?"

"Heard you guys could use a little help," Han replied, swooping around to join them in the imminent battle against Gardulla's approaching fleet.

"_This_ is your idea of helping?" Mara asked.

"Trust me," Han said, flying straight into the impending onslaught. "Just stay close on my tail, once we get down into the mine field. I got it all under control."

"In the name of - " Obi-Wan sighed, exasperated. "We're not going into the mine field," he told Han sternly, reluctantly following along with the others.

"Hey, this baby's full of surprises," Han retorted. "Just cover me until we get through the fleet," he told the others. "I'll handle the rest."

_Brilliant,_ Obi-Wan sighed, shaking his head. But he was well aware that the _Falcon_ outmatched even Anakin's precious yellow Starfighter when it came to illegal modifications, and felt a glimmer of hope as he followed Han and the others into battle. _Leave it to a Solo to come up with a plan even crazier than Anakin's._

* * *

><p>"Chewie, angle the deflector shields," Han said urgently, as they engaged the enemy fleet at close range. "Keep them on the side of that battleship."<p>

"Rrrrraaaauuugghhh," Chewbacca replied, flipping a switch and pushing some buttons on the control panel.

"About a dozen more fighters coming in, seven-one-three," Han warned the others, over the transmitter.

"We're on them," Luke replied, as he and Mara swooped away to deal with them.

But now the _Falcon's_ left side was unguarded, and Han blinked in alarm as they lurched suddenly, hit by enemy fire. _Damn it..._ "Chewie, get to the turret, shoot them down," he said tersely, going into a spin, and barely evading another barrage of laser fire.

_"I can't adjust the deflector shields if I'm in the turret,"_ Chewie protested, frantically pushing buttons to compensate for Han's erratic directional changes, as he tried to keep the _Falcon's_ shields angled toward the general direction of the larger battleships nearby.

But a moment later they lurched in the wake of yet another explosion, as one of the enemy fighters inexplicably burst into a ball of flames overhead. "What the - ?"

"I got him!" came a triumphant - and disturbingly familiar - voice over the intercom, from the _Falcon's_ gun turret.

"Leia!" Han exclaimed, simultaneously confused, worried, and annoyed. _Well that explains the bedroom door..._ But his frustration quickly turned to relief as a second enemy fighter exploded off their left side, followed by a third... "I love you," Han admitted, focusing on his flying once again as they made their way toward the mine field ahead.

Leia's _I-told-you-so_ tone was obvious, even over the intercom. "I know."

* * *

><p>"All right, I'm at the border of the mine field," came Han's voice, over the transmitter. "Switching on the disarming system... Let's hope this works," he muttered apprehensively, as the <em>Falcon<em> swooped dangerously close to the sea of explosive devices surrounding Nar Shaddaa's atmosphere.

Obi-Wan blinked in alarm, flying in closer while trying to evade Gardulla's pursuing fleet. "You're not sure?"

"It'll work," Han insisted with blind confidence, as Obi-Wan sighed in annoyed disbelief. _Anakin, I take back everything I ever said about you._ But he could see a faint haze surrounding the _Falcon_ now, and the intense energy emanating from the mine field suddenly vanished from the immediate area.

"It's working," Qui-Gon confirmed, sensing it as well.

"All right, I'm going in," Han said. "Stay close on my tail," he instructed the others, as they followed him into the mine field.

"Uh, what about... Oh," Zak broke off, as the enemy fighters behind him suddenly exploded into flames. "Never mind."

"The disarming system only has about a fifty-yard radius," Han warned them. "I wouldn't advise wandering off."

"No kidding," Zak agreed, snuggling up closer to Cory's blue Starfighter.

"Well how do _they_ get through?" Mara asked, confused by the sudden lack of pursuers.

"There's a breach in the mine field, right above the military base," Obi-Wan told her gently. "That's what those battleships were guarding."

"And Anakin made it through all this without cheating?" Cory remarked, impressed. "Damn..." The surrounding area was alarmingly dense with an endless sea of tiny, nearly invisible, constantly moving explosive devices, and Obi-Wan smiled in wistful regret. _Yes, I'm sure he enjoyed every moment of it._

"We're coming up on the planet's atmosphere," Han warned them. "Get ready for the welcoming committee."

A moment later they emerged from the clouds, and were immediately greeted by Nar Shaddaa's local air force. "This way," Qui-Gon said, taking the lead as they proceeded to blast their way through the enemy fighters, down toward the surface of the planet.

Obi-Wan pulled up beside Qui-Gon as they drew closer to the military base, where he could sense Anakin's presence. "What's the plan?" he asked, adjusting his course slightly to evade an oncoming laser blast. But apparently he didn't adjust it quite _enough,_ and frowned worriedly as the left wing of his Starfighter was ripped violently from the hull.

"Not that," Qui-Gon remarked calmly, as Obi-Wan's fighter suddenly began spiraling downward, straight toward the military base below. _Blast..._ But this type of landing was fairly typical for him, so he patiently unbuckled his harness, waiting for just the right moment to eject from his Starfighter before it crashed into an entire row of docked fighters inside the main compound.

_So undignified,_ Obi-Wan sighed, flip-flopping through the air and igniting his blue lightsaber as he finally landed on solid ground, finding himself in the midst of blaster fire and surrounded by two dozen Nar Shaddaa Mafia ground troops. _A little help would be nice,_ he admitted, looking around for Anakin; he could sense him nearby, but he couldn't _see_ him. But finally he sensed a flash of exasperation as one of the uniformed soldiers dropped his blaster, igniting a blue lightsaber instead.

"What are you doing here?" Anakin asked, giving him an annoyed glare as he joined Obi-Wan in the center of the fray, deflecting the incoming blaster fire.

"What am _I_ doing here?" Obi-Wan repeated, baffled. "What are _you_ doing here?" he countered, as they fought their way toward the relative safety of the nearby building.

"I was about to blow up that power facility, and disable the shield generator," Anakin told him. "_And_ the mine field," he added defensively, slashing through a Rodian security guard and Force-shoving several others back against the wall. "I had everything under control, until you got here."

"Oh, really?" Obi-Wan asked. "And how did you expect to get _out_ of there, once the alarm sounded?"

Anakin pouted. "I was waiting for nightfall," he confessed reluctantly. "I thought maybe I could sneak out the ventilation shaft without being noticed. But there goes _that_ plan," he grumbled, deflecting a barrage of blaster fire. "Crap - look out!" he warned Obi-Wan, jumping out of the way as a red Jedi Starfighter came spiraling toward them at breakneck speed, crashing into a nearby fuel tank, which erupted in a massive inferno of gas and black smoke.

Obi-Wan was thrown back by the explosion, but quickly rolled to his feet as shrapnel from the crashed Starfighter rained down on him - along with a young Zabrak, who ignited his double-ended lightsaber, joining in the fight.

"Oops," Zak said, giving Obi-Wan an apologetic cringe as he glanced back at the gigantic mess he'd made. "Sorry about that."

"You be more careful, young one," Obi-Wan scolded him; but now he blinked worriedly, sensing Anakin's profound shock, and panic. "Anakin, are you all right?" he asked, more surprised than concerned; Anakin had weathered far worse explosions in the past without flinching.

"I'm fine," Anakin replied grimly, slashing through two more Nar Shaddaa Mafia soldiers. "It's the thermal detonator in my pack that I'm worried about," he told them, glancing at the small brown satchel hanging at his side. "Come on," he said, fighting his way toward the power facility. "We need to get inside."

* * *

><p><em>Not the happiest of landings,<em> Qui-Gon observed, frowning worriedly at the scattered remains of Zak's Starfighter. But everyone seemed to be all right; Cory had just landed - properly - on the roof of the power facility, and was jumping down to join the others now.

Anakin and the others seemed to have things relatively under control, so Qui-Gon hung back, providing air support along with Han, Luke and Mara. _It's Leia that concerns me,_ he admitted; he had sensed her aboard the _Falcon,_ which now lurched erratically, pummeled by another blast from the massive ion cannon below.

"Luke, Mara - stay with the _Falcon,_" Qui-Gon instructed them. "I'm going to take out that ion cannon."

"Okay," Luke agreed, coming around to take his place. "How?" he asked, confused.

Qui-Gon grinned mischievously. "Zak and Obi-Wan style," he told them. "Except on purpose," he declared proudly, firing his thrusters and launching his Starfighter full-speed toward the offending ion cannon. He ejected several moments before impact - right over the entrance to the power facility, where the others had gathered.

"Nice landing," Obi-Wan remarked, as the ion cannon was ripped apart by his blue Starfighter, collapsing uselessly to the ground.

"Thank you," Qui-Gon nodded, pleased with his efforts. "You too," he added, noting the entire row of smaller fighters Obi-Wan had crashed into earlier.

Anakin was already fighting his way through the hallway, flanked by Cory and Zak twirling their double-ended lightsabers in a dizzying blur. Qui-Gon shared an affectionate glance with Obi-Wan, igniting his own green lightsaber as they took up the rear. _I've never been more proud of this family._

* * *

><p>"All right - that's it," Anakin said, activating the thermal detonator inside the reactor core. "Come on," he warned the others, igniting his blue lightsaber and fighting his way back out to the hallway. "We've got five minutes before that thing blows."<p>

It only took them three minutes to get to the entrance of the facility; but suddenly the building shook, and Anakin blinked in alarm as the ceiling collapsed in front of them, filling the hallway with rubble and blocking their exit. _Crap..._

"Luke, what's going on out there?" Qui-Gon asked over his comlink.

"Uh - there were about six guys heading for the entrance of the building," Luke replied cautiously.

Then Han's voice broke in. "It's all right; I got 'em."

"Nice work," Obi-Wan replied dryly, over his own comlink.

"It's okay; there are plenty of ways out of here," Anakin reassured them. He'd spent the past five hours quietly assessing the situation, studying the layout of the building as best he could, and planning various escape routes. "Come on," he said, leading the way toward a different exit.

But as they ran back through the building, Anakin sensed a growing number of Nar Shaddaa Mafia ground troops in all directions, and shared an apprehensive glance with Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon.

"They're setting up a perimeter," Luke warned them, over the transmitter.

"Tell him we're going up to the roof," Anakin decided quickly, cutting a hole through the ceiling with his lightsaber, then Force-jumping up inside. "Hurry... we've got about a minute left," he warned the others, as they climbed through the crawl space toward a nearby access panel.

They emerged onto the rooftop, and the _Falcon_ swooped down toward them, as Luke and Mara continued to fight the straggling remnants of Gardulla's air force. But as the _Falcon_ was touching down, Anakin looked up in alarm to see an enemy fighter descending toward them, its engine on fire, leaving a trail of black smoke in its wake.

"Look out!" Anakin warned them, jumping out of the way as the disabled fighter crashed onto the rooftop. The explosion threw him against the side of the _Falcon,_ and he turned away from the blast, crouching down and covering his head as shrapnel flew toward them.

_That was too close..._ Anakin blinked, momentarily dazed, but quickly staggered to his feet, making his way toward the _Falcon's_ ramp, where Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon were already climbing aboard. But Cory just stood there staring at the wreckage, his expression dazed and stunned. "Come on, bro," Anakin said reassuringly, grabbing his arm and helping him quickly up the ramp. "You're all right."

"No," Cory protested, struggling away from his grasp. "Zak..."

_Oh, crap._ Anakin turned back, his heart sinking as he surveyed the wrecked ship. It had crashed straight through the roof and down into the building, leaving a gaping hole filled with rubble.

"Zak!" Cory yelled, rushing over to the edge of the wreckage. "Zak!"

Anakin was still disoriented from the blast, and his senses were foggy; but he shared an alarmed look with Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon, as they re-emerged from the _Falcon._

"He's all right," Qui-Gon sensed, peering worriedly toward the crash site. "He's in the crawl space below the roof... Zak," he said urgently, over his comlink. "Zak, can you hear me?" There was a hiss of static in response, and Qui-Gon sighed, shaking his head. "I can't hear you, Zak, your comlink's broken. Find a way up to the roof. We have thirty seconds to get out of here. You can do it, Zak," he said, his tone gentle and encouraging.

Cory was digging through the wreckage now, trying to clear a way through; but now Obi-Wan looked up, peering toward the other side of the rooftop. "There," he said, pointing toward a small metal grating, which was now being lifted up from below.

"He did it!" Anakin grinned, feeling a wave of relief all around him as Zak emerged from the grating - looking a bit wild-eyed, his Jedi tunic decidedly singed and tattered, but generally in one piece. _He's all right..._ Anakin's head was still reeling a bit, but he blinked a few times, willing away his dizziness. "Crap - seventeen seconds," he warned the others, checking the timer on his belt and blinking in alarm. _Fifteen... fourteen... _

"Zak, get over here!" Cory yelled anxiously.

"Twelve seconds - there's no time," Anakin told him. "Zak! Go the other way," he yelled, pointing toward the other side of the rooftop. "Find cover! We'll pick you up over there... Come on," he said, grabbing Cory by the arm and dragging him back to the _Falcon._

They climbed aboard, and Cory immediately ran toward the cockpit. "We have to pick up Zak!" he yelled, as the _Falcon_ lifted off from the rooftop.

Anakin followed him into the cockpit; but suddenly he sensed a flash of danger and aggression from behind him. _What the - ?_ Reacting instinctively, he ignited his lightsaber, spinning around and deflecting the laser fire that was now inexplicably coming at him from the back of the _Falcon's_ cockpit. But the blaster fire quickly stopped, and Anakin glared disapprovingly at his crazy son-in-law, who was now staring in startled confusion at Anakin's Nar Shaddaa military uniform. _Seriously?_

A split-second later the _Falcon_ shook in the wake of a massive explosion, and Anakin rushed to the window, surveying the damage to the power facility. _Zak..._ Cory was in the pilot's seat now, already coming around and swooping in closer; but then he blinked in surprise, sensing his son nearby.

"Wait a minute..." Cory frowned, looking upward and to his left; then he grinned as a blue Starfighter streaked past their window, joining Luke and Mara in their fight against Nar Shaddaa's airforce. "Ha," he laughed, relieved and impressed. "Good thing _one_ of us managed to land properly," Cory remarked, with a triumphant grin. "Speaking of which..." He frowned, picking up the transmitter. "Hey Zak, that's _my_ Starfighter," he reminded him sternly. "No crashing, okay?"

"Yes - Master," Zak replied distractedly, spinning into a barrel roll and raining fire on an enemy ship. "Don't worry, I'm being _really_ careful," he promised, swerving around in a tight arc and veering sideways to slip between two other oncoming fighters.

"Okay... good." Cory grinned proudly, sharing a relieved look with Anakin.

But now a warning light started flashing on the control panel, and Chewbacca let out a worried roar. "I know, I know," Han said, pulling apart a tangle of wires in the back of the cockpit. "We've got a bad circuit somewhere... I'm working on it."

Just then Qui-Gon entered the cockpit, helping Leia into a passenger seat, and Anakin stared at his daughter in disbelief, then back at Han. "You brought Leia here?" The panicked and confused point-blank shooting was almost understandable, given their history on _SITH;_ but now Anakin was seriously worried for his son-in-law's sanity.

"He didn't _bring_ me here," Leia retorted, indignant. "I'm a stowaway," she corrected Anakin, with a mischievous smile. "Nice uniform," she added, amused.

Anakin laughed quietly. "Thank you, Milady," he said, offering a polite bow. But then he blinked, glancing cautiously around the cockpit and realizing that everyone on board was family, more or less. _Oh; well in that case..._ "Hey," he said, embracing her tenderly and kissing her on the forehead. "Are you feeling okay?"

"Fine," Leia assured him, with a loving smile.

But now Luke's voice broke in, over the transmitter. "Enemy fighters coming in, two-nine-one," he warned them. "About thirty of them... They're coming down through the breach in the mine field - and there's plenty more where they came from," he pointed out worriedly.

_Right; we're in the middle of a battle here._ "I got this," Anakin told Cory, taking over for him in the pilot's seat. "Get to the other turret... Obi-Wan, do you see them?" he asked over the _Falcon's_ intercom; he'd sensed him in the upper turret for the past minute.

"Yes, I see them," Obi-Wan sighed in annoyance, powering up his quad laser cannon. "So uncivilized," he muttered, disdainful of his own role in this fight.

Anakin grinned, amused. "Luke, Mara, Zak - you guys take the lead. Just get out of here," he instructed them, over the transmitter. "We'll cover you from behind... Chewie - are the shields working?" he asked, casting a slightly worried glance back at Han, who was now pulling even _more_ wires out from the cockpit's rear panel.

"Rrrrrraaauuugghhh," Chewbacca replied, flipping a switch and giving him a furry thumbs-up.

"Good," Anakin nodded, following close behind the three Jedi Starfighters. "Obi-Wan, Cory, shoot down anything that comes into range."

"You got it," Cory replied confidently, over the intercom.

But Anakin frowned, failing to hear his _other_ gunman's confirmation. "Obi-Wan?" he asked sternly; but the only reply was a silent Force-wave of sheer annoyance. _Great..._ "Master, would you mind?" Anakin asked Qui-Gon, casting an exasperated glance toward Obi-Wan's turret.

"I'd love to," Qui-Gon assured him. "But I'm afraid I'm busy at the moment."

Anakin blinked, turning to face his father in the passenger seat behind him. "Doing what?"

"Meditating," Qui-Gon replied calmly.

_Of course you are..._ Anakin sighed in weary disbelief, turning back around and focusing on his flying.

"They're coming in," Cory announced, firing his quad laser cannon. There was a loud explosion behind them, then another, as Cory proceeded to shoot down the enemy fighters, one by one; but Anakin sighed, noting his brother's glaring lack of participation.

"Obi-Wan, I don't hear any cannon fire coming from your side," Anakin reproached him.

"You'll also notice there are no _targets_ on my side," Obi-Wan replied proudly. "Cory's shooting them all down before they get to me."

"Actually, I just missed one," Cory told him. "It's coming around to your side."

"Blast," Obi-Wan muttered.

"Obi-Wan, you can't just _say_ blast," Anakin told him, exasperated. "You have to actually _do_ it." Finally he heard a round of laser fire coming from Obi-Wan's turret, followed by a resounding explosion behind them, and Anakin grinned, sensing Obi-Wan's profound disdain. "Nice shot, Master."

"We're coming up on the mine field," Luke warned them, over the transmitter.

"Okay, uh..." Anakin blinked, uncertain. "How'd you guys get through before, anyway?"

"Rrrraauuuughhh," Chewbacca replied confidently, reaching a furry paw over and flipping a switch. But then he blinked worriedly. "Rrrrrr?" He switched it off, then tried again. "Ggggrrrraahhhh Rrrrraaahhhh Rrrarrrggh Mmrrrfff!" he warned Han, flailing his arms violently.

_Okay, I take that as a bad sign,_ Anakin frowned, admitting his Shyriiwook was less than fluent. "Is something wrong?"

"I'm working on it," Han retorted from the back of the cockpit. "We've got a burnout somewhere... Ahh," he sighed in frustration, giving up on his tangle of wires. "I'm gonna temporarily divert power from the hyperdrive system... I'll have it up in a minute," he promised, heading back to the engine room.

"Another group of fighters coming in, seven-three-nine," Luke warned them. "Looks like about two dozen."

_Crap..._ Anakin realized they were about to be caught in the middle of two oncoming groups - with a deadly mine field above them. "Go back down," he instructed Luke, over the transmitter. "We're right on your tail... Cory, Obi-Wan - this is serious."

A few moments later they were surrounded by enemy fighters, and Anakin focused on his flying, trying to stay close behind Luke, Mara, and Zak, while holding a somewhat steady course so Cory and Obi-Wan could do their jobs. But within moments they were all forced to split up, and Anakin sighed, abandoning tactics and just going on instinct.

The Starfighters were on his right side now, giving him a clear shot straight ahead; Anakin quickly scanned the _Falcon's_ control panel, finding the main laser weapons. _Now THIS is more like it,_ he thought, grinning wickedly as he opened fire, going into a spin and sending the enemy fleet scattering in all directions.

"I can't target anything when you're doing that," Obi-Wan informed him crossly, over the intercom.

"Sorry, Master," Anakin replied, coming around for another pass. "Okay, I'll hold her steady this time," he promised. He peered at the control panel again, scanning the array of cryptically marked buttons and switches. _I know this thing's got concussion missiles,_ he frowned; he'd been hit by one before. _C.M... Let's give this a try,_ he decided, targeting the fighters in front of him and launching a missile into their midst. _Ha,_ he grinned triumphantly, following up with laser fire as they all scattered helplessly, dropping like flies. _This ship is way too much fun._

"Power's back up," Han announced, returning to the cockpit and testing another switch on the control panel. _Whoa..._ Anakin blinked, feeling a strange sensation all around him; he could even _see_ a faint haze in the area surrounding the _Falcon._ "It's working," Han confirmed. "Ready whenever you are," he told Anakin, going back to his tangle of wires at the rear of the cockpit.

"All right, let's get out of here," Anakin said over the transmitter, pulling up abruptly and heading toward the mine field. Luke, Mara, and Zak quickly caught up with him, staying just ahead of the _Falcon's_ laser cannons as Obi-Wan and Cory fired back at their pursuers.

A few moments later they arrived at the mine field, and Anakin proceeded cautiously into the vast sea of explosive devices, as the others followed close on his tail. _Note to self,_ he observed, as they passed effortlessly through the deadly mine field. _Next time I get sent on a crazy suicide mission, check with my son-in-law first._

Finally they emerged from the mine field, where they were met by Gardulla's starfleet, outside Nar Shaddaa's atmosphere. _This again,_ Anakin sighed, firing at the incoming fighters as Luke, Mara, and Zak coordinated their efforts, staying close by his side. But then he sensed something: a vague presence in the distance, lurking... _Ha,_ he grinned cheerfully, as a small but highly trained division of Jedi Starfighters sped toward them. _It's Ahsoka._

"Hey Snips," Anakin greeted her, over the transmitter. "Welcome to the party."

"Gotta tell you, Skyguy," Ahsoka replied, as they joined in the battle against Gardulla's fleet. "You throw really weird parties."

"Yeah, well, you might want to skip this one," Anakin warned her. "If the Council finds out you're here - "

"They already know," Ahsoka told him glumly. "We're all on probation for a month."

"Vacation on Coruscant?" Anakin laughed; 'probation' within the Jedi Order generally amounted to house arrest in the Jedi Temple. _Which has windows... That we can get out of..._ But then he frowned. "If we're all on probation, who the heck is going to win this war?"

"Eh... _We_ are," Ahsoka grumbled, as her team continued to harass a group of enemy fighters in the distance. "Master Yoda was very specific: _first_ we capture Nar Shaddaa, _then_ probation," she told him. "Speaking of which - they want to talk to Master Kenobi right away."

"As in - now?" Anakin asked, swerving sharply to avoid two incoming fighters, and firing at a third, then pulling up to avoid the explosion. "We're kind of in the middle of a battle here," he pointed out.

"Hey, I'm just the messenger," Ahsoka commiserated. "But yeah... They're awaiting his official report on the situation."

Anakin laughed quietly. "I'll bet they are," he agreed, switching on the _Falcon's_ intercom. "Hey, Obi-Wan - good news: you're off the hook," he told him. "The Council wants to talk to you right away."

"Thank the Force," Obi-Wan sighed, switching off his headset.

A moment later he joined them in the cockpit; but then Han spoke up. "You can use the transmitter in the lounge," he offered, looking up from the impossibly tangled mass of wires that were spilling out from the cockpit's rear panel. _What the hell is he doing back there?_ Anakin wondered, blinking. _And - Leia's been SLEEPING through all this?_ he realized, noticing that she was peacefully dozing in the back seat.

_Meanwhile Qui-Gon's still meditating,_ Anakin laughed to himself, turning back to his flying; he'd given up trying to understand his father's behavior years ago. But the battle was still raging on, and he frowned worriedly as another group of enemy fighters approached.

"Uh... I could use a little help here," Cory admitted, firing valiantly at the approaching vessels.

_No kidding..._ "Master," Anakin said, looking back at Qui-Gon. "Please... Would you mind taking the upper turret?"

Qui-Gon opened his eyes calmly, raising a brow at Anakin. "Is that an order?"

Anakin frowned. _Is this a trick question?_ "Yes," he told his father sternly, swerving to evade a sudden barrage of laser fire.

He could sense Qui-Gon's amusement. "I've never been one to follow orders," he pointed out mildly.

_Gah..._ The incoming fighters were all over them now, and Anakin was forced to go into an evasive spin, veering sharply downward and to the left, then pulling up abruptly to avoid crashing into Luke and Mara. _Sorry guys..._ "Seriously, Master," Anakin said, exasperated. "If you don't get up there _now_, we're going to get hit."

Qui-Gon sighed. "Very well," he agreed quietly, getting up from his seat.

Anakin blinked uncomfortably; he'd never actually ordered his father around like that before. "Thank you," he said, turning back and giving him an apologetic look. Qui-Gon smiled indulgently, nodding; but Anakin caught the look of concern in his eyes as he glanced at Leia, who was still sleeping peacefully in the passenger seat.

_What was that about?_ Anakin frowned, as Qui-Gon headed up to the gun turret. _And how in the world is she sleeping through all this?_ he wondered again, turning back to his flying. _Crap, is she okay?_

"AaaaaAAAAAHHHH!" came a cry from behind him, as Leia suddenly woke up, gasping in pain. "Ahhhhhhh..."

"Leia!" Anakin exclaimed helplessly; he was in the middle of evasive maneuvers, and cringed as he was forced to spin violently around, causing everyone in the cockpit to lurch forward, then slam back against their seats. _Gah, sorry..._

"Aaaahhhhhhh," Leia cried again, arching her back and gasping; her face was alarmingly pale.

Han had been back in the engine room, but ran into the cockpit now, alarmed. "Leia!" he exclaimed, kneeling beside her. "Sweetheart, are you all right?"

"Ahhhh... Ahh... Ahhh... No," Leia whispered miserably, shuddering and clutching a hand to her belly.

"I was worried about this," Qui-Gon sighed, returning to the cockpit. "She's going into labor; we need to get her to a hospital."

_Crap..._ Anakin nodded, looking for the fastest way through the battle zone, so they could make the jump to hyperspace. "We'll be out of here in a minute, Leia," he promised her, maneuvering quickly past the enemy fighters.

"Uh, it might be a bit longer than that," Han admitted worriedly. "I had to divert power from the hyperdrive, to fix the disarming system," he reminded them. "And now - " He glanced apprehensively at the tangle of wires behind Leia's seat. "It could be a while, before I can get the hyperdrive working again."

_Damn it..._ Anakin nodded, turning back to his own task, as Han ran back to the engine room, and Qui-Gon attended to Leia. Her cries had subsided now, and Qui-Gon knelt beside her, pressing his fingers gently against her forehead as he focused on his healing meditations. _So that's what he's been doing all this time..._

"She'll be all right," Qui-Gon told him quietly. "She's three weeks early, but the babies are fine," he assured Anakin. "I don't sense anything wrong."

But now Luke spoke up over the transmitter. "Master, what's going on?" he asked, confused by their sudden change of trajectory.

"Leia's going into labor," Anakin replied, over the Jedi's local channel. "We need to get her to a hospital - or at least away from the fighting," he explained, still heading for the outer edge of the battle zone. "Han's trying to get the hyperdrive working, but we'll make the jump as soon as we can."

"No worries, Skyguy - we got you covered," Ahsoka said, flying past his cockpit and peering inside, concerned. "Is she all right?"

"She's fine," Anakin assured them; Qui-Gon was perfectly capable of delivering the babies aboard the _Falcon_, if it came to that. "But I need to try to avoid heavy evasive maneuvers, so if you guys could - " He broke off suddenly, as a massive field of light began to flicker and shimmer in the hyperspace zone ahead of them. "Something's coming out of hyperspace," he warned the others. "Something big..."

"Battle ship," Ahsoka confirmed, as the vessel materialized. "Pull back," she told the others quickly. "Set three-seven-one - "

"No, wait," Anakin said, sensing something; then a relieved grin crossed his face. _It's Padmé..._ "It's a Republic ship," he told them, pretending to identify its design. "They've got a medical ward... I'm going aboard," he said, flying toward it.

"Do you need us to come aboard too, Master?" Luke asked, uncertain; he and Mara weren't technically part of Ahsoka's elite Jedi division, nor was Zak.

_Good question..._ If Leia's labor and delivery turned out to be anything like her mother's, all sorts of family secrets might end up being blurted out, at maximum volume. _Let's just keep this simple..._ "No," Anakin decided reluctantly. "Stay with Ahsoka; you'll be in good hands," he assured them.

"Yeah!" Zak cheered, instantly leaving the _Falcon's_ side and flying over to join Ahsoka's team. Anakin laughed quietly, sensing Luke and Mara's excitement as well; then he smiled in wistful gratitude, continuing toward the Naboo battleship and requesting permission to board.

He touched down in the docking bay a minute later, keeping his expression carefully subdued as he walked down the _Falcon's_ ramp. "Milady," he greeted Padmé with a respectful bow. "It's good to see you."

"It's good to see you too," Padmé replied, her eyes shining with joyful relief as she met his gaze momentarily. But then she blinked in alarm as Han came down the _Falcon's_ ramp, carrying Leia in his arms. "Leia!" Padmé exclaimed, rushing to her side. "Sweetheart, are you all right?"

"She's going into labor, but she's doing very well," Qui-Gon assured her gently. "We need to get her to the medical ward."

"Oh..." Padmé blinked, nodding. An emergency crew was already rushing over with a hovering gurney, and Anakin gave Padmé a reassuring smile, sensing her concern. But already her shock was giving way to a budding sensation of joy, and anticipation...

_I know,_ Anakin agreed, his own heart fluttering in disbelief as they shared a secret, loving glance. _We're going to be grandparents._


	212. But Solaris Three is saved

**Chapter 212**

_A few minutes later..._

"It's a boy!" Padmé announced excitedly, wrapping her grandson in a soft blanket.

"Blaster," Leia whispered, gazing at him in adoration.

"No," Han said gently, kissing Leia on the forehead. "His name is Nookee."

"No, really," Leia insisted, with a loving smile; then her eyes widened. "Ahhhhh," she gasped, as another contraction hit her.

"It's a girl," Padmé announced a few minutes later, placing the newborn in Leia's arm.

"Falcon," Leia murmured, stroking her tiny cheek.

"Or Boobé," Han countered, thoughtful. "Boobé is a nice name."

Leia gave him an adoring smile, her eyes shining with joy. "You really think so?"

Han nodded indulgently; he had been holding their son, but placed him in Leia's other arm now. "Nookee and Boobé," he said, gazing at them in wonder. "They're perfect," he said, kissing her on the temple.

_Yeah, they're perfect,_ Cory agreed, sharing an amused glance with Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan. _Aside from their names..._

"Well - we could use yours as middle names," Leia suggested. "Or maybe - one of each?" she offered, trying it out. "Hello, Falcon Boobé," she murmured, smiling tenderly at her daughter. "Hello, Nookee Blaster."

_Gah, that's even worse..._ Cory sensed Anakin's inward cringe as well, and offered him a sympathetic glance. _Should I say something?_ he wondered, frowning uncertainly. As one of the Jedi Order's top agents on Solaris Three - along with his fellow secret ambassador, Duke Lightbringer - Cory had visited the planet dozens of times over the years, and knew far more about the _Star Wars_ phenomenon than anyone else in this room.

_I'm not supposed to say anything, unless it's an extreme emergency,_ Cory realized, blinking worriedly. _But - Falcon Boobé, and Nookee Blaster?_ He sighed, shaking his head in utter disbelief. _Yeah, this is an emergency._ He glanced cautiously around the delivery room; everyone here was family, and at least vaguely aware of his involvement on Solaris Three. Padmé and Qui-Gon had delivered the babies themselves, sending the doctors and medical droids away earlier.

_But how do you tell people their babies' names are stupid?_ Cory wondered. _You don't,_ he realized, frowning._ Just - mention it casually,_ he decided. _Make a joke about it, or something..._ "Heh," Cory laughed quietly, as the others looked over at him in surprise. "The _Star Wars_ people sure got _that_ wrong."

"What do you mean?" Anakin asked, curious.

"Eh, it's in one of their books," Cory said, with a dismissive shrug. "Han and Leia have twins, and they end up naming them - Jaina and Jacen, I think," he told them, trying to sound casual.

"Jaina and Jacen?" Han repeated, sharing a surprised smile with Leia. "After the twin constellations?"

"Yeah," Cory told them, nodding; Jaina and Jacen were well-known constellations in their galaxy, named after mythological heroes.

"Oh... I love it," Leia confessed, her eyes shining with delight. "I didn't realize they had the same constellations that we do."

"Eh, they call it something else," Cory said, trying to remember. "Gemini, I think."

"Gemini?" Han blinked, intrigued. "That's a nice name too," he confessed, giving Leia a questioning look.

_Gemini Solo...? Good grief,_ Cory sighed, sharing a sympathetic glance with Anakin. _These guys should be fired from having any more kids._

But Leia frowned. "Wait... So if they call it Gemini," she asked, not following. "How do they know about Jaina and Jacen?"

"Ah - they don't," Cory admitted. "Master Windu may have... subtly suggested it to someone, at some point," he told them vaguely. He wasn't entirely certain himself, and hadn't asked, but the truth was that Master Windu had mind-tricked an alarming number of unsuspecting Solaris Three residents over the years.

"Well how did they know we were having twins in the first place?" Han asked, furrowing his brows.

_Gah, quit asking me these things..._ "Well - the _Star Wars_ director saw a lot of things during that lightning storm, when the _SITH_ and _JEDI_ footage was captured," Cory told them. "It didn't all get recorded onto his film reels, but there was stuff from other episodes... who knows how far into the future," he admitted. "It could be - maybe these little guys will be on _JEDI_ one day," he suggested, shrugging.

"Well, we'd better enroll them in acting lessons," Leia said, sharing a knowing look with Han. "Because - they're not going to be Jedi," she told the others quietly, casting an apologetic glance at her father. "I can't give them up," she admitted, smiling at her babies lovingly. "And I won't separate them," she insisted, with a regretful sigh. "They're going to know their family," she murmured, kissing her son's forehead. "And know that they are loved."

Cory nodded, understanding her decision; Zak would probably never become a Master, and Cory and Elena had come to quietly accept that this was simply the way it would be for their family. _He knows I love him. The fact that we're biologically related is irrelevant,_ Cory told himself, as always. _Besides, Zak would never believe it,_ he laughed. But at least Maia knew the truth, and Cory was grateful to have a close relationship with both of his children, even if one of them didn't realize it.

The others were gathering around Leia's bedside to offer their congratulations now, and Cory joined them, admiring his newborn cousins. "They're beautiful," he told Leia, giving her an affectionate smile.

"Thank you," Leia said, her eyes shimmering with joy. "Hello, Jaina and Jacen," she murmured softly. "Welcome to the family."

* * *

><p><em>Two weeks later...<em>

"I thought we were on probation," Cory pointed out, taking a seat in the makeshift conference room at Nar Shaddaa's brand-new Jedi Border Patrol outpost, along with Anakin, Obi-Wan, Qui-Gon, Duke, Mace, and Yoda.

"Technically the peace treaty _has_ been signed," Qui-Gon agreed mildly. The Jedi had captured Nar Shaddaa over a week ago, and Gardulla had been killed during the assault on the royal palace. Prince Blobbo of Ylesia had quickly surrendered, choosing to join the Republic, and the remaining Hutts were bound to him by ancient oath.

"Signed, the peace treaty has been," Yoda conceded. "But greedy, Hutts are by nature," he admitted, sighing regretfully. "Only a matter of time it is, before they cause trouble again," he warned the others.

Mace nodded solemnly. "We've asked you all to come here today, because we have a special assignment that needs to be carried out, while we still have the chance," he told them, sharing an apprehensive look with Yoda.

"If this involves me wearing another stupid uniform, I'm not doing it," Anakin declared bluntly.

"Keep it up, bro," Cory laughed. "That kind of talk is just going to get you more probation."

"Enough!" Yoda said, frowning indignantly. "Probation begins tomorrow," he informed them, as Anakin rolled his eyes, and Cory grinned quietly, leaning back in his seat. "Very serious, this assignment is," he continued. "Today we reinforce the Maw."

At this, the two delinquents shared a surprised look. "We?" Anakin asked, blinking.

_Unfortunately, yes,_ Yoda sighed, not at all confident in their ability to carry out this job; but it couldn't be helped now. "A perimeter we will set up, around the Maw," he told them. "And together we will focus our concentration on the Force field - with the help of these crystals," he explained, opening the pouch on his belt. "Pure white Ilum crystals these are," he murmured reverently, hobbling around the room and handing each of them a precious, clear white gem.

"White Ilum crystals?" Cory asked, surprised. "I didn't think there were any," he admitted, blinking. "And I would know," he added importantly. "I was _his_padawan for seven miserable years," he laughed, glancing impishly at Qui-Gon.

"Try thirteen," Obi-Wan muttered commiseratively, under his breath.

"Only these seven crystals are known to exist," Yoda told them. "A lifetime has Qui-Gon spent, searching the galaxy for them, at my request," he added quietly, with a respectful nod to Qui-Gon. "Do not underestimate the value of his service to this Order," he reproached the others.

"Wait..." Anakin blinked, utterly confused. "So there was a _point_ to all his crazy caving expeditions?" Cory looked equally surprised, and even Obi-Wan gave his father a look of newfound appreciation, as Qui-Gon smiled in triumphant satisfaction, an amused gleam in his eyes.

"The utmost focus and concentration, this task will require," Yoda told them. "Only when the crystals resonate in perfect unison, can the Force field be strengthened."

"The fate of my home planet depends on our success," Mace added, his expression fierce. "This is no time for jokes, or games," he declared darkly. "So if any of you have anything stupid to say... Say it now," he challenged them, fixing his gaze on Anakin and Cory.

An awkward moment ensued, as Cory gulped silently, and Anakin surreptitiously bit his lip.

"Good," Mace said. "We'll regroup outside the Maw," he instructed them, standing up. "May the Force be with us."

A few minutes later they arrived at the Maw, and positioned their Starfighters at equal distances around the Force field, each holding a pure white Ilum crystal and focusing in peaceful meditation.

Yoda regarded his own crystal now, noting its slight irregularity; of the seven crystals, this one alone was imperfect, and had a faint, cloudy white line running through it. He had kept it for himself, knowing that the others could not achieve their task with a flawed crystal. But quietly, Yoda worried that this tiny imperfection might cause serious repercussions, creating an anomaly in the Force field, such as the one his father had accidentally caused a millennium ago.

But he focused his concentration now, feeling the energy of all seven crystals as the Jedi meditated in peaceful communion. He could feel Mace's energy strongly, along with Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan's; Duke and Cory's presences were respectfully subdued and cooperative, and even Anakin's - usually impossibly wild - was slowly coming under control, aligning and merging with the others. Finally the various Force presences became one, and Yoda slowly opened his eyes, seeing the energy of the Maw in front of him.

He held out a tiny hand, using the Force to trace a path along the spherical edges of the Maw as he strengthened the Force field, all the way around. Finally he returned to the area directly in front of him, and focused his concentration on the breach itself. His father had chosen to leave this one spot open, allowing access to anyone who knew the way in; but now Yoda sealed off the entrance, creating a faint web of energy that only a Jedi could pass through.

He let out a peaceful sigh now, taking a moment to inspect his work; but finally he closed his eyes again, satisfied with his efforts. "Finished, our task here is," he told the others quietly, over the transmitter. "Excellent work, you have all done."

Yoda opened his eyes, watching as the steady, peaceful glow emanating from the seven crystals began to disperse, flickering and fading as the Jedi relaxed their focus. He could feel the energy of the crystal in his own hand, and it trembled erratically now, as if unwilling to let go of the blissful union with its perfect brethren.

_Happening, it is,_ Yoda realized at the last moment, as the bond was finally broken. _A bad feeling about this, I have..._ Suddenly there was a violent flash of lightning within the Maw, as the imperfect crystal shattered in Yoda's hand.

"What the heck was that?" Cory asked worriedly, over the transmitter.

Yoda sighed, regarding the broken crystal fragments in his hand. He and Mace had been aware of this possibility, though until this moment they had remained stubbornly optimistic, refusing to give power to their fears. But the facts were undeniable, and Yoda chuckled regretfully now, realizing what had just happened.

In celebration of the war's end, Lars Studios had just established a special HoloNet channel for their new Outer Rim allies - offering every _JEDI_ and _SITH_episode ever made, available for instant download in various formats, including analog transmission. And now, in conjunction with this dramatic disturbance in the Force...

"That," Mace replied, a tone of amusement in his voice. "Was every _JEDI_ and _SITH_ episode ever made - past, present, and future - getting zapped down to Solaris Three, sent back in time, and captured onto film reels, by a certain Earthling director," he explained to the others, with a weary sigh.

_Created the Star Wars disaster, my father did not,_ Yoda realized, chuckling at the irony. _We created it ourselves._


	213. Luke becomes a Master

**Chapter 213**

_Three weeks later..._

"The padawan... was called - "

"_Will be_ called," Obi-Wan corrected Luke, pointing to the faded letters on the ancient document.

"Gah," Luke sighed, trying again. "The padawan _will be_ called... a constellation?" he asked, blinking. _That can't be right..._

Obi-Wan smiled, amused by his translation attempt. "You're doing well, Luke; but you're taking it too literally," he told him. "What does 'padawan' actually mean, in ancient Coruscanti?"

"Oh: initiate," Luke recalled.

"And what's another word for 'initiate'?" Obi-Wan asked.

Luke sighed. "I don't know..." He ran a hand through his hair, already frustrated by his month of probation at the Jedi Temple, confined to the library and forced to translate ancient Coruscanti documents under Obi-Wan's constant supervision. "Novice?" he guessed. "Apprentice?"

"Close," Obi-Wan replied; but then he blinked worriedly. "No, that's not close at all," he admitted, shaking his head. "And it's not your fault," he assured Luke quickly. "It's just... There are so many ways it could be interpreted," he confessed. "But one way would be to think of an 'initiate' as 'one who has been chosen'," Obi-Wan offered cryptically.

"Okay," Luke said, blinking. _Sure..._ "This 'one who has been chosen' - will be called a constellation?"

"That's a bit closer," Obi-Wan encouraged him. "Now, what's another word for 'constellation'?"

Luke shrugged. "A group of stars?"

"Blast," Obi-Wan sighed. "No, you're right," he told him. "But that isn't it either..." He raised his hands, at a loss. "Honestly, there's no way anyone ought to know this, unless they'd had a padawan who was going through an identity crisis, and they were trying to cheer him up," he confessed, frustrated.

"Um... What?" Luke asked, confused.

"Skywalker," Obi-Wan told him. "It means 'constellation'."

Luke blinked. "It does?"

"Yes. It's a colloquial term, that went out of use centuries ago," Obi-Wan explained. "But a 'skywalker' is constellation: a hero of light, who walks the night skies."

Luke grinned, delighted. "Cool," he said. "And - 'hero of light' translates to _Jedi,_" he realized.

"Exactly," Obi-Wan nodded. "Which is why 'Skywalker' has always been a common Jedi name, given to orphans within the Order."

"So... Does 'Jedi' mean constellation too?" Luke asked, curious.

Obi-Wan frowned, considering it. "Not exactly," he said. "A hero of light is not _necessarily_ a constellation."

"Right," Luke agreed, nodding. "Okay, so... This 'one who has been chosen' - will be called... Skywalker?" he guessed, trying again. _Wait a minute..._ "The Chosen One will be called Skywalker... Hey, this is the Chosen One prophecy!" Luke realized, grinning. _Awesome..._

"Yes, it is," Obi-Wan said, smiling proudly. "And what is contained _within_ the Chosen One prophecy?"

"The Jedi Code," Luke said excitedly, realizing what that meant. "So this is really the last thing I'm going to have to translate?" he asked. "And then I'm done?"

"Then you're done," Obi-Wan confirmed. "And the Council _will_ make you a Master," he promised quietly. "Between your translation efforts, and your role in the Nar Shaddaa conflict... They're very impressed with you, Luke," he told him. "And so am I," he added, smiling.

"Heh," Luke grinned. "They're making me a Master - for the same thing they gave me _probation_ for?"

Obi-Wan chuckled. "The probation is merely a formality," he said. "But it's a good opportunity to finally get these translations done," he pointed out.

"And then I never want to see another ancient Coruscanti manuscript again," Luke laughed, exhausted. _I just want to go back to Tatooine with Mara and Anakin, and work for Border Patrol - forever,_ he sighed; but he knew the Council had loftier ambitions for him, and carefully avoided the subject around Obi-Wan.

"Now, I'll leave you to your work," Obi-Wan said. "I've already interfered far too much," he confessed; technically the point of Luke's translation project was to gain a fresh perspective on these ancient texts, _without_ being influenced by the familiar translations he already knew. "But I was terrified to imagine what you might come up with, if I didn't at least help you work through the first line," he admitted, chuckling.

"No kidding," Luke agreed, laughing. When he'd first started this project over a year ago, he'd mistranslated his first assignment so badly that 'May the Force be with you' had somehow turned into 'You might be a terrorist'. _And the scary thing is, I really haven't gotten that much better since then..._ "Thanks, Master," he called after Obi-Wan, who nodded cheerfully, taking his leave.

Luke turned back to his translation efforts, working out the rest of the Chosen One prophecy. Now that he had a general idea what he was working on, it was a lot easier to decipher. _'The Chosen one will be called Skywalker',_ he typed, entering his own translation into his datapad. _Though if it actually were my translation, I'd have said 'The padawan was called a constellation,'_ he laughed to himself, amused.

_Okay... 'Bearing midichlorians' - wait a minute,_ Luke frowned. He knew the Chosen One was supposed to be 'born of midichlorians' - as in _conceived_ by them... But 'bearing midichlorians' was something else entirely. _Every Jedi in the entire Order is 'bearing midichlorians',_ Luke sighed. _Gah, none of this makes any sense..._

But he worked through it as best he could, and finally arrived at the Jedi Code itself. _Let's see here... 'Emotion, yet peace' - good grief,_ Luke sighed, shaking his head. He knew it was supposed to read _'There is no emotion, there is peace';_ but try as he might, he couldn't see how _anyone_ had ever arrived at that translation.

_Seriously,_ Luke thought, frowning. _'Emotion, yet peace. Ignorance, yet knowledge. Passion, yet serenity. Chaos, yet harmony. Death, yet the Force'... It's literally saying that ALL of these things exist... Which they do,_ he reasoned. He'd been taught all his life that _'There is no emotion'... _

_But of COURSE there's emotion,_ Luke admitted, blinking. _Just like there's ignorance, passion, chaos, death..._ The Jedi Code - at least, in its modern translation - seemed to categorically deny the existence of such things, but obviously that made no sense. _Crap... The Jedi Code is wrong?_ Luke stared at the ancient manuscript in disbelief.

_No,_ he told himself, frowning stubbornly. _I'm just having another 'You might be a terrorist' moment._ In truth, ancient Coruscanti was frustratingly inconsistent; there was often no way to tell whether a verb was meant to be past tense, or future, and ancient scribes seemed to be whimsically creative when it came to spelling.

_Okay, I can figure this out,_ Luke resolved. _'Emotion, yet peace'... So basically: 'There is emotion, yet we're supposed to feel peace',_ he reasoned. _Which is not that different from 'There is no emotion, there is peace'... Yeah, that kind of makes sense,_ he decided.

He spent the rest of the afternoon working on his translation, and in the end he came up with something that was worded slightly differently than the familiar modern version, but basically meant the same thing. _There is emotion, yet we seek peace. There is ignorance, yet we seek knowledge. There is passion, yet we seek serenity. There is chaos, yet we seek harmony. There is death, yet we seek the Force._

It wasn't as poetic as the official version of the Jedi Code, but Luke honestly believed that it was a more accurate translation. Not only was it closer to the literal wording of the original ancient Coruscanti manuscript, but it also made far more logical sense, instead of trying to deny the existence of things that clearly _do_ exist.

Obi-Wan stopped by later that afternoon, and Luke showed him his translation. At first he was skeptical, but when Luke showed him the wording of the original, he blinked in surprise, equally stunned to realize how inaccurate the official modern translation was. "This is good, Luke," he told him quietly. "This is _very_ good."

"Thank you, Master," Luke said, breathing a sigh of relief; he hadn't been completely sure of it himself.

"We'll show it to the Council tomorrow," Obi-Wan told him, with an encouraging smile. "I have a feeling they will be impressed."

* * *

><p>The Council <em>was<em> impressed; in fact, they were so impressed that they voted to adopt his translation of the Jedi Code, and immediately bestowed upon him the rank of Jedi Master - making him the youngest in the history of the Jedi Order. _I can't believe this,_ Luke blinked, as he left the Council chamber. _What just happened in there?_

"Congratulations, Luke," Obi-Wan said proudly, patting him on the shoulder. "Though I'm not at all surprised," he added, a fond twinkle in his eye. "Did I ever tell you you're the most brilliant padawan I've ever had the pleasure of training?"

_Only about a million times..._ "Thank you, Master," Luke said, unable to suppress a delighted grin as the reality of the situation began to hit him. _I'm really a Master? Which means - _Luke's heart fluttered with excitement, and a sudden, intense longing. _Ahh, I can't wait to talk to my dad..._

"Come," Obi-Wan said cheerfully, leading the way back downstairs. "There's something we need to discuss," he added, raising an eyebrow cryptically.

"Oh... Of course," Luke nodded politely, attempting a grateful smile and masking his impatience. _He probably wants to talk to me about my career options,_ he sighed; now that he was a Master, it would be even more difficult to defend his decision to remain on Border Patrol, as Mara's partner. _But I won't leave her,_ he vowed stubbornly. _I'll listen to what Obi-Wan has to say, and try to be polite about it, but... Gah, this sucks,_ he thought, as Obi-Wan invited him into his private chamber.

"So," Obi-Wan said, sitting down on the edge of his bed, as Luke settled into the giant floating spoon. "Now that you're a Master," he began, somewhat hesitantly. "I suppose you realize it's traditional to look up your family?"

"Oh - " Luke blinked, caught off guard. "Ah... yes," he nodded, suddenly feeling intensely uncomfortable. "Right; I, uh - " Luke laughed nervously, giving Obi-Wan an apologetic look. _He knows that I've known for years now. This is ridiculous..._ "I think I have a pretty good idea where to find them," he pointed out jokingly; Anakin and Mara were right here in the Jedi Temple, serving their probation sentence along with everyone else.

"Hmm," Obi-Wan chuckled, his eyes twinkling with amusement. "I thought you might," he agreed. But then he hesitated, looking down. "Your father asked me to talk to you," he admitted, giving Luke a regretful look. "He's sensed that you've been angry with him - "

"No, I haven't," Luke assured him quickly. "Well - maybe I was... for a little while," he shrugged. "But - really, no," he promised.

Obi-Wan nodded, grateful. "Well, then," he continued. "He's asked me to explain to you about the _rest_ of your family, because - " He sighed, regretful. "Honestly, Luke; he's terrified that if he tries to tell you this himself, you'll be angry with him again - or with all of us," Obi-Wan added, blinking worriedly.

Luke shook his head, looking down. "No, Master," he assured him. "I promise." He shrugged, apologetic. "Anyway, I uh... I already _know_ about the rest of my family," he confessed, realizing there was no point in pretending anymore.

"Do you?" Obi-Wan blinked, startled. Then he frowned cautiously. "_Who_ exactly do you know about?"

"Well... I figured out about my mother - a few years ago," Luke admitted. "And - my sister," he added, giving Obi-Wan a knowing look.

"Really?" Obi-Wan asked, surprised. "I honestly thought you hadn't... You've hidden your feelings well," he chuckled.

_Not really,_ Luke frowned. _I waged war on a massive drug warehouse after my mother died; it wasn't exactly subtle._ But he realized that he could speak openly about such things now, and gave Obi-Wan a questioning look. "Did you know my mother?" he asked, curious. "Before...?"

"Before what?" Obi-Wan asked, not following.

"Before - " Luke gulped, recalling Cora's frantic plea. _He took the baby..._ "Before I was sent to the Temple?"

"Hmm." Obi-Wan smiled fondly. "Yes, very well," he assured Luke. "We used to go to the ballet together, and the opera," he told him, his eyes twinkling. "Your father was never into that sort of thing."

"Heh," Luke laughed, looking down. _Cora always loved singing, and dancing..._

"Of course, she was even _better_ friends with your father," Obi-Wan pointed out. "Which I didn't realize until - oh, about an hour before you were born," he confessed, as Luke grinned in amusement, grateful to learn that there had been a time when his parents were happy together. "You're taking this very well," Obi-Wan added gently, sensing his wistful sadness at the memory of his mother.

"Oh," Luke shrugged, smiling. "Yeah... it's okay," he assured him. He couldn't find the words to ask what had happened between his parents, and was grateful when Obi-Wan changed the subject.

"Learning about my own family came as a huge shock to me, when I became a Master," Obi-Wan sympathized.

Luke grinned. "That's when you learned about Ben?"

"Yes," Obi-Wan said. "Ben's sister, Ana, was my mother," he explained. "I met her only once, when Qui-Gon first took me as his padawan. And I'm glad I did," he confessed, smiling in regret. "She died two years later, though I didn't know who she was at the time."

Luke nodded; Ben had told him about Ana once. "I'm sorry, Master," he said quietly. _I know what it's like to lose a mother._

"Yes... Well, at least I've still got my father," Obi-Wan said, remaining cheerful.

"Really?" Luke asked; somehow the thought of it seemed odd to him.

Obi-Wan's eyes twinkled mischievously. "So you haven't guessed who he is?"

Luke blinked in surprise. "What... I've met him?"

Obi-Wan nodded, amused. "Many times."

Luke's brows furrowed. "Ben?" he asked uncertainly.

Obi-Wan chuckled. "Ben and my mother were siblings," he reminded Luke, with a disturbed cringe.

_Right; incest is my specialty._ "Sorry," Luke said, shrugging. "I don't know, Master."

"I don't know how no one sees it," Obi-Wan sighed. "He still treats me like a child, even though I'm sixty years old."

Luke blinked, incredulous. _"Qui-Gon?"_

"Don't look so surprised," Obi-Wan told him. "Have you _ever_ known Qui-Gon to follow any sort of rules?"

Luke laughed, amused by all of this. "No," he confessed.

"He has other offspring, you know," Obi-Wan added cryptically, raising a brow.

"He does?" _This is awesome,_ Luke grinned, delighted._ Wait till Mara hears about this..._

"Yes," Obi-Wan sighed. "My darling brother," he muttered, rolling his eyes.

"And I suppose I know him too?" Luke asked. _Wait a minute..._ "Cory?"

"Oh dear... That's another nest of Gundarks," Obi-Wan sighed. "No, my brother is - " He chuckled softly. "You know how I'm always saying you're the politest, most intelligent, and well-behaved padawan I've ever had?" he asked, as Luke laughed shyly. "Well, imagine the complete _opposite_ of that, and you've got my brother."

Luke laughed, trying to guess. _He sounds like a nightmare..._ "He's a Jedi, though?"

"Yes, Force help us," Obi-Wan sighed. "I _did_ say he was my padawan," he reminded Luke.

_Did you?_ Luke furrowed his brows; Obi-Wan had only ever had one other padawan, as far as he knew. _Who he never stops complaining about..._ He blinked in disbelief. "Anakin?" he asked, incredulous. "Anakin's your _brother_?"

Obi-Wan's eyes twinkled fondly. "Do you think I would ever put up with him otherwise?"

"Haha... No," Luke realized, delighted; it all suddenly made sense now. "Wait - so if he's your brother, that means - " Luke broke off, blinking at Obi-Wan in surprise. "You're my - my uncle?" he asked, his heart fluttering. "I... I've always wanted an uncle," he blurted out stupidly, suddenly fighting tears.

Obi-Wan laughed gently. "I know you have," he agreed, giving Luke an amused smile. "You've always been insanely jealous of mine," he chuckled. "Who, as it so happens, is your uncle as well," he pointed out. "Or at least, your great-uncle."

"Ben's my uncle too?" Luke grinned. _This just keeps getting better..._

"And Qui-Gon is your grandfather," Obi-Wan told him, as Luke's heart fluttered with a strange new sensation of warmth, and belonging. _I have a grandfather?_ "Welcome to the family, Luke," Obi-Wan said, smiling affectionately. "_Now_ do you see why we've all been pushing you to become a Master?"

_Oh..._ Luke's eyes filled with tears, but he nodded, smiling in gratitude.

"Now, now... None of that," Obi-Wan chuckled fondly, giving him an affectionate pat on the shoulder as he continued toward the kitchen cabinet. "You're a Jedi Master now... This calls for blue stuff," he declared cheerfully; but then he sighed. "Especially in light of what _else_ I need to tell you," he added worriedly, handing Luke his drink.

Luke blinked, concerned. "What is it, Master?"

Obi-Wan sat back down on his bed; he took a sip of his drink, then looked down, avoiding Luke's gaze. "It's about Cory," he said quietly.

Luke sensed his sudden anxiety. "Is he all right?"

"Yes, he's fine," Obi-Wan said. "It's just that - "

"He's family too," Luke realized suddenly. "He looks like you, Master," he added, surprised that he'd never noticed it before.

"Yes, well... there's a reason for that," Obi-Wan confessed uncomfortably.

_What?_ "No," Luke said, laughing. "Master... You're serious?"

Obi-Wan gave him a cautious look. "You're not angry?"

"Why would I be angry?" Luke asked, still laughing. "I think it's hilarious," he said, taking a sip of his blue stuff. _Mara's going to love this..._

"I'm glad you find my personal life entertaining," Obi-Wan said, reproachful.

"Sorry, Master," Luke apologized. "So - " He blinked, trying to make sense of this. "Who is Cory's mother?"

Obi-Wan smiled, looking down. "Leila."

"Seriously?" Luke grinned, delighted. _I love Leila; she's always so nice to me..._ "So Jon and Kyra are your kids too?"

"No... Leila was married twice, before me," Obi-Wan told him.

Luke frowned, confused. "Isn't Cory older than them?"

"Yes; it's - complicated," Obi-Wan admitted, blinking self-consciously.

Luke offered a sympathetic smile, not pushing the issue. _I was married to my own sister. I understand complicated._

"In fact - here's where it gets even _more_ complicated," Obi-Wan said, sighing. "Zak is Cory's son."

Luke blinked. "What?"

"His mother is Elena; she's half Zabrak," Obi-Wan explained. "And Maia is Zak's sister."

"Wait - so Cory's poor, underprivileged 'Little Sister' that he volunteers to visit... is actually his own daughter?" Luke laughed; then he realized Obi-Wan had been doing the exact same thing for years. "And you, with Jon and Kyra - "

"I know," Obi-Wan sighed, cringing. "We're terrible."

"Yes, you _are_," Luke agreed, giving him a reproachful look. But suddenly he realized something else. _Crap, should I tell him Zak has a kid too?_ Tara was right downstairs in the Jedi Temple's nursery; Luke had been visiting her regularly these past few weeks. _Gah, I promised Zak I wouldn't say anything..._

Obi-Wan sensed his conflicted emotions, and gave him a regretful look now. "Are you going to tell the Council?" he asked quietly.

"What? No," Luke said, blinking. "No... Of course not, Master," he assured him. "It's just - " he sighed unhappily. "Don't you think Zak deserves to know?"

Obi-Wan sighed, looking down. "We told Cory everything, when he was thirteen," he confessed. "Zak was born two years later."

"Seriously?" Luke laughed despite himself. "He was fifteen_?_" _Okay, Cory takes the prize..._

"Yes," Obi-Wan commiserated. "Whereas _you_ are now a Jedi Master, at twenty-three," he pointed out, giving Luke a proud smile.

_Yeah, and I started dating my sister when I was twelve,_ Luke sighed. _Trust me, Master; you didn't 'protect' me from anything._

"I know all of this must be difficult for you to process," Obi-Wan said gently. "And I'm sure you have a lot of questions," he sympathized. "We'll talk about it some more tomorrow; I know your father has so much he wants to say to you as well," he added, with a wistful smile. "But for the moment - " Obi-Wan cast a meaningful glance in the direction of the Temple's cafeteria, where Luke could sense a high concentration of familiar Jedi delinquents.

"Everyone wants to congratulate you," Obi-Wan said, standing up. "Now, _traditionally,_ we would try to throw a party for you at Dex's," he apologized, as Luke grinned, climbing out of the floating spoon. "But since we're all on probation... The cafeteria will have to do," he chuckled, heading for the doorway. But then he hesitated, giving Luke a regretful, pleading look. "I don't have to ask you to keep quiet about all this?"

Luke nodded. "Of course, Master," he assured him. "No worries."

Obi-Wan smiled affectionately, patting him on the shoulder. "Come," he said, leading the way out to the hallway. "It's time to celebrate."

* * *

><p><em>A few minutes later...<em>

"Congratulations, Luke," Qui-Gon said, with a respectful nod.

"Thank you, Master," Luke replied, his heart fluttering. _Ahh! He's really my grandfather?_ But he caught the familiar, mischievous gleam in Qui-Gon's eyes, and grinned in shy appreciation. _This is so weird,_ he admitted; but he was thrilled to finally be in on the secret.

"I hear the Council liked your translation," Qui-Gon added, impressed.

"Seriously," Cory agreed, giving him an incredulous look. "You actually got them to change the Jedi Code?"

Luke blinked, still trying to believe it himself. "Apparently," he said, baffled. "I just worded it a little differently... I didn't think they'd actually _use_ it."

"Hey! Congratulations," Zak said, coming over to join them. "_Master_ Starkiller," he added, with a dramatic bow.

"Heh - thanks," Luke replied, grinning.

"Sorry I'm late," Zak added, giving Cory an apologetic cringe. "I ran into Luke Skywalker in the hallway... He wanted to practice another fight scene for _JEDI_."

_I know exactly where you've been,_ Luke thought, overwhelmed by the absurdity of all this. Zak was pretending _not_ to have a three-month-old daughter in the Jedi Temple's nursery; meanwhile Cory and Qui-Gon were pretending they weren't related to him either. _This is nuts..._

Anakin and Mara had been talking to Ahsoka and some of the other Border Patrol delinquents, but they spotted him now, and came over to congratulate him. "Luke!" Anakin grinned proudly, though Luke sensed his veiled apprehension, and insecurity. "Congratulations."

"Thank you, Master," Luke said, giving his father a reassuring smile. _Of course I'm not mad at you._ Mara smiled at him quietly, as Ahsoka offered her congratulations as well. _And nothing has changed,_ Luke admitted, having to carefully hide his feelings amidst the growing throng of party guests. _Except now things make a whole lot more sense,_ he realized, seeing some other familiar guests arriving now: Elena and Maia, along with Leila and her family.

Obi-Wan and Cory subtly excused themselves, going over to greet their 'adopted' families, and Luke laughed quietly to himself, wondering how he'd never seen it before. Jon and Karina were there, along with their son Alex, who was seven now; and Kyra and Dorian had also come, with four-year-old Lyanna.

Then Tessa arrived with Dex, who was carrying a big cake. _She's my step-mom,_ Luke realized, smiling shyly as Tessa congratulated him. He still wasn't certain whether she knew he was Anakin's bastard child; but she had always been kind to him. Still, he caught the look of proud affection in Tessa's green eyes as she gazed at Mara, and he looked down, realizing that Mara would always be her favorite.

But now he heard a familiar voice behind him. "Luke!" He smiled in surprise, turning around to greet Lady Amidala, along with Captain Typho. "Congratulations," Padmé said, her dark eyes twinkling with warmth and fondness.

"Thank you, Milady," Luke said, his heart fluttering. "It was kind of you to come," he added, grateful to see her. Leia and Han were here too, and Luke grinned delightedly as they introduced him to their newborn twins.

"This is Jaina," Leia told him, her brown eyes sparkling joyfully. "And that's Jacen," she said, with an adoring glance at the baby in Han's arms.

"Hello, Jaina... Hi, Jacen," Luke said, smiling at them in wonder. "They're beautiful." The babies were five weeks old now; Luke had been busy with the attack on Nar Shaddaa, and hadn't gotten a chance to see them before his probation sentence. "So what are you guys all doing on Coruscant?" he asked; he'd vaguely sensed Padmé and Leia these past three weeks, with faint hints of Han now and then.

"Oh, just inventory, and reorganization," Padmé told him. "It's been a while since we've focused on the Coruscant HOPE store," she confessed. Then she gave him a fond smile. "I'm so proud of you, Luke," she said quietly, casting a regretful glance around the crowded cafeteria. "I was hoping maybe you could come over tomorrow night, for dinner?" she asked, sharing a conspiratorial look with Anakin.

_What?_ Luke grinned. "I'm - kind of on probation, here," he pointed out.

"Eh, it'll be all right," Anakin told him, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "Nobody really cares," he whispered, glancing over at Yoda and Master Windu.

Luke laughed; he knew Ahsoka and the other Border Patrol delinquents had been sneaking out to various local cantinas, nearly every night. "All right, then," he agreed, giving Padmé an appreciative smile. "Thank you, Milady; it will be nice to have a change of scenery," he confessed.

_She's always so thoughtful and generous,_ Luke admitted, as he turned his attention to the other party guests. Padmé had been there for him during his worst moments, when he was grieving over the death of his mother, and they'd become very close during his time on Naboo; he always felt a comforting sense of warmth and peace when he was with her. _It will be nice to have dinner with them tomorrow night._ He'd missed Leia and Han too, and was getting admittedly bored of cafeteria food.

But he was _really_ looking forward to having some time alone with his father, and as the party finally wound down, he was grateful when Anakin approached him, his expression nervous but hopeful. "Hey Luke," he said, offering a hesitant smile. "I, uh..." He gulped, looking down. "You want to go have a drink, or something?"

Luke's heart fluttered, and he nodded. "That would be great," he agreed, smiling reassuringly; then he gave him a questioning look. "Where?"

"Heh..." Anakin laughed. "Good question..." He glanced over at Obi-Wan and the others. "I'll raid Obi-Wan's cabinet," he whispered conspiratorially. "Keep him busy for a few minutes... Meet me back at my room?"

Luke laughed, nodding. "All right, Master," he agreed. "See you in a few minutes."

But now Ahsoka was coming toward them, blinking worriedly. "Hey Skyguy... Bit of a situation here," she admitted. "Rex and the others still haven't come back from Ziro's club," she told him. Rex Lightseeker was Ahsoka's partner on Border Patrol, and the two of them were constantly finding new and creative ways to get into trouble.

Anakin raised an eyebrow at her. "What are they doing at Ziro's club?"

"Eh... They were going to try to sneak in there and borrow his disco ball, for Luke's party... It was supposed to be a surprise," Ahsoka told Luke, sighing apologetically. "But - obviously _that_ didn't happen," she said, glancing around the drab, boring cafeteria. "Rex seems... _worried,_" Ahsoka confessed, sensing him now. "I'm heading out there now, but - I could use a little help, if you wouldn't mind?" she asked, with a hopeful cringe.

Anakin rolled his eyes. "All right," he told her. Then he gave Luke an apologetic look. "I'll find you when I get back?"

Luke nodded. "Sure... Of course," he agreed, as Anakin smiled ruefully, heading off with Ahsoka to rescue the others from Ziro the Hutt's depraved night club.

Luke ended up going back to his own room, along with Mara, and they spent the next hour laughing quietly together, as he told her all he had learned about their crazy Jedi family. "Even Zak?" Mara giggled, incredulous. But eventually there was a knock on the door, as Anakin returned from his impromptu rescue mission. Mara quietly excused herself, and went back to her own room, leaving them alone to talk.

Anakin sat down on the bed next to Luke, and gave him a nervous smile. "You probably have a lot of questions," he began, apologetic.

But Luke shook his head. "No," he said. "Well - I _do,_" he admitted. "But... It's been a long day," he confessed, smiling quietly. Now that he finally had a moment alone with his father, he found he didn't want to ruin it with questions about unhappy subjects, such as what had happened to Cora. "If you don't mind, I'd really just like to - I don't know, hang out," he confessed, shrugging. "You _did_ promise me a drink," he added impishly.

Anakin laughed quietly, nodding. "All right," he agreed. "Though I think Obi-Wan's back in his room now," he sensed, furrowing his brows. "Eh," he said, grinning mischievously as he got up from Luke's bed, going over to the window. "Come on," he told Luke, opening it up and climbing out over the sill. "Let's go have some fun."


	214. And a hero of the Jedi Order

**Chapter 214**

_The next morning..._

"Luke," Master Windu said, inviting him into the small conference chamber. "Thank you for coming."

"Good morning," Luke replied, bowing politely to Mace and Yoda, before taking a seat on a padded stool.

"Impressed with your translation yesterday, the Council was," Yoda began, with a respectful nod.

"Thank you, Master Yoda," Luke said; he'd already guessed what this meeting was about. _They want me to leave Border Patrol, and stay on Coruscant full-time._ But he kept his emotions carefully subdued, returning Yoda's smile.

"I take it Obi-Wan has told you about your family?" Mace asked him.

Luke blinked, caught off guard; but he'd guessed that Yoda knew the truth several months ago, and nodded quietly. "Yes, Master."

Yoda regarded him curiously. "How feel you, about this?"

_Uh..._ "It's great," Luke said. "It's... nice." _In fact, it would have been even nicer to know about this stuff years ago..._ But he smiled, nodding. "I'm glad to know," he assured them.

Yoda and Mace shared a knowing glance, as if their fears had been allayed. "Good," Mace said. "We weren't sure how you would take it."

"Worried, I was - that _another_ resignation letter I would be forced to lose," Yoda chided him, chuckling.

Luke grinned apologetically. "No, Master. It's all right, really."

"The truth is, we're very impressed with you, Luke," Mace said. "In fact, the reason we wanted to speak with you is that there's a position on the Council opening up soon," he told him quietly. "We've been hoping you might be interested in filling it."

"What? Me?" Luke asked, startled; he hadn't even been a Master for twenty-four hours yet. "I - I'm honored," he assured them. "Truly... it's just - " He sighed, looking down. "I'd rather stay on Border Patrol, with Mara... and my father," he confessed, hoping they would understand.

"Which is exactly why we want you on the Council," Mace countered. "You're not motivated by a desire for power, or prestige," he pointed out. "You're attuned to your feelings, yet you've demonstrated this past year that you're able to balance your personal desires with your duties to the Order."

"And the courage you have, to speak your mind," Yoda added. "To say what you believe to be _right,_ rather than what is traditionally accepted."

"We want someone on the Council who can think creatively, and is open to new possibilities, rather than rigidly adhering to old ways," Mace told him. "And the position that's opening up will be to replace someone who has been the heart of this Council - and the Jedi Order - for eight hundred years," he said quietly.

_What?_ Luke's eyes widened. "Master Yoda... You're stepping down?"

Yoda sighed. "Returning to my own galaxy, I am."

Luke's heart sank. "You will... you will be missed," he stammered. "Why?" he asked helplessly.

"Not for my own sake, am I leaving," Yoda admitted. "But for the sake of my son."

Luke stared at him. "Your son?"

"Kermit," Yoda told him, with a fond smile. "On Dagobah he has been living, with his mother," he explained. "But an infant he is no longer," he confessed. "Already toddling around he is," Yoda said proudly. "His Jedi training, he must soon begin."

"Wait... The inflatable pool pony," Luke remembered, grinning in amusement. "That was his?"

Yoda chuckled. "A present from Mace, that was," he explained. "For Kermit's thirty-fifth birthday last year."

Luke blinked. "He's a thirty-five-year-old toddler?"

"Thirty-six now," Yoda chuckled proudly. "And happy he has been on Dagobah, with Yaddle," he confessed. "But a better life they both deserve, than one of forced exile," he sighed. "In our own galaxy, new friends young Kermit will make."

"Well... Couldn't he be trained here, at the Temple?" Luke asked. "I'm sure everyone would love to meet him."

"The only of my kind in this galaxy, I am," Yoda pointed out. "Too many questions, his presence would raise."

Luke nodded in regret. "I had no idea," he confessed. _Seriously..._ He blinked in disbelief. "Is _everyone_ in this Order married?"

"Heh... No," Mace told him. "Just us," he said, glancing at Yoda. "And _your_ whole family," he added, shaking his head.

But Luke gave him a questioning look. "_Us?_" he repeated.

Mace grinned. "My wife and daughter live on Naboo... well, some of the time," he explained vaguely. "And we've got seven other kids - all of them Jedi Knights and Masters," he told Luke proudly.

"_Seven?_" Luke laughed. "Luke Skywalker," he guessed immediately; they'd been younglings together, and Luke had been Mace's padawan. "He's yours?"

"Yes, he's my youngest," Mace said, with a fond smile; then his expression grew serious. "The Order is about to enter a difficult transition, with Master Yoda returning to his own galaxy," he pointed out. "Luke, whatever your feelings are about all this... The Jedi Order can't afford a scandal right now," he admitted, concerned. "For the sake of the stability of the Order, we need you to keep this quiet."

Luke nodded. "Right; of course," he assured them. "Don't worry, I won't say anything." _I'm better at keeping secrets than anyone knows._

"Master Yoda has been holding his position on the Council until a strong replacement can be found," Mace continued. "We've been hoping it might be you." He sensed Luke's regret, and sighed. "Will you at least think about it?" he asked. "It doesn't have to be right away. Kermit still has a few more years before he needs to begin his training."

"Of course I'll think about it," Luke agreed. "It's a great honor," he added sincerely.

"Thank you, Luke," Mace said, as Yoda nodded solemnly. "We appreciate your discretion in this matter."

Luke bowed, taking his leave; but as he made his way down from the third spire, he sighed in regret. _How long has this been going on?_ he wondered, astonished by the number of Jedi who were secretly married, and had children. _How many families have been forced into silence, the way that ours have?_

He thought of Tara in the nursery, doomed to follow in their footsteps; and of Luke Skywalker, pressured to become a Master at an age when most young Knights were reveling in their freedom from academic responsibilities. _And Master Yoda is leaving the Order, because of this..._

_This isn't right,_ Luke admitted, as he reached the Temple's main level. Another thought had been nagging at him since yesterday, and he frowned, heading for the library. _I swore I never wanted to see another ancient manuscript again, but - this is serious,_ he admitted, picking up a datapad and taking a seat on one of the couches. He logged onto the confidential rare manuscript archive, and furrowed his brows, studying the original Jedi Code once again.

_'Emotion, yet peace. Ignorance, yet knowledge. Passion, yet serenity'... What if that was meant to be taken literally?_ Luke wondered. And as for the rest of the Chosen One prophecy, he suspected there might be another meaning behind it as well. Parts of it had struck him as odd yesterday, but he'd dismissed his ideas as crazy; but now he read through it once again, setting aside everything he _thought_ he knew about it, and starting over.

_'This padawan will be called a constellation'..._ In his last translation, he'd interpreted 'padawan' to mean 'Chosen One', and 'constellation' as 'Skywalker'. But 'padawan' literally meant 'initiate'; and as for 'constellation'... Luke sighed, looking it up in the database. _Here we go: 'Archaic terms: Skywalker, Star-Strider, Light-Hero'..._ Luke blinked in surprise. _'Light-Hero?'_ Which translated literally to _'Jedi':_ a Hero of Light.

_So... 'This initiate will be called a Jedi?'_ Luke considered; it certainly fit the theory he had dismissed yesterday. _'This padawan is hereby named a Jedi Knight'..._ He moved on to the next line - which literally said _'_bearing midichlorians', as opposed to 'born of midichlorians'. _'He will suffer great hardships'..._ Luke frowned, realizing that verb tenses in ancient Coruscanti were often difficult to determine. _Maybe - 'He has suffered great hardships?'_ And another word for 'hardship' was 'trial'...

Luke continued through the manuscript, line by line, as he worked on yet another interpretation - one that was far more literal than the translation he had presented to the Council yesterday. Finally he finished, and compared the familiar Chosen One prophecy to his new translation:

The Chosen One will be called Skywalker: _This padawan is hereby named a Jedi Knight  
><em>Born of midichlorians: _Bearing midichlorians  
><em>He will suffer great hardships: _He has faced the trials  
><em>And obey the Jedi Code: _And will obey the Jedi Code:  
><em>There is no emotion, there is peace: _Emotion, yet peace  
><em>There is no ignorance, there is knowledge: _Ignorance, yet knowledge  
><em>There is no passion, there is serenity: _Passion, yet serenity  
><em>There is no Chaos, there is harmony: _Chaos, yet harmony  
><em>There is no Death, there is the Force: _Death, yet the Force.  
><em>He will be a champion of the Light: _He will be a champion of the Light  
><em>A guardian of peace and justice: _A guardian of peace and justice  
><em>Who will destroy the Sith: _Who will resist the Dark Side  
><em>And bring balance to the Force: _And seek balance in the Force._

Luke's heart raced a bit, as the original meaning behind the Chosen One prophecy finally became clear to him. _It was never meant to be a prophecy at all,_ he realized, astonished. _It's an initiation ceremony for a Jedi Knight._

* * *

><p><em>Meanwhile...<em>

"How did it go last night?" Obi-Wan asked, joining Anakin in his chamber.

"Good," Anakin said, sitting down on his bed. "We just - went out for a drink," he told him. "It was nice."

Obi-Wan blinked. "You went _out?_"

Anakin laughed, unapologetic. "Arrest me."

"No, that's not it..." Obi-Wan frowned, sitting next to him. "I just thought - surely he'd want to finally have some time alone with you?"

"Eh... He didn't want to talk about it," Anakin confessed, shrugging. "I'm just glad he doesn't hate me." Then he frowned. "What's he doing in the library?" he asked, sensing Luke's presence directly below them.

Obi-Wan sighed. "He had a meeting with Master Yoda and Windu this morning," he told him quietly. "Anakin... They're offering him a position on the Council."

"What?" Anakin blinked in dismay. "He told me he was staying with Border Patrol," he said, crestfallen. "So - he's taking it?"

"He _is_ in the library," Obi-Wan pointed out gently. "It looks like they've already put him on another assignment." He sensed Anakin's heartache, and sighed. "I'll go talk to him," he offered, standing up. "He _does_ love you, Anakin," he promised, as Anakin nodded glumly. "But - you know his talents are wasted on Border Patrol."

"Yeah, I know." Anakin smiled sadly. "He's too much like his mother." Then he gave Obi-Wan a questioning look. "Speaking of which... We're having dinner at Padmé's apartment tonight," he told him, cringing. "Can you cover for us?"

Obi-Wan chuckled, nodding. "Of course."

He continued down to the library, where he found Luke sitting cross-legged on a couch by the window, focusing intently on his datapad. "I thought you said you were tired of studying," Obi-Wan teased him good-naturedly.

"Heh... I _am,_" Luke confessed. "But I've been going over the Chosen One prophecy again, and - I've come up with something... _different,_" he said hesitantly.

Obi-Wan laughed, seeing his uncertain look. "Another treatise on terrorism?"

"Not exactly," Luke said, handing him his datapad. "Here, take a look."

Obi-Wan sat down next to him, examining Luke's new translation. _'This padawan is hereby named a Jedi Knight'..._ He blinked in surprise, reading through the rest of it. "This is brilliant, Luke," he told him quietly, admitting that it was an astonishingly accurate interpretation. "The Council needs to see this."

"You think so?" Luke asked, hopeful. "Also, I've been thinking... The way the Jedi Code was originally worded: _'Emotion, yet peace; Passion, yet serenity'..._ It seems that _both_ are valued equally; not just one, without the other," he argued. "And the final line says that our goal is to _'seek balance'_ - between emotion and peace, passion and serenity, chaos and harmony," he pointed out. "It seems to imply that _emotion_ and _passion_ aren't necessarily wrong; they just need to be kept in balance, with peace and serenity."

"I think you're right, Luke," Obi-Wan agreed, impressed.

"And if I _am_ right," Luke continued. "That means that it's okay to have emotions; feelings of _passion_, and love..." He gave Obi-Wan a hopeful look. "What if we petition to amend the rules?" he asked. "So that marriage is allowed, and younglings can have contact with their families?"

Obi-Wan sighed. "No, Luke; it would never work - "

"How do you _know_ that, if you've never tried?" Luke countered. "Have you ever actually _asked_ any of the other Council members how they feel about marriage?" He sighed, frustrated. "Obviously you believe it, Master," he pointed out. "And Master Yoda and Windu believe it - "

"It doesn't matter what we believe," Obi-Wan sighed, regretful. "It would take a unanimous vote to make that kind of a change, Luke," he explained. "And there are those who would most certainly oppose it," he told him. "Master Ki-Adi is a strict traditionalist," Obi-Wan pointed out. "Many of the other Council members look up to him, and would follow his lead," he said, as Luke nodded unhappily, looking down.

"The Council desperately needs you, Luke," Obi-Wan continued, smiling proudly. "You're brilliant - and for what it's worth, I agree with you," he assured him. "But if you march in front of the Council and make a crazy proposal like this..." He sighed. "I fear you'll lose their confidence," he told Luke gently.

Luke nodded, reluctant. "Yes, Master."

Obi-Wan gave him a sympathetic smile. "I think you're absolutely right about this being an initiation ceremony, though," he added, glancing at Luke's datapad. "I'll let the Council know to expect you," he offered encouragingly. "You can show it to them this afternoon."

* * *

><p><em>A few hours later...<em>

_Nate Starflyer, Bryan Windwalker, Danu Moonsong... How many of these are the children of Jedi?_ Luke wondered, visiting the infants in the Temple's nursery, and being careful as always to admire each of them in turn. Finally he came to Tara Starshine, and stopped momentarily beside her crib, smiling tenderly. _She's my cousin,_ he realized, feeling a twinge of guilt. _And I'm going to have to spend the next twenty years lying to her. Never letting her know that I love her, and think she's beautiful, and special..._

Even now, Luke longed to pick her up, and cuddle her; but the attendant was watching, so he reluctantly moved on to the next crib. _I have a chance to change things for her,_ he admitted. _So she'll grow up knowing her family, and feeling the sense of love and belonging, that every child deserves. And the rest of these kids could too,_ Luke realized, as he continued his tour of the nursery. They all had families _somewhere,_ who would probably love to visit them now and then; maybe on the weekends...

_I don't know,_ Luke sighed, leaving the nursery and heading back through the hallway. Obi-Wan thought his idea was disastrous, and that Ki-Adi-Mundi and the others would never approve; but Luke wasn't so sure. After all, it had been Master Ki-Adi himself who had approved Nadia's 'secret assignment' on Cerea during her pregnancy, and had made arrangements for her to stay with his own relatives.

Luke hadn't pressured Zak for details, but it hadn't been difficult to figure out. Nadia's Master was Ma-Kio Moondancer - a Cerean with a suspicious orphan name, who in turn had been Ki-Adi-Mundi's padawan... _Master Ki-Adi's married too,_ Luke guessed, sighing at the irony. _And not even Yoda or Master Windu know it._

He couldn't tell Obi-Wan any of this; he'd promised Zak he wouldn't. And he couldn't tell _Zak_ anything either, because he'd promised _Obi-Wan_ he wouldn't. _This is insane... Gah, I'm just going to make the proposal,_ Luke decided, heading up to the Council chamber.

_And I wouldn't do it if I thought it was wrong,_ he admitted. Obi-Wan had argued that Cory went out of control after learning about his family at age thirteen. But Mara had learned about her parents at fifteen, and it had only made her _more_ dedicated and well-behaved, eager to make them proud. _And if I'd known about my family, from the start..._ Luke sighed, admitting that it would have spared him untold heartache, over the course of his twenty-three years.

_I'm not exposing any secrets, or creating a scandal,_ Luke frowned stubbornly, continuing up to the Council chamber. _I'm simply offering a suggestion. If it gets shot down, and they think I'm awful... Whatever,_ he grumbled, as he arrived at the top of the main spire. _I'll just go back to Border Patrol, and work with Mara and my dad. _

He quickly composed himself, gathering his thoughts; and finally he entered the Council chamber, bowing respectfully before the others.

"Master Starkiller," Yoda said, nodding in greeting. "Another translation of the Chosen One prophecy, Obi-Wan says you wish to present?"

"Yes, Master Yoda," Luke replied. "It's a different interpretation than the one we're familiar with, but I think it's literally more accurate," he explained to the others. "I've changed a few words, and some verb tenses that were ambiguous - but here's what I've come up with," he continued, gathering his courage.

_"This padawan is hereby named a Jedi Knight  
><em>_Bearing midichlorians  
><em>_He has faced the trials  
><em>_And will obey the Jedi Code:  
><em>_Emotion, yet peace  
><em>_Ignorance, yet knowledge  
><em>_Passion, yet serenity  
><em>_Chaos, yet harmony  
><em>_Death, yet the Force.  
><em>_He will be a champion of the Light  
><em>_A guardian of peace and justice  
><em>_Who will resist the Dark Side  
><em>_And seek balance in the Force."_

The other Council members looked around uncertainly, startled by this unorthodox interpretation; but finally Mace spoke up. "So you're telling us - the Chosen One prophecy... Was actually a botched translation of an initiation ceremony?" he asked, giving Luke a hard stare.

_Um.._ "Yes, Master," Luke said, gulping.

"Heheheh," Mace laughed, as Yoda chuckled in amusement. "This ought to give the _JEDI_ fans something to talk about." But then he nodded seriously. "Well, if it was originally intended to be an initiation ceremony... I move we vote to officially adopt it, for use in knighting ceremonies," he said, as Yoda and several others nodded. "All in favor?" Mace asked. Obi-Wan nodded confidently, raising his hand, and one by one, the other Council members followed suit.

"Unanimous, it is," Yoda declared. "This new knighting ceremony, we will adopt," he said, as Mace entered it into the records. "Thank you, Luke," Yoda added, smiling. "Greatly appreciated, your translation efforts are."

"Thank you, Master," Luke said, bowing respectfully.

But Yoda sensed his veiled anxiety. "More to say, have you?" he asked, with a questioning look.

_Gah..._ "Yes, Master," Luke replied, hesitant. _Here goes nothing..._ "It has to do with the original wording of the Jedi Code," he began, casting an apologetic glance at Obi-Wan. _I'm sorry, Master._ "The literal wording is _'Emotion, yet peace',_" Luke continued. "Which I interpreted yesterday as _'There is emotion, yet we seek peace'._ But it could also be interpreted as _'There is emotion, yet there is peace',_" he proposed, as the others nodded solemnly, following his logic so far.

"And the final line admonishes us to 'seek balance' between all of these things," Luke pointed out. "Emotion, yet peace. Passion, yet serenity. Chaos, yet harmony." Again, there was a collective nod, as the others agreed with his point.

"My proposal today has to do with - with _passion_," Luke continued boldly. "The original version of Jedi Code states _'Passion, yet serenity',_" he reminded them. "_'There is passion, yet there is serenity'._ According to the literal translation, _passion_ is not forbidden," Luke pointed out. "_Love_ is not forbidden," he added quietly. "So if _passion_ and _love_ are not forbidden," he asked, gathering his courage as he looked around at the others. "Then why is _marriage_ forbidden?"

His question was met with uncomfortable frowns.

"It's no huge secret what goes on in the brothels of Lannik, Karfeddion... Tatooine," Luke continued, giving the others a pointed look. "You turn a blind eye to it, as long as it's casual, and meaningless," he argued. "Yet you forbid it, between two people who actually love each other?"

The uncomfortable frowns suddenly gave way to confused blinks.

"You say attachments are forbidden... Yet we all form attachments with each other," Luke told them. "Between Masters and padawans, and Jedi partners... These 'attachments' are encouraged - in fact, _required_ - by the Order, and are essential to our survival," he pointed out. "And for centuries we have claimed _'There is no ignorance, there is knowledge'..._ Yet we enforce ignorance on our younglings and padawans, by denying them the knowledge of their families."

His arguments were met by uncertain stares, and Luke sighed, getting to the point. "Based on what I believe to be an accurate and literal interpretation of the Jedi Code, I propose to allow members of the Jedi Order to marry, and have contact with their families."

A moment of stunned, awkward silence ensued; but finally Mace spoke up. "I see," he replied, keeping his expression carefully neutral. "Any questions, or comments?" he asked, opening the discussion to the other Council members.

"Just one," Adi Gallia said, fixing her gaze on Luke. "Why are you bringing this up?" she challenged him. "Do _you_ wish to get married?"

"What? No," Luke stammered, caught off guard by the question. "I'm not asking this for myself," he insisted. "I have no desire to marry - _ever,_" he assured the others, not bothering to mask his intense horror at the thought. _Once you've been married to your own sister, it's not something you ever want to do again._ "And as a Master, I'm already allowed contact with my family," he pointed out.

"I'm simply suggesting that we consider the literal meaning of the original Jedi Code," Luke told them. "It admonishes us to _'seek balance'_ - between emotion and peace, passion and serenity... Between our attachments to loved ones, and our duty to the Order," he added. "It is our responsibility as Jedi to learn to cultivate that balance, and make wise choices," Luke pointed out. "But how can we learn to make wise choices, if we are forbidden from making them at all?"

Again his question was met with uncertain looks, as no one seemed to have an answer. Even Yoda and Mace were remaining cautiously noncommittal, and Obi-Wan looked down, avoiding Luke's gaze.

To his surprise, Ki-Adi-Mundi spoke up. "You make some compelling points, Luke," he admitted, with a hesitant glance at the others. "But what you're suggesting... We don't know what sort of repercussions such a change could have on this Order," he pointed out worriedly.

"Hmmm," Yoda sighed, breaking his silence. "In my own galaxy... Allowed to marry, the members of my Order are," he confessed quietly. "Family contact is also allowed," he added. "Never, has it been a problem," he assured the others.

Ki-Adi blinked. "And you never thought to mention this to us?"

"Devoutly celibate, your Order was in ancient times, before my people arrived," Yoda replied, defensive. "Your own traditions, I have tried to respect."

Luke could _feel_ the collective sigh of annoyance around the room. But here and there, amidst the uncertainty, he also sensed a faint glimmer of hope, and excitement...

"If there are no more questions, let's put it to a vote," Mace proposed. "All those in favor?"

At first no one dared answer; there were a few cautious glances between various Council members, before all eyes turned to Yoda, questioning.

But Yoda shook his head. "Abstain from this vote, I do," he told them. "This decision you must make, for yourselves."

Finally there was a regretful sigh, as Obi-Wan raised his hand, gazing at Luke with a mixture of affection and sadness. _Thank you, Master..._ Luke nodded in quiet gratitude, touched by his support. _I'm sorry..._

But a moment later Mace raised his hand as well. Ki-Adi blinked in surprise; but after a quick glance around the room, he raised his own hand. Then, without much hesitation, the other Council members followed suit - until finally everyone's hand was up, except Adi Gallia's.

She cast a disapproving glance around the Council chamber, shaking her head. But then, realizing she was the only dissenter, she sighed, and with a reluctant nod to the others, she raised her own hand.

"Unanimous, it is," Yoda confirmed, as Luke tried to mask his profound shock. _Seriously?_

"The vote has passed," Mace announced, entering it in his records. "Members of the Jedi Order are hereby permitted to marry, and have contact with their families." Then he frowned, thoughtful. "Just out of curiosity," he said, looking around the room at the others. "How many of us _are_ married?" he asked. "Or at least - would have liked to have been married, at some point... if it had been allowed?"

One by one, the other members of the Jedi Council raised their hands.

Even Adi Gallia.


	215. Who discovers in the end

**Chapter 215**

_Meanwhile..._

"Again?" Zak sighed in annoyance, retracting his double-ended lightsaber as his transmitter buzzed insistently, along with Master Cory's. "What is it this time?" They had been _trying_ to duel each other in the Temple's lightsaber practice room - since there wasn't much else to do on probation - but they kept getting interrupted by supposedly 'urgent' mandates from the Jedi Council.

"Heh... Luke's changed the Jedi Code again," Master Cory told him, with an amused grin.

"What?" Zak blinked, reading through the latest memo. "Twice in two days?" _Emotion yet peace... Bla bla, whatever... Okay, got it,_ he sighed, deleting the message and clipping his transmitter back onto his belt.

"Whoa... That's not all," Master Cory said, frowning. "Is this for real?"

Zak switched on his blue lightsaber - first one end, then the other... "What?" he asked, adopting a defensive stance. _Come on, let's fight._

"It says..." Cory broke off, startled. "_'Members of the Jedi Order are hereby permitted to marry, and have contact with their families'_," he quoted, blinking in disbelief. "Effective immediately..."

"What?" Zak retracted his lightsaber, wide-eyed. "So - marriage is _allowed_, all of a sudden?"

Cory read through the memo again. "Apparently," he said, equally stunned. "Luke, buddy... What did you _say_ to them?" he wondered aloud.

_So... I'm allowed to be married to Nadia?_ Zak blinked, incredulous. _And I can see Tara whenever I want? Without having to sneak around?_ Still, the thought of _not_ sneaking around disturbed him even more, as that would involve Master Cory actually finding out about it. But he had to admit it was getting increasingly difficult to come up with plausible excuses for his visits to the Temple's nursery... _Crap,_ Zak wondered, frowning._ Should I tell him?_

"Well in that case..." Cory sighed, giving him a hesitant look. "Zak, there's something I need to talk to you about," he said gently, sitting down on the bench and gesturing for Zak to sit next to him.

_What?_ Zak gulped, alarmed. _He already knows? Gah..._ But he nodded obediently, sitting beside him. _This is awkward..._

"It's about - Maia, and Elena," Cory told him, smiling affectionately. "Zak... Maia's your 'Little Sister' - "

"Yeah, I know," Zak nodded, cringing.

Cory blinked. "You do?"

"I'm sorry," Zak told him. "For not visiting her enough lately... I, um - " He sighed, shaking his head. _I've been sneaking off to see Tara..._

"Hey, no... It's okay," Master Cory assured him, smiling.

Zak gave him a cautious look. "It is?"

"So - how long have you known?" Master Cory asked, surprised.

Zak frowned. "Known what?"

"That she's your 'Little Sister'."

"Uh... _Forever?_" Zak said, not following. "She was _your_ 'Little Sister', before you took me as your padawan," he reminded him.

"Ohhhhh..." Cory blinked, thoughtful. "Yeah, let's try this again..."

_Try WHAT again?_ Zak wondered, raising an eyebrow at him. _Master, you're not making any sense._

"Heh... What I'm trying to say here, is - she's _literally_ your sister," Master Cory explained gently. "And Elena's your mom."

_Wait - what?_ Zak stared at him. "Seriously?"

"Seriously," Cory nodded, smiling affectionately.

Zak grinned suddenly, delighted. "Awesome..." But then he frowned, curious. "So - what about my father?" he asked. "He was a Zabrak?"

"Uh, well... funny thing," Cory said, looking down. "Actually - it's your mom, who's half Zabrak," he explained.

Zak blinked. "She is?"

"Yeah," Master Cory told him gently. "She uh... actually, she used to have horns, but they were removed... long story," he said, frowning.

_Ow..._ Zak cringed at the thought, but nodded, accepting it. "So - my father abandoned them, because... Because we turned out to be Zabraks?" he asked, blinking unhappily.

Cory laughed gently. "No... that's not it at all," he assured Zak, smiling. "And he didn't _abandon_ your mother, or Maia," he insisted. "He just - couldn't be there for them, all the time," he admitted, blinking in regret.

Zak frowned, skeptical. "Why not?"

"Because..." Master Cory's eyes twinkled mischievously. "He's a Jedi."

"What?" Zak grinned suddenly. "My _dad_ is a Jedi?" _Awesome..._ "So - he's human?" he asked, surprised by the idea.

"Yes," Cory replied, enjoying this game.

"Ha... Who is he?" Zak asked. There were thousands of humans in the Jedi Order, and Zak didn't look like _any_ of them; it was impossible to guess. "Come on, Master... Tell me," he pleaded; Cory wasn't taking this seriously, and Zak gave him an exasperated look. "Well... do I _know_ him?"

"Yes," Cory told him, nodding.

_Well that narrows it down, I guess..._ But suddenly it hit him. Red hair, blue eyes, fair skin..._ Just like Tara..._ "Master," he exclaimed, staring at him. _Really?_

Master Cory smiled, his eyes twinkling with affection. "I love you, Zak," he said, hugging him. "I love you _so_ much... Ow!" he exclaimed, drawing quickly away as one of Zak's horns connected with his forehead. "Gah, you're worse than your sister," Cory reproached him.

Zak laughed. "Sorry, Master," he apologized; but his heart was fluttering, and he couldn't help smiling ecstatically.

"Yeah, you _look_ sorry," Master Cory teased him, grinning. Then he got up. "Come on," he said cheerfully. "Let's go visit Maia and your mom." Zak followed him out of the training room; but now Cory gave him a concerned look. "Hey, is everything all right?" he asked. "It seems like lately you haven't wanted to visit them," Cory pointed out, as they continued through the hallway. "Your mom's kind of worried."

"What? No," Zak protested. "Of course I like visiting them," he said. "It's just..." He gave his father an apologetic cringe. "Actually, there's something I have to tell you too," he confessed, hesitant. "It's about... Nadia."

Cory stared at him, stopping in his tracks. "What? No," he protested; but his disbelief quickly turned to delighted amusement. "You and Nadia?"

Zak nodded. "You're not mad?"

"Hahaha... No," Cory told him. "I think it's great," he said, smiling proudly. "Nadia's a nice girl." Then he gave Zak a sympathetic look. "It must have been hard this past year, with her away on special assignment," he said, as they continued through the hallway.

"Yeah, it was," Zak agreed.

"What was that about, anyway?" Cory asked. "Did she tell you?"

"Um, yeah," Zak replied cautiously. "She was on Cerea."

"Doing what?" Cory asked.

"Well - mostly... hiding," Zak told him.

Cory blinked, confused. "Why?"

"Because..." Zak hesitated. "She was pregnant."

"What?" Cory stopped again, staring at him. "Zak... What?"

"Um - " Zak cringed. "We kind of... have a kid... now," he confessed.

Cory laughed. "Where?" he asked, with an amused grin.

"She's in the nursery," Zak told him.

"Ha - awesome," Master Cory said, immediately changing course. "I have to see her." Then he blinked in surprise. "We're _allowed_ to see her?" He and Zak shared an ecstatic grin. "I can't believe this... I'm a - a _grandfather?_"

Zak laughed at the thought; Master Cory was only thirty-five, and looked about a decade younger. "Sorry, Master."

They arrived at the nursery, and Zak showed him Tara's crib. "Oh... She's beautiful," Cory whispered, smiling. "Tara Starshine..."

But then Zak's brows furrowed. "So - should she be a 'Stormchaser'?" he asked, uncertain. "Or - 'Suncatcher'?" he wondered, glancing at Cory.

"Heh... Good question," Cory sighed. "Depends on how far back you want to go," he told Zak. "My father was a Kenobi," he said, his eyes twinkling impishly. "And _his_ father was a Jinn."

"What? Zak asked, wide-eyed. He stared at Cory, suddenly realizing that he _did_ look a lot like Master Obi-Wan. _Except with longer hair, and no beard..._ "Haha - no way," Zak laughed, delighted. "Master Qui-Gon too?"

"Yeah," Cory nodded. "And there's more, but - gah..." He broke off, gazing at his granddaughter. "Hi, Tara," he said softly, picking her up from her crib and cuddling her against the folds of his cloak. "It's nice to meet you." He kissed her on the forehead; then he gave the attendant a questioning look. "Can we borrow her for a minute?" The attendant nodded, and Cory grinned cheerfully, heading for the doorway. "Come on, Tara," he said, a mischievous twinkle in his eye. "Let's go give your great-grandfather a heart attack."

Zak laughed, following him through the hallway. "What about her great-_great_-grandfather?"

"Eh..." Cory gave Zak an amused look, as they headed upstairs to see the others. "He'll just laugh."

* * *

><p><em>Meanwhile...<em>

"Luke!" a reporter called out, pushing her way through the crowd that had gathered just inside the Jedi Temple's main entrance. "How long had you been planning to make this proposal?"

"Uh - about an hour?" Luke said, for the fifteenth time; he'd been assaulted by a throng of reporters the moment he came down from the Council chamber.

"And are you hoping to get married yourself?" the reporter asked, shoving a microphone in his face. "Anyone special in your life?"

"Ah, no," Luke said, as camera lights flashed all around him.

"I can think of about a million _JEDI_ fangirls who would be willing to volunteer," she teased him.

_Crap..._ "No, really," Luke insisted. "I mean - I'm sure they're all very nice, but..." _Help..._

A moment later his transmitter buzzed, and he gave the reporters an apologetic look. "Sorry; I have to check this," Luke said, pulling it off his belt and quickly reading the text message. _If it buzzed, it's important..._ Only top officials within the Jedi Order had the authority to send urgent communications.

But then he suppressed an amused grin as he saw who it was from: Jedi Master Anakin Skywalker, Director of Border Patrol Operations, Tatooine base. _Haha... Thanks, Dad._ Luke pretended to frown in concern, reading the message: _Official summons. Conference room. Third spire._

"Sorry, I have business I need to attend to," Luke told the reporters, excusing himself. _Gah..._ He ignored their insistent questions as he fled from the crowded lobby, heading quickly up the steps of the third spire to join his father.

"Luke!" Anakin said, grinning in disbelief as he entered the small, circular conference chamber. "I can't believe you did that! Ahh... I'm so proud of you," he said, hugging him.

"Thank you, Master," Luke said, laughing shyly. "I can't stay, though," he apologized. "Lady Amidala's expecting me for dinner," he reminded him.

"Right," Anakin agreed, going over to the window. "Come on, let's get out of here," he said, grinning mischievously.

"Oh - you're coming too?" Luke asked, surprised. _I'm not sure you were invited..._

Anakin blinked. "Well, yeah," he told him, opening the window and crawling through. Luke laughed quietly to himself, following his father through the window, then rappelling down the spire to the rooftop below. _Invited or not, looks like you're coming anyway._

They surveyed the stream of traffic below them, looking for a suitable ride; Obi-Wan had taught Luke this trick when he was a padawan, and it definitely came in handy at times. "That one," Anakin pointed out, diving toward it; Luke quickly followed him, and a moment later they settled comfortably into the back seat of an open-top convertible speeder, whose driver remained oblivious to their presence.

_Obi-Wan is right,_ Luke thought, sharing an amused grin with Anakin. _No one ever checks their rear view mirrors._ It was only a short trip to Padmé's apartment building, and a minute later they hopped out of their speeder, walking the rest of the way toward 500 Republica.

Luke headed for the main entrance; but Anakin shook his head, gesturing for him to follow him around to the back of the building. _Oh, right; the reporters,_ Luke agreed with a quiet nod, not wishing to be greeted by a swarm of paparazzi when he came back out later tonight.

They found their way in through the service entrance, then crawled into a ventilation shaft, climbing two hundred and seventy-five storeys up to Lady Amidala's penthouse apartment. _She's going to be surprised,_ Luke sighed in amusement, climbing up after his father. _Hello, Milady. Sorry for coming in through your ceiling vent. Oh, and by the way, my father randomly decided to invite himself too._

_It was really nice of her to invite me for dinner, though,_ Luke admitted as he climbed through the ventilation shaft, touched by Padmé's warmth and hospitality. And he appreciated the excuse to avoid reporters, at least for a couple of hours. But the past two days had been completely overwhelming, and Luke suddenly found himself wishing he could just spend some time alone with his father, and finally talk to him about Cora. _Maybe tonight, after dinner..._

Finally they arrived at the top floor, and Anakin quickly unscrewed the ceiling vent, dropping down into Lady Amidala's bedroom. _Yeah, this is kind of awkward,_ Luke sighed, following his father into the living room. _Sorry, Milady..._

"Luke!" Padmé exclaimed delightedly, coming over to hug him. "Oh, I'm so glad you guys could make it," she added, with a grateful look at Anakin. _Okay, so I guess he WAS invited,_ Luke realized, breathing a sigh of relief. Lady Amidala was being gracious as ever; if she was surprised by their unorthodox method of entry, she didn't show it.

Leia and Han were here too, with the babies, and Luke grinned cheerfully, greeting them now. "Hey, Jacen... Hey Jaina," he said, shaking their little hands playfully. Captain Typho didn't seem to be here; Luke looked around for him, curious...

And then gasped in stunned disbelief, as he saw his father kissing Lady Amidala.

_No,_ Luke told himself, trying to carefully mask his unease. It was arguably only an innocent kiss on the forehead; but something about the way they were looking at each other made him suddenly feel nauseous. Their embrace was far too intimate, and now they shared a familiar, knowing smile..._ Oh Force, I'm gonna be sick,_ Luke gulped, heading quickly for the refresher and barely making it there in time before he choked in shocked horror, quietly retching into the toilet.

_I did not just see that,_ Luke tried to tell himself, tears filling his eyes. _I just imagined it..._ But the image was printed indelibly in his mind, and he shook his head, weeping silently. _Dad, how could you?_ he cried, betrayed. _Does Tessa know?_ he wondered. _Does Captain Typho know?_ Evidently Han and Leia knew... _Why am I always the last one to find out about these things?_ Luke thought bitterly, sniffing back his tears. _How long has this been going on?_

There was a tentative knock on the door. "Uh, Luke?" his father asked hesitantly. "You okay?"

_Gah..._ Luke flushed, then washed up a bit, composing himself before he opened the door, angrily confronting his father.

Anakin saw his look, and blinked apologetically. "Luke, I'm sorry," he said quietly, glancing back toward the living room. "Can we - talk about this?"

"Fine," Luke agreed icily, following him into Lady Amidala's bedroom. "Let's talk." _Now would be good._

Anakin sat down on the bed, sighing apologetically. "Luke... I know that was probably a shock, for you to see," he began. "I'm sorry; I wasn't thinking."

"Do you _ever_ think?" Luke shot back at him, incensed. "Seriously, Master," he reproached him. "You... and Lady Amidala?"

At this, his father blinked in surprise. "Well... yeah," he said, confused. "I thought Obi-Wan told you?"

"No," Luke retorted, giving him a disapproving look. _I definitely would have remembered this part._ The frustrating thing was that it _almost_ didn't surprise him that his father was cheating on Tessa; but he would have expected better of Lady Amidala. _Gah, this is awful..._ "How long has this been going on?" he asked, not bothering to mask his disgust.

"Uh, well..." Anakin raised his hands in a gesture of helpless apology. "We've been married twenty-six years."

"What?" Luke blinked, staring at him. "You're married? To _Padmé?_"

"Yeah," Anakin said cautiously. "I mean - not _legally,_ but..."

"What about Captain Typho?" Luke asked, confused.

"What? Oh," Anakin nodded, understanding. "He's married to Mika," he explained. "He pretends to be married to Padmé... Actually, he pretends _not_ to be married to Padmé," he clarified, with an amused smile. "To keep the attention off me."

Luke blinked in disbelief. "So... You're _Leia's_ father too?" _How many other kids do you have?_

"Yes," Anakin said. "Sorry, I - I really thought Obi-Wan told you all this," he sighed, baffled. Then he gave Luke an apologetic look. "Leia's your sister, Luke," he told him, smiling. "And Padmé's your mom."

"What?" Luke asked, startled. "No..." He blinked, utterly confused. "I thought... I thought - _Cora,_" he stammered, helpless.

"Huh?" Anakin's brows furrowed. "Why would you think that?"

"Because - " Luke fought tears, suddenly uncertain of _anything._ "Because you asked me to look after her that time," he pointed out lamely.

"Gah... No, Luke," Anakin said gently, as Luke sat beside him on the bed, shocked. "That was just - " He shook his head, regretful. "That's why you went ballistic, after she died?" he asked, concerned.

Luke nodded numbly. "So you really didn't know her? At all?"

"No," Anakin told him. "I only met her, that one time."

"Oh." Luke blinked, realizing how wrong he'd been. "She was always talking about someone named 'Ani'," he told him unhappily. "Who took her baby, and threw her down the stairs," he added, with an apologetic cringe.

Anakin frowned, disturbed. "So... _That's_ why you were angry with me?"

Luke nodded. "I'm sorry, Master."

Anakin gave him an uncertain look. "I thought it was because I broke the Jedi Code."

Luke laughed quietly. "No, that never surprised me," he assured him; but then he frowned, still troubled by one thing. "What about Tessa?"

Anakin's brows furrowed. "What about her?"

"She's Mara's mother?" Luke asked.

Anakin gave him a surprised look; but then he nodded. "Eh, I guess none of this is a secret anymore," he admitted. "She's Mara's aunt," he told Luke. "Her mother died, a couple years after she was sent to the Temple," he added, looking down. "Yeah, I need to talk to Mara about this later," he agreed, sighing.

Luke was saddened by this news, but nodded quietly. "Does Padmé know about Mara?" he asked cautiously.

Anakin frowned. "What about her?"

"That - she's your daughter," Luke pointed out.

"What?" Anakin blinked, startled. "Luke... _What?_"

Luke stared at him. "She's not?"

"No," Anakin insisted. "Crap - does Mara think that?" he asked, alarmed.

Luke cringed. "Yeah."

"Since when?" Anakin asked worriedly.

"Since we were fifteen," Luke told him. "She overheard you talking to Obi-Wan about your daughter one time, and... Gah," Luke sighed, shaking his head. _Poor Mara..._

"Oh," Anakin said, stunned. "I didn't know..."

"I'll talk to her, Master," Luke offered. "I'll try to explain it to her gently."

Anakin nodded, sighing worriedly. "Thanks."

_She's not going to take this well..._ "So - who _is_ her father?" Luke asked, confused.

"No idea," Anakin said. "Her mother was a prostitute."

Luke blinked, still trying to make sense of all this. _Wait a minute..._ "So - she's really not my sister?" _Holy crap..._

Anakin laughed. "You guys actually thought that?"

"Well... _yeah,_" Luke admitted, at a loss. Suddenly his heart fluttered, and he felt a sense of overwhelming relief...

"You love her," Anakin realized, grinning in surprise.

"No!" Luke insisted. "Well I mean - I thought she was my sister," he protested; but then tears sprang to his eyes, and he nodded quietly. "Yeah," he said, giving his father a helpless smile. "I love her."

Anakin's eyes twinkled in proud amusement. "Well, lucky thing some genius just changed the Jedi Code."

"Heh... no kidding," Luke laughed, sniffing away his tears.

"You okay?" Anakin asked, concerned.

"Yeah." Luke gave his father an appreciative smile. _I'm better than I've been, in a long time._

"Good." Anakin grinned, ruffling his hair. "Come on," he said, getting up from the bed. "Let's go have dinner."

They returned to the living room, and Luke smiled shyly at Padmé, his heart fluttering. A moment later his mother was embracing him, and he clung to her pathetically, fighting tears all over again. _I love you so much..._ "I'm sorry," he choked quietly. "I didn't know."

"He didn't know," Anakin agreed, raising his hands in disbelief.

"Oh, sweetheart," Padmé sympathized, kissing him reassuringly; but then she gave Anakin a confused look. "I thought Obi-Wan told him?"

Anakin shrugged, baffled. "Apparently not."

Luke hugged Leia carefully now, and they shared a tender smile, as he kissed Jaina on the forehead. _Wow, she's my niece... and Leia's really my twin sister..._ "Wait," Luke realized suddenly. "So I'm - " he blinked. _I'm the one who supposedly died in childbirth?_ "I'm - the prince of Naboo?" he blurted out stupidly.

"Heh... Don't get cocky, kid," Han laughed; then he shared a knowing glance with Leia. "Hey, maybe His Highness would like to see some of his baby pictures," he suggested casually.

"Oh - yes," Padmé exclaimed, pulling out her datapad. "We have lots of pictures of you," she assured Luke, smiling wistfully. "Though we had to disguise you," she apologized, giggling. "Here... Wait - no, that's Leia," she said, scrolling through her photos, as Luke grinned, looking over her shoulder. _Aw, Leia was beautiful..._ "Here's one of you," Padmé said proudly, showing him the picture.

_What?_ Luke blinked in disbelief at the tiny pink dress, sparkling tiara, and unicorn plushy toy... _No no nooo..._

"Hey, don't blame me," Anakin sympathized. "Just be thankful I got you out of there when I did," he said, as Padmé smacked him playfully.

Han grinned, delighted by Luke's horror. "Now, _this_ little guy knows how to dress," he boasted, showing off the baby in his own arms. "Notice his manly powder-blue snuggle suit," he teased Luke. "Don't worry, Jacen," he murmured conspiratorially. "We're not gonna let you turn out like your uncle."

"Actually... Maybe we are," Leia countered, giving the others a hesitant look. "After what Luke did today... I'm not _completely_ against the idea of sending them to the Jedi Temple," she admitted uncertainly.

"Well, you two have plenty of time before you need to decide about that," Padmé reassured her. "Dinner's almost ready," she said, kissing Jaina on the cheek. "Why don't you see if you can put these little guys down for a nap?"

A few minutes later they all sat down for dinner, and Luke smiled quietly, feeling the sense of warmth and happiness all around him. _I have a family... A real, almost-normal family,_ he realized, hardly able to believe it. _And we don't even have to keep it a secret anymore..._

_Though THAT'S going to be crazy,_ Luke thought, cringing to imagine the _Galactic Enquirer's_ reaction to all this. _The Vader family reunion..._ But for the moment he sighed contentedly, giving his mother an appreciative smile and enjoying this peaceful, happy, perfect moment with his family.

_Well... Almost perfect,_ he admitted, noting their seating arrangement. Anakin and Padmé sat at either end of the table, with Leia and Han on one side, and Luke on the other; but the chair beside him was empty, and Luke felt a twinge of longing, sharing a secret smile with his father. _Maybe next time Mara can join us._


	216. What was there all along

**Chapter 216**

_Three hours later..._

Mara sat on the rooftop of the Jedi Temple, looking out at the city lights of Coruscant. It had been a crazy evening here at the Temple, with reporters filling the main entrance, and a general sense of excitement and astonished delight among the Jedi, as they were suddenly allowed to speak openly of things they had carefully kept hidden their entire lives.

Mara had received the official memo along with everyone else, announcing that Jedi were now permitted to marry, and have contact with their families. The marriage part she felt indifferent about; but her heart had fluttered excitedly as she realized she could see Tessa anytime she wanted, and finally speak with her openly.

Luke and her father were having dinner with Lady Amidala this evening; and so Mara had decided to sneak out of the Temple, and visit her mother. But she hadn't been able to find her; Tessa wasn't at Dex's, nor was she at the apartment that was listed as her official residence. So finally Mara had returned to the Temple, feeling disappointed, and a bit lonely.

Not to mention _bored_; she'd been stuck at the Temple on probation for three weeks now, and was growing very tired of it. She was bored of her bedroom, bored of the cafeteria, bored of the lounge, bored of the fountain room, bored of the library... Finally she'd come up to the rooftop; she was bored of _it_ too, but at least it offered a view of the rest of the city, and felt a bit less confined.

Still, she couldn't escape the _other_ Jedi in the Temple, who were all talking excitedly about the new changes, and gossiping in hushed voices about the shocking family secrets that were slowly beginning to emerge. Even here on the rooftop, there were others talking quietly amongst themselves, having intimate conversations - many of which appeared to be between fathers and sons.

_Just like Luke and Anakin,_ Mara thought, feeling a bit left out. It occurred to her that she could go hang out with Obi-Wan and the others; Luke had told her last night that they actually _were_ her blood relatives, but somehow she just felt numb about the whole thing. She'd never felt close to any of them; as a death stick baby, she had difficulty forming emotional and social bonds, and honestly felt no desire to see them right now. _Especially without Luke and my dad here..._

_Everyone's 'bonding', except me,_ Mara sighed, realizing the bitter irony of her situation. _Suddenly attachments are allowed, but I can't make them anyway._ There was a Jedi couple nearby on the rooftop now, declaring their love for each other in hushed, passionate voices; it made her feel a bit sick.

_Gah, I'm going back to my room,_ Mara decided, abandoning her rooftop perch, and heading back down to her living quarters. Her bedroom was the most boring place of all; the suite she used to share with Master Anakin had been given to someone else after they left for Border Patrol two years ago, so she'd been assigned another room for the duration of her probation sentence. It was on the west side of the Temple, far away from anyone else's, and she sighed in boredom as she returned to it now, sitting down on her bed and balefully regarding her austere surroundings.

_I miss our old Senate pod, and Holo monitor,_ Mara confessed. Apparently the broken Senate pod had been thrown out, and the Holo monitor had been Obi-Wan's anyway. _There's nothing to do in here..._ But at least she had her datapad, and switched it on now, deciding to kill time by playing dumb little video games.

_Hopefully Luke and my dad will be back soon,_ she thought, shooting down the attacking pixels on her datapad. _Unless they go out for a drink again..._ Mara felt another twinge of loneliness and jealousy, but valiantly tried to suppress it. _I shouldn't begrudge Luke this time with his dad,_ she reminded herself. _It's not like he has a mom._

Whereas Mara would soon be reunited with _both_ her parents - who were happily married, and probably eager to spend time with her. She understood that Anakin needed to give Luke special attention right now; but she looked forward to having her _own_ special time with her parents, and to enjoy the sense of warmth and belonging that everyone else seemed to be feeling. _Maybe tomorrow my dad and I can sneak out to see Tessa, and have a nice family dinner together, just the three of us..._

She wasn't certain whether Tessa knew about Anakin's indiscretion with Cora, or that Luke was his son. _I hope she knows, and is okay with it,_ Mara sighed. Tessa was always kind to Luke when they saw her at Dex's; but it was glaringly obvious that she fawned over Mara, and was only politely friendly to him. _Poor Luke,_ she thought regretfully. _It's going to be hard for him, seeing how happy we are together._

Mara played a few more rounds of her boring video game; but finally there was knock on her door, and she smiled in relief, sensing Luke outside in the hallway. "Luke!" she exclaimed, inviting him inside. "Haha... I can't believe what you did," she added, giving her brother a wary look. "It's been crazy around here," she said, giggling.

"Heh... Tell me about it," Luke laughed quietly, overwhelmed by today's events.

"So how was dinner with Lady Amidala?" Mara asked, sitting back down on her bed.

"Oh - nice," Luke said, sitting beside her. "It was, um..." He shrugged, smiling affectionately. "How's your evening been?"

"All right," Mara said. "I went to Dex's, to try to see Tessa, but - she wasn't there."

"Oh..." Luke gave her a sympathetic smile. "Well, hopefully you can see her tomorrow."

"Yeah," Mara nodded quietly, looking down. _That's going to be really nice._

But now Luke sighed. "About that," he said, with a concerned look. "I found something out tonight."

"What?" Mara asked.

Luke looked down. "We were wrong, Mara," he told her. "About - Anakin and Tessa."

Mara frowned. "What?"

Luke gave her a regretful look. "They're not married," he told her. "It turns out - he's married to Padmé," he explained, apologetic.

"What?" Mara's eyes widened. "No... No," she said, stunned. _He's married to my mom..._

"I know; I couldn't believe it either," Luke agreed. "But - it's true," he said gently. "They've been married twenty-six years. Leia's his daughter."

"She is?" Mara blinked, trying to make sense of it. "So - we're _both_ illegitimate?" she asked Luke, crestfallen. _Dad, what the hell?_

"Um... Not exactly," Luke told her cautiously. "I found out - I was wrong about Cora," he said, sighing. "She wasn't my mother after all."

"What?" Mara gave him a confused look. "So - who is?"

Luke looked down. "You know how Leia had a twin brother, who supposedly died in childbirth?"

Mara's brows furrowed. _'Supposedly?'_ Then she stared at him. "What? No..." She blinked, her heart sinking. "So - _you're_ his real kid, and - and _I'm_ his - his..." She couldn't bring herself to say the word _'bastard'_.

"I'm sorry, Mara," Luke said gently, stroking her shoulder. "I'm so sorry. But you know he loves you," he assured her. "And so does Tessa," he promised. "And so do I," he said, with a tender smile.

Mara nodded, trying to be brave about it; they'd both believed _Luke_ was Anakin's bastard for years, and Mara had never thought any less of him. _It doesn't matter,_ she told herself. _Master Anakin loves me. He chose ME to be his padawan,_ she reminded herself stubbornly. _But only after Luke said no,_ she admitted, tears springing to her eyes. _And my parents aren't together, after all..._ Suddenly her vision of a happy family shattered, and she let out an involuntary sob.

"Shh," Luke said gently, holding her close and stroking her hair. He hadn't held her like this in a long time; usually they tried to avoid physical contact, but under the circumstances, Mara was grateful for her brother's compassionate embrace, and she hugged him, laying her head against his shoulder as she cried quietly.

"It's going to be all right, Mara," Luke murmured, rubbing her back consolingly. "I promise."

Mara sniffed, blinking away her tears. "I know," she told him, attempting a brave smile.

Luke sighed. "There are a few other things I found out... We can talk about it tomorrow, if you like," he said gently, brushing a tear from her cheek. "It's been a long day," he admitted, with a sympathetic smile.

But Mara didn't want him to leave. "No, it's all right," she assured him. "Really," she insisted; it was nice to have someone to talk to. "So - Lady Amidala's really your mom?" she asked, smiling in disbelief. "And Leia's your sister? What was it like tonight?"

Luke grinned shyly. "It was - incredible," he admitted. "You know I've always felt there was something special about them," he confessed, apologetic. "So many things make sense now, that never did before," he told her, with a regretful smile.

"So... Master Anakin, and - Lady Amidala?" Mara laughed; it was difficult to imagine them together. _Wait a minute; no it isn't..._ "Just like on _JEDI?_" she realized, blinking. "So all that kissing they had to do on the show...?" Mara giggled, realizing the truth of it._ Master, you are terrible._

"No kidding," Luke agreed, laughing. "Meanwhile I got kissed by my own sister, about fifteen times."

"Heh," Mara laughed sympathetically; Luke and Leia's onscreen kisses had always been pretty awful. But then she cringed, slightly nauseated by this subject. "Gah, that's not funny," she reproached him, looking down.

"Eh, it kind of is," Luke said, giving her an apologetic look.

Mara sighed, shrugging; with Luke and Leia it had only been play-acting, and no big deal.

"Mara," Luke said gently. "I talked to Master Anakin tonight... about Tessa."

"You did?" Mara gave him a hopeful look. "And...?"

"And..." Luke sighed, regretful. "Tessa's your aunt," he said, giving her a concerned look.

Mara blinked, caught off guard. "What?"

"Your mother was her sister," Luke told her gently.

_"Was?"_ Mara asked, tears springing to her eyes.

"I'm sorry, Mara," Luke said, holding her again. "She died when you were three." _No..._ Mara cried bitterly against his shoulder. "I'm so sorry, Mara," Luke whispered, tears in his own eyes as he held her close. "I love you," he promised her, pressing his cheek against her forehead. _I love you too, Luke..._

Finally Mara sniffed, composing herself. "What was she like?" she asked, giving Luke a hopeful look.

Luke smiled. "Well, if she was anything like you, she was beautiful," he said, stroking her hair. "Actually, I don't know much about her," he confessed. "I'm sure Tessa can tell you a lot more," he said, with a reassuring smile. "But I do know... she was a prostitute," he told her gently.

Mara nodded, not entirely surprised; she'd always known her mother had been a death stick addict, and that Tessa had come from a disadvantaged background. "So he - he cheated on Padmé?" she asked, trying to understand. "While she was pregnant with you?" Mara realized, blinking; she and Luke were only a few months apart.

"Actually... No," Luke said, a regretful look in his eyes. "Mara... Master Anakin says he never knew your mother," he explained, as Mara furrowed her brows, confused. _What?_ "He has no idea who your father was, but... it wasn't him," Luke told her gently.

"What?" Mara choked, tears filling her eyes. "He's not - he's not my dad?" she asked, heartbroken.

"Mara, I'm sorry," Luke said, holding her close and stroking her back. "I'm so sorry."

"So - I don't have a mom... _Or_ a dad?" Mara cried helplessly. "I don't have _anyone?_"

"You have Tessa," Luke said. "And you'll always have Master Anakin," he assured her. "And me," he added softly.

"But... you're not really my family," Mara pointed out bitterly. _Except for Tessa..._

"No... we're not," Luke agreed, with a sympathetic smile. His gaze was tender and gentle, but there was a hint of amusement in his eyes, along with a pleading look...

_What?_ Suddenly the realization hit her, and she stared at him, stunned. "So we're - we're not related?" she asked, blinking. "You're not - you're not my brother?" Mara saw Luke's embarrassed grin, and laughed in disbelief. "Luke... I've never been so happy to _not_ be related to someone," she confessed, overwhelmed with relief.

"Neither have I," Luke agreed, as they shared a horrified cringe. But then she gazed at him, smiling tearfully, her heart fluttering with joy... A moment later they were in each other's arms, and Mara cried happily as he held her close. "I love you, Mara," he said, stroking her hair. "I love you so, so much."

"I love you too," Mara choked, clinging to him. As always, she longed to kiss him, and - do _other_ things; but it had been so long... Finally they let go of their tight embrace, and she rested her forehead lovingly against his, gazing into his soft blue eyes. _I've missed you..._

"So," Luke said with a hopeful smile, gently brushing a tear from her cheek. "Will you marry me?"

Mara giggled, delighted. "I think I already did," she pointed out.

"Well, in that case," Luke sighed, glancing around her bedroom. "My room is facing the spaceport," he told her. "There's this flashing beacon that strobes through my window every three seconds... It's been impossible to sleep," he confessed, laughing. Then he gave her a shy, pleading look. "Mind if I stay here tonight?"

Mara smiled mischievously. "Not at all."

* * *

><p><em>The next morning...<em>

"Mara?" Master Anakin's voice came from the hallway, as he knocked on her door. "I was hoping I could talk to you?"

_Crap._ Mara had been munching on a nutri-bar which Luke had brought back from the cafeteria before he'd left for yet another meeting with the Council; but she stopped mid-bite, swallowing nervously as she reluctantly went to the door. "Hello, Master," she said, attempting what she hoped was a confident-looking smile. "Come on in."

"Thanks," Anakin said, stepping inside. "You weren't at breakfast," he added apologetically, as if that explained his visit.

"Yeah, I, uh - " Mara gestured at her half-eaten nutri-bar. _I was trying to avoid you._ But there was little point in pretending anymore, so she sat back down on her bed, hanging her head miserably. "I'm sorry, Master," she cried, mortified and heartbroken. _Please don't hate me..._

"Hey, no," Anakin said gently, sitting beside her. "It's all right... It's not your fault, Mara," he assured her. "Nothing's your fault."

"Ahh... I'm so embarrassed," Mara choked tearfully.

"Heh," Anakin laughed softly, hugging her. "No, don't be," he said, kissing her on the temple. "I wish you _were_ my daughter," he assured her, his eyes twinkling fondly. "You listen to me a lot better than Leia does," he confessed, with an amused smile.

Mara cringed. "You don't hate me?"

"No... I love you, Mara," Anakin promised, kissing her again. "You're the best padawan I've ever had."

Mara raised an eyebrow at him. "I'm the _only_ padawan you've ever had."

Anakin grinned, tousling her hair. "And let's hope it stays that way," he agreed. "I don't think I could survive another one like you," he teased her playfully. But then he gave her a gentle, hopeful look. "Are you okay?" he asked, concerned.

Mara nodded, looking down. "Yeah."

"Hey... I'm sorry about your mother," Anakin said. He sighed, hugging her consolingly. "I never knew my mother either," he confessed quietly; she could sense his own sorrow as well. "I know that's really hard sometimes," he whispered, kissing her on the forehead.

Tears sprang to Mara's eyes; everyone else seemed to be blissfully reuniting with their perfect families lately - _especially_ Luke - and she clung to Anakin now, grateful to know she wasn't alone in her heartache. "I'm sorry, Master," she told him softly.

"I'm sorry too," Anakin said, stroking her hair. "I wish I had better news to tell you," he sighed. "But - hey, you've got your Aunt Tessa," he pointed out optimistically, as Mara nodded, managing a smile. "Speaking of which, I talked to her this morning," Anakin told her. "She's so excited to finally be able to spend some time with you," he added encouragingly. "She's dying to visit the Temple; she really wants to see the Room of a Thousand Fountains," he said, giving her a hopeful look.

Mara smiled, nodding eagerly; but then she laughed. "Gah, I am so bored of that place."

"Which is exactly what I told Tessa," Anakin agreed, with a knowing look. "So she's invited you for coffee, at her apartment," he told her, as Mara grinned in delight. "I'm assuming you have her address - and have already stalked her place a dozen times?" Anakin asked, raising a brow at her.

Mara giggled. "Yes, Master." Then she gave him a questioning look. "What time is she expecting me?"

Anakin tousled her hair affectionately. "I told her you'd be there in a few minutes."

Mara smiled, ecstatic. "Thank you, Master," she said, hugging him again. _I love you._

"Yeah, yeah," Master Anakin said with an indulgent smile, getting up from the bed. But as Mara opened the window and began climbing through, he pointed a stern finger at her, his expression playfully reproachful. "You get caught violating probation, don't blame it on me."

Mara laughed, climbing out the window. "Don't worry, Master."

* * *

><p><em>A week later...<em>

"Anakin!" Father Luke exclaimed, welcoming him into the lobby of his wedding chapel on Tatooine. "It's great to see you," he said, glancing curiously at the small army of Jedi, civilians, queens, princes, babies, and Zabraks that followed in his wake. "So, who is it this time?"

"Heh... All of us," Anakin told him, with an amused grin. "Except this time we need to make it official. Marriage certificates and everything."

"_All_ of you?" Father Luke blinked, overwhelmed. _Lord help me..._

"Well... Six? Eight?" Anakin frowned, trying to count.

"Twelve," Padmé corrected him, giggling. "The rest are just wedding guests," she assured Father Luke. "And we don't need individual ceremonies for everyone," she added, as he sighed in relief. _Thank the heavens..._ "We really just need to take care of the legal side of things."

"So, basically the opposite of last time?" Father Luke chuckled, amused. "And _without_ the mind tricks?" he added reproachfully, to Anakin.

Anakin grinned, raising his hands innocently. "I promise."

"All right, then," Father Luke said, going over to his cabinet. "I'll need each couple to fill out a marriage certificate," he said cheerfully, handing them out. "And when you're all done, I'll need to check your identification, and we'll make this official," he promised them. "The rest of you - if you'd like to take a seat in the chapel?" he suggested, as Qui-Gon nodded respectfully, leading the others into the sanctuary.

A few minutes later he examined the completed marriage certificates, checking their identifications carefully, before signing and notarizing each one. _Anakin Skywalker and Padmé Amidala... Obi-Wan Kenobi and Leila Harris... Cory Suncatcher and Elena Fisher... Zak Stormchaser and Nadia Radniki... Gregar Typho and Mika Janiro... Luke Starkiller and Mara Jade..._ He smiled proudly when he came to his namesake, realizing that Luke had made today's celebration possible.

"Excellent," Father Luke said, getting up from his office desk. "Gentlemen, if you'll follow me," he said, leading them into the chapel. "And ladies - wait here, until the music starts," he reminded them, with a knowing wink; most of them had gotten married here in his chapel before, and knew the drill.

He led the grooms to the altar, where he directed them to gather on the left side; then he nodded subtly to his organist, who smiled, starting the processional music as the brides walked down the aisle. Some of them were dressed in traditional wedding gowns, others in more colorful dresses, and two in Jedi uniforms; Padmé led the procession, and Father Luke smiled fondly at her now, remembering the first time she had been here. _It seems like yesterday._

When the brides reached the altar and the organ music stopped, Father Luke took the floor, beginning the ceremony. "We are gathered here today to celebrate the marriages of Anakin and Padmé, Obi-Wan and Leila, Cory and Elena, Zak and Nadia, Gregar and Mika, and Luke and Mara," he said, smiling at the couples before him. "Now, _most_ of you have been here before - and _all_ of you have waited far too long for this moment," he acknowledged respectfully. "So without further ado... Do you gentlemen on the left," he said, gesturing to the grooms - "take these lovely ladies on the right, to be your lawfully wedded wives?"

There was a disorganized chorus of _'I do'_, _'We do'_, _'Yes',_ and _'What was the question?'_ from the left side of the altar; Father Luke chuckled quietly, turning to the right side next. "Ladies, are you sure about this?" he asked worriedly. Again, there was a chorus of giggles, nods, 'yeses', and a '_too late now'_; but it was merely a formality, and he nodded in approval, continuing with the ceremony.

"Then by the power vested in me by the Galactic Republic, I hereby pronounce you husbands and wives," Father Luke said, as the not-so-newlyweds smiled in delight, and began hugging each other ecstatically. "You may kiss the - yeah, you're already doing that," he sighed, sharing an amused look with his organist. Jedi were allowed to marry these days, but priests were not so lucky, and Father Luke smiled wistfully at his own wife now: his beautiful and talented organist, to whom he had been secretly married these past forty-five years.

She began the recessional music, and Father Luke made his way toward the chapel's exit, shaking each guest's hand as they filed out. He asked the names of some of the younger wedding guests as they left, graciously thanking them for coming; but as the last of the entourage left the chapel lobby, he gazed after them, a thoughtful smile on his face. There had been a young Nabooan woman named Shoko; a teenaged Zabrak named Maia; Alex, a boy of about seven; four-year-old Princess Lyanna of Corellia; baby Tara, and her cousins, Jaina and Jacen; and then there was Tessa Jade - a striking redhead of about forty, who appeared to be single...

"They'll be back," Father Luke chuckled softly, as his wife joined him in the chapel doorway. _I wonder who it'll be next._


	217. The End, or The Beginning

**Chapter 217**

_Three years later..._

"Hey, look!" Luke pointed toward the starry horizon, as they sat around the campfire on Kilaui. "It's Jaina and Jacen."

"Really?" Jaina smiled in delight, admiring the familiar constellations. Then her little brows furrowed. "Which one is me again?"

"The one on the left," Luke pointed out. "And the one on the right is Jacen," he added to his nephew, who sat between Anakin and Cory, quietly enjoying the last of his half-burned marshmallow.

"What about me?" Tara asked, nestled comfortably in Obi-Wan's lap. "Do I have a constellation?"

"Hmm... no," Obi-Wan said, his eyes twinkling affectionately. "Your parents came up with a special name, just for you."

"That's right," Zak agreed, sharing an amused look with Cory and Qui-Gon.

"Speaking of baby names," Nadia asked, giving Luke and Mara a curious look. "Have you guys thought of any?"

"Gah... No," Mara sighed; she was four months pregnant, and just beginning to show. "Though we've narrowed it down a little," she added. "I just had my checkup last week... We found out it's going to be a girl."

"A girl?" Cory blinked in obvious surprise. But he quickly smiled, nodding. "That's great... Congratulations."

But Jacen was less enthusiastic. "_Another_ girl?" he asked, with a dismayed glance at Tara and Jaina. "I wanted a boy cousin."

Cory laughed gently. "Maybe in a few more years," he reassured him.

"Really?" Anakin gave Cory a secret, questioning look; but Obi-Wan frowned in disapproval.

"I said - _maybe,_" Cory pointed out, defensive.

"So... Any ideas for a girl's name?" Anakin pressed him, feigning innocence.

Cory frowned uncertainly. "For a girl?" He shook his head, apologetic. "Sorry... I got nothing," he confessed.

"Gah, you're no use," Anakin said, giving him a reproachful look.

"Hey, I saved your last grandkid from being named Nookee Blaster," Cory pointed out.

"Naming him _Anakin_ wasn't exactly an improvement," Anakin retorted, indignant. Han and Leia's younger son had been born eighteen months ago, and the confusion level in their household had risen to new heights. "Do you know how frustrating it is to be offered juice, and cookies, and... and - _snuggle-blankies_ all the time - only to find out it's _never_ for you?" Anakin pouted childishly, as Tara and Jaina giggled in delight. "And don't get me started on all the times I've been accused of spitting up on the sofa."

"That's not my fault," Cory maintained stubbornly. "They asked for my suggestion; I never forced them to _use_ it."

"Well... How about Jade?" Nadia suggested, to Mara. "That's a pretty name."

"Eh... I'm used to it being a last name," Mara told her, smiling appreciatively. "Thanks, though."

But now Obi-Wan spoke up. "What about Ana?" he suggested, with a thoughtful glance at Qui-Gon.

"Ana," Luke said, sharing a delighted smile with Mara. "I love it."

"So do I," Mara agreed, her eyes shining happily. "Ana... It's perfect."

"Anakin; Anakin; Ana... Yeah, that's going to be fun," Anakin sighed helplessly.

Cory laughed. "Sorry, bro," he said. "This one wasn't my idea."

But Tara blinked, curious. "Who's Ana?"

Qui-Gon smiled, gazing into the campfire. "She was your great-great-grandmother," he replied. "And _your_ great-grandmother," he added, to Jaina and Jacen. "She lived here on Kilaui," he explained; then he gave them a curious look. "Would you like to hear a story about her?"

"Yes!" Jaina said, settling eagerly into Luke's lap, as the others nodded cheerfully. Even the older members of their plankton-counting expedition looked on in reverent curiosity as Qui-Gon nodded, beginning his story.

"A long time ago - in a galaxy not so far away," Qui-Gon began playfully, as the children giggled, delighted. "A young man hiked along a narrow path which led to the village on the other side of the hill," he told them.

"That one over there?" Jacen asked, pointing toward the path on the other side of their campsite.

"Yes; that's the one," Qui-Gon agreed. "Now, his Master was hard at work down by the riverbank, studying the iridescent plankton that caused the water to glow red and orange and yellow at this time of year; because it was very important work," he impressed upon the children, who nodded solemnly.

Qui-Gon shared a mischievous look with Obi-Wan, before continuing with his story. "The young man had been sent to get some supplies from the nearby village, and he smiled as he reached the top of the ridge, gazing down upon the quaint farming community nestled in the green, fertile valley below.

"He noticed someone coming up the pathway from the other direction: a girl about his own age, wearing a rough-spun dress in the style of the local villagers," Qui-Gon continued, smiling at the memory. "So the young man stepped aside, allowing her to pass. 'Hello,' he said, offering a polite bow. 'I'm Qui-Gon Jinn.' He thought about adding that he was a Jedi padawan, but decided it was probably obvious from his little braid and ponytail, and the lightsaber hilt which hung from his belt," he pointed out, as Jaina and Tara giggled to imagine him as a padawan, and Jacen grinned sleepily, nestled against Anakin's side.

"The girl smiled back at him, then," Qui-Gon recalled, gazing wistfully into the fire. "And although the young man had never been to this strange, out-of-the-way planet before, he suddenly felt as though he'd come home," he confessed, sharing a fond smile with Obi-Wan and the others.

"'Hello,' the girl said, her lovely green eyes sparkling, as her red-gold hair glistened and shimmered in the sunlight. 'I'm Ana.'"

**The End**

_...or The Beginning._

* * *

><p>Thank you so much for reading! This thing has taken me 8 years to write, and is a giant rambling monstrosity, but I hope at least parts of it were entertaining... I appreciate all the encouraging comments I've received along the way, and I'm so happy to have finally seen it through! I have no plans to write anything else, but you never know... Thanks again for reading, and May the Force be with you! - Kelaria :)<p> 


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